…and part of that is calling out fellow cyclists who do run reds. A hearty and loud “goo-don-yah” seems to get heard, lacking any potty works lets them receive it better.

The one that irks me most is cyclists going onto the path to turn left to beat the red at a set of lights. I have no problem with people getting off their bike, walking on the path to go round the corner, but to ride the path or go through the red light on the road, just to save themselves 20 seconds.

Basically, if we want respect from motorists, then obey the rules.

On the other hand, there are plenty of places where it’s the only tenable option.

Adding to the confusion is the way that many streets around the CBD have markings suggesting that they can be used by bikes, but it’s not clear where these start and stop.

Put simply it seems that many motorists are fed up with those that bike on the roads, and pedestrians quite rightly are concerned when there is biking on the footpaths that aren’t designated shared pathways. That is why cycle-ways are so important , people who bike are not going to go away and nor should they. It is a central and local government responsibility to see that infrastructure is appropriate for all transport choices .

In the mean time, I think a lot of footpath riding is due to a combination of convenience and “survival ‘ in a hostile roading system that has been developed by vehicle drivers , for vehicle drivers . Being marginalised throws away the incentive for law-abiding activity .

Providing those biking on the footpath extend the same courtesy to pedestrians as they expect when on the roads in amongst vehicular traffic things can amble along nicely

The reality is different as we know . So the only solution will be to develop roading and pedestrian areas with all transport options getting equal consideration. Until that can happen, the issue will remain an issue . Curletts Road would be a useful place to start .

To tell a related story , recently I rode my bike ( with cargo trailer ) into a hardware yard to purchase some timber. I did what any vehicle would do and parked alongside the timber required . There were a number of other vehicles parked and people walking around . A concerned employee told me to take “extreme” care whilst in this area . I did not see any of the pedestrians wearing high-viz gear unlike myself, so wondered why a vehicle/truck would run me over instead of them . It was nice to be warned of dangers ( I suspect the company were trying to cover their liabilities , bless them ) but the irony is once back onto the road I was putting myself at extreme risk ( my perception) from the seemingly deliberate actions from the very same trades vehicles ( possibly ) who seem to have no comprehension of what a 0.5 metre space between vehicles and those on bikes is , let alone what 1.5 metre means . Funny old world I thought .