Cadel Evans rates Australian drivers as worst in the world

i pay "road tax". i drive a car in melbourne. oh, i get it, you pay this "road tax" only at the times you're actually driving, so the time i'm on my bike is effectively freeloading on their "road tax".

a lack of driver education is to blame.

maybe the tactic is to ride with a child seat on the back of your bike. maybe even stick a doll* in there. i bet you'd get given more passing distance then...

*not a blow-up doll

should try riding in Brasil.....fuckin scary fast buses, cars and motorbikes

I dunno tmy, the blowup doll might make the miserable cnuts smile for a change rather than raging up.

the blowup doll might make the miserable cnuts smile for a change rather than raging up.

you make a good point. shall we conduct an experiment? i'll ride around with a child doll on the back of my bike, you ride with a blow-up doll. first one to get hit by a car loses.

Can I borrow your blowup doll then? :)

Don't take this the wrong way Mdizzle but your avatar makes you look like a Nazi.

that sounds even more dangerous than Australia, if cars are driving by themselves and killing people.

I will always pick up on this until journo's stop being pro-motorist with descriptions

+1. In the same bracket are 'the cyclist collided with the car', 'accident', 'the car didn't see me', etc.

As ever with articles like this the comments section is where the gold is. The article has particulary good section.

More than 650 comments?

I have and Melbourne drivers are far worse than almost everything I've seen in London and the rest of England.

I think BrisVegan drivers could give them a run for their money - my wife once had her arse slapped by some yob in a car whilst riding along, at speed on a main road. wtf?

I had an air horn sounded in my ear on Maroondah Hwy.
I had a Commodore run me down, drive up a side road, stop, watch me get up and drive off.
I've had a brown Kingswood P-plater swerve at me intending to knock me down.
I've had a Holden ute run into my back wheel and drive away like nothing happened.
I've had a guy get out of his car and challenge me to a fist fight.
and that was just Monday ;)

I think you might be right then...

Yeah, always better than the article:

"I LOVE cyclists! The way they all gather together in flocks, their pretty plumage fluttering in the breeze as they I follow them in 2nd gear. Eventually they come to roost at some cafe, and strut up and down the side walk in all their finery. .. Also, they taste like chicken!
Posted by: Shinobu 2:43pm today
Comment 645 of 654"

That comment is hilarious. Gold.

I can't say I found Australian motorists to be in any way worse than British ones. I even rode into a BMW whilst in Aus and the driver was apologetic to me when it was my fault (I managed to catch myself from falling or damaging his car). Lots of ppl on mobile phones though.

I only rode my bike in Melbourne though, didn't have a bike in the other places and from what I was told Sydney drivers are far more inconsiderate. Also I can't imagine its much fun riding your bike in Darwin as nobody else is on bikes. PPL don't go far without the comfort of their air conditioning.

Don't take this the wrong way Mdizzle but your avatar makes you look like a Nazi.

Dude. Thats the DIG magazine sprocket fist drawing. Its awesome. Not Nazi at all.

I think he changed it recently. It did look a bit sketch before.

Only experienced riding in Australia (both Brisbane and Melbourne) but it's not good.
It's always a better option to stick to the back streets on the daily commute.

After seeing the presenters of Australian top gear on TV this doesn't surprise me. I expect the drivers in more countries will get worse as the "middle aged men who think they are funny" brand of motoring programmes spreads across the globe.

Hmmm, they weren't too bad in Sydney.

I watched Mad Max 2 last night and have to say the driving was pretty dangerous. Mel Gibson also looked a lot younger.

Gotta say the drivers in Melbourne are dreadful. People just merge lanes into you, literally just drift across into the lane you are currently occupying without warning. Im not sure most of them do it on purpose, they just dont pay any attention to whats going on around them

"middle aged men who think they are funny"

What's your point?
squinty eyes

Racist

What's your point?
squinty eyes

It's OK Joe, he's talking about Mel Gibson.

So if you're fat and old in australia you're subject to LESS abuse than younger leaner cyclists...
http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/blog/530868/abuse-from-drivers.html

...didn't know that there were any fat old australians

Am an ex cop downunder, but am a Pom deep down :) Have to say I trust drivers less and less around Melbourne. We came here in 1980 driving was easier even fun. Now the levels aggression, intimidation and lack of consideration round here is shite. I only ride on bike tracks and there are plenty of those. A mate is a traffic cop, told me the other day, so many frigging aggro types not only towards motorists, pedestrians, cyclists but with us. Times was discretion was the golden rule, get a bollicking or a ticket, now you give out both and you don't hold back. Our road accidents are either speed, fatigue or slack driving or variations there of. Maybe nothing remarkable about that, but driving downunder is no pleasure anymore and cyclists on the road, as my Dad said the other day are organ donors in waiting. (Ex cop 25yrs)
Mad Max, no but some are pushing the envelope!
I agree with whats cadel says, that the journo may well have helped him or herself to some liberties to help things along. For the record sydney drivers are on another planet at times. I paint a grim picture, no, not quite. But like everywhere else ride with care and assume the drivers have a bad case of tunnel vision, because "that cyclist jumped out at me from no where"

Cadel is a patron with Phil Liggett of the Amy Gillett Foundation see link below..Thanks!
http://www.amygillett.org.au/

FYI Mad Max 1&2 were filmed around Melb and Victoria. The stunt drivers had steel cohonas (sic) the stunts were extreme and nothing short of miracle on the roads they drove on. I've driven one stretch and I can drive quick...no picnic....... Mel only drove in straight lines, Steve Bisley 'Goose' was abit more energetic / mad..... Apologies slightly off topic :)

I watched Mad Max 2 last night and have to say the driving was pretty dangerous. Mel Gibson also looked a lot younger.