Dangerous motorcyclists risk lives

I live off the A41 between Bicester & Kingswood and have been told that this road is a designated motorcycle race track especially at the weekends. Does it take an accident or a death to get speed Police patrolling this area.

Ruth

Do you mean cyclists on push bikes? I was not sure as this thread is about motor cycles. There are several threads here for people fed up with cyclists on pavements. Try http://www.weeklygripe.co.uk/a137.asp

Write to your MP again and ask for their party's policy on this subject - remind them that it is an election year!

I live beside a beautiful London Common where some of the paths are signed 'No Cycling' whilst others allow cycles. I am fed up with cyclists who use the pedestrian paths as it means that I cannot enjoy a walk in peace. I am very nervous about cyclists sneaking up soundlessly behind me and usually I encounter several such miscreants on any given walk. If I ask them to get off the bike and and walk I am accused of ignorance (that's rich coming from someone who has just blatantly cycled over a no cycling sign in foot high letters!) or worse. My worry is that nothing seems to be done either to educate or sanction these law breakers who are making my (and other people's) recreational life a misery. I have written to my local MP about it but no response so far. Does anyone have any suggestions for positive effective action?

Rizzer,
I don't think they are particularly aimed at car drivers as such, although as a biker myself It's a good thing I think, they seem to be positioned at spots of danger more to the biker than car.
ie,
Before side road junctions where a car driver hasn't seen you coming and pulls out.
On approaches to bends where it is more severe than it looks.
On roads where it looks ok to overtake, there might be hidden dips or blind driveways/junctions to be aware of.
They are there also to remind the biker it's dangerous to ride like a lunatic here, and be aware of what could and probably will happen if they don't slow down and ride with care

Having said that, I cannot condone the actions of some bikers for the way they choose to ride there machines, gives us all a bad name agreed, but don't forget, most of the biking accidents that occur are caused by the lack of concentration/inexperience of a lot of the other forms of transports on the road.
Yes, I mean bikes as well, they can have a head-on when two prats are on the same road overtaking.

Have you noticed all these "Think Bike" posters going up at the side of the road?

Presumably they're aimed at car drivers who should spend their whole journey on the lookout for motorcycle riders?

Well, wouldn't it be a much better idea to think of a sign aimed at the lunatic motorcycle riders? Maybe if they slowed down and didn't ride their bikes in such an irresponsible fashion they would end up splattered across the road like they do.

I'm thinking of taking some new signs round with me to replace THINK BIKE with THICK BIKERS!

The town I live in has a mayday festival that attracts a lot of bikers, and most of them drive like nutters. I saw one car trying to drive who was completely boxed in by motorcycles. I think being in large groups made them all go a bit nutty.

I have a motorcycle, and I drive as safe as I can. I'm fully aware that not a lot separates me from the road, and I ride accordingly. Anyone who doesn't is waiting for death.

I've driven cars, vans and lorries. I've ridden motorcycles, trikes, scooters, bicycles and horses. I've even flown gliders. Whatever the form of transport, you will always get the fool who thinks the world revolves around them and b*gger everyone else. You will only ever notice this fool, rather than the other drivers/riders who skillfully flow past you without a hiccup. Just relax and let them go their merry way; there's really nothing you can do about it.

Karn n Linda - what are you banging on about? Are motorcycles invisible to speed cameras or the rozzers? No. And you can overtake a police bike or car if it's safe and legal to do so. So why don't you? And why so angry?

if the police are going under the speed limit, then you can overtake them providing you DONT break the limit. im sure they wont take it personally.

I'll tell you what gets up my goat.... is motorcyclists getting away with speeding at ridiculous speeds without getting stopped or charged! As law abiding motorists, car drivers - sticking to the speed limits as best as we can, in a moment of lapse of concentration, are condemded for going not one but two miles over the speed limit. I find this to be an absolute disgrace when the police drive at slow speeds aggravating the average motorist to sit behind and never overtake for fear of also being condemned and charged of speeding!!!

Laughable, you seem proud that you've knocked 7 kids off their mopeds. Yes they may have made stupid manouvers, but are you telling me that you couldn't have avoided any of the accidents? Did you not think for one moment that there are actual humans on those hairdryers on wheels? Or did your wisdom from your whole "5 years of driving" tell you to "keep going, you have right of way so feel free to not bother thinking about the inexperienced kid who made the wrong decision (although I'm sure in your 5 whole years of driving you've never, ever made one of those), has just killed his shiny new moped, has to tell his parents that he's had a crash causing all sorts of worry on their behalf, being screwed over by their insurance company because do get any sort of affordable insurance he'd have to agree to some ridiculously high excess charge, and they'd have trouble getting insurance from now on because they already have one accident to their name, oh and now they've got "the chap you just cut up with a 1 tonne vehicle, 5yrs driving, 5yrs nclms that now wants to rip your head off for booting his car" venting at them.

Tell me do you also claim points depending on who you run over? For example, 10 points for mopeds, 20 for the elderly, 30 for a small child, 40 for someone in a wheelchair and 50 for a neighbour's cat?

you shouldnt drive whilst on a mobile phone it can be very dangerous and couse a accident

Biker Boy
Quote:
“Without condoning dangerous motorcyclists, may I suggest you refresh your memory of the Highway Code. It is only illegal to overtake at a ped crossings if the vehicle has stopped to give way to pedestrians (Rule 167).”

Except Biker Boy, you are incorrect in several ways.

Rule 165 [not 167]
You MUST NOT overtake
the nearest vehicle to a pedestrian crossing, especially when it has stopped to let pedestrians cross.

Note: Just because you can't see anyone, there might be a child, a short adult, or someone in a wheelchair on the crossing.

There is a blanket prohibition against overtaking where there are zig zag road markings, which are found on the approaches to all poedestrian crossings. See: 'The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002'