OPINION - With the Cape Town Cycle Tour just weeks away, we can expect to see more and more cyclists on our roads, practising for the race.
It would be a real feather in KwaZulu-Natal’s cap if a cyclist from the province won the race.
However, the death of yet another cyclist highlights the dangers to be faced on our roads by riders.
While, as Pedal Power Association chief executive Robert Vogel argues, cyclists have every right to be on the road, and motorists should learn to share the road, cyclists should also exercise a little common sense.
Several incidents provide ample evidence that the M4 is not safe for cyclists, yet they persist in traversing the route. However attractive it maybe for their training purposes cannot be outweighed by the threat to life and limb. Until measures are in place to improve safety, I would avoid the M4 if I were a cyclist.
Many cyclists - not all - place themselves in danger by riding abreast, instead of in single file, and are rude and arrogant when this is pointed out to them.
Many pull out to overtake other cyclists without checking for vehicular traffic, putting them at risk of being knocked down.
Perhaps Vogel and Pedal Power could address these matters with the cycling fraternity.