what's worth reporting to the police?

[wilddemon]

Camera

I've been considering a camera. There are other sites with some reviews but the tech changes so quickly most of them are outdated. Anyone on here have experience with a budget setup? Looking for something cheap, not too nasty, and preferably with a fisheye lens (though I believe you can get fish eye adaptors). I haven't been knocked off the bike yet but had a few close calls from clod heads with bad attitude. Also keen to find something with good battery life (I like long rides) or can be charged on the go if possible, or even has spare batteries?

 

[delbified]

get an 808 spy cam - cheap, small, HD resolution - will capture number plates. i upload to YT. the best ones are when it's a company vehicle - that really makes them sweat, you will get some grovelling apologies which are amusing, if nothing else.

 

[gcmkt]

Report them there idiots

Driftking
Not reporting that sort of behaviour and suggesting that the police can’t do anything about it is the worst advice ever. There are several breaches of the Australian Road Rules that apply in cases like the one outlined. Don't take a step back from drivers that behave in that manner and not report their behaviour. As peachy rightly points out, that particular idiot may be doing this on a daily basis to cyclists and no one has reported him. Obviously if he is doing this regularly, it would only be a matter of time till someone gets “accidently” knocked off their bike.

Make sure you get the rego, make/model, description of the driver and time, date place. Police will need these details when speaking to the driver. If you make a complaint and make it clear that you want the driver spoken to regarding his/her actions it would be inappropriate for police not follow up the rego and put the allegation to the driver to get him/her to pull their head in. If you feel that the police are fobbing off your complaint, ask to speak to a supervisor. Also ask to be kept informed about when the driver was spoken to and what action the police decided to take with the driver. The manner of driving may seem trivial to some, but you need to consider the consequences if a cyclist is knocked off, even at slow speed.

I’ve recently started riding on the road to compliment my MTB riding and love it. I’ve only had one goose in a 4x4 give me a scare but it was too quick to get a rego. There are no excuses for travelling to close when passing riders, its just ignorance and depending on the circumstances, an offence. Id suggest that if any police officer told you there was nothing he/she could do then that they wouldn’t be a competent officer or was just plain lazy.

So in short, report those idiots that try to scare you by travelling at an unsafe distance when passing and find it necessary to yell something unintelligible.

 

[akashra]

Ride somewhere quiet, with no traffic, perhaps in the bush... You cannot win a fight with a car !

Uh... that's generally what Emerald is.
My 'Bread and butter' loop for the last 5 years has been a 50km loop that goes up the 1/20, down the wall to Monbulk, around to Emerald and then back via Selby, Belgrave and Ferntree Gully.
Generally the drivers are pretty good but you can be guaranteed you're always going to encounter at least one tard bogan in a conformadore that comes within 30cm of your bars. I can't say I've noticed any significant increase in aggressiveness, but it may have increased a little in the last 12-18 months.

Sadly around that kind of area, that far out I think it's just the luck of the draw as to who's are out on the day.

 

[mars mtb]

4 weeks ago a mate and I were about an hour into a 7hr epic and were heading through tail end of Eltham near Research, approx 7.45am, hot, sunny, clear, no cars either way and a big 18 wheeler roars past and genuinely just missed us. So close that an inexperienced rider may have panicked and been drawn into the wheels and then see ya later. We took down the truck's details including the company name.

Come Monday morning I rang Eltham Police and chatted to the Constable providing all the details. I advised that I know there wasn't much he could do but that I would like him to contact the company, find the driver and speak to him. My argument to the Constable was that I was no gumby, had a family, and had the driver actually taken me and my mate out then the Constable would have a shit load of paperwork and would have the job of informing our families of what had happened. And that the driver would then say sorry but fuck all would happen to him. So it would be of value if one driver changed their ways.

2 hours later the Constable calls back. He called the company, got the driver, reprimanded him, told him the scenario of what if he killed us, what would he say to our kids etc etc. driver was about 60yo with impeccable record but he admitted what he did and was distraught he actually got that close admitting he fucked up. He promised he would now always pay attention and give riders a wide birth. The Constable was a stand up guy, admittedly it may have been a slow day at the office but a good result. He advised I could contact the company myself to verify or follow up further but I thought the job was done.

Very happy with that outcome, but I acknowledge this is not the usual outcome, but we have to persist.

For example on Boxing Day when heading through Monbulk I was seeking directions and had my back wheel sticking out on a quiet road and a guy in a white Commodore wagon aimed at me and I had to quickly move or get hit. So I give him the finger and tell him where to go. He skids jumps out and says he will follow me and kill me, so I tell him to suck my c*** and note there are witnesses and to fuck off and buy his mum some teeth. This guy I laughed at so much that i didn't grab his details but I should have. I just couldn't stop laughing as I thought that's what happens when you are your bother's son who ends up marrying his sister. Not sure he ever finished grade 4.

 

[Art Vanderlay]

For example on Boxing Day when heading through Monbulk I was seeking directions and had my back wheel sticking out on a quiet road and a guy in a white Commodore wagon aimed at me and I had to quickly move or get hit. So I give him the finger and tell him where to go. He skids jumps out and says he will follow me and kill me, so I tell him to suck my c*** and note there are witnesses and to fuck off and buy his mum some teeth. This guy I laughed at so much that i didn't grab his details but I should have. I just couldn't stop laughing as I thought that's what happens when you are your bother's son who ends up marrying his sister. Not sure he ever finished grade 4.

Glad there was no damage or injuries. Shit like this shouldn't be tolerated......however you gave that slack jawed yokel the best drubbing. Kudos to you mate.
Can I use some of your lines when I'm in a predicament? Training on the road, shit will happen.

 

[driftking]

Driftking
Not reporting that sort of behaviour and suggesting that the police can’t do anything about it is the worst advice ever. There are several breaches of the Australian Road Rules that apply in cases like the one outlined. Don't take a step back from drivers that behave in that manner and not report their behaviour. As peachy rightly points out, that particular idiot may be doing this on a daily basis to cyclists and no one has reported him. Obviously if he is doing this regularly, it would only be a matter of time till someone gets “accidently” knocked off their bike.

Make sure you get the rego, make/model, description of the driver and time, date place. Police will need these details when speaking to the driver. If you make a complaint and make it clear that you want the driver spoken to regarding his/her actions it would be inappropriate for police not follow up the rego and put the allegation to the driver to get him/her to pull their head in. If you feel that the police are fobbing off your complaint, ask to speak to a supervisor. Also ask to be kept informed about when the driver was spoken to and what action the police decided to take with the driver. The manner of driving may seem trivial to some, but you need to consider the consequences if a cyclist is knocked off, even at slow speed.

I’ve recently started riding on the road to compliment my MTB riding and love it. I’ve only had one goose in a 4x4 give me a scare but it was too quick to get a rego. There are no excuses for travelling to close when passing riders, its just ignorance and depending on the circumstances, an offence. Id suggest that if any police officer told you there was nothing he/she could do then that they wouldn’t be a competent officer or was just plain lazy.

So in short, report those idiots that try to scare you by travelling at an unsafe distance when passing and find it necessary to yell something unintelligible.

i addressed this in the page earlier, I was speaking mainly to this situation, the OP had limited to no evidence or information. Walking into a police station and saying "I was riding and some guy in a car did this" with no information that can identify the person/car what are they going to do?
They cant do much based on the fact there is nothing to go off, if they have the information you noted yes its clearly reason to report but with no information they cant do anything.

With mar mtb that was ideal he had the information so there was potential and leads to follow up.

 

[wilddemon]

get an 808 spy cam - cheap, small, HD resolution - will capture number plates. i upload to YT. the best ones are when it's a company vehicle - that really makes them sweat, you will get some grovelling apologies which are amusing, if nothing else.

I love watching these YTs. I'll have to watch the rest later. Not that we are the same sort of people (or maybe we are) but love to be at the monitor listening to you swear yer head off lol. X5 passenger is half out the window with a pose that seems to say "cool story bro". Not condoning bad behaviour but if you gave some driver a bit of bippity boppity bam that would be pretty damn entertaining

 

[pharmaboy]

Govt and police services could stop this behaviour with an ad campaign that encourages cyclists to report rego's to them.

Just the mere knowledge that thye will be reported and police will keep a file and or contact them would be enough to stop quite a bit of it i think.

 

[jackass'd]

They have cams in vehicles now these days so you can catch idiots on the road + helps for insurance claims if you have an accident.

get an 808 spy cam - cheap, small, HD resolution - will capture number plates. i upload to YT. the best ones are when it's a company vehicle - that really makes them sweat, you will get some grovelling apologies which are amusing, if nothing else.

Exactly!!!

And not just youtube - use all social media platforms that you can access. Hell, even today/tonight and ACA!!!

 

[mars mtb]

Glad there was no damage or injuries. Shit like this shouldn't be tolerated......however you gave that slack jawed yokel the best drubbing. Kudos to you mate.
Can I use some of your lines when I'm in a predicament? Training on the road, shit will happen.

Yeah no sweat go for it, I've got a million of 'em :biggrin1: it just happened to be a good random wordsmithing day.

Though sometimes it just comes out as F's and C's with some mothers and sisters thrown in, and on the odd occasion I say nothing due to complete shock.

Totally my fault I crashed on the dirt the other night 10mins into a ride going flat out, ripping up my leg and shoulder so I audibly swore random crap at myself, got up, went home cursing myself all the way to the door. But my abuse at myself was all true.

 

[Aussie Biker]

I had "young driver" cut right across the wrong side of the road on a blind corner and nealy peel me of my bike, I never said anything but he didn't like the way I looked at him, he jumped on the picks and flew backwards in reverse around the corner he just came around and started yelling abuse out the window......I started to mosey towards his vehicle when he decided to speed off with a lame attempt at a burnout...Knob Jockey.

 

[donthucktoflat]

Does anyone on here regularly pick up people from the novotel on northbourne in a cab? If so then I can safely say check your mirrors before you pull out (into 3 lanes mind you) and I'll stop putting dents in your roof. No joke, same cab, 4 days in one week. Same spot, time and action. Next time he'll be getting a faceful of handlebar coming through the drivers window.

 

[Capone]

Does anyone on here regularly pick up people from the novotel on northbourne in a cab? If so then I can safely say check your mirrors before you pull out (into 3 lanes mind you) and I'll stop putting dents in your roof. No joke, same cab, 4 days in one week. Same spot, time and action. Next time he'll be getting a faceful of handlebar coming through the drivers window.

That whole area is a complete cluster fuck

 

[Decibelled]

Just carry a bat.. And clean out their mirrors :heh:

 

[antigee]

new to Aus mostly been riding into Melbourne CBD and Yarra trails and loops without much road

been out up to Kingslake a couple of times and been cut up on the bends/shouted at and revved at by kids in a camper all the stuff you expect - one thing i didn't expect was being buzzed by a motorcyclist - i reckon mirror was only a couple of centimetres from my elbow - it was a long narrowish straight and he had to have made an effort to be that close - and i can only assume had no intention of wrecking himself and bike but was demonstrating his skill - do i have to get used to this?

as to the OP - seems sad can't ride with kids without being intimidated - in UK i've reported deliberate crap like throwing bottles but just try to ignore bad driving - and treat the odd deliberate intimidation stuff as nothing personal - not sure what sort of records police would keep - even if say 5 people reported same driver over a period of time would it get linked?

think the post suggesting advertising and a hot line would have some impact - at least on the drivers that are bright enough to figure out that they could do without the hassle