Sharing the road with cyclists is a grey area for most drivers and often it goes off common sense rather than common knowledge of the road rules. It would benefit everybody if the road rules with regard to cyclists and cars were published some place like on this website. Some dilemmas we have come across ourselves and traveling with other people is where a bike is supposed to be on the road or footpath etc and if they can dart across the road on pedestrian crossings but also have the same standing as a car on the roads etc when it comes to following behind or moving to the side to let the car pass etc...

She is lucky to be alive. Can someone please tell me why the majority of cyclists don't use the adjacent cycle path?

Michael, cyclists have as much right to use the roads as car drivers do. It is legal for them to use the road... in the majority of cases it is the drivers who cause the accidents not the cyclists. This poor girl was just doing her thing, people need to be more careful when they see them up ahead and slow down!

Good question Michael. I'm a cyclist and a motorist. When I'm riding I always use cycle paths where they are available. It boggles me to see more cyclists mixing it with fast moving traffic than using the adjacent cycle paths.

Firstly, I hope the girl is ok, and makes a full recovery. Michael, your question: Cyclists riding early in the morning are typically out training and ride a lot further than the length of the average bike track. The problem with bike tracks, atleast based on my experience in the northern suburbs is that they are heavily populated by walkers/runners/dog walkers etc. There is nothing at all wrong with that, but if you take a few cyclists riding at 20-30km/hr and put them on a path at most 2-3m wide shared with all these people it wont turn out well. People wander from side to side, dogs of course roam free etc. it doesnt mix with speed. Cars on the road are however much more predictable. They have lanes, and dont typically randomly stop. Riding on the road is a smoother less interrupted, less stressful ride (assuming you dont ride on major heavily populated roads) Its a shame to see how bad motorist vs. cyclist relations are in Australia, especially when you see how good it is in a lot of European countries.

The reason most cyclists use the road rather than bike paths is due to a number of reasons. The main reason being bike tracks are often too crowded for serious cyclists to use effectively. Can you imagine the public outcry when a professional cyclist hits a child @ 50kph on the bike track?

As regards to cycle paths I had a friend who raced bikes for 30 years which included thousands of kilometre's of training on Illawarra roads without hardly a scratch.His first outing on a cycle path he was brought down by a kid on a BMX bike who didn't have a clue which ended in a broken collar bone and wrist.The second time he ventured on to a cycle path a woman walked across the path without looking and brought him down giving him more broken bones.Both times involved costly repairs to his bikes.He's now been riding the roads for the last 10 years again without a problem.Bikes,walkers,jogger's and dog's just don't mix on so called cycle paths.

Cyclists have as much right to use the road, but what about when they are travelling uphill and impeding the flow of traffic? Aren't motorists just as likely to attract fines for going too slow as going too fast? If this is the case, why is the law different for cyclists? I got stuck behind a cyclist during peak hour traffic while travelling uphill at Warrawong recently and it was a seriously dangerous situation for all concerned, including the motorists trying to escape the logjam by merging with freer flowing traffic in the next lane.

Posted by me 11:14am - You are right on all three points you make - Cyclists have as much right as car drivers, it is legal for them and in the majority of cases it's the car drivers who cause the accident. Reading your last point I can see you are no mental giant so I will explain it to you from someone who has been both driving and cycling past Primbee for over thirty years. It is difficult for car drivers to see riders on the right hand bends unless they can see through cars, so your last point doesn't work here does it? I thought my comment was obvious, maybe I should have been more specific - This is a known black spot so why not avoid it in the mornings when people are rushing to work. Take the old road through Primbee or switch to the cycle track at this section. It's your life your gambling with not mine.

Michael @ 1:21:28pm, You'll find that the road rules ask that drivers drive according to the conditions that the roads present, not at the posted limit. That is, if you cannot see the road clearly around the corner due to a blind corner, slow down to improve your stopping distance appropriately (onus on the driver to do the right thing). If there is sun glare and you cannot see clearly down the road, slow down to improve your stopping distance (onus on the driver to be safe). If the roads are wet, slow down to maintain your stopping distance and changes to car handling due to the weather. It is up to the driver to do the right thing according to the conditions. Blind corners should be slowed down for, not taken at the posted limit.