Gold Coast M1 Highway - a short rant

[Neeek]

I'm jinxed, I'm sure of it. Every time I drive down to the Gold Coast down the M1, something happens. Usually, it's rain, and lots of it; one minute you're in the daylight and the next you're under the blackest of clouds with wipers failing miserably to clear the water from the windscreen. And sometimes it's just idiot drivers lane-changing at silly speeds and driving like idiots.

But not this weekend.

:

EXHIBIT A

I drove down to Mudgereeba with Greenmachine in my wagon to pick-up the wheels I bought on eBay. The journey was going well and we were cruising at about 110, when the BA in front of me started braking for no apparent reason. So I did the same. The BA braked more, and so did I. At this point, I was getting worried because BA's brakes work far better than those in my wagon. Finally, the BA performed an emergency stop in about 10 metres and there was nothing else for it but for me to stamp on the brakes (didn't lock-up, surprisingly) and come to a controlled stop no more than an inch from their back bumper, and the BA's passenger's looked back at me and no doubt saw that me eyes were the size of dinner plates and my passenger had kicked a dent in the firewall and had his fingernails embedded in the dash.

I collected my thoughts. And then I saw the reason for the stop - a little chihuahua running around the freeway.

Now don't get me wrong, I love dogs, I really do. I don't like small dogs per se, but still... If an animal is running around on the freeway and you're in traffic travelling at a decent lick, YOU DO NOT STOP! I'm sorry, but that dog should've been toast. Stopping dead on a freeway is bloody LETHAL because the traffic building up behind you can quite easily, and usually does, smash into the back of you. This is how pile-ups start.

So I pondered all this as the BA sat there and I watched the rear view mirror for the black Mazda behind me that pulled up in time... and the semi-trailer than also did (I think). So I jumped on the horn and finally after what seemed like an age, we moved off. The little dog ran down the central reservation and we passed it quickly.

Two things:

1. I hope it either got run-over or it's owner never sees it ever again.
2. I hope that there wasn't a pile-up behind us.

EXHIBIT B

On the way home, we left Mudgereeba and joined the slip road to get back on the freeway. I noted that there was a bogan VN Commodore behind me, so I gave it some beans to let him hear the acoustic delights of the Clevo. Once I was up to about 80, it became apparent that the freeway was filled with bikers - clearly they were riding in a convoy to go north for the Ride for Daniel. No trouble, I thought - I'll pop my indicator on and look for a gap. As I did this, a bloke on a Harley looked at me through my driver's window and simply shook his head.

What the hell was I supposed to do? I was doing about 80, my slip-road was rapidly shortening and no bloody biker wanted to let me in. So I slowed a bit and waited for a gap in Motorbike Hell. I'm not sure exactly how I found one, but I did and so proceeded to drive down the M1 slower than the bikies because THEY WERE EVERYWHERE.

To my left, to my right, in front and behind. We were completely surrounded. And of course, they were all riding like complete bloody idiots. When I thought they had all passed me, I got my speed up again and that's when the next "batch" of Harley-riding twats came along. Once again, weaving in an out of moving traffic, passing me both sides and clearly not giving a stuff about anything or anybody else. There must've been a thousand of them, all riding like the idiots that they clearly were.

Finally, it seemed that the bloke at the front decided to make a pit stop at Helensvale... so the snake of popping and farting tractor-bikes decided to move from the fast lane to the slip road in one fell swoop... at 100km/h. It was absolute chaos and I'm staggered that no-one got killed.

Three things:

1. No-one, unless they have blue or orange flashing lights, has the right to tell me I can't merge with traffic off a slip-road and onto a freeway.
2. Bikers in a convoy that number more than about 25 should either ride passively and not dominate the road, or get a police escort.
3. As evidenced by my experience, the vast majority of Harley riders are... well, the swear-filter will make my feelings all blank, but you get the idea. Gents, if you're reading this you're not doing your clan ANY favours by riding like that.

:

[Fev]

Sounds like a bad day, were the rims good?

[Neeek]

Originally Posted by Fev

Sounds like a bad day, were the rims good?

Mercifully, they (and the almost brand new tyres on 'em) were absolutely spot on and worth every single one of the fifty-six thousand cents I parted with to purchase them.

[Fev]

awesome

[GreenMachine]

As I said to you at the time, Neeek - Those amphetamine tractors are just as squishable as sport-bikes and scooters and chihuahuas... Should've just merged over the top of the stupid bastard.

Interesting to note those fine riders and human beings on their way to a charity event, at least 20 of them with dealer plates on clearly illegal bikes, another dozen with no rego at all, all riding like absolute idiots.

Also a special mention to the clown who passed the wagon on the passengers side, between us and another bike that was already too close - Hope my cigarette butt tasted good, buddy. Buy a closed face helmet.

[Fev]

Its not called littering if you get it into someone elses vehicle or helmet lol

[Neeek]

Originally Posted by GreenMachine

As I said to you at the time, Neeek - Those amphetamine tractors are just as squishable as sport-bikes and scooters and chihuahuas... Should've just merged over the top of the stupid bastard.

Yeah, but when they're all wearing jackets that say "Odin's Butt-Munching Warriors"* how do I know that they won't become amorous when I chew one of their clan up with my tailshaft?




* it's possible I mis-read the patch, but that's what my brain tells me I saw...

[GreenMachine]

I'll buy you a copy of Stone ... It shows you what to do when greasers on bikes annoy you...

[Neeek]

And what's that? Stand up tall and with a loud voice say:

"Before you do that, do you know who my Dad is?"

[Fev]

So what does Stone teach you to do? Mad Max style chains? or deployable spikes from the hubcaps :P

[GreenMachine]

I'm not sure plotting their death is really the answer... I think a lot of those middle aged, bearded children just need to be slapped, really.

I'm not at all anti-bike... Have owned them, have very good friends who still ride, rah rah, I often have a slight dumb-move-but-looks-like-a-blast smile when some squid overtakes me at 200kph:

However, just because you own 400kgs of chromed steel and oil leak and so do 50 of your friends, you DO NOT own the road.

[Wally]

http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/Home..._rules_merging

[blueoval]

I have experienced this type of behaviour on the M1 also from bikies.

Was cruising down the M1 at the speed limit, middle lane and some dudes on sports bikes were in front going slower, so we merge into far right lane to over take. Clean maneuver and then merge back into the middle. The leader of the pack didnt like that, so he sped up and over took us again and slowed down along with the rest of his clan. Why, I still dont know to this day. They were way in front for quite some time which was fine and we thought nothing more of it. Next thing, we catch up to them again going slower, so we take the same procedure and over take them in the right hand lane, but this time staying in the right hand lane. Next thing we know, the leader of this bikie group is front wheel to rear bumper distance away behind us, obviously aggravated. We hear the bike kick down a couple of gears and he decides to overtake us with us in the right hand lane, in the emergency lane with maximum revving and speed. All while shaking his head in the process. Why???

[Neeek]

Originally Posted by Wally

http://www.transport.qld.gov.au/Home..._rules_merging

Let me get my reading glasses out...

If you are driving in a marked lane and your lane comes to a distinct end, you must give way to other traffic already in the lane you are moving to.

I am aware of give-way rules.

Queensland Transport recommends that drivers who merge onto a freeway build up speed to match that of the traffic already on the freeway.

That's pretty much what I did. Check.

In most cases this enables a driver to find a safe gap in the traffic and then change lanes into it. It is also common practice, and recommended by Queensland Transport, that drivers already on the freeway exercise courtesy and allow space for drivers trying to enter the freeway, either by adjusting their speed or changing lanes.

And here we have a winner...

What was your point? That I must give way to the traffic in the lane I'm pulling into, or that the traffic in the lane I'm pulling into exercises courtesy (i.e. not looking at me at shaking their head) or perhaps even the bit about building up my speed to match the flow of traffic already on the freeway?

Anyone who tries to stop another vehicle merging onto the freeway at freeway speeds (or indeed at any speed) for ANY reason deserves a good smack in the face as far as I'm concerned. It's rude and when you're doing more than 10km/h, it's also dangerous.

[Neeek]

PS - I didn't want to turn this into an attack on bikies. The vast majority of them are courteous road users, as should we all be.

But it's always the select few that frankly deserve to have big metal poles wedged into their front spokes when they are travelling at speed whom we remember most vividly, and for the wrong reasons.

[Pedro]

Originally Posted by Neeek

PS - I didn't want to turn this into an attack on bikies. The vast majority of them are courteous road users, as should we all be.

But it's always the select few that frankly deserve to have big metal poles wedged into their front spokes when they are travelling at speed whom we remember most vividly, and for the wrong reasons.

The "select few" always seem to be those filthy looking bikie gang drones riding in large groups (in an endeavour to collectively produce a brain), on those neanderthal technically challenged Harley Davidsons, all of which have had there factory exhaust mufflers removed. This action is of course a pitifull attempt by the riders to gain attention to themselves due to their inability to fit into the mainstream of society and their total lack of intellect.

[Wally]

Originally Posted by Neeek

..............
What was your point? That I must give way to the traffic in the lane I'm pulling into, ............................................

Well yeah. There isn't much to gain from getting your knickers in a twist over a bunch of bikies making a tribute run for little Daniel Morcombe.

[Neeek]

Originally Posted by Wally

Well yeah. There isn't much to gain from getting your knickers in a twist over a bunch of bikies making a tribute run for little Daniel Morcombe.

The reason they were out in force is totally irrelevant - I don't care why they were there. It was the actions of a few of them (obnoxiousness, rudeness, idiocy and lunacy all rolled into one) that annoys me.

One bloke telling me that I absolutely cannot join the freeway because he and his mates are out riding on it...? Sorry, not good enough. I'd rather decorate the front of my car with an inside-out chihuahua than have him rule the road.

[Jastel]

I agree all Harleys should be taken off the road until they get mufflers installed
If my car sounded like that the cops would be all over me

Have had a Bandido try to kick my doors in because I dared to beep at him and lock up 4 wheels in a cloud of smoke when he failed to give way to me at a roundabout. The &^#$! followed me down the road trying to bash my car because I spared his life?????

A few of them give the lot of them a bad name that one charity ride a year won't overcome.

[Falcon Coupe]

Moral of the story:

The Neeek shall inherit the earth, but it belongs to Harley riders until then.

Nothing you could do bud, if you knocked one off by accident you would not be here to post it.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Neeek

I'm jinxed, I'm sure of it. Every time I drive down to the Gold Coast down the M1, something happens. Usually, it's rain, and lots of it; one minute you're in the daylight and the next you're under the blackest of clouds with wipers failing miserably to clear the water from the windscreen. And sometimes it's just idiot drivers lane-changing at silly speeds and driving like idiots.

But not this weekend.

:

EXHIBIT A

I drove down to Mudgereeba with Greenmachine in my wagon to pick-up the wheels I bought on eBay. The journey was going well and we were cruising at about 110,

you were very lucky not to get cleaned up or there must've been very little traffic. i generally see that freeway a few times each year and 110 seems to be the absolute minimum. bit like the bruce hwy when heading north.