As a regular user and resident of this road I have major concerns for both rider and motorist safety due to high amounts of traffic on this road from mid-afternoon to early evening.

I have lived on this road for a few years now and I have noticed an increase in daily traffic and I am surprised to see that it has of late become a cyclist hotspot within the local area.

What I was confronted with recently as I drove to town has led to me writing this letter.

It was 5.40pm as I drove to town when I came up on a group of eight cyclists who for the most part were riding two-wide close to the fog line.

Hence, I passed these riders with no major issue but when I started up a steep hill and around a blind corner I was astonished at what I saw.

The group of six to eight riders who were riding five-wide and taking up the whole of the left lane but also the widest rider was over the double unbroken centre line at the time.

So I was left with the dilemma of overtaking this very slow moving bunch on the crest of a hill or try and slow to walking pace to wait until it was clear to pass.  

My concern here is that if I was a fully loaded B-double or a lighter style truck how would I slow in time to not hit one of these cyclists and or do I risk a head-on with another vehicle to avoid a much slower moving object which has taken up the whole of the left hand lane.

To my surprise, once past that group of riders I then witnessed a single rider who was heading down the hill towards the abattoir which is a rather steep hill with a blind corner at the very top.

But this single rider was in the middle of the road on the centre line and even after he looked behind him and saw my vehicle he continued to sit in the middle of the road despite the difference in speed of our two transportation devices.

My concern is that if I wasn’t concentrating or was a new driver on the road or a heavy vehicle then I could possibly be in the position where an accident could occur and or have no other option than to continue in left lane and hope for the best.

This is where things are of concern as a driver can be as careful as possible yet still find him/herself confronted with no other option than to take evasive action which could not only put their lives, the passengers in the car (ie young children) or the lives of other motorist and bike riders at risk and yet possibly end up charged with a serious offence due to the lack of respect and or awareness of the cyclists surrounds.

I am aware of why riders choose to ride in groups and I am also aware of the physics involved in riding a bike but I and many other commuters and residents of this road are growing with concern that it’s only a matter of time before there will be a serious accident on this road involving a cyclist.

The shoulders of the road are all but non-existent and there are also a number of blind corners and steep hills which make visibility hard for the local driver but even harder for a non-local.

Despite singling out this group of riders I have also been witness and heard many stories of other groups of riders around our local area which display similar riding patterns and my concerns remain the same that unless there is a shift towards safer cycling then unfortunately, we as a community could see a worst case scenario.

A Glover

Old Cootamundra Road

Send your letters to jennette.lees@fairfaxmedia.com.au