From The UpRider

While we’ve referred to him as UpRider K to protect his identity, this UpRider is close to marking his 25th incident post on UpRide.

A long-time Sydney cyclist and firm believer in ride recording, UpRider K shares, “I’ve been thinking about what I can do to make cycling that little bit safer.” Armed with his Cycliq cameras and decades of experience, he documents everything from daily close passes to aggressive drivers. He praises UpRide as a valuable tool for raising awareness and offers practical, experience-backed advice on reporting to police, dealing with difficult drivers, and the small changes that could make a big difference for cyclist safety.

“Record your ride. Make it count.“

I’ve been using Cycliq cameras since the initial crowdfunding days – I thought it was a brilliant concept. I’ve been cycling around Sydney since the mid-1980s for both commuting and pleasure. Over the years, it’s been extremely rewarding but also dangerous.

In 1994, while training for the Foster Ironman, I was doored and fractured my pelvis in three places. Since then, I’ve been close passed nearly every day, hit, abused, and had things thrown at me.

Up until now, I’ve mainly used the footage to take incidents to the police. Sadly, they don’t often take action – and I understand they have a lot to contend with. Now that I’m retired and riding primarily for pleasure, I’ve been thinking about what I can do to make cycling that little bit safer.

I’m not a fan of big, costly infrastructure projects – we just need smarter, simpler ideas:

• Get rid of narrow painted bike lanes. They offer no room for error and drivers think it’s fine to pass as close as they like as if the line is a barrier.
• More education that drivers must give cyclists a metre, no matter what – even a message on the city’s electronic boards would help.
• Educate driving instructors on what to do when they come across a cyclist. Many drivers panic and make the wrong decision.
• Heavy vehicle companies like bus operators should include cyclist awareness in their safety training.
• Educate drivers that we don’t have to use unsafe bike lanes full of glass and debris, especially after rain.
• Police could use UpRide footage for training – cadets could call drivers involved in incidents to educate them, not fine them. It would cost nothing and help cadets build confidence.
• And cyclists need education too – obey the laws, be predictable, and ride responsibly. Just because you can ride two abreast doesn’t mean you always should.

Education on both sides makes the biggest difference.

When something happens, I review the footage and, if possible, identify the vehicle or company involved. If it’s a truck or bus, I contact the company and politely ask that they educate their drivers about close passes. One driver has passed me dangerously three times – even after assurances it wouldn’t happen again. For that one, I summarised the footage with screenshots and asked the local police station to just give them a call.

I’ve also reported things to my local council and state member to raise awareness, though it seems we don’t share the same priorities. That said, one of the council’s tanker drivers did ring me personally to apologise for a close pass – credit to him.

In some cases, I even catch up to the driver at the next stop to calmly explain why space matters. Most are apologetic once they realise. I’ve also offered to speak at driver education sessions – I hold a heavy vehicle licence, so I understand both perspectives