Driving to current Road Conditions (Cape York)
Submitted: Tuesday, Jul 24, 2012 at 20:05
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Allan S1
We found our first trip up to
the TIP, very interesting.(Road Wise) I was so suprised at the way people were driving to and from the Cape. In one particular incident we were travelling on a very corrugated and dusty section, when coming towards us, was a group (as we discovered later ) all travelling too close togethe,r and at a speed that was unwarranted in such dusty conditions .Visibility was about 100 metrers , I heard one of them on a UHF channel, and asked them to slow down and to have more distance between vehicles (dust was hanging, as the next vehicle appeared. Lights were not on, difficult to see them). only to be told to" GET OFF THE ROAD LADY"!!!
We later found out that a 4WD Coach Tour almost came to grief with them. They were called"The Swagman 4WD Cllub." We hope all 4WD Clubs do not behave like this, endangering the lives of people who are trying to, Drive to the current Road Conditions???
Has anyone else had an encounter like this, on their Joiurney to or from
the Tip?
This happened the last week of June 2012.We live in the Bush and Drive on gravel roads. NO RESPECT !!!
Reply By: Tonyfish#58 - Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012 at 15:48
Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012 at 15:48
ALLSN S1 - The road is full of drivers with different skill levels and opinions on what is safe? What you described though sounded as a very unsafe situation. It may have been the wind was in their favour and not yours, thus they had reasonable vision and you did not? This happens a lot on the Cape Road.
Most of the roads in the Cape are now very safe & driveable in a 4x4 at speeds from 80 to a 100k in my experience. So if you are under these speeds there will be many people that will be wanting to overtake. If there is a vehicle in front that wants to police their speed as safe, overtaking becomes an issue. This is what I see as the biggest problem on the roads to the Cape and Lakefield.
If you are in dust IMHO it is very important to put on your lights.
I have just come off the Lakefield Road on which I was doing a safe 80k with no issues. A group of 4 4x4 towing trailers came out of a
camping area in front of me with the las of the group pulling out with me
well in view. I then had to slow down to their 60k speed which slowed to 40 on occasions. So when the wind was right an vision was good I overtook the laset vehicle. I heard them comment on how unsafe it was to overtake on these roads??? They continued to make ridiculous comments re this overtake.
I said nothing in return but must say if you travel these roads at those speeds you will be overtaken. This group should allow for that and work together to let following vehicles pass wehn safe, instead of trying to police their road speed as safe.
Cheers Tony
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Follow Up By: Member - OnYaBike - Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012 at 23:30
Wednesday, Jul 25, 2012 at 23:30
What Tony says is true and there is a difference between driving fast where conditions warrant, and absolutely flogging it.
A lot driving very fast on the Cape roads I have noticed are driving an employer's vehicle and not their own. But they may also carry local knowledge of which corners have unsuspecting corrugations in them and which don't, which makes you and i be a bit more cautious. They may also travel a section of the road regularly and know it intimately. But speed doesn't always allow for the unexpected, which may be the traveller in the middle of a corner faster than he intended and with corrugations making him skip to the outside. I don't want to be the one meeting him head on and also travelling at a speed which cuts down my options for evading disaster.
Remember a tourist was killed in a head on near the
Jardine a couple of weeks back. I don't know the circumstances.
This accident prompted a friend down from
Bamaga on leave to tell me of a vehicle which some time ago pulled in front of everyone at the ferry, took off like a rocket on the other side, and rolled a few km along the road. Turned out to be full of elderly ladies, none of whom was injured seriously. The car wasn't so lucky. Maybe the ride and comfort and quiet of a modern vehicle lulled them into false security.
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Follow Up By: PJR (NSW) - Thursday, Jul 26, 2012 at 11:06
Thursday, Jul 26, 2012 at 11:06
Tony A big pat on the back.
I have often tried to say the same about getting both sides of an incident but get hung up in arguments. As is man's nature and we sometimes do not even know we are doing it.
Maybe even the initial PO's report may be a little biased.
Thanks Tony
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