ONE of the bike riders filmed by an agitated Border truck driver in a video that has gone viral says he can’t figure out what the problem was.
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“This is why you f--wits get f---ing killed,” he said before labelling the riders “f---ing idiots”.
The footage appeared to have been filmed on a mobile phone, as it was in a vertical format, but Mr Butt says he used a GoPro attached to a camera.
He deleted the video from his Facebook page on Monday.
Lawyer James Sloan – one of three solicitors shown in the footage – was surprised when it surfaced.
“I don’t know what that guy’s problem was, other than the fact we exist,” he said.
“If he’s filming with his phone, using a mobile while driving in a great B-double like that, one hand on the wheel and one hand on his phone … if anyone’s dangerous, it’s not us.
“It just seems to me he had a problem with cyclists being on the road.
“If cyclists are not allowed on the road, we have a problem in this country.”
Mr Sloan said it was safer from cyclists to travel two abreast.
Riding single file made groups stretch out longer and invited drivers to try to “sneak past”, he said, but cycling side by side forced vehicles to overtake.
VicRoads says riding two abreast is the safest option as it increased the visibility of cyclists.
Mr Butt said he had been in situations where he was trying to slow a truck weighing more than 60 tonnes behind cyclists.
Mr Sloan wants to see Victorian laws enacted forcing a metre gap between riders and passing vehicles, which other states have.
A Border Mail poll showed 52 per cent of votes thought Mr Butt was in the right, 39 per cent said the riders were correct and 9 per cent could see both sides.
Mr Sloan, who is a regular rider, said he frequently received abuse from other road users.
Read Mr Sloan's letter below:
Dear Sir,
As one of the law-abiding cyclists being abused by Charlie Butt for riding my bike at Granya, perhaps Mr Butt would like to say exactly what we were doing that was wrong. We were riding in orderly formation on the left of the road. Cyclists are allowed to ride side-by-side and we were doing so perfectly legally.
As far as I can see the only thing that was illegal about the video he posted was the apparent use by him of a mobile telephone to film us. That was not a GoPro format. It looked pretty obviously like he was using his phone and he had a child in the car. The only person who is a danger on the road was Mr Butt driving a huge truck while operating a mobile device.
If you are not prosecuted and lose your licence, Mr Butt (which you should), please learn to share the road.We all pay our taxes and you have no greater rights to the road than anyone else.