Just want to remind people to be careful out there.
7.20 am Monday morning two weeks ago today, I was riding down a T3 lane, no-one else in the T3 lane apart from a bike about 50 metres ahead, traffic was stopped in the RH normal traffic lane, the road was dry. Came up to a side street on my left with "Keep Clear" lines painted on the road and a taxi coming the opposite way swung right through a gap in the stopped traffic and started to cross the T3 lane. It came from the behind a stopped SUV in the normal lane so I didn't see it until it entered the clear T3 lane.
(T3 lane is a dedicated lane which can be used only by busses, cyclists, motorbikes, taxis and cars with 3 or more occupants, It's why I ride my bike, riding the T3 lane cuts 20 minutes off my commute).
It braked and came to a stop with it's nose about 2/3 - 3/4 across the T3 lane. I braked but decided that I'd hit the taxi so released the brakes and steered hard to the left to go around the front of it. I must've hit an unevenness on the road (the camber of the side road where it met the camber of the main road) because I felt the bike lift slightly but low sided the bike, the bike skidded across in front of the taxi (I must have made the right decision?) and I slid across the front of the taxi, across the side road and into the gutter.
Rearward dislocated shoulder (and aren't they painful), bruised or suspected cracked (hairline) ribs, bruises on the hip, right hand and elbows. The gear did it's job, left boot worn through the leather and the steel cap had wear marks on it, elbow of my jacket has a small hole worn through it about the size of an Aussie $1 coin, knee of my trousers ripped but no damage to me down there, and scratches on the left hand side of the helmet and helmet visor. It wasn't until it arrived in the gutter that any damage was done to me, it'd been sliding on my front but my right shoulder hit the gutter and flipped me over onto my back and I guess that's when it was dislocated.
Ambulance ride to hospital, seven hour wait until I could have general anaesthetic to relocate my shoulder (why did I have breakfast, they won't give you a general anaesthetic until 6 hours after you've eaten), and home by 7.30 pm.
But the thing that really P*##ed me off was that the taxi driver pulled in to the side street, pulled into a driveway and sat in his car for about 5 minutes, then drove off. The wonderful people who were looking after me grabbed their phone and took a photo of the number plate and gave it to the police.
Not too much damage to the bike, new gear change lever, new topbox and saddlebags, new headlight surround, new helmet, and I'll have to keep my arm in a sling for a while - subject to torn shoulder ligaments/rotator cuff which would be longer.
But, could have been worse.
Cautious rider who will be even more cautious in future.
