“Every now and then, someone takes a potshot at bicyclists and bicycling. Sometimes it’s a politician; other times a shock jock. Whoever it is, and whatever their motivation, we don’t like it!” –The League of American Cyclists
I really had to tone down my language on this posting. It’s considerably shorter now that I’ve calmed down a bit and taken out all of the F-words…
“Road-bike aficionados are much like trout: simultaneously enthralled and mortified by anything shiny and new that enters their environment.” –Wired.com
“Within societies of mass automobility, bicycles are often regarded as a children’s toy, a middle-class sports fad, or a form of transport for those who are too poor to drive. Within less that three generations, cultures of everyday or utility cycling disappeared. Those who continued to cycle are often regarded with suspicion.”–Adrian, Yellow Brick Road.
Let’s call a spade a bloody shovel. This is not, as AAP reported, “a hit-and-run incident”–it’s criminal assault.
In August I made an entry called How To Steal a Bike, prompted by a couple of films on the web showing people ignoring someone stealing a bike right before their eyes. In the discussion that followed I suggested a possible approach for witnesses to a suspected bike theft: simply shouting Oi, that’s my bike
might be enough to see-off a thief. However for reasons of personal safety I didn’t think this was an entirely foolproof method.
Comments on the topic went quiet until last week when Paul from Adelaide recounted his largely unsuccessful attempt to use this approach. Feeling that the story shouldn’t be hidden away in the comments, I’ve asked Paul to go back and start at the beginning for this guest entry. You may not agree with what Paul did—you may even think him reckless or that he brought a bad outcome on himself. Maybe. Regardless it stands as a warning: your bike is replaceable, your life is not.
–T&M.
There were ten reported road collisions in the last month.
A cyclist gots an op-ed spot in the Sydney Morning Herald and used it to have a whinge.
“Year 7 students at private and government schools said in a study that they were forced to sit and talk during breaks because they were not allowed to run, play informal games or have access to sporting equipment” - The Age
Stonnington Council plans to install solar powered lighting studs along a stretch of the Gardiners Creek trail.
A driver in the USA will probably face criminal charges after intentionally crashing into a cyclist.
The bike courier in the road rage incident shows up to defend her actions.
A series of eye-witness photos of a motorist and cycle courier having a punch-up in the street.