Treadly and Me

Speedlinking 8 April 2009

“The experience was pretty revealing – it opened my eyes to the challenges that cyclists face, which are clearly significant…I wouldn’t single out any particular group of motorists, but I saw behaviour ranging from the very courteous to that which was frightening.” –Ian Craig, Managing Director of Lothian Buses.

Behave, or you won’t get that bike lane!

When good opinion pieces go bad: Graham Cornes starts out well making his case for better bike lanes in Adelaide, but then he heads off into illogical and dangerous territory…

Speedlinking 21 June 2008

“But here’s the big secret: bike commuting is no sacrifice at all. As a matter of fact, I often feel a pang of guilt for doing it. It’s so much fun, and I derive so many benefits from it…” –Alan, www.ecovelo.info

A company bike is much better value

I’d certainly consider a salary package that included a company-provided bike.

Mugged for my bike

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.

Bike commuters are up to 14 minutes faster than cars in Adelaide

A commuter challenge in Adelaide last week saw all bikes beat their corresponding car – with one coming in 14 minutes faster.