01-Sep-2010
Letters
Letters
Ignoring the rules
Having just returned to the world of cycling after a 20-year break, I purchased a copy of Australian Cyclist and turned to the letters page to gauge the mood of cycling per se. Paul Anderson's comments about ignoring the rules because he feels "they don't apply to cyclists" beggars belief! Cyclists flouting the law simply enrage motorists and give us all a bad name.
I consider myself to be a relatively cautious, courteous rider and often stare aghast at people riding obnoxiously fast on footpaths, or at night on the wrong side of the road etc.
In reference to your article 'Sharing the Road' by Tanya Bosch (AC, March/April), I take exception to the premise made in point two that 'sitting in the centre of the lane' will help alleviate road rage. As a cyclist and motorist I find nothing more infuriating and an embarrassment to cyclists than those cyclists who hold their 'rightful' space, no matter what the situation.
One of the nice things about retirement is a person gets to choose where you want to spend your time and energy. One of my favourite things is riding a push bike. Living in the country town of Biloela we are blessed with many back roads only minutes away, a lot are sealed most are gravel and some are dry-weather roads. The biggest problem is that at an intersection you may be looking at four different road names. A single road may have many different names when it is the same system. With so many names it becomes a navigation problem. Most would say use a GPS but most aren't this detailed unless you have money to waste. It is possible to travel from one small centre to another by not using the highway system but again the many names make it hard.
I would like to respond to Kim Nguyen's articles about riding to Copenhagen to raise awareness of climate change. Kim, your effort is admirable. It does raise awareness, but doesn't change policy.
On my regular bicycle commute to work each morning, I see the same sprightly old fella, aged in his 70s, taking his early constitutional walk along the shared pathway on Sydney's Anzac Bridge.
If you are considering sending your bicycle by sea to Spain, beware. I recently had a nasty and expensive 12 days trying to claim my 18-month-old bicycle from Valencia Customs.