Re: Harbour Bridge Ride - Critical Mass

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sat, 25 Nov 2006 10:41:21 +1100
Resound <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> times like peak hour on a Friday afternoon. That is, bike don't get in the
> way of traffic, bikes ARE traffic. Furthermore you'll notice that once you

Not ones in large bunches with a police escort.

*I* am traffic. CM is a nuisance.


> get past a cyclist, you wind up being held up by the same car that was in
> front of you before. In other words, you're exactly where you would have

Not on the harbour bridge you don't. Nor on the freeway. I have been
there at that time of day, and it still moves faster than CM was
moving.

I'll believe this "we are the traffic" **** when they are doing it on
their own, without escorts, obeying all laws, and doing what I am
doing day in day out.

because I am the traffic. They aren't.

Zebee
- who does her best not to hold up traffic on her bicycle. If it can
move faster than I can than why not do my damndest to let it?

 

[Big Bear]

Zebee Johnstone wrote:

> I'll believe this "we are the traffic" **** when they are doing it on
> their own, without escorts, obeying all laws, and doing what I am
> doing day in day out.

Take it up with the police.

 

[Resound]

"Zebee Johnstone" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In aus.bicycle on Sat, 25 Nov 2006 10:41:21 +1100
> Resound <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> times like peak hour on a Friday afternoon. That is, bike don't get in
>> the
>> way of traffic, bikes ARE traffic. Furthermore you'll notice that once
>> you
>
> Not ones in large bunches with a police escort.
>
> *I* am traffic. CM is a nuisance.
>

Granted, which is why I said *bikes* are traffic. Their point is pertinant,
their actions are less so.

>
>> get past a cyclist, you wind up being held up by the same car that was in
>> front of you before. In other words, you're exactly where you would have
>
> Not on the harbour bridge you don't. Nor on the freeway. I have been
> there at that time of day, and it still moves faster than CM was
> moving.

A grandmother on the waiting list for a hip replacment pushing a shopping
jeep with two shagged out wheels is faster than CM. I can't comment on the
bridge being a Melbournite and I don't ride on the freeway because it
doesn't go where I want to go and it's a shite place to ride, not to metion
being illegal.

> I'll believe this "we are the traffic" **** when they are doing it on
> their own, without escorts, obeying all laws, and doing what I am
> doing day in day out.
>
> because I am the traffic. They aren't.
>
> Zebee
> - who does her best not to hold up traffic on her bicycle. If it can
> move faster than I can than why not do my damndest to let it?
>

Exactly. We don't have to hold them up much and they don't have to hold us
up much. A co-operative rather combative approach works well for me and the
more people that do *that* the more quickly bikes will get accepted. The
only people who'll be unhappy are the desperate radicals who really just
want to **** people off.

 

[Zebee Johnstone]

In aus.bicycle on Sun, 26 Nov 2006 01:42:19 +1100
Resound <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>
> Exactly. We don't have to hold them up much and they don't have to hold us
> up much. A co-operative rather combative approach works well for me and the
> more people that do *that* the more quickly bikes will get accepted. The
> only people who'll be unhappy are the desperate radicals who really just
> want to **** people off.

I find the co-operative approach works. I am sure that the more
sensible commuters who act like traffic but are riding bicycles there
are, the more used to them drivers get. That is, after all, the Dutch
experience.

I'd like more road design that is cycle friendly, and acknowledgement
that bicycles want direct routes too rather than be shunted off to
detours. There's a chunk of my commute that has pinch points that are
only there because of useless wide footpaths (useless as in a) no peds
and b) it's just a big curved open expanse of paving). If a couple of
feet was carved off that it would be a lot better. But it won't
change because bicycles are supposed to take the long way round.

Then there's the Kent St/Pyrmont Bridge path mess. I see a lot of
footpath riding and chaos when people try and get onto that path.


Zebee