Posts by Russell Brown
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Hard News: Review: Lana Del Rey, 'Born…, in reply to JacksonP,
There have been noises about this, but I can’t tell really, as it was all Greek to me.
Part of the melody is somewhat similar – which of course has never happened in the history of popular music ever – but basically it just seems to be another peg for the haters.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to BenWilson,
In practice, we can’t avoid some interaction. Cyclists can’t spend all their time on cycleways any more than motorists can travel everywhere on motorways. That doesn’t mean they’re not sometimes useful, they’re just not a panacea.
Well said, Isaac. Cycleways really are like bicycle motorways. I would like more of them, but I have to accept that I’m not going to have them door to door everywhere I want to go on my bike. Which means it’s also on me to learn to cohabit with cars, trucks, buses, and pedestrians.
Agreed. But I think there's particular call for separate lanes in places like Tamaki Drive, just because there's so much contention for the roadway. It one sense, it's a lovely, level, route route with everything to recommend it to cycle commuters. In another, it's quite frightening and I dislike riding there for that reason. I'd be reluctant to ride between traffic and parked cars on that road.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to James Butler,
Does this include jumping red’s when you consider it safe to do so? So many intersections in Auckland are terrifying. Three lanes at the lights on a two lane road. A bus in the left most lane. I sometimes feel safer taking the decision into my own hands and crossing an intersection against a red light, rather than relying on the decisions made by drivers.
Can’t speak for Russel, but I definitely consider obeying the law secondary to saving my own skin, and will occasionally run a red light if I think it will help.
+1. I will generally obey traffic signals, but if it's going to keep me safer in a specific situation, I'll run a red, divert to the footpath, whatever.
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Hard News: Review: Lana Del Rey, 'Born…, in reply to DexterX,
Lana Del Rey it is Ok - but I have enough other great music to catch up on that is less derivative.to pay her any mind.
What would you say 'Video Games' is derivative of? I can't think of any other song that sounds like that.
I like the album, mostly, because while it contains elements of various sorts of pop music, it's really quite different to most current pop music. As you might expect from a hip- hop producer working with a full orchestra.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to James Butler,
It’s just a recommendation I believe. And I’m happy to do a hook turn if I can’t safely change lanes; happens maybe 10-20% of the time.
I often find myself in potential breach of the rules simply in the interests of staying clear of traffic and thus safe. I'll always look to get myself out in front of waiting cars, and where necessary I'll ride hard to get out there when the lights change.
Otoh, I'll also sometimes take the defensive option on one stretch of Meola Road and actually pull over when I determine that it's unwise to move out around a parked car in the hope that following drivers will act sensibly. When passing lines of parked cars I look ahead for brake lights, indicators and bodies in drivers' seats. Staying alive.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to Isaac Freeman,
Over the years I’ve got increasingly relaxed about occupying the lane while cycling whenever I judge that there’s no room for anybody to safely pass me. I used Tamaki Drive only a couple of times during my time in Auckland, but at that bottleneck I’d make sure I was far enough out to be clear that passing me wasn’t an option.
The problem is that the rush-hour traffic was proceeding at walking pace. She could easily have held the lane but she’d have found it hard to even stay upright at that pace. A witness told the court:
"I realised the cyclist was going roughly 20km an hour. She was too close to the curb and the car doors… I was telling my mates that perhaps she is going to get hit by a car door. I said there would be an accident and there was.’’
The driver of the truck she went under never saw her either. Which does not mean the crash was “her fault”. There were simply no good, safe options on that stretch of road.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to Glenn Pearce,
Lisa, from the act you helpfully linked to
driver means a person driving a vehicle; and includes the rider of an all terrain vehicle, a motorcycle, a moped, a cycle, a mobility device, or a wheeled recreational device
I didn't think the judge would be wrong in law. And yet, we all do it, because it's the only practical thing -- and sometimes the safest thing -- to do.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Are you arguing that asking a driver to take that level of care to protect another human is unreasonable?
I always check my mirrors, because I'm also a cyclist. But I cannot honestly guarantee that I would have done better in that particular situation than that driver did.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to elsketcho,
Perhaps if cyclists were to contribute some form of license fee, and this revenue were to be channeled directly towards the creation of dedicated cycleways, the problems could be alleviated.
Cyclists save public money by being healthier. They pay rates and taxes. They use far less space and cause far less wear than car and truck drivers. And the fact that they're not in a car makes more room on the road for everyone. A registration fee would be a powerful disincentive to cycling and a whacking great net deficit.
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Hard News: Staying Alive, in reply to James Butler,
He was parked in a marked car park. If the council is going to designate an area for parking, then they carry much of the responsibility for the safety of parking in that area.
Quite.