Posts by Russell Brown
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Maz,
Again, sorry to be a pain in the neck devils advocate, but how well do you hear in your car with the radio on?
I too, would not cycle with headphones on – I like taking in everything, and feel like in a cocoon wearing them – but it is the same for motorists.Really not the same thing. In the car I have multiple mirrors and I’m unlikely to be mowed down from behind. On a bike, I need to be very aware of what’s going on behind and around me and the best way of doing that is to have my ears open.
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A real bugbear for me is people riding/commuting in traffic wearing earbuds. My hearing is an absolutely key part of my road awareness. I might not be able to see things behind me, but I can hear them. Disabling that ability just seems mad to me.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Moz,
I ride more like a cycle courier than most commuters do, and it works. Maybe people who spend 40 hours plus a week riding know a bit about staying safe?
Same, bro. I was only a cycle courier for a few weeks in London, but I hung out with couriers a lot longer than that. You develop some useful skills.
As I have noted here before, my courier friends inevitably sustained most of their injuries not on the job, but after five well-earned pints on a Friday night. They couldn't quite accept that they shouldn't attempt to ride like they did during work hours.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Maz,
So if you feel safer wearing a helmet and hi-vis, fine, go ahead, but in the bigger scheme of things it is actually bad for cycling.
Is that really what you mean to say? Hi-viz clothing per se is "bad for cycling"?
BTW, most cycling helmets will do nothing for you in case of impact at realistic cycling speeds.
They offer less protection that people think, sure, but there are cyclists in this thread quite firmly of the view that their helmets prevented serious injury.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Stephen Judd,
As Jack observed, moving lights are much more likely to get driver attention.
I'm quite amazed how bright my front and rear flashing LEDs are. They are not missable.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Christopher Dempsey,
But I do it in a particular way, that is, I never try to get to the head of a queue of cars at the lights. I just stay in the middle of my lane, and line up behind the cars already in the lane.
Interesting. My way of staying safe usually involves getting to the front at the lights and getting away quickly when the lights change. That way, everyone can see me and I'm clear of the traffic. It suits the bike I ride and the roads I ride on -- although Ponsonby Road is a bit of a special case. I'm much much more likely to take the lane there.
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Capture: Auckland Pride Parade, in reply to Islander,
Really good to see NZDF personnel there! Marching with precision & quietness and totally justifiable pride-
They were the unquestioned stars of the parade -- warmly applauded all along the route.
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This float carried the US ambassador David Huebner, Nikki Kaye and others.
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Capture: Auckland Pride Parade, in reply to JacksonP,
Best ‘Unexpected’
Gay Wakeboarding AssociationThe gay dog-walkers were a nice surprise too :-)
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Bart Janssen,
Also the same study showed that contrary to what most cyclists believe – the further you are from the edge of the road the closer cars will be when they pass you. In other words, riding well out into the middle of the lane means cars will get closer to you more often.
I'm with Matthew. The idea is that they don't pass you.
