Posts by BenWilson
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Stephen
I don't know what the road code says these days, but riding on the footpath seems to be turning into policy. Roads are only for cars, you know.
So long as they mean 'riding slowly on the footpath'. Riding fast on the footpath led to the only serious accident I ever had on a bike. Roads are safer for that.
Islander
I disagree that cyclists should stay off the highways, but absolutely they should be doing what they can to stay alive, and that means following the rules (electrics included). The curious war that some cyclists seem to want to wage against cars is littered with their dead bodies, and some dents on vehicles.Christopher
People are in a hurry sometimes. Whilst your advice to slow down is a perfectly good general life principle, another good one is 'teaching people to slow down is not worth dying for'. So being considerate is your best advice of all. -
Heh, Mike, I reckon any time you see a cycle lane that most cyclists avoid, you can bet it's badly designed or poorly maintained. And riding around the CBD is dangerous as. I stick to the footpaths, and will just take the fines, if any cop can catch me, for most of it.
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stephen, my one has proved extremely practical already. For starters, it only cost $200 second hand. Secondly, yes it is heavier, but since it carries it's own weight and then some, that is actually a bonus for 2 reasons. Firstly, it is sturdy. Secondly, it is cheap. Most of the extraordinary cost of new bikes is in making them light. This is totally unnecessary for an electric. Only when you run out of charge you do notice that the bike is heavy, and even then, it's way easier than walking (unlike my less successful experiments with electric mopeds, which are no fun at all to push home when they are out of charge or broken down).
They would not appeal to a strong bike rider, who would hardly see the point, compared to just getting a really good light bike. These are people who are trained, geared up, and actually want the hard exercise that cycling around Auckland tends to be. But anyone who fails of those 3 criteria (IMHO most people) might see the point. Also, those people are prepared to pay a heck of a lot for their bike because they do enormous miles. I get a lot of interest from kids, who actually use bikes for transport, who see the point immediately. "It's for hills, eh bro? Choooice". I wouldn't feel any more worried about letting a kid ride it than I would about letting them ride any other bike. It doesn't go any faster than a normal bike. It's just easier.
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Shutting down CIA detention is great. Last torture loophole to close would be 'extraordinary rendition'.
Stephen, my solution to the Auckland hills is cheating. My bike has an electric motor on it. Enough to help, but not enough to encourage me to stop cycling altogether and just sit there. I can cycle into town in about 25 mins (10kms) without breaking a sweat. Of course I can break a sweat if I wanted to, but currently I'm not in good enough cycling shape to get any enjoyment out of that. I'm seriously considering making a video of it, explaining the idea and showing how it works in Auckland, for YouTube, since it was from YouTube that I got 90% of the most important information about how to make this option work. Every man and his crackpot inventions can find their way to an interested audience there.
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Stephen Judd, there most assuredly is a difference between a dawdling bike ride to something nearby in a suburb designed for bikes, and what we have to do in Auckland. Hence my excessive caution as regards the safety of my son.
I can't say that I like the sound of Woonerf one bit as a plan for Auckland, unless it was also accompanied by transport infrastructure which fully bypasses such suburbs. But as places to live they sound great.
Stephen Walker, you sound like a pragmatist. I also play fast and loose with the actual laws, when I think they compromise my safety. In Auckland, I ride on the road downhill, but on the footpath going up. This is because going down you go fast and don't wobble much, so you are safer on the road. Going up, you're going slow so the danger of collision with things on the footpath is less than the ever present danger of being knocked over by a fast moving and impatient or careless motorist. My helmet is also overspecced, being actually designed for snowboarding. Technically, I think it is illegal. Practically, it is much safer, as it also protects my face and the back of my head.
As for the coolness of your commute option, I'm glad it wasn't something that put you off when it was uncool. So long as you liked it, that's cool enough for me! I'm pretty sure my bike usage looks pretty uncool to the hardcore cyclists of Auckland, but I really don't care.
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stephen, how well laid out is Tokyo for biking? I base my fears on the very real fact that to go anywhere from my house requires riding on either the road or a footpath, rather than a dedicated cycle lane, for quite a lot of the trip. I love doing it myself, but it's only my life at risk, something I do regularly with relish. But putting my boy to the same risk? Brrrr.
I think I will eventually get one, just to try it, though. Even if it's just for fun cruises around a park. The neat thing about trailers is that they also double as highly capable prams, and as ... trailers...you can carry stuff in them.
Totally unconvinced about the safety of a child in a seat on my bike. One slip or crash and bang! We're talking broken bones and skin loss at the very least. There's a reason motorbikes don't have seat belts, but what other option is there for a child seat?
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Kyle, it's pretty hard to plan. What will be your response if they say "No, I didn't smack them"? Or "Pull ya fucken head in, dick, or you'll get one next"? Of course we'll both be able to think of something sensible that should be said, now, with plenty of time to think about it. But at the time, I doubt many people will have a well-formed strategy, and an angry confrontation is very probable.
Not saying that we shouldn't have a plan. We should. It's just a big step forward from the common state of affairs now, in which most people mind their own business. It's quite a huge culture shift.
In general I agree with your plan. The level of confrontation is something it's hard to find a balance for. If you leave a way for the person to save face and avoid confrontation, have you achieved anything? I think so, you've at least made them aware that some people will say something now. But some kinds of people will not learn a damned thing from that, seeing it as basically getting away with it. Others will seek to escalate the confrontation with you directly, in outrage at your 'cheek'. What then? How much time do you want to spend on it? Are you prepared to potentially get hurt and/or arrested yourself, if the fighting turns to assault via threats of violence. Would you press charges? What if you have your own children there? These are all contingencies that could arise. Small wonder that most people just glare, then move on.
Having said all that, I think those contingencies are outside chances, and that mostly a remonstration would turn into a few sharp words and a parting of ways, possibly followed by a few pats on the back from some other slightly less courageous bystanders. Which would help to prevent another future smack for that child in public, and the children of any people who happened to witness the incident. It would be a good thing to do.
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A 2 seater bike trailer is not really that dear. Been examining it myself, recently. But not that seriously, I have doubts about the safety of taking small children on a pushbike commute. I notice the depicted Mum has a strange attitude to safety, wearing a lovely reflective jacket, but no helmet.
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How's the bike lane?
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Mark, I think everyone is still finding their way on how to deal with violence when they see it in front of them. Throwing yourself in between is difficult for a reason: Usually neither side wants you to do it, and it's dangerous. A child getting smacked is not likely to welcome some strange adult accosting their parent, even when the accosting is to stop the smacking. More likely they will be highly upset and frightened by that. Furthermore, the smacking is usually to counter some anti-social behavior the child is exhibiting, so there are a lot of conflicting emotions amongst the bystanders.
When adults are fighting it's even worse because you could be attacked yourself, by either side.
So people do what they have always done, they stare, and glare, and hang around, and sometimes they say something, or call the police, and even more rarely, they step in. There are no easy answers because it's situational. Also, these things tend to happen so fast that, as Kyle said, the opportunity passes.
I wouldn't want to offer Kyle advice here for much the same reason he didn't say anything. I don't know the whole situation, and I doubt he would want the advice, which could be considered a criticism. Unless he genuinely asks for it.
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