In my younger years I was a cyclist. I loved to get on my bike and cycle. It would clear my mind and look at things in new perspectives. I loved the speed and the distance a bike could take you.
I don’t understand joggers though. They screw up their joints and they don’t get too far but this isn’t a rant about joggers it’s about road users.
When I was in primary school I sat my cycling proficiency test and passed. Although I think that all kids did but what I learnt on that school playground set me in good stead for my future days cycling around parts of Scotland.
I always obeyed the road rules. Would wait at traffic lights. Properly signalled. Respected other road users. And, most importantly, I cycled on the road.
I had a road bike therefore I used the road.
I was thin as a rake and loved cycling even after I got my drivers licence.
Today in Australia I have a nice Cervelo that I take out from time to time. I even did the Sydney to Wollongong cycle the year before last and I’m thinking about tackling it again this year to beat my time,
But something about Sydney messes with me in regards to cycling. The majority of cyclists in this town are batshit mental and have no regard whatsoever for other road users, and a lot of them times, for themselves.
I live in a one-way street and the amount of cyclists who cycle up it towards on-coming traffic really pisses me the fuck off. The amount of them who don’t signal. Who weave through traffic. Who seem to think the road is theirs and the pavement is theres also. Who think they own the road is insane!
Oh and cyclists if you are cycling on the road and the pedestrian crossing button bleeps this is not a cue for you to suddenly start cycling again.
On the flip side of this it seems most Sydney drivers believe that cyclists are target practice. I don’t know how many accidents I have seen now with drivers failing to see the cyclist.
Now I’ve heard so many cyclists slam drivers and vice versa but if you all took some fucking time to actually pay attention to ALL road users and all obeyed the traffic laws the world would be a little bit better than it is today.
However, there is one last thing that pisses me off and that’s the decision by the City of Sydney to create what I can only describe as the dumbest mother-fucking decision in the history of stupid to create cycle lanes that begin nowhere and end nowhere.
Not to mention the fact that on a two way road haven a cycle lane on one side that goes in both directions is buttfuck stupid. How the fuck is the cyclist supposed to get from the lane he is cycling in without cycle path to the cycle path across the road and then back when the cycle path stops? I’ve included a picture to explain.
Really dumb cycle path if the cyclist has to cross the road
Sometimes city planners are geniuses and other times they need to stop listening to politicians and just do the right damned thing instead.
kiltforhire 