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Terrible ride to work...



 
 
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  #11  
Old February 14th 08, 01:12 AM posted to aus.bicycle
Donga
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Default Terrible ride to work...

On Feb 13, 12:06 pm, Bean Long wrote:
Well this morning's ride in wasn't one of the best. Here's the short
version:

First, the kids took ages to get organised for child care, so I was late
anyway. As I was rushing to get out of the house I found my rear tyre
was a little flat, so I had to get the floor pump out of the shed and
pump it up. No big dramas but I was already late so I'm getting a bit
flustered. Finally leave home at about 8:10 am (I normally like to leave
around 7:30, so I'm much later than usual). Ride through Gowrie and
Wanniassa and then up the Farrer ridge on Athllon.

A lady on her bike coming down the hill suddenly flies over her bars and
lands on the deck in front of me. Ouch! Skin off the elbows but no
broken bones. I fix her rear derailler which was the problem... it had
moved up a sprocket but didn't take the chain with it and the whole
drive train had jammed! Give her the once over (I'm not trained in first
aid, despite thinking about it last night!). She seems OK and is up on
her feet and quite talkative, so I offer my condolences and get on my
way. Now even later. Things are fine going through Woden and onto
Adelaide Ave, but by the time I get to the Hopetoun overpass my rear
tyre has decided to call it a day... must be a dud valve I think. I
change the tube while I notice the traffic building up and suddenly fire
engines approaching.

The tube change was a quick 5 mins and I'm back on the bike heading to
State Circle where the traffic has come to a standstill. When I say
standstill I mean that traffic had stopped but some drivers were eager
to pass their comrades on the left by quickly nipping into the cycle
lane, so I have 3 or 4 instances of near heart-attack and significant
finger waving within just a couple of hundred meters. Not happy Jan!
Then I see the reason for the traffic jam.

A cyclist had been hit on what I consider one of the most dangerous
corners in Canberra. It's an intersection where the cycle lane splits
and goes either straight or left and if you're on a bike and going
straight, beware the car turning left!! The car had significant damage
to the left hand side where the cyclist had come to grief and the
cyclist was on the ground being cared for by the ambo's. There was a guy
I've ridden with on the scene too but I didn't want to stick my head in
just to find out the story... I'm sure it will be talked about at the
crits tonight. So, after chatting for a minute or two with some other
cyclists who were clearly shocked by the scene, and realising that all
that could be done was being done by people with the right training, I
got moving again. Finally, just to finish me off for the morning, I had
a near collision coming off Commonwealth bridge with a cyclist who
decided he wanted to go right instead of left without indicating and
while I was passing him. A few choice words and off to work where I'm
emotionally frazzled for the day!

No news on the cyclist yet but anxious he's OK.

Bean


Wow, and they say Canberra's well set up for cyclists! I did around 50
km in Bne this morning and saw none of this - oh, bar some dick in a
Kingswood who had a yell at us because three lanes weren't enough for
him. Maybe our wild-seeming roads and drivers are safer than roads
"designed for cyclists". Could be something in that.

Donga
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  #12  
Old February 14th 08, 01:18 AM posted to aus.bicycle
Zebee Johnstone
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Default Terrible ride to work...

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:06:59 +1100
John Tserkezis wrote:

I've noticed the same thing everywere. On the trains, the tradies might
look pretty rough, but are nice group. The office workers must really hate
their jobs, because they appear to be in a perpetually grumpy mood.


Office workers in the main are more regulated, and have less control.
Being a techie of any kind is a way better life.

Zebee
  #13  
Old February 14th 08, 01:35 AM posted to aus.bicycle
Terryc[_3_]
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Default Terrible ride to work...

Elmo wrote:

I left for work an hour later than usual this morning (08:00 vs 07:00)
and I was pretty surprised at how much more aggro the 08:00 people
were! What a difference an hour makes! ;-)


Agreed, and my main experience was occassionally driving the company car
to work

I wonder if that's because it's mainly tradies going to work at 7am and
office workers going to work at 8am. Are tradies nicer than office workers?


The joys of flexitime. Always drive in very early. So much easier to
beat the traffic when you can start at 7:30am.

Well, it was until this area expanded to become Mega-dormitory suburbs
and now the parking lot starts at 6:30am


OTOH,
I was more of a techie than a clerk, which is why I had to office car
anyway. PT was the ideal way to go for then.
  #14  
Old February 14th 08, 01:39 AM posted to aus.bicycle
not all there
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Default Terrible ride to work...

On Feb 14, 11:18 am, Zebee Johnstone wrote:
In aus.bicycle on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:06:59 +1100

John Tserkezis wrote:

I've noticed the same thing everywere. On the trains, the tradies might
look pretty rough, but are nice group. The office workers must really hate
their jobs, because they appear to be in a perpetually grumpy mood.


Office workers in the main are more regulated, and have less control.
Being a techie of any kind is a way better life.

Zebee


But you don't have to move around too much and get shafted by meeting
people who don't turn up when you're in the office. Me, I'm lucky, I
do a bit of both.
  #15  
Old February 14th 08, 01:58 AM posted to aus.bicycle
Zebee Johnstone
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Posts: 1,960
Default Terrible ride to work...

In aus.bicycle on Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:35:01 +1100
Terryc wrote:

The joys of flexitime. Always drive in very early. So much easier to
beat the traffic when you can start at 7:30am.


Or come in late.

Could do that even when working in North Sydney until the scooter boom
really hit and the bike parks were gone by 8:30am.

Can do it now, because I have free motorcycle parking at the new
place.

Zebee
  #16  
Old February 14th 08, 04:06 AM posted to aus.bicycle
Bean Long
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Posts: 484
Default Terrible ride to work...

Aeek wrote:

Hope the rider comes out ok. That said, many cyclists take the wrong
line on those green lanes, too far left. Some even stay on the curb
and snap right at the last second as if to surprise the driver.
Me, as far right as I can and early.
Give them every opportunity to exit harmlessly on my left.


Unfortunately, that's part of the problem with this particular cycle
lane... no green strip!
  #17  
Old February 14th 08, 04:09 AM posted to aus.bicycle
Bean Long
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Posts: 484
Default Terrible ride to work...

Donga wrote:

Wow, and they say Canberra's well set up for cyclists!


Oh, yeah... plenty of cycle lanes, shared paths, wonderful rides up
hills, out in the sticks etc... It's the OTHER road users that are the
problem!

:^|
  #18  
Old February 14th 08, 05:46 AM posted to aus.bicycle
Theo Bekkers
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Default Terrible ride to work...

Zebee Johnstone wrote:
Terryc wrote:

The joys of flexitime. Always drive in very early. So much easier to
beat the traffic when you can start at 7:30am.


Or come in late.

Could do that even when working in North Sydney until the scooter boom
really hit and the bike parks were gone by 8:30am.

Can do it now, because I have free motorcycle parking at the new
place.


I'm an early person. I'm usually at my desk by 7 and gone before 4. Except
for yesterday. We had some electrical problems and I arrived at 6:15am and
left at 10:45pm. The joys of responsibility. Of course, shareholders don't
get overtime.

Theo


  #19  
Old February 14th 08, 05:59 AM posted to aus.bicycle
PeteSig[_2_]
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Posts: 193
Default Terrible ride to work...


"John Tserkezis" wrote:
Elmo wrote:

I left for work an hour later than usual this morning (08:00 vs 07:00)
and I was pretty surprised at how much more aggro the 08:00 people
were! What a difference an hour makes! ;-)


I wonder if that's because it's mainly tradies going to work at 7am and
office workers going to work at 8am. Are tradies nicer than office
workers?


I've noticed the same thing everywere. On the trains, the tradies might
look pretty rough, but are nice group. The office workers must really
hate their jobs, because they appear to be in a perpetually grumpy mood.


Not my personal experience on the roads in Melbourne. Anyone in a white van
or tray ute, beware!!!

--
Cheers
Peter

~~~ ~ _@
~~ ~ _- \,
~~ (*)/ (*)


 




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