Cycling to work banned

Orienteer wrote:
From my experience of Japanese culture, the solution is to find a way
that doesn't involve 'loss of face' to the Japanese involved.
Therefore parking the bike round the corner, but well out of sight,
seems the best solution.

How would this solve anything?

The firm is unwilling to allow him to ride his tandem to work because they
do not want to be held liable for any accident that may result on his
commute.

Simon

Danny Colyer wrote:

Peter Fox suggested:
Why not organise the other cyclists. Find as many tandems as you can
(you already have 3) get the other cyclists on-board them and swoop
after getting the TV involved. Have the other cyclists on ordinary
bikes who won't fit on a tandem. (Or a uni-cycle - That should bust
the blood vessels of the pea-brain bureaucrat.)

I'm not sure the unicycle would cause as many eyelids to bat in Japan as
in the UK. Japan produces some of the best unicyclists in the world and
it's not uncommon for Japanese children to receive unicycling lessons at
school.

Yup--it's seen by primary schools as a great way to train balance in
kids, within a relatively small space. But for some reason it's only the
girls who are confident enough to practice outside of school.

__________________________________________________ ______________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!

James Annan wrote:

People recognise us on our regular route, and
are friendly towards us, plus we've got a good tandem (um...3 tandems)
and no suitable single bikes. Every day we pass the same police boxes,
we have even met some policemen and of course they are not bothered
about us "flouting" such a petty, trivial and obviously accidental law.

Idle thoughts.... You could discuss this with the various policemen you
pass on your route, and ask them if they consider you to be a danger on
the road (although maybe they'll try not to get involved with this).

There used to be a Gaikokujin Komarigoto Sodan****su run by the police,
at 03-3503-8484 (don't know if it's still there, and I'm reluctant to
ring just to check), so you could discuss it with them.

Tell the bureaucrat that you don't have regular bikes, so bill him for
two....

__________________________________________________ ______________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!

Bill Robertson wrote:

James Annan wrote:
[...]
Any hints and tips for a sensible strategy will be gratefully
received.

Not sure about sensible, but you've got 3 tandems: how about riding one
each for a while to make the point?

Since it's technically illegal to ride a tandem, wouldn't it still be
illegal if there's only one person on it? (How controllable is a tandem
ridden by one person, anyway?)

__________________________________________________ ______________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!

Bill Robertson wrote:
Not sure about sensible, but you've got 3 tandems: how about riding one
each for a while to make the point?

Louise Bremner wrote:
Since it's technically illegal to ride a tandem, wouldn't it still be
illegal if there's only one person on it?

My guess is that the law in question prohibits two people riding a bike (of
any configuration), since supposedly it was intended to prohibit doubling
up on a single bike, and prohibiting tandems was merely an unintended side
effect. But IANAL, and I know nothing about Japanese law.

(How controllable is a tandem ridden by one person, anyway?)

The first time my wife and I rode a tandem, I was encouraged by the bike
shop owner to ride the tandem by myself for a while to get the hang of it.
It's a bit unwieldy compared with riding a single bike, but it's easier
than riding a tandem with a stoker.
--
Darin McGrew, , http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/

"If a man speaks in a forest and no woman is there to hear him,
is he still wrong?"

Darin McGrew wrote:

Louise Bremner wrote:
Since it's technically illegal to ride a tandem, wouldn't it still be
illegal if there's only one person on it?

My guess is that the law in question prohibits two people riding a bike (of
any configuration), since supposedly it was intended to prohibit doubling
up on a single bike, and prohibiting tandems was merely an unintended side
effect. But IANAL, and I know nothing about Japanese law.

I'm shaky on it too, since it clearly doesn't prevent the doubling (and
trebling and quadrupling) involved when a mother has one or more
children on the bike with her....

(How controllable is a tandem ridden by one person, anyway?)

The first time my wife and I rode a tandem, I was encouraged by the bike
shop owner to ride the tandem by myself for a while to get the hang of it.
It's a bit unwieldy compared with riding a single bike, but it's easier
than riding a tandem with a stoker.

Don't know what a "stoker" is in this context. Maybe I'm better off not
knowing, since I never really learnt to ride a bike myself?

__________________________________________________ ______________________
Louise Bremner (log at gol dot com)
If you want a reply by e-mail, don't write to my Yahoo address!

Darin McGrew wrote:
The first time my wife and I rode a tandem, I was encouraged by the bike
shop owner to ride the tandem by myself for a while to get the hang of it.
It's a bit unwieldy compared with riding a single bike, but it's easier
than riding a tandem with a stoker.

Louise Bremner wrote:
Don't know what a "stoker" is in this context. Maybe I'm better off not
knowing, since I never really learnt to ride a bike myself?

On a tandem, the person in the front is the captain, and the person in the
back is the stoker.
--
Darin McGrew, , http://www.rahul.net/mcgrew/
Web Design Group, , http://www.HTMLHelp.com/

"FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION. It comes bundled with the software."

"James Annan" wrote in message
...

In the UK, I would happily tell the bureaucrat to **** off, but
unfortunately workers' rights are still a rather foreign concept here
and it is clear that any foreigner who kicks up too much of a fuss gets
sent home in short order (I have already caused more than my share of
trouble, and now is definitely not a good time to start any more).
Bureaucrats aside, I like it here, and am not in a rush to leave. But I
don't take kindly to small-minded petty jobsworths trying to push me
around. Any hints and tips for a sensible strategy will be gratefully
received.


Why not tell him: "No UKlander ever needs a 'permission slip' to ride a
tandem bicycle"

Also works for empire-building.



--
jonathan
--
"Never give a permission slip to ducks"

"James Annan" wrote in message

In the UK, I would happily tell the bureaucrat to **** off,

Pfff....
That took about 20 years to stronger than you to make English administration
allow normal cars (designed to drive on the right side of the road) to drive
there without paying ransoms to insurances. At that time a friend was told
by her employer to take the bus -and not be paid any extra for the lost
time-until she pass the licence for inverted cars (at her expenses).

Any hints and tips for a sensible strategy will be gratefully
received.

A hint : In circus, they show bears riding tandems. People smile at them.
Does it mean an employer would be happy to be know as the guy that has the 2
funny gaigin bears ?

I'm exagerating, but not much. They are concerned with the image given by
employees, not only inside the workplace but around it. Because people in
the street can see you arrive to work. Many people that wear uniform at work
(policemen, bank employees, etc) are asked to wear suits to arrive at work,
just for that reason. Companies have the legal right to impose dress code in
such conditions. They can ban jeans, shorts, tandems...Are you sure you
never signed a contract with a line about that ?

I have worked with a character that used a skate-board to commute. He'd
make a little figure just in front of the elevator. People were all smiling,
sometimes applauding. But in 3 days, more than 20 persons (working in the
building, customers, other staff and even total strangers...) complained,
not to him, but to the boss. We told him to stop 3 blocks before the
building and to put the board in a bag. Never heard of the problem again.
IMHO, if you parked your tandem about 1 or 2 km away from your working
place, out of sight, they wouldn't care. If you live in the same
neibourhood, you should consider moving to be free to do what you want in
your area.

CC

On Wed, 21 Jan 2004 22:15:29 +0900 in rec.bicycles.soc, James
Annan wrote:

In the UK, I would happily tell the bureaucrat to **** off, but
unfortunately workers' rights are still a rather foreign concept here
and it is clear that any foreigner who kicks up too much of a fuss gets
sent home in short order (I have already caused more than my share of
trouble, and now is definitely not a good time to start any more).
Bureaucrats aside, I like it here, and am not in a rush to leave. But I
don't take kindly to small-minded petty jobsworths trying to push me
around. Any hints and tips for a sensible strategy will be gratefully
received.

find out who his enemies are who have enough power to get rid of
him... might be hard for a gaijin to do, though.

i can't understand why you would possibly want to work in an
organization that allows such anal repressives to control things.
if it was me, i'd get on my bike and leave. for good.