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#11
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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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