I got my Uke from Lidl.Meldrew wrote:While the government are crowing about the amount of cycles being sold due to the success of the Olympics, it seems that music shops across the country are selling thousands of ukuleles due to renewed interest in the late George Formby.
I can well believe the figure regarding how likely you are to die riding a cycle, having for a short time a few years ago been both a cyclist and a scooter rider and feeling far safer on the scooter. But try putting this to the proverbial Joe Public whose perception is no doubt that scooters and motorcycles are dangerous and cycling is nice and safe. Along with the other false perceptions of powered two-wheelers being cold and wet (cycling isn't obviously), that they ' have no luggage space ' (again cycles obviously have loads and in any case how much luggage do you need to take to work?), and one I have heard a few times ' you can't get the wife and kids on the back. ' How many people do you know who take the wife and kids to work with them?Data wrote:Funny though, in Kev's article some respondents go on about motorcycle safety and how the g'ment don't really want to encourage us lot or any newcomers to use motor bikes more because they are dangerous! Yet on the news today, the government are crowing about how successful the Olympic cycling has been and how there are thuosands of extra cycles being sold and being used on the roads. 54,000 more women have taken up cycling in the last 6 months with another 100,000 women taking it up in the next 6 months apparently. It didn't mention how many men were taking it up, but undoubtedly, loads!
So how is it the g'ment are so keen for this to happen when the AA in several reports tell us that cycling is one of the most dangerous methods of transport in the UK and indeed 'Urop'! They site that you are 37 times more likely to die riding a cycle for any given journey than if you used a car. I don't know what the figures are for a motorcycle/scooters but I know it's one hell of a lot less than that! Where I work, so many people cycle, but tell me motorcycling is far too dangerous for them to take up! How's that work?
I've had a full bike licence since 1970, I was a class 1 traffic police driver, and I've got a class 1 HGV licence.irev wrote:Anyone who rides bi-cycles on our roads should be put in camps.
One day realisation will dawn that the only people who ride bicycles are fuckwits who are only smart enough to realise they are too stupid to take any kind of competency test to actually drive or ride on the highway, so deflecting their own inadequacies and incompetence on legitimate, trained road users who are expected to compensate for the utter stupidity of their actions.
You should try the countryside - its even worse for idiot leisure cyclists! Most of them have no conception that there is a difference between a cycle route (a road recommended for cycles) and a cycle way ( a dedicated cycle road). Most of them NEVER look over their shoulders when turning right. Their favourite trick is on a hill, to pull round a sharp (blind) bend, and then stop on the carriageway for a rest or a fag.irev wrote:
Since the Olympics kicked off I have nearly annihilated four untrained, incompetent, suicidal and cognisent-deficient bi-cyclists who seem to think they have a cats chance of nine lives: Riding without lights in the dark. Riding the wrong way up a dual carriageway. Riding two abreast on a single-track country line. Or pulling across a line of traffic against a red light.
