tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post2637045388600601572..comments2024-03-18T23:52:31.939-04:00Comments on The Invisible Visible Man: Why a cyclist must write London's answer to The WireInvisible Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-67970304759629928102012-05-29T16:02:39.642-04:002012-05-29T16:02:39.642-04:00Or should that be peddling pedallers? I'll ge...Or should that be peddling pedallers? I'll get me coat!Sir Velohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16473770681227236051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-44089778537515853942012-05-23T10:54:50.062-04:002012-05-23T10:54:50.062-04:00Thank you, Steve A, for your kind and supportive w...Thank you, Steve A, for your kind and supportive words from the country to which I will shortly be moving...Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-1966723763609781342012-05-22T18:43:44.511-04:002012-05-22T18:43:44.511-04:00You DID notice my comment about BMW-drivers?
I als...You DID notice my comment about BMW-drivers?<br />I also cycle - I went to my local Land-Rover dealer on my bike, for a couple of spare "bits" today.<br />I cycled in part of the Lea valley on Saturday.<br />What gets up my nose are idiots - whatever form of transport they are using.G. Tingeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09640068810654977205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-78051419351700965962012-05-22T17:50:05.643-04:002012-05-22T17:50:05.643-04:00Martin T,
It's because my mind runs in overly...Martin T,<br /><br />It's because my mind runs in overly straight lines, if the truth be told. I thought of the foot soldiers as couriers and the Mr Bigs (who travel exclusively in SUVs) as the peddlers. So I missed a chance to amuse you and other members of my long-suffering public.<br /><br />I apologise.<br /><br />Invisible.Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-87476439306509087632012-05-22T17:05:02.719-04:002012-05-22T17:05:02.719-04:00In the section on drug dealers using bikes, how di...In the section on drug dealers using bikes, how did you overcome the urge to write "pedalling peddlers"?Martin Tnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-83067713893111850312012-05-22T14:02:24.940-04:002012-05-22T14:02:24.940-04:00Dear G. Tingey,
Thank you for your comment - but ...Dear G. Tingey,<br /><br />Thank you for your comment - but I think you may be a little confused about the purpose of this blog. It's intended to promote reasoned debate, rather than the unreflective anti-cyclist whingeing that can be found on so many other parts of the Internet.<br /><br />I never ride on the pavements (sidewalks, American readers) except where it's allowed (that said, there are plenty of people who'll scream and shout at one for doing that, since few people read the signs). I disapprove of people who do so.<br /><br />I'll take it as read that you've checked whether cycling is permitted in this area and that it isn't. But you'll see in the blog that I raise the possibility that many complaints like yours stem from drug couriers' use of bicycles to resupply roadside drug dealers. If these are the people you're encountering, you are, as I say in the blog, confusing a social problem with a cycling one.<br /><br />If these are miscreant commuter cyclists, meanwhile, I accept it's irritating but wonder about your reaction. Collisions with cyclists accounted for six deaths from 2008 to 2010 in Great Britain - 0.08 per cent of the total, and well below cyclists' share of the traffic. However irritating the cyclists, it's the motor traffic that really threatens you and you'd be rational to be more irritated about motor vehicles' excessive speed, failure to attend and so on, which I don't sense you are.<br /><br />Finally, no matter what the nature of the cyclists' behaviour, I'd warn you off your plan to inflict criminal damage on the bikes and assault the cyclists with your cane. It's a criminal act that would be particularly foolhardy against drug couriers and reprehensible if the people involved are using a shared-use path. It also seems inequitable if you're not planning to employ it against the motorists who, in every part of the UK, pose a far greater danger to pedestrians than cyclists.<br /><br />I hope this clears things up.<br /><br />Invisible.Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-48533733506775769942012-05-22T04:11:34.085-04:002012-05-22T04:11:34.085-04:00And, of course the other way around ...
Between he...And, of course the other way around ...<br />Between here and my local (a less-tan 5-minute walk) around the block containing the big girls' school and the old parish church, there are raised beds outside the school, and a footpath segregated from the (20 mph-limit - with gentle humps - safe to cycle over) road.<br />The number of times, after dark, I've encountered cyclists without any lights trying to barge through said path really annoys me.<br />One of these days, one of them is going to get my cane through his spokes.<br />Or courier or other cyclists in the City, knocking people down on pedestrian crossings - who do they think they are - BMW deivers?G. Tingeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09640068810654977205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-70409274788189027502012-05-20T21:20:44.672-04:002012-05-20T21:20:44.672-04:00In my individual, visible way, thanks for a nice p...In my individual, visible way, thanks for a nice post. It is a reminder that our outsides are an imperfect guide to our insides.Steve Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13650405341304401203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-40890889419302233562012-05-20T14:45:22.338-04:002012-05-20T14:45:22.338-04:00I've actually felt desperately sorry for Londo...I've actually felt desperately sorry for London police cyclists ever since I saw a bunch of their bikes being fixed at Brixton Cycles. They're given these desperately, heavy lumbering mountain bikes manufactured partly (for reasons I don't understand) by Smith & Wesson. It's a wonder they don't all get hernias.<br /><br />On the other hand, I've sometimes seen police cyclists hearing by radio they need to head somewhere fast, turning on their sirens and heading off with the city traffic scattering before them. That has, you'd think, to be a real blast.Invisible Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15942359504874275065noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3002171964909690430.post-36011696354730046322012-05-20T14:34:34.769-04:002012-05-20T14:34:34.769-04:00At least it has to be better than Pacific Blue, wh...At least it has to be better than Pacific Blue, which was an attempt to do Baywatch on police bikes.Stewart C. Russellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14196891814799297592noreply@blogger.com