Someone please tell me some good news

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hopless500

hopless500

Trundling along
Location
not-as-flat-as-you-think Norfolk
Our 'missing' black cat (since last night) has returned. Rather soggy as it is raining. But he has returned.
 
K

Kies

Guest
My local council is going to reimburse us for some care we provided out of my own pocket. The total is just shy of £3000 :-)
 
3

333

Active Member
stowie said:
Australia puzzles me. The rabid anti-cycling sentiment seems extra-ordinary - even the Daily Mail in the UK wouldn't publish the insane crap that seemed to be an editorial in the Australian :

The problem of city cyclists reached their apogee in Melbourne this week when a cyclist was “doored” on busy Collins Street, after a passenger opened a taxi door and a rider crashed into it. Neither the taxi nor its passenger could be deemed at fault because a narrow “bike lane” inhibited the taxi from stopping next to the kerb. The passenger was lucky to avoid serious injury.

When the sentiment is that someone opening a car door cannot be deemed at fault if they don't look then I think you are truly fighting an uphill battle (especially when the passenger exited the cab in stationary traffic).

Australia does seem decades away from Northern Europe and absolutely car obsessed. Surprises me in a country which seems, on the face of it, to view sports and general outdoor activity favorably. I remember seeing a video taken by a reporter of a mother cycling with a child in the trailer and the reporter screaming at her that about her putting the child's safety at risk. Absolutely disgusting behaviour but the report was all about whether the mother should be cycling, not whether the conditions should be made better, or whether some moron of a reporter should really be screaming at vulnerable female road-users whilst filming them from a moving car.

Then again, I have seen some videos of cycling conditions in New Zealand which makes Australia look positively cycle friendly...
Click to expand...

Agreed!

I love the stupidity of this sentence in the article:

"Neither the taxi nor its passenger could be deemed at fault because a narrow “bike lane” inhibited the taxi from stopping next to the kerb. The passenger was lucky to avoid serious injury."

A narrow bike lane inhibited the taxi from stopping next to the kerb, perhaps that's a good reason to actually look before you open the door!!!
 
OP
OP
Shut Up Legs

Shut Up Legs

Down Under Member
333 said:
I love the stupidity of this sentence in the article:

"Neither the taxi nor its passenger could be deemed at fault because a narrow “bike lane” inhibited the taxi from stopping next to the kerb. The passenger was lucky to avoid serious injury."
Click to expand...
Which is completely wrong, by the way: our road rules allow taxis to stop in bike lanes to drop off or pick up passengers. However they also need to follow the rule about giving way to traffic in a lane into which you're merging. In other words: the correct action for the taxi driver was to wait until the bike lane was clear, and no cyclists were too close behind, then park in it long enough to drop these prize morons off, then drive away. Alternatively, the taxi driver could have just found a better parking spot. So the driver was partly to blame for this dooring, and so was the passenger for not looking before opening the door.
 
sidevalve

sidevalve

Über Member
Hmm - so anyone who uses a taxi is a "prize moron" and a cyclist who sees a taxi come to a stop close [you admit yourself it was a narrow cycle lane] to the kerb and ignores the fact.- simply riding on with out taking any precautions ie slowing down and expecting someone to exit the taxi is a super dooper clver type with no faults at all ? Sorry, this is the real world people do silly things, people jump out of taxies, most accidents take two to make them work. No it aint perfect - no everybody doesn't ride a bike. We're back to the "somebody elses fault" excuse. stop crying and get on with it.
 
Archie_tect

Archie_tect

De Skieven Architek... aka Penfold + Horace
Location
Northumberland
Good news? My son's getting promoted at work!
 
classic33

classic33

Leg End Member
@victor
Another focus on the Northern States today, On Your Bike Blog and The Sydney Morning Herald - smh.com.au editor, Michael O'Reilly this week is writting about his stay in Brisbane.

He takes a look at the share bikes of CityCycle and the ability to take to the footpaths. A city desperately catching up and yet is ahead of the rest of Australia in areas (like the ‪#‎ametrematters‬).

Although he mainly talks of the bikeways and the paths to get around, did Michael go deep enough into the daily commute experience or look at the way the police are more protective of motorists and more likely to set up camp on regular riding routes?

What are your thoughts?

http://www.smh.com.au/executive-sty...-of-bicycling-in-brisbane-20140625-3aslf.html
 
classic33

classic33

Leg End Member
@victor. This is the piece. Courtesy of Cycle
The article in the Herald Sun today is a very positive article. It is a highlight for separation that we have never seen from the Herald Sun before. Basically screaming out that bike riders are being injured and it is time to do something about it.

So when you discuss this article today, point out to the person:
Cars cause 80% of injuries to bike riders
TAC is only paid out when a vehicle covered is involved
Most people have private cover when it isn't TAC covered
And if cars stop hitting us, TAC costs may go down.

Sadly, the paper neglected to point out how much TAC pays out to motorised vehicle injuries (quick some says around $1.8 billion based on 47 cases compared to 10,000), but that is OK, we can tell people that ourselves.

TAC CEO Janet Dore is right on the money when she says “It’s vital motorists are always on the lookout. It’s just as important cyclists understand they may not be easily seen and exercise caution, even when they have right of way.”

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/vi...ash-compensation/story-fni0fit3-1226964313074
s0.news.com.au%2Fimages%2F2014%2F06%2F23%2F1226964%2F313048-b930d4de-faa0-11e3-9463-539ac6ca705b.jpg
Injured cyclists claim $200m in crash compensation
www.heraldsun.com.au
CYCLISTS hurt in road crashes have claimed almost $200 million in compensation over the past five years.
 
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