Crackdown in Oxford

[Globalti]

My experience of Denmark is limited to some rather dark TV detective series, but if they are representative of Danish life I'd guess there is deep frustration just below the surface as well as depression due to the endless grey weather.

 

[2clepto]

It is illegal to cycle on the pavement unless it is stated otherwise obviously small children on kids bikes for instance cant be expected to cycle on the a busy road, but day in day out I see fully grown adults cycling on the pavement often in full lycra there is no reason for them to be doing that so until such time as they change to law they need to get on the road.

"there is no reason for them to be doing that.." you cannot possibly know the entirety of reasons why "grown adults" cycle upon a pavement. leading us to consider your logic is flawed. do some proper research before spouting off.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

My experience of Denmark is limited to some rather dark TV detective series, but if they are representative of Danish life I'd guess there is deep frustration just below the surface as well as depression due to the endless grey weather.

Repressed and slightly depressed would describe a lot of people I've worked and socialised with.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Repressed and slightly depressed would describe a lot of people I've worked and socialised with.

Do you think there may be a common denominator?

 

[ManiaMuse]

They do this every year in Oxford for a couple of weekends and they always land a big catch of ninja cyclists. Not quite sure what all the raging is about in this thread, it's a fair enough policy that if you show proof that you've bought some lights they refund the fine.

Some of the cycling in Oxford is understandably quite poor due to the student population. Plenty of red light jumping, pavement cycling, tipsy/drunk cycling in the evenings, plenty of rustbucket bikes of dubious roadworthiness. And I shudder to think that I used to be one of them (before I became a 'proper' cyclist).

On the plus side it's not the worst place to cycle because the city is so anti-car and motorists are generally aware of cyclists because of the sheer numbers.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Do you think there may be a common denominator?

Lols

Yeah, they live in Scandinavia. The tranquiliser consumption and suicide rates are hideous.

 

[Tim Hall]

My experience of Denmark is limited to some rather dark TV detective series, but if they are representative of Danish life I'd guess there is deep frustration just below the surface as well as depression due to the endless grey weather.

I was pleased to learn (through a combination of watching Beck and furious Googling), that "murky" was brought to what we call English by the Vikings.

 

[ChrisEyles]

I got caught out five years or so ago when I used to live in Oxford with no lights... I'd been "meaning to get some" for ages but never quite got around to it. Turned up at the police station the next day with lights and they cancelled the fine - seems like an effective strategy to make sure occasional (mostly student) cyclists don't go around cycling on the roads in the dark with no lights. It's also a fair point that a large number of cyclists in Oxford really don't know what they're doing on the road, and having no lights makes those sudden swerves out into the traffic even more dangerous, so I think the policy is a good one, if a little nanny-state-ish.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I was pleased to learn (through a combination of watching Beck and furious Googling), that "murky" was brought to what we call English by the Vikings.

As was being enthralled.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I was pleased to learn (through a combination of watching Beck and furious Googling), that "murky" was brought to what we call English by the Vikings.

Traust me, þó (though) it may seem oddi at first, we er still very líkligr to use the same words as the Vikings did in our everyday speech. Þeirra (their) language evolved into the modern-day Scandinavian languages, but þeir (they) also gave English the gift of hundreds of words.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Traust me, þó (though) it may seem oddi at first, we er still very líkligr to use the samewords as the Vikings did in our everyday speech. Þeirra (their) language evolved into the modern-day Scandinavian languages, but þeir (they) also gave English the gift of hundreds of words.

I like 'gift' in Swedish which means both wife and poison ...

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I like 'gift' in Swedish which means both wife and poison ...

And kiss means widdle!

Yeft (Gift) is marriage/married rather than wife I think

 

[Globalti]

I remember reading Eric Newby's book The Last Grain Race in which he reports some of the conversation of the Scandinavian crew. It struck me strongly at the time that phonetically it sounded very similar to Geordie.

 

[Fab Foodie]

And kiss means widdle!

Yeft (Gift) is marriage/married rather than wife I think

I think you're right about gift. It was almost 20 years ago when I lived in Rydaback and worked in Helsingborg. I forgotten most of the little I learned!

 

[steveindenmark]

In Copenhagen at the moment, nobody gives a toss whether the cyclists are wearing helmets or hi viz whether they have lights or sneak though on a red light. There were no horns or arguments on our 2 hour ride this morning. Quite enjoyable. Sitting outside a bar this afternoon we were quite surprised at the number of cyclists who were wearing helmets. Have to say there are a number of safety organisations which would not be able to cope with cyclists here

Derek

But dont get complacent. They do have regular clampdowns on no lights on bikes in CPH at this time of the year. They hand out fines and not warnings. Helmets and high vis are not the norm in Copenhagen.