People not "Getting It"

[Puddles]

My Mum bless her does not get me cycling at all, she understands the whole financial aspect of not having a car sat mostly un-used costing a fortune. She is very err umm supportive/understanding not sure what the right word is about pootling on the bike to the corner shop or taking small people to the river park etc, but she does not really get it as a mode of transport

An Example.

Yesterday I told her that today unless it was peeing with rain (as I have no chance of convincing the eldest if it is raining that he can do it) we were going to the PYO farm to pick Strawberries as that would be an incentive for Squidge to willingly increase his miles on his bike.

Her response was to tell me that if I let her know what time I wanted to go she could pick us all up in the car as she needed Veg and so we didn't need to cycle.

She was most confounded when I declined and said we would cycle because I wanted to increase Squidge's range on the bike

 

[Fnaar]

Make an analogy. Tell her she doesn't need those vegetables, cos you'll pick up a Maccy D on your way back from the PYO

 

[Sandra6]

My friends appear to"get" that I cycle because I can't drive, but then they tell me to learn to drive so I won't have to cycle proving they don't get it at all.

 

[ComedyPilot]

My family and friends 'get' that I cycle a lot, they just don't understand why I bother when it's 'easier' to go by car.

 

[Sara_H]

My Mum doesnt get it either! She thinks I'm bonkers!

What baffles me is that she's never driven, but has relied on public transport all her life. So I suppose I don't get her either, cos I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would catch a bus when they could ride a bike!

She now has fallen arches in her feet, and walking is quite painful. When she comes to my house(2 -3 times a week, she looks after my son after school) it involves quite a long walk across a public park. I keep trying to persuade her to try cycling as I think it'll be more comfortable than walking but she wont even consider the idea!

Each to their own I suppose, more generally, I think its a sad reflection of the way that cycling has for many years been represented as inconvenient and dangerous, hopefully things are starting to change, but the car culture is so deeply ingrained that it'll take a fair while before cycling becomes accepted as the norm.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

Each to their own I suppose, more generally, I think its a sad reflection of the way that cycling has for many years been represented as inconvenient and dangerous, hopefully things are starting to change, but the car culture is so deeply ingrained that it'll take a fair while before cycling becomes accepted as the norm.

Agreed.

IMHO the only way the average non cyclist will get out of it's tin can is when the price of car ownership/use/oil prevents them doing it. We are a long way from that yet. There are more cyclists out there nowadays though so things are improving.

When I am prime minister (vote for me folks) I am going to increase tax on petrol by x100, introduce compulsory 3 monthly driving tests, and raise roadtax vehicle excise duty by £20,000 a month.

The extra cash will be used to provide free structurally reinforced bikes to ex numpty tin canners with no hope, to give them hope.

The law will be changed in line with Dutch law, to make the driver responsible for any collision with a cyclist no matter how it happened.

Speeding drivers will face not only a fine, points but also have to do 6 months hard labour pothole filling and re surfacing. This is increased to 5 years for white van man.

The main benefactor will be the nations health and sanity. The NHS will have less strain on it (after an initial 10 years and dealing with overweight numpties dropping like flys in the cycle paths of England), and of course real cyclists...oh and the wildlife will live longer before becoming road kill....etc

 

[numbnuts]

Most people think that if you ride a bike you must be poor and can't afford a car

 

[Sara_H]

Most people think that if you ride a bike you must be poor and can't afford a car

I think that depends. I work in a hospital, the majority of bikes in our bike shed are ridden by the middle - high earners. The bus that stops outside the hospital at 0650 is crammed full of the lower paid hospital workers. Never quite understood that myself.

 

[PeteXXX]

Most people think that if you ride a bike you must be poor and can't afford a car

Even if some bikes cost more than cars....

 

[Venod]

Mum & Dad never learned to drive but they both rode bikes as a means of transport and failed to understand why anybody should ride them for pleasure, but whats worse was my mums bewilderment at my obsession with running, when I was in my 20's she told me I was too old to run, she was still telling me the same thing in my 50's !

 

[Noodley]

Most people think that if you ride a bike you must be poor and can't afford a car

I have just asked 6 people, and none of them thought that. So you're clearly wrong.

 

[hopless500]

BOAB - I'll pass on voting for you if you don't mind

Can't quite figure out how I would get 3 cats in cat boxes to the vets 8 miles away without my car. Specially as we're 4 miles from the nearest public transport. I don't think sticking the boxes on roller skates and stringing them along behind me would go down too well

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

but whats worse was my mums bewilderment at my obsession with running, when I was in my 20's she told me I was too old to run, she was still telling me the same thing in my 50's !

Worse still, the people who gleefully tell you (as justification for doing nothing at al):

'The man who made jogging popular dropped dead from a heart attack'

Or

'You could do all that and be run over by a bus!'.

Well Mister, the average person who runs isn't going to just drop dead, it is indicative of a heart problem and you can get it checked anyway. I'd rather take my chances and be active for as long as possible instead of being old and decrepit and with a sh*t quality of life because I was a lazy sod. Besides, how many people are run over by buses on average anyway?? What are the statistics?

 

[ColinJ]

When I used to average over 100 miles a week, my then g/f accused me of only doing the cycling so I could get away with eating and drinking a lot without piling on weight!

I pointed out that:

• I enjoy cycling
• I enjoy eating
• I enjoy drinking
• I like being fit
• It kept me healthy

What's not to like?

 

[Crackle]

I couldn't care less who gets it or doesn't. I get it, ergo, it's got.

In fact, I wish a few less people got it, then I wouldn't look like a farking nodding dog as I rode along the road.