Students.

[John the Monkey]

I am in a grump today.

First day of the new term and;

1) There is litter EVERYWHERE. Flyers. Promo sheets. Anything else the little bastards couldn;t be bothered to put in a bin. The twats who printed the ones on glossy paper will be being cursed roundly come the first lot of rain, I've no doubt, when said flyers will be slippery as chuff.

2) They all think they are indestructible. Easy enough to weave around them on the bike, and so far the cars and busses seem to be managing not to hit them too. God alone knows how, given the lack of road sense on display.

3) Related to 2) the fact that they have a bike means that they *can* go up the inside of large vehicles without consequnece, and *can* control a bike and text/bray incoherently incessantly on their 'phones whilst riding in traffic.

4) God help us once it's properly dark. I wonder how many will bother with visible lights this year?

I suppose I'll get used to it again after Summer without them - but it's going to be a hard few weeks while I do.

 

[tdr1nka]

Schools are certainly back, rush hour starts with the school run @ 3 and traffic doesn't then die down until 8pm.

 

[fossyant]

John, time for Parrs Wood Road to Armitage Centre, then right to A34 (the single lane bit) for travelling down to the Uni's via the back of the Hospital.

I've been 'cycling on business' from my base and keeping well clear of Oxford Road over the past few weeks, especially now.

I was 'on the bus' for a meeting today, and it was chaos.....I certainly won't be riding near Oxford Road - no signalling, riders wobbling all over...

 

[fossyant]

Cheer up - we'd both be out of a job if they didn't keep coming back. Think yourself lucky, the Teachers have been back a couple of weeks, and they've been pinching the parking spaces in the new staff bike compound, as it's not yet secure (card access isn't on yet).

 

[GrahamG]

I love it when the students start back here, the views en route to work are vastly improved....

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

I love it when the students start back here, the views en route to work are vastly improved....

Adopts Harold Steptoe accent – “You dirty little man.”

 

[GrahamG]

Guilty as charged

 

[HLaB]

You can tell the students are back the limited bike parking spaces at the Broughton Road Tesco (yes I shop there are all taken up and its only freshers week

 

[John the Monkey]

I love it when the students start back here, the views en route to work are vastly improved....

I just hope I don't see any of them get squashed - they really are shite at being pedestrians and cyclists, from what I've seen.

 

[fossyant]

John...you were spotted tonight - 5.05 ish end of Manchester Road in Cheadle turning right..... I didn't shout over as I turned left (blue top, blue MTB) as you were watching the traffic !

CC Jersey... spotted !

 

[marinyork]

Students, this is all bad how ? I was a student only a year ago.

 

[racingaway]

Surely it would be best to abolish cars and have bike only roads?!!

 

[hackbike 6]

Don't think I was ever s student whatever that is.

 

[fossyant]

I wasn't a student either...... did my studies part time....

It is bloody frightening watching them ride - like organised chaos - how they don't crash.

Saw about ten riders, of varying speeds/abilities all filter off Oxford Road into Whitworth Park - no signals...just off over pavement and into the bike lane and into the park...... no crashes... all over the place...3 on road bikes of a sort (students though) stayed on the road.....

 

[marinyork]

Manchester particularly bad? Don't really see many here. They tend to get the tram into town for some reason and you see a few milling around the main buildings and SU here.