LabRatt
Senior Member
- Location
- Sarf lundin
I've not posted in a while, not that anyone'll've missed me. I'm still not riding, though I'm managing to do my bit on youtube now.
That's not what I'm talking about though.
I was on a course in London last week. This involved me getting a train to London Bridge and walking from there to Liverpool Street. It was quite a good course (server virtualisation with Microsoft Hyper-V 2008 if you care) but a disappointing walk.
Where were all the silly cyclists jumping red lights and running down pedestrians?
Where were all the reckless and dangerous drivers mowing down cyclists left, right and centre?
Nowhere. Every cyclist was considerate (though many lidless and several podded) and stopped at red lights. The drivers were as polite and unselfish as you expect the average driver in London to be. Everything was fine and I didn't get a chance to shout in righteous indignation at a RLJing fakenger trying to mow me down. Just felt that there being nothing worthy of comment was itself worth commenting on. Despite what we see on youtube (and hear here) most of the time nothing happens. People get from P to Q, whatever their transport, without incident.
On the other hand, using the pavements is a different experience. Pedestrians don't give way, they don't shoulder check, they stop suddenly for no apparent reason and they do their best to blind you with enormous umbrellas. Bloody tax dodgers - they should get a car!
The irony part, unrelated to the rest of it: I've said before that my GF is very uncomfortable with the idea of me riding a bike - that's why I'm still not doing it. On my second day I realised that I could pop round the corner and take a Boris bike back to (near) the station. Then I decided that if I did that I'd have to tell her about my experience, and then that she'd get angry. Instead I walked 15-20 minutes each way in boots that are near the end of their life and hurt my feet over long distances, and in heavy rain for about half the week.
My GF would rather I have guaranteed pain and discomfort from my boots and the rain than a small chance of having an accident and a small chance of that accident being serious. That's the irony. I don't resent her for it, I understand she worries, but I don't know how to point it out to her.
That's not what I'm talking about though.
I was on a course in London last week. This involved me getting a train to London Bridge and walking from there to Liverpool Street. It was quite a good course (server virtualisation with Microsoft Hyper-V 2008 if you care) but a disappointing walk.
Where were all the silly cyclists jumping red lights and running down pedestrians?
Where were all the reckless and dangerous drivers mowing down cyclists left, right and centre?
Nowhere. Every cyclist was considerate (though many lidless and several podded) and stopped at red lights. The drivers were as polite and unselfish as you expect the average driver in London to be. Everything was fine and I didn't get a chance to shout in righteous indignation at a RLJing fakenger trying to mow me down. Just felt that there being nothing worthy of comment was itself worth commenting on. Despite what we see on youtube (and hear here) most of the time nothing happens. People get from P to Q, whatever their transport, without incident.
On the other hand, using the pavements is a different experience. Pedestrians don't give way, they don't shoulder check, they stop suddenly for no apparent reason and they do their best to blind you with enormous umbrellas. Bloody tax dodgers - they should get a car!
The irony part, unrelated to the rest of it: I've said before that my GF is very uncomfortable with the idea of me riding a bike - that's why I'm still not doing it. On my second day I realised that I could pop round the corner and take a Boris bike back to (near) the station. Then I decided that if I did that I'd have to tell her about my experience, and then that she'd get angry. Instead I walked 15-20 minutes each way in boots that are near the end of their life and hurt my feet over long distances, and in heavy rain for about half the week.
My GF would rather I have guaranteed pain and discomfort from my boots and the rain than a small chance of having an accident and a small chance of that accident being serious. That's the irony. I don't resent her for it, I understand she worries, but I don't know how to point it out to her.
