You think motorists are hostile to you in your city? Try Gaborone.

[Cycleops]

You might know it as the home of Precious Ramotswe of The Lady's No1 Detective Agency and her small white van but cyclists here have to put up with more aggressive drivers on a daily basis:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200205-the-worst-place-in-the-world-to-be-a-cyclist

 

[Rocky]

We have a family friend who lives there. He cycles regularly but for the reasons you mention, he only goes off-road on his MTB. His only advice is to watch out for poisonous snakes and scorpions.

 

[Slick]

Sounds a bit like Dundee to me.

 

[Drago]

Essential Gaborone cylcing accessories.

 

[Rocky]

Essential Gaborone cylcing accessories.

View attachment 566959

Where's the anti-venom?

 

[Rocky]

Essential Gaborone cylcing accessories.

View attachment 566959

Our friend now keeps a loaded shotgun under his bed. He lives on a farm just outside the main city and has been robbed at gun point twice in the middle of the night. He originally trained as a big game hunter and works for the Botswana Defence Force as a C17 pilot. I think the odds are slightly in his favour if anyone attempts this again.

 

[Cycleops]

The cycle race involving elderly ladies carrying a bucket of water on their heads, 25 litres on the rear carrier and a mock baby strapped on their back would be an event worth watching making the Brompton Challenge look rather tame.

 

[Boopop]

"The hostile attitude of local drivers towards cyclists emanates from a deep-seated belief that cycling is for the poor". I don't think that's unique to Botswana. I remember reading somewhere online that someone in the US cycled 3 miles and then their friends having heard about this supposed "injustice" clubbed together to buy them a car.

Shanghai banned cycles from their streets in 2003, I assume/hope that's no longer the case: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3303655.stm

EDIT: Ah, that was a quick turnaround indeed! http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3513119.stm

 

[DCLane]

The cycle race involving elderly ladies carrying a bucket of water on their heads, 25 litres on the rear carrier and a mock baby strapped on their back would be an event worth watching making the Brompton Challenge look rather tame.

It does look fun - doing a stage of the TDF with a bucket of water on their head, and bonus seconds for how much is left, would at least add interest.

 

[winjim]

Sounds a bit like Dundee to me.

FOR THE GLORY OF DUNDEEEEE...













Sorry.

 

[Slick]

FOR THE GLORY OF DUNDEEEEE...













Sorry.

Don't make a habit out of it.

 

[Drago]

"The hostile attitude of local drivers towards cyclists emanates from a deep-seated belief that cycling is for the poor". I don't think that's unique to Botswana. I remember reading somewhere online that someone in the US cycled 3 miles and then their friends having heard about this supposed "injustice" clubbed together to buy them a car.

You're not wrong. When i worked in the states I had an apartment about a mile from the office. I was entitled to take one of the work cars home, but a Chevy Suburban for a journey I could atroll in under 20 minutes was a ceiminal waste of resources, and I enjoyed the walk through small town Pennsylvania.

My workmates thought I was mad, mentally ill or a masochist. The idea of a quiet, pleasant, relatively short stroll was utterly alien to them. If I'd ridden a bike they'd probably have had me certified.

 

[DCLane]

You're not wrong. When i worked in the states I had an apartment about a mile from the office. I was entitled to take one of the work cars home, but a Chevy Suburban for a journey I could atroll in under 20 minutes was a ceiminal waste of resources, and I enjoyed the walk through small town Pennsylvania.

My workmates thought I was mad, mentally ill or a masochist. The idea of a quiet, pleasant, relatively short stroll was utterly alien to them. If I'd ridden a bike they'd probably have had me certified.

I'm the same when visiting Hong Kong for work. It's about a mile from the teaching venue to the hotel I stay at: most colleagues and the staff there use a taxi or the MTR. Me? I walk. They think me weird, even though I usually get there faster and less flustered due to everyone else being on the tram or in a car.

When getting from the airport I learnt to use the bus rather than the MTR as well: less busy, cheaper, settles you in and usually not much slower.

 

[Domus]

Stayed in a hotel outside Boston for one night before hiring car for a road trip, after checking in I asked if there was a Target near by. Turned out there was a strip mall across the dual carriageway in front of the hotel. There was an intersection about 500 yards away so we could walk up and cross then walk down the other side. The hotel wanted to call us a taxi and were horrified that we wanted to walk about half a mile to do a bit of shopping.

 

[DCBassman]

Made the mistake of walking to the K-Mart opposite our hotel in Kissimmee in Florida. Got bollocking from Sherriff.
"It's 50 yards away!"
"But illegal to cross the road except by car"
Nucking futs.