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Is this true of SA? I think so.


simpythegimpy2

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Another complexity in our country is the large divide between 'cyclists', who most probably have a home, car and white collared job.....and commuters who can barely afford anything but an old bicycle to get to their manual labour and back again.

 

So, when ever there is news about a 'cyclist', i often wonder to myself which category...

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Another complexity in our country is the large divide between 'cyclists', who most probably have a home, car and white collared job.....and commuters who can barely afford anything but an old bicycle to get to their manual labour and back again.

 

So, when ever there is news about a 'cyclist', i often wonder to myself which category...

Any person that rides a bicycle is a cyclist......he may do it to commute or to race.

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Another complexity in our country is the large divide between 'cyclists', who most probably have a home, car and white collared job.....and commuters who can barely afford anything but an old bicycle to get to their manual labour and back again.

 

So, when ever there is news about a 'cyclist', i often wonder to myself which category...

 

as gummi says...they are way more commuting cyclists in the "blue collar" class than middle class cyclists cycling for recreation or even commuting

 

on a side note I am very pleased to see the numbers increasing

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I often see many more people be it gardener, builder, etc cycling to work some with even their tools strapped to the frame. I even see a tandem rider with all his gardening bits coasting on the back. Well I see more manual labour cyclists than White/blue/pink/yellow collar cyclists on the road.

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Interesting angle this; my great grandfather cycled his entire life to and from work, at times 22miles each way per day to his bricklaying job whilst being one of the builders on the Hartebeestpoort Dam and living in Brits.

 

My grandfather then did the same although his trips were considerably shorter, he did own a car (the last one was a Chev Impala which was used for long trips, was always jump started by his small tractor)

 

Then along came my dad, he too cycled to work (15miles there and back) and used the car the same way as his dad and grand dad above.

 

And now me, my job requires me to drive some and therefore commuting with my bicycle happens no more than 5 times a year, although I absolutely love the commute of nearly 8km's.

 

People make use of their preferred mode of transport that is comfortable and reliable to them. It is not a race based thing and has a lot to do with a town or city's geography too. There too is the view that a bicycle has a certain "standing" in some societies, meaning, that riding your dikwiel with a carrier and milk cart to work might appear that you are poorer than your neigbour with the beat up 1985 BMW 3 series although you horde 200 1 once Kruger rands.

 

So, as a minority group in my country, I commute 5/365 days a year, but for exercise probably 200/365 d/py.  

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Mmm... I have heard the ruling party consider ideas such as cycling routes to be "elitist".

 

I commute to work, and there is definitely a group that mostly matches the description in the article - white, male, middle class (not necessarily under 40 though). There is however also a larger contingent of the poorer sort of commuter.

 

Several women have discussed the option of commuting with me. The perception of danger is definitely a factor that discourages them (in spite of the fact that the routes we use are objectively quite safe).

 

Another factor that seems to discourage women is the shower facilities - both guys and girls have pickiness regarding standard of facilities and willingness to use shared facilities - the guys who will settle will accept lower standards than the most accommodating girls (at my place of work at least...)

 

It would be nice if the government looked beyond the "elite" riders and see the opportunity for the everyday guys and encourage that (not sure that number ones nephew would like opposition to taxi's though...)

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My gardener cycles to work every single day of his life. His bike is always spotless. I am buying him a helmet and lights for Christmas as cycles without these luxuries.

 

I heard on KFM about a drive to distribute used baby and todler car seats to poorer communities. Perhaps the same could be done with cycling helmets that is no longer in use? I.e. someone collect these, sanitise them and redistribute to the poorer commuters?

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My gardener cycles to work every single day of his life. His bike is always spotless. I am buying him a helmet and lights for Christmas as cycles without these luxuries.

 

I heard on KFM about a drive to distribute used baby and todler car seats to poorer communities. Perhaps the same could be done with cycling helmets that is no longer in use? I.e. someone collect these, sanitise them and redistribute to the poorer commuters?

Good plan that. I see a lot of the general labourers on bikes in my hood wearing helmets last two years, even one dude with Bakkies Botha's old scrum cap

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We need traffic officials on bicycles to!  

Infrastructure needs to be enforced. We can expect the public to consider cycling a viable option if the laws around safe cycling are been ignored by other road users. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

There's definitely a divide between classes of riders here, I think a lot of the lower-income cyclists would drive if they could afford a car.

 

That said, it kills me whenever I ride up behind a guy and his back wheel is so out-of-true it's a miracle it can revolve, only one brake cable, pedals missing or broken etc.

would be great if somehow old parts could be 'trickled down' to those who need it..

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My staff thought I was mad commuting to work when I own a car,

When I asked them how much of their money they spent on taxis, I explained I cycled more than double the distance to and from work and I explained we could easily get them onto bikes to commute they would like ,,,uhhmmm no ARE YOU MAD was the feeling of the day,,, my factory guys would rather spend their cash on taxis, because they still think along the lines of ice cream venders use bikes, I'm not saying all see it that way but my guys wouldn't be seen dead cycling to work,

I must say when I was commuting I found all the hard working blue collar cyclists (commuters) much friendlier than roadies,,,,,,dips runs

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