getting naked (nearly) to protest against helmets

[Tumbleweed]

The best way to keep bikers safe is not through requiring a helmet, but through making new separate bike lanes, the association contends.

 

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1245184900697&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Gasping]

Hi Roller,

Sounds like a great idea. My reservation is how do you share a cycle lane with (all respect due) the citizens who use a bike as a begrudging means of transport and therefore only get a cadence of 1 or 2 going compared to the rest of us who try and go as fast as possible for as long as possible.

Road rage will give way to cycle lane rage, the LBS will score because of the sale of new pumps (used to settle disputes) and in general there will be much unhappiness.

 

Perhaps if they had multiple lanes with an Auobahn type arragement where the right hand lane is for overtaking by faster cyclists?

 

[Tumbleweed]

gasping, that issue came up a month or so back with regard to cape town bike lanes. the lanes were apparently to be narrowed to appease sidewalk hawkers. for them to be of any use, they'd have to be wide enough to accomodate, what, three riders abreast?

but then, we'd get the national taxi alliance claiming the bike routes were their "intellectual property" and demand 100% ownership of every bicycle shop in town, otherwise they'll march to deliver a memorandum to dave bellairs.  

 

[Gasping]

Makes you proud to be Sarf Effriken doesn't it?

 

I really enjoyed their tongue in cheek use of the word "intellectual", didn't you?

[Andyr249]

HR, those taxi guys will march and hand over memorandums because people will use bicycles and not taxi thereby taken away their business.

[Tumbleweed]

so BRT stands for bicycle rapid transit??

[Gasping]

Preach Brother, Preach!

[Tumbleweed]

shall i post my old avatar pic to get the naked protest going? sure bigben would like to see it again?

[Sammajoor]

 

shall i post my old avatar pic to get the naked protest going? sure bigben would like to see it again?

 

The one with your PINK magenta boa

 

[LazyTrailRider]

gasping' date=' that issue came up a month or so back with regard to cape town bike lanes. the lanes were apparently to be narrowed to appease sidewalk hawkers. for them to be of any use, they'd have to be wide enough to accomodate, what, three riders abreast?

[/quote']

 

Another problem, HR, is that motorists simply drive in these lanes like they don't even realise they're there... For example, in Claremont, there's a nice lane going over the bridge between Newlands Cricket Stadium and the Claremont CBD. Because it's a main route for motor-going traffic rats, they think it's their right to create TWO motor lanes (where there's supposed to be one + a bike lane). Heaven forbid you cross the bridge as a motorist and DON'T take up the lane, you'll have a hundred hooters behind you demanding that you move out of the way.

 

I suspect everyone thinks "this bike lane is sily, no one uses it, why should us motorists have to queue? These bikers are punks anyway!"

 

It's an attitude change we need - the problem is, this is Africa, and the population majority occupy lower levels on Maslow's hierarchy than in a typical first-world country. Things like bike satefy just ain't important if you're struggling to make a living. I'm not talking about the poor, I'm talking about the average Joe who's up to his eyeballs in debt trying to finance his new car, instead of driving an old car and having plenty of savings to fall back on. Result: he's constantly stressed about earning more, wants to get to his job on time, pushes people out of the way to do so, etc etc.

 

Hmmm, OK, maybe a long argument for another book (not post)....

[Tumbleweed]

gasping' date=' that issue came up a month or so back with regard to cape town bike lanes. the lanes were apparently to be narrowed to appease sidewalk hawkers. for them to be of any use, they'd have to be wide enough to accomodate, what, three riders abreast?

[/quote']

 

Another problem, HR, is that motorists simply drive in these lanes like they don't even realise they're there... For example, in Claremont, there's a nice lane going over the bridge between Newlands Cricket Stadium and the Claremont CBD. Because it's a main route for motor-going traffic rats, they think it's their right to create TWO motor lanes (where there's supposed to be one + a bike lane). Heaven forbid you cross the bridge as a motorist and DON'T take up the lane, you'll have a hundred hooters behind you demanding that you move out of the way.

 

I suspect everyone thinks "this bike lane is sily, no one uses it, why should us motorists have to queue? These bikers are punks anyway!"

 

It's an attitude change we need - the problem is, this is Africa, and the population majority occupy lower levels on Maslow's hierarchy than in a typical first-world country. Things like bike satefy just ain't important if you're struggling to make a living. I'm not talking about the poor, I'm talking about the average Joe who's up to his eyeballs in debt trying to finance his new car, instead of driving an old car and having plenty of savings to fall back on. Result: he's constantly stressed about earning more, wants to get to his job on time, pushes people out of the way to do so, etc etc.

 

Hmmm, OK, maybe a long argument for another book (not post)....

 

for sure?they have put "ribs" in the roads to demarcate the new brt lanes in jozi. everyone just drives over them.

[Capri Wheeler]

absolutely brilliant!

If i knew it was happening I would have e-mailed someone in Tel-Aviv to take pics for me and then I would have uploaded it here for a great laugh.

 

I think we should do something like that in SA as we have lots more cyclists here and more traffic risk than in Israel

 

[Gasping]

I think is is simpler than Martin's statements. It has nothing to do with Maslow or fiscal downturns.

Humans are selfish people. We care about ourselves and the possible 5 seconds that we can save by rolling through an intersection (cars and cyclists) than obeying the rules that are in place for all of us to be safe.

 

 

[LazyTrailRider]

I think is is simpler than Martin's statements. It has nothing to do with Maslow or fiscal downturns.

Humans are selfish people. We care about ourselves and the possible 5 seconds that we can save by rolling through an intersection (cars and cyclists) than obeying the rules that are in place for all of us to be safe.

 

 

 

Oh, it's got everything to do with Maslow. If your lower levels of need are satisfied, you start thinking about more conceptual stuff, like focusing on defining what's right/wrong. It's not about being selfless (I'm selfish, but properly), it's about understanding that what benefits the world benefits you. If you're doing something that fcuks with the world's efficiency, you're ultimately just doing yourself in.

 

Like I said, for another book

 

BTW, I wasn't referring to any fiscal downturns, they all balance out eventually. I was simply referring to SA's wealth in general. We're poor on a global scale, even though Gautengers might argue...

[LazyTrailRider]

gasping' date=' that issue came up a month or so back with regard to cape town bike lanes. the lanes were apparently to be narrowed to appease sidewalk hawkers. for them to be of any use, they'd have to be wide enough to accomodate, what, three riders abreast?

[/quote']

 

Another problem, HR, is that motorists simply drive in these lanes like they don't even realise they're there... For example, in Claremont, there's a nice lane going over the bridge between Newlands Cricket Stadium and the Claremont CBD. Because it's a main route for motor-going traffic rats, they think it's their right to create TWO motor lanes (where there's supposed to be one + a bike lane). Heaven forbid you cross the bridge as a motorist and DON'T take up the lane, you'll have a hundred hooters behind you demanding that you move out of the way.

 

I suspect everyone thinks "this bike lane is sily, no one uses it, why should us motorists have to queue? These bikers are punks anyway!"

 

It's an attitude change we need - the problem is, this is Africa, and the population majority occupy lower levels on Maslow's hierarchy than in a typical first-world country. Things like bike satefy just ain't important if you're struggling to make a living. I'm not talking about the poor, I'm talking about the average Joe who's up to his eyeballs in debt trying to finance his new car, instead of driving an old car and having plenty of savings to fall back on. Result: he's constantly stressed about earning more, wants to get to his job on time, pushes people out of the way to do so, etc etc.

 

Hmmm, OK, maybe a long argument for another book (not post)....

 

for sure?they have put "ribs" in the roads to demarcate the new brt lanes in jozi. everyone just drives over them.

 

Monkeys.

[Gasping]

Cheers Martin. Point(s) taken.

 

You need to install a spell checker