Peter F wrote:..... All these other ideas with romantic notions of everyone switching to pedal power are just pie in the sky
Agreed,unless something severe happens such as there being providing really good useful infrastructure or a collapsing of the economy it ain't going to happen.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
Pennine pedaller wrote:John has just appeared on BBC local lunchtime news which will be repeated at 18:30. Hopefully someone will see the damage and come forward with a name for the driver. The driver obviously has no morals or regrets and isn’t likely to hand themselves in. If caught I personally think a jail term is in order.
I hope he's locked up before too long,but I'm betting even if he's caught a slick lawyer will get him off with a suspended sentence and a fine. What's betting he isn't insured or no driving licence or both?
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
atlas_shrugged wrote:It would be useful to our 'friends' who like to drive high powered audis, bmws, range rovers etc to do a calculation of the economic time spent driving to work by motor vehicle. If they spend 7k/year leasing the car and say 3k/year running it then they need to double this and work out what fraction this is of their annual salary. Then they need to add in all the time spent in traffic congestion. In other words how many work hours per week are needed to support the car.
In this article it discusses Ivan Illich, author of classic books like Deschooling Society. He proved, mathematically, that the bicycle is faster than the automobile:
The sort of driver who's interest is fast cars never do that sort of maths,it's the same with smoking or gambling their 'pleasure' all too often overrides the cost. Some people run up colossal debt but as long as they can afford the monthly payments that's all that concerns them,it's capitalist's dream dangly the golden carrot just out of reach so the fools keep reach but never actual owning it or when and if they ever do there's always a bigger better carrot to strive for,so the treadmill goes.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
@reohn2 I can very much understand your despair. In the future drivers will be treated like smokers. I have not voted for years but when labour banned smoking in public then they did a really good job.
I am sure in the future we will have politicians who will have the moral courage and backbone to bring the driving of these monsters to heel.
During the lockdown I have been cycling regularly with the Missus. It was really apparent with the lack of traffic that there were fewer squashed animals on the roads. Today was very different, I passed a squashed squirrel with its guts spewing out on the road and further up a Deer lying beside the road. The hit-and-run driver who left a bloodied seven-year-old girl lying in the road in Granchester (cited in this thread) still has not been found. Should we call this driver a non-romantic? I have other words for these people.
atlas_shrugged wrote:@reohn2 I can very much understand your despair. In the future drivers will be treated like smokers. I have not voted for years but when labour banned smoking in public then they did a really good job.
I agree it was a step forward though that government took many a step back unfortunately
I am sure in the future we will have politicians who will have the moral courage and backbone to bring the driving of these monsters to heel
. I sincerely hope you're right but fear that it'll be a long time coming
During the lockdown I have been cycling regularly with the Missus. It was really apparent with the lack of traffic that there were fewer squashed animals on the roads. Today was very different, I passed a squashed squirrel with its guts spewing out on the road and further up a Deer lying beside the road. The hit-and-run driver who left a bloodied seven-year-old girl lying in the road in Granchester (cited in this thread) still has not been found. Should we call this driver a non-romantic? I have other words for these people.
Some people have no moral compass outside of self interest,we're as a species a blight on the earth.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
atlas_shrugged wrote:It would be useful to our 'friends' who like to drive high powered audis, bmws, range rovers etc to do a calculation of the economic time spent driving to work by motor vehicle. If they spend 7k/year leasing the car and say 3k/year running it then they need to double this and work out what fraction this is of their annual salary. Then they need to add in all the time spent in traffic congestion. In other words how many work hours per week are needed to support the car.
In this article it discusses Ivan Illich, author of classic books like Deschooling Society. He proved, mathematically, that the bicycle is faster than the automobile:
The sort of driver who's interest is fast cars never do that sort of maths,it's the same with smoking or gambling their 'pleasure' all too often overrides the cost. Some people run up colossal debt but as long as they can afford the monthly payments that's all that concerns them,it's capitalist's dream dangly the golden carrot just out of reach so the fools keep reach but never actual owning it or when and if they ever do there's always a bigger better carrot to strive for,so the treadmill goes.
Two points. 1 An awful lot of people buy certain cats because they are a very visible status symbol. The vast majority of these cars are the 2 litre diesel variety so while they may look "sporty" they aren't and are not especially high powered, although that is relative. You are not going to easily persuade someone to get rid of their most visible status symbol without fundamentally changing societies attitude to what constitutes success. How many cyclists buy a certain brand because of the image? Why is it that cycle components all have large visible branding emblazoned on them? It's all part of the same issue. 2. Car enthusiasts are actually few and far between but you are not going to persuade them to get out of their cars any more than you could persuade a cyclist to sell his £5k bike and buy a £1k bike. The argument is similar. Car enthusiasts can spend an inordinate amount of money on their hobby because they want too. You will find many of them know exactly how much it costs because they spend a lot of time trying to hide it from their partners But, as I said, genuine enthusiasts are few and far between and are not the problem. The issue is those who see their car as a way of letting the world know how successful they are.
This is not about status. This is about drivers being NASTY and DANGEROUS. I was cycling in this area today. For me this was not the problem area. It was a nearby area in Cranebridge. This time an AUDI driver leaning on his horn. And my crime? Crossing the road on foot with my bike wearing hi-viz. He was about 200 yards away and by that time I was on the pavement, then I could count to 5. Then his horn goes off. Crush their cars they are unfit to drive!! I have been driving for 48 years and I try not to:
atlas_shrugged wrote:It would be useful to our 'friends' who like to drive high powered audis, bmws, range rovers etc to do a calculation of the economic time spent driving to work by motor vehicle. If they spend 7k/year leasing the car and say 3k/year running it then they need to double this and work out what fraction this is of their annual salary. Then they need to add in all the time spent in traffic congestion. In other words how many work hours per week are needed to support the car.
In this article it discusses Ivan Illich, author of classic books like Deschooling Society. He proved, mathematically, that the bicycle is faster than the automobile:
The sort of driver who's interest is fast cars never do that sort of maths,it's the same with smoking or gambling their 'pleasure' all too often overrides the cost. Some people run up colossal debt but as long as they can afford the monthly payments that's all that concerns them,it's capitalist's dream dangly the golden carrot just out of reach so the fools keep reach but never actual owning it or when and if they ever do there's always a bigger better carrot to strive for,so the treadmill goes.
Two points. 1 An awful lot of people buy certain cats because they are a very visible status symbol. The vast majority of these cars are the 2 litre diesel variety so while they may look "sporty" they aren't and are not especially high powered, although that is relative. You are not going to easily persuade someone to get rid of their most visible status symbol without fundamentally changing societies attitude to what constitutes success. How many cyclists buy a certain brand because of the image? Why is it that cycle components all have large visible branding emblazoned on them? It's all part of the same issue. 2. Car enthusiasts are actually few and far between but you are not going to persuade them to get out of their cars any more than you could persuade a cyclist to sell his £5k bike and buy a £1k bike. The argument is similar. Car enthusiasts can spend an inordinate amount of money on their hobby because they want too. You will find many of them know exactly how much it costs because they spend a lot of time trying to hide it from their partners But, as I said, genuine enthusiasts are few and far between and are not the problem. The issue is those who see their car as a way of letting the world know how successful they are.
Enthusiasts come in many shades,some are perfectly law abiding others aren't,some don't let their enthusiasm run away with them others aren't so careful. My point was that that due to credit on tap it's easy to get carried away,once the dream fast and or prestige car is in their hands there are those become kings in their vehicle to exclusion of others who they see as inferior.
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
reohn2 wrote:Enthusiasts come in many shades,some are perfectly law abiding others aren't,some don't let their enthusiasm run away with them others aren't so careful. My point was that that due to credit on tap it's easy to get carried away,once the dream fast and or prestige car is in their hands there are those become kings in their vehicle to exclusion of others who they see as inferior.
My only real disagreement is that many of these people are enthusiasts.
reohn2 wrote:Enthusiasts come in many shades,some are perfectly law abiding others aren't,some don't let their enthusiasm run away with them others aren't so careful. My point was that that due to credit on tap it's easy to get carried away,once the dream fast and or prestige car is in their hands there are those become kings in their vehicle to exclusion of others who they see as inferior.
My only real disagreement is that many of these people are enthusiasts.
No worries
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"All we are not stares back at what we are"
W H Auden
He’s got his bike back and the frame is toast.Top tube snapped. He was talking about his insurance and Bianchis so it looks as though he’s feeling better about riding again at some point. Still nothing on the driver or car despite the TV coverage.
reohn2 wrote:There are those who enjoy antagonising cyclists not usually to the degree of the OP granted but it's obvious to anyone who rides a bike,it's become the norm in a land where policing is practically extinct.
PP I hope you friend mends well and gets back on the bike otherwise the morons win.
Sadly this might be the one that stops him riding.He had a hit and run a couple of years ago but that one wasn’t quite so serious.It’s early days but at this time his head is telling him he’s done.He is in a lot of pain and full of drugs so he might feel differently in a few weeks.There is the possibility of course that he may not physically be able to ride again even if he gets over it mentally.I think this has genuinely scared him. If this was,as suspected,a deliberate attack then the individual in question is clearly a very dangerous person to be driving about. This has been on local BBC and in local press plus Cycling weekly/Road CCs social media pages and many local cycling clubs have posted the Police appeal on their social media pages..Someone must know the perpetrator who will surely have new damage to his/her car.
I was the second person in the incident on the OP. I've been back in hospital after my first visit, had two weeks off work (for the first time in 36 years of employment), I'm back working from home today but still in a lot of pain - too much to be able to travel around hospitals for work. My friend was not so lucky, his recovery is going to be much much longer, I hope he has no lasting effects and is able to get back on a bike again but it won't be before the end of summer.
