So I’ve been in Melburn for about six weeks now, and have been riding pretty much daily. It’s a different breed of cyclist here. Commuters are generally happy to keep their scowls fixed in place, stare straight ahead and don’t make eye contact. Roadies in full team kit and Specialized and Cannondale carbon numbers cruise through the ‘burbs but will generally say hello if you press them. Fixed riders will either snob you or do the ol’ neck crane to check out your bike, some no doubt mentally taking stock so they can rush home and blog about it. Commuter racing is in full swing, with some people getting really mad if you overtake them. Meh. Three cyclists dead within two weeks, one found on the road alone, one crushed under a bus, one hit by a car on a cruisy suburban ride.
Bike paths criss-cross the city and are a slower ride than the busier streets, dodging dogs and their walkers, kids with frisbees, and recumbent riders taking up the whole goddamn path. The other option’s taking the road and dealing with a constant stream of traffic and always hoping that the stream of cars waiting to turn across you will see you blowing through the green in between three lanes of cars.
H picked up a singlespeed cruiser (see above) and has been riding half and hour to work and back again. I’m feeling a bit cheated as it only takes me 7 mins to get to work from our place. I’ve been taking the long way around to try to get at least some feeling of having ridden anywhere. It’s easier to get from A to B than Hobart, but somehow I feel like it’s cheating a bit riding with no hills. There’s no climb home, no dizzy spells when you get in the door, no feeling like you’re going to vomit when you get in the door. I think some longer weekend rides are in order to kick out the cobwebs. Here’s hoping you’re riding hard and having fun doing so.
Hey, I know that stretch of path..!!
L-Dub, next time there is a good band or bike race we should attend shoot me an email and I’ll rty and head south for a weekend yo..
I’m thinking about making a cameo at M’s next Hobart Alleycat.. you up for that?
Three deaths in two weeks…that’s shocking. Are the politicians giving commuters much attention?
Vancouver wasn’t quite as dangerous however we had the occasional scooter shaped electric/gas powered bike that would try to share bike lane space on bridges and trails – slack bastards.
Hey Mr Pants!
Sounds good mate, I’ll drop you an email if something really good looks like it’s coming up. There should be some alleycats or cruisy races over summer so I’ll keep my eyes peeled.
Andre, some interesting / scary stuff here:
“With more than 4000 cyclists a day, Swanston Street is Australia’s busiest bike route. But it has no bicycle lanes…
…The Lord Mayor, questioned yesterday over cyclist safety, defended himself against accusations of inaction.
“It doesn’t matter where you park the buses, accidents do occur,” he said.
Later, Cr So rang back and broke down, saying he would call for buses to be parked elsewhere.”
Check it out.
A good blog entry here.