A month or so ago I was driving my boys to school (they usually walk or ride bikes but if one has cooking I occasionally drive them) - the high school is on a major road - 2 lanes each way, transit lane, buses, trucks and a very busy main road. So what do we see as we are driving a long in peak hour traffic - this d*ckhead father with his very young daughter (probably no more than 8 years old) riding on the road to the primary school. The kid was obviously not very good on the bike as she was wobbling around like crazy - Dad was riding next to her on the road (taking up a whole car space wide!!) - as we passed we all looked in amazement at this sight - around here - NONE of the kids ride to school on the road - I MEAN NONE! Even the high school kids ride on the footpaths (which are all paved and safe) and they are up to 17-18 years old. So what the hell was this dad thinking to get his very small primary school child to ride her bike on a major road in peak hour? I wonder if mum knows he does this? I would have an absolute fit if I found my kids that age riding on the road. When mine went to primary school they rode their bikes to school - which was close and no really busy roads to worry about - but they rode on the footpath and knew to give way to people walking and to get off the bike to cross at the school crossing. What is this dad thinking to instil in this young girl that riding on the road is ok for someone her age. What if she decides to visit a friend one weekend by herself on her bike and rides on the road? What if she hits a hole in the road and falls under a car driving past?
Anyway this day as we passed this kid on the bike with mr d*ckhead father of the year we commented that she didnt look too good on the bike and as we were waiting for the lights at the intersection down the road a bit the bikes caught up to us - I watched as wobbly and d*ckhead dad approached - they went to go on to the footpath (yay at last) at the service station and what does wobbly daughter do? Yes she overbalances and falls over on the driveway of the service station.
Months later and we are waiting to pull out of our street onto the main road this morning (cooking at school and exams too) and who comes past - older primary school girl (maybe 11 or 12) and wobbly and d*ckhead dad again! Wobbly is a bit better but dad is still a d*ckhead - riding next to not quite wobbly again and taking up a whole car space again! All these cars are held up by the d*ckhead and everytime a parked car is in the way - does he look? does he tell daughter to check if its safe to go into the middle of the road and go around the car? NO of course not cause he is a d*ckhead and he just pulls out and goes around the parked car - causing cars to swerve around him over the middle line - luckily no buses or trucks coming the opposite way but if there was, the cars had to stop and wait for dd to go past with wobbly.
Here's the thing - cyclists (ok maybe not ALL but most) are selfish stupid d*ckheads. "Oh look at me, I ride a bike to help the environment and to exercise my mind and body! Im healthy and doing my bit for the planet" Well mr d*ckhead - if I was to drive an unregistered car on the road at 20kph and hold up all the cars and make people overtake dangerously because they were sick of being held up - then the police would be called and I would get numerous fines. If I was to ride my skateboard (yeah -just pretend ok?) on the major road and pull out around parked cars causing cars on the road to stop to give way to me - well yeah the police would be called and fines would be handed out. If I got an electric scooter (of any type) and rode that down the major road - do you think the cops would like that either? No - but cyclists get away with exactly the same sh*t and no one complains?
How about at night? "I have my red 2 LED light on the back and my white lamp on my helmet - I can see well because of the streetlights" Well mr cyclist I CANT SEE YOU - wearing black clothes and having a red light the size of a coin on the back of your bike is not visible in the dark when I am doing 60kph and you are doing 20kph - Unless you are wearing a reflective vest or backpack and have a red light the size of my car lights then you are NOT visible and I cannot avoid someone if I cant see them, Dont assume you can be seen because you can see the cars.
If you want to be healthy then fine - but dont ride on the road so I have to do a dangerous manoeuvre to overtake, dont hold up buses who also have to use the transit lane, go on the footpath when there is no one walking on it, wear reflective clothing or dont travel at night and if you cant afford to drive take the bus!
Rant over
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