Posts by Aidan
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80% of cycle/car accidents the fault of the car, in Adelaide anyway:
Take a look a the comment thread to get a feeling of just how much love is lost between cyclists and motorists.
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Danielle,
PA might not be a representative sample, but try asking rellies or workmates about cyclists. I reckon you'll be surprised at the level of animosity, I know I was.
I wear high viz all the time on my commute, mainly because I bought those shirts the tradesmen wear, they are cheap as and basically indestructible. The first time I wore one I was abused by some blokes in a car -- I was on a physically separate bike path about 5m away, not sure why they bothered. Next day I was "buzzed" by a car just down the road from my house. I have never had that happen before or since, and I reckon they thought they'd give the doofus cyclist a bit of a scare.
A friend of mine who turned left on to a road was run off the road by a car that felt aggrieved she had turned into their path. She remained to the left the whole time, they just decided to get angry, cut her off and get out and abuse her.
Another friend of mine was cycling (on-road cycle way) when a car driver abused her. When she caught up with the car at the next lights she tapped on the roof and motioned for him to wind down the window -- she wanted to ask what she had done wrong that he had got angry. He wound down the window and punched her, hard enough she fell to the ground. He was a security guard at the University. Nice.
I don't have alot of interaction with traffic -- luckily I have dedicated cycle/mixed use paths pretty much all the way to and from work, but my experience is there is a lot of anger out there.
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This is an interesting take on why motorists seem to dislike cyclists to an irrational degree
http://mindhacks.com/2013/02/18/bbc-column-why-cyclists-enrage-car-drivers/
It does seem to align with many of the complaints I have seen motorists make about cyclists. If true, then an education campaign and social pressure to increase goodwill and understanding might well yield real dividends.
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I wonder if The Skeptics were still running Snailclamps at the time?
If so, a detour off SH1 to Palmy might have been in order ... opportunity missed.
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I was planning on posting a link to this anyway – a well thought out pro-Leveson view from an insider, but the royals link makes it all the more apposite.
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Hard News: Looking at Leveson, in reply to Barnard,
Great discussion. Given me a lot to think about.
I've no doubt many individual journalists still take their role of holding power to account very seriously, but I don't think that's true of those in management.
I think, as has been borne out, this is because someone like Murdoch is the power that needs to be held to account. And if not him directly, then it is business associates or like-minded individuals that he has no interest in alienating.
I don't think it is by chance that the widespread phone hacking / corruption was broken open by The Guardian an independent news organisation.
I don't know if that strengthens or weakens Malik's case. In some sense it weakens -- he is looking to change the culture, but this is unchangeable with the current media ownership mix.
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I was pretty sure the Leveson proposal was the right way to go, especially after seeing the very sharp Nick Davies generally positive first appraisal of it.
Then I read Kenan Malik. Damn he is impressive.
I still think yes to Leveson (like my opinion matters), but now I’m filled with doubt.
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Capture: A Funky Good Time, in reply to Robyn Gallagher,
the very sweaty man in a suit.
Rhys Darby surely!
(clearly he is very well preserved)
Awesome pics.
I love
.. the energy and Knox/audidence rapport in the first shot
.. the "butter wouldn't melt" expression on Graham Brazier's face
.. the way Bob Marley is looking right at me -
And I thought I was being brave giving my (then) 5 year old a saw. Ha! I am a lightweight. I don't think it has entered his head to ask for a nailgun. I will make sure he never sees this video.
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This was late afternoon on our Labour Day long weekend holiday on the south coast of NSW, Australia. At a place called Dalmeny. I do have to concede, they do quite nice beaches here in Aus.
