ajft

Welcome to Hulas2, decalcification necessary

Pah, I shouldn't have bothered to even open the envelope. After writing two weeks ago to Grenda's buses to complain about being run off the road and shouted at by one of their drivers, today I received a response.

Our office has received your correspondence dated 9th January 2008. You have raised an issue of immense interest. Our policy is very supportive of your sentiments that we must all do our best to share the roads and respect the road laws. However, it is from this point on our interpretations diverge.

Three more paragraphs stating that in their opinion the bus lane along North road is a lane for the exclusive use of buses.

No mention of me being run off the road.

No mention of what, if any, action they'll take regarding the driver of 6114-A0.

No mention of what, if any, action they'll take to stop other drivers attacking people with their buses.

Pathetic.

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During the post-Christmas cleanup I found a piece of the cardboard box from a rather dubious fruit mince pie in a “Christmas hamper.” The ingredients are:

Wheat flour, Fruit Mince 30% (Sugar, Dried Fruits 32% (Sultanas (Vegetable Oil from Soy), Citrus Peel (Sugar, Citrus Peel), Food Acid (330), Preservative (223)), Currants (Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil), Apple Pulp, Glucose Syrup, Humectant (320), Water, Thickeners (1442, 440), Spice Extracts, Acidity Regulator (320), Colour (150c), Salt), Margerine (Vegetable Oils (Palm, Palmoleum, Soybean, Cotton Seed, Rice Bran, Sunflower, Sesame), Water, Salt, Emulsifiers (471, 435), Antioxidant (319)), Shortening (Palmoleum, Rice Bran Oil, Sesame Oil), Vitamin A, Vitamin D), Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Egg, Milk Solids, Raising Agents (450, 500, Wheat Starch). MAY CONTAIN TRACES OF NUTS

Not surprisingly, it tasted revolting. It took a second bite to verify, then spat it out and threw the whole thing in the compost. I am impressed by the multiple levels of brackets in the paragraph, it starts to look like a lisp program!

How odd... as I was riding along North road this morning I was thinking that I really should write back to Vic. Roads and thank them for their clarification of the use of the bus lanes. Less than a minute later I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing as a Vic. Roads maintenance vehicle drove out of a side-street, safety orange light busy spinning around on the roof, assorted warning signs all sitting in the back... and the driver chatting away on THE MOBILE PHONE. Bloody typical. Debated jotting down the details to forward them to Vic. Roads for comment, but then it all went out the window, and out of memory, in a frantic bid for self-preservation.

The driver of the 9 o'clock Grenda's route 900 bus, rego. 6114-A0 then tried to run me off the road. Blasting on the horn as he went flying past without pulling out, forced me completely out of the lane and onto the 20cm wide, debris-filled concrete kerb. When I caught him at the Dandenong road intersection he told me that it was "bus lane, you not allowed to ride in it". I informed him I had been told by Vic Roads that I could and was told "You not allowed to ride after 8:30". I informed him again that Vic Roads had told me that it was legal for cyclists to use the bus lane at all times and he changed his words to "I just letting you know I was there".I pointed out that I was fully aware of his presence and that his actions were aggressive, dangerous and unnecessary. He told me I should not ride on the road. At this point I realised it was pointless to continue attempting to discuss it with him, and as per the recommendations of the two other cyclists at the intersection, I recorded the details of his vehicle.

I've written to Grenda bus lines, with Cc to Bike Vic and Vic Roads, asking for their response to this drivers actions, and what they intend to do to prevent it recurring. I have asked that they not introduce specious arguments to the effect that I should use off-road cycle paths, as under no circumstances do their presence, however unsuitable they may be for commuter cycling, excuse road rage in other vehicle operators.

...as for the "bicycle path", well it still isn't finished, and it still has all the design problems that make it appear more of an after-thought designed from a viewpoint of getting bicycles off the road and not with any view of providing all road users, be it by car, bicycle or bus with a safe and effective route.

So far this year I've seen about twenty people cycling along North road, in all cases they've chosen to ride on the road, since it appears that the incomplete and unsuitable "bicycle path" doesn't provide any advantages — and in many ways, its presence reinforces the dangerous belief in many people's minds that cyclists have to get off the roads.

1. [2008.01.11] — Damn! Just saw on my scribble pad notes that although I'd written 6114-A0, in the letter I've written to Grenda I typed 9114-A0, probably because it was route 900 at 9 o'clock.

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Slightly different to last year's ride — instead of a stinking hot, dry, dusty northerly blowing, this year we copped a rather bracing cool southerly. Made the last 20km North from Breamlea to Geelong a "breeze", but certainly was a demoralising slog for most of the second half of the ride along the southern side of the Bellarine peninsula.

For a ride that seeks to promote cycle safety and good relations between motorists and cyclists, and indeed between all people on the roads, two incidents stick in my mind from the day. Neither from the ride itself:

The first was during the drive in to Geelong in the morning; close to eight a.m., increasing traffic, nearly every car seemed to contain one or two bikes and riders. As the traffic slowed from an 80 to 70km/hr section and slowed further for some traffic lights I saw an idiot approach from the rear. Swerving through the three lanes of traffic he was obviously very important and on a very urgent mission. As he passed I saw that not only was the idiot on the phone, steering with one hand and zig-zagging through traffic, but that the bike was on the rear seat and he was on his way to the start of the ride.... Approaching the lights he must have received last minute phone instructions as he served from the right-most lane, across three lanes of traffic, over the start of the traffic island and made it, tyres screeching, around the left turn and towards Corio bay.

The second was on the ride back around the bay from the finish to where I'd parked the car. A massive blast on the horn as an old Ford passed, four yobs hanging out the window, waving arms and fists like mad and screaming abuse.

Unfortunately I can't see the Amy Gillett foundation changing anything much around here in a hurry.

[2008-01-07] Update: Cadel Evans, runner-up in last year's Tour de France, who guest commentated at Amy's ride:

“THERE is nowhere on Earth that Cadel Evans feel less safe on his bike than here at home.”

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/evans-laments-dangerous-attitude-on-the-roads/2008/01/06/1199554486502.html

Indirectly, via Kevin Marks, irresistable!

1. The first article title on the Wikipedia Random Articles page is the name of your band.
2. The last four words of the very last quotation on the Random Quotations page is the title of your album.
3. The third picture in Flickr's Interesting Photos From The Last 7 Days will be your album cover.
4. Use your graphics programme of choice to throw them together, and post the result.

I got 1, 2, 3, 4 resulting in:

Munroethuruth's "Of Whom are Absent"

Interestingly, the meme takes no account of any copyright present in the photographs from Flickr, and as the one I found says "All rights reserved" all I feel comfortable with doing is presenting the image as is.

Time to bite the bullet, out with the old looking site and in with the new. Not just the look either, the mess of pages generated in myriad different ways had been annoying me, it was all just too unmaintainable.

Page the first… now to back-fill with the rest.

If there's anything in particular that someone is looking for, it should return shortly. If you're in a real hurry, let me know which page you're missing and I'll transmogrify it into the new system.

…please stand by…