Richard
Moore's Straight Talk Columns
Slow
down and pay attention to us riders
23/11/2010
I'M
NO fan of roller coasters - it has something to do with the loss
of control and letting someone else be in charge of my health and
safety.
Neither
does skydiving appeal - although jumping out of a plane is preferable
to bungy jumping off a bridge ... if only because it will take you
longer to fall at terminal velocity before smacking face first into
the Earth.
So
how can a middle-aged chap not only get the adrenalin rushing, but
also improve his fitness?
Cycling
on our roads of course.
Your
legs, heart and lungs get a good workout, not to mention your backside
... although it has to be said my brand spanking new machine has
a rather uncomfortable saddle and the daggy safety hat does give
me helmet hair.
Those
things aside there is nothing like the exhilaration of returning
home after a cycle in the streets knowing that you've survived another
bout with motoring maniacs.
Fair
go, the carnage done to cyclists over the past two weeks is unbelievable.
Five
dead. Goodness knows how many injured.
In
those cases we can safely say the cause of their demise was not
the cyclists' fault, but the people in the cars that killed them
- or the Auckland idiot who opened their car door in front of a
rider forcing them to evade it and falling under the wheels of a
truck.
Now
don't get me wrong, there are rude, stupid cyclists as well and
those who take up half the width of the road are very annoying but
- they are vulnerable and what is a few seconds of waiting compared
with hitting one and maybe killing or maiming them. Nothing. So
just slow down and give them a wide berth.
Mind
you, if I was in charge I would ban riding two abreast purely on
safety reasons. I would also be putting in proper cycle lanes on
major roads around our city. Papamoa Beach Rd is a classic case
of a road that just screams out for cycle lanes.
It's
straight-ish, long and flat - perfect for summertime family rides.
And as for the argument that cyclists should pay for riding on the
roads as motorists do, I'll point out that as a professional who
cycles (albeit as a newbie) I pay more than enough tax to not only
use a bike on the roads but also my two cars.
*******
THERE'S
no surprise in the announcement from Federated Farmers that they
want all artificial pollination of kiwifruit to be suspended.
Industry-related
people I have talked with were pointing the finger at the practice
a week ago and now the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has,
unsurprisingly, found traces of the vine-killing bacteria Psa in
pollen samples and say they dated back two years.
The
orchardists are fuming that pollen was imported at all and were
positively screaming at the chance the pollen was illegally imported
by someone trying to save a few bucks.
One
guy I spoke with on Sunday said the culprit should be drummed out
of the industry. But MAF says there is no firm evidence this contamination
can infect plants.
Riiiiiiight.
There's a Tui ad if ever I've heard one.
*******
SPEAKING
of ratbags - just how does it feel to live in New Zealand's worst
city for damaging vehicles in car parks?
Well,
with all the dings inflicted upon my 4x4 in carparks it doesn't
feel very good that's for sure. A study has shown Tauranga people
are spatially bereft and can't quite work out the distance between
their opening car door and the parked (non-moving) vehicle in the
next parking bay.
It
could be something to do with the cretinous parking abilities of
many locals, or else they truly don't care about other people and
property.
Either
rings true to me.
Anyway,
70 per cent of drivers have had their cars damaged while shopping.
What is worse is the fact that in Tauranga, an appalling 91 per
cent of people don't fess up to the damage and drive off without
leaving their details.
Shame,
shame, shame.
*******
AND
how about this for greed ... Rugby World Cup patrons can expect
to pay up to $17 for a glass of wine in restaurants around Eden
Park. A rip off you reckon?
Well,
not according to industry chiefs. Somehow these buffoons think that
$17 a glass is fine, because locals pay $15 at some bars and restaurants
in the area. Actually, it just means you are ripping locals off
as well, you rats.
richard@richardmoore.com..
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