Friday, January 13, 2012

Silly female motorcyclist

After a strenuous week I last weekend wound down by taking my partner for a ride to a lovely picnic spot just below North Dandalup Dam, where we parked next to a behemoth Honda Harley-Davidson pretender. While we were shedding our jackets and helmets the Honda suddenly became a whole lot cooler when a middle-aged woman mounted and started it.

The coolness endured for only seconds, however, the female calling out to ask if I would give her a push backward from the curb as she didn't have the strength to dislodge the front wheel of her 311 kg motorcycle from a minor undulation in the pavement.

What would this silly woman do if caught in a similar situation without anyone there to assist her?

Update On the subject of two-wheeled idiots, this afternoon I watched as two trendy, spandex-clad, road-hogging bicyclists rode abreast through a traffic choke point apparently oblivious of the traffic building behind them.

The inconsiderate twits could have made room but were too busy chatting.

4 Comments:

Blogger Boy on a bike said...

On the subject of "two wheeled idiots", it depends on whether there is enough room for a car to pass safely without knocking the cyclist over. For instance, I totally hog the lane - and quite deliberately so - when I go through a particular type of choke point. Roundabouts. You have no idea how many idiots have tried to overtake me in a roundabout. The problem is that when the car goes to exit the roundabout, it is usually going too fast and it nearly clips the curb. If I'm alongside at that moment, it's game over for me.

So I hog the lane.

Stupid road engineers have deliberately designed and built lots of choke points that are deadly to cyclists. The only way for us to survive them is to hog the lane in order to avoid being hit from the side or behind.

Blame the idiots who designed those choke points, not the poor buggers that have to ride through them.

6:20 AM  
Anonymous ar said...

"What would this silly woman do if caught in a similar situation without anyone there to assist her?"

She was probably there for two days waiting for someone to turn up.

8:58 AM  
Blogger Unknown said...

The choke point is merely a small middle of the road island to guide those turning right. Approaching the island I could sense the indecision of the motorist closing on the cyclists – did he have room to overtake before reaching the island or should he fall in behind them. In the end the driver decided there wasn't room for two bikes and a car in the choke point so he braked and fell in behind.

Had the cyclists been riding single file there would have been ample room for overtaking. But riding abreast, well apart, on a busy road with drivers keen to get home for the weekend was not only inconsiderate, it was downright dangerous.

Bike riders, like motorcyclists, put up with a lot from inconsiderate drivers but all too often create dangerous situations.

9:06 AM  
Anonymous Sean M said...

Yep, bad cycling behavior is becoming a bigger problem in Perth. Unfortunately, I believe they have the law, but not common sense, on their side.

11:00 AM  

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