tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17639100.post3119568149513701235..comments2024-01-30T20:05:29.835+10:00Comments on Woolly Days: Motorists and cyclists: mixing oil and waterDerek Barryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15581505641163336050noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17639100.post-13380872990465694242007-11-01T08:13:00.000+10:002007-11-01T08:13:00.000+10:00thanks for the WOJ link and the Bundaberg story, C...thanks for the WOJ link and the Bundaberg story, Chris. I wasn't aware of that hit-and-run incident (not an "accident" as reported by the Bundy newspaper).<BR/><BR/>However there is a very fine line between being allowed to publish your opinions (however distasteful they may be) and being charged for inciting violence. I tend towards the libertarian position and believe these people should be able to exercise their voice - that even goes for some of Birmingham's more feral commenters.<BR/><BR/>I believe it's better we know publicly that such opinions exist rather than driving them underground. Engagement is a better <BR/>solution than recourse to the law.Derek Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15581505641163336050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17639100.post-50066684659834172522007-10-31T22:15:00.000+10:002007-10-31T22:15:00.000+10:00Here's a personal commentary from a QLD cyclist I'...Here's a personal commentary from a QLD cyclist I've just published on Wheels of Justice.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.woj.com.au/2007/10/31/brisbane-he-died-with-a-metal-storm-slug-in-his-head/" REL="nofollow">Brisbane: He Died with a Metal Storm Slug in His Head</A><BR/><BR/>Maybe the Brisbane Times should serious take notice of the <A HREF="" REL="nofollow">Publishing Poison</A> segment on Media Watch this week? <BR/><BR/>Or will there be further pathetic diatribes and corresponding slaps on wrists as happened in the aftermath of the Cronulla Riots?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17639100.post-14507561470277566582007-10-29T19:48:00.000+10:002007-10-29T19:48:00.000+10:00Good points, Sarah. That's a shame you've given up...Good points, Sarah. That's a shame you've given up riding.<BR/><BR/>In my article I <A HREF="http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/news/wales-news/tm_objectid=16993183&method=full&siteid=50082&headline=why-drivers-really-hate-cyclists-name_page.html" REL="nofollow"> linked</A> to the story about Cardiff University academic Ben Fincham whose research suggest that the real reason motorists hate cyclists is "because they're secretly scared of hurting them on the roads".<BR/><BR/>According to Fincham:<BR/><BR/>"Cycling is seen as something that's done by people who are slightly unhinged, or willfully negligent anyway. The idea that they probably break the rules of the road is going to upset people and if that is at the forefront of your mind, it will influence your experience of them." <BR/><BR/>I'm not totally sold on this but the idea merits exploration and would certainly account for the extremes of hostility cyclists encounter on the road.Derek Barryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15581505641163336050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17639100.post-66706366780235951192007-10-29T18:43:00.000+10:002007-10-29T18:43:00.000+10:00Wow. I haven't read any of Birmingham's BT bloggin...Wow. I haven't read any of Birmingham's BT blogging but that was because I thought his stuff looked boring and tried too hard to come across as controversial, not because he was a massive wanker.<BR/><BR/>What Birmingham and other aggressive drivers don't realise is that the difference between bad behaviour by cyclists and themselves is that cyclists are less likely to do it because they don't have the comfort of being surrounded by an invincible metal box. Drivers exhibit far more bad behaviour on the road, and the consequences for them doing so are typically far less than the consequences a single slip-up can have for a cyclist in traffic. <BR/><BR/>Birmingham and his ilk have no respect for the potential loss of human life that their actions can cause.<BR/><BR/>I don't even ride on the road any more because nearly every time I left home on a bike I'd have a near-death experience of some sort thanks to some wanker in a car breaking the law. And I worry when I see cyclists in peak-hour traffic, with people swerving violently to pass them, cut them off etc... it's not pretty.Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10475162455987252531noreply@blogger.com