Do I Love Or Hate?

Because I’m currently off full shift work I’ve found myself having to take either public transport or cycle. The trains have been rather a let down and my journey time to work has increased somewhat. I have therefore been into the garage and pulled out the bike Mrs Stressed bought me for Christmas a few years back.

It’s a mountain bike with umpteen gears for climbing severe gradients. The fastest gear is slow and it has the knobbliest tyres you’ve ever seen. I didn’t want to appear ungrateful but there’s a distinct lack of mountains where I live and the only time I used it, I was overtaken by a granny with a basket on her bike. I think it was Mrs Stressed’s way of punishing me for all the grief I’ve given her over the years.

I must be back in favour because she got the tyres changed for my birthday. I didn’t exactly get slicks but I was going into work the other day and actually overtook somebody so there’s improvement. I have found the cycling saves 20 minutes on the train journey, and I could shave more off if I didn’t comply with the law of the land.

I do make a point of stopping at red lights but must say the majority of my fellow cyclists just carry on straight through. They often gain 200 yards (nearly typed metres then but we don’t have them over here) which is rather frustrating on my slow machine to try and make up. I’m rather caught in between with this cyclist thing as my new car is a 4 x 4 and I don’t know if I should hate them or not. In the morning my fellow cyclists have been polite, nodding as they come the other way and even rather chatty when stationary. I think perhaps they should be allowed to treat it as a give way after all, but if they get wiped out it’s down to them.

I must confess I do cycle on the footway for a distance of 4 yards to access a cycle path, but would never do it if a pedestrian was there and definitely not if that pedestrian was a police officer. So why am I always stopping people cycling on the footway towards me in full uniform. They all get stopped because basically they’re taking the piss. Do they expect me to do nothing and say nothing? So far nobody has failed the test .. but a couple have just sped off ignoring me. As I’m not going to chase after a bike and win they get away but there might be a purge coming on. I’ve got a load of PCSO’s who need training up on tickets.

I see police in Bournemouth have been targeting cyclists with speed guns in an attempt to slow them down. At least there’s no chance of me getting done then.