Journalism and Cycling 2: the difficult second album

Stark

Tombo2001 wrote: »

(i) in the 'current climate', I'm bemused as to why the gardai still drive about in 2s and 3s with no masks on.

Afaik, they introduced a buddy/bubble system for Gardaí when Covid came on the scene. Nature of the job means it's just too impractical to be socially distanced at all times from one's partner when on the job.

dinneenp

Sam Bennett on Today FM in a minute.

magicbastarder

https://twitter.com/Maulvirane/status/1352202799413661696

Thelonious Monk

Hating cyclists is an institutionally accepted hate crime. I always notice on Twitter than the loudest anti cycling idiots often have Irish flags in their handles and a quick scan through their feed is usually anti lockdown and stuff about black gangs in Balbriggan etc.

CramCycle

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Hating cyclists is an institutionally accepted hate crime. I always notice on Twitter than the loudest anti cycling idiots often have Irish flags in their handles and a quick scan through their feed is usually anti lockdown and stuff about black gangs in Balbriggan etc.

I choose to look at them as people who need to attach to something so that they won't feel as lonely. With more broadly accepted things they would still have to rely on their own personalities but with niche hate groups, they have to stick with each other and they all know it.

I stupidly engaged in a discussion on our local FB group about cyclists, after repeatedly pointing out what didn't make sense, I clicked on their profile. Pro Trump, Pro Irish Freedom Party, Anti Vaccine and so on. I just stopped replying, he probably feels that he has won some great moral victory, I know I certainly lost something engaging with him.

This forum would be a great example of this, cycling is broadly more popular than any of the items in the previous paragraph, which is why many of the posters here do not agree on a lot of things, because we don't need to. There is no need to buy into a collective group think. We can have our minds changed or our views reinforced but there is no broad group think as none of us (as far as I know) need that reinforcement or are that desperate to be a part of something.

Stark

CramCycle wrote: »

This forum would be a great example of this, cycling is broadly more popular than any of the items in the previous paragraph, which is why many of the posters here do not agree on a lot of things, because we don't need to. There is no need to buy into a collective group think. We can have our minds changed or our views reinforced but there is no broad group think as none of us (as far as I know) need that reinforcement or are that desperate to be a part of something.

I disagree! :pac:

buffalo

Tombo2001 wrote: »

To that end, I would really like to see more Gardai out on bikes, when doing their daily rounds.

(i) in the 'current climate', I'm bemused as to why the gardai still drive about in 2s and 3s with no masks on.
(ii) you see way more from a bike than from a car
(iii) bikes are arguably more versatile, they can do more things.

Tangential, but Ian O'Riordan quoted Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance recently, and it captures a feeling I've often had but never articulated as well as this. It spans walking, running, cycling, motorcycling...

he singles out the simple art of moving across the open ground at speed for making you more “aware of things and meditating on them”, and especially if unhurried. “In a car you’re always in a compartment, and because you’re used to it you don’t realise that through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You’re a passive observer and it is all moving by you boringly in a frame... On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.”

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/other-sports/ian-o-riordan-zen-and-the-art-of-social-distance-running-1.4459515

zell12

Brighton and Hove council's deputy leader 'hit in cycle lane'

A Green Party councillor was hit by a van while riding her bike in an unpopular cycle lane that she voted for.
Hannah Clare said she was cycling on the Old Shoreham Road lane, Hove, when a white van turning into a petrol station struck her bike.

AndrewJRenko

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Hating cyclists is an institutionally accepted hate crime. I always notice on Twitter than the loudest anti cycling idiots often have Irish flags in their handles and a quick scan through their feed is usually anti lockdown and stuff about black gangs in Balbriggan etc.

I've seen examples of that for sure. But I've also seen the reverse - the most right-on left-leaning liberals who would never say a bad word about other vulnerable groups being quite happy to take a swipe at cyclists, or any suggestion that cyclists should be given a little bit of space or anything else.

Seth Brundle

zell12 wrote: »

Brighton and Hove council's deputy leader 'hit in cycle lane'

I also note how it was a van that hit Clare and no mention by the "journalist" of the driver (although Clare did mention the driver).

tomasrojo

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I've seen examples of that for sure. But I've also seen the reverse - the most right-on left-leaning liberals who would never say a bad word about other vulnerable groups being quite happy to take a swipe at cyclists, or any suggestion that cyclists should be given a little bit of space or anything else.

It's a bit complicated, because "cyclist" isn't an ethnicity or identity or even an inherent characteristic.

But stereotyping large groups of people who mostly just trying to get on with things, and "humorously" inviting violence upon them is ignoble behaviour.

tomasrojo

Seth Brundle wrote: »

I also note how it was a van that hit Clare and no mention by the "journalist" of the driver (although Clare did mention the driver).

No mention of whom the cycle lane is unpopular with either.

zell12

tomasrojo wrote: »

No mention of whom the cycle lane is unpopular with either.

It's mentioned in the Daily Mail
Green deputy leader of Brighton council is knocked off her bike by a van while riding along hated lockdown cycle lane she voted for

a council survey on the controversial lane revealed the majority of people are against it remaining.
The report showed 66% of local people would not be happy if the change is made permanent.

magicbastarder

Robert Pirsig wrote: »

On a cycle the frame is gone. You’re completely in contact with it all. You’re in the scene, not just watching it anymore, and the sense of presence is overwhelming.

at one point today while out on the bike, i realised i'd no memory of the previous 3km because my brain was dozing away about something. so i managed to miss out on that overwhelming sense of presence...

magicbastarder

Joe Biden's Peloton bike may pose cybersecurity risk, experts warn
Joe Biden’s fitness regime may potentially cause an unexpected headache for security services charged with keeping the new president safe in the White House, with his Peloton exercise bike viewed by some as a potential cybersecurity risk.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/21/joe-biden-peloton-fitness-bike-cybersecurity-risk

Weepsie

Came here to post just that. In fairness, I imagine the previous guy left things running and had chrome remember all his passwords

tomasrojo

zell12 wrote: »

It's mentioned in the Daily Mail
Green deputy leader of Brighton council is knocked off her bike by a van while riding along hated lockdown cycle lane she voted for

Not familiar with the issue myself, but it looks as if they're having another survey:
https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2020/12/14/council-to-use-weighted-poll-for-first-time-in-cycle-lane-consultation/

The comments there mention that a previous one showed 60% of people against, so this one is being carried out in a different way. So either they're trying to reach past those with the loudest voice, or they're fiddling it, per the comments.

RobertFoster

Weepsie wrote: »

Came here to post just that. In fairness, I imagine the previous guy left things running and had chrome remember all his passwords

Who needs a password manager when your password is maga2020!? :pac:

tomasrojo

magicbastarder wrote: »

at one point today while out on the bike, i realised i'd no memory of the previous 3km because my brain was dozing away about something. so i managed to miss out on that overwhelming sense of presence...

If you're on a very familiar route your brain doing everything on autopilot is pretty standard, no matter what the transport mode. I find anyway; read it somewhere too.

Thelonious Monk

magicbastarder wrote: »

at one point today while out on the bike, i realised i'd no memory of the previous 3km because my brain was dozing away about something. so i managed to miss out on that overwhelming sense of presence...

I've cycled to work in the past and barely remembered it as I was so hungover. Better than being in a car I suppose.

magicbastarder

tomasrojo wrote: »

If you're on a very familiar route your brain doing everything on autopilot is pretty standard, no matter what the transport mode. I find anyway; read it somewhere too.

yep, it was a straight stretch of road with essentially no junctions, and the wind at my back so easy to switch off.

buffalo

tomasrojo wrote: »

If you're on a very familiar route your brain doing everything on autopilot is pretty standard, no matter what the transport mode. I find anyway; read it somewhere too.

I left the house one day and started cycling to college. I was halfway there before I realised I supposed to be cycling to work. Autopilot was fully engaged, I'd just entered the wrong destination.

CramCycle

tomasrojo wrote: »

If you're on a very familiar route your brain doing everything on autopilot is pretty standard, no matter what the transport mode. I find anyway; read it somewhere too.

I've vague recollections of it being said about motorway driving, so along with the speed and deviation from your line with speed in a car, the other reason for the wider lanes was people don't pay enough attention. Not intentionally, apparently you really have to focus to recall it all. Undoubtedly guilty of it myself even if I don't remember being guilty of it, and I have heard others saying it after a long drive, that it flew, that they don't remember it. Many people, despite it taking the same amount of time, will feel that a drive with more traffic, i.e. more to pay attention to, was a "long drive" because you are fully engaged for longer. I certainly remember from my youth on long motorway drives in the UK, the last few miles getting to Holyhead or getting onto the Motorway in the first place felt longer than the motorway drive itself, despite being far shorter.

All anecdotal of course as I can't find where I heard it mentioned and it may be someone just like me with anecdotal evidence as I can't find any papers.

Grassey

CramCycle wrote:

All anecdotal of course as I can't find where I heard it mentioned and it may be someone just like me with anecdotal evidence as I can't find any papers.

I'm surprised there aren't studies on it, personally I'd find the journey to somewhere (Dub to Gal for example) shorter than the return (probably in part to physical tiredness of a day return, or a weekend away)

I tried to see if I could find anything. The closest was this:

[url] https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-3417689/amp/A-trip-memory-loss-lane-15-drivers-say-t-recall-parts-journey.html[/url]

It's almost like its a 'known' elephant in the room that nobody wants to acknowledge....

Thelonious Monk

Just a TD filming with his mobile while driving on a motorway

https://twitter.com/NiallCollinsTD/status/1352565694651654145

Seth Brundle

Is the passenger not holding the phone? The angle looks that way to me.

Thelonious Monk

yeah maybe you're right, some tweeters seemed to think otherwise. Poor badger though, I thought it was a pine marten myself.

JMcL

Weepsie wrote: »

Came here to post just that. In fairness, I imagine the previous guy left things running and had chrome remember all his passwords

As far as I remember the previous puddin' at least in the early days was surgically attached to a then ancient Samsung phone for his Twittering which was well past the point where it was getting security updates. Don't know how long it took to get it away from him - probably had to distract him with a laser pointer or something

Steoller

AndrewJRenko wrote: »

I've seen examples of that for sure. But I've also seen the reverse - the most right-on left-leaning liberals who would never say a bad word about other vulnerable groups being quite happy to take a swipe at cyclists, or any suggestion that cyclists should be given a little bit of space or anything else.

Maybe because it's seen as a middle class pass-time, by some, and that makes it fair game.

Seth Brundle

Fair play to them!
https://twitter.com/EvanPereiraIE/status/1352626124510126081