General Chat

Happy memories you’ve brought back for me, Sylvia, of OH and I cycling around Vancouver on hire bikes. <3

Not on footpaths, of course.

We stopped for a short while when we watched Jimmy Smits being filmed.

We still have our own bikes here but difficult now for OH so neither of us has used one for a while.

When we first moved to North America, cycling was considered very much a child's game.

There literally was no teaching in any way or form.

Children rode their cycles on the sidewalk, competing with walkers. So adult cyclists also rode on the sidewalk.

I was knocked down once by a cyclist out at the university, crossing a pedestrian plaza at the bus terminus. She came up behind me, no bell rang. I stopped because I dropped something, and the next thing I knew was that I was flat on my back looking up at the sky but facing the direction I had come from. So I had spun round and then fell.

She was very apologetic, said she had not expected me to stop.

OH's lab was in a nearby building, and she insisted on walking me over to that, and then went on her way.

I sat in OH's office feeling shaken. decided I didn't have a concussion (bloomin' lucky!) and went on my way to my office on the other side of campus.

Now we have lots of bicycle lanes on major and minor roads ...... the powers-that-be want to turn Vancouver into a cycling haven. But you still get lots of them riding on the side walks, even in downtown.

I know twins (A and J) who used to do cycling proficiency for children - they were regularly assessed.
Then they moved to Paris, and did the same there - yet again - regular assessments.
I wonder if Councils in the UK have cut assessments?

I shall now post a random video of A and J's younger sister Kate, (also one of a twin), who also moved to Paris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yME_52X20N8

What’s that got to do with primary schools cycling proficiency training?

Cyclists should understand that they are only safe on roads without cars. This works fine in the Netherlands, some UK islands and parts of Milton Keynes. Otherwise they are hit n run targets.

So far as you know where you are going large UK cities are navigable by pushbike but the countryside is a land of terror for cyclists. As a result as with any threatened species they band together displaying bright colors, usually lycra. As a help to BBC Wildlife and the coroner they usually have an active camera on board.

We live on a very deceptive bend and I have, on occasion, watched them do whatever it is that they do do, outside on both side of the road, on the bend!

I’ve decided that if I had children I would not let do the course here.
A few years ago I went out and complained that the instructor was making the children cross the road from behind a parked van on a bit of a blind spot.

Someone was moaning about the current course and I have just ha d to slam my brakes on. On a busy road they were coming towards me en masse ( the other side of the road) when they started to all wobble into my path. No instructor at the front to let on coming traffic they were wanting to turn (without stopping it seemed ). Grr.