A Conversation for Ask h2g2

Petty Hates

Post 13661

Lusus

I can only think its your sweaty vapours rising into the atmosphere that causes the rain. smiley - winkeye


Petty Hates

Post 13662

Pastey

If that was the case, it would rain even more in Manchester smiley - winkeye


Petty Hates

Post 13663

Sho - employed again!

I love running in the rain smiley - smiley


Petty Hates

Post 13664

Bluebottle

Do you wear glasses? As much as I love the refreshing feeling that rain provides, I dislike the fact that I can't see through my glasses, both through raindrops and also the fact that when it runs, they keep steaming up.
Not to mention the slippy grass and mud (my local Parkrun is on grass paths)

<BB<


Petty Hates

Post 13665

Sho - employed again!

yes - so I leave them at home and hope for the best smiley - silly (having said that, I don't run on roads or pavements so it's not too bad)


Petty Hates

Post 13666

winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire

Back briefly to the differing mobile and desktop content comment; I agree. Phones are now very powerful mini-computers, so apart from a redesign to facilitate usage on a smaller screen, I don't see why any functionality should be lost.

facebook is bad for this. I often want to edit the audience that I post a comment to when I'm out and about, but I have confirmed from various forum threads, that you can't do this. It just remembers who you posted to last time or you can select individuals to see it. I'm certain that other privacy settings are also absent from the mobile version. It does just seem arbitrary and random the features which are omitted.smiley - shrug


Petty Hates

Post 13667

Pastey

I like running in the rain, but 8km in the absolutely pishing it downpour wasn't quite so nice smiley - biggrin

Still, at least you couldn't tell how badly I was sweating smiley - winkeye


Petty Hates

Post 13668

You can call me TC

Am still weeping with laughter from the boobs in the link in post 13653.


Petty Hates

Post 13669

Deb

They made me cry too, which was especially difficult as I was at work and trying to suppress my smiley - snork and gasps smiley - rofl I'm sure a lot of them are made up, but still...

Deb smiley - cheerup


Petty Hates

Post 13670

Pink Paisley

Climbing the wooden hill to Bedfordshire, just to remember as I get there that I stripped the bed this morning and have to make it before I can get in it.

(New sheeets though. Mmmmmm.)

PP.


Petty Hates

Post 13671

winnoch2 - Impostair Syndromair Extraordinaire

You asked for petty, you got it; these plastic net things you get oranges and other citrus fruit in. I can never find the hole i originally cut in it and usually end up shaking the net angrily until all the fruit falls out. Note to self; decant fruit from net immediately after purchase.


Petty Hates

Post 13672

Mr. X ---> "Be excellent to each other. And party on, dudes!"

People who run/bike right next to the car lane or (worse!) RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD!!! stupidly ignoring the eight feet of bike lane that's been built right into it explicitly FOR THEIR SAFETY AND CONVENIENCE!!! Or, in situations where there really isn't a bike lane, doing the exact same thing AND IGNORING THE SIDEWALK INSTEAD!!!

But bad enough as this is in the middle of the day, when at least there's bright sunlight everywhere, it's damn suicidal in the MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!!! I almost ran right into somebody because I couldn't see them. The only reason I didn't is because they were wearing a bunch of tiny lights.

smiley - cross

What's with the selective common sense?

smiley - pirate


Petty Hates

Post 13673

Pastey

As both a runner and a cyclist, I'm gonna have to bite on this one Mr.X...


When you drive along, your car has suspension, you don't notice the quality of the roads, which is bad. The quality of cycle lanes is usually a *lot* worse.

Cycle lanes are usually at the side of the road, where all the iron work (drains etc) are. And when roads are repaired, they're usually "skinned", which means they just have a new layer put on top. And that rarely goes to the edges.
There are far too many cycle lanes along side roads that are in a far, far worse condition than the road itself. Many of them are actually dangerous to cycle on. Hitting the potholes, raise iron work or the rubbish can fling a cyclist out into the traffic causing an accident.

And then there's the separate cycle lanes, which seem like a good idea, get the cyclist away from the traffic, but they make a journey by bike a lot slower, and more dangerous because at every single turn off from the main road, the cyclist has to stop and give way to the cars turning off. Stopping and starting all the time makes cycling a much harder journey.

So these cycle lanes aren't there for the cyclists' safety and convenience, they're more often than not there for the driver's sake.
Rather than policing and enforcing the laws relating to the behaviour of drivers towards cyclists, it's easier to try and separate them.

There is no law that says a cyclist must use a separate cycle lane if there is one. The closest to a relevant law is that you can't cause an obstruction on the highway. There is however a law that says you can't cycle on the pavement.


And as for running... far, far too many pavements are blocked by cars parking on them. Pedestrians have to walk out into the roads to pass them, and is you're running along a pavement, you try to be considerate and let the pedestrians stay on the paths. And it's not just cars, but road signs, traffic cones, and numerous other temporary things blocking paths. How many A-boards are there these days? Some streets are near impossible to walk along because of the amount of these advertising boards chained to anything and everything.
And then there's the permanent things. Have you looked at bus shelters recently? Why aren't they at the edge of the pavement? Why are they usually a foot or two back from the kerb, planted squarely in the middle of the pavement? Road signs, lamp-posts, litter bins to name a few things block the paths.
Footpaths are not clear, far too often you're forced into the road simple to get along them.
And then there's the condition of the paths themselves. You come across a crack or dip in the road in a car, you often don't even notice it. You come across one when you're out running and you run the serious risk of breaking your ankle.

So while it seems that they're lacking common sense and putting their life at risk, it's far more likely they're doing the safest thing.


Petty Hates

Post 13674

Sho - employed again!

Yes, what Pastey said smiley - smiley

>>There is no law that says a cyclist must use a separate cycle lane if there is one.<< Here there is smiley - smiley If there is a cycle path with the blue, circular cycle sign, you have to use it and not the road.

In fact, where i live our cycle paths are mostly excellent so I have nothing to complain about.


Petty Hates

Post 13675

Bluebottle

smiley - applausePastey!

<BB<


Petty Hates

Post 13676

You can call me TC

I think Mr X's point was that the runners/cyclists were in the middle of the road at night, unlit. Surely we all agree that that is suicidal behaviour and not in the interest of anyone's safety.

I replied to an earlier post, but it obviously didn't get sent. It was about those nets that the oranges come in. I reckoned I could uptrump that for pettiness, with my moan that when you cut those nets to release the oranges (lemons, onions, brussels sprouts) they shed loads of inexplicable and annoying bits of the thread that the nets are made of, causing yet more clearing up!


Petty Hates

Post 13677

ITIWBS

Southern Caifornia, bicycling on the sidewalks is prohibited, though I personally think that it should not be, except in areas where volume of pedestrian traffic is exceptionally high, with a proviso for bicyclists to yield to pedestrian traffic on sidewalks.

The law prohibiting bicycles on sidewalks is obsolescent, made for times and conditions which obtain no longer, is usually ignored by juveniles and rarely enforced except where pedestrian safety really is in peril.

I've never liked bicycling or even motorcycling in traffic, I really prefer to have the armor of a car around me and am always apprehensive when there are bicyclists on the road.

I tend to treat them like pedestrians on the roadway, slowing if I have to share a lane with them, moving over a lane and giving them some track if a second lane is available.

Forward lamps and tail reflectors are mandatory for night time bicycling in California, but usually absent, most bicyclists ignore the law on the point.

I won't even walk beside a roadway after dark in areas where there are no street lamps without at least a flashlight, turned on facing the ground if a motorist is approaching and then, by preference, walking on the side of the road facing traffic.

Bicyclists are not supposed to do that, ride on the roadway facing automotive traffic, but often do anyway, especially in residential districts, and I personally think that's sensible where practical.

Where I live, I'm more likely to have equestrians on the roadway than bicyclists.

Equestrians are less likely even than bicyclists to have lamps or reflectors after dark and I think that in such a case, blinking amber LEDs fore and aft should be mandatory.


Petty Hates

Post 13678

swl

Umm, Mr X, you almost ran into them despite them wearing lights?


Petty Hates

Post 13679

Sho - employed again!

Lights (front and rear) and a bell are mandatory for bikes here and I've seen people stopped and fined for not having working lights in the evening. The police regularly go into schools and check in my town too.


Petty Hates

Post 13680

ITIWBS

On Mr. X's post, with respect to tiny lights mounted on a jacket, or something like that, rather than proper tail reflectors or tail lights mounted on the bike, lights used to decorate clothing are usually not very bright, difficult to see at distances more tha 5-10 meters, by which time one is dangerously close, an effect I've noticed myself in parking lot encounters with pedestrians wearing lights of the type on garments.

Also, with bicyclists, lights on one's clothing are rather unusual, haven't the same identification value of lights on the bicycle, aren't as readily recognized as hazard warnings and are not an adequate substitute for proper tail lights or reflectors.


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