Cycling - even though its been stunted in growth for the past 30 years ....and let us all face facts here - the only reason its carried on is down to the commitment and hard work of volunteers, a handful of cycling organisations, and the curious and stubborn who adopt the bike. Even through all of this - people still give their children bicycles.
The bicycle is wonderful when you are young. However there is a section of society who seem to give their children a bike, push Junior out on the road and seem to think everything will be fine. Parents NEED to be more involved than that.
Today is a prime example of this cultural quagmire. The road I am riding down passes a school of teenage youths. Most of them are sensible, however I dislike riding that way due to a fraction of these kids who step out without looking. I and many others have witnessed buses grind to a halt, or bike riders having to swerve. Today's example was cycling related - two young men riding around a blind bend, cars parked on both sides the centre of the road is narrow. One lad decides to ride towards me.
I'm not sure if it was deliberate to see if I would move, or if he was attempting to chat to his friend and ended up wider than he'd anticipated. The truth probably is that he didn't think.
I've had a hard day's graft.I'm tired, my back hurts. I've had to deal with shit all day because the company I work for wont repair any machinery and we've hemorrhaged customers as standards slipped.
"Are you French?!" I ask him. His reply was something along the lines of ancient Gaelic, so I guess so. Lots of F words and C words back at me. And yes, I did tell him off. I hope he tells his parents as I will tell them the same - if he does not follow the rules and laws of the road he will end up injured or dead.
This isn't the first time Southampton's Children have been an issue. Friday afternoon a number of us on the route down the Itchen Bridge witnessed a lad of around 15 giving everyone the finger. He stuck it up at a car going past - the driver had gone wider. He stuck it up at the bus driver who was waiting to turn in the central reservation near the toll booths. He stuck it up at the children in the back seat of the car passing from his right that had been heading around a roundabout.
So as I caught up with him I used my best grown-up voice "Have you a problem there, son? Or do you want to put that finger away now?!" He seemed to poo his pants and rode off in a different direction.
Now the issue is this. Everyone saw these kids, they also saw that they were cycling. Does anybody think they'll take a "boys will be boys" attitude, or will they put it down to the "arrogance of cyclists"? The negative experiences always linger in the memory longer than the positive - it is the way we are all built - in days gone by something dangerous might have been a big risk to us. These days we're usually more protected from risk but our brain cannot help make the link, and unless one of two things happens - either we reprogram ourselves to recognise the good, legal and safe; or children are given stricter rules to abide by from their parents - these things will continue to flag up that "all teens are rude little shits" or "all cyclists scofflaws".
Look deeper.
The bicycle is wonderful when you are young. However there is a section of society who seem to give their children a bike, push Junior out on the road and seem to think everything will be fine. Parents NEED to be more involved than that.
Today is a prime example of this cultural quagmire. The road I am riding down passes a school of teenage youths. Most of them are sensible, however I dislike riding that way due to a fraction of these kids who step out without looking. I and many others have witnessed buses grind to a halt, or bike riders having to swerve. Today's example was cycling related - two young men riding around a blind bend, cars parked on both sides the centre of the road is narrow. One lad decides to ride towards me.
I'm not sure if it was deliberate to see if I would move, or if he was attempting to chat to his friend and ended up wider than he'd anticipated. The truth probably is that he didn't think.
I've had a hard day's graft.I'm tired, my back hurts. I've had to deal with shit all day because the company I work for wont repair any machinery and we've hemorrhaged customers as standards slipped.
"Are you French?!" I ask him. His reply was something along the lines of ancient Gaelic, so I guess so. Lots of F words and C words back at me. And yes, I did tell him off. I hope he tells his parents as I will tell them the same - if he does not follow the rules and laws of the road he will end up injured or dead.
This isn't the first time Southampton's Children have been an issue. Friday afternoon a number of us on the route down the Itchen Bridge witnessed a lad of around 15 giving everyone the finger. He stuck it up at a car going past - the driver had gone wider. He stuck it up at the bus driver who was waiting to turn in the central reservation near the toll booths. He stuck it up at the children in the back seat of the car passing from his right that had been heading around a roundabout.
So as I caught up with him I used my best grown-up voice "Have you a problem there, son? Or do you want to put that finger away now?!" He seemed to poo his pants and rode off in a different direction.
Now the issue is this. Everyone saw these kids, they also saw that they were cycling. Does anybody think they'll take a "boys will be boys" attitude, or will they put it down to the "arrogance of cyclists"? The negative experiences always linger in the memory longer than the positive - it is the way we are all built - in days gone by something dangerous might have been a big risk to us. These days we're usually more protected from risk but our brain cannot help make the link, and unless one of two things happens - either we reprogram ourselves to recognise the good, legal and safe; or children are given stricter rules to abide by from their parents - these things will continue to flag up that "all teens are rude little shits" or "all cyclists scofflaws".
Look deeper.