Bikes (and walkers) outnumbering cars today!

It's funny, I hadn't really noticed but but now you mention it you're right.

(Mind you, I have been reading that all this car leasing might be becoming a bit of a problem (ticking financial time bomb, as usual), so perhaps the car companies have decided to pull back...).

I'm seeing a lot of early 90s ridgid mtbs with cantis.  Some quality others not.  Still a lot of noisy chains out there.

I saw a well-upholstered fellow this evening in a hoodie football shorts and trainers, tattoos all over his calves, on a fixie. I caught him up at a junction, and then he rode away from me cos he was quite a bit faster than me, in proper kit on a road bike. Shamed. Every silver lining has a cloud...

Rick_Rude wrote:

We should go back to closed Sundays. I remember going into city centres in Sundays to skateboard as it was the only time you had access to all the terrain. There was rarely anyone there. In general I think people need to learn how to switch off sometimes.

Definitely (and I'm an atheist!) This is one of the nice things about visiting Germany. On Sundays even cities are quiet and (nearly) everyone gets a day to switch off.

I rode around a roundabout yesterday afternoon that I have not gone around that way (apart from very late night/wee hours) for many, many years.

It's so dangerous (in my quick risk assesment view) thet I get off, use the pelican crossing, walk the bike a bit on the pavement, cross a road and only then get back on to ride the cycle route, hastle I know, far slower, but much less chance of a violent death from sheer driver incompetence.

It really is that quiet out there, sometimes.

I rode a bike to and from work yesterday, first time since The Lockdown.

Once out of the city I started onto the shared-use path as is my wont, but I had to go back onto the road.

There were so many families (genuine sitcom families: mum, dad, two kids, one dog) walking around - all keeping a large distance from other families - that I couldn't  pass them all, let alone pass any of them leaving a decent amount of space.

I swear it was busier than it is during the school holidays at times when we're not in the middle of a global viral pandemic...

Totally agree.  I hope people decide to make time to go for walks and rides when it's back to normal. Most people seem to be friendly but what is it with pedestrians walking in the middle of the road (often when the pavement is empty) and then getting annoyed with you or pull a face at you when you want to cycle past them. Or some just walk out into a road without looking.  I know my bike runs smoothly and quietly (plenty of time for mainenance at the moment), but so do electric cars, though admittedly, not so many of those around as there are bikes.

David9694 wrote:

"Bike behind!" In as nice a tone as you can manage.
Most people are fine, appreciative even.  

I call even if there's sufficient room to pass comfortably, just to avoid the "nice country walk but spoiled by cyclists whizzing past" Facebook  posts appearing in the evening - what with us being so deadly, polluting, noisy and space-hungry and all. 

Same here, and usually I say "Have a nice walk/ride/run" too just to reinforce the nice cyclist message! 

Yes, definitely feels like more vehicles about this week.  Be interesting to see what the stats say.

It has been a joy though, my older daughter has starting cycling during the lockdown... and I keep saying to her as we cruise along deserted A roads at 5:30pm etc not to take this for granted!  Much as I worry about the economy and peoples' livelihoods, I am dreading when the roads return to normal.