Brains shutting down for the holidays

Couldn't drag my sorry arse out of bed this morning, so after running around doing stuff in the morning I moped around and finally got out the door late in the afternoon. Just into town and back.

So...usual litany of drivers blocking crossings. Bonehead cyclist crossing the road near the bus depot too busy looking at cars to notice (until the last second) he was riding directly into me going the other way, a guy and a girl taking up the whole width of a two way path and a girl on a mobile too busy talking to realise she was stepping out into a quite busy bike and pedestrian path. But today's winner is the couple who just bolted blind straight across the bike path, only pulling up when they realised a number of bicycles were bearing down from either side.

You know, the path is marked like a road. I'd have thought most people would stop and look before crossing it. Clowns.

Shit people leave on the road

Rode with a good mate of mine from Kingscliff to Brunswick Heads return this morning. As you do. Shut up.

Checking over the steed on Friday night, I'd noticed the back tyre had copped a couple of nicks, but on close inspection none of them had penetrated the carcass. Of course, this sort of shit plays on your mind, so I had this kind of foreboding I was going to cop a puncture this morning. Which of course I duly did. Nothing to do with the nicks, though.

A brass staple had penetrated the tread and cut the tube.

Who the fuck leaves a brass staple on the side of the Pacific Highway?

The trail of debris was pretty impressive - some of the bolts, sheesh, how can people continue flying down the road with this stuff coming off their vehicles? Bolts, fine stones, the compulsory brown glass from broken stubbies, broken octopus straps, squashed bananas (when when they build crossings so bananas can get across roads safely? How many more have to die?), tyre carcasses, rope, bits of tin, wire, Magnas, Camrys, a removal van - all sorts of crap.

All just waiting for you to take a drink from your bottle, not see them so they can slash your tyres and leave you stranded 40km from anyone who might give a shit you're out there. Probably with no phone reception. And a friendly roadworker called Ivan.

Anyway, managed to enjoy the ride despite the impromptu roadside repair (which I miraculously only partly fucked up as the CO2 pump took the head of the valve with it). Certainly is a pretty part of the world there, despite the freeway...and B-Doubles doing the ton 10 metres from your arse...

Finally, some action

Been pretty quiet - believe it or not, Brisbane's populace has been pretty well behaved. Suspect it's a combination of ridiculously early Saturday starts and weekday rides done mostly on bike paths.

So, today...

A lass driving some red Korean bucket of rubbish that somehow managed to power itself up Ganges Street in West End decided to pull alongside me and then turn left across me into Hardgrave Road despite me clearly indicating I was turning right into Dornoch Terrace. Obviously on her way to rescue orphans from a fire or something. I mean, too bad if I hadn't seen her and just went straight ahead - that would have been an interesting discussion.

So, having rolled me eyes on that one, we had a real highlight in Graceville, where Graceville Avenue meets Oxley Road. Guy in a fearfully coloured metallic green HSV ute (I mean, what the fuck?! Who seriously buys one of these things? Can't you afford a bloody sedan? Especially in that shit colour - try explaining that at resale time, dickhead!) decides he actually wants to turn left into Oxley Road, which is a shame since he's sitting at the lights where it's right turn only. So, rather than, you know, wait, or even, I dunno, look in his mirrors or some shit, puts it in reverse (obviously not co-ordinated enough to drive a manual) as I approach the intersection at some speed) backs up far enough to clear the the kerbing, puts it in drive and then jams it in the left turn lane just as I arrive. So I stick it up the left of him (fuck him, I'm not slowing down - he can explain what he did to the police) and we go around the left turn together. I'm quite deliberately in his blind spot so he's kind of just rolling, since he's got no idea where I am (nothing new there then) and then when I get in front he decides to nail it and get away from the scene of his embarrassment.

Sadly he got through the next set of lights - I was looking forward to discussing it at the red light.

Classic example of how things can suddenly escalate - you make one fuck-up, and flustered, you make another one, and then another one, and suddenly you've got an accident and someone's hurt. Remember that if you're on the roads over Xmas.

Not that Xmas is the most dangerous time on the roads, despite the bullshit the pollies and the media feed you. Friday and Saturday nights are much more dangerous - the liquour industry won't be sharing that one. Yes, that means the whole double demerit points thing over long weekends and holidays is utter crap.