On Saturday morning, a 77 year old man was killed after being hit by a cyclist on Beach Rd in Mentone. That someone was killed walking in front of a bicycle is not surprising. Pretty much anyone who rides a bike in Melbourne will have had a pedestrian walk in front of them without looking at one time or another. The difference in this case is that this man was killed crossing with the 'green man' at pedestrian lights, by a 'peleton' of 200+ unofficially organised amateur riders that were either unable, or unwilling to break the bunch and stop in time. I can't help but think that bike/car relations in Melbourne are reaching some sort of crisis point. My daily ride to and from work, mainly along bike-friendly back streets, attracts abuse from motorists (and pedestrians) probably once a week on average. People hate bike riders. As a cyclist, the contempt with which I am treated by those in cars and pedestrians is really quite confronting. A short ride is enough
Interesting. When I saw the new SBS format, and how they had started interviewing experts and whatnot, I had high hopes that the show might take on a Jim Lehrer kind of take on news. Alas, no, it did not.
ReplyDeleteThe hour-long format was never going to work, there's not enough news to fill with the resources they have so they flesh it out with awkward interviews by Stan Grant and cheap imports from the ABC (America), CNN, Reuters and the BBC.
ReplyDeleteIt's certainly nothing approaching the quality it used to be.
Maaaaaaaary!!!!
ReplyDeleteYes in principle good on her & she's doing the right thing blah blah blah. But what about us? What are we gonna do without her unreal hotness, huh? She's pulled us through adolescence & laid us straight in our 20's. Are our thirties set to be filled with a barren parade of Jackie O types?? *shudder*
ReplyDeleteI agree with Mike. I too thought it might be an intersting Jim Lehrer type thing, but it is not. However, it remains the least bad news on televison. It was once a top news. Now Stan Grant... I can't even be bothered finishing this. woot on latest galaxy poll.
ReplyDeleteCIA - God help us from Jackie O and her ilk. She wears her vacuousness like cheap perfume - shudder indeed. But who DO we turn to? Ange Pippos? It's just not the same...
ReplyDeleteAnon - I hear you on the Stan Gra... fuck it, I can't be bothered either.
The Gallaxy poll though is VERY interesting. Don't you just wish we could jump forward three months - to verify a Labor landslide - and then return to the present to properly enjoy watching Howard and co fall apart?
I can't have too much fun just yet, I won't believe it till I see that concession speech. Now THAT will be a party!