Straw poll

 

Would you ride your ebike to work after a heavy session the night before. I've done it but would not dream of getting in the car under the same circumstances. I guess the chances of being done for Pissed in charge of a bike are quite slim but you could still cause danger on the roads.

 

Paul

 

 

Not now, no. Actually it's quite amazing the amount of "drunk" cyclists I have come across on my travels, some so drunk they were weaving about the road, perfectly ok though as they are on bikes.... also perfectly ok for drunk people to cross a busy road..... nobody seems to apply the "you could have done this" type thing to drunk cyclists or pedestrians.... nope it's the car driver who gets the "you could have killed a child" shpiel..... what happens if a pished cyclists weaves out in front of a school bus causing that bus to crash into a wall? What happens if a drunk pedestrian falls onto the road causing the school bus to veer into on coming traffic? Perfectly legal to walk and cycle pished out of your skull but do it in a car and you're nicked..........

Of course, you can cause a serious accident as a pedestrian or a cyclist but the statistics show that a ton of metal travelling at 30+ mph has much more damage potential, hence the stricter regulations (insurance, MOT, alcohol limits etc.)

Interesting!

 

"Can you be charged for riding a cycle or horse whilst under the influence?

Yes, but as neither is a mechanically propelled vehicle, they do not fall within this part of the Road Traffic Act. It is an offence under Section 30(1) to ride a bicycle, tricycle or cycle having 4 or more wheels whilst under the influence of drink. Pursuant to Section 12 of the Licensing Act 1872, it is also an offence to be riding a cycle or to be in charge of any carriage, horse or cattle when drunk. Note, that it needs to be established that the Defendant is "drunk" not merely effected by alcohol."

 

So they actually have to prove you are "DRUNK" and not over the limit.

"Can you be charged for riding a cycle or horse whilst under the influence?

 

I have only ever crashed once on my pushbike coming home from the pub (long time ago). I ended up in a drainage gully - muddy and wet. I tend to be better at crashing when I am sober

 

My Granddad got fined for being drunk in charge of a horse and cart - he was a coal deliveryman in Bristol.

Also, cycling home one night he fell off his pushbike, at a junction, right in front of a copper and he got done for being drunk in charge of a bike.

Unfortunately, he was dead at 45 from drink related problems.

 

You can't beat proper west county cider for rotting your guts out - ever seen the bottom of an empty cider barrel

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Here and there in this thread, and others of a similar nature, there is a suggestion that being a pedelec forum, we should restrict our comments and suggestions to pedelecs only. However, I can see no advantage in having an electric bike which is technically and mechanically perfect, or at least 100% suited to the owner, if actually riding it exposes the rider to death or serious injury from the anti-social.

 

Here's a report from yesterday:

 

BBC NEWS | Scotland | Edinburgh, East and Fife | Paralysed victim awarded £230,000

 

It is only one of many and contains all the elements of the road traffic collision and its consequences:

 

1. a drunk driver, (no separate or additional penalty for drink driving, as the practice of the courts is to sentence as if only one composite offence has been committed);
   
2. penalty for the dangerous driving 2 years, (if he had killed the victim the penalty could have been up to 14 years, but for injury, no matter how serious two years is the maximum);
   
3. a young woman's life ruined;
   
4. and huge expense to society in general (police time, hospital services, courts, insurance (the £230.000 is a miniscule fraction of the final total to be paid when the case is finally settled), and the loss of a potentially useful member of society).
   

 

Yet all the hysteria whipped up by the government is directed at "terrorists": it is worth remembering that every year on UK roads alone as many people are killed (hundreds of thousands more are injured) as died in the 9/11 attack in New York and every week as many are killed as died in the 7/7 attack in London.

 

Neither government, courts, or ordinary people will demand the restrictions and penalties which should be applied to the monster in our midst thanks to the "there but for the grace of" attitude which prevails.

Surely you would agree with that?

 

He has said a couple of times that he does. In any case up where he is the only pedestrians he's likely to encounter are Yetis! We'd better stop taking the mickey out of him - he might start gathering the clans!

In the 1960s I used to drive my car into Central London a couple of times a week, park on Piccadilly Circus .

 

Those wonderful 60's!!!

 

I was sometimes driven into London to park in the centre somewhere (there seemed always plenty of space.) This was in an ancient London taxi driven by one student while at least a dozen others were crushed into the back! All wearing wides (bell bottoms) of course, and with hair tied with red ribbons!! Happy days - but god how hard up we were!!!

Here and there in this thread, and others of a similar nature, there is a suggestion that being a pedelec forum, we should restrict our comments and suggestions to pedelecs only.

 

What a boring (techy, geeky) place this would be if we ALL followed that rule

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Yet all the hysteria whipped up by the government is directed at "terrorists": it is worth remembering that every year on UK roads alone as many people are killed (hundreds of thousands more are injured) as died in the 9/11 attack in New York and every week as many are killed as died in the 7/7 attack in London.

 

Just one of the many anomalies in our governance Rooel, one I often quote being that in many years, more drown in UK waters than pedestrians are killed on our roads. The great majority of those who drown do so because they are swimmers, non swimmers keeping clear of the water. But governments strongly encourage people to learn to swim, creating a fresh batch for future drowning. They say it could save a life, but as often as not, would be rescuers drown themselves as well.

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What a boring (techy, geeky) place this would be if we ALL followed that rule

.

There's only so much one can say about pedals, sprockets and batteries etc. No... I prefer to think of it as a pedelec users' forum which means we can talk about what we want. If a thread is totally boring an uninteresting (like my tandem thread ages ago), then people just don't respond (as nobody did to mine...).

 

So what's your favourite flavour of yoghourt? Mine's strawberry....

totally boring an uninteresting (like my tandem thread ages ago), then people just don't respond (as nobody did to mine...).

 

So what's your favourite flavour of yoghourt? Mine's strawberry....

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i like the muller in double packs..or is that "tandem"

So what's your favourite flavour of yoghourt? Mine's strawberry....

 

Yoghourt? No thanks - can't stand the stuff.

I'm more of a fruit cake with icing

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Only Greek yoghurt, but the genuine stuff made from sheeps milk is difficult to get hold of.

.

Just one of the many anomalies in our governance Rooel, one I often quote being that in many years, more drown in UK waters than pedestrians are killed on our roads. The great majority of those who drown do so because they are swimmers, non swimmers keeping clear of the water. But governments strongly encourage people to learn to swim, creating a fresh batch for future drowning. They say it could save a life, but as often as not, would be rescuers drown themselves as well.

.

 

I believe more people die from smoking related diseases than they do from drowning in the sea. I also believe the British army can invade a country and wipe out as many people as they want "perfectly sober" and get a medal for doing it. This, by the way, is an extremely interesting thread about derestricting Ezee bikes, isn't it?

In any case up where he is the only pedestrians he's likely to encounter are Yetis!

 

Nail on the head mate! The road in question seldom has traffic on it and NEVER has people floating about on it. 3am New Years morning all it had on it was frost and a bloody police car I was like "wtf!!?? a police car?" and they probably thought "eh? a car on this road? wow let's get the blue lights a blazin' Bubba - yeehaw!" and the rest, as they say is history.

 

We'd better stop taking the mickey out of him - he might start gathering the clans!

 

Hell, carry on, my skin is as thick as an elephants.... not a member of any clan man unless you consider 80,000 Head-Fiers and 1,000 Rock Grotto members a clan..... in which case........ http://www.rock-grotto.co.uk/smilies/devil2.gif

 

I believe more people die from smoking related diseases than they do from drowning in the sea.

 

But the government doesn't encourage smoking, they do encourage the swimming that drowns, illustrating the contrariness that Rooel was commenting on.

 

Henry Ford was right when he said history is bunkum, and since eZee no longer make any models derestrictable, I thought the thread subject had died in favour of a discourse on yoghurt.

 

Still, in a spirit of helpfulness and to get back to your subject, you could hide the switch in a yoghurt pot.

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But the government doesn't encourage smoking

 

You're thinking in the box.... step back and have a think "out" of the box. Of course the government encourages smoking, there is duty involved and smokers keep the NHS running so be sure either subliminally or in an underhanded way the buggers encourage smoking. In fact, saying to someone "don't do that it's bad for you" can have the opposite effect and that person will turn round with an "up yours asshole, I'll do what I like" type response.

 

The democratically elected dictators that run this country have to get coins from the masses and if they genuinely don't encourage smoking they would ban tobacco from being sold... all this banning people from smoking in public places is just a smokescreen and smokers will still smoke, just in a different place and when they "are" in that different place (ie: outside their work premises) they will tend to smoke three in a row instead of only the one they would have had they been inside..... so that's a x 3 increase in smoking relating revenue for the dictators.

 

If you believe that a government "governs" and is responsible for the state of play in society today then you'll soon realise they're a bunch of crooks who are out to coin it in from any angle to hell with the consequences.... the streets are full of junkies, crack heads, smokers, drunkards, hooligans, yobbos, prostitutes etc. etc. etc. Most of the inner cities are driven by vice with the dictators (at the top of the chain) profiting from it all. 24/7 gambling, 24/7 drinking, 24/7 petrol pumps pumping..... it's all money!

 

So, IMO, not only do the dictators encourage smoking they also welcome smokers with open arms..... if it wasn't for smokers and drivers this country would be in a worst state than Iraq (was going to say "China" but they're in a pretty good state - petrol and fag sales are a booming over there)

you could hide the switch in a yoghurt pot.

.

 

A remote activated switch with the remote concealed in a fag packet.... now there's an idea

I agree with much of that, but not the smoking. Why? Because of the swings and roundabouts, the NHS spending as much and more on smoking related disease than the income from the minority population that now smokes, so they've nothing to gain.

 

That's thinking outside the box, looking at the whole picture.

 

Our democratic governance is indeed an elective dictatorship, largely staffed by self-seekers, the minority remainder being misguided fools who think they can actually do good within our system.

 

Best not put the remote in a fag packet though, the police might look in there for concealed "puff".

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Edited March 22, 200818 yr by flecc

Let's get this thread back on topic eh?

 

Ra ra Rasputin! Lover of da Russian Queen.......

 

http://blogopedia.freeblog.hu/files/BoneyM.jpg

 

Boney M or Abba? Vote now!

Just one of the many anomalies in our governance Rooel, one I often quote being that in many years, more drown in UK waters than pedestrians are killed on our roads. The great majority of those who drown do so because they are swimmers, non swimmers keeping clear of the water. But governments strongly encourage people to learn to swim, creating a fresh batch for future drowning. They say it could save a life, but as often as not, would be rescuers drown themselves as well.

.

 

Hi flecc! - I think that's hilarious, " ...creating a fresh batch for future drowning". Although there is a lot of truth in that statement, it did make I chuckle-quite a lot.

Hi flecc! - I think that's hilarious, " ...creating a fresh batch for future drowning". Although there is a lot of truth in that statement, it did make I chuckle-quite a lot.

 

I do tend to be a bit caustic when commenting on the "qualities" of our governance.

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I'll agree with Fleccs smoking comments and comments in general re government but there are success stories in government. we're jut not allowed to talk about them as the other 99% of stuff that goes wrong drowns out the news

 

Paul

 

The only civil serpent that makes a difference

I'll agree with Fleccs smoking comments and comments in general re government but there are success stories in government. we're jut not allowed to talk about them as the other 99% of stuff that goes wrong drowns out the news

 

Paul

 

The only civil serpent that makes a difference

 

It's the system and the political aspects of it that's more the problem in my view Paul, rather than individuals.

 

Of course not everything portrayed by the media as wrong actually is. Policies do need to be given a chance, something the media is very poor at doing.

 

And to end with the usual alibi, some of my best friends are civil servants.

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You don't need to tell me that mate. I spend more time fighting the system than I do getting the day job done so I guess i do after all fit into the second catagory above still, at least the pension arrangements are good!

 

Paul