It's All Uphill From Here

Yahoo! Yesterday at about 10 am saw the Southern Winter Solstice. This means that today we'll get about 4 seconds more daylight than yesterday. By the end of the week, it'll be a whole minute.

While this doesn't sound much, it's good to know that every day it's getting better.

I've spent much of the last few days indoors and looking after my young kids as my lovely wife has been away visiting relatives. About now I'm suffering from cabin fever to the extent that in a few minutes I'm off to the shed to do some weights. Trust me, it's cold out there, so I must be suffering withdrawals. I'm intending to follow it up with a bit of Pilates too. I still don't think I can go the trainer.

I've noticed a fair bit of discussion recently about the new bicycle regulations in NSW. The most contentious issue seems to be about reserving a space in front of the left lane at traffic lights for cyclists to stop and wait for the lights to change. The controversy seems to be about the idea that it will encourage cyclists to take up the lane as they start from the lights and that motorists behind them won't notice them in front of their vehicles and therefore run them over.

My experience has been that I'm much more likely to be "missed" by a motorist if I stay discreetly to the left. Not too many intersections, but enough, are just too narrow to allow a bike (wobbling off from the lights, trying to get his size 12 cleated in) and a car in the lane together. The worst are those intersections where there's a bike-lane or shoulder on the approach and exit but the traffic island in the middle of the intersection comes right out to the edge of the left lane. At these, I insist in taking the whole lane and so ride and stop if necessary two thirds of the way out to the right edge of the lane.

Here's where it all gets a bit messy. If I come up to a red light at one of these intersections and there are already cars stopped, I don't split to the front. I tend to sit behind the car in front of me on the basis that by time I get through the intersection the cars won't be sufficiently above my speed for me to cause them a problem, I can then move to the left and let them by. If I get to the red light first, I sit well out at the head of the lane and use strong body language to defend the position. This can be a problem and I sometimes get the strident engine revving or horn hooting. I just ignore it. The worst problem is to get the green in heavy traffic. Remember, most of the roads on my commute are 80 or 100kph, so I have to move out into a lane of fast moving traffic well before the intersection and hold my line. Sometimes easy, sometimes knick filling. My favourite is the B-Double who pulls over wide enough to pass and deliberately drifts back in on me as he passes, sounding the air horn.

Of course the problem goes away where there's no bike lane or shoulder at all. Then I just take my lane. That's why the crap bike lane is so dangerous. It makes it hard to claim my road space when necessary.

I can't go without passing on this soul stirring tid-bit. You may remember Gnarls Barkely did a pretty good job of covering one of my favourite bands "The Violent Femmes" with Gone Daddy Gone. Now the Femmes have returned the favour. It's very cool.

Today's longer than yesterday - Na, nya, na nya na! More daylight anyway.