Riding In The Bus Lane

hey ww was about to email you this. why don't you invite miranda out on a bike ride ;) maybe burn up some of her pent up anger

Too right - that was my exact reaction after seeing that video... It's bloody scary footage to anyone who has ever been in that situation.

For all those in QLD Bus lanes are for bikes too.
154 Bus lanes
(1) A driver must not drive in a bus lane, unless the driver is—
(a) driving—
(i) a bus; or
(ii) a bicycle or taxi; or
(b) permitted to drive in the bus lane under section 158.

Just like you say it is safer and it just makes sense.

I believe cyclist are excluded form the busway's here in QLD though. I think that the incident in this post occured on a Busway-type road. But I could be wrong!

Same goes in sunny WA. Bikes are allowed in bus lanes. Except on the freeway of course.

Just to let you know, the great cyclists versus motorists debate is hotting up again in Adelaide. It's a big winner for the media anyway.

I'm saddened that this cyclist took things to the extreme. Certainly doesn't help our cause. :(

As for Bus lanes and cyclists... As Ian said Bikes are allowed in bus lanes here in WA. I've never had an issue with a bus driver over here either. In fact, most of the time the drivers around me give me plenty of room. I've only had a few close calls.

As for riding in the bus lane, well it makes sense as there is less traffic in these lanes; in theory at least. WA drivers aren't the brightest bunch; we can't merge, think we own the road, and have no concept of bus lanes being for buses & taxi's ONLY!

Punching may not be "cool," but it was the right thing to do! I applaud this cyclist.

Just think, if no one punches deadly bus drivers we would have to wait until a bicyclist is killed or paralyzed for this to be brought to public attention and action to be taken.

Have you ever considered writing a piece for the Age CT?

Completely agree.

Miranda's article was an "opinion" piece.

CT you could write in a response to present the cyclists side of the argument?

I agree with Snowy and Lachy - CT you should look at writing for FairFax - we need your balanced opinions in the mainstream. Can anyone help CT?

I also agree but...... balanced opinions doesnt sell papers.

Hopefully reasonable debate will. Enough of the comments left on the article in The Age lead me to believe that there is enough support from the public to have our opinion put across.

I would love to write an article for Fairfax containing something other than the usually rubbish that defends cyclists such as "oh its good for the environment, its healthy". You would have to be living under a rock not to realise this. However, as Wade pointed out, traffic jams are not caused by cyclists. Sure, slowing down and overtaking a cyclist may happen to make you 2 seconds slower in your dash to come to a complete halt at the next set of lights, but it wont slow down your trip. A lot of drivers dont actually realise this. This fallacy and others such as "cyclists don't pay registration so they shouldn't be allowed to use the road". Sure, we don't pay registration, but registration does not pay for roads, taxes do. One's car registration goes to paying for things such as the TAC, where cars are responsible for injury.

We may also take time for introspection in this comments section and propose rules that we stick to regarding behavior, but has it ever been pointed out just how compliant cyclists are with the law? I remember a short video on The Age website with a "police crack down on cyclists" article. From seeing the title, I was most surprised to see they hadn't edited out the comment made by a police officer that "motorists are only 80% compliant with the law, whereas cyclists are 95% compliant". Yes, this even includes every idiot in a flannelet with no helmet and a stolen huffy.

I am fed up with the blinkered, ignorant, philistine view of journalists such as Devine and would love to see a rebuttal one day. I am certain it would make decent reading. If there is no answer to anti-cyclist tyrades in the media, then views against cyclists are only going to become stronger among the general public.

I agree that we do need to clean up our own back yard and do all we can to stop bus drivers from being punched in the face. But if cyclists cannot do something to address the attitude that we do not have a right to the road, then all the squeaky clean road use in the world will mount to nothing more than appeasement of the whingers. Even with no red lights being run, they still wont want to move 1.5m to the right hand side when they are speeding off to pick up the kids in a Landrover. Then with all our law obeying self righteousness, the only voice we will have against those who do not want to share our roads will be a meek shout of "oih" that is drowned out in the melancholy of peak hour traffic.

Perhaps it is time for us to have a voice. A voice that does more than simply react in disgust when an overweight celebrity incites grievous bodily harm. A voice that can stand up for our right to use to road and not pollute. A voice that can be proactive and make a difference.

I would like to see a police rebuttal of Ms Devine's article. Much of her rant is founded on lack of knowledge, or complete disregard for the law. Perhaps that was the intention; stir up the bogans so she can provide a moral justification for harassment of cyclists.
And just to add, I pay insurance (via BV & CA) just as motorists do in their rego. If I was to pay the remaining "rego" just to have a plate, would it be based on power or weight as it is for the car/truck? I'd be happy to pay $3.25 per year.
Oh, and where was the stolen Huffy? I think it's my son's.

Why would you bother taking Miranda out on a ride? She is an uber conservative. Wendy was one thing (after all, she already cycled from time to time). Miranda is too self-important and stuck in her views to play that game.

For the record, this cyclist is an a-grade clown. If you watch the video, it's point is not about riding in the bus lane, it's that he was riding illegally on a "Transit Way".

I'm from Victoria, so I guess this would be like riding your bike on the Citylink, or Eastern or Monash FWY... STUPID.

However, totally agree that on cycling permitted roads, the bus lane should be available to cyclists. I didn't know it wasn't and will continue to use it regardless. As CT has pointed out, it's vastly safer and a fine would be an awful lot better than getting taken out.

After quickly scanning the comments below Miranda Devine 's article I reckon about 90% of people have, with varying degrees of politeness, told her where to stick her opinion.

:)

I have to disagree on this one. This was not simply a bus lane.. It's a motorway! It's not a highway where there is a shoulder, it's appears to be more like a freeway..

Even if I could, I don't think I would want to ride on a road like that!

Excellent point Eddie. I didn't spot that to start with.
Oh, and I can kinda see the bus drivers point too. I've driven in Sydney and the lanes over there are VERY narrow. In the same space designated to 2 lanes here in WA, Sydney squeezes in 3 lanes! Buses and other large vehicles have ZERO wiggle room!

This is not a buslane - it's a busway. A piece of road dedicated to busses and not designed for any other purpose. The cyclist is by law, prohibited from being there. Doesn't excuse any poor non-evasive driving on the bus-driver's part, which so doesn't in turn excuse the ensuing assault by the cyclist. when they catch this guy, I hope they tack on the "use of a busway" charge on top of the assault chage.

Regardless of who did what, if it's illegal to ride a bike in this particular type of lane then this is a no brainer. The cyclist in this instance is a 100% in the wrong.

I'm outta the pool ... I have just had enough of this bottom dredging ... Fairfax (and Channel-10) ... no more $$$ from me! Subscription cancelled ... channel removed from remote.

Whoa. The question here is about right or wrong, we can't be asking people to stop at lights ('cause it's the law) then allow them to ride in busways. He was wrong, overeacted and acted illegally. END OF STORY.

I do wholeheartedly agree with:
"However, if we keep going and punching bus drivers, damaging cars in rage, *running red lights* (my emphasis added), etc how are we supposed to be taken seriously when we push for change. What are we, a bunch of skater punks? We sure look like it at times."

Exactly.... this is not cool..... we need to get this Cycliquette up and really running.... I'm considering designing a new riding top with something along the lines of "If you see me stopped at the lights, that's cause they are red!" written at the back.

We've also got to call out these idiots who give us all a bad name.....

WTF

It appears hack journos with nothing interesting to write can always default to a good old hate filled rant against cyclists

As Tony and anon coward both commented the cyclist in question was riding his bike on a freeway in a busway.

1) to ride on that rode is illegal.
2)to ride in a busway is illegal
3)punching out a motorist (no matter how much we have all wanted to do it) is illegal.
4)Miranda is a goose is who writes for the Sydney morning herald.

Sorry CT but on this one its a100km an hour freeway and it is against the law E.O.S.

Does not matter who made it up common sense should prevail!!!

The cyclist was doing something illegal. Very bad and not condoned or encouraged. Fine him.
The bus driver still did not have a justification for risking the cyclist's life (although it's not clear how little room the driver had on the right side) by driving so close.
No actual harm was done.
The cyclist should not have assaulted and battered the driver. Throw the book at him.

This is an issue that has the community divided. There are a lot of people with very strong views on the subject. Just look at all the comments Fairfax is getting on their site regarding this issue every time they run a story. Its a gold mine for them.

Until something really news worthy happens in this country, Cyclist v's Cars will continue to be a hot topic. And as long as the number of cars on the road outnumbers cyclists, the drivers perspective will be the most commonly heard.

Some clown goes and breaks a number of laws, and ends up violently assualting a law abiding road user. Now what always puzzles me is that if that law breaking clown is in a car, as opposed to a cyclist, they are chastened, defamed and viified as an individual. A media friendly term for their violent crime is coined: "road rage"; and everyone nods their head in collective disapproval at that individual. Yet when an individual cyclist is a clown and breaks the law, we are treated and attacked as a collective. Both acts should be denounced for the law breaking, violent and dangerous acts they are, indeed they haev been, but both should be denounced on an individual level.

Devine should be ignored. She is a sub issue that is greater than cycling: sensationalist journalists who sell column inches on inciting one group against another.

Simple reason for all of this "anti-cyclist" outrage...

If you get a minority group member (cyclist) and pair it with a negative event (road rage) you create conditions for stereotypes to evolve. It's classic social psychology, based on an us vs them mentality.

We form impressions by how much we know about a group. Negative events are easier to notice and remember. When someone who is "different" does something negative it creates a memorable negative impression and is generalised to the whole group.

So EVERY cyclist who does something dumb is noticed.

Because drivers are the majority group and everyone identifies as a "driver", they are "chastened, defamed, and vilified as an individual." But when a cyclist (or truck driver, or pick your favourite minority group here) does a bad thing, he or she is one of "them".

For the record, yeah it was too close but if he was doing the right thing it never would have happened. He makes us all look bad.

Awesome response. Well done...

Intelligent response squire.

I have always said this too, insert taxi driver, volvo driver, women driver, white van men. Cyclist are all easily tarnished with the same brush.
Its just unfortunate that when it comes to religion, race, sexuality etc the support switches to the minority.

Thanks Justin C.

Really interesting.

Spot on. The problem here isn't cyclists, or bus drivers for that matter. It's IDIOTS!!!! That guy wasn't indicative of cyclists. He was indicative of an idiot!

Idiot's drive cars, too. Anyone see that car lodged in the roof of a house the other day?

Sure, the cyclist should not have been there and certainly shouldn't have let things get physical. However, it was 5am, was there really not enough room on the freeway for the driver to leave a wide berth for the rider?

I've kicked a couple of headlights out of anger, but that was in a situation where a deliberate attempt was made to push me into the getter/ run me off the road. It looks close, I have been in closer situations (tie downs on a semi taking skin off my elbow).

Sounds like both the cyclist and the bus driver are wankers. Miranda devine is worse for lying and perpetuating stereotypes. Nobody wins.

I trust that it wasn't your foot that kicked my front left headlight the other week along Jasper Road in McKinnon. Or should I be congratulating someone else for taking out my left rear view mirror too!
Acts of willfull damage to property cannot be condoned. Matters involving incidents between motorists and cyclists ought to be refered to the police first and foremost, with witnesses, vehicle types, registration numbers etc. being recorded to be further determined by the courts if need be.
I can empathise with your frustration. My partner is a cyclist, and, recounts incidents and near misses often involving tradsmen in utes and vans as being those most inclined to displace cyclists off the left carriageway of Beach Road.
There is far to much bravado, testoterone, and bitchiness on the roads. We should all best take a cold shower.

Take a cold shower? You've never been deliberately had your life and limb threatened by a self righteous bogan ar*ehole wrapped in two tons of speeding steel have you. You're one of 'them' aren't you.

No I didn't kick your headlight in or break your mirror last week. Unless you were a pimple faced P-plater in a Nissan silvia with a bunch of mates, driving within 10cm of me, swerving at me, throwing stuff at me and yelling profanities.

There is petulance and bravado everywhere. The distinction that needs to be drilled into people is that when such attitudes are taken by drivers towards cyclists, people end up dead or seriously injured.

What a drop kick.

What did he expect riding on a major motor way?

If that bus driver cut me off like that on Beach road or a regular cycling spot - I may have responded in a similar fashion. A vehicle is a weapon and if the weapon is used maliciously, expect a response.

Cyclists do need to be a little more vigilant with their safety and choice of routes though.

Mark

The relative importance of cyclists to public debate is reflected by the fact that it must be at least a few weeks since the last inflammatory article. In between those times, I am sure, muslims, aborigines, refugees and teenagers, along with many more marginalised groups have been slandered to a greater or lesser degree. Most of us would not have even noticed. I don't think we are going to be banned from the road just yet.

Despite that, the point that is always made by opponents of cyclists that particularly galls me is that motorists pay for the road, and we don't. I am sorry, but the $500 that car owners pay in rego does not go anywhere near paying for the road system. There is a fair slug of my taxes at work when I cruise along that bike lane! Perhaps we should be arguing for a discount in our taxes because we ride bikes.

A point I overlooked was the distinction between a "bus/transit lane" and and "bus only lane"

In NSW, the law states that bikes can go in bus/transit lanes, but not bus only lanes: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/roadsafety/bicycles/c...

In Victoria, the law states that "Signs at the start of a bus lane indicate if cyclists are allowed to ride in the lane."

http://www.vicroads.vic.gov.au/Home/RulesStanda...

So, apparently not all bus lanes are off limits.

However, in the case of the Sydney cyclists who assaulted the bus driver, if he was indeed on a freeway then that's just plain suicide on his behalf. There's certain places that aren't safe for cyclists and freeways are one of them. In this case the law prohibiting riding here is definitely to protect us.

Too bad as @JustinC says, we all get painted with the same brush and this guy makes every cyclists look like an idiot. However, as in most cases like this there's more than meets the eye.

He was not in a bus lane he is in a Sydney specific lane called a T way which was designed to encourage public transport by providing a narrow high speed lane for busses to get around with no traffic lights and a speed limit of 70 to 80kph it has a gutter on both sides in most cases and is very narrow about a bus width with a little extra for driver error but that is about it. So in his case it is 1 Illegal for him to be there in that circumstance and 2 absolute suicide

I am a little disappointed that is Article is one of the most read in the on-line papers.
This cyclist WAS and IS in the wrong, but the way the press deal with these issues is also wrong.

As I write this there are already 419 comments lodged online by readers, wow that is a very high response rate (but not helping our plight).
Also, and when I look at the related articles I see the following:

Sydney Ride to Work Day - Positive Article
Magda Mangles Cyclists - Negative Article
Doyle Backs fines for Cyclists - Negative Article
Crackdown on rouge cyclists - Negative Article

How can we turn this around??

""I’ve never been stuck in gridlock traffic before because of a bike rider.""..is that the theme from the Twilight Zone I hear?
Riding two abreast means that traffic has to cross the centre line to pass the two- and in most cases more- riders in front of it, which means considerable delay even on country roads.
Why ride two abreast? Is conversation not possible when one rider follows another...?
...perhaps it might easier on the risk factor of the riders and the blood pressure of the drivers who have to get to work, or catch a train, or whatever, to ride in single file..?
That's at least a start toward turing around negative attitudes- after all, there have been cycleists sharing the roads with cars and trucks for at least 90 years. The cars and trucks have remained the same in terms of road usage, the riders with an attitude problem and a chip on their lycra-clad shoulder are a new factor.
The time for self-regulation is obvously long past- an ID plate on bikes above a certain figure is long overdue.

Just to clarify the easiest way to think of a T way is basically like a private road it is exclusivly for bus use only if you dive down it they fine the crap out of you

Sounds like the O-Bahn here in Adelaide, although the O-Bahn track has a bloody great hole running down the middle of it, but it's a designated Bus-only route that takes them off the main roads and they can travel at up to 100kmh.
I would never dream or riding on that!
This cyclist is just an idiot...no doubt about it. I hope they catch him.

Just as an aside...who the hell drew that illustration in the article??
Everyone knows cyclists have big legs and small arms....not the other way around!

Perhaps what we should all be doing is commenting as cyclists on the paper agreeing that the guy is a comple moron instead of here. Adding our voice to this discussion just might get other road users to understand that you can't tarnish us all with the same brush.

In Miranda Devine's article, amongst the other glaring mistakes and opinion presented as fact this gem; "Bikes and pedestrians are allowed on to roads only under the good graces of motorists, and only when they do not pose a traffic hazard."
Miranda, I think you will find they they are allowed on the roads because the laws allow for it. It has nothing to do with good graces of any motorists! You idiot!
And BTW for all those leaving comments, the plural of "bus" is "buses".

Time to take the next step Wade.

The Age, Cycling column, print and on line

We need a voice that knows.

DO IT.

Where are the cycling advocates? What is BV (or its NSW sibling) saying about negative, inflammatory and ignorant press coverage? Where's the much hyped Amy Gillet Foundation? Not a word from any of them about this or Magda (or is that Mazda?). They should be out there rebutting the legal ignorance and resisting the discriminatory language ("all cyclists are smelly/fat/selfish/lawless"). They should be actively decrying the bad cyclists. They should be working more publicly with police. They should devise a credible rider registration system.

"At 5.05am, in the pre-dawn half light a cyclist in his 30s, "dressed like Cadel Evans", says the Transport Workers Union bus industry official Darcy Waller, was riding illegally on the bus only North-West T-way near Seven Hills."

'Dressed like Cadel Evans'
ahahahaha, i've never seen cadel evans wear a plain, loose fitting jersey with a backpack. Even when his wearing his stealth kit over summer on beach rd he looks nothing like this.

Paying membership to places like Cycling Victoria seems to be a waste of time.

I get an email each month telling me about the progress of works on the Capitol City Trail and they took down the details of an accident I had and told me to call the TAC. The 'free legal advice' was a phone call to a lawyer who told me there's no way of getting money out of someone who is uninsured. Money well spent on that membership.

Personally, I would rather give the $100-odd annual membership fee to Wade to go towards lobbying Government departments etc etc. 10000+ readers at $100 each is a decent pay packet i think :-)

Jarrod,

I don't think you're the first person to voice dissatisfaction with BV. Perhaps BV are more focussed on getting bums on bike seats than lobbying for already-established cyclists. I have contacted some people at the Monash University Accident Research Centre to see if they can point me to some data on how many cyclists fall into this "established" category. Perhaps there is a market for a group focussed on lobbying for this group. I'll post anything I find out back here.

J.

Here in England cyclists have equal rights in bus lanes, are you guys not even really supposed to be in them? That's crazy!

Good to clarify the difference between a T-Way in NSW and a bus lane here in Vic. Quite a lot of the bus lanes here in vic allow you to ride on them along with buses - generally those on roads with a lower speed limit closer to the city - whereas a number of those on higher speed roads (like freeways) dont allow cyclists for good reason - ie like a NSW T-Way they are aimed at buses running at high speed.

Certainly you would have to be an idiot - like this bloke in sydney - to want to ride in one of these lanes whether or not it is legal to do so - but seems as though some people need it pointed out to them in law to 'try' and stop them doing something stupid.

as stated this was a T-Way not a "normal" bus lane as such.

the problem is once again education. [i could be wrong] but it would not surprise me if the cyclist in question was not aware he isn't allowed to ride in the T-Way bus lane - or confused because in NSW you can ride in a bus lane but not the T-Way bus lanes. there is inadequate signage as well explaining your aren't allowed to ride a bike on the T-Way. this has been now admitted public here by the RTA.

almost getting killed by a bus would be enough to turn most people into a bit of a nutter however i totally disagree with his actions toward the bus driver in question. i can however sympathies with his actions. the/a man was nearly killed that morning.

CAM: as for him riding in the T-Way lane not on the road, i have had buses pass me doing 80km+ on normal roads so it makes no difference if your on a T-Way or not. until you have ridden that stretch of road etc it is a little difficult for you to pass judgment on someones actions, and it seems a little unfair for you to call him an idiot. i have ridden that area but never in the T-Way lane.

I do think the cycling community as a whole on a national basis is lacking a true representative that can help us move forward with educating both cyclist's and motorists on ways for both of us to share the road.

you may laugh but it is one of the reasons i love to ride my MTB. there's no buses, no cars and no where near as much stress as road riding and for the most part the view is a better.

bah. missed the RTA link in the above post

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/10/26/2...

Learn a alittle more about the author-

mirandadevine.com

she grew up on the Sydney's north shore, went to exclusive girl's schools, loves John Howard and hates vegetarians.

I wasn't aware of the difference between bus/transit and bus only. I frequently use a transit lane on Hoddle St with great success and safety during peak hour. One day, riding back from the Dandenongs late Saturday morning I was riding in a bus lane (apparently bus only) along Wellington Rd. With or without buses I figured it was safer and had less impact on traffic than if I rode out in the traffic lane. Well... then a bus came along and passed me at what felt like 6 inches at 60km/h and cut in front as he passed to prove a point. There was no warning or use of horn before blasting past. I felt "life threatened" and exploded with adrenalised rage and caught the bus at the Springvale Rd lights. I went to the driver's side window and what ensued was an embarassing tirade from me and a blank/scared nothing from him. I then moved in front of him into the bike box.. big mistake. When we got our green, he pulled out blocking traffic then drove hard left towards me forcing me to turn quickly to the safety of the traffic island. Big scare. Big bus. So it turns out I probably shouldn't have been in the bus lane but the driver definitely went about it the wrong way.

I agree with 'Spencer',

The BIG issue here is the association between this halfwit and Cadel Evans . Sorry Cadel, you come back to Australia as a World Champion and this is what you get! :)

In all seriousness, the cyclists was in the wrong. But hey should he loose his life over it?. Stick to the cycle path that runs along the side of that Tway (I do) and you won't have an issue - sure you might be 10mins slower, but you'll get home to see your kids.

For a more balanced perspective...

http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-cu...

Thanks Lee. I've cross posted my comments above to that site too. While he was providing balance I don't think his article was all helpful... and it's already generating more anti-cyclist sentiment.

That's exactly it Justin, I think we're just stoking the fire. We'd all be better off simply letting our actions speak for themselves by taking on board the 'cycliquette' initiative. The actions of the 'punch happy cyclist' have certainly done just that. It's counter productive to enter debates regarding who's right and wrong especially since many of the cycle haters appear to be antagonists who are just out for a bit of a slanging match.

ALso noted that CT managed to get his comments onto the age article. Nice work CT. Well said, although as Lee indicated, I don't know that it'll change the mind of "skittles". We're ALL cyclists to her. The average punter simply doesn't differentiate between people who ride, and riders.

This is the problem as I see it.

http://www.cyclingtipsblog.com/2009/04/weekdaym...

How can the 'good cycling' message be spread to incorporate all of these groups? Seems a bit unfair when the perpetrators have nothing to do with our form of cycling...

Two (or even three) wrongs don't make a right.

The video shows the bus driver had opportunity to move across further within the lane (and potentially the next lane briefly while overtaking the cyclist?). He didn't, and squeezed the cyclist in ("teaching" him not to use the T-Way?). Whether the cyclist had a right to use the lane or not doesn't excuse the bus driver deliberately threatening the cyclist's life using the bus.

Like I say to all the people that heckle me while they're driving/I'm riding. I'll get my people to stop running stop signs and flipping jerks off when they stop speeding and driving drunk.

Hey CT

Miranda Devine has given you a big SHOUT OUT in her Saturday am column

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-cultu...

It appears that she has made some ground towards restoring some balance to her previous argument too.

Wow...very cool.

Good article by her. I couldn't agree more with her on most points.

CT another great post for the debate. I find it heartening that so many readers start from the premise that the cyclist should not have been there in the first place. His behaviour was all counts illegal and damaging to all cyclist. It also let people like Ms Devine to have a spray. As I commented before on your cycliquette blog if we all knew the road rules as they apply to cyclist and applied them we would make more progress. In NSW the opening statement from the RTA is that a bicycle is a vehicle. If that rider knew that, understood it and obeyed the rules there would be no story.

/Sarcasm

More bad behaviour by cyclists! The sooner menaces like this are stopped, the safer society will be:

http://www.theage.com.au/national/elderly-woman...

From the footage you can clearly see that the bus driver had all the room in the world to get around the cyclist, but deliberately tried to sandwich him to the wall in an unbelievably dangerous way. It's true the T-way is banned to bikes, but at 5am when there are hardly any buses, you can understand a cyclist reinterpreting this blanket rule. But to be "taught a lesson" in such a malicious way was completely unnecessary.

I can't condone the cyclist's behaviour any more than the bus driver's, but you can see what it takes for such an issue to get into the news. Had the bus driver's dangerous 'lesson' actually killed the cyclist it would have barely rated a mention. Imagine the story: "A cyclist riding illegally on the T-way was killed by a bus" - and you can be sure it would be 'a bus', not 'a murderous vigilante bus-driver'.

Never before had I realised that the gulf between Sydney and Melbourne on cycling ran so deep. That in Sydney the bicycle has never been recognised as a valid form of transport, whereas in Melbourne, thousands opt to cycle to work every day. That even NSW's most 'cycling-friendly' roads minister only every considered cycling something for mums, dads and kids on weekends. I'm glad now I've never moved to Sydney - it's a crazy, topsy-turvy place.