Sunday, March 12th, 2006

Road Rage

Sunday, March 12th, 2006 04:05 pm
Have just been a victim of road rage.

1. I had to slow down behind a motorised vehicle, despite the fact that I was freewheeling on a bicycle.
2. I nearly went straight into side of vehicle, which did not signal as it went round the roundabout where West Hill meets the busy ringroad.
3. I braked hard and shouted, "You should be on the pavement, not the road!"
4. The driver shook his / her fist and swore at me.

As far as I can tell from this Hansard page, I was actually wrong*: it is perfectly legal to operate a motorised wheelchair on a public highway.

As long as it doesn't go over 8 miles per hour.

Bloody hell. I had always assumed they were intended for pavement use (where they pose a different kind of hazard: pedestrians diving into hedges, apoplectic dogs, schoolchildren pointing and laughing). I applaud the mobility that they offer to the disabled and infirm.

But I can't believe it is safe to drive a vehicle with a maximum speed of 8mph, and no signals, on a busy road.

*you may wish to make a note of the date. Of course I am often wrong -- in the last 48 hours I have apparently been wrong about a great many things, such as exercise contributing to weight-loss; the Harry Potter books being fantasy; my ability to identify rabbit droppings; whether or not Lambrusco is fit for human consumption -- but I seldom admit it.
1. Cycled 5 miles, swam 600 metres. (This used to be much easier! They have steepened the roads ...)
2. Wrote some book reviews and 1000 words of random fiction.
3. Lounged with cats doing nothing at all.
Edit 4. Am very much cheered by Eastercon programme-item invitation.

02-stone
Originally uploaded by tamaranth.
The daffodils are out in Pontsmill: they're still tight-furled in Sussex.
The silver marker-pen on my father's gravestone has lasted the winter, too. And rabbits have been nibbling on the sprouting bulbs. It's all very Natural.

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