I tried to keep a blog going once before but had difficulty in keeping motivated so consequently it just fizzled out. So with that in mind I wondered what would I write about in that difficult second post? I guess I could write badly about my now appalling punctuation, the blame being laid fair and square at the door of the personal computer which has made me lazy, accepting suggested changes without really thinking it through. After all my English teacher isn't standing over my shoulder ready to tear my grammar up for...well you get the idea.
So the title of this blog is The Assisted Pedestrian. Why? I'm supposed to be advocating the use of the humble bicycle as a means of transport, which I do. I travel to work most days on a relatively inexpensive hybrid bike that carries me and a rack pack or pannier to work and back home as often as I can manage, Some days however it's just not possible, today being a case in point as I am heading through to Edinburgh with a rucksack and a guitar to meet some friends and play some tunes. I duly made my way to my nearest railway station to be met with the sight of a huge line of traffic queued all the way back from Allison Street to Shawlands and perhaps further in either direction, who knows? Amid this madness a couple of people on bikes quietly nipped passed the massed vehicles along the shared lane for Buses, Taxis and Bicycles. I smiled and tried to figure how many of those drivers even noticed those people zipping past them...fiets!
I have a totally different perspective to travelling by bike when I am on foot, today I looked on jealously wishing I didn't have to sit on a train with a load of unhappy looking people who probably also wish they didn't have to be there. The thing is, in spite of the cold, wet, the occasional unpleasantness of other road users, the bicycle is really a great way to get around, you arrive at work energised ready for whatever the day may bring. Unfortunate then that our politicians don't see it that way, as they continue to pretend they cannot see the answer to the UK obesity epidemic or the congested roads, yet the answer is simple...fiets!
Cut to the chase, if any one of our politicians wants to write their name in history and make a real difference to peoples lives then they should stop prevaricating and grasp the cycling nettle.
