Monday, June 15, 2009

Day Trip - Two Wheels Good, Four Wheels Better


Having the benefit of the Sunday off, Mrs Me decided we would get out on our bikes after I’d finished offending some blimin politician, whoever it was, I was blogging about.

What a perfect day, no wind, calm sea. Although the beaches seemed emptier than they should be and I noticed quite a few of the chalets along the coast are still vacant.

Most of my cycling is solitary, a chance to think without distraction other than the moving scenery. Something I always find amusing, cycling along the Esplanade toward Westgate, are the extensive territorial claims that various chalet occupants make also the thinly veiled hostility toward cyclists and audible comments about cyclists who’ve failed to dismount as per the councils fatwah “cyclist dismount 10am to 6pm 1 May 30 September”.

I understand that cycling faster than a walking pace, is potentially dangerous but since those who ignore these rules inevitably fly past the beach hut residents, I personally think that cycling restrictions are pointless, since those of us who act responsibly will and those who don’t, wont.

Being a middle aged git myself, I suppose if I were renting one of these beach sheds, I'd probably relax with one eye on the paper and the other just waiting for some cyclist to dare break the law.

Still I think someone from the council should give consideration, to the residents who sprawl across from hut to railings with deckchairs, loungers, grannies and usually a barbecue leaving a three foot walkway in which the rest of the family are playing either tennis or cricket.

Occasionally I might have ignored these rulings but not with Mrs Me in tow, still it struck me, that for some reason if you have a vehicle, with four wheels and an engine for some reason, your immune from restrictions, particularly if it sports a Thanet District Council logo, like the one photographed which had for some reason driven along the Esplanade and then tiptoed passed the cafe presumably the driver stopping to chat with customers, why?twobumpsorone

2 comments:

  1. Vehicles parking on the lower esplanade is a blight across Thanet.

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  2. I have used many shared cyclist/pedestrian paths on the continent and have never come across one where cyclists have to dismount every so often.

    It is a pain and puts me off cycling between Minnis Bay and Margate in the summer.

    Pinch points and some gentle humps in the appropriate areas would I imagine be a better idea I think.

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