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Proposed iPod ban on cyclists
http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/mp3s/lala-lan...
Must admit when I see riders listening to their iPods it makes me shudder. Personally I like to hear what's going on around me.
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I'm all for anything that makes for safer roads (pedestrians, cyclists, etc), and being able to hear what's going on around you is a good start.
IIRC one isn't supposed to wear headphones while driving in the UK. Not sure if that was an official rule but makes sense. How many times does one see a driver with an iPod? How are they meant to hear sirens from emergency vehicles for example?
Yes, yes... one can crank up the stereo, but it's not as isolating as headphones.
Anyhow, personally I can't believe anyone would wear headphones while riding in the city or anywhere other than a closed road. I once rode with headphones up at West Head on a weekday. Yeah, it's OK, but it's not worth missing cars coming up behind you for! Much prefer to be immersed in the ride than taken out of it with the music.
just makes sense, wearing earphones just removes one of the senses and no-one has made the "getting startled on a bike wobble" look cool yet!
stupid people listening to MP3s oblivious to the world around them is Darwins theory in action - natures way of getting rid of stupid people.
When I used to ride from Redfern to Cremorne I had no problems hearing traffic, pedestrians etc with only the _left_ earphone in at a reasonable volume. I found it was very, very rare I needed to hear something in my left ear only. When you passed big ugly buses they made enough noise pulling out to drown an iPod at full volume, let alone what I ran the volume at.
I'm not against the policy, it seems this would be legislating for idiots. I've seen more than enough people without earphones riding along as mindless zombies completely unaware that they are a moment away from being hit to know that whilst this might help, idiots, will always be idiots.
Andrew
I've used ear phones when riding back streets alone once b4 and thought it was ok. I had volume at a level where i could hear what i was listening to and the sound of a car approaching. I dont when riding with friends as I would rather communicate with them.
Im against this new law, I think like everything else in the world, it is up to the user to be responsible. Approving this law is only taking away another rights of freedom and penalising those who do act responsibly.
Saw a numpty riding helmetless across the Harbour Bridge on the way home once last week with noise-cancelling headphones on his ears and texting as he rode with one hand on the bars.
I reckon that's the Darwin Awards trifecta. LOL!
Given that bikes are defined under Road Rule 15 as vehicles, and riders as drivers in Road Rule 16, existing bans on devices that impede your awareness of your surroundings as a driver will already apply to bicycles. I guess all this proposed rule does is spell it out more clearly.
However, there's little point in making new laws if they ain't enforced. We have enough laws already, we just need Roozendill to open the purse (watch the moths fly out) and spend some money on enforcement of existing regulations with an adequately staffed police force.
The problem is there are far too many idiots and unless something is against the law they see it as OK, if not openly approved. This also feeds back onto all of us for one cyclist is the same as any other to most of the uneducated public and all they see is an idiot with one or more earbuds in ignoring everything going on around them.
Some good points, makes you think...
... how many people does the law against txting stop from actually txting while driving? If you are too stupid to realise how dangerous looking down at a device while trying not to run into anything/one with your
vehicle2 tonne weapon is, you are probably too stupid to realise what the outcome will be if caught. Points add up to == loss of license == loss of freedom == loss of job == loss of friends == ???That's quite aside from the life long burden of guilt one would have to carry after seriously injuring or even killing another just because you wanted to tell a friend you were running late, or shout to the world on @rsebook what a great time you were about to have.
Come on people, it's not hard to concentrate on one thing at a time. Or are you telling me that you have so little free time in your life it's worth playing with these toys on the move? (Anyone answering, "Yes" to that I would then ask, "How many hours a week of cr@p on TV do you watch?").
</rant>... oops
The number of folks I see texting or faffng about with phones while in traffic along Warringah Rd at 7 in the morning while waiting for the bus on my non-riding days would be ... 1 in 5.
I've seen people reading books, reading the paper, watching movies, painting nails, applying mascara, no doubt a few playing Angry Birds, anything but paying attention.
I don't ride that bit of Warringah Rd any more - too dangerous!
Yet another attempt by the Nana minority at legislating petty/pointless laws to enforce common sense and perhaps one that actually works against pedestrians and cyclists.
Just imagine the scenario; car runs over cyclist.. but its OK people because the naughty cyclist was illegally riding with his/her iPod, would it then be perhaps easier for the motorist to get cleared of any proportionate blame now that they have this new law on their side?? any legal experts (armchair or otherwise) care to comment?
In theory we don't need any road laws. Well, OK, you need one: always drive/cycle/walk with due care and attention in light of the conditions, road, surroundings and your skills while not endangering yourself or anyone else.
In practice that is so vague and so open to interpretation (Michael Schumacher is highly skilled, does that mean he can drive anywhere at 200km/h? [1]) that it's unworkable. So that's where laws like this come in. It's a clear cut way to say that one clearly wasn't cycling with due care and attention without having to go into all the logic and reasoning of 'common sense'.
This is how the world is getting. Process, process, process. If there isn't a flowchart that can be followed by a completely unskilled member of staff in a third world call centre then it's too hard - make another box or rule to simplify it.
You want to complain? Well pay more taxes to get more police to catch people in the act, judges for the courts, etc, etc. so that the first statement made would be workable. Sadly the amount of time and money this would require is prohibitive so there you go... we get more rules.
</rant v2>
[1] I thought I had read somewhere that Schumacher was once given a speeding ticket on public roads, but only after the cops caught him, which took some time. The story goes that the cops thought he was trying to get away from them as they were trying so hard to catch him, but Schumacher said he was just driving along normally, not even trying and certainly not pushing himself or this vehicle in any way. Although I cannot find a link to any such story right now, so perhaps I just imagined it
The problems would seem to be that you cant legislate to replace common sense, although some people continue to try, regardless of the motivations behind it all.
People should wear headphone on the track either, they are completely unaware that others are around them. Then you feel like a D!ckhead when you shout at them.
There have been a few head ons and near misses at RNP with people riding with their 'walkmans' on, not only dangerous for them and the other riders but also for the wildlife, it's amazing what you hear when you are fully in tune with nature. I know I don't want to be hitting a roo or goanna on a ride. When I ride on the road my senses are turned up a notch, my sight and hearing become more in tune as I try to negotiate traffic, cars starting up, people opening car doors, dogs running around etc.
Life is more important than a spin of 'Eye of the Tiger'.
Justy ban anything apple...iphone, ishuffle, ipod, ipad
They are an anti social device. I must admit that if I'm only doing a couple of laps of the Dam for example I don't wear my iPod and make sure I say "hi" to everyone I come across and think that those riders with earphones in who ride past without even a nod are wankers.
Then when I'm doing many laps I need the music to keep me from boredom and don't bother saying "hi" cause I won't hear the reply and realize I'm one of those wankers.
Well, there's one circumstance in which I think zoning out from the noises around you might be a good thing...
I don't agree with making it a blanket ban. I do agree idiots/morons need guidance, as this keeps the rest of the population safe.
However, I commute to work whilst listening to music, though I only have it in one ear also (Left). The volume is low, so as I can hear the music and 'pump-up', but still hear everything going on around me, including the nattering of a couple of ladies walking past.
Using a walkman/ipod in this manner, I really can't see being a problem. So long as you are concentrating on your surroundings. It's simply the same as listening to it in a car.
But having it blaring full blast with both ears intoxicated with music, is definitely not smart and will most certainly shorten your life span making a statistic of you.