REMEMBRANCE DAY 2014

Amazed to see that this day was marked in Beijing by Tony Abbott , PM of Oz , at a Memorial Venue
there!  For me it was an eye opener to see the Memorial Grounds that are shown in these photos !

Whoever was responsible for creating this Memorial, has done a really great job of reminding people of the DEBT that the Nation OWES our Fallen !




Going in " Harms Way " is an every day occurance for the Armed & Emergency Services , so it was good to see them represented at this Ceremony .

Every Nation has a reason to remember this day and Australia lost most of a Generation of the Young Men in the World War 1 Disaster .

Back then People were more likely to use a Bicycle for getting about the urban areas . It was only in the 1950s that there was a move to the personal  4 wheeled transport mode . Since then personal convenience has degenerated into Personal Selfishness , as demonstrated by the way so many  NOW regard the Cyclist !


HOW DARE the CYCLIST , get in MY way , as i have CHOSEN to leave the house/office at the last minute/LATE for MY Personal appointment/journey .

Wonder if those that marched off for King & Country , could have envisaged their Sacrifice , to ensure that WE live in a Democratic Country , would have led to so much SELFISH Behaviours of the Current Community ?  Are there any drivers out there that having SALUTED the FALLEN , have decided to be LESS SELFISH , as a way to mark THEIR SACRIFICE ?

The following excerpts below , demonstrate the current thinking in the Road Community , where SELFISHNESS is bounded by those enclosed in their Metal Box ( coffin on wheels ) violating the SPACE of those wearing normal clothes and even Lycra !

YES life was different in 1914 , a slower more considerate , Family/Community  Orientated way of LIFE .

2014 is a NIGHTMARE of people thinking THEIR Life is more important than their Neighbour , Family and Friends . HOW DARE anyone inconvenience ME , cause ME to lose SECONDS!  This is a CRIME Punishable by PERSONAL STUPIDITY , in too many cases . A driver getting out of a vehicle attacking another driver , is described as " Road Rage "!  Knocking a Cyclist off the bike with a vehicle , ONLY rates attention , IF , the Cyclist is KILLED !   Then it is a shrug of the shoulders by most , " Coming to them " is a remark of others , Policing Authorities filling out the paperwork , then moving onto the next incident !

Laughable that SKY TV and CNN , were describing the sinking of the Korean Ferry , with the loss of 300+ lives as an ACCIDENT !  INCIDENT , yes !  Accident , NO ! The sentence of the Captain to 36yrs in Jail and the Chief Engineer to 30yrs , certainly was no ACCIDENT !

Turning on the ignition of a Vehicle is NO ACCIDENT !  This is a decision to drive what amounts to a KILLING MACHINE , when not 100% supervised !  Yet each driver fails to spend 100% of their energy conforming to what they were taught , when they were seeking their Driver Permit/licence !

WHO is responsible for the slippage of Standards ?  Does it really matter ? The PROBLEM Exists and needs rectifying !

Emergency Services Personnel are trained to DRIVE at a certain Standard . When they are allowed on the roads to operate their vehicles in a manner , BELOW that standard , the Public notice and then EMULATE!

BETTER that those Emergency Services Personnel that were trained , revert to the Standard they were required to meet , then they can set out to INSTILL into the Public the Standard they showed , when seeking that piece of paper , they were so desparate to obtain when TESTED !

Entertainment follows , thanks to this link :

http://ukcyclelaws.blogspot.co.uk/p/the-laws-according-to-highway-code.html

Also easier to pass a single file column of cyclists as they aren't all swerving to avoiding hitting eachother, their attention is drawn to chatting, looking at eachother and constantly avoiding the accident they are about to cause with eachother.

Our local cycling club are hell bent on riding two abreast, on roads where two way traffic is just about manageable, they also insist on stopping and gathering at the apex of corners and blind crests, having a drink whilst the bike wobbles away from their one supporting leg uncontrollably.

This is great and I fully respect the guidelines/laws - unfortunately in my experience, the vast majority of those with a desire to cycle on our roads leave all common sense at home and treat their ride out in a similar vein to to local mothers union meetings on a Tuesday morning - paying zero attention to the road, no regard for other road users and carry with them an attitude that they can do no wrong whilst on a bicycle.

They are a danger to society, please ensure the cyclists are aware of the rules prior to having a go at the motorist. I pride myself at being a fairly competent driver, young enough to act and think quickly, but old enough to have a bit of common sense. Unfortunately when seeing cyclists (and I do apologise for tarring them all with the same brush) I know I will have to take some deep breaths and calm myself down due to the complete incompetence displayed before me. What they fail to realise is that being on the road is not like playing on a games console, there is no reset button and the vast majority of motorists simply do not care about the hobbyist cyclist who is delaying their daily commute - that is where it gets dangerous!!!



Pete: you have just replied with the stereotypical nonsense that people tend to come out with.

"Unfortunately when seeing cyclists (and I do apologise for tarring them all with the same brush)"

How is that any different from me saying "I dont mean to tar every car driver with the same brush but they all use their mobiles while driving, if not drunk, some on occasion grab kids off the street before raping and killing them".

You are talking utter crap and you know it.


If the road is such that two way traffic is just about manageable, you need to overtake using the opposite carriageway, just as if you were overtaking a car.

If your side of the road is not wide enough for a bike a metre from the road edge, plus the width of the rider, plus at least another metre of polite space then you will need to go into the oncoming carriageway when you can see the way is clear.