ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact
Each morning around 8, a cyclist rides down the foothpath of Rue de Branlette and dings his bell at pedestrians so they get out of his way.
Despite their being a perfectly good bike lane on Route de Londres, which runs parallel to Rue de Branlette, Russell Craig prefers to ride down the footpath and make everyone part like the Red Sea on an already narrow footpath.
When he comes up behind a pedestrian that’s selfishly walking on the footpath, Mr Craig rings his bell so they know he’s there and that he’s in a hurry.
The 43-year-old freelance set designer told The Advocate this morning that he’s allowed to ride wherever he wants, including the footpath.
“It’s none of your business where I like to ride,” he said.
“But I ride down Rue de Branlette because I like to look at the shops and smell the fresh bread at the bakeries. Riding on the road is dangerous, especially with that Clancy Overell driving his leased Ford Ranger around while texting on his phone and watching Modern Family reruns on his laptop. I’ve seen him do it,”
“The road is there to share.”
However, that view is not shared by the majority of pedestrians in our cosmopolitan inland port city.
The masthead’s editor Clancy Overell said he was dinged obnoxiously this morning by Mr Craig and explained the red mist he felt being harangued by a “bike enjoyer” while walking out of the Pisse Dans Ma Poche Cafe with a tray of coffees in his hands and a bag of “cwassants” under his arm.
“He almost ran me over,” explained a still visibly-angry Overell.
“That arsehole. Fuck off onto the road, you coward. Fucking ding me with your little bell, you cunt. I mean, didn’t Mayor Keith Carton put in bike lines over the road there? Why isn’t he riding in his own lane? Honestly, these bastards ride down the freeway, ride down the tram tracks, ride in the trolleybus lane. Chain their bikes onto the fence of MY terrace house. It’s private property,”
“I mean, you don’t see pedestrians walking down the bus lane or jogging in traffic. I don’t care what anyone says, it’s innately cowardly to be a cyclist but not ride on the road. I’m not the one putting my life at risk so I can get to work faster. It’s the risk you take.”
More to come.
