PUNK COMMUTE - getting closer!!!!!

Encased with sorrowful regretful tones, the PAs for the Premier (the Hon. Barry O'Farrell) and the Minister for Transport (the Hon. Gladys Berejiklian) have sweetly left phone messages on my phone to say they cannot attend our pending "Punk Commute" - sigh!

Notwithstanding, the message from the Premier expressly conveyed his warmest regards, plus his very best wishes for the ride and my endeavours!!!!!

Given that he is so part of my 'endeavours', maybe it means he's going to be really amenable and agree to revoking mandatory bicycle helmet law!!!...

...in fact the more I re-listen to the message the more I am beside myself with excitement - so warm & friendly...

...I've tried calling back to leave a 'warm & friendly' message too but it's just been ringing out so I haven't been able to...

...yet...

...no worries though - I'll keep trying.

Other 'pollie' news - polite letter from Minister for Roads (the Hon. Duncan Gay) - apparently all the material I raised in my "Punk Commute" postcard is being considered - lovely! - can't wait to hear the final outcome of his considerations.

...& that just leaves my own local honey who hasn't got back to me yet but I'm confident he will - I think he's somewhat preoccupied with 'MattersRacing&Gambling' - poor darling...

...'roads' and 'transport' must seem like a piece of cake!!!!

Bicycling to Balmain

...with 50% of my beautiful babies


...& a bunch of aussie blooms


...with a view of Anzac Bridge & city


...& one of Anandale


...& all for a magical Kazbah tagine

Definitely yum & bliss! - a perfect Sydney day!

Old enough to be their mum!

Stopped by bicycle police on Pyrmont Bridge this week sans helmet, and more disappointingly, sans camera - what a missed opportunity to capture fabulous 'Mad Max-y' Aussie police bike gear - shame!

Notwithstanding, had an interesting discourse with the 2 young chaps touching upon 'usual suspects' of the helmet debate ie:

* my 'conscientious objector status'

* no Class-One evidence proving actual protection

* extensive studies & squabbling academics

* my frequent court sojourns on this matter, with further 'Court Attendance Notice' pending

* nowhere else in world (sauf NZ) burdened with our helmet regulation

* blah! blah! blah!...you know the rest...

...but the Pièce de Résistance' of bridge moment (bear with me!!!!) was when they asked me how often I fall off my bicycle (??????????) and I answered that I never fall off because cycling is not exactly difficult plus I'm very experienced given that I've been riding a bicycle for at least 46 years.

...(best bit is now!)...they said to me that couldn't possibly be true because I couldn't be 46 let alone have cycled for 46 years...

...(LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! THOSE 2 BICYCLE POLICEMEN!!!)...

...and when I mentioned I was 51, they said no way, that I didn't even look 30 (yes! yes! I know it was dark but who cares - a compliment's a compliment!!!!)...

...for a brief moment I was speechless, but quickly recovered myself to say that I was old enough to be their mother and looked how I looked because I cycled everywhere untrammelled by dangerous & restrictive helmets!!!!

Must admit it was a struggle to introduce seriousness back into the conversation but upon being asked why I thought helmet laws had been introduced in the first place I was able to rejoinder for purely commercial & merchandising purposes. To illustrate my hypotheses I drew their attention to their own particular bicycle gear that wasn't just specialised for their mode of transport but for their job as well:

"Take for example your gloves," I expansively declared, "not only have they chopped off the fingers at great expense but they've had to stitch the words 'police' on the much reduced fabric space; & then there are your shorts and your tops and even your helmets, all with extra stitching and labelling - it has cost a packet to get you decked out for your evening cycle ride whereas the way I'm dressed right now hasn't cost me a cycling cent!"

Well, a sweet friendly bicycle-police 'warning' was issued with a further 'warning' that should by chance we meet again, an infringement notice would surely follow.

I can only hope we meet again! - it's not every day you hear such gallantry!!!!...

...& sure beats the 'f' word, the 'c' word and even the 'w' word (the 'w' word being 'wombat', inexplicably a favourite Aussie insult) all issued to me this week by passing motorists!!!

Punk Commute 'to-do-list' similar to Sleeping Beauty's Christening

In a bid to cover all the 'godparents', I dashed off 2 more 'Postcard Invites' yesterday...
==============================================


(Postcard to the Hon. Duncan Gay MP, NSW Minister for Roads)

Dear Mr Gay,

We do hope you will be able to join us on the 20th after we have delivered our heartfelt thanks to the Lord Mayor of Sydney, who single-handedly has attempted to address the city's dire transport landscape.

Talk of digging-up cycleways is a 'joke', isn't it?

Kind regards,
Sue A
==============================================


(Postcard to Mr Alan Jones, Radio Announcer)

Dear Mr Jones,

It occurs to me often as I cycle the Bourke Street cycleway that you must be immensely pleased that the dire forecasts you predicted for Bourke Street businesses never eventuated.

Do join us on the 20th to thank Clover!

Kind regards,
Sue A
==============================================

Safety-washing claims for the 'already-safe'

Under the new Australian Consumer Law (aka the old Trade Practices Act), businesses including helmet manufacturers and promoters may not engage in conduct that is likely to mislead or deceive - nor may they make false or misleading representations about affiliation characteristics, standard, quality or benefits.

The test as to whether businesses are engaging in conduct that is likely to mislead or deceive is whether 'the astute and the gullible, the intelligent and the not so intelligent, the well-educated as well as the poorly educated, men and women of various ages pursuing a variety of vocations' would be misled.

In a nutshell, claims for products must be:

(1) accurate

(2) substantiated

(3) specific

...which means that any 'touted' benefits must be real, & not overstated. Furthermore, 'disclaimers' can never correct a false misleading main statement ever ever ever. Similarly forecasts or predictions' will be deemed to be misleading unless there are reasonable grounds for the claim.

Given the clearly stated 'trade practice' safeguards, it is arguable that the spin attached to helmet protection could mislead consumers into thinking that a bicycle helmet might offer complete cycling protection.

In light of all this, how did bicycle helmet promoters ever convince Australian politicians to go down the helmet-law pathway when the requisite substantiation was missing?

Surely it is only a matter of time before the ACCC will have to release a 'Safety Marketing Guide' to ensure businesses do not mislead their customers with the fanciful protection claims?

PUNK COMMUTE - 20th May 2011

(copy of text on postcard sent to Mr O'Farrell)

=========================================

Dear Mr O'Farrell,

We are hoping that you will be able to meet us at Parliament House on 20/5/2011 so we can discuss bicycle helmet laws and transport.

We will be arriving after we have delivered our card of thanks to the Lord Mayor (for everything she has done for transport in the city of Sydney.)

Kind regards,
Sue A

OMG - traffic jams are profitable

Australian mandatory helmet laws are the sum total of a 'way-too close' relationship between government, the oil lobby, simultaneously underpinned by our fatuous economic dependence on freeways & cars...

...and now we find out that our aussie gridlocks have been economically planned...apparently it's a very profitable business to operate with poor political strategy and a total lack of vision because our growing crisis of urban road-share makes a packet for a few - UNBELIEVABLE!!!