Sydney Commute: ducking thrown bottles

Never had that happen to me in the Inner West, maybe he was aiming at
the 4WD 🙂

Quoted message said:

Wotcher,

Today's commute featured some normal inner-west insanity: garbage
trucks wrong side of the road down tight lanes, people merging from my
right to turn left at a "right/left" intersection with lights. Black
4WDs looking like they'll come out of a parking space at me.

Until a mentally ill pedestrian threw an empty beer bottle 20 metres or
so at my head. It hit the Black 4WD. After the 4WD and I moved 20m up
the road and parked to take account, locals warned us, "Don't go near
that bloke" pointing at the slightly disshelved middle aged man staring
somewhat proudly at his handy work.

A little bit faster and I would have copped a long neck in the ear.

I've heard of this behaviour before from drivers, but how many weird
peds target cyclists with missiles?

Sam R.

That is so awesome, that he hit the 4WD. Woohoo!

Tam

[email hidden said:

"]
I've heard of this behaviour before from drivers, but how many weird
peds target cyclists with missiles?

Incurred a few objects, like slushies & fruit. Empty pizza boxes hurt when fribee'd out of the car & they hit you corner on. That was up in Fawkner. Funny bottle lobbing incident was a couple of snotty kids at Dennis station. They lobbed a half-full glass bottle at me. It missed, and I duly cycled over to the platform to have chat. Like true gutless wonders, they ran for the clappers, and missed the city-bound train they were waiting for. :p

That's the other (somewhat guilty) feeling I had!

Sam R.

1x Macca's thick shake [almost empty]
1x coke can [almost empty]
1x Big M [empty]

result= developed a nervous twitch everytime I hear someone slurp the last of this soft drink/slurpy/milkshake.

[email hidden said:

"]
Until a mentally ill pedestrian threw an empty beer bottle 20 metres or
so at my head. It hit the Black 4WD. After the 4WD and I moved 20m up
the road and parked to take account, locals warned us, "Don't go near
that bloke" pointing at the slightly disshelved middle aged man staring
somewhat proudly at his handy work.

</pc>

I'm not a supporter of the recent "just let them loose" policy... Lock em up or make sure they have adequate supervision I say.. 'tards and the like need to be able to function in society for their own safety and the safety of others... too many times I've seen them harass innocent people or cause other antisocial disturbances... Don't mistake me as a total 'tard basher though, same applies to drugged/drunk people..if not more so as they have made the choice to be like that..

If I was clobbered by a 'tard... my initial reaction would be to clobber them back... note - I didn't say this was the right reaction.. my girly 'roadie' arms wouldn't pack much of a punch anyways..

Glad to hear the 4WD was the one taking the hit Sam!..

duck and weave!
GPL

gplama said:

I'm not a supporter of the recent "just let them loose" policy... Lock em up or make sure they have adequate supervision I say.. 'tards and the like need to be able to function in society for their own safety and the safety of others... too many times I've seen them harass innocent people or cause other antisocial disturbances... Don't mistake me as a total 'tard basher though, same applies to drugged/drunk people..if not more so as they have made the choice to be like that..

I understand what you're saying but I can't help but think that a good solution to this problem would be to create communities for these people, where they have adequate support and supervision, yet are able to be mostly independent. Not only are some a danger to the general public, but I'm fairly sure that intellectually disabled women are an easy target to sexual predators. I've heard of this sort of arrangement overseas and apparently it works really well for all concerned. I'm fairly sure they're not locked up, but it gives them somewhere to be where they can be fairly independent and not be ostracised by society.

In my opinion, you can really gauge society on the way it looks after disabled people... and that's something we're not doing at all.

Lotte

LotteBum said:

In my opinion, you can really gauge society on the way it looks after disabled people... and that's something we're not doing at all.

Lotte

Woah we're going OT here, but a similar topic came up on ABC 774 this morning ie: parents of mentally-ill adult children practically left to fend for themselves due to inadequate services.

Tamyka Bell said:

That is so awesome, that he hit the 4WD. Woohoo!

Really? So you think the idea of giving someone one hell of a fright when
they're in control of a mobile lump of metal is a good idea?

Get a brain.

Graeme

LotteBum said:

I understand what you're saying but I can't help but think that a good solution to this problem would be to create communities for these people, where they have adequate support and supervision, yet are able to be mostly independent. Not only are some a danger to the general public, but I'm fairly sure that intellectually disabled women are an easy target to sexual predators. I've heard of this sort of arrangement overseas and apparently it works really well for all concerned. I'm fairly sure they're not locked up, but it gives them somewhere to be where they can be fairly independent and not be ostracised by society.

In my opinion, you can really gauge society on the way it looks after disabled people... and that's something we're not doing at all.

Lotte

I work in the health system.

Providing supported living arrangements is a very good idea (and current mental health professionals' thinking).

But you wouldn't believe the outcry by the 'public' when government wants to put such a house or houses in a particular locality. (personal experience).

And the sexual predator threat is real too, but not just for young women, but for older disabled women and mentally disabled males as well. And other predators such as financial spivs etc as well.

But proper supported accomodation can be the answer for some people who are between needing acute care and being totally independent.

In an ideal world.......

SteveA

[email hidden said:

"]Wotcher,

Today's commute featured some normal inner-west insanity: garbage
trucks wrong side of the road down tight lanes, people merging from my
right to turn left at a "right/left" intersection with lights. Black
4WDs looking like they'll come out of a parking space at me.

Until a mentally ill pedestrian threw an empty beer bottle 20 metres or
so at my head. It hit the Black 4WD. After the 4WD and I moved 20m up
the road and parked to take account, locals warned us, "Don't go near
that bloke" pointing at the slightly disshelved middle aged man staring
somewhat proudly at his handy work.

A little bit faster and I would have copped a long neck in the ear.

I've heard of this behaviour before from drivers, but how many weird
peds target cyclists with missiles?

Sam R.

Samuel,

Did the 4WD driver punch you because you were the cause of the bottle throwing incident?

SteveA

I thought it was funny. Get a sense of humour.

Donga

I thought it was funny. Get a sense of humour.

Donga

Graeme:

Quoted message said:

Really? So you think the idea of giving someone one hell of a fright when they're in control of a mobile lump of metal is a good idea?
Get a brain.

I thought it was funny. Get a sense of humour Graeme.

Donga

Quoted message said:

Wotcher,

Today's commute featured some normal inner-west insanity: garbage
trucks wrong side of the road down tight lanes, people merging from my
right to turn left at a "right/left" intersection with lights. Black
4WDs looking like they'll come out of a parking space at me.

Until a mentally ill pedestrian threw an empty beer bottle 20 metres or
so at my head. It hit the Black 4WD. After the 4WD and I moved 20m up
the road and parked to take account, locals warned us, "Don't go near
that bloke" pointing at the slightly disshelved middle aged man staring
somewhat proudly at his handy work.

A little bit faster and I would have copped a long neck in the ear.

I've heard of this behaviour before from drivers, but how many weird
peds target cyclists with missiles?

Sam R.

Try being shot at with a .22 rifle. It happened to me some years ago,
from a group of drunken morons less than 50 km from where I sit. I'm
going back up there in a few weeks, hopefully they're long gone.
R.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I understand what you're saying but I can't help but think that a good
solution to this problem would be to create communities for these
people, where they have adequate support and supervision, yet are able
to be mostly independent. Not only are some a danger to the general
public, but I'm fairly sure that intellectually disabled women are an
easy target to sexual predators. I've heard of this sort of
arrangement overseas and apparently it works really well for all
concerned. I'm fairly sure they're not locked up, but it gives them
somewhere to be where they can be fairly independent and not be
ostracised by society.

A few hundred years back it was the army and the navy - but these days it
is all hi-tech as well as hard yacka and needs to be volunteers.

SteveA said:

Quoted message said:

Until a mentally ill pedestrian threw an empty beer bottle 20 metres or
so at my head. It hit the Black 4WD.

Quoted message said:

Did the 4WD driver punch you because you were the cause of the bottle
throwing incident?

She gave me a filthy look, and I expected as much, which is why I
stopped: to prove that I didn't do it. After that she just became
concerned about her car's paintwork. And only secondarily about her
children in the back getting scared...

yours,
Sam R.

Quoted message said:

I'm not a supporter of the recent "just let them loose" policy... Lock
em up or make sure they have adequate supervision I say.. 'tards and
the like need to be able to function in society for their own safety
and the safety of others... too many times I've seen them harass
innocent people or cause other antisocial disturbances... Don't
mistake me as a total 'tard basher though, same applies to
drugged/drunk people..if not more so as they have made the choice to be
like that..

Surely the same 'catch all' principle should also apply to 4WD owners and /
or drivers?

Donga said:

I thought it was funny. Get a sense of humour Graeme.

Donga

Got one already thanks, I just find it rather stupid that chucking a bottle
at someone (anyone) is judged as funny/justified purely because of their
choice of vehicle, particularly when them or the vehicle getting hit could
cause loss of control and an accident ("ha ha, I've squished the cyclist
the bottle was meant for, still they deserve it for riding a bike"😉.

I've seen something as "harmless" as a snowball hitting the side of a car
cause a minor accident. If you've ever been sitting inside a car that's
been hit by anything of a similar size, you'll know that it makes one hell
of a bang.

Graeme