Australia and New Zealand · Public discussion

@#$%^&* Trams

Started by ::dom:: · · Last activity · 16 posts · 1,295 views

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Original section
Australia and New Zealand
Published
15 October 2006
Last activity
21 October 2006
Original author
::dom::
Posts
16
Discussion status
Public discussion
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  1. I must have brought the sunshine with me to Melbourne 'cos the had the hottest October day on record (according to the TV). I was there for the bike show... which was great... lotsa p()rn - of the two wheeled kind that is.

    Anyway, I thought I have a ride while I was there and I'd packed my trusty Ritchey BreakAway to get in a few Ks.

    My wife travelled by tram to the shops and I pointed out that one must be carefull cycling in Melbourne 'cos tram lines LOVE to eat bicycle wheels...

    WELL! I must of forgotten to touch wood, cross myself, throw salt over my shoulder, give the sign of the evil eye, 'cos cycling back to the hotel along Swanston in light drizzle, trying to squeeze passed a garbage truck, hoping not to get doored, my front wheel got "grabbed" by the tram line and I was catapulted off the bike and skidded a good 4m sliding to stop right infront of a group of Skater Kids who Oooooed in unison - like the crowd do when there's a high tackle at the footy.

    One of the skaters staggered over to me to see if I was OK (he looked to be in a worst state than I was - It was early motrning so I presume he'd been out all night)... He tried to help me up but it was like a couple of novice ice skaters... me in cleats, dazed, on slick tarmac and him stoned, [censored] or both... It must have looked hillarious... definately been a finalist on "Funniest Home Videos"

    I'm Black n Blue up me left side... typing this one fingered... nothing broken... 🙂 but a just had a very painful 5+ hour flight and then a 3hr drive home.

    You'll be pleased to know the bike didn't have a scratch. 😄 😄 😄

  2. ::dom:: said:


    You'll be pleased to know the bike didn't have a scratch. 😄 😄 😄

    You'all come back now ya hear 🙂

  3. ::dom:: said:

    I must have brought the sunshine with me to Melbourne 'cos the had the hottest October day on record (according to the TV). I was there for the bike show... which was great... lotsa p()rn - of the two wheeled kind that is.

    Anyway, I thought I have a ride while I was there and I'd packed my trusty Ritchey BreakAway to get in a few Ks.

    My wife travelled by tram to the shops and I pointed out that one must be carefull cycling in Melbourne 'cos tram lines LOVE to eat bicycle wheels...

    [snip]

    You'll be pleased to know the bike didn't have a scratch. 😄 😄 😄

    Ouch, but of course you don't say '^%%#$ trams', it's '^%%#$ tram tracks'!

    I reckon trams are great on our roads... They never U-turn in front of you, for one thing...

    Get well soon!

    Ritch

  4. ritcho said:

    Ouch, but of course you don't say '^%%#$ trams', it's '^%%#$ tram tracks'!

    I reckon trams are great on our roads... They never U-turn in front of you, for one thing...

    Get well soon!

    Ritch

    But if there were no trams there wouldn't be any tracks 🙄

    Yeh! I like trams too... predictable.. no u-turns, don't pull out infront of you, a nice "ding ding" instead of a blareing horn.

    Cheers
    Dom "and the amazing multi coloured arm"

  5. ::dom:: said:

    But if there were no trams there wouldn't be any tracks 🙄

    Yeh! I like trams too... predictable.. no u-turns, don't pull out infront of you, a nice "ding ding" instead of a blareing horn.

    And remember to stop the bike for peds! Hope the contusions heal up nicely, I've done something similar on a slippery tramtrack along Brunswick St, but with no audience and a advancing tram & idiot in car behind me. Ooooo, from memory that was nasty but I'm still here..

  6. cfsmtb said:


    Quoted message said:

    Yeh! I like trams too... predictable.. no u-turns, don't pull out
    infront of you, a nice "ding ding" instead of a blareing horn.

    And remember to stop the bike for peds!

    Aaaaaagh. Coming home last night into awful northerly and got every red
    light possible, including ped lights, and then copped a tram that seemed
    to let one ped out at every stop.

    Some days I think the High St Kew tram drivers are waiting for me at the
    bottom of each hill.

    DaveB

  7. ::dom:: said:

    'cos cycling back to the hotel along Swanston in light drizzle, trying to squeeze passed a garbage truck, hoping not to get doored, my front wheel got "grabbed" by the tram line and I was catapulted off the bike and skidded a good 4m

    Be careful of tram tracks. Be *very very* careful of *wet* tram tracks. Wet tram tracks (or wet steel plates over excavations) are slippery. As a young 17 year old I thought I could ride across tram tracks at a 45 degree angle. It works in the dry. It didn't work in the wet. I've not come off the bike on tram tracks again. Instead I've been discovering new methods, usually involving the sudden application of brakes to avoid a car whose driver believes that mass rules.

  8. ::dom:: said:

    ..... a nice "ding ding" instead of a blareing horn.

    Actually, some?most?all? have an airhorn and a loudspeaker too... I've seen/heard one horn a courier and say "This is not a bike lane"... all well and good, except that lots of amplification, poor mic technique and an Indian accent don't mix very well....

  9. Snuffy said:

    Actually, some?most?all? have an airhorn and a loudspeaker too... I've seen/heard one horn a courier and say "This is not a bike lane"... all well and good, except that lots of amplification, poor mic technique and an Indian accent don't mix very well....

    Heard something like this pre-1990 tram strike, directed at a errant driver in Collins St. Went like "gitoutathewaayeyostoppidfookwit".

  10. On 2006-10-18, DaveB (aka Bruce)
    was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

    Quoted message said:
    cfsmtb said:


    Quoted message said:

    Yeh! I like trams too... predictable.. no u-turns, don't pull out
    infront of you, a nice "ding ding" instead of a blareing horn.

    And remember to stop the bike for peds!

    Aaaaaagh. Coming home last night into awful northerly and got every red
    light possible, including ped lights, and then copped a tram that seemed
    to let one ped out at every stop.

    Some days I think the High St Kew tram drivers are waiting for me at the
    bottom of each hill.

    Tonight, the observatory bus, which would have left the observatory 2
    minutes after I did, caught up to me about 8km from the observatory.
    Just before the top of the big 80km/h downhill. So I overtook it
    again about 20m over the top. Good thing there's not much traffic
    about 🙂

    It has to go in the low gear downhill, so it took another km or more
    for it to catch up to me again. Bike's definitely a great way to get
    home. 🙂

    --
    TimC
    Your superior intellect is no match for our puny weapons -- Simpsons

  11. On 2006-10-18, cfsmtb (aka Bruce)
    was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

    Quoted message said:


    Snuffy said:

    Actually, some?most?all? have an airhorn and a loudspeaker too... I've
    seen/heard one horn a courier and say "This is not a bike lane"... all
    well and good, except that lots of amplification, poor mic technique and
    an Indian accent don't mix very well....

    Heard something like this pre-1990 tram strike, directed at a errant
    driver in Collins St. Went like "gitoutathewaayeyostoppidfookwit".

    That tram driver should hopefully have gotten a promotion 🙂

    --
    TimC
    "The Internet is the most powerful stupidity amplifier ever invented.
    It's like television without the television part." -- James "Kibo" Parry

  12. TimC said:


    That tram driver should hopefully have gotten a promotion 🙂

    I hope they did, but it's more likely they went on strike about something else shortly afterwards. Warning, large image:
    http://cs.anu.edu.au/~James.Popple/photographs/gallery-01/4x6/trams-1990.jpg

  13. ::dom:: said:
    ritcho said:

    Ouch, but of course you don't say '^%%#$ trams', it's '^%%#$ tram
    tracks'!

    I reckon trams are great on our roads... They never U-turn in front of
    you, for one thing...

    Get well soon!

    Ritch

    But if there were no trams there wouldn't be any tracks 🙄

    Yar. I was riding down Swanston st at about 4am Sunday on the way to
    meet a work sponsored bus taking us to Sorrento, dodged some drunk fools
    and got my front wheel jammed in the tracks. Ended up in a heap in front
    of a taxi. Bike was fine, but made the contusions and bruising made the
    century ride a slightly less pleasant experience.

    --
    daveL

  14. ::dom:: said:

    But if there were no trams there wouldn't be any tracks 🙄

    Yeh! I like trams too... predictable.. no u-turns, don't pull out infront of you, a nice "ding ding" instead of a blareing horn.

    Cheers
    Dom "and the amazing multi coloured arm"

    Don't forget the useful hand holds for pulling you up nasty hills.

  15. SomeGuy said:

    Don't forget the useful hand holds for pulling you up nasty hills.

    Holy cow! You actually do that, or have I just been hooked? 🙂

    Ritch

  16. ::dom:: said:

    But if there were no trams there wouldn't be any tracks 🙄
    Yeh! I like trams too... predictable.. no u-turns, don't pull out
    infront of you, a nice "ding ding" instead of a blareing horn.

    More so, that could be 50 additional motorists to each tram!

    Jeremy

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