Posts have been a little slow the last few days as I’m away – although I am slowly working on some. In the mean time here are a few photo’s.
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Posts have been a little slow the last few days as I’m away – although I am slowly working on some. In the mean time here are a few photo’s.
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Hmm, your wife and fellow cyclist could both get ticketed for not wearing helmets.
Sure I read the beach from High water mark upwards is considered a public road in NZ (hence the motorbikes and SUVs driving on it at most beaches).
So she is riding without her helmet on a public road…
It was well below the high tide mark, was riding in wet sand 😉
With blatant disregard to the risks posed by seagulls, frisbees and out of control SUV’s. Bloody cyclists.
And the cyclists could have been drunk or naked like this man in Timaru, and still only been issued a “helmet infringement notice”.
http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/news/57551/Naked-cyclist-fined-for-not-wearing-a-helmet
What a great country we live in!
In Japan it’s a criminal offence to drink and cycle. One foreigner got busted while I was living there. If I was pretty toasted after multiple drinks with friends I always walked my bike back to my apartment especially as there was a police station nearby.
Actually there is no mention of high or low tide marks in the legislation and beach is explicitly mentioned so you are supposed to be wearing a helmet.
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/what-is-a-road/what-is-a-road.html
Legislation here (scroll down the “r” in the definitions)
http://www.legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1998/0110/latest/whole.html#DLM433619
Oh for crying out loud. Riding slow along the beach. She is more at risk of drowning. This is why the law is an ass. It does not take level of risk into account. Kick back and enjoy Matt. I wouldn’t be wearing a helmet either. You’re placing no one at risk other than yourself and even then it is incredibly low. Merry Xmas.
I don’t disagree its a stupid law, and if it was me, I’d have my helmet off too.
But as far as laws go, it has a point – its a public road, so a SUV or motorcycle may appear out of nowhere, and hit someone – just like could happen on the road. Or you could cyle iinto a patch of soft sand, lose control and fall off hitting your head on a nearby piece of driftwood.
After all this is a public road. So yep there is some point to the law.
Seen the drowning toll for 2014? And yet, wisely, council deferred from a mandatory lifejacket bylaw to one that allows the skipper to judge risk. And we’re not stopping anyone swimming in the ocean. Meanwhile, Rodney Hide tries to defend 140 km/h in his V8……
And yet when they did do something about swimming pool drowning deaths people cried ‘nanny state’.
What exactly are you arguing here anyway Bryce, that we should have life jacket laws but not helmet laws? I’m sure there are many boaties that say exactly the same about life jackets as you do about helmets.
No. I’m saying we should be looking at the law as Israel has and break out the risk factors. No helmet required when on cycleways etc. And picking on someone riding on a beach at slow speed?
Mandatory lifejacket laws are overkill depending on circumstances. Do you know Waikato harbourmaster tickets SUP paddlers even though no one has ever drowned in one in NZ? Madness. I was an active Coastguard member for 6 years and have been a lifeguard for near on 30. Risk management is what I do for a job. I know something about risk and mitigation.
What a bunch of scrooges! 🙂
Good photos of simple pleasures.
Finally, people riding proper sit-up-style bikes with baskets on the front. Many, many more of these on Auckland streets please.
I assume the first and last photos are different beaches. No dogs on the first one 😉
Which beach is it?
Different parts of the same beach and on different days. Was at Whangamata
I’m looking for a proper bike to commute/shopping/beers can you review yours? They look good apart from the ladies frame?
I don’t have a lot to compare them against but they were good and do the job – ladies frame as they are shared bikes for when family visits our bach. Certainly made good use of the basket for carting stuff around
Greg – cant believe you are actually agreeing that stupid helmet law should apply to a beach. Just say No!!
Meanwhile, in Italy, Denmark and Holland, lots of people cycle – and I haven’t seen a single person wearing a helmet while cycling on their inner-city cycle ways (nor at the beach either, of course). Interesting – young people, old ladies, hippies, business people – whatever they are, none wear helmets. Neither, really, any sign of fluoro vests, lights, etc, or anything. And you know what? No one gives a toss. Helmet laws are stupid, and unnecessary.
Chillout dude,
We know what they do in Europe with their laws.
As for the law – yes I agree and I submitted at length to the MoTs Cylcing Safety Panel review earlier this year, – I requested that they recommend to the MoT that compulsory helmet laws be changed to allow adults (at least) to decide if they should wear them or not and (b) to allow practical bike share schemes to work in this part of the world, as evidence shows that helmet laws and bike share schemes don’t mix very well.
Still no likelihood of any changes here from their summary of findings which went to the MoT last month.
The other part is to inform/remind all readers of this blog that the beach is a public road, just as much as the road outside your house is.
And therefore the helmet law as it stands (and all other road rules), applies equally there and at the beach.
This also means, that while enjoying the beach,in any form – keep a look out – as there may well be some arsehole (or 2 or 3) hooning around in some motorised contraptions, also not keeping a lookout, otherwise “nek minute”…
Even the inside of your house is a road – so make sure you are wearing a helmet when you ride your wind trainer in the living room.
“This statutory definition covers places to which the public have access – whether of right or not. For an example, read the definition of ‘road’ in the Land Transport Act 1998 (on the Public Access to Legislation Project website). Take particular note of paragraph (d) and the words ‘A place to which the public have access, whether as of right or not’.”
http://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/what-is-a-road/what-is-a-road.html
Since ACC reports in-home falls are a significant cause of accidents and deaths in NZ, it does make sense to wear a helmet in and around your home at all times whether cycling or not – from an injury prevention point of view 🙂
Of course that is totally impractical in real life, but thats the “engineering” approach to dealing with the problem – just treat/mitigate the symptoms not the underlying causes – which is so much of what see nowadays in our road and planning laws.
Whangamata an awesome spot. Currently on Kawau Island absolutely fantastic. Yacht club new owners issue with gas until 6th Jan bring extra if coming? Limiting fishing a bit. Stand up paddle board works getting used to it, another fun way to get around.