Commenting on Commenters

OK, here I go again. I'm going to comment on commenters. I realise it's a waste of time; it won't change anyone's view. Indeed, the commenters I'll be commenting on surely don't read this blog. They'd be reading www.theweeklydrive.com or www.theweeklyidiot.com or something. Still, commenting on commenters is soothing for me.

Of course, if I just held back from reading the comments, I wouldn't get so worked up that soothing was necessary. But I can't help myself. It's like not being able to resist staring at a terrible car accident or a crazy person. For some reason, us humans are into train wrecks.

Today, I was reading Bike riders' bid for car-free zone to extend into St Kilda Road in The Age. Have a read if you like. If you can't be bothered, it can be summed-up thus; some bike riders are bidding to extend the car-free zone into St Kilda Road.

The plan

And, here's what some people said (my comments in a soothing shade of blue):

Let bike riders pay for it then. They want the world and pay nothing towards the changes. Make it a tollway for them, they can easily fit e tags to their bikes. Fact is car and truck drivers pay fuel excise and registration fees that pay for the roads to be maintained. If these jerks want access, pay up. Enough is enough. Mike, VIC

This has to be the most oft sited false premise in the car-bike discussion; "because cars pay rego, bikes should too." That fact is, car use is one of the most subsidised forms of transport there is. The cost of undoing the road damage and trauma caused by cars far outweighs that registration the drivers pay. Further, car registration doesn't go into fixing roads and injured people. Most of that money comes from income tax, which everyone pays (except children of course, who we all know should be shot).

Actually Mike that is a fantastic idea!

RooBoo Melbourne 

No, it's not.

Hear, hear! Mike. Totally agree....and why not go one step further? Have all cyclists undergo a riding test - oral and practical, to become licensed - as is the requirement for all motorvehicle drivers.

Gary Melbourne

Oh, I didn't realise that was part of the test. I just thought she liked me.

Again cyclists who pay for nothing to use the roads are demanding another nonsense idea. Melbourne's original planners would turn in their graves with this latest impractical idea from the lycra left.
Get off your bikes.

Wayne South Melbourne

OMFG

waste of money as inevitably because of constant bad behaviour and the insurance complications this is going to cause melbourne city council,it will be forced into a blanket ban on bikes in an area bounded by punt road,victoria parade and the domaine interchange,
brinkin East Melbourne

I'm sorry, I don't quite follow your reasoning here.

If the cyclists want to takeover an important traffic icon and more roadways, fine, but introduce legislation to have all bicycles registered and issued with plates. I can't drive an unregistered car on roads, so why should cyclists?

Gary Melbourne CBD 

Yes, I always thought of Saint Kilda Road as a traffic icon; kind of like Madonna but, like, a road.

OK, I've only read half the comments but I can stop now as I am feeling soothed.

 

I must admit, I feel a bit guilty about all this. I mean, there shouldn't even be a bike-car "war". Why can't everyone just get-the-fuck along? By making fun of these idiots, I'm only stoking the flames. People need to learn to be nice. Maybe The Age could start writing articles about the "war" between nice people and mean people. And then the nice people can say that the mean people need to register their meanness. And the mean people can say that they want more areas where they're free to be mean. And I'm nice on the weekends but mean on weekdays, so I shouldn't have to pay for being both nice and mean. And what about that boring average guy? I just saw him laugh at a kid who dropped his ice-cream. He's just pretending not to be mean. Probably because he has a crush on a nice girl. Who's left wing.

 

Aaaahhhhh....