On the Irony of Expensive Cars

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A few weeks ago two individuals in a car yelled abuse at a group of us who were cycling. They were mad that a cyclist did not pull in for them to pass easily. At this point I thought "Despair is not sat on a bench as in the proverb, he is sat in a car.

Years ago, after yet another speeding fine when driving between home and a scuba diving spot, or vice versa I was flashed and I thought "expensive cars are a waste of money, because the motorway is rarely quiet enough to drive at the speed limit, let alone to speed. In effect you’re spending a huge amount on a machine that will see you stuck in traffic and grumpy.

I know that traffic makes people grumpy. That’s one of my reasons for trying to drive just twice a week, for commuting by train, rather than by car, and for hiking by train, rather than driving, when it is rational to do so.

The point is that cars were liberating for a long time, but as traffic increased, and as speed radars increased so the joy and pleasure of driving was diminished.

Nyon has traffic lights that mean that driving from Place Des Nations to Pont Du Mont Blanc can take a full hour. The drive to Geneva is 20 minutes, but the drive from the motorway exit to the centre is another fourty minutes. In that time you could be at a hiking spot, ready to start your hike.

Yesterday I was thinking of something else. Since I have cycled so regularly for several weeks now I have barely used the car, or trains. I have ridden into and out of Geneva, gone for group rides and more. I am carbon neutral, in theory, since my food habit is powering my movements, rather than petrol, solar power or hydroelectric power.

Right Wing Media, including Facebook owned sites are trying to stigmatise cycling but it is easy to see how cycling allows you to explore your local region, without using cars, trains, or other. It also enables you to go along roads that are quieter.

Health and Safety with Train Crossings in the Swiss Jura

In Nyon when the bell rings it could be a while before a train appears, but if you’re on one of the smaller Jura roads, if you hear the railway crossing bells, stop and wait for the train. The bell ringing time on mountain crossings is much shorter than in urban settings. Do not get caught out.

An Expensive Bike Rather Than Car

If you buy a luxurious bike, rather than an expensive car you will gain freedom, especially if you ride regularly and get fit. The more you ride, and the fitter you get, the faster you can ride. Of course cycling is not about speed, it’s about the freedom to explore without getting too knackered, of exploring, without worrying about how you’ll make it home.

And Finally

As car traffic increases so the pleasure of driving decreases. A good way to reduce traffic is to make cycling an attractive alternative, through voie verte, safer bike storage and more.With a bicycle you can ride to your maximum. With a car you have to follow speed limits, and drive safely, and it’s easy to get stuck behind slower cars.

If I get stuck behind a slow bike, I’m fine. I know that the person is using their own stamina. When I am stuck behind a car I am frustrated, because we are all equal in a car. Our physical fitness is not the deciding factor.

I suspect that cycling is pleasant now, because a lot of people are on public holidays, so roads are quieter, and safer. When people come back from holidays I suspect roads will be less pleasant.