I have returned to the UK, but thanks to the inability of the UK rail network to function at any kind of useful level on a Sunday, I still haven’t made it home. A bicycle might even have been faster — not that I can ride one, a skill I never developed. They seem to use a few in Oxford, though.
This is one of those occasions where an often-seen view suddenly struck me, for the first time, as possible material for a picture. And with a long zoom, it seems to have worked out. I like the details, such as the panda face to the left. Doubtless if you are Chinese, there will be more. Though apparently, the banners read “Happy New Year” (if the very small writing at the bottom of each is to be believed): proof that this particular culture is no more fastidious about taking down the seasonal decorations than are the English.
Bicycles two days in a row, but not deliberately — these conjunctions are going to happen every so often. As with my last visit to Toronto I’ve not been here to do the tourist sights though that may change for a bit over the coming weekend. This spot is tucked into the nicer section of the University of Toronto campus, the bit where it’s all trees, quadrangles and shady old buildings. (I, of course, work in one of the modern concretey bits.)
I am on sabbatical, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop going to campus. Sometimes I just need to stretch my legs. And there are certain inspirational qualities it provides: today, these included the light, particularly as experienced outside the Stopford Building on Oxford Road this morning.
The Truss regime unveil their new approach to sustainable transport solutions for the North of England. Quiet and clean, these devices will doubtless prove a more than adequate substitute for TransPennine ‘Express’, and its present business model of dissuading absolutely everyone from using their services, at any time. “We think this will do for that scabby region up towards Scotland that we don’t give a toss about”, said Truss’s new Transport Secretary, who no one can remember the name of. “At £104.85 for a single ticket to Leeds, I’m sure the people of the North will appreciate the value-for-money that our investments in their transport infrastructure and welfare….. Whaddya mean you’re ungrateful? We’ve got some big tax cuts for the top 1% of earners to pay for!”
This scene is very Dutch, even without sight of any canals, windmills, cheese, cannabis retailers and so on — all of which Wageningen has, I can assure you. There are plenty of bikes visible here however. Conversations in the pub this evening suggest that the Nethlerlands faces just the same problems that are familiar at home right now, such as rising energy bills, neoliberalist shite in power, etc., and I sympathise, belive me. But all the same it seems just such a civilised place, compared to almost anywhere else I can think of.
I have to admit to being unable to ride a bike. I am sure family will mention that there was a brief period, aged about 7, where I gave it a go but we never got on. Can’t say I really see the point of them: walking has always seemed more pleasant, and safer, over shorter distances and any longer, let’s get a bus or train shall we? But I’m not anti-bike. I like ‘bike for hire’ schemes (cf. Brisbane, 2013). I know cyclists suffer prejudice due to their chosen form of transport. It’s just not for me.
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Making transport communal has always seemed to me to be the most sensible solution. I haven’t owned a car for some twelve years now, at least, but I am a member of a car pool. These orange bikes get unlocked by some code you can get on your mobile phone, you use them, leave them at your destination so someone else, possibly, can use them there. So simple. Unlike the similar ones I saw in Brisbane five years ago, these ones are seen to be used now and again. And yet there are some who would react even to this basic and friendly form of socialism by frothing at the mouth.
Perhaps this shot would have been better with either one group or the other, but I like the split-screen nature of it with both. A nice evening in Hebden Bridge, much more amenable weather than in Manchester for most of the day, which is where I was.
Following the perceived success of last year’s passing of the Tour de France, everyone decided it would be a good idea to run another professional cycle race along our street — only this time going up the hill rather than down it. The end result was much the same — a lot of guys on bikes came past very quickly and 30 seconds after they had done so, all the spectators went home.
Being 42 