A ‘Dutch Reach’ you say?
Walking’s good for your body and brain – not least in fighting brain rot (as I talked about in the previous entry).
Cycling’s good on both fronts too and has the attraction of (potentially) taking you a bit further than you can easily walk from Caversham. To quote the genuinely great cyclist Mark Cavendish, as reported by the BBC, “(Cycling is) a way to meet people; it’s a way to be alone with your thoughts. It has so much potential as a sport, a mode of transport, a pastime.”
However, for all its climate-friendly qualities, cycling isn’t being helped by the appalling state of the roads. As a cyclist you need to allow for potentially lethal pot holes – visible or hidden in muddy puddles. Governments local and national make lots of nice noises but talk is cheap and on the ground (as it were), progress is – at best – slow. Yes, there are huge problems with fixing things, not least costs and manpower. And how those problems are prioritized in comparison to other expenditure options is a big topic in its own right. Fine, but in the meantime, we all have to live with the infrastructure in the appalling state it’s in.
While motor vehicles have to struggle with our rotting roads along with all other road users, cyclists are that bit more vulnerable. Pot holes might break a car, but they might kill a cyclist. Keeping that in mind when you’re driving isn’t always easy, but it is always worthwhile. After all, you don’t know who you might be knocking off.
And it’s not just pot holes that might bring down a cyclist. The Dutch ride bikes far more than the Brits, and the ‘Dutch Reach’ is a simple thing to do for anyone getting out of a motor vehicle, which will help ensure you don’t bring down a bike rider. To quote Cycling UK: “Instead of using the hand closest to the door, (the Dutch Reach) means reaching across to open the door with the hand furthest from the door – your left hand if you’re the driver. This naturally turns your body towards the window, helping you spot approaching cyclists.“
There is more information with illustrations here on the Cycling UK site.
Last month, in ‘Feeling Better Fed and Watered’ I rounded-up some places for a cuppa and a bite to eat that are outside of Caversham – good for walkers and cyclists alike
