Roll on Summer! (From Bournemouth Echo)

Roll on Summer!

12:42pm Monday 18th January 2010 in

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THAT'S it; I have officially had enough of winter! I'm sure I'll get over it in a few days but I'm fed up with the amount of kit I have to wear and the time spent recharging batteries for my lights. However there are two particular things that are really making me a grumpy old man!

The condition of the roads and paths at the moment is appalling! There are potholes everywhere and the detritus left behind after the recent bad weather is shocking. I don't expect all paths and roadways to be cleared daily and kept in pristine condition but there is a marked difference as you travel across the Bournemouth and Poole conurbation between areas looked after by our different local authorities.

Knowing that there are instances where people can claim compensation for damage or injury caused by badly maintained roads and paths I am glad I'm not responsible for fixing these issues!

The other thing that is really getting on my wick at the moment is the incredibly low standard of driving at this time of year! I had hoped that the message about clearing windows before driving off had got through, but judging by the evidence recently it would seems that some people still think that an area resembling a letterbox is all that needs to be cleared before driving off.

What was good during the snowy and icy conditions was that most drivers seemed to take care, slow down and give more room - not just to cyclists but to all road users. However there were still some unbelievably stupid people who seemed to think that the slippery conditions didn't affect them!

I had the opportunity on one of the days to witness a Mercedes driver in the road outside my house who was managing to make a fantastic effort in polishing the sheet ice by both wheel spinning and skidding all at the same time. This all appeared to be deliberate as he went past my house in both directions several times! How he avoided a collision with the many parked cars was either a demonstration of superhuman driving skills or just luck, personally I think it was the latter!

Now that the weather has warmed up and the snow and ice has melted, at least for the next couple of days, people have returned to normal. I got an email from a friend of mine this morning: "Just to let you know someone in a red car knocked me off my bike as they made a last minute decision to turn left into a road. Me and the bike seem well enough to function but right rump and elbow a tad sore."

Maybe I am being naive but surely the correct application of mirror, signal and manoeuvre would have avoided an accident?