March 31

The last day of March.  The end of my month-long biking odyssey.  Or perhaps the beginning of a longer term one.  Like the end of each sit-com episode, it's time to see what we've learnt ...

What I have found is that we are quite able to reduce car usage.  It can be a pain, but it is surprisingly enjoyable.

The biggest change I have found during my time in the bike saddle is that it is crucial to plan ahead.  Do not just wake up in the morning and look at diary to see what is happening.  Look a week ahead.

Arrange meetings for convenient times and locations, and put a time aside to do all your “run-around” chores at one time.

When you rely on a car, you get used to simply hopping in and charging off.  You don't need to plan ahead.  Freedom and acting on impulse are the deep psychological joys of driving a car.

Using a bike has delivered benefits, such as the freshness and vitality we get from intense exercise.

Surprisingly I find I have more time, as I had to plan my schedule more carefully.  I have reclaimed those lost hours each week when I was stuck behind the wheel.

Please don't give up on riding your bikes.  Stick at it.  Try a few extra bike trips a week, and don't be hard on yourself if you have a lazy moment and grab the car keys.

But you will gain a lot more from riding your bike than you imagined.

To all the people who have read this biking blog, thank you, and I hope, as I said, you've had an "end of sit-com episode" moment and  learnt something.  Or changed something.

March 30

Today will be the last day I ride to work during March, as on March 31 I will take the train to Strathpine.  I'll give an greater analysis in my next post.

Today was another ride out to Beachmere, from Caboolture.  As soon as I left the Council building, it started raining.  As you know from my previous posts, that isn't a problem.

I may look a little bedgraggled when I arrive (note to bike riders: get a short hair cut and tidy your hair up when you arrive.  Why do you think Tony Abbott has got short hair?  Not that it does anything for him ... better stop there ...) but I dry out quickly.  Just bring some extra clothes.

But when the rain bucketed down on the way back to the office, it did seem like more of a problem - not so much fun anymore.  I still took the time to think as I rode back - why are there so many dead Redbelly Black snakes on Beachmere Road?  Are there a lot of them, or are they slower than other snakes?

March 29

A lost opportunity to ride to Redcliffe today, but I don't regret it.  The needs of family, especially a new born, seemed more important this morning.

March 28

OK, this is the last week of my Ride To Work month.  I just wish I could have actually ridden today.

The plan was to drive to Caboolture, come home and ride to a meeting at Deception Bay.  The reality was that I didn't stick to the plan.  I allowed myself to get distracted, ignored my planned timetable, and found I had to rush via the car to make the meeting.

Worse still, the cafe where I arranged the meeting was closed.  *Sigh*.  It's another clear signal that a little planning and adherence to a plan goes a long way.  Riding a bike to and from work must be one of the best training grounds for proper planning.

March 25

I'm coming up to the end of the month soon.  I can see the finish line, as it were, but  don't think it is the end of my cycling.  Ride past the chequered flag, and keep going.

Today I worked from home.  It's a good way to work, providing you can minismise distractions and keep disciplined.  I am getting used to the concept that meeting the needs of a new-born baby is not a distraction.  It is a welcome part of my working and everyday life.

If you can create a mental and physical space where most domestic demands and chores are invisible, I've found working from home gives you a greater sense of control, less stress, and you end up smiling more that you realise.

If you can't ride to work, try working from home.  Be bold and push your boss for it - you might be surprised.  If you can get a lap top and aircard, you can do some work from home.

March 24

One of the things I have noticed since I started riding seriously was how much of your time a car actually demands from you.  Each is a child that must be nutured, and have your attention. 

What my car wanted to day was a new tyre.  Like my son Guy when he cries to be feed, it is a need that must be met immediately.  A tyre with a nail through it is hard to ignore.

So I drove to my meeting today at Strathpine, then took the car in for his new tyre. "His" new tyre?  When did I start personalising my car?  Interestingly, my bike does not have a gender nor an identity.  When we are confronted with the time and psychological investment we make in cars, it's a bit disturbing.

March 23

Here's a humbling thought.  I need to work in with the needs of the people I serve, not have them work in the with my need to ride my bike this month.

That's why I accepted a meeting at 7.30am today, so as these constitutents could have their say to me, then get to work.  That's why I ended up driving to Beachmere after that, and not riding.  The rest of the day was spent in the Caboolture office and at the Burpengary public consultations.

As I wrote previously, riding to work is a process of negotiation, often with myself, compromising between my conscience and my wants.  Between my desire to do the right thing and the desire for comfort and convenience.

March 22

A quiet day.  Riding is not really on my mind today.

The Council meeting was at Strathpine, so I drove to the train station and caught the train today.

At the Council meeting I learnt that the injured young man from last night has died.  I remember the anguish, the sheer heartbreak of his family who arrived at the scene last night, and cannot imagine what they must be suffering today.

March 21

Reflections.  I am riding to work during March because I think we need to change how we live our lives.  I want others to think about some choices in their lives as well.

 Monday was a day you think about your choices in life. I saw a man suffer an injury that will take months to heal.  I saw another man unconscious on the road, his life ebbing away.

We all have choices.  Not only about how we get from one point to another, but how we behave when doing it.  We take risks, we race, we do things we later regret.

Riding back from Beachmere lake, there was a man sitting in the middle of the pathway, next to his bike and looking stunned. Do you need help, I asked, and he groaned yes.

He had fallen off his bike and damaged his knee.  He could not stand, and I guessed he had snapped a ligament in his knee or his thigh.

I called an ambulance, dragged him to sit against a fence, and waited in the sun with him.  A neighbour walked his bike home, and the ambulance arrived.

The second time I saw an ambulance on Monday was when one arrived at the scene of a terrible accident on Deception Bay Road.  A young man lay on the road, after having fallen out of a car, suffering what clearly were dire injuries.

Brian Hayes, Arthur Hayes and I, all from Deception Bay Lions Club, were amongst first on the scene.  We directed traffic, called 000, and tried to comfort the family when they arrived.  Brian Hayes and a passing doctor took turns to perform CPR.

When I got home, I just walked into my son's room and stared at him for as long as I could stand.

I know what I am doing with this bike riding thing is right.  Somethimes we just have to change how we live our lives, whether it is for our planet's future, or simply for the future of our loved ones.

Reflections. We need to make sure we travel safely, get to where we are going in a way that doesn't put ourselves at risk, nor put others in danger.

We need to make the right choices, the big ones and the little ones, everyday, in our lives.

March 19

How do you be two places at once?  Impossible, you say, and you are right.  I started out this morning at the season opening march past for the Caboolture Netball Association, which is a wonderful experience for anyone who loves to see hundreds of young people in a good, healthy local sports scene.

But I had to go off early to the Community Open Day for the brand-new Beachmere Community Kindergarten, which was literally going on at the same time. It has to be best designed kindy I have ever seen, initiated by a single-minded community. Both great events, and to go to both, I needed to use the Batmobile.

And where was the bike in all this?  In the garage, looking forlorn and rejected.  Too bad, bikey, you'll be whingeing at the end of the coming week.  I hope.