Simple joys
Today I met Dr Paul Martin for a coffee and chat about our ludicrous helmet laws. A lovely down to earth guy working in our public hospitals, who sees the negative impacts of compulsory helmet laws every day.
Paul is a conscientious objector when it comes to helmets. He said he hasn't worn one in over a year (only one fine by the way) and looked like he was loving life riding lid free on his electric sit up Dutch bike. I've always been sceptical of electric bikes, viewing them as something only arthritic geriatrics use but not any more. The motor kicks in when you start peddling cruising and automatically cuts out at 25kmh meaning one can potter around with a gentle turn or power up hills with just a few more strokes. A control on the handle bar allows you to turn it on, off or boost and the feeling is just like riding down hill when on the flat. Battery lasts about 70km and you just plug it in at home and recharge in 2-3 hrs. A few minutes riding around UQ, with the warm Queensland sun shining down and a lovely breeze blowing through my (formerly existent) hair was such a simple joy - carefree, liberating, invigorating. It reminded me how how great cycling is in Europe and how much better it could be here in Australia. So give it a go and enjoy the pure joy from what the other 6.67 billion people of this planet get to do everyday - ride helmet free.