Imagine what it's going to be like, when after 'n' weeks of a new bike and cycling on empty roads, the new found MILs, WILs and KILs - the family Lycra, are still on the roads when the roads get back to near normal.
Veganism can be a part time job. You still see vegans who keep cats and dogs which require farmed animals for their food. Even vegans who keep herbivore pets are being hypocritical in keeping an animal for their pleasure.
I think that's an over-harsh judgement. Animal sanctuaries are full of discarded pets needing good homes. I doubt whether those pets who find loving forever homes care a fig what diet their adoptive families follow.
Maybe but if we all turned vegan wouldn't it be crazy to farm animals just to feed our animals? The dog food I use is organic rice with free-range meat from Wales so that's about as ethical as I can make it. One of my pet hates though (excuse the pun) is people feeding tuna to cats.
If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
Doesn't surprise me at all @KT53 - totally self absorbed. I've noticed that runners have become the 'new' cyclists during this period. I usually walk a bit later, but started going out first thing [taxi duties permitting] because the world and his wife seemed to have discovered they have legs, and it was becoming impossible to avoid idiots and their small offspring if you went out mid morning. The number of small children on bikes etc in the middle of roads is terrifying. The runners obviously go out earlier too. What's a girl to do? I may have to get up at five instead. I can't wait until we're allowed to drive a bit, and I can get on a hill away from these f*nnies.
I don't know about them being the 'new' cyclists, more a case of needing to be added to the cyclists who think they own the road, footpath and anything else they can cycle on. Did you see the video of the little girl on the bike and her father basically demanding people get out of their way. No attempt to tell the girl to get off her bike until she could get past people who were walking their dog on a narrow footpath. The kid ended up riding into the people ahead, but the father believes it is all the other people's fault.
I've recently had cyclists using narrow footpaths (through fields and woods, not pavements) expecting me to jump out of their way. I don't mind stepping off the path to let them pass (although it would be better if the dog walkers cleared up after their pets ) , but they don't seem to call out until they're nearly on top of me and I generally have my earphones in so I don't hear them coming otherwise. Bicycle bells seem to have gone out of fashion around here. I wouldn't mind so much but there are plenty of wide bridleways that they could use.
My other cyclist gripe is cyclists on roads who don't stop for red lights at pedestrian crossings.
Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
I know exactly @KT53. I nearly ran over two kids recently. Unbelievable negligence from the accompanying parent. He's bl**dy lucky I was going as slowly as I was - largely due to his son riding down the middle of the road.....
I should have added - yes, I agree totally re these selfish cyclists. They all ride on the main carriageway down on our main road [which used to be a dual carriageway] A fortune spent altering it to include a cycle lane. Do they use it? Do they ****.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
I've a friend that tries to eat ethically, buys only certain types of organic meat that he believes comes from better raised and farmed animals, and he only eats meat at the weekends, eating vegan pretty much for the rest of it.
Surely somebody is either vegan or not. A halfway house doesn't work. A bit like being a virgin most of the time.
Veganism is pretty much an unobtainable target whatever people tell you. Drain a rice field, you'll likely kill amphibians etc etc.
A move towards veganism is fine, and probably quite a good starting place for those that need to gradually adopt the life style. Learning how to prepare a few vegetable meals, even if you use them as side meals, and gradually reduce meat eating has to be a good thing. My sister who's a staunch meat eater, these days, eats mostly vegetarian on the 'inbetween' days.
I don't know about them being the 'new' cyclists, more a case of needing to be added to the cyclists who think they own the road, footpath and anything else they can cycle on. Did you see the video of the little girl on the bike and her father basically demanding people get out of their way. No attempt to tell the girl to get off her bike until she could get past people who were walking their dog on a narrow footpath. The kid ended up riding into the people ahead, but the father believes it is all the other people's fault.
Swap 'Cyclists' for people, and you might have a point.
A man was following his child on the pavement - both on bikes. He rang his bell for me to get out if the way so I stopped dead, spun around bags spread out in a confused old lady manner, forcing them to stop and mentioned something about teaching his child to break the law. I don't mind very young children cycling on the pavement, but why do their parents think they have the right to do it too? If it's not safe for older children to cycle on the road, they shouldn't be cycling. If they must cycle, they should walk their bikes, on the pavement if absolutely necessary, until they have reached a safer part of their journey.
It is impossible from a purist standpoint because so many products are derived in some part from animals, many that you would be completely oblivious to. For example, and these are the more obvious ones, glycerin in toothpaste, which can come from plants, is cheaper from animal fat. Sugar can contain bone char. I think if you choose a vegan lifestyle, you have to choose where you draw the line and do what you feel is right, for you, and not try to meet some impossible standard of what it is to be a vegan. There's no reason why a vegan person couldn't have pets and feed them meat. You can choose what to eat, your pets can't. If you choose to have animals you have a duty to do right by them and not force a vegan lifestyle that they wouldn't choose themselves. You could say that's hypocritical to buy animal products as a vegan, but who cares? Aren't we all hypocrites at some point? And why does it matter what someone chooses to do that doesn't affect you. I know some vegans are militant, but some meat eaters are militant as well. The quiet vegans who just go about their lives, you never hear from.
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I don't know about them being the 'new' cyclists, more a case of needing to be added to the cyclists who think they own the road, footpath and anything else they can cycle on. Did you see the video of the little girl on the bike and her father basically demanding people get out of their way. No attempt to tell the girl to get off her bike until she could get past people who were walking their dog on a narrow footpath. The kid ended up riding into the people ahead, but the father believes it is all the other people's fault.
I should have added - yes, I agree totally re these selfish cyclists. They all ride on the main carriageway down on our main road [which used to be a dual carriageway]
A fortune spent altering it to include a cycle lane. Do they use it? Do they ****.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Swap 'Cyclists' for people, and you might have a point.
I don't mind very young children cycling on the pavement, but why do their parents think they have the right to do it too?
If it's not safe for older children to cycle on the road, they shouldn't be cycling. If they must cycle, they should walk their bikes, on the pavement if absolutely necessary, until they have reached a safer part of their journey.