A few weeks ago my home state of Queensland in Australia finally realized that isolating themselves from the rest of Australia and the entire planet for that matter in the vain hope of controlling the spread of covid is daft. I have been blocked from returning to visit my aging mother for nearly two years because of these ridiculous restrictions. As soon as they lifted the restrictions a few weeks ago I immediately booked a ticket to Brisbane and here I am.
My family home has a massive shed in the back garden, and in that shed are all kinds of rotting memories. I had a dig around in there to see what I could uncover. And there she was - a dust covered relic from the 80's. Some kind of no-name racer with a bad paint job and ugly stickers. I hit her with the power washer, pumped up the tyres and put some old engine oil on the chain....
My family home is located on a coastal area and in the three decades that I have been away the local authorities have created a network of cycling routes that link the area with other parts of the coast and further south in to the heart of the city. Its called the MBC - Moreton Bay Cycle-way and it's pretty awesome.
Australia is well-known for its rules and regulations and its exceptionally compliant population. I donned my bicycle helmet (a law that is severely enforced by Australian police) and headed out of mom's quiet street towards the coast to pick up the MBC. Now I spent my 20's road biking the tough streets of London. In London on a bicycle in the 90s you could basically do whatever the fuck you wanted - weave in and out of traffic, hit sidewalks, run red lights, dismiss oneway streets and just get where you were going. NOT IN AUSTRALIA!
Like every aspect of life in Australia there are rules. And if you don't follow these rules you will be punished. Either by an angry onlooker who feels threatened by your blatant disobedience, or by a stern policeman who will happily give you a fine and threaten you with jail. So as I cruised no hands down the quiet streets while scrolling Google Maps on my cell phone I was angrily admonished by a passing motorist who told me to comply with the traffic laws...😌
I hit the MBC soon after so at least now I only had to contend with indignant pedestrians. There were lots of signs! Like lots! Every 100 yards was another sign reminding me of what I was allowed to do, what I was not allowed to do and what it was suggested I should do. I was glad to see that pedestrians also had a long list of rules to follow also!
As I nervously scanned for new signs telling me what I should be doing (or not doing), I did manage to enjoy the scenery. It was low tide in the bay and the mudflats created a a huge area of shallow pools. Of course there were lots of signs saying you were not allowed to let your dog off the leash and not allowed to collect anything.
I headed up over the bridge on the designated cycle lane. This is the longest bridge in Brisbane and makes for a nice ride over the river mouth connecting Redcliffe to Sandgate.
Along the cycle path were these very cool gazebos that you could rest in and relax. There were signs telling me no overnight camping and reminding me not to litter. I hoped I was allowed to put my bicycle in here for a photo. I quickly did so risking potential arrest....
I was starting to love the bike. It was quiet and felt very smooth. I loved the gear shifters as they were the kind that you manually adjusted rather than the ones that click into place for each gear change. The handlebars were totally in the wrong position and I regretted not adjusting them back at the house. But except for that the bike was very comfortable and rode well. The MBC left the coastline and started weaving through the old suburbia of Sandgate which was full of very cool old wooden homes - like this one....
I rode along the MBC for about 20km then had a beer and lunch at a nice bar and headed home. By now I was familiar with all the rules that I was expected to follow so found my rhythm and charged home. There were multiple signs that said maximum speed for cyclists was 15km/hr. I hoped there were no speed cameras in place linked to facial recognition tech.
So I enjoyed the bike and I enjoyed the scenery. I think its great that we have well maintained bike paths in this city I once called home. The rules and regulations that are imposed on every aspect of life the minute you step out of your home are, in my opinion, a total drag and to be honest the main reason I have not lived in Australia for 30 years.
I'm Jobiker and I'm in Australia for 30 days. Peace
