Today I was defeated...

Note: there is swearing in this blog, it's to show my true feelings in this blog.

I was planning to go for a cycle ride & since it was exactly 4yrs ago I cycled to Chelmsford for the Tour De France, I thought I go cycle to Chelmsford. But as it turned out no sooner than I started cycling towards town things weren't turning out as I had planned.

I was defeated in achieving in cycling, I never managed to get to Chelmsford. By time I got as far as Kelvedon I really was not enjoying the ride. By Witham I decided enough is enough & stopped of at Morrisons for a cold drink & then got the train back to Colchester.

Now part of the reason was the heat & it's effects on my disability which was not making it easy to cycle but nothing I have not had before to deal with when cycling. No, the worst was the shit impatient drivers who simply give not give a fuck about my safety & passing so fucking close I might as well got in the car with them.

  

  

  

And this fucking idiot decide to brush alongside me as I am starting to get ready to go around a parked car, in such a fucking rush to endanger me but then slows when I shouted at him through his window to try get me closer to pick a fight. Yup that is one arsehole of a driver & I was not gonna go near him coz I know he is an arsehole. Likely was deliberate too!

 

  

All that was before I even left Colchester & when I finally got to Mark Tey & onto the shared path to head Eastward towards Chelmsford & should have been an easier route along the A12. But alas I haven't been along here in a while & the shared path is even worse than when I last used it.

 

 

 

 

  

  

 

 

This is the 'improvements' Highway England promised us a few years back, the 'improvements' that have in fact made the route even worse than ever & refuse to respond to my complaint to correct them (A12 survey report of the incomplete & shoddy works between Witham & Marks Tey) & even ignore all my emails since. This was supposed to be an easier route to use & it's now an uncomfortable piece of crap infra that is more hard work to use & honestly I felt I be better off cycling on the A12 itself. I would not recommend anyone use this, especially those with disabilities.

Of course going through Kelvedon was as predictable as ever, impatient drivers trying to get past me on old narrow roads with way too many cars parked on & no room to pass me. Thankfully the drivers were not as bad as London Road tho I was already tense at Kelvedon so didn't feel much better.

So by the time I got to Witham I was hurting, stressed & basically had enough & turned off onto a quieter route towards the Station & stopped off at Morrison for a cold drink then caught the train back to Colchester as I sure was in no mood to cycle back.

A quick trip to grab a pizza & ice cream for when I got home & then cycled back on a quieter route home & of course I had to have one more fucking driver choosing to put my life in danger than wait for 2 fucking seconds!!

 

 

 

By the time I got home I had enough, had it with all this crap thanks to the self-entitled drivers on our roads that have been created thanks to those like Essex County Council, Highway England for giving roads to drive every fucking where & NOTHING decent for those walking & cycling. And got to say a big fucking thankyou to Essex Police for encouraging this aggressive shit dangerous driving by doing sweet fuck all about these drivers when reported & happy to fob us off with bullshit lies & excuses, even the PCC is refusing to face me to discuss this like the useless coward he is!

So am I gonna give up, way things are I should but won't! Not when I have drivers like this!

 

 

But mostly one's like this & their passenger. Just look at the passenger's smile, she's loving the Cruiser & making her day.

 

 

 

But most of all giving up means these fucking arseholes win & I sure hell ain't gonna make it easy for them. I will relax, recharge, get my disability in check & will make Essex County Council, Highway England & Essex Police live's hell! And why not when they are failing to make our roads safe for those walking & cycling.

I am defeated today but there will be other days & I now know the route between Colchester & Chelmsford is now a no go area until I get my Cruiser upgraded to an eBike thanks to those who supposed to maintain & give us a decent cycle infrastructure are failing to do so.

When I met 2 Gentlemen on eBikes back in August 2017

I am writing this after an experience I had earlier today & thought I'd shared what I had already posted online so others can read it & help others see the need for good quality infrastructure..

Whilst waiting on the Wivenhoe Trail to see a steam train passing, in the hour I was there I saw 4 eBikes passing & 2 gentlemen riding some of those eBikes stopped to chat & get photos too. Whilst we all were waiting we chatted about eBikes & the gentleman in the hi-viz jacket with the walking stick attached to his eBike normally uses a mobility scooter.

As he explained to me he found eBikes to be better & faster to use & something I didn't consider before when thinking of mobility scooters compared to eBikes. When the battery dies on a mobility scooter especially when using on terrain like the Wivenhoe Trail then you're stuck there as the mobility scooter is too bulky & heavy to push but if the battery dies on the eBike then its light enough for you to push it along & use it as a walking frame.

Now these guys are in their 60s or older & they found eBikes gave them the mobility & freedom to go around town more than mobility scooters ever could & this is why we need to build infrastructure, for these sort of people especially as the aging population increases & why we need infrastructure suitable for all ages & abilities whether they're walking, cycling or using any other mobility aid.

Just like they already have in the Netherlands.