http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20071227p2a00m0na014000c.htmlWell, I'm happy to read the above article. This is about a report filed on Thursday that proposes banning cyclists from pedaling while: using a mobile phone; listening to music with headphones on; and randomly ringing the bell to avoid trouble with others. A very good idea i think. But even if this law is passed, how many policemen will strictly enforce this law? And how many people will even comply with the law?
I think it they should pass another law to go along with this one. Anyone talking on a cellphone, listening to music, or ringing their bell for no good reason should be SEVERELY BEATEN TO DEATH AND ANALLY RAPED WITH A BICYCLE PUMP. I don't know how many times I've been riding my bike, and some moron nearly crashes into me because he's got his head down, on his phone, not paying attention to where he's going. It happens to me on a daily basis almost. The other type of people I hate are the ones who are going through a red light and nearly cause an accident. Osaka has to be the worst place for bad motorists and cyclists in the world. Just driving my bike in one hour, I usually encounter 4 or 5 times where someone nearly causes a major accident because they're talking on their cellphone or their buried under their headphones and they can't hear what's going on.
Bottom line is this. If you're going to go out in a crowded public area, you have to be able to use all your senses and be aware of other people around you. So even if you're walking and listening to music, that's rude in my opinion.Another proposed ban they were talking about not too long ago is walking on escalators. Now this one is just plain ridiculous. In Osaka, the rule is stand right, walk left. Easy, right? But no, there's always the idiot who doesn't get the program and stands on the left, blocking people who are trying to get by.
Well, apparently there have been a few cases of people getting pushed or shoved because they didn't comply with these simple rules. One woman said a guy shoved her kid out of the way saying something equivalent to "Get the fuck out of the way!" in Japanese. Well, in my opinion, he was a bit out of line, he should've said excuse me a few times first, then if she didn't move, push through by all means.
Anyway, people should fucking know better than to just stand on the escalator. Escalators were invented for a few reasons, 1. to save time and 2. to make it easier for the elderly who have a hard time climbing stairs. They were not meant for lazy assholes. So get the fuck out the way next time.
Now that we're on the subject of dangerous cyclists, let me address one of the most dangerous groups of all cyclists: Old People. I think there's more accidents caused by senile old farts who just don't know how to fuckin' drive because they're too old. Osaka's Obaachan are the absolute worst. They are a fucking menace to society. They go through red lights, they incessantly ring their bells at people, they always cut you off and never apologize and they pretty much think the whole road is theirs, ignoring every road rule in the book. I think if you're past 70 at least, you shouldn't be on a bicycle.
