It's all rubbish!

I am the first to admit that there are some terrible cyclists out there, but they are in the minority. I do try and vary what I write about, but considering that this is a cycling blog I am a bit limited in my choice of available topics!

The same debates rumble on every year and the topic of seafront cycling in Bournemouth and Poole always sparks a lot of debate. This was part of my topic for last week's entry and, as I expected, there were a number of comments some very obviously from the pro-cycling camp and others from the anti-cycling camp.

What really surprises me is the venom which is contained within some of the comments and also the fact that some people obviously don't bother to read the blog but do feel the need to write a comment!

Here are a few examples:

"The new brigade of anonymous lycra, cycle helmet, sunglass wearing workers who "commute" or let me rephrase that, SPEED, along the prom are a menace!"

I agree there are a few cyclists who do ride too fast and without consideration, but don't tar us all with the same brush. As for the anonymous bit, I don't see many pedestrians with name badges!

"I didn't miss you but I just missed hitting one of your 'born again, milk race' cycling mates riding 2 abreast on an A road....obviously they've never been punted into a hedge!".

The "celebrity" chef James Martin made a similar remark a couple of years ago in a motoring column and ended up making a very public apology. This type of hatred would be illegal if it was directed at a group of people because of their religion or race, but it seems to be ok when it's based on a choice of transport or leisure activity.

"Almost died of shock the other day I actually saw a cyclist give a hand signal before turning right. Oh, yes David it was a welcome break from the cyclist are wonderful and motorist are all evil world you seem to live in."

Most cyclists signal their intentions, stop at red lights and generally obey the law. I also try very hard not say that "cyclist are wonderful and motorist are all evil" as I am both a cyclist, pedestrian and motorist.

My real topic for this week, albeit now a bit shorter, is rubbish!

I continue to be surprised every year at how much litter is left behind by people on the beach and along the seafront. After a bank holiday weekend it's a very sad sight to see just how much detritus is piled up and I have to give credit to both Bournemouth & Poole as they have teams out early in the morning clearing up to make the beach a nice place to be.

What I struggle to understand, is the mentality of a person who is quite happy to leave their rubbish behind on the sand instead of walking a few metres to the nearest bin. I guess that it's similar to the people who allow their dogs to use the beach or pavements as a toilet and don't bother to clear up afterwards.

The original film of Planet of the Apes was on television last week and I had forgotten just how good it was, apart from enjoying the classic Charlton Heston line of "Get your hands off me, you damn dirty ape!" it also got me thinking.

Most of these types of film about some disaster striking the planet and threatening to wipe out human beings have a common theme running through them; they all have the destruction of the planet stemming from us and the way we treat it.

Whether it's nuclear holocaust, global warming or rubbish, the common thread is man destroying the planet. 20 years ago you didn't see piles of rubbish along the seafront like you do now so what's changed? Why are people so happy to drop their litter and either assume that someone else is going to clear it up or just let it lie in the same place whilst it takes thousands of years to disintegrate?

I don't want to find myself being enslaved by our ape masters and experimented upon by orang-utan scientists so I try and do my bit not to pollute, damage or litter the planet. If everyone else did the same it might just save us!

Based on information supplied by David Brown.