Forget about the atrocities and threats of the world. For some, this is their mission in life - Get those cyclists off the road.

And you know what, I am with you guys.

To start with, they are cheap skates, too mean to buy a bit of petrol and drive to work with all the other poor mongrels waiting in line during  peak hour.

At least for some I guess it provides time to light up a cig and check Facebook.

They should be registered I hear you cry.

Of course they should.

It is only fair and I know that the attitude from motorists would completely change from that day on.

Everyone would share the "road love" once again and we would all be satisfied that we are contributing to greenhouse gas emissions on an equal basis..

There may be an occasional grumble of course but the massive compulsory bike labels (placed next to the bell) with the name and phone number of the rider will fix that.

The motorist (who is now late due to those cyclists riding seven a breast) will be able to pick up the mobile phone immediately and record the number while making up the lost time through traffic and then report the lycra lunatics later.

Trouble is … most of the time, those cyclist only have one thing on their mind….coffee.

Thats all they think about.

Getting to the next coffee shop.

They should take their money somewhere else and let the people in normal clothes sit on their one flat white for an hour, read the free newspaper and occupy a four seat table in piece.

Cyclist are too slow, cyclists are too fast, cyclists are too quiet, cyclists are too noisy, they turn and change lanes without indicating, think they own the road……….never see any of that stuff with legally registered motorists driving cars and motor bikes.

How long is it going to go on? Cyclists have been a pest since the bike was introduced into Australia around 1895.  

A wise church minister of the time wrote in a newspaper about the fad of “cyclomania”.

“Neither sex, no age, no condition of life is exempt from the contagion cycling” “The sedatest of men is not safe from the fascination and no-one knows whom he may tomorrow behold ”scorching” in the public thoroughfares.

With vision like that in 1895, I suspect we will see world peace before there is harmony on the thoroughfares but lets all try a bit harder on both sides.

_ ROB BURNETT, Launceston.