Unclear Whether Bloke In Hi-Vis On Bike Is Saving Fuel Or Has Blown The Bag

ERROL PARKER | Editor-at-large | Contact

A cyclist in filthy hi-vis workwear brought the D45 electric trolleybus to a crawl on Greens Road this morning after refusing to move aside despite repeated beepings from the driver.

The man, believed to be a concreter's labourer based on vibe and vibe alone, was riding a bicycle in the lane ahead of the trolleybus during the morning commute through Betoota Heights. The bus driver beeped many times, but the cyclist did not move far enough to the left to allow the vehicle to pass safely.

Passengers reported the driver grew increasingly agitated as the delay stretched on and used a number of slurs that would see drivers in lesser parts of the country dismissed on the spot.

Our reporter, who was aboard the D45 at the time, observed that the man's reasons for cycling remained unclear, raising a question that has become harder to answer in recent weeks.

Traditionally, the sight of a puffing labourer on a pushbike has pointed to one explanation. A failed (or refused) roadside breath test and a suspended licence. For decades, blowing the bag has been the single most common pathway by which tradesmen, and their disposable servants, end up on two wheels.

However, a second theory has emerged. Fuel prices have surged amid a combination of panic buying, supply shortages and what critics describe as 35 years of neglect of the nation's energy infrastructure by successive governments on both sides of politics. Under those conditions, cycling to a job site may now be a rational economic decision rather than a court-ordered one.

More to come.