Black Bike\u2019s proud frame and shiny wheels stood gleaming and poised for action.\u00a0 Did I detect a slight shudder as I crouched down to secure a small round object to those normally confident steely handlebars?<\/p>\n
I tried to be reassuring.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be upset, Black Bike. \u00a0It\u2019s just a bell.\u00a0 We\u2019re not going soft.\u201d<\/p>\n
Black Bike remained silent, dreading the future application of the plastic basket with the pretty pink flowers, and the handlebar streamers, and the spokey-dokes.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about our safety, Black Bike.\u00a0 It\u2019s so dangerous out there, and the authorities are showing how they truly care about our well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was an air of distain as Black Bike mutely chastised me for giving in to never-ending freedom-sapping rules and regulations.\u00a0 And a pleading look as my proud and faithful companion contemplated a future of embarrassed cringing outside our morning coffee shop.<\/p>\n
\u201cBlack Bike,\u201d I intoned solemnly.\u00a0 \u201cNow you have a voice.\u201d<\/p>\n
There was no further response, as I straightened up to survey the new device adorning Black Bike\u2019s handlebars.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is your voice to communicate with those hermetically sealed cars that buzz past us, leaving only millimetres to spare.\u00a0 You can say \u201cting, ting\u201d, and become an audible beacon guiding their quest for a 1.5 metre passing gap.\u201d<\/p>\n
Black Bike remained unmoved.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you will know exactly what to say when those snarling growling hounds come snapping at our heels.\u00a0 You can add your commanding \u201cting, ting\u201d to my panicked shouts.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you won\u2019t be silenced by the clattering exhaust brakes and piercing air horns whistling past our ears on those narrow roads.\u00a0 Your adamant \u201cting, ting\u201d will ring out as a mantle of protection above the din.\u201d<\/p>\n
I gently stroked Black Bike\u2019s handlebars.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more will you be mute when testosterone fueled greetings lunge from car windows at us.\u00a0 \u201cGet off the f\u2026ing road\u201d they say.\u00a0 \u201cTing, ting\u201d, you can retort.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you can \u201cting, ting\u201d away the kangaroos, wallabies and rabbits that dash into our path in the pre-dawn hours.\u00a0 And \u201cting, ting\u201d those cane toads who lurk in wait to topple us over.\u201d<\/p>\n
With hands on hips, I delivered the final salvo.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut best of all, Black Bike.\u00a0 We don\u2019t have to quake and tremble when that ticket book appears out of the gloom, and we hear that dreaded question.<\/p>\n
\u201dWhere\u2019s your bell?\u201d they demand.<\/p>\n
We will stand tall and look them squarely in the eye.<\/p>\n
\u201cTing, ting\u201d, we will say.\u201d<\/p>\n
25 April 2017<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Black Bike\u2019s proud frame and shiny wheels stood gleaming and poised for action.\u00a0 Did I detect a slight shudder as I crouched down to secure a small round object to those normally confident steely handlebars? I tried to be reassuring. \u201cDon\u2019t be upset, Black Bike. \u00a0It\u2019s just a bell.\u00a0 We\u2019re not going soft.\u201d Black Bike … Continue reading A Voice For Black Bike<\/span>