Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Cycling etiquette

Some Ah Beng had added me as a friend on his Facebook.
I responded by accepting the dude.
Seems that he had bought a folding bike and have been actively riding solo around the Klang Valley.
Then, a question popped up: "How much for folding bike extra charge?"
I didn't get it at first because of the linguistic barrier and poor communication.
After trying my best to answer this dude, his response was: "I MEAN PRICE OF TICKET."
So, I told him that he don't have to be loud and his reaction was: "SORRY, MY KEYBOARD WAS BREAK. CAPS LOCK CANT FUNCTION..."
I thought I was getting punked by some retard, so, after giving it much thought and referring to some past case studies, it all came to mind.
He was referring to odd-sized luggage charges by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) for cyclists taking their Electric commuter train service.
Now, it seems that there was a blowout between some cyclists and a station master in Klang.
This was during a trip by some foldies to savour Bak Kut Teh around the area.
Someone rolled her bike into the station ticketing machine and wanted to board the train but was stopped by the station's staff.
Instead of being allowed into the coach, she had to pay RM10 extra.
I think the Ah Beng was referring to this, or had experienced the same thing.
What I learned was that during the incident, the cyclist had blown her top.
This is where etiquette comes in.
Like a veteran foldie had put it, we have to share the train with other people and show that we too are responsible cyclists.
If the folding bicycles are properly packed in a carrying bag, things would have been different.
This also boils down to your personality and how you handle explosive situations like being confrontational.
That said, I have bags for my 20" and 16" Dahons and have never experienced any issues from the KTM staff.
In fact, I have travelled to Ipoh twice with my bikes.
Now, having said that and all, the irony is this: The Ah Beng asked: "When can I join you for touring rides ah?"
I guess that would be the next challenge. How to say 'Yes' or 'No'.