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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: I have stuffed up
before I start I expect to be given shit for this so here goes
I ride with my son on an ebike and I take him to kindergarten and take him home been doing it for a while now
today I did not go into work and a guy I work with phoned me up and said the traffic police were at the kindergarten trying to find me.
They were going to take my ebike away for riding on the road,listening to music while riding my bike and raising my middle finger at some drivers because they tried to kill me.
listening to music is disturbing Chinese culture
riding on the road (everyone else does it)
giving the middle finger because someone trys to run you off the road is just a reaction
where i park my bike in the garden where the other bikes I did a circle a couple of times just having some fun i got done for that as well
I have never been in this much trouble before,I dont drink or get into fights or go out and party I just like to ride with music and rock out to the stones or ac/dc.what harm is that?
man I just dont know
when the shit goes down it realy goes down for such petty things
Just say it must have been somebody else.
After all we all look alike anyway
I wouldn't stress too much about it.
If they catch up with you just say you're very sorry, won't happen again, didn't mean any offence etc. I wouldn't bother trying to explain your position - they won't care and you'll just be another laowai critisizing China if you do.
If you lose your bike, well... what can you do. Get a new one and some headphones for your music so nobody can whine about it.
Just say it must have been somebody else.
After all we all look alike anyway
they have video of me
ScotsAlan:
Take care dude. Maybe they have a quota to fill this month :-(
Did you have headphones? Or were you playing the music on the speaker like I see people do every fucking day?
Must be a small town?
RobRocks:
playing music on speaker I was using my new JBL,I dont wear head phones.
they have video of me riding on the road and giving the middle finger to someone
Let's get this story straight.......although you know it is illegal to ride yiur ebike on the street, you do so everyday with rock music blaring and giving the finger so as to attract more attention to your disregard for the law (regardless of how petty or absurd it is).....and you are surprised that someone reported you?
Yeah, yeah. Everyone else breaks the law all the time. Considering your much reported visa situation, one might think that you would be trying NOT TO ATTRACT ATTENTION.
Dude, use some common sense and get under the radar. This little acorn could grow into a titan. Take care mate.
iWolf:
Don't sweat it Rob. Play the game. Give them what they want (you to beg for forgiveness) and move on, wiser and better prepared for the next thing thrown at you.
Say sorry, look sorry, stare at the ground. Pay the fine. Move on. Don't do it again.
expatlife26:
yeah go up cap in hand like you know what you did was wrong and you're sorry. As much as it might be upsetting to do so.
you might even want to buy a cap so you can sheepishly hold it
It can't be illegal to flip someone off though, can it?
expatlife26:
Just TRY staying mad at that guy...he knows what he did and he's learned his lesson.
them coppers would have a heart-attack if they seen the driving around here!! haha,,,, simplest way to describe it is- Do as you please. drive down sidewalk,,, ok. ,,, drive nite no lights,,,, ok,,, drive nite w/ floodlights on,,, ok,,,, drive this way on the that way,,,, ok,,,, drive thru traffic lights,,, ok,,,, blast air horn two meters from little old lady on bicycle,,,, ok.... move to the other lane to make a turn,,, ok,,, yield when entering a cross road,,, wtf is yield ?
sounds like they are getting a kick outta fkn w/ laowai... take your lumps ,,, pay 'fine' ,,, and just be glad u weren't born han tzu.
ironman510:
haha, where you at in China, sounds like Shenzhen in someways, these guys drive like they have a pregnant wife 24/7
I suspect it was the finger that done it. When I ride my ebike here I know I am on the bottom rung. Something to be abused. "Hey look, a foreigner on a bike... lets cut him up".
When I ride my bke here, I have the same frame of mind as I had in the UK. I assume every road user (including me) is an arsehole. I can anticipate cars here not to bad. I know they are going to do idiotic stuff. I just pull up and watch them do it.
I think something to be carefull of is the ban on Government plates. It was easy to spot the big arseholes because they had the red plates. The plates are mostly gone now, but they still drive with the same arsehole attitude because they are immune from prosecution. There is a tax office where I live. The boss drives a white Range Rover. He did have red plates on it, now he has normal plates. Still drives as if he has red plates tho.
Take care dude. As IWolf says, low profile is the key
Unfortunately, china is a long way from Rome. The Romans also never built some 'great' wall so they could be safe from laowais, and to this day, Italians don't need to climb over some firewall to use google, youtube, facebook......etc. So, when in china the 'when in Rome....' doesn't work. As china sink further the psychos are going to get even more psychotic, we all know how much responsibility they can take when shit happens --- none, so anti-foreign sentiments may increase in the short run. Move your DEFCON level up.
philbravery:
Sorry but I must correct you ....Romans did build a wall....to keep those savages from Scotland out of England
earthizen:
Thks, I was thinking about southern europe, they did build the Hadrian Wall in Britain, the reason though was not found in their records. There are several theories on this, from marking their mighty political influence to collecting taxes from traders between both sides.
icnif77:
Haa ... I always thought wall went up 'cause of the (O2...) kilts ....'
I have learnt from this and it wont happen again
all i was doing was trying to enjoy the ride to kindergarten and back home,my son and I were trying to be bikers.
from Monday I will be taking the metro to kindergarten,I just dont want to risk getting caught again or sticking up my middle finger to anyone that wants to run me off the road.
its not worth it
thank you for the feed back and support
Have they been to see you yet Rob?
If they haven't I could easily see them not being worried about it enough to bother.
From their point of view... they get a whining complaint from someone saying some foreign dude gave him the finger. Oh and he was listening to loud music ..shock horror.
The cops have to follow it up so they go to where you work. You weren't there, it's not like you killed someone and I'm sure they have better things to do so they probably just forget about it.
RobRocks:
they came to the kindergarten but I wasnt there,maybe it was just a warning not sure yet.
Unfortunately you probably do need to grovel and apologize as distasteful as it may be. Sounds like somebody just wants to be a prick to the uppity foreigner. All you can do now is turn yourself into a regular Edward The Penitent and take comfort that you don't really care about it making you lose face. Keep your chin up my friend...that is once you apologize your way out of this. Until then keep your chin down.
iWolf:
Yep. That's the way to make this drama go away. Eat shit with a spoon and a smile - let them feel powerful - then, brush that shit off and move on with life. And fly under the radar whenever possible.
no updates so maybe it was just a warning
Im not riding the ebike
so my son and I are going by metro
but what really gets to me though is seeing other people riding ebikes and running red lights and riding on the road and nothing gets said.
even my wife said other people ride on the road all the time.
icnif77:
You are foreigner, so you have special, detailed cop's attention. What they can do to you, your family? Nothing, after you pay the fine!
I wouldn't bother, except I would get smaller, in ear head phones for my bike ride.
You should worry (as you are now), after you hit somebody with your bike.
ironman510:
They do, but I see the cops out there snatching them up all the time. If all keeps going good at work, buy the new Ebike that looks 95% like a mountain bike, I see a lot of teachers use those.
expatlife26:
that's good i'm glad to hear it. Just lay low for a while. I like RobK's idea of getting a full face helmet, that might be very wise.
Hey Rob,
Sorry to hear about that, just have to go into damage control.
I would also suggest a full face helmet... and gloves. They can't seem to tell I am a foreigner when I am on my motorbike. They wouldn't be able to confirm you on the camera either.
The people who complained would just say... "some foreigner"... but if you had a full face helmet and gloves... they probably would just say "some guy" if even complain at all. Then the cops wouldn't even bother looking into it... and you would be home free.