I seem to hit my fair share of ‘cat’s eyes’ while out riding. You get more hits if you do a lot of riding next to parked cars.

There is not a lot of space to work with on two-laned roads. Potential opening doors on one side and traffic zooming by on the other. You usually end up riding on the white line…where the cat’s eyes lay in waiting. The dilemma is whether to look out to dodge the eyes, or the watch for opening doors or look behind for :’car back’… What is the safe option?

Roads are designed for cars (and bigger wheeled vehicles). And if you were driving on a wet road on a dark night, you will appreciate the extra guidance provided by the ‘cat’s eyes’. On freeway exit ramps – there are also different coloured eyes. And on the freeway edges – there are the ripple strips to wake you up. The latest in traffic safety.

But, while we share the same roads on a bike, the safety guidance systems that work so well for cars, can be a hindrance (or catastrophic) for cyclists.

Hitting an eye straight on when you expect it is not usually a massive problem. Hitting one unexpectedly can bounce your hands off the handle bars. If you meet one going around a corner in the wet, it can spell disaster. And if you hit the monster of an eye (not an eye strictly) called a soldier, bad things happen to both rider and machine.

We are now blessed by choices. One size does not fit all nowadays and we have the opportunity to custom build our lives -a lot more than just a few generations ago. So, we do not have to just “…have what she is having” – we can get more.

Yet, there are areas in our lives where we seem happy to limit our choices for our safety’s sake. We like to ‘play safe’ on so many things .But this means compromising our behaviour – like getting hits from obstacles that were designed to help others stay safe (but not us). Like those cat’s eyes…

Whilst in Vietnam, I was amazed by their traffic management system. Throw in a multitude of slow moving under-powered scooters, trucks and cars travelling fast, with no lane markings and narrow roads – and it would spell disaster in Sydney. But in Vietnam – I did not see a single traffic accident.

… And don’t get me started about those telegraph poles that groan under the weight of the hundreds of wires hanging off it.

It is two different worlds and two different safety systems. Both seems to work – somewhat.

As we grow older and our worlds change, we have to be mindful of which safety guidance system we are following. Self -preservation, income assurance, parental responsibilities and job security takes on less relevance as we hit our second stanza.  We have less reasons to ‘fake it’ like Sally. The second part of our lives does not have to be a repeat of the first.

There comes a time to move out into the traffic lane and claim your position there in front of all those cars behind you. It may be the safer option to get you to your destination.