Posts by Allan MacLachlan

  • Legal Beagle: On citizen’s arrests; or…,

    Now, how to manage the road rage of the fuckwit behind me who is clearly prescient and knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that my precautionary approach to cornering is a complete and utter overreaction to the remote possibility that there could be said obstacle just around the bend.

    Just pull over at the soonest opportunity and let them continue in their rage ahead of you.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Speaker: Shenzen's hire-bike explosion,

    There is Nextbike in Auckland - those schemes in Shenzen seem a bit techier.

    I'm curious as to how Nextbike works with the helmet laws in NZ - is there a helmet with the bike, or do riders just use their own, or just ride without a helmet?

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Hard News: Do e-bikes ease traffic…, in reply to Zach Bagnall,

    Only ego deflation on the part of those of us on unpowered bikes - I recall after a gruelling training ride over Scenic Drive catching up to an e-bike at an intersection on the NorthWest Cycleway. I couldn't keep up to this guy on his "sit-up-and-beg" e-bike into a biting wind. Probably consoled myself with the last muesli biscuit bar on the final push home.
    The speed differential is not that great, if at all as, aren't e-bikes speed limited in some way?
    My own attitude is that I'm very happy to see other cyclists out and about, and I don't care what bike you've got, or what they look like.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Hard News: Do e-bikes ease traffic…,

    An e-bike also influences my riding behaviour – I’m less likely to want to duck and dive, more likely to want my own lane.

    I'm curious as to why an e-bike changes your behaviour - is that because the bike is heavier than a non-ebike, or something inherent in the fact that you have power, so don't feel the need to duck and dive?

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Hard News: Paths where we actually ride, in reply to jnorthover,

    Hillsborough to Onehunga – I tackled Hendry Rd on Sunday then returned via Onehunga and Herd Rd. Both were very fitness-inducing if not repeat the feat-inducing.

    Agreed - that's quite a stiff climb. But there's not a lot getting away from the fact that you are climbing 60-80m over a short distance to get to Hillsborough Rd from the Onehunga Foreshore.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Hard News: Mt Eden: Not a closing but an…, in reply to Russell Brown,

    I know busting a gut is good sometimes, but ….

    May I then suggest you not cycle to check out my suggestion of Pukematekeo - go with the aid of an internal combustion engine. The climb from Scenic Drive is a gut buster, even taking into consideration that all of Scenic Drive is gut-busting.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Hard News: Mt Eden: Not a closing but an…,

    It instantly gave them a sense of the Auckland landscape.

    There's still One Tree Hill/Maungakiekie. And where else in the world does a public park incorporate a working farm in the centre of a major city?

    Or if you have the time visit Pukematekeo on Scenic Drive: https://goo.gl/maps/URa5924VMuE2
    I discovered this place on a cycle over Scenic Drive last Spring - gives a fantastic view across the city, and back over the Waitakere Ranges towards the dams.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Speaker: Living under bridges, in reply to Steve Curtis,

    The pathway under the Mangere Bridge motorway is not particularly nice. However there is an alternative not so far away over the old Mangere Bridge that is far more conducive to walking and cycling (and fishing, boating).

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Speaker: Why a renter died from turning…, in reply to Chris Waugh,

    And those enforcement agencies didn't help with identifying his lack of compliance either. He plumbed in his own gas appliance when he didn't have the qualifications to do so. Did he know he needed a qualified plumber/gas fitter? Maybe, maybe not, but the courts thought that he ought to have known and have convicted him.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

  • Speaker: Why a renter died from turning…, in reply to Moz,

    And by “rental property” I mean “the home you live in”, because the complex cases are the share houses.

    It doesn't have to be as complicated as you describe: The IRD has guidelines which are easily accessible by googling something like "income from boarders" and you get to this site:
    http://www.ird.govt.nz/income-tax-individual/different-income-taxed/rental-income/boarders/incometax-boarders-flyer.html
    So that reduces your compliance issues somewhat. Of course, you can go down the route of figuring out exactly what your costs were and claiming those. But then if you do that you open yourself up for the IRD's questions.

    I don't think the flat share and boarding arrangements are the issue here.

    In the case of the Ruakaka landlord, the courts found that the landlord did not take all the practicable steps to ensure the tenant's safety. So, he didn't meet the current standards, why would he then go further under a new regime? While you can have a whole lot of rules, regulations and standards for landlords to comply with, that doesn't mean they will comply with them.

    Auckland • Since May 2007 • 17 posts Report

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