[Doktor]

When I went for my bike licence in 1972, the licencing officers would stand out the front of the Transport Dept office and tell you to go to the end of the street, turn left three times and then turn right when coming back to the office. Basically just an around the block test.

At the end of the street was a stop sign. When I got back to the office the licencing officer told me that I had failed.

I'm like: WHAT?

He said that I didn't stop at the stop sign. I did, but it was a brief stop and check before turning left.

I protested that I had stopped and he said: Do it again.

So I dutifully ride down the street, stop at the stop sign and stall the bike. It takes me about two minutes to get the sucker started. When I finally arrived back at the office, the licencing officer gave me a 'are you a smartarse?' kind of look, thinking that I stayed at the stop sign on purpose.

I just looked at him as innocently as I could (and being 17, that wasn't hard) and said that I had stalled the bike, wondering if that was going to fail me.

After looking at me for a minute he said: Ok, come inside.

He then wrote out my licence.

 

[Doktor]

Except that it was an unresponsive light that did not change for over two minutes which, under State law, may be treated as a stop sign -- you wait, no change, you go ahead cautiously.

No laws like that in Oz. I knew the local stop lights that took forever and a day to change, so I would put my scoot on the side stand, walk across the street and hit the pedestrian button - Voile! Changed in a minute.