28 June 2021

Probing the polls: the mighty flannie and angry Canberra drivers

| Genevieve Jacobs
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Canberra drivers

Are Canberra drivers getting angrier? Photo: File.

The people have spoken. Definitively. It’s a flannie.

The warm, comfortable, soft and cozy checked brushed cotton shirt is only a flanno if you’re from Queensland. And sadly for those lovers of deep local lingo, it’s not really a booner doona anymore, according to our poll.

Vigorous discussion here in the Region Media offices on the correct terminology was matched by vigorous commentary from you in the comments. But if there was one thing we all shared, it was a fondness for the garment. Gee, flannies are comfortable.

Shayne Borger held forth on the subject: “A flanno that cost more than $15 is a designer flanno. Best & Less n Lowes had the best n warmest. Haven’t had one for a while but need to stock up for camping.”

Julie Macklin thought we’d erred by not including another option. “Flannelette shirt”, she wrote.

“That’s all I have known them called and what I have always called them. Never heard of the other words before. So, why wasn’t it possible to vote for the Flannelette? I couldn’t vote for names I didn’t know.”

But Bruce Rossel took it one step further.

“Flanno. Make Fridays flanno Fridays – I want it to become a thing!” he declared.

We asked What is the correct local term for a checked brushed cotton shirt? A total of 654 readers voted.

Your choices were to vote Booner doona, for true locals. This received 3 per cent of the total, or 20 votes.

You could also vote Flanno (also, I barrack for the Maroons), and this received 14 per cent of the total or 89 votes. But the winner by far was Flannie, obviously – why would you even ask? receiving a whopping 83 per cent of the total or 545 votes.

This week, we’re wondering whether Canberra drivers have become more aggressive. Zoya Patel thought so in her weekly opinion piece.

“Compared to driving in other cities, I always felt Canberra drivers were generally more reasonable and calm. Our lack of traffic (compared to bigger cities) created a more sensible culture of driving because everyone can always get where they need to go, and usually within 20 minutes,” she wrote.

“Is it just me, or are drivers getting more aggressive? Are we becoming complacent about how risky dangerous driving is and the consequences it can have? Do we need to change the way we monitor and police the roads, or is it time I invest in a dashcam and assume the responsibility myself?”

Our question this week is:

Are Canberra drivers becoming more aggressive?

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OpenYourMind8:18 am 03 Jul 21

71% of respondents say they see dangerous driving on the roads.
Just remember that next time someone says cyclists break the law. Can’t remember the last time I saw a cyclist breaking any law. I see car drivers breaking the law 100% of the time.

Could be just my experience, but it usually seems to be a guy in a ute, van or truck – tradies generally. I assume they are either late to a worksite or late coming back from a worksite, but always in such a hurry.

It was either the blood pressure meds or the retirement which helped me calm down … and I avoid getting out on the roads on Sundays if I can help it. I don’t think the anger is getting worse … it’s always been there. Canberrans don’t know how good they’ve got it compared to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and parts of Adelaide.

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