Bonjon Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I wish people would see cyclist as human beings, if you knock one off you will likely cause damage, this could result in jail time. Yes sometimes you may get held up on a hill by a cyclist, I do many miles driving a day and I get held up more by traffic jams due to cars. I used to cycle to work and found it much quicker, until some nob opened a car door into my path resulting in a broken wrist. So if you really are being held up getting to where your going maybe you should try cycling, you may even lose a few of them tyres from round your waists. Also to add, I firmly believe that every able bodied person wishing to drive a motor vehicle should have to log so many hours cycling so they get a better perspective of the roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perplexed Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 well it can be seen that way. if a cyclists knows he or she is holding up traffic the highway code states they should allow the traffic to pass them. cyclists who refuse to allow traffic to pass are arrogant prats and this is why car drivers get annoyed with them, and rightly so! Come on, it doesn't happen really. Not in a meaningful way. You may have to slow down for a few seconds, but that's life. I have to slow down on my bike all the time because of cars. Anyway, like in Cyclones example, I frequently catch the car which was busting a gut to get past, at the next traffic queue 200 yards up the road... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perplexed Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 I wish people would see cyclist as human beings, if you knock one off you will likely cause damage, this could result in jail time. Yes sometimes you may get held up on a hill by a cyclist, I do many miles driving a day and I get held up more by traffic jams due to cars. I used to cycle to work and found it much quicker, until some nob opened a car door into my path resulting in a broken wrist. So if you really are being held up getting to where your going maybe you should try cycling, you may even lose a few of them tyres from round your waists. Also to add, I firmly believe that every able bodied person wishing to drive a motor vehicle should have to log so many hours cycling so they get a better perspective of the roads. Agreed. And on your last paragraph, I've had that thought too for a while. A minimum of, say 500 miles on urban roads with an instructor. Going up and down a quiet suburban road wouldn't count! "Rush hour" riding would be obligatory. Opinions wouldn't half change! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkleyIan Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The Times news paper is running a safe cycling campaign (front page news today) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/contact/ their 8 point plan is Trucks entering a city centre should be required by law to fit sensors, audible truck-turning alarms, extra mirrors and safety bars to stop cyclists being thrown under the wheels. The 500 most dangerous road junctions must be identified, redesigned or fitted with priority traffic lights for cyclists and Trixi mirrors that allow lorry drivers to see cyclists on their near-side. A national audit of cycling to find out how many people cycle in Britain and how cyclists are killed or injured should be held to underpin effective cycle safety. Two per cent of the Highways Agency budget should be earmarked for next generation cycle routes, providing £100 million a year towards world-class cycling infrastructure. Each year cities should be graded on the quality of cycling provision. The training of cyclists and drivers must improve and cycle safety should become a core part of the driving test. 20mph should become the default speed limit in residential areas where there are no cycle lanes. Businesses should be invited to sponsor cycleways and cycling super-highways, mirroring the Barclays-backed bicycle hire scheme in London. Every city, even those without an elected mayor, should appoint a cycling commissioner to push home reforms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perplexed Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The Times news paper is running a safe cycling campaign (front page news today) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/contact/ their 8 point plan is Trucks entering a city centre should be required by law to fit sensors, audible truck-turning alarms, extra mirrors and safety bars to stop cyclists being thrown under the wheels. The 500 most dangerous road junctions must be identified, redesigned or fitted with priority traffic lights for cyclists and Trixi mirrors that allow lorry drivers to see cyclists on their near-side. A national audit of cycling to find out how many people cycle in Britain and how cyclists are killed or injured should be held to underpin effective cycle safety. Two per cent of the Highways Agency budget should be earmarked for next generation cycle routes, providing £100 million a year towards world-class cycling infrastructure. Each year cities should be graded on the quality of cycling provision. The training of cyclists and drivers must improve and cycle safety should become a core part of the driving test. 20mph should become the default speed limit in residential areas where there are no cycle lanes. Businesses should be invited to sponsor cycleways and cycling super-highways, mirroring the Barclays-backed bicycle hire scheme in London. Every city, even those without an elected mayor, should appoint a cycling commissioner to push home reforms. An interesting read, thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonjon Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Agreed. And on your last paragraph, I've had that thought too for a while. A minimum of, say 500 miles on urban roads with an instructor. Going up and down a quiet suburban road wouldn't count! "Rush hour" riding would be obligatory. Opinions wouldn't half change! I used to be anti-bike, then I got one to assist on my journey to work and what an eye opener it was. Not only does it increase your fitness but I believe it makes you a better driver adding the experiences of cycling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferno Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 The Times news paper is running a safe cycling campaign (front page news today) http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/contact/ their 8 point plan is Trucks entering a city centre should be required by law to fit sensors, audible truck-turning alarms, extra mirrors and safety bars to stop cyclists being thrown under the wheels. The 500 most dangerous road junctions must be identified, redesigned or fitted with priority traffic lights for cyclists and Trixi mirrors that allow lorry drivers to see cyclists on their near-side. A national audit of cycling to find out how many people cycle in Britain and how cyclists are killed or injured should be held to underpin effective cycle safety. Two per cent of the Highways Agency budget should be earmarked for next generation cycle routes, providing £100 million a year towards world-class cycling infrastructure. Each year cities should be graded on the quality of cycling provision. The training of cyclists and drivers must improve and cycle safety should become a core part of the driving test. 20mph should become the default speed limit in residential areas where there are no cycle lanes. Businesses should be invited to sponsor cycleways and cycling super-highways, mirroring the Barclays-backed bicycle hire scheme in London. Every city, even those without an elected mayor, should appoint a cycling commissioner to push home reforms. A young reporter for The Times was hit by a vehicle a few weeks ago: Mary Bowers is a news reporter at The Times. She joined the paper as a graduate trainee in September 2009, though her beaming smile and effusive personality were common sights around the office from previous roles as a researcher on the comment and foreign desks. With a passion for social affairs investigations and witty features, she has a writing style that is as distinctive as her sharp, quirky dress sense. She also has a remarkable singing voice, and it is an honour to have been one of those lucky enough to perform with her on several occasions in the folk clubs of London. Yet it is only by a hair’s breadth that we are still able to talk about Mary in the present tense. Her survival to this point, now almost three months since her accident in London at 9.30am on Friday, November 4, is down to the passers-by who stopped and called the emergency services. It is down to the paramedics who arrived on the scene within three minutes, to the fire crews who cut Mary and her mangled bike from beneath the wheels of the lorry, and to the doctors and nurses in the intensive care unit of one of the city’s busiest hospitals. But Mary cannot thank them herself. Not yet. Not for a long time. Possibly never. Because, though she is stable, Mary is still not conscious and remains in a trauma unit. Her broken legs, arm and pelvis are slowly healing, but other damage sustained during complications in her treatment, almost inevitable after so traumatic an injury, will be far harder to overcome, though she is making slow progress. http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3306502.ece As a point of comparison: since 2001, 576 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq; 1,275 cyclists died on British streets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 Come on, it doesn't happen really.. yes it does and it happened last-night. cyclist riding up a small, lengthy incline on a back road with cars parked on either side. I was forced to slow to a crawl, which in modern day cars is pretty difficult to maintain, 1-3mph. The cyclists did however pull over, but not until they had passed numerous other places to stop. I however remained patient and passed when it was safe to do so. but the point is, when cars are going slow or stationary, cyclists can pass with relative ease, but the reverse is not true on our ever crowded roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WeX Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 As a point of comparison: since 2001, 576 British soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan and Iraq; 1,275 cyclists died on British streets. its not though is it. how many of these 1275 died of their own cause, how many of these cyclists died because they did not wear a helmet, how many died because they ignored the rules of the road? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalkleyIan Posted February 2, 2012 Share Posted February 2, 2012 its not though is it. how many of these 1275 died of their own cause, how many of these cyclists died because they did not wear a helmet, how many died because they ignored the rules of the road? the most recently published police stats show that in the case of adult cyclists involved in a KSI involving another vehicle, the cyclist was not at fault in about 75% of the recorded cases. Now the problem with these stats is that around 2/3 of incidents simply aren't reported The helmet issue is a bit off a red herring in these collisions as no cycle helmet is designed to protect the rider in a collision with a motor vehicle. Cycle helmets are designed and tested to withstand an impact equivalent to an average weight rider travelling at a speed of 12 mph falling onto a stationary kerb shaped object from a height of 1 metre. Helmets are not tested nor expected to be able to offer full protection if you come into contact with a vehicle which is moving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.