Cycle riders and licence plates

[mattleonard]

My view is that cars and bicycles just don't mix well in a hilly city like Sheffield.

 

Because of the disparity of speed between the two vehicles, car drivers often get frustrated stuck behind a slow moving bicycle and will take a risk to get past.

 

The blame for any accident maybe on the car driver, but that will be of little comfort to a family who have lost a loved one.

 

My experience of driving in Sheffield is that more often than not, when encountering a cyclist, within 30 seconds (and often much less) there is an opportunity to safely overtake them (by which I mean properly safely, rather than sneaking through a barely-existent gap). When it is a longer wait it's not a big deal.

 

Why not rather than wasting money on silly, unworkable registration schemes, more money is spent on communicating to road users that they don't have an inalienable right to do whatever is necessary to get where they're going as quickly as possible. It shouldn't be necessary to have to tell them all over again, but it seems that it is.

 

---------- Post added 03-11-2014 at 14:05 ----------

 

one of the most appealing aspects of riding a bike in a congested inner city like sheffield is the sense of freedom. You know not being stuck in traffic, being able to hop off and walk for a bit (if your legs ache) AND getting away with minor infringements of the highway code.

 

Why do you feel you need to cycle in order to experience this freedom? You can get away with minor infringements of the highway code in a car too. But either way, it's equally antisocial.

 

---------- Post added 03-11-2014 at 14:08 ----------

 

It would help if Katy Bourne had two brain cells to rub together. Reading this interview leaves little to be desired

 

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2014/oct/09/police-commissioner-proposes-id-for-cyclists-but-cant-explain-why-or-how

 

I feel increasingly hard done by from SF. Katy Bourne earns £85k and apparently it's "not for [her] to come up with solutions, just have a debate around it.". We debate this stuff ad nauseum and I've not seen a single penny.

 

---------- Post added 03-11-2014 at 14:09 ----------

 

As already explained, that would be taken care of automatically when the policy is taken out. No additional registration systems, no additional administration costs.

 

You've clearly never had to make a minute alteration to an insurance policy have you?

[WalkleyIan]

Interesting advice page that Derbyshire Police put up recently.

 

http://www.derbyshire.police.uk/Safety-advice/Road-Safety/Cyclists.aspx

 

read through the whole thing but a few stand out statements that may not go down too well with some users of SF

 

It’s your responsibility as a driver to avoid hitting the cyclist, not the responsibility of the cyclist to avoid getting hit by you.

 

It may come as a surprise to most drivers but cyclists have as much right as drivers to take up the entire lane. You will often see cyclists riding side-by-side, and you, as a driver, may think they’re being selfish by doing so. But the fact is the cyclist is actually reducing the risk of having an accident

 

Turning left is how most accidents occur. A cyclist may appear - perfectly legally - beside you while you’re waiting impatiently at a red light. It’s not at all illegal for cyclists to filter on the left or right of lanes but it is often difficult to spot them,

[mattleonard]

one of the most appealing aspects of riding a bike in a congested inner city like sheffield is the sense of freedom. You know not being stuck in traffic, being able to hop off and walk for a bit (if your legs ache) AND getting away with minor infringements of the highway code.

According to you though we should all follow the highway code to the letter. dont jaywalk, dont cycle in pavements, dont go through traffic signals, make sure you have adequate lights on when its dusk, ect,ect,ect,

 

Ah, so it's the juvenile kick of being a bit rebellious and not some spurious notion of "safety" after all.