Most drivers would do well to remember they are the most recent addition to our roads. People, horses and pushbikes were all there before cars.
IMHO anything that discourages cycling; taxes, insurance etc is not a good idea. Better the effort be applied to improving the way we all use the
roads.
As a nipper I did the cycle proficiency test at school, run by the local bobby IIRC. I recently enquired at my kids school about this to find there
was nothing available. I would be happy to give my time to teach the kids after school, but not sure (yet) what's involved.
As a regular cyclist on my own and with young kids, the roads are not a pleasant place to be. Very few drivers give enough consideration to cyclists.
We tend to head off road wherever possible.
Taxing cyclists is a sound idea. We'll do it on emissions like cars and anyone generating over 100g of CO2/km can pay...oh
right....erm.....perhaps we'll scrap that idea.
I cycle commute on occasion and do a fair number of road miles training for triathlons. In my experience, the vast majority of drivers are very
courteous and I always give a wave of thanks to anyone who has taken a second or two to not squeeze me, or pass at a sensible opportunity.
I do go a different route home than to work though as I've had too many near misses riding back through Ravensthorpe. HGV drivers are by far the
worst IME.
As for cycle paths, it's recommended they're only used if travelling below 18mph for a start. On a road bike on the flat, that's
easy to achieve. Cycle paths aren't like roads for bikes though. Most cycle paths are either adjacent and unsegregated from pavement, or dual
use. Cycle paths therefore have pedestrians and for some reason, pedestrians on or near cycle paths are oblivious to the world around them.
quote:Originally posted by Daddylonglegs
One last input to the rant, what about all these disability electric carts? How many times have we seen them going down the dual-carriageway? Do they
have tax, insurance, reg plates? Apart from the legal side of things, it's damn dangerous!!
Just my 2p worth
Oh yes, now I've seen some with tax discs and number plates (so I persume they have some form of insurance too and when I asked one of them told
me it was capable of 12mph) but when they're going down a 60 road at 5 when it's dark and they have no lights. Yeah I've nearly
taken out old guys like that.
As for RLJ's, I just think "one day I'm going to be on the green side of that light, and hit one of them, and it'll be my
fault for not thinking for him"
I wouldn't mind if they looked like they checked it was clear to go.
Photo Archive
Building: Hatred of Loughborough's Speed Humps
posted on 16/8/13 at 09:22 AM
While spending a year in Finland I cycled everywhere within the city and 'suburbia'. Far more pleasurable than the UK, where every driver
is to some extent simply out to kill you.
In Finland, in any RTA involving a cyclist, it was presumed that the cage was at fault. Period.
Upon the Septic Isle, my eperience is that the 'driver' of the cage can slaughter and injure anyone that impedes them, with a good chance
of impunity.
Recently here on the A17, a judge found it quite acceptable that a 'driver' overtook an agricultural vehicle to kill an oncoming scooter
rider. It was ruled that the 'driver' was 'frustrated' and had reasonable expectation that the scooter rider would 'move
over' should he invade their road space. Sick society, with someone now deprived of a daughter.
Motor vehicles payed for the roads, without motor vehicles almost all our roads would be dirt tracks.
The problem is the cycling mafia not the bicycle.
Yes a lot of cycle paths are blood stupid and useless and dangerous to pedestrians but some are proper cycle ways and the they still get ignored by
the very lycra louts who complained about the the lack them in the first place. This summer significant sums of money has been wasted in my area
creating cycle paths on the pavement with truck loads of signs and white paint, utterly and completely useless to cyclists and would be dangerous
to pedestrians if anybody did use them. Worse a narrow twisty two lane country road that carries streams of commuter traffic in the rush hours is
now sign posted as a cycle route, most mornings I watch one particularly bloody minded lycra lout pass followed by up to 30 cars.
This is not the Netherlands in nearly all of the UK with the exception of East Anglia the bicycle is totally impractical as a means of transport
because of the nature of UK geography.
[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]
Photo Archive
Building: MK -INDY 2 LT ON zx9r bike carbs Now sold
posted on 16/8/13 at 05:57 PM
quote:Originally posted by Ninehigh
quote:Originally posted by Daddylonglegs
One last input to the rant, what about all these disability electric carts? How many times have we seen them going down the dual-carriageway? Do they
have tax, insurance, reg plates? Apart from the legal side of things, it's damn dangerous!!
Just my 2p worth
Oh yes, now I've seen some with tax discs and number plates (so I persume they have some form of insurance too and when I asked one of them told
me it was capable of 12mph) but when they're going down a 60 road at 5 when it's dark and they have no lights. Yeah I've nearly
taken out old guys like that.
As for RLJ's, I just think "one day I'm going to be on the green side of that light, and hit one of them, and it'll be my
fault for not thinking for him"
I wouldn't mind if they looked like they checked it was clear to go.
So do the disability electric carts give off emissions i don;t think so just like bikes and bikes go over 12mph .but cart owners pay for a tax
disc
if they have to pay why not bike uses ?
As with most things have changed so has road use vehicles have taken over bikes 'horses on roads
quote:
This is not the Netherlands in nearly all of the UK with the exception of East Anglia the bicycle is totally impractical as a means of transport
because of the nature of UK geography.
quote:
This is not the Netherlands in nearly all of the UK with the exception of East Anglia the bicycle is totally impractical as a means of transport
because of the nature of UK geography.
Only if you're horrendously unfit
+1!
I find it to be completely driver/cyclist dependant, I see as many idiots on bikes as I do in cars. The ones on bikes don't tend to last as long
though.
I think a lot of the dislike of car drivers for cyclists is because of getting stuck behind them for some time when it is not always necessary.
I used to travel to work along a busy road with two lanes of traffic in each direction. If you stayed in the right lane, you'd get stuck at
every set of traffic lights as someone waited to turn right. If you stayed in the left lane, you'd catch up with a bike. It was very difficult
to overtake, because of the nose to tail traffic in the next lane made lane changing almost impossible and when you eventually did, you'd
inevitably get stuck at the next set of lights (that you would have sailed through if it weren't for being previously slowed by the bike) and
the cyclist would pass up your inside and the whole scenario would repeat.
On a clear run, you could pass through a dozen sets of lights on green or at least with only 10 second stops. Catch up to a bike and you'd be
stopped for a minute at each and every set.
As one of the main commuter routes in the area, it was woefully overcrowded and just not suited to sharing.
Now the council has removed the left lane and replaced it with a bus/cycle lane (yes the buses get stuck behind the bikes) and massively increased
travel and queuing times for the majority of people. The sensible option, that would have removed most of the conflict, massively reduced delays and
allowed sharing, would have been to squeeze in right turn turn lane at each set of lights, allowing freer flow and easier overtaking.
quote:Originally posted by SteveWalker
The sensible option, that would have removed most of the conflict, massively reduced delays and allowed sharing, would have been to squeeze in right
turn turn lane at each set of lights, allowing freer flow and easier overtaking.
That's why it wasn't done, but that's a different rant.
Maybe we need a new road safety campaign.
"Hey you, don't be a dick! You use the road, don't be a dick"
As far as I'm concerned there is only two rules for me as a cyclist which are don't get hit by a car/van/truck, and don't cause
anybody else to have to swerve, brake hard etc. Other than that I do what I like.
Personally I think things are over regulated already. If you really want cycling to be taxed / licensed then be prepared to have to pay pavement tax
for walking down the street because there is no reason why that shouldn't be taxed either.
quote:Originally posted by jackoSo do the disability electric carts give off emissions i don;t think so
Power stations do when you charge them up though They are a pain when they are driven by someone who has never had any experience of anything
similar before though, we regularly see them round here driven on the wrong side of the road passing parked cars and stopping traffic coming to the
junction opposite our house or trying to break the land speed record on the pavement expecting pedestrians to dodge them. They should have a CBT and
insurance before they are allowed out on them.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
