Shock/horror - common sense from the Daily Mail on cycling?

gerryattrick

Retrobike Rider
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From Des Kelly's column in the Mail today



Cycling is the most dangerous sport most of us will ever participate in. Anyone who has risked Millbank roundabout in central London at rush hour, or navigated Lower Thames Street will surely agree.
If any good comes of the unpleasant coincidence that Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins and his coach Shane Sutton suffered separate road accidents within a day of one another, it is that the peril of pedalling on Britain's roads is back on the agenda.
The main problem seems to be that many drivers seem to regard cyclists as an obstacle, to be impatiently swept aside.

Equally, a proportion of cyclists openly defy road regulations. The solutions require a fundamental change in the law and our road-using culture.
Here's how it can happen:

1 Any incident between a car and a cyclist should be considered the car driver's fault, unless it can be proved otherwise. That changes the duty of care and protects the vulnerable.
2 Any cyclist who hits a pedestrian should face the same sanctions for the same reason. Cyclists, too, have a duty of care.
3 Police should penalise any cyclist running a light as they would a motorist. Police must fine cyclists who do not make themselves visible with lights at night, as a driver without lights would be.

These laws already exist - so they should be enforced. It's not perfect. It's a long, uphill climb. But it's a start.


 
bigmick":3bfwse1c said:
what if #1 happens because of #3

"Unless it can be proved otherwise"

Contributory negligence on both sides always has to be taken into account.

No situation in law will ever be completely straightforward, but these suggestions seem a reasonable starting point.
 
Ive watched the police pull cyclists who jump the lights and especially the ones who use the padestrian crossing lights as a signal go if theyve been stopped by traffic lights.
Weird that,when you see a cyclist adhere to the law and stop at the traffic lights but when the 'green man' comes on the use that to get across the road/junction.

Personally i always stop at the lights.This is mainly because i can get a chance to get my breath back :LOL: But i also enjoy glowering at those that choose not to.If they are in an accident pulling such a stunt ill quite happily hang about for the police and report that cyclist to them as being his/her fault.
 
I'm sure that the first two points are pinched direct from Denmark, or possibly one of the other Scandinavian countries. Never the less, both brilliant ideas.

I was listening to a radio discussion about cyclists and cars and two thoughts occurred to me:

First, we have to somehow get this idea that the roads BELONG to cars out of peoples heads. I don't know how we do this, I suppose by long term education, like the drink driving, seat belts (don't mention clunk click every trip! :shock:) campaigns of the past.

Second: London is not the UK. There must be far more recreational / sport riders outside our cities than there are in them, and to regard all cyclists as being the same is as nonsensical as regarding all car drivers as behaving in the same way.

I saw a great comment from a cyclist who travels all over Europe on his bike. He said that when he is riding on the continent, he can always tell the nationality of the driver as they overtake him.

Those that pass and give him plenty of room, are from European countries like France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Those that almost clip him with their wing mirrors are from the UK.

When I hear of the increasing number of hit and run incidents involving cars / vans and cyclist; including the guy who died at the side of the road having been hit by a van, and who was only found when his family went searching for him, then I do wonder what kind of society we are living in.
 
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