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.
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.