News flash! Biking is more dangerous than driving - amazing

[hamster]

Reports like this do nothing to help as the average driver thinks that as they pay for the RFL, they have more rights.

And it's not the RFL anyway! It's VED, RFL was abolished in the 1930's! But Car makers still put RFL on their advertising...70 years after it was abolished...

Saying you have a right on the roads because you pay VED is like saying you should have priority in hospital because you are a higher rate taxpayer.

Anyway, I notice that I paid £99.90 this year in Council tax for Hampshire highways department.

Sorry, rant over. RFL really got up my nose...

 

[legrandefromage]

Reports like this do nothing to help as the average driver thinks that as they pay for the RFL, they have more rights.

And it's not the RFL anyway! It's VED, RFL was abolished in the 1930's! But Car makers still put RFL on their advertising...70 years after it was abolished...

Saying you have a right on the roads because you pay VED is like saying you should have priority in hospital because you are a higher rate taxpayer.

Anyway, I notice that I paid £99.90 this year in Council tax for Hampshire highways department.

Sorry, rant over. RFL really got up my nose...

I happen to live in the inter war years you scoundrel.

Toot toot!

 

[drystonepaul]

Ah yes the old “Cyclists don’t pay road tax, they shouldn’t be on the roads; roads are for cars” argument.

Reminds me of this:

Anyway.
In terms of attitudes to cyclists, there is a whole generation of UK drivers and cyclists who haven't ever been properly educated in each others road user needs.
The *new* Bikeability cycle training standard may help the younger generations begin to appreciate and understand road etiquette and hopefully this awareness may continue when they become old enough to drive.
At least for those who are lucky enough to have access to it.

In my opinion the current driving test doesn't do nearly enough to increase awareness of the needs of other road users. The hostile 'them versus us' attitude portrayed by the media does nothing to help matters either.

Having ridden a fair bit on the continent, I find the behaviour and attitude of the majority of motorists towards cyclists, in France and Switzerland for example, a welcome change to the average driver in the UK.

So what has happened in the UK?

 

[hamster]

I happen to live in the inter war years you scoundrel.

Toot toot!

I know you fought a war for me, but these days you are just driving with your right indicator on

 

[t1nt1n]

Re: News flash! Biking is more dangerous than driving - amaz

Surry Uni did a 5 year study and found that cycling is more dangerous than biking. 5 years? I could have told them that in 5 seconds.

To be fair, the difference between cycling and biking can be fairly subtle, and probably demands a thread of its own.

I know, I'm a tool

In my defence I had to do a presentation for Uni and had my mind on that at the time

 

[Neil]

Here's my finger in the air take on it...

I cycled regularly on road from around 1980 to 1996. Had something of a hiatus for a good few years, mainly due to where my bikes were stored, when I only very occasionally got the chance to cycle.

In recent years I've had more opportunity to use my bikes, although it's only really occasional use. But the thing I've found about cycling these days, on road, is that the roads are nothing like as friendly as they were to cycle on in the past. That's both in terms of road layout ("traffic calming") reduction in width of lanes (and the consequential effect that has on drivers' demeanor), plus increasing numbers of vehicles - and it does have to be said, driver attitude.

I do personally feel like the roads are more hazardous to cycle on. In recent years, I have looked forward to having more opportunity to cycle, but practically every time I cycle somewhere on road, I find either aggressive attitudes from drivers (in terms of their actual driving behaviour, or any interaction) and / or loutish behaviour from either drivers or passenger. Now sure, societal attitudes and trends play a big part in that - but also, road designers can't distance themselves from cause and effect, either.

I think, nowadays, I'm less inclined to cycle with traffic and prefer to cycle on paths or tracks without vehicles (I'm not thinking of cycle paths on or by roads, there, though) - and I'm not the timid or shy and retiring type. I just find that my recent experience of cycling with traffic tends towards it being a generally negative experience for me, and if I'm doing something for enjoyment, why put myself through a part of it which is far from it, these days.

Now don't get me wrong - I don't perceive that as being a good thing for me - to be perfectly honest, recent on-road experience notwithstanding, I've tended to long for the days when I did practically all my commuting and moving around by bike. But times have changed, as I believe the roads and drivers have.