Plan on Cycle Deaths and Accidents, ideas and suggestions.

Re: Plan on Cycle Deaths and Accidents, ideas and suggestion

I'll need to agree with Pyro Tim - in all practicality - but do admire your efforts to do something.

I'll chip in that commuting in a group sounds good in theory, but there will always be variations of speed and the dreaded puncture / mechanical. Let's remember it's commuting with all the real life constraints rather than a club run meet. This is a key thing in comparing to say Denmark where the majority of city bikes - for commuting fairly short distances - are identical, virtually identical speed and the lay of the land is fairly flat. I would take a guess that the majority of commuters would see themselves as a "normal person" and not necessarily a cyclist; infact the origins of the cycling boom there comes from an oil shortage forcing the car not to be used.

I've lived and cycled in few major cities (but not London) and without shadow of a doubt I felt more secure where there was respect (and admiration) for a vulnerable cyclist than gizmo parallel infrastructure. Stockholm for example is "well developed" and the cycle paths in and out of the city, train station to train station, and around the suburbs or joining the towns together are great. BUT, in the city I feel safer to carve my way through small back streets and cars than contend with the cycle paths (due to car doors, buses, goods loading, goods unloading, taxis, pedestrians, head-phones, texting, prams, dogs, etc.). In a sense, the segregation and rule book as left common sense vulnerability and respect on the back burner for a lot of motorists and cyclists.

On a final note, when I passed my driving test, the examiner said "Congratulations, you have passed your test and you now have a license to kill". I've never forgotten that, and wonder if something as simple as that is needed?

PS: You may find this interesting as it deals with the cycling culture question amongst other things: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0QjhGr73Ns
 
Re: Plan on Cycle Deaths and Accidents, ideas and suggestion

Pyro Tim":eciryvf8 said:
I live near Lumos, and we live in one of the worst areas for accidents involving cyclists, based on per capita accidents.

I didn't know that, is that for the uk or dorset?
 
Re: Plan on Cycle Deaths and Accidents, ideas and suggestion

lumos2000":88ms4mwx said:
David B":88ms4mwx said:
lumos2000":88ms4mwx said:
back on subject, I don't think this would work well where I live and there's not a huge need for it just yet, you need to try this out somewhere like Bristol, Brighton, Southampton or London, there was a quite interesting program on the other night about Bristol's mayor he would be someone to approach with an idea like this, also I think restricting heavy goods lorries from town centre's during rush hours would make sense or even during daylight hours

TfL already has this....

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/microsites/freigh ... cheme.aspx

....which with some tweaking of the format could also benefit commuters in the morning and evening peaks.

David

that's nuts, it forces hgv's to use the road at the rush hour, all begins to make sense now :shock:

Very true - especially the knock-on effect for the morning peak. Stupidly, that never occurred to me when I first read the item. :oops:

David
 
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