I'm a cyclist.

[doctor Bob]

You could do some nice scratches with a dolls pram if you put your mind to it.

hello it's 2022............... I haven't seen a kid in the street with a dolls pram since 1978.
We aren't in the Victorian era anymore Jacob
May be virtual ones in Grand theft auto 5?

 

[Jacob]

hello it's 2022............... I haven't seen a kid in the street with a dolls pram since 1978.
We aren't in the Victorian era anymore Jacob
May be virtual ones in Grand theft auto 5?

Pavements covered with them around here. Not to mention tricycles, toy wheel barrows, pedal cars, roller skates.
They should all be insured obviously. It'd also improve relationships between children - instead of fighting over damage they could just claim off each other's insurances.
https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/toys/dolls-and-doll-accessories/doll-prams-and-pushchairs/c:30383/

 

[John Brown]

A free bike number plate registration scheme would be very simple.
Then cameras could catch violations so easy to police.
Red light jumpers, pavements etc

Or maybe we could concentrate on something important. Like motorists who drive at 50 in 30 limits, or the SUV drivers who can't be bothered to indicate.

 

[doctor Bob]

Pavements covered with them around here. Not to mention tricycles, toy wheel barrows, pedal cars, roller skates.

Sounds like a right dump.
Congratulations on establishing communications, how are you managing this when you have me on ignore?

 

[doctor Bob]

Or maybe we could concentrate on something important. Like motorists who drive at 50 in 30 limits, or the SUV drivers who can't be bothered to indicate.

or both, surely that would be better, just because I suggest something doesn't mean I suddenly want speeding to be acceptable. I'm surprised you think red light jumping as a cyclist is un-important, could you explain why it's un-important.
I also said cameras could pick them up, so wouldn't be wasting police time.

 

[John Brown]

or both, surely that would be better, just because I suggest something doesn't mean I suddenly want speeding to be acceptable. I'm surprised you think red light jumping as a cyclist is un-important, could you explain why it's un-important.

I think it's unimportant simply because you think it's important. Isn't that how this works? Sorry if I've got the rules wrong.

Actually, I didn't say it was unimportant, you inferred that, but I should have said "something more important".
For the record, I think cyclists crossing red lights us wrong, and against the law, but it mainly affects the cyclists themselves. I have never felt endangered by a cyclist crossing a red light. In fact I don't think I've ever felt inconvenienced or even mildly aggrieved. I suspect a lot of anger in this regard comes from motorists who are stopped at a red light seeing a cyclist get ahead of them. I'm sure this doesn't apply to you, Bob, as you generally come across as level headed, except when verbally sparring with Jacob.
I have to go now, I promised to return the wheelbarrow I borrowed from my neighbour across the road, so I'd better do that before I find out it needs lights, insurance, VED and a simplified MOT.

 

[Blackswanwood]

great news, punishing all of us because of one accident, that's the tory way, collective punishment at it's finest, I think cyclists should get a vote on whether we let people bring in new laws, give cyclists themselves the voice instead of drivers telling cyclists what they want from them, especially in a democracy, which we supposedly live in, all I see is a right wing tory government who are getting worse and worse and more power hungry, they are deliberately pushing the boundaries as much as possible lately on removing human rights, workers rights, unions, the right to protest, freedom of speech, disabled peoples rights, animal rights and lots more.

I don’t follow your logic here.

The proposed legislation is being taken forward by Grant Shapps who is the Transport Secretary and a cyclist.

Deaths and injuries caused by cyclists are in my view likely to be fewer than those caused by motorists but that doesn’t mean there should not be up to date legislation to deal with it when it does happen. For the avoidance of doubt that doesn’t mean cyclists (and all road users) shouldn’t be afforded protection by The Highway Code.

 

[Terry - Somerset]

I can understand the frustration, annoyance and even anger directed at cyclists who damage cars. They must be wholly aware of what they have done and lack the decency to own up and pay.

However, proposals for licencing, testing, insuring, number plating are fatuous - two main reasons:

• politicians will never sign up to it. It would deter cyclists from cycling, prevent young people ever getting started etc. Only the law abiding and responsible may comply - the rest would ignore it - just as they ignore red lights, bike lighting, helmets etc etc.
• expecting the police to enforce the legislation is truly naive. A few ££ damage to a motor vehicle is a trivial offence. It will get the priority given to other minor offences - garden equipment going missing from a shed, a bit of graffiti, peeing in the street after a drunken Saturday night, etc. If you are lucky it may get recorded in the big crime book - but don't get your hopes up

Legislation without both the resources and resolve to enforce it is a largely pointless waste of effort.

 

[doctor Bob]

I think it's unimportant simply because you think it's important. Isn't that how this works? Sorry if I've got the rules wrong.

Actually, I didn't say it was unimportant, you inferred that, but I should have said "something more important".
For the record, I think cyclists crossing red lights us wrong, and against the law, but it mainly affects the cyclists themselves. I have never felt endangered by a cyclist crossing a red light. In fact I don't think I've ever felt inconvenienced or even mildly aggrieved. I suspect a lot of anger in this regard comes from motorists who are stopped at a red light seeing a cyclist get ahead of them. I'm sure this doesn't apply to you, Bob, as you generally come across as level headed, except when verbally sparring with Jacob.
I have to go now, I promised to return the wheelbarrow I borrowed from my neighbour across the road, so I'd better do that before I find out it needs lights, insurance, VED and a simplified MOT.

I hope you haven't got it in for me, or maybe it's just the binary world or possible a little bit of humour is drifting in (very good)
I have a motorbike, I'm pretty sure I filter like cycles, and pretty sure I could nip through a red light quicker (195mph bike). I reckon I may start doing it especially when someone with a level head like yourself doesn't really mine to much.
You ought to buy a wheel barrow, very cheap and it seems a bit tight pestering your neighbour to borrow one. Useful to have sitting around, I use mine to carry my enormous childish sense of humour everywhere.

 

[TRITON]

Most car drivers i suspect that get triggered about cyclists going through red lights are jealous because they so wish they could do the same.

88% of all cars in the UK break the speed limits on urban roads. The total was over 2,000,000,
There are some 200,000 serious speeding offences committed by motorists each year.
About 105,000 have been banned (on average).
90,000 convicted of driving while unfit through drink(England and Wales only)
in 2019 over 1,000 died as a result of drink driving.
1/5 of all motorists have admitted to driving though a red light in the past year.
42,000+ motorists have been convicted of this offence.

8% of cyclists ride through red lights, when they think it is safe to do so.
Apparently many drivers think this is totally out of order.

It would appear motorists have their priorities wrong, and should look to their own quarter for lawless behaviour on our roads.

 

[doctor Bob]

Most car drivers i suspect that get triggered about cyclists going through red lights are jealous because they so wish they could do the same.

88% of all cars in the UK break the speed limits on urban roads. The total was over 2,000,000,
There are some 200,000 serious speeding offences committed by motorists each year.
About 105,000 have been banned (on average).
90,000 convicted of driving while unfit through drink(England and Wales only)
in 2019 over 10,000 died as a result of drink driving.
1/5 of all motorists have admitted to driving though a red light in the past year.
42,000+ motorists have been convicted of this offence.

8% of cyclists ride through red lights, when they think it is safe to do so.
Apparently many drivers think this is totally out of order.

It would appear motorists have their priorities wrong, and should look to their own quarter for lawless behaviour on our roads.

Yes thank you both cyclists and drivers need to improve their behaviour. Simple isn't it.

 

[paulrbarnard]

I don’t follow your logic here.

The proposed legislation is being taken forward by Grant Shapps who is the Transport Secretary and a cyclist.

Deaths and injuries caused by cyclists are in my view likely to be fewer than those caused by motorists but that doesn’t mean there should not be up to date legislation to deal with it when it does happen. For the avoidance of doubt that doesn’t mean cyclists (and all road users) shouldn’t be afforded protection by The Highway Code.

The reality is that cyclists who cause death inevitably get very much harsher sentences than car drivers who do the same. This is because the occurrences are very low and they become high profile for the press when it happens.

 

[John Brown]

I hope you haven't got it in for me, or maybe it's just the binary world or possible a little bit of humour is drifting in (very good)
I have a motorbike, I'm pretty sure I filter like cycles, and pretty sure I could nip through a red light quicker (195mph bike). I reckon I may start doing it especially when someone with a level head like yourself doesn't really mine to much.
You ought to buy a wheel barrow, very cheap and it seems a bit tight pestering your neighbour to borrow one. Useful to have sitting around, I use mine to carry my enormous childish sense of humour everywhere.

I do have a wheelbarrow, but on Monday we had a lorry load of wood mulch delivered (dumped in the driveway), and borrowed two extra wheelbarrows to get it shifted out into the berry cage. Then the whole exercise was halted, as our four year old live-in grandson tripped and broke his arm just above the elbow.

 

[Jacob]

I can understand the frustration, annoyance and even anger directed at cyclists who damage cars.

Really? But it hardly ever happens; extremely rare, verging on an urban myth.
There is a simple (selfish) reason for it being so infrequent in that the cyclist is likely to come out of the encounter far worse than the car.
Cyclists are extremely vulnerable, extremely cautious and could even come out worse in an encounter with a hedgehog!

They must be wholly aware of what they have done and lack the decency to own up and pay.

So you say but I doubt they are any worse than the millions of motorists who will turn a blind eye to an unwitnessed parking scratch.
The anger is there anyway - with a large part of society who like being angry about a lot of things and happily allow themselves to be whipped into a frenzy by the Daily Mail etc at every opportunity.

 

[Blackswanwood]

The reality is that cyclists who cause death inevitably get very much harsher sentences than car drivers who do the same. This is because the occurrences are very low and they become high profile for the press when it happens.

That could well be the case although I expect it’s a subjective view.

At least if there is a new law passed on the matter (the court case referenced in the earlier post relied on a Victorian law that was written with horse and carriage in mind) there is an opportunity to better reflect the modern day.

 

[Jameshow]

Most car drivers i suspect that get triggered about cyclists going through red lights are jealous because they so wish they could do the same.

88% of all cars in the UK break the speed limits on urban roads. The total was over 2,000,000,
There are some 200,000 serious speeding offences committed by motorists each year.
About 105,000 have been banned (on average).
90,000 convicted of driving while unfit through drink(England and Wales only)
in 2019 over 10,000 died as a result of drink driving.
1/5 of all motorists have admitted to driving though a red light in the past year.
42,000+ motorists have been convicted of this offence.

8% of cyclists ride through red lights, when they think it is safe to do so.
Apparently many drivers think this is totally out of order.

It would appear motorists have their priorities wrong, and should look to their own quarter for lawless behaviour on our roads.

10,000??? Drink driving deaths

5000 injuries and deaths according to Google so likely 500 deaths.

Total deaths on roads hovers around 1000pa I believe?

 

[ey_tony]

ALL ROAD USERS irrespective of whether a pedestrian, cyclist, horse rider or vehicle driver have a duty of care towards others and in theory others have a right to expect responsible and appropriate behaviour from others using the roads. Unfortunately that isn't happening in many instances.

When passing a moving cyclist a driver of a vehicle with a modicum of common sense would leave the width of at least a small car between them and the nearest part of the cycle as they pass them as a margin of safety, otherwise refrain from overtaking until it's safe to do so. They should allow adequate clearance before returning into position. Cyclists on the other hand if they have half a brain would leave at least the width an average car door opened carelessly by a driver or passenger as they pass parked cars in order to avoid the obvious. It happens so why riski it. They would also LOOK BEHIND before overtaking the stationary vehicle and not endanger other road users by their actions.

Motorists when overtaking a cyclist but intending to turn left ahead should not cause the cyclist to change speed or direction, in other words the driver should not cut across a cyclist in a dangerous manner when turning left. Cyclists should not normally 'undertake' moving vehicles unless in a designated lane and should not overtake a moving or waiting vehicle in which the driver has signalled their intention to turn right and in the most appropriate position for the purposes of turning right.

No driver should turn right or left before they have checked the appropriate nearside or offside mirror to ascertain that it's safe to carry out the turn and abandon the maneuver if it is unsafe to carry out the turn turn.

The same logic should apply to not jumping a red light irrespective of whether a cyclist or motorist and a motorist or cyclist failing to correctly respond to a red light should be prosecuted for their safety and the safety of others.

I really don't get all the fuss about these changes. It's hardly rocket science and shouldn't gravitate to cyclists versus cars/vehicles. It should be remembered that a cyclist is the most vulnerable road user on wheels and sometimes they ride stupidly but motorists are very often just as bad so, as road users we should look out for both types and take appropriate action to avoid a collision no matter who is at fault.

 

[TRITON]

10,000??? Drink driving deaths

5000 injuries and deaths according to Google so likely 500 deaths.

Total deaths on roads hovers around 1000pa I believe?

Oops, added a zero by mistake. Its all the other figures already in the tens of thousands. thanks for the note,ill amend it.
But no, thats just drink being involved. The figure for killed in all aspects is about 5 or 6 per day on average.

 

[Jester129]

@Jacob said "Really? But it hardly ever happens; extremely rare, verging on an urban myth.
There is a simple (selfish) reason for it being so infrequent in that the cyclist is likely to come out of the encounter far worse than the car.
Cyclists are extremely vulnerable, extremely cautious and could even come out worse in an encounter with a hedgehog!"

Total borrocks as usual Jacob. What about the yob on a bike that came riding down a one-way street the wrong way and kicked my door mirror off?
If I had caught him it would have been me in court for gbh!

 

[Jacob]

@Jacob said "Really? But it hardly ever happens; extremely rare, verging on an urban myth.
There is a simple (selfish) reason for it being so infrequent in that the cyclist is likely to come out of the encounter far worse than the car.
Cyclists are extremely vulnerable, extremely cautious and could even come out worse in an encounter with a hedgehog!"

Total borrocks as usual Jacob. What about the yob on a bike that came riding down a one-way street the wrong way and kicked my door mirror off?
If I had caught him it would have been me in court for gbh!

Sounds like a very rare and difficult athletic trick to perform. Not something that cyclists do on a regular basis! Were there witnesses?
Car mirrors are hit on every street in the country by other vehicles.