I would certainly be a big fan of 'cracking down' (proportionately) on
the minority of cyclists who misbehave, and I mean really misbehave,
e.g. suicidal 'cutting' manoeuvres and nearly running down
pedestrians, rather than technical offences like red light jumping
(which a fair number of people think shouldn't even be illegal for
cyclists). I'm sure we've all seen some REALLY dodgy things done by
cyclists which make us temporarily embarrassed to be using the same
form of transport. Some places (usually junctions) are particularly
prone to that kind of bad behaviour, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to
position 'bike cops' (who are well-versed in how to deal with cyclists
and what exactly the laws are which apply to them) at such places from
time to time.
If we could even halve the number of 'Oh my goodness, did you see
THAT?' type events that are caused by a few (and it is just a few)
errant cyclists, then it would be of enormous help to us all in being
seen as a 'grown-up', non-anarchic form of transport. A road user who
doesn't cycle probably only has to see one or two 'outrageous' acts by
a cyclist per month to maintain a negative image of cyclists as a
whole. While we could argue that this is 'unfair', and that they're
noticing 'bad cyclists' a lot more than 'bad drivers', 'bad
pedestrians' etc because they have an innate prejudice against
cyclists to begin with thanks to society, and they don't actually
cause many injuries, and all that sort of thing, the fact is that if
we're trying to gain the respect that we deserve then it only takes a
couple of bad apples to spoil that effort and we'd be much better off
with fewer said apples.
Obviously if enough cyclists are doing the same 'bad' things at a
junction, then it's perfectly possible that a junction redesign would
solve the problem the most effectively. But this doesn't excuse
irresponsible behaviour.
[I apologise to 'Ace' and anyone else who doesn't want another
'political' thread. Hopefully my thread title is sufficiently clear
for those who aren't interested in such matters to avoid reading the
thread altogether, which presumably should keep everyone happy.]
Cyclist warns of "constant stupidity"
http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/local/9971861.Cyclist_warns_of__constant_stupidity_/
A CYCLIST has warned the public is losing patience with bike users
because of their �almost constant stupidity�.
Deborah Golby, who has been cycling for nearly 45 years, says instead
of blaming motorists for collisions and near misses, cyclists should
work on their own skills on the road.
�I�m a cyclist myself, and I would never discourage people from
getting on their bike, but it is at the stage now where I am seeing
almost constant stupidity,� said Mrs Golby, 52, of Bromley Road, in
Greenstead.
�When accidents happen, the public perception is that it is the
motorist�s fault, but I can tell you now, it usually isn�t.
�We are seeing no end to the stupidity of some cyclists and as
responsible cyclists, we need to acknowledge this.�
Mrs Golby also said she had seen several close shaves near to the
University of Essex Knowledge Gateway, where cyclists had ignored red
lights and continued on, causing motorists to brake suddenly.
�At the very least they should respect the rules of the road,� she
added.
�I think all cyclists need to make sure they are safer on the road.�