Quote:
Originally Posted by Osem
This death, tragic as it is, is just another of many thousands which happen every year on our roads and which rarely get mentioned. Like drivers, there are good cyclists and bad ones - those who take all reasonable precautions and ride carefully and those who dart in/out of traffic or cycle without lights/helmets/reflective clothing etc. as if they have a death wish.
The road network in much of C. London wasn't really designed for cars let alone huge lorries, buses, motorcycles and bikes. Accidents are inevitable and whatever is done by way of throwing money at the problem will, IMHO, be subject to the law of diminishing returns in terms of the number of cyclists killed/injured and may well actually cause more accidents elsewhere due to the transference of traffic/congestion and associated problems to different routes. IMHO the most effective way to reduce fatalities and serious injuries is to better educate both drivers and cyclists but the truth is that until more cyclists can be persuaded to do some form of training, better observe the rules of the road and wear appropriate safety related clothing etc. the accidents will continue. Just because a bike can fit in a small gap doesn't mean it's sensible or safe to do it but so often you see bikes weaving their way through the tightest of gaps between huge vehicles, often putting themselves at great risk and usually for little if any advantage.
I have no problem with cycle routes being created - we have quite a few around here - but the truth is that they're rarely used for the very same reasons that pedestrians will often choose to cross a road in an unsafe location just to avoid walking a 50 yards further to the nearest safe crossing point. Most of the time they get away with it but every so often they're unlucky and wind up killed or injured simply because they decided to take a risk. Even where barriers are put up to deter this and encourage pedestrians to use designated crossings and footbridges, people are often loathe to use them, preferring to take their chances with the traffic. The same is true of some cyclists who'll happily either ignore red lights or even mount the pavement or ignore road signs just to avoid being held up by them.
Tackling this problem properly is going to require re-educating all road users, not just drivers, and right now there seems to be no serious will or strategy to encourage the training of cyclists or crack down on their irresponsible behaviour. Consequently they're left with the impression that when things go wrong it's always someone else's fault and someone else who needs to modify their behaviour.
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I have a full car license, a full motorcycle license and I have been cycling all my life. This seems a fairly good 'education' in road sense and road craft. A proficiency test or cycle training will not make a ha'peth of difference to the way I ride.
And yet frequently when I cycle, someone in a motor vehicle does something that is threatening or downright dangerous.
All the pontificating in all the World is not going to change the fact that some motorists see cyclists as a nuisance and for as long as we share roadspace I will cycle in whatever way it takes to stay alive.