Cyclists - New Proposals

[Watts.E.Dunn]

It won't make a shits worth of difference here in "Cycle Shitty" AKA Cambridge, cyclists here think that are very clever and above any law already, why should they obey or notice any new ones?..

[Marmalade]

So who’s thinking of buying a bike?

[mr.bluesky]

The country is going to the dogs with rising energy bills, high petrol prices , rising cost of living, strikes, a failing NHS , ever increasing knife crimes and all this government can think of is an idea  to clobber cyclists.  This should be bottom of the priority list by a long way ffs.

[Thephoenix]

The country is going to the dogs with rising energy bills, high petrol prices , rising cost of living, strikes, a failing NHS , ever increasing knife crimes and all this government can think of is an idea  to clobber cyclists.  This should be bottom of the priority list by a long way ffs.

On yer bike!!! 

[lamboman]

So who’s thinking of buying a bike?

I've got 5 already that's enough.

[GreyDave]

It won't make a shits worth of difference here in "Cycle Shitty" AKA Cambridge, cyclists here think that are very clever and above any law already, why should they obey or notice any new ones?..

  Yep saw a guy suited up shouting at a tourist bus at the bridge outside Merton .... I ride a bike infrequently I passed my proficency test at school and have the badge the instructors words stlll in my ears 50years pls later " There is Safty in the Gutter, you will be hurt what ever you hit dont race your freinds.....to the Grave yard"  I pass idots every day who seem to want to do this

[lillythesavage]

The country is going to the dogs with rising energy bills, high petrol prices , rising cost of living, strikes, a failing NHS , ever increasing knife crimes and all this government can think of is an idea  to clobber cyclists.  This should be bottom of the priority list by a long way ffs.

Got to disagree on the failing NHS, sure things got in a mess because of the pandemic, but I had no problems with ongoing issues through it.

Still having treatment, had to have an X ray this week, no booking, timing met I landed at 12.55, expected a wait, and seeing 5 in front of me, expected longer, in and out by 13.10, was enjoying the cool waiting room aircon too  .

Had to book blood tests online now, used to be walk in, first available booking was 25 minutes from the time I logged on, could not make that, booked for 90 minutes later, was late by about 25mins  , but it was no problem, less than 5 minutes I was on my way. Only one in there.

Changes are being made, and changes take time to work as they should, I have nothing but praise for my GP and the 4 hospitals I have been too, several times, over the last 3 years.

It is not perfect, and we ourselves are to blame sometimes, because we stick with a shite GP practise, go to A&E when we do not really need to, you can sit back, accept and moan, or be more active in your choices, like you do with utilities, once you have a good GP the NHS works very well, you just need to be sent to the right place and get in the system with GP refferal.

[mr.bluesky]

No criticism of the NHS workers they are underpaid, understaffed  and overworked but it's not ideal to go to A&E and have to wait 4 hours or more to be seen. Story in one of today's papers of an 87 year old man suffering from cancer had a fall at home and had to wait 15 hours for an ambulance.  That's not right.

[lamboman]

Got to disagree on the failing NHS, sure things got in a mess because of the pandemic, but I had no problems with ongoing issues through it.

Still having treatment, had to have an X ray this week, no booking, timing met I landed at 12.55, expected a wait, and seeing 5 in front of me, expected longer, in and out by 13.10, was enjoying the cool waiting room aircon too  .

Had to book blood tests online now, used to be walk in, first available booking was 25 minutes from the time I logged on, could not make that, booked for 90 minutes later, was late by about 25mins  , but it was no problem, less than 5 minutes I was on my way. Only one in there.

Changes are being made, and changes take time to work as they should, I have nothing but praise for my GP and the 4 hospitals I have been too, several times, over the last 3 years.

It is not perfect, and we ourselves are to blame sometimes, because we stick with a shite GP practise, go to A&E when we do not really need to, you can sit back, accept and moan, or be more active in your choices, like you do with utilities, once you have a good GP the NHS works very well, you just need to be sent to the right place and get in the system with GP refferal.

You are very,very lucky then that is miles from the norm.

[lillythesavage]

No criticism of the NHS workers they are underpaid, understaffed  and overworked but it's not ideal to go to A&E and have to wait 4 hours or more to be seen. Story in one of today's papers of an 87 year old man suffering from cancer had a fall at home and had to wait 15 hours for an ambulance.  That's not right.

A&E is full of people who do not need to be there, often, The Ambulance service is part of the NHS granted, and is in a mess, often again caused by those abusing it. Thankfully not needed it.

But getting the right treatment starts with you GP, finding a good practise, and being clear and persistent and you get to the right place, I will admit it took a while, mainly because blood tests sent me the wrong way, and after prostrate was ruled out, the twat suggested bowel, and that road was wrong too, but the scan found out more and back onto the right path.

Each and every hospital stage, has been timely and did what they said they would when they said they would, and a couple of strange happenings, were dealt with by the GP within an hour of calling and sending a picture by Whatsapp.

It is not luck, it is finding a good GP practise and clearly telling them the problems and the difficulties they cause, and some persistence on my part, too many do not go to the GP, until it is too late, accept poor service from them, do not vote with their feet, and accept everything they say, pills they do not need, and do not tell the whole story.

It has been discussed before, but my GP calls every year, to have an mot, bloods for all sorts, face to face chat  before and after the results.
It was this 3 years ago that revealed problems, it also found a damaged spine during scans, something I had no idea about and accepted back pain as part of getting old  , the GP arranged a specialist, in a private hospital, had a jab, what a fucking difference, and that specialist calls every 3 months personally to monitor it, this was all on the NHS. The same private hospital did the bowel examinations and found the other problem.

Honestly, a good NHS service starts with your GP, and only you can dictate if you have a bad one or a good one, I changed mine about 5 years ago, the first thing the new GP did was an mot, the previous one never had, no matter what the ailment, the answer was always pills.

If your GP practice is shite, the NHS will be shite, if you ignore things and do not use a good GP, then you will end up in A&E or needing an Ambulance, the two most under pressure departments.

We have to look after ourselves in the first place, no one else will, and that means regular mot tests, especially as we get older, and using your GP if you think you need to, requesting a second opinion if needs be, be clear and persistent if something is bothering you,  that way the two under pressure departments might be under less pressure. We cannot stop abuse of those departments, we can try to avoid them .

The NHS does work if it is used as it should be.

[mr.bluesky]

I agree about A&E there are a lot of people who shouldn't be there but  as Lamboman says not everybody gets the level of service you get. Not everyone especially older people do not have on line access to their GP and would rather have face to face consultations but getting to see your doctor nowdays is almost impossible.  I guess some areas are better than others but everyone should get the same level of care. It shouldn't be a postcode lottery 

[lillythesavage]

I agree about A&E there are a lot of people who shouldn't be there but  as Lamboman says not everybody gets the level of service you get. Not everyone especially older people do not have on line access to their GP and would rather have face to face consultations but getting to see your doctor nowdays is almost impossible.  I guess some areas are better than others but everyone should get the same level of care. It shouldn't be a postcode lottery 

I do not get a better level of service than anyone else, except for the GP who enables the pathway.

Read through again, the GP is the important part and the one thing you yourself have to make work for you, by switching if you are not happy with your current practice.
They are not all the same, and too many accept poor service, because it is near, they are lazy, or by thinking they are all the same.

I agree about some not having online access, but you can change that too, by asking for help from family, friend or neighbour. There is a way around everything if there is a will.

We are responsible in the first instance to look after our own health, and like a lot of things today, you have to be persistent to get things done, there is no sitting back and expecting anymore, if your broadband is shite you change it, works for GP,s too, and only you can make things different.

It also helps GP,s improve, if they are losing customers, which we are, they tend to change like any business, sitting back and accepting is your choice but the one thing in the NHS you can change.

[jackdaw]

I do not get a better level of service than anyone else, except for the GP who enables the pathway.

Read through again, the GP is the important part and the one thing you yourself have to make work for you, by switching if you are not happy with your current practice.
They are not all the same, and too many accept poor service, because it is near, they are lazy, or by thinking they are all the same.

I agree about some not having online access, but you can change that too, by asking for help from family, friend or neighbour. There is a way around everything if there is a will.

We are responsible in the first instance to look after our own health, and like a lot of things today, you have to be persistent to get things done, there is no sitting back and expecting anymore, if your broadband is shite you change it, works for GP,s too, and only you can make things different.

It also helps GP,s improve, if they are losing customers, which we are, they tend to change like any business, sitting back and accepting is your choice but the one thing in the NHS you can change.

Basically you do get a better service than some other people. Why so hard to admit that?

You’re right about the GP being key. My local GP service is fairly hit and miss…it’s a fairly large practice and I rarely see the same doctor twice, so one important element of service (building up a relationship with same doctor) is impossible for me.

All the other nearby GP practices get lower customer feedback scores so switching isn’t an option.

There are several ways in which NHS is creaking now.

[lillythesavage]

Basically you do get a better service than some other people. Why so hard to admit that?

You’re right about the GP being key. My local GP service is fairly hit and miss…it’s a fairly large practice and I rarely see the same doctor twice, so one important element of service (building up a relationship with same doctor) is impossible for me.

All the other nearby GP practices get lower customer feedback scores so switching isn’t an option.

There are several ways in which NHS is creaking now.

No better service from the hospitals but from the GP who gets me there, yes it is far better service.

Relying on online reviews is a habit we have got into, every surgery has poor reviews, word of mouth from other users of the surgery is a far better way to judge.
Accepting what you have, and rejecting switching on the basis of disgruntled reviews, quite likely by those making unreasonable demands, is the same as doing nothing  , no one can make the service you receive better other than you.

Many have few if any resident GP,s, they use cheaper locums, one that has a list of resident GP,s on their website is a good place to start.

My actual regular GP works there a few days per month, so do not see him every time, but if I push for an appointment with him only, I get it.

Some NHS departments are creaking, for many reasons, the X ray dept I visited certainly was not, it was clearly working very well, with no appointments, and it was a busy London hospital I visited at lunch time. Though a quick chat and I was advised to avoid Monday mornings.

The point is, it is your health and the NHS is nowhere near as bad as some say, if you are prepared to find a way to make it work for you, rather than accepting poor service and a slack GP, like everything today, it takes some work and effort on your part.

[Marmalade]

Basically you do get a better service than some other people. Why so hard to admit that?

You’re right about the GP being key. My local GP service is fairly hit and miss…it’s a fairly large practice and I rarely see the same doctor twice, so one important element of service (building up a relationship with same doctor) is impossible for me.

All the other nearby GP practices get lower customer feedback scores so switching isn’t an option.

There are several ways in which NHS is creaking now.

It’s not unreasonable that a few people might still be getting excellent service from their GPs: it’s also not hard to look up the figures and see how there is more demand and less GPs so reduced service is quite reasonably more the norm.

(How to bring this back to the subject of the thread, ok let’s have a go…)

Cycle lanes on major roads are like people who take up GP time cos they’re depressed or they’re worried about covid symptoms or other stuff on that level. GP time is then squeezed, like cars behind a slow moving truck that can’t overtake for the fucking cycle lanes. 10 minutes is not long enough to do a proper patient consultation. The number of car owners, like the number of people registering with GPs, continues to increase.

Seeing the same GP has great advantages, even with technology to pass notes quickly. But if your regular GP is so stressed out they can barely breathe between one appointment and the next, they’re unlikely to recall all your history easily, especially among 2000 other patients on that GP’s list.

So what’s the answer?
{queue Blue Peter ‘solve all the problems of the world’ section}
Stop expecting old people, of which there are an increasing number, to cycle everywhere. Cycling is (at least originally) a hobby. If you want to build cycle lanes, do it without chopping bits off roads for which motorists in a way have paid.
Improve city centre transport with free — or virtually free — buses and trams.
(The analogy to GPs and patients doesn’t apply to this hehe.)

[nigel4498]

I recently got shouted at by a motorist for not using the half and half cycle/pedestrian pavement on a 60mph road. At the time I was doing 35mph on my road bike and I think it’s unsafe to use a cycle/pedestrian lane at that speed. As for insurance, I have it via my British cycling membership.

Will Grant Shapps be advocating for horses and people walking/running on roads to have registration and insurance too?

Obviously not speeding to a punt though

[Bangman]

Few months ago, I had to spend £400 to repair damage on my car, thanks to a cyclist on their headphones who was looking at their phone while cycling superfast, hitting my car. Although they apologised before cycling away.
Sadly I coudnt claim insurance, no point calling police, how do you track a cyclist, no numberplate.

I welcome this change if it happens, I don't want another similar incident.

[Moby Dick]

Few months ago, I had to spend £400 to repair damage on my car, thanks to a cyclist on their headphones who was looking at their phone while cycling superfast, hitting my car. Although they apologised before cycling away.
Sadly I coudnt claim insurance, no point calling police, how do you track a cyclist, no numberplate.

I welcome this change if it happens, I don't want another similar incident.

Even if cyclists are traceable and have insurance it would probably cost you more than £400.
Without dashcam they would just deny your version and say 50:50 / knock for knock, so you will still pay the Excess, loss of NCD, higher premiums each and every subsequent year.
Best do a private settlement / getting his details without involving insurance.

[Marmalade]

Obviously not speeding to a punt though

He says:

Once I go for my first FS punt I will leave a review,

After many years’ membership.
 

No shit Sherlock says that the facts might indicate…
Onanism?

New laws may drive him to getting a horse.
At least that way he’ll have a hole. 

[Bangman]

Even if cyclists are traceable and have insurance it would probably cost you more than £400.
Without dashcam they would just deny your version

Even if 2 cars have a accident, they too can blame each other and deny. That's where the insurance company study thr Road, study the damage and make a assessment at Whos liable. Plus if there is any witnesses that helps.
In my case, I had 4 witnesses that day who shouted at the cyclist for dangerous cycling. But sadly,  the law favours cycling and they can get away with it..
Hopefully not anymore

[Gordon Bennett]

Turns out there's just ONE country in the whole world that requires bicycles to have number plates to identify them. Fantastic progressive country too, also bans women from riding bicycles!
So those keen to avoid the scourge of all these unidentifiable cyclists creating mayhem on UK highways can head off to North Korea and revel in the serenity of their orderly road network. Annyeong!   

[lamboman]

Hopefully not anymore

How practical do you think having number plates on bicycles is?
Take me for example I've got 5 bikes how long do you think it would take to register all the bikes in theUK?
Totally fantasy it will never happen.

[lamboman]

Turns out there's just ONE country in the whole world that requires bicycles to have number plates to identify them. Fantastic progressive country too, also bans women from riding bicycles!
So those keen to avoid the scourge of all these unidentifiable cyclists creating mayhem on UK highways can head off to North Korea and revel in the serenity of their orderly road network. Annyeong!   

 

[lillythesavage]

How practical do you think having number plates on bicycles is?
Take me for example I've got 5 bikes how long do you think it would take to register all the bikes in theUK?
Totally fantasy it will never happen.

The DVLA cannot handle what they have, especially anything that cannot be done online, they have Covid every few weeks  .

The clown suggesting this is clutching at straws.

[DastardlyDick]

Will Grant Shapps be advocating for horses and people walking/running on roads to have registration and insurance too?

Most Horses (or rather, their riders) already have Insurance, for both the cost of Vets and 3rd Party Claims, even though it's not legally required.

[Kerosene]

In city centres there are racks and racks of bikes that anyone can hire and whizz about in whatever means they see fit to. Which is going to include riding like a dick. I'm very interested in how they're going to build the infrastructure to link the dick cyclists to the bikes they've hired.

But yeah, it's showboating for a cabinet position.

[Marmalade]

In city centres there are racks and racks of bikes that anyone can hire and whizz about in whatever means they see fit to. Which is going to include riding like a dick. I'm very interested in how they're going to build the infrastructure to link the dick cyclists to the bikes they've hired.

But yeah, it's showboating for a cabinet position.

Credit cards and GPS I imagine. Same as a properly run e-scooter system (which a great many other countries have successfully implemented).

[Thephoenix]

How practical do you think having number plates on bicycles is?
Take me for example I've got 5 bikes how long do you think it would take to register all the bikes in theUK?
Totally fantasy it will never happen.

It probably will never happen as you say, but I think that's partly because like many other potential ideas it will just get filed away in the 'too hard ' basket even though in a recent poll 91% of motorists were in favour of cyclists having road registration IDs.

[myothernameis]

How practical do you think having number plates on bicycles is?
Take me for example I've got 5 bikes how long do you think it would take to register all the bikes in theUK?
Totally fantasy it will never happen.

The other problem we have, bikes are stolen, and not just one or two, and seems the thieves are targeting cyclists, at there home.  From what I have heard locally, cyclist have had there bikes stolen from there closes

Know of one person, who has had three bikes stolen over a 12 month period

If we were required licence plates, then the police need to look for our stolen bikes

[myothernameis]

I see a flaw in this, so if this went ahead, what happens when someone from Europe brings their bike to the UK.   Would the law apply to foreign bikes and owners

[RedKettle]

It probably will never happen as you say, but I think that's partly because like many other potential ideas it will just get filed away in the 'too hard ' basket even though in a recent poll 91% of motorists were in favour of cyclists having road registration IDs.

A poll of motorists!  What a surprise.

What do you think the result would be if you polled cyclists on whether cars should be banned from driving in cities?  Would that persuade you?

Part of the problem with the cycling infrastructure is that it is often designed and implemented with no input from cyclists, hence so many unusable cycle lanes.  I was listening to a lady on a podcast talking about a local cycle land that starts out wide enough but tapers down to the width of the lamp post you would ride into.  As I have said before many of the apparent cycle routes in Nottingham are impossible to follow.

All this talk of cyclists as if they are in some way evil and the spawn of the devil.  Generally they are having less impact on the environment then motorists, they are keeping themselves fitter so saving the NHS money and they free up car parking in cities!  Yes there are a few dick heads who irritate us all, but there are also terrible drivers.

The odd story of a cyclist killing someone receives alot of attention, and each one is a tragedy, but remember the daily carnage on the roads that is caused by motorists who are steering a one ton battering ram often at speeds in excess of 60 mph.

[Moby Dick]

External Link/Members Only

Quote:
“The latest trial will focus specifically on boosting active travel and will take place in 11 local authority areas in England, including Cornwall, Bradford, and Leeds, with free bike loans, all-ability cycling taster days, and walking and cycling mental health groups among the pilot projects to be supported by the funding.

The Department for Transport said that alongside the trials, which are part of the government’s Gear Change plan published in 2020 to boost walking and cycling, infrastructure so people feel safe when undertaking such activities.”

[Spacecowb0y]

most cyclists ignore traffic lights and ride through them or go on the footpath through them  was sat at a pedestrian crossing on red recently and a push bike rider rode right through just missing the people crossing !! luckily a police motorbike saw him and chased after him and gave him a right finger waving 

Most cyclists?
Have a word with yourself.

I see drivers jump red lights every single day! Only a small proportion are held to account via traffic light cameras.

[pegman8]

I recently got shouted at by a motorist for not using the half and half cycle/pedestrian pavement on a 60mph road. At the time I was doing 35mph on my road bike and I think it’s unsafe to use a cycle/pedestrian lane at that speed. As for insurance, I have it via my British cycling membership.

Will Grant Shapps be advocating for horses and people walking/running on roads to have registration and insurance too?

In my experience horses are not a problem, but cyclists are.

[lillythesavage]

I recently got shouted at by a motorist for not using the half and half cycle/pedestrian pavement on a 60mph road. At the time I was doing 35mph on my road bike and I think it’s unsafe to use a cycle/pedestrian lane at that speed. As for insurance, I have it via my British cycling membership.

Will Grant Shapps be advocating for horses and people walking/running on roads to have registration and insurance too?

So you refuse to use specific paths that are built to keep cyclists safe and away from traffic? Give your head a wobble and use them safely, speed is no excuse, you are putting you and others at risk with your selfish attitude.

Go to a track if you want to cycle at speed without thought for others 

[DrGFreeman]

If councils want cyclists to use cycle paths, they need to be purpose built.
I cycled home today. The marked bike paths are just paint on the road. today the only path on my route was blocked with buses and parked vans.

[daviemac]

If councils want cyclists to use cycle paths, they need to be purpose built.
I cycled home today. The marked bike paths are just paint on the road. today the only path on my route was blocked with buses and parked vans.

See the photos in reply #23, they are just two of the many fully marked designated cycle paths in my area that are separate from the road, clean and free from litter or debris that cyclists chose not to use and ride on the road instead.

Before anyone comes out with they are dangerous because they are shared with pedestrians, as with any road users speed needs to governed by the conditions at the time and in the event there are pedestrians present speed should be reduced until safe to speed up again.

[lamboman]

If councils want cyclists to use cycle paths, they need to be purpose built.
I cycled home today. The marked bike paths are just paint on the road. today the only path on my route was blocked with buses and parked vans.

Exactly I only use a small section of one cycle path as I live in a rural community.
It encompasses everything that is wrong with them for serious cyclists.
Covered in debris as they all are then it crosses a junction and it's far too narrow it's almost impossible for 2 bikes going opposite directions.
They are fine for cyclist just milling about but are not fit for purpose for serious cyclist simple as that,that is why we don't use them.

[lillythesavage]

If councils want cyclists to use cycle paths, they need to be purpose built.
I cycled home today. The marked bike paths are just paint on the road. today the only path on my route was blocked with buses and parked vans.

Having pulled a speeding weaving cyclist from under the first rear axle of a fully loaded 32 tonne truck, I have no sympathy for" serious cyclists" who put themselves and others in danger by not using facilities built for them, go to a fucking track or find somewhere quiet, cities and towns are not the place for speed of any kind.

He was lucky, 2ft more and he would have been mangled with his bike, have friends who have not been so lucky, and it has fucked their lives even when not at fault, but hey, as long as you can go head down at 35mph, who cares.

[pbrown355]

I wish I could get up to 35mph on my bike!

[myothernameis]

I wish I could get up to 35mph on my bike!

I can only manage around 15 mph on my mountain bike, but if going down hill, and I know the layout of the road, on average I can hit 22 mph

But my max speed is around 29 mph, and on a slightly downhill slope

[Marmalade]

Have a glance at the figures. Number of cyclists killed is a tiny number compared with motorists killed. Even pedestrians killed is several times the number of dead cyclists.

Somewhere there should be an awareness of something called "proportionate response". 

Meanwhile, if you drive/ride a bike, try not to get killed please. The paperwork involved if you do, and the damage to motorists resulting from attempts to stop such a rare event happening to someone else, are a bit of a bugger.

[Thephoenix]

Having pulled a speeding weaving cyclist from under the first rear axle of a fully loaded 32 tonne truck, I have no sympathy for" serious cyclists" who put themselves and others in danger by not using facilities built for them, go to a fucking track or find somewhere quiet, cities and towns are not the place for speed of any kind.

Please forgive my pedantic response but 'pulling'a cyclist from under the rear axle of a fully loaded truck is not something you should do lightly.

[Thephoenix]

So it appears that it's acceptable for cyclist to ride dangerously on pavements and through pedestrian areas?
To refuse to use cycle lanes which have costs thousands of pounds to provide?
To ignore traffic lights?
To ride at night without lights?
To ride at dangerous speed along the pavement and collide and injure a young mother with a pram dismounting from a bus, and just ride away?

Why is it acceptable?..... apparently because it's too hard to do anything about it.

[Marmalade]

Please forgive my pedantic response but 'pulling'a cyclist from under the rear axle of a fully loaded truck is not something you should do lightly.

Presumably the said cyclist was no longer speeding at that point at may indeed not have felt particularly light due to the weight of the said rear axle, which hopefully wasn't damaged. 

If that sounds heartless, consider that damage to said axle might also have been conterminous to damage to said cyclist. Nor do we know if said cyclist was already dead, in which case he was causing an obstruction.

[lamboman]

Having pulled a speeding weaving cyclist from under the first rear axle of a fully loaded 32 tonne truck, I have no sympathy for" serious cyclists" who put themselves and others in danger by not using facilities built for them, go to a fucking track or find somewhere quiet, cities and towns are not the place for speed of any kind.

He was lucky, 2ft more and he would have been mangled with his bike, have friends who have not been so lucky, and it has fucked their lives even when not at fault, but hey, as long as you can go head down at 35mph, who cares.

Typical lorry driver attitude I have to say the biggest cunts on the roads.
Most are too busy on the phone to be aware of any other road users.

[lamboman]

So it appears that it's acceptable for cyclist to ride dangerously on pavements and through pedestrian areas?
To refuse to use cycle lanes which have costs thousands of pounds to provide?
To ignore traffic lights?
To ride at night without lights?
To ride at dangerous speed along the pavement and collide and injure a young mother with a pram dismounting from a bus, and just ride away?

Why is it acceptable?..... apparently because it's too hard to do anything about it.

You best get used to it.

[RedKettle]

So it appears that it's acceptable for cyclist to ride dangerously on pavements and through pedestrian areas?
To refuse to use cycle lanes which have costs thousands of pounds to provide?
To ignore traffic lights?
To ride at night without lights?
To ride at dangerous speed along the pavement and collide and injure a young mother with a pram dismounting from a bus, and just ride away?

Why is it acceptable?..... apparently because it's too hard to do anything about it.

That is the problem - nobody actually really listens to what the "other side" are saying - you have your pre conceived ideas and stick to them, you only cherry pick the odd answer from an idiot to support your views.

It is not acceptable to ride dangerously through pedestrian areas - the points I think you are referring to relate to paths that are specifically designated as cycle and pedestrian.  In fact the point made was a cyclist feeling it dangerous to use them so they use the road.  (yes there is a good argument he should use them and go slower.)

Yes we often ignore cycle lanes but often because they are badly designed and fucking hopeless - yes Davie has photos of some that seem fine and he says are not used.  There will be cases like that.  But I repeat most are useless and need to be designed better.

It is never right to ignore traffic lights although some motorists and cyclists do.  If you continue to condemn all cyclists for the actions of a few will you also condemn yourself as a motorist?

It is never right to ride at night without lights, again a few will do this.  It is also not right for motorists to drive the wrong way up a one way but it happens.

You last point is just so stupid that I cannot believe you put it - but as you have I assume we will find that no motorist has ever driven away from the scene of a fatal accident.

Get a grip.

[Marmalade]

I can only manage around 15 mph on my mountain bike, but if going down hill, and I know the layout of the road, on average I can hit 22 mph

But my max speed is around 29 mph, and on a slightly downhill slope

e-bikes do 28mph. Maybe they should have a separate lane. And what about e-scooters? definitely the way to go. Separate lane for them. Buses - they need a lane and taxis like to share that one. If cars get too expensive to run maybe they'll do away with that old-fashioned 'car-lane'. 

[lillythesavage]

That is the problem - nobody actually really listens to what the "other side" are saying - you have your pre conceived ideas and stick to them, you only cherry pick the odd answer from an idiot to support your views.

It is not acceptable to ride dangerously through pedestrian areas - the points I think you are referring to relate to paths that are specifically designated as cycle and pedestrian.  In fact the point made was a cyclist feeling it dangerous to use them so they use the road.  (yes there is a good argument he should use them and go slower.)

Yes we often ignore cycle lanes but often because they are badly designed and fucking hopeless - yes Davie has photos of some that seem fine and he says are not used.  There will be cases like that.  But I repeat most are useless and need to be designed better.

It is never right to ignore traffic lights although some motorists and cyclists do.  If you continue to condemn all cyclists for the actions of a few will you also condemn yourself as a motorist?

It is never right to ride at night without lights, again a few will do this.  It is also not right for motorists to drive the wrong way up a one way but it happens.

You last point is just so stupid that I cannot believe you put it - but as you have I assume we will find that no motorist has ever driven away from the scene of a fatal accident.

Get a grip.

Going into and out of London from the East border with Essex, the A13 route, there is a perfectly good planned cycle route, avoiding,

The heavily used 3 lane A13.
The Canning town over pass and under pass.
The Limehouse Link tunnel
The Highway.

Still some cyclists use the road, it takes you 100 metres North of the Highway, an extremely and constantly busy 4 lane road with no central reservation, onto the barely used Cable Street, where if you do not use the cycle path, you are on a safe quiet one way street, still some bounce over the drains and weave around heavy vehicles on the Highway and A13, and cycle past no cycle signs on the passes and tunnel 

It is needless, selfish and dumb, but the " right to use the road " brigade ignore the money and time that has been spent to keep them safe, and have zero thought for the effects when it all goes wrong.