The Velotard Thread.

[machin05]

There have been cases of pedestrians being killed by cyclists not stopping.

Yes, not denying that. Probably a lot fewer cases than motorists doing the same though right?

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I'd say the opposite, tbh. Far more commonplace for cyclists to get the raw end of the deal.

Don’t think we will agree on this so I will bow out.

 

[Johnny75]

How often does this happen? Genuinely. Is it a big problem? Again, not something I see very often. Certainly not as often as motorists not stopping.

Happens a lot, it's really poor behaviour and more common than you think.

We have to acknowledge there are bellends on both sides here.

This week I've seen a cyclist not stop at a zebra crossing when the lollipop man was stood in the middle of it.

Mind you I've seen a motorist not stop on the same crossing this morning as well and she'd have killed the poor bloke if he'd have stepped out.

 

[Johnny75]

I'd say the opposite, tbh. Far more commonplace for cyclists to get the raw end of the deal.

Just not from your good self. A cyclist.

Jeremy Clarkson of the cycling world...

 

[Tredman]

This whole discussion is a classic example of the 'whataboutery' response to any move to help prevent cyclists dieing. Any metric shows they are more at risk than car drivers but yet again we are talking about how car drivers are inconvenienced.

 

[Johnny75]

Yes, not denying that. Probably a lot fewer cases than motorists doing the same though right?

That's just whataboutery.

 

[Johnny75]

This whole discussion is a classic example of the 'whataboutery' response to any move to help prevent cyclists dieing. Any metric shows they are more at risk than car drivers but yet again we are talking about how car drivers are inconvenienced.

Who is?

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I’m talking about pedestrians getting twatted not drivers.

 

[machin05]

That's just whataboutery.

Not really. We're kind of both saying that that there are issues with both motorists and cyclists not obeying the rules.

The point I'm trying to make is that it happens more often with motorists (mainly due to shear numbers of them) and they are a lot more dangerous to other road users. So it should figure that that's where our focus should be. But it feels like whenever someone mentions cyclists (in any context), someone else will comment of how they "go through red lights and break the highway code", blah blah blah. The same doesn't happen every time a motorist is mentioned.

 

[machin05]

Don’t think we will agree on this so I will bow out.

I'll admit I'm in somewhat of a cyclists echo chamber on twitter, but you only have to read the comments on any news article about building cycling infrastructure and LTNs to see which camp the majority of voices are in.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

To be honest I want cyclists to be safe. I equally want pedestrians to be safe. Cyclists obeying the Highway Code would help.

 

[machin05]

Good quality infrastructure is the ideal solution to that.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Yes, I agree. But if it is in there then ALL road users need to obey the rules of that infrastructure, in whatever form it would be. I include pedestrians in that. I have seen some lunatic road crossings lately.

 

[Johnny75]

I'll admit I'm in somewhat of a cyclists echo chamber on twitter, but you only have to read the comments on any news article about building cycling infrastructure and LTNs to see which camp the majority of voices are in.

You mentioned it earlier, there are more motorists every day than cyclists do they are going to be louder. And it is Twitter!

It would be an interesting experiment to do in a town to make it cycling centric rather than car centric and see what happens.

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

I thought Oxford were going to go that way when they put all the first park and ride systems in, but they seem to have stepped back from that.

 

[Tredman]

Not really. We're kind of both saying that that there are issues with both motorists and cyclists not obeying the rules.

The point I'm trying to make is that it happens more often with motorists (mainly due to shear numbers of them) and they are a lot more dangerous to other road users. So it should figure that that's where our focus should be. But it feels like whenever someone mentions cyclists (in any context), someone else will comment of how they "go through red lights and break the highway code", blah blah blah. The same doesn't happen every time a motorist is mentioned.

This

 

[Paddingtonwolf]

Or maybe not as it’s rubbish

 

[Keef]

Would it help if we stopped seeing cyclists as cyclists and the "enemy" and just see them for what they really are, someone's parent, child, relation on a bike and see how vulnerable they are against 1-2 tons of metal driven by someone else's parent, child, relation and just say everyone should just take a bit more care?
Or is that too simplistic?

 

[machin05]

You mentioned it earlier, there are more motorists every day than cyclists do they are going to be louder. And it is Twitter!

It would be an interesting experiment to do in a town to make it cycling centric rather than car centric and see what happens.

That's the plan (kind of) for Birmingham.

 

[Johnny75]

That's the plan (kind of) for Birmingham.

That's such a vast place to try such a thing. Why not start small.

Somewhere like a small town in Cambridgeshire...