Dangerous cyclists could get 14Years pokey.

custardy

Flyboy152 wrote: »

If I had wanted to write "some" I would have done so. As it is a rising trend amongst a group, the implication that it is "some," is already there.

Please do not modify my quotes.

then is driving uninsured a rising trend amongst drivers?

Flyboy152

custardy wrote: »

then is driving uninsured a rising trend amongst drivers?

:huh:

I don't see the relvance.

nexus2011

I wish they would charge cyclists £500 fines as they should do for cycling on the pavement.Cyclists should be forced to take out insurance.

no_more_cards_for_me

nexus2011 wrote: »

I wish they would charge cyclists £500 fines as they should do for cycling on the pavement.Cyclists should be forced to take out insurance.

Why ? I wish "they" would give us proper cycle lanes at junctions and re-train other road users to have respect for cyclists but its not going to happen in the near future. If drivers understood the highway code and left a vehicles width when overtaking cyclists then the roads would be much safer. However its easier to be ignorant and bully the cyclist when the car drivers, van drivers etc are so in-considerate.

Riding on the pavement is a bad idea and I wouldn't condone it but for inexperienced riders or the young its a much safer alternative for the rider but has the potential to cause injury to other pavement users if done inconsiderately. For children I would rather see them on the pavement then exposed to the danger of other road users. I doesn't take much thought to rider slowly and safely and stop for other users.

custardy

nexus2011 wrote: »

I wish they would charge cyclists £500 fines as they should do for cycling on the pavement.Cyclists should be forced to take out insurance.

I'm happy with that
As long as the same fine applies to car drivers parking on the pavements and in cycle lanes

thelawnet

nexus2011 wrote: »

I wish they would charge cyclists £500 fines as they should do for cycling on the pavement.Cyclists should be forced to take out insurance.

The maximum fine for cycling on the pavement is in fact £500 already.

I rode my bike on the pavement yesterday.

There was traffic queuing on this road here to turn left:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=guildford&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=17.759517,53.569336&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Guildford,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.263607,-0.573092&spn=0.018314,0.052314&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.263663,-0.572984&panoid=ZsC43_UP88QzDv97vnQVEQ&cbp=12,218.78,,0,15.58

I came up the hill on the road, knew the traffic would be backed up to the next traffic light, so I got on the pavement, turned left and then re-entered the road here:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=guildford&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=17.759517,53.569336&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Guildford,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.262559,-0.573306&spn=0.018315,0.052314&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.262442,-0.573275&panoid=9M1KTRtEEKsO37bU9RvJig&cbp=12,181.79,,0,1.99
while the light was red and there was a big gap in the left-hand lane due to the road widening

Illegal, but the pavement, which runs alongside a busy A road and is out of the urban area rarely has any pedestrians on it, while if you turn left at the traffic lights, the pavement there, which runs alongside a large industrial estate with car showrooms, a parcel centre and various other amenities, and hence a reasonable flow of pedestrians, walking to and from their cars, has got blue cycling allowed signs it, which mean you can ride on it.

Bicycles are highly permeable - sometimes for convenience the local authorities allow you to cycle on the pavement, other times you can use your common sense - of course if you are behaving stupidly you deserve to be punished.

Flyboy152

custardy wrote: »

I'm happy with that
As long as the same fine applies to car drivers parking on the pavements and in cycle lanes

Agreed. One can't complain about one misdemeanour whilst condoning another.

Flyboy152

thelawnet wrote: »

The maximum fine for cycling on the pavement is in fact £500 already.

I rode my bike on the pavement yesterday.

There was traffic queuing on this road here to turn left:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=guildford&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=17.759517,53.569336&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Guildford,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.263607,-0.573092&spn=0.018314,0.052314&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.263663,-0.572984&panoid=ZsC43_UP88QzDv97vnQVEQ&cbp=12,218.78,,0,15.58

I came up the hill on the road, knew the traffic would be backed up to the next traffic light, so I got on the pavement, turned left and then re-entered the road here:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=guildford&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=17.759517,53.569336&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Guildford,+United+Kingdom&ll=51.262559,-0.573306&spn=0.018315,0.052314&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.262442,-0.573275&panoid=9M1KTRtEEKsO37bU9RvJig&cbp=12,181.79,,0,1.99
while the light was red and there was a big gap in the left-hand lane due to the road widening

Illegal, but the pavement, which runs alongside a busy A road and is out of the urban area rarely has any pedestrians on it, while if you turn left at the traffic lights, the pavement there, which runs alongside a large industrial estate with car showrooms, a parcel centre and various other amenities, and hence a reasonable flow of pedestrians, walking to and from their cars, has got blue cycling allowed signs it, which mean you can ride on it.

Bicycles are highly permeable - sometimes for convenience the local authorities allow you to cycle on the pavement, other times you can use your common sense - of course if you are behaving stupidly you deserve to be punished.

And to heck with any pedestrian who might be walking around the corner at the time, or crossing the road. Queue like everybody else. You are not doing yourself any favours by demonstrating such arrogance.

thelawnet

Flyboy152 wrote: »

And to heck with any pedestrian who might be walking around the corner at the time, or crossing the road. Queue like everybody else. You are not doing yourself any favours by demonstrating such arrogance.

You're not very bright are you?

Take another look at this road scene:

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=guildford&aq=&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=17.759517,53.569336&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Guildford,+United+Kingdom&layer=c&cbll=51.262556,-0.573295&panoid=hv4-ykdjRKxFk2BSOsA9Cw&cbp=12,183.93,,0,9.74&ll=51.262452,-0.573263&spn=0.018315,0.052314&z=15

The light is green to turn left, but red to go straight ahead, coming up to the junction there is only 1 lane, but it widens for the left turn.

What happens, literally dozens of times a day, is that cars are wanting to turn left, the light is green to turn left but red to go straight on, but they can't get into the empty left-turn lane because the road is too narrow. So what do they do? They mount the kerb to get past.

As for pedestrians on the pavement, there's a sweeping bend (good visibility for me) and a steep hill leading up to it. In the unlikely event that there was a pedestrian there while I was riding my bike I would see them in plenty of time, be travelling slowly (it's a hill, remember?) and would give way to them. Crossing the road? Er, no, not a chance, it's a busy A-road with no footway on the other side.

And no, I don't need to queue like everybody else, that's why I ride a bicycle - on the open road motorists will overtake, that's the advantage of an engine, but when things get more congested I am able to filter as appropriate - that's the advantage of a bicycle.

BTW, when was the last time you broke the speed limit in your car? What if a child had run out in front of your vehicle? Spare me the self-righteous hypocrisy about me using an empty piece of pavement at little more than walking space on my bicycle, posing no threat to anybody won't you please?

esuhl

nexus2011 wrote: »

I wish they would charge cyclists £500 fines as they should do for cycling on the pavement.Cyclists should be forced to take out insurance.

I wish motorists were given £500 fines every time they:

• drove over the speed limit
• drove at unsafe speeds when below the speed limit
• failed to give way
• failed to indicate in the presence of other road users
• ran red/amber lights when they should have stopped

Given the atrocious behaviour of many drivers and the high pass-rate of the driving test... it clearly isn't hard enough.

And given the reckless way that some motorists drive, they obviously aren't concerned about damaging their vehicle. If driving was an expensive luxury (as it should be), they might think twice about their aggressive driving style.

There are few cyclists compared to drivers, and motor vehicles present a far greater danger than a bikes. So it makes much more sense to clamp down on "everyday" dangerous driving by fitting "black box recorders" to cars so that fines can be issued automatically than it does to target cyclists who generally cause very few accidents.

If the average driver was fined twice a year at £500 a go, that would be a revenue of about £38 billion that would go straight to the Treasury. Road deaths/injuries would drop almost overnight, some drivers might realise that they don't have the necessary skill to control a motor vehicle and would give up driving, and £38,000,000,000 would go a long way in improving public transport and reducing the national debt. It'd be a win/win/win situation!