Biggest Threats to Cyclists?

esuhl

andydiysaver wrote: »

I'm also a runner, I'd never run like I see some cyclists cycle because I'm about as protected as a cyclist is and if I went toe to toe with a car I could expect to lose badly, as a none cyclist I get the notion that 1 tonne of metal packs a heavier punch and I can and I respect it accordingly, I don't try and take it on!

I bet you're one of those aggressive or militant runners who thinks it's fine to run all over the place on cycle paths, and walk in front of traffic just because you've got all that rad lycra gear and earphones shoved in your ear. Or maybe you're the stupid kind, unaware of the dangers of hyper-pedestrianism when you can't hear anything around you...? I bet you don't even wear a helmet! I see your type running across roads and through red lights all the time. If cyclists did that, it would be illegal, but you get to inconvenience everyone as you stray all over the place.

I hope you took a running proficiency test, and have a decent insurance package for when you run under a bike or car... :rotfl:

(Yup... that's about as ridiculous as the anti-cyclist argument to my ears...)

andydiysaver

esuhl wrote: »

I bet you're one of those aggressive or militant runners who thinks it's fine to run all over the place on cycle paths, and walk in front of traffic just because you've got all that rad lycra gear and earphones shoved in your ear. Or maybe you're the stupid kind, unaware of the dangers of hyper-pedestrianism when you can't hear anything around you...? I bet you don't even wear a helmet! I see your type running across roads and through red lights all the time. If cyclists did that, it would be illegal, but you get to inconvenience everyone as you stray all over the place.

I hope you took a running proficiency test, and have a decent insurance package for when you run under a bike or car... :rotfl:

(Yup... that's about as ridiculous as the anti-cyclist argument to my ears...)

I had to laugh at that. I can't afford rad lycra and if I could I would not buy it because I do it for fitness, I'm not competitive and into shaving seconds off my time! - plus I think it makes a man look stupid at best and obscene at worse....


there's no similarity in our points - you're on a road using the exact same route 1 tonne beasts and upwards use, I'm on a pavement , looking where I go when I cross a road, and if cyclists ring a bell, I know you won't believe me..... I move!


why? because cycles hitting pedestrians are more likely to injure a pedestrian. use your powers of extrapolation and apply Newtonian physics, if a cycle can hit a pedestrian and the momentum can cause damage, what if a car hits a cyclist?


could it be the same principal?


you can counter argue all you want but until you can get your hands on a 1 tonne cycle capable of going faster than 1mph I have the basic laws of physics on my side mate....then again if you did that you'd have a car and we'd have far less problems on our highways

andydiysaver

PintAndAPie wrote: »

I, and at least 70,000 other CTC members, have £10 million of third party cover but that's irrelevant. If cyclists were causing millions of pounds of damage every day then cycle insurance might be required, but they don't, so it's not.

I stand corrected on that point then and gladly so, wasn't using it to score points - genuinely happy to hear this is going on- I think it should be mandatory, but I'm glad in the absence of sane laws many people seeing the need and filling in the gaps!

PintAndAPie

andydiysaver wrote: »

I stand corrected on that point then and gladly so, wasn't using it to score points - genuinely happy to hear this is going on- I think it should be mandatory, but I'm glad in the absence of sane laws many people seeing the need and filling in the gaps!

Out of interest, do you think that there is a need for pedestrians to require insurance before they step foot on the road as on occasion they also are the cause of road accidents where a third party loss may occur?

Retrogamer

Be careful now. You might cause him to think about things rationally.

Norman_Castle

andydiysaver wrote: »

there are four types of cyclist - stupid, regular, aggressive, and militant
According to a motorist!


...and there are plenty within that last group. why am I about to make post no 672 on this thread is only because cyclists are notorious for a bad attitude and blaming of others. Try cycling on the road, you will discover how ignorantly condescending many drivers are. Simple physics points towards their need to learn and be cautious on the roads as on light transport vehicles they are far from king of the jungle, just like we drivers in turn need to respect the HGV's etc, so to come at it from the opposite angle full of attitude is asking for it.


and no I can confirm I never have or will drive into a cyclist, but I have swerved to avoid braining several of them! The reason they still exist is because I saw them coming, they didn't see me coming!
Well done.

Your opinions clearly come from behind a windscreen. Try cycling on the road using the same skill and judgement as when driving. You will discover how poor many drivers are.

Out of interest, how long have you been driving ?.

brat

andydiysaver wrote: »

I stand corrected on that point then and gladly so, wasn't using it to score points - genuinely happy to hear this is going on- I think it should be mandatory, but I'm glad in the absence of sane laws many people seeing the need and filling in the gaps!

Why would one rant from ignorance? It's the mark of a fool.

Norman_Castle

andydiysaver wrote: »

...thinking it through there should be a compulsory cycling test with the same sort of standards as the driving test, theory and practice, and they should be forced to buy insurance. This is the road we're talking about and every other vehicle on there has to do it, why are the most vulnerable of them all excluded from the enforced training when they need it the most?

Road users are expected to prove there competence according to the potential harm they can do to others. The uk driving test is very basic and is not the standard used by drivers once passed. It cannot predict the attitude of a motorist once passed.

Motor vehicles are required to have third party insurance due to the potential damage they can cause to people and property. Cyclists have vastly less potential to injure or cause damage.

Norman_Castle

you can counter argue all you want but until you can get your hands on a 1 tonne cycle capable of going faster than 1mph I have the basic laws of physics on my side mate....then again if you did that you'd have a car and we'd have far less problems on our highways

:rotfl: The wisdom of the mono thought motorist.

brat

andydiysaver wrote: »

This is the road we're talking about and every other vehicle on there has to do it, why are the most vulnerable of them all excluded from the enforced training when they need it the most?

I don't personally know any cyclists over 25 that haven't passed a driving test. I don't know any who don't know how to behave on the road.
I know a few who misbehave on the road, ie take liberties with red lights etc. Usually they do so to save a bit of time. Some do so because they believe it to be safer.
But that pales into insignificance against the offending level of motorists. Most exceed speed limits. Most tailgate. Many drive carelessly around cyclists (too close).

There are a few feral cyclists around, who I would class as pedestrians on wheels. They don't care where they cycle, whether on the road or pavement, down one way streets. They don't use lights, cycle through lights, and their bike is usually a 10th hand me down or nicked unbranded deathtrap. Paradoxically these are not usually collision victims.

Having been involved in the investigation of several fatal accidents involving cyclists in the last 9 years, my own experience is that cycle fatalities are caused either by cyclists falling badly, or becoming victim to a motorist who has failed to see them, despite being fully visible.

For everyone's sake, ie to prevent cyclists from dying, and motorists from going to prison, I would implore motorists to give more consideration to the cyclist's needs, and lose the attitude against them. It makes no sense.