Kamikaze Cyclists!

modsandmockers

Norman_Castle wrote: »

As previously advised, the police police the highways. Not the council or your MP. Try walking to your local police station, carefully, there may be militant cyclists on the pavement, and explain the problem to them. Remember to advise them about the history of road transport and cyclists place in it

So what is the point of having a salaried county cycling officer? If he can't be bothered to get on his bike and respond to a very specific cycling issue which has been bought to his attention by one of his own council's tax payers, then I guess he's just another waste of public time and money. I would have expected that a county cycling officer would routinely have regular meetings with local community police officers precisely in order to discuss the concerns of local members of the public. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that if I took my concerns to the police, they would simply tell me to speak to the county cycling officer!

Marco_Panettone

modsandmockers wrote: »

So what is the point of having a salaried county cycling officer? If he can't be bothered to get on his bike and respond to a very specific cycling issue which has been bought to his attention by one of his own council's tax payers, then I guess he's just another waste of public time and money. I would have expected that a county cycling officer would routinely have regular meetings with local community police officers precisely in order to discuss the concerns of local members of the public. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that if I took my concerns to the police, they would simply tell me to speak to the county cycling officer!

So you haven't even spoken to the police about this illegal activity?! Would you go to the council housing officer if you were burgled?

andrewf75

modsandmockers wrote: »

motorists and pedestrians are mostly pretty well satisfied with the rules which have existed for centuries, but they are increasingly having to learn all the new rules which cyclists are gradually managing to impose upon the majority of road users, most of whom can see no pleasure or advantage in cycling to work.

But this is what clearly needs to change in the UK. Congestion is atrocious, we need to change and modernise our road use habits. We need to make the roads more pleasant for people to cycle short journeys and make cycling a completely normal choice of transport as it is in places that provide for cyclists, like Hollland.

There are massive advantages in cycling to work - save money, get fit, reduce congestion. Obviously not everyone can for various reasons, but many could and crucially it would be hugely beneficial to every road user, not just the cyclists themselves.

The new rules you're whinging about are the start of Britain slowly dragging itself into the 21st century. Road use doesn't remain constant, it should evolve. The personal motor car was a great idea and still is, but for short journeys within urban areas it is hugely costly to society in terms of congestion and pollution. Cycling and better public transport is the future and we should embrace that.

Norman_Castle

modsandmockers wrote: »

So what is the point of having a salaried county cycling officer?

Council cycling officers are employed to promote and enable cycling. Not to police the highways.

Salaried cycling officer?. Do you think you can dictate their behaviour because you pay council tax?.

modsandmockers

andrewf75 wrote: »

But this is what clearly needs to change in the UK. Congestion is atrocious, we need to change and modernise our road use habits. We need to make the roads more pleasant for people to cycle short journeys and make cycling a completely normal choice of transport as it is in places that provide for cyclists, like Hollland.

There are massive advantages in cycling to work - save money, get fit, reduce congestion. Obviously not everyone can for various reasons, but many could and crucially it would be hugely beneficial to every road user, not just the cyclists themselves.

The new rules you're whinging about are the start of Britain slowly dragging itself into the 21st century. Road use doesn't remain constant, it should evolve. The personal motor car was a great idea and still is, but for short journeys within urban areas it is hugely costly to society in terms of congestion and pollution. Cycling and better public transport is the future and we should embrace that.

Thank you for a non-combative response (at last).

My daughter is a planner, and providing a network of cycleways is nowhere on her radar. Current thinking, apparently, is that, yes, we cannot continue with our current working arrangements because the infrastructure is unable to cope. The way forward, apparently, is to reduce the need to travel to work, and to accelerate the growing trend for working at home. This will create all sorts of issues about house design, tax concessions, insurance cover and probably many other things besides.

If and when all of that becomes a reality, then I can imagine that many Dutchmen and women will be left wondering why they are still forced to pedal to work through all weathers in order to do what those Brits do in the comfort of their own homes.

ps - I should probably mention that my daughter is herself a cyclist, and her recent career move was at least partly influenced by the fact that her new job is within cycling distance from where she lives.

modsandmockers

Marco_Panettone wrote: »

So you haven't even spoken to the police about this illegal activity?! Would you go to the council housing officer if you were burgled?

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Council cycling officers are employed to promote and enable cycling. Not to police the highways.

Salaried cycling officer?. Do you think you can dictate their behaviour because you pay council tax?.

I have no interest at all in asking the police to confront pavement-riding cyclists with the threat of criminal proceedings.

But on any particular stretch of pavement which pedestrians frequently have to share with cyclists, I would quite like the council to put up some signs stating that in a 20mph traffic zone, there should be no need for cyclists to ride on the pavements.

This should be something for a county cycling officer to discuss with the police.

I don't really understand why you guys find it so difficult to consider and make allowances for opinions other than your own - as I previously suggested to Marco Panettone, it is sometimes hard to believe that you don't behave on forums like this in the same way that you behave on the roads. Why are you all so angry?

andrewf75

modsandmockers wrote: »

My daughter is a planner, and providing a network of cycleways is nowhere on her radar.

well that is very disappointing but hardly surprising given the short termist thinking by our authorities.

It sounds like a complete cop out to me to assume that more people working from home means that we don't need to do anything about congestion.

Ever been to a Dutch city? Cycling isn't a hardship, its a healthy and enjoyable way to get around and everyones standard of living is much higher as a result of the way urban areas are planned. And they had the foresight to do this decades ago to get to where they are now.

modsandmockers

andrewf75 wrote: »

well that is very disappointing but hardly surprising given the short termist thinking by our authorities

I think my daughter's response would be that a network of cycle routes would actually be a very short term non-solution!

I have only ever visited Holland on a sailing boat, and we had to spend an entire day drinking beer in a broken down lock on one of the hottest days of the year.

Why is Holland the only country in the world which made the momentous decision to prioritise cycling over all other forms of transport?

Norman_Castle

modsandmockers wrote: »

I have no interest at all in asking the police to confront pavement-riding cyclists with the threat of criminal proceedings.

Yipee



But on any particular stretch of pavement which pedestrians frequently have to share with cyclists, I would quite like the council to put up some signs stating that in a 20mph traffic zone, there should be no need for cyclists to ride on the pavements.

This should be something for a county cycling officer to discuss with the police.
OMG. He's back


I don't really understand why you guys find it so difficult to consider and make allowances for opinions other than your own - as I previously suggested to Marco Panettone, it is sometimes hard to believe that you don't behave on forums like this in the same way that you behave on the roads. Why are you all so angry?

Sorry. I'm just so angry.

modsandmockers

Here is the text of the email which I have just sent to my MP. He, or one of of his staff, usually replies within less than a week, so I will keep you informed...

Dear Andrew, thank you once again for your help in recent times over several different issues ranging from misleading information from utilities providers through to the unsatisfactory treatment which one of my offspring has received from HMRC and DWP.

I am currently engaged in a discussion on an internet forum regarding the issue of cyclists riding on pavements. I contacted the County Cycling Officer about a particular stretch of pavement near to where I live, and was greeted with with the information that, even though biking on the pavement is still totally illegal, cyclists are no longer automatically penalised for invading pedestrian spaces if they become fearful of their self-imposed proximity to motorised vehicles.. Here is a link to a relevant government document - http://road.cc/content/news/108119-t...-ride-pavement

I would be interested to know your views about the role of a salaried County Cycling Officer - I would have expected him to show some interest in the issue which I brought to his attention, and I would have expected that he would have mentioned my concerns at one of his, presumably, regular meetings with the local police service.

As you know, I play a major part in my grandchildren's upbringing, but I am struggling to decide how to introduce them to the practicalities of cycling on the public highway.

There is a politically correct agenda which insists that cyclists should be given all sorts of preferential treatment, but in practice, very little is provided except some symbolic white lines and cyclist shapes painted onto the the tarmac. In general, I would suggest that these simple measures simply result in yet more areas of possible conflict and confrontation, and, given that there is zero government commitment to providing a realistic network of dedicated cycleways, it would be better to give up altogether with the half-hearted measures to provide a safe environment for cyclists, and give cyclists the brutal truth that they cycle entirely at their own risk.

Best wishes, KA

Unfortunately the link doesn't work on here, but so far as I can tell, it works just fine on the email which I sent to my MP.