I have to say I’m not massively bothered about cyclists ignoring red lights, as long as they do it in a way which doesn’t impact on others. Some are okay about this, but an increasing number aren’t. I’ve rather lost patience with this at a junction near Euston where I often cross the road and where it’s pretty much *guaranteed* there will be a cyclist sail straight through. One of these days it’s going to result in one going head first over their handlebars.
Cyclists don’t help themselves though. Like yesterday we were walking side-by-side on a lightly used shared-use pavement. Hear a bell, then a second later before we had time to move cyclist comes past emitting a gob full of invective and shaking his head.
I’ve always been pretty pro cycling, however with the attitude so many seem to exhibit towards pedestrians I’m afraid to say I find it hard to be supportive.
I have seen the aggression and yet they then want to be seen as the victim. Note that not all cyclists are like this but a minority do themselves no favours.
The typical intergreen period is 4 to 6 seconds (although it can be negative depending where conflict points are) generally the amber is 3 seconds.
Likewise that 23m stopping distance is for 30kph (specified in Manual for Streets), which also specifies that the stopping distance at 30mph is 43m.
Whilst breaking sooner is possible, not by very much; for example it assumes a reaction time of 1.5 seconds and whilst research has shown that 0.9 seconds is achievable by a significant majority of people in certain situations that's only going to reduce it from 43m to about 36m.
Having said that within the amber time the vast majority of drivers should be able to stop safely and without too much discomfort of they are traveling at 30mph.
On average there's less than 3 deaths a year caused by cyclists, in comparison there's over 200 caused by drunk driving.
Given the above data, is training cyclists going to be a key priority in any road safety policy? Unless there's over 75 times more dunks on the road than there are cyclists, I suspect not.
Yes cyclists do stupid things, yes they scare and injury pedestrians, yes they don't always do as they should. However nor do car drivers and the risk to nearly all road users is much greater from them.
A classic complaint is cyclists going to close to a pedestrian and too fast, yet those very same people are likely to do the same to others when they are in a car by not passing a cyclist with the required space laid down in the highway code.
Yes training of cyclists would be helpful, however making it a barrier to cycling would likely not benefit anyone. For instance through people driving rather than cycling and therefore increasing the volume of traffic (and therefore likelihood of congestion).
I have noticed cyclists will pass on the inside leaving less space than I would want to leave them if I overtook them.
If there is to be a shift to cycling then one would hope many are car drivers - they (should) have the road sense training already.
To me the best way to train and encourage cycling at the same time would be to run Cycling Proficiency type schemes through schools, and off the back of those positively encourage cycling to school, including "cycling buses" (like walking buses) where this would be sensible, and proper secure indoor storage facilities at schools.
The cycling proficiency scheme is the very thing I remember from my child hood. It was very good and made learning to drive a car ten years much easier. It is what I dearly wish all road users should learn.
Even pedestrians would learn a bit. For example my partner does not drive. She has no idea which direction to look at a pedestrian crossing or junction and when the lights will be in her favour.
As
@Bletchleyite and others here have commented many times, until cyclists are given priority appropriate to their vulnerability (that has just been achieved, but all motorists need to understand and obey the changes in the law), their numbers won't increease sufficiently to make cycling safer. The reason why some continental countries have less cycling incidents where the cyclists usually come off worse is the low numbers of them on the roads. In The Netherlands or Denmark where cycling is accepted by motorised road users, it took larger numbers for it to be achieved.
I wonder if there is a danger of putting the cart before the horse ?. Are we making the roads safer by making the roads unusable by motorised vehicle users.
I go back to my original thoughts. Cycles, eScooters and motorcycles are narrow vehicles with no metal box around them.
a) Their narrowness makes them easier to overlook even if to the side or front - so car drivers etc must remember a small blob is not necessarily a car/lorry a long way away. I have even seen cyclists over look each other !. But to the rear remember there is always a risk of a blind spot in the mirrors - I have driven a company van (so no windows) where the mirrors were frankly useless (I a traffic jam I lost a whole black cab in the left mirror once - I could hear it but not see it). How many cycles have mirrors ?.
b) The lack of a box makes the user more vulnerable. That is not a car drivers fault it is just a fact of life.
c) The narrowness also means they slip through narrow spaces to appear in a vulnerable location. Example - overtaking a vehicle on the left side as the vehicle turns left. All users must remember to indicate BUT I would not pass a car on its left side as it slows down at a junction. Of course as a car driver I deem they are unlikely to be so far from the curb and yet turning left. But when I am on a cycle with the car in question in the same lane as me I would not rely on them not turning left at a junction.
As a car driver I do not overtake a cycle as we both approach a junction where I intend to turn left. I will be indicating and letting them stay ahead. But if I slow down to let the cyclist stay in front of me I then have a problem with other cyclists trying to squeeze past my left side. There is then a risk of an accident. Training should make those cyclists understand the risk they are taking by being impatient.
Maybe there are just too many road users.
