BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 01:04 PM

> he would not have given us feet

Once upon a time, in the bar at Uni, one of the group showed us his new hand-stitched sandals, which used old car-tyre tread for sole and heel because of its hard-wearing properties. Then someone noted there was less than 3mm of tread, which would make it illegal for him to cross the road. Discussion ensued on whether he might get arrested for being drunk in charge of feet, and banned from walking for three months.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Helen
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 07:42 PM

Is this topic an annual event for you SPB?

BS: Bleeping Cyclist

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 20 Aug 24 - 08:24 PM

If we put a bounty on cyclists Remember ! Its not cyclists that kill.
Its responsible members of the community armed with light machine guns, they would put a stop to all this.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 03:54 AM

Yes but first before they kill them they have to sing Lord Randall whilst playing a nose flute

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 06:42 AM

Just a coincidence, Halen, it seems that proverbial happens in August!!!

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Helen
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 01:10 PM

SPB said, "Just a coincidence, Halen, it seems that proverbial happens in August!!!"

I guess if I owned a Van I would Go Ahead And Jump.

The questions are, what is in this discussion which wasn't covered in the few weeks of discussion in the last thread, and wouldn't the discussion in this thread logically belong in the last one?

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Thompson
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 04:32 PM

Personally I'd make driving illegal. Life is better when it's lived in the open, not shut inside cars.

Just had a harrowing lift home from WLTUC tonight. When the person giving me a lift turned right she came within inches of colliding with three cyclists without lights who jumped a red light. It was down to the skill of the driver that this didn't turn into a major tragedy.

This doesn't sound like good driving to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 04:53 PM

I agree .

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 06:54 PM

Yep. Ban private cars - best option all round. Buses to and from every street every 15 minutes. Taxis for those in a hurry. Good intercity trains. I'd give up my car tomorrow if it happened.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Helen
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 07:03 PM

So no-one got my Van Halen joke?

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: gillymor
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 07:07 PM

Hey, I said that a couple of days ago but it didn't get any traction :-).
Thompson makes a good point, I can't comment on the driving skills of the person in the OP but too many drivers around here don't have much respect for cyclists and consequently we have a fair amount of injury and death.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: gillymor
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 07:12 PM

uh...that's "injury and death" inflicted on cyclists by motorists.

I just saw your joke, Helen. You rock! (I think that's what the kids say)

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Helen
Date: 21 Aug 24 - 08:21 PM

Thanks gillymor. Either that or I'm fully sick - whatever that really means. :-D

I think car drivers are more of a problem than cyclists, most of the time. Just look at the dashcam video sites for some hairy/scary examples. I have footage from last week of some dangerous driving which I could upload and it is truly hair-raising.

I don't think we should throw the baby out with the bathwater. Cycling is healthy (assuming the air pollution from nearby vehicles isn't too much for the rider to breathe), and it is good for the climate. The majority of cyclists I have seen on the roads are good road-citizens, but a small minority do stupid things. If drivers and cyclists interact peacefully and cooperatively, all's good with the world. There is more danger for cyclists from cars than the other way around.

I saw the aftermath of one fatal accident where a cyclist died. The news report said that he had been riding in the cycle lane, in the dark before sunrise on a major non-metropolitan road with a speed limit of 80 kph (50 mph). That particular piece of road does not have a good level of street lighting. He was doing the right thing - apart from riding in the dark - but a piece of wood had been possibly thrown off the back of a truck and it was in the middle of the cycle lane, perpendicular to the cyclist's direction of travel. It was not visible to the cyclist in the dark and his front wheel pitched forward, he landed face first on the tarred road and apparently died immediately.

Personally, I would not be riding at speed in the dark, with minimal street lighting on a major road with high speed levels. Those type of MAMILS are an endangered species, but the majority seem to do okay.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 01:37 AM

There are good cyclists and there are bad cyclists, just as there are good drivers and there are bad drivers. I believe that, in the cases of both cyclists and drivers, the good dramatically outnumber the bad. But sadly, it’s the results of the behaviour of the bad in both categories that are most easily observed and therefore draw the most attention.

My personal grouse concerns those f***in’ e-scooters which are used un-licensed, un-insured, and therefore illegally - not to mention frequently recklessly - on our urban roads and pavements. I heard on the BBC News recently that in the most recent year for which records are available, e-scooters were involved in over 1,300 reported accidents which resulted in 9 deaths. If anything needs ‘banning’, it’s those hateful things.

But, without adequate policing, I don’t see the behaviours of bad drivers, bad cyclists, or bad e-scooterists changing any time soon.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 01:40 AM

For the ‘Murricans in our midst, ‘pavement’ (UK) = ‘sidewalk’ (US). ;-)

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 02:32 AM

I know SPB, I dont think he has passed a driving test,
so I reserve judgement on his judgement of the skill of the driver in this case, it is possible that these cyclists were in the car drivers blind spot, and that the driver did not check over the right shoulder, before turning right

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Rain Dog
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 03:06 AM

It does help if you read what has been posted.

"When the person giving me a lift turned right she came within inches of colliding with three cyclists without lights who jumped a red light."

The phrase "three cyclists without lights who jumped a red light" does stand out.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 03:24 AM

I have read what has been posted, presumably the car also jumped a red light

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 03:28 AM

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman - PM
Date: 19 Aug 24 - 05:19 AM

cycling is good exercise and good for the health[unless you get run over ,by a car jumping a traffic light]

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 03:37 AM

”When the person giving me a lift turned right she came within inches of colliding with three cyclists without lights who jumped a red light."

“I have read what has been posted, presumably the car also jumped a red light”

There are other assumptions which can be made…

It’s just as likely, the car driver was turning right on a green right-turn filter-light, and the cyclists were on the other side of the road and should have been held by the red light on their side, which they recklessly decided to crash.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Helen
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 03:41 AM

BWM, I suspect that is the most likely scenario. If the cyclists jumped a red light then the car driver probably had a green light, and therefore had right of way.

If you all want to have some heart attacks in your comfy chairs, watch those dashcam videos because jumping red lights is really common and very dangerous.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 04:00 AM

yes we do not know, but it is still possible that the car driver did not check her blind spot .
SPB is as far as i know, not a qualified driver so whether he was looking out to see her blind spot we do not know.. on the information given by SPB , it would be ridiculous to ban cyclists

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Doug Chadwick
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 04:52 AM

I suspect that is the most likely scenario.

-------------------- " --------------------

.... but it is still possible that ....

Who needs evidence?

I agree with The Sandman's post of 20 Aug 24 - 03:33 AM. The OP was most likely just yanking a chain and will be highly amused as the endless discussion continues.

DC

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Backwoodsman
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 05:16 AM

I think you might be right, Doug, but it makes for an interesting discussion, and gives us all a rest from talking about T***p!

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Helen
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 05:17 AM

Yes Doug, you are probably right.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 22 Aug 24 - 11:54 AM

The nose flute seems a bit excessive. the heavy hand of government.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 23 Aug 24 - 03:08 AM

I don't think SPB was "yanking the chain". He does not seem to be a troll. I think, as I said before, he was just wound up about it and made a very poor argument.

Can you enlighten us please SPB-cooperaror?

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 23 Aug 24 - 03:23 AM

perhaps singing shanties should be made illegal in the UK,
SPB was a shanty singer, so perhaps he need to feel the effects of favourite pastimes being banned

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Aug 24 - 11:41 AM

So, which is it SPB? Winding people up or a genuine hatred of cyclists?

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 25 Aug 24 - 05:51 PM

Neither, just three idiot cyclists getting under my skin last week and feeling stressed out by what happened whe I got home.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 25 Aug 24 - 05:54 PM

Tonight's rant - someone locally deciding that quart to eleven at night is a good time for home fireworks. If I was a pet owner I would probably be spitting blood.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Aug 24 - 06:11 PM

Fairy nuff

So you were neither "yanking anyones chain" nor really suggesting that "Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK"?

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Thompson
Date: 27 Aug 24 - 02:28 AM

Helen, you actually get less fumey air when you're cycling than you do in a car - in a car, the grille sucks in the fumes that hang at car level and generously distributes them inside the vehicle. So all those parents driving their children to school are poisoning them; which is unsurprising given that car fumes are credited with 4 million new child asthma cases per year.
My point on the driver's behaviour is simply that you're supposed to approach a junction at correct speed and with caution.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Aug 24 - 04:19 AM

"My point on the driver's behaviour is simply that you're supposed to approach a junction at correct speed and with caution"quote
good point, caution includes checking mirrors and blind spot. Spb has not passed a driving test so is hardly in a position to make a judgement on car drivers skill

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Helen
Date: 27 Aug 24 - 05:08 AM

Thanks Thompson, I didn't realise that about the fumes from the car.

I read the first few words of your post and thought you were telling me I am getting less funny, but no you said "Helen, you actually get less fumey..."

A lot of people find me less funny the older I get. LOL

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: gillymor
Date: 27 Aug 24 - 08:03 AM

The possibility of driver error. That's what I was referring to.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: SPB-Cooperator
Date: 27 Aug 24 - 08:06 AM

Again, I have held a full licence since, I think, 1987. I just decided it is now pointless incurring the expense of owning a car in London as I have free use of public transport.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Aug 24 - 08:12 AM

you still have not answered the question from, Dave the Gnome.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 27 Aug 24 - 09:03 AM

It was rhetorical really, Dick. I don't know SPB-cooperator personaly but from my dealings with him here I am pretty sure that he is no troll and does not really want to ban cycling. His post of 25 Aug 24 - 05:51 PM explains that it was a monentary lapse

Neither, just three idiot cyclists getting under my skin last week and feeling stressed out by what happened whe I got home.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 27 Aug 24 - 11:52 AM

yes SPB is a nice guy, unlikely to be trolling

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Mr Red
Date: 29 Aug 24 - 01:32 PM

The "cycling community" won't get its act together. The cyclists in the OP are not community they are just people. Oiks maybe, but not part of any party you mention.

I was buzzed by an e-cyclist without lights, on the footpath, in the dark. Obviously didn't hear him. I had seen him doing wheelies in the street beforehand.

Around that time there was a helicopter ambulance land in the locale to a RTA that looked likely, and I haven't seen the kid - not that he was recognisable in the dark, nor the bike recently. Kids on bikes are a danger to themselves, put them on an E-bike that doesn't need to pedal and............ it didn't.
Yea, Yea illegal in the UK, so maybe the kid just had it confiscated.

Now how ya going to police push bikers who don't care? That kind of policing is retrospective, if you can catch them.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 30 Aug 24 - 03:09 AM

The police force would have to be increased to catch cyclists and catch smokers smoking illegally in pub gardens, would it not be simpler to tax cigarettes more and send offending cyclists to Rwanda , but as an act of kindness allow them to take their bikes

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Thompson
Date: 30 Aug 24 - 11:28 AM

A question for those of you in other European countries, or of course in the UK…
In Ireland, only 'pedelecs' are legal - in other words an ebike which is normally pedalled but has available a boost from an electric motor so that, for instance, when you're attacked by those vicious enemies, the hill and the headwind, you can call on a little electric assistance.
The kind of ebikes where you can just sit there and go wheee and have the bike carry you along - a bike that is essentially a silent motorbike - is illegal. These often have fat wheels, but not always. Sometimes, too, they're cheap folding bikes.
While illegal, the second kind of ebike is seen more and more often on Dublin roads.
Is this the same in other countries where non-pedelec ebikes are illegal?

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 30 Aug 24 - 01:50 PM

Strict rules here in the UK. Pedal assist only. Power limited. Maximum 15.5mph from the motor. I see the occasional one that looks decidedly illegal but not often.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: leeneia
Date: 31 Aug 24 - 12:47 AM

What we need is a law against being stupid. There have always been some stupid people, but now that most parents simply hand their kids (especially boys) an electronic device and let them raise themselves, we are seeing more and more people who do not understand that red lights matter and getting hit by a car really hurts.

In my city people can rent electric scooters. They look like the kind you push with your foot, but they can go at a good clip. Recently we saw a woman about 30 years old riding on our street, minus the required helmet, going fast, with ear phones on and looking at her phone. She was wearing pale clothes to make sure no driver crossing her path would notice her.

My nominee for a Darwin award.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Helen
Date: 31 Aug 24 - 01:20 AM

Aah, the good old Darwin Award!

My nomination: I saw a young man on an electric skateboard (i.e. handsfree, no handlebars) in the middle of the road, near our house, going at an unreasonable speed, looking at his phone, paying no attention to the road. Technically this is a 40 kph (25 mph) residential area but in fact the majority of car drivers around here choose to believe it is 60 or even 80 kph or more (40 to 50 mph) and are a danger to self and others, e.g. the guy on the skateboard.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Thompson
Date: 01 Sep 24 - 06:44 AM

While we're giving out Darwin awards, can we hand a few to the people in charge of 2 tons of industrial machinery (ie their car) who use a phone while at the wheel?

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 01 Sep 24 - 07:07 AM

Being stupid on bikes and skateboards often results in personal injury but being stupid in a car can result in injury to innocent parties. That probably deserves an award of its own!

98...

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: leeneia
Date: 07 Sep 24 - 11:20 PM

I think 15 mph is pretty fast for a person riding on a scooter. Remember the rider has no seatbelt, no steel, between him and the concrete. In my neighborhood, where small houses line narrow streets lined with parked cars, a small figure going 15 can emerge at a cross roads far too soon for safety.

One day the DH and I very nearly collided with a Mini-Cooper hidden by a big pick-up truck. At the last minute I spied a winking between two cars and hollered "Stop! stop!" If a Mini-Cooper produces nothing but a winking sensation, imagine how little a scooter produces.
---------
I agree 100% with Dave and Thompson's remarks about cars and phones.

Subject: RE: BS: Cycling MUST be made illegal in UK
From: The Sandman
Date: 08 Sep 24 - 01:36 AM

Accidents have also been caused by people changing cds or cassettes while driving
.I am amazed at the amount of professional drivers answering mobiles whilst driving