Are cyclists a lycra-clad menace?

"Cyclists are living in a fantasy land and need a good dose of reality. This
is NOT the 1950s where the volume of traffic was extremely low - they are
living in cloud cuckoo land if they think they can petulantly kick and
scream there way through an argument like spoilt little girls and deny the
reality of the modern level of traffic which makes it totally unsafe to ride
next to articulated vehicles and EXPECT to be seen - totally ridiculous,
immature and stupid"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/ne...664/index.html

QUOTE:
AA President Edmund King has said that the results of an appeal to cyclists
and motorists by The Times to identify Britain's most hazardous junctions
demonstrate that cycllists believe that much of the country's road network
is "not fit for purpose." The findings have been published on the same day
that the newspaper's editor appears alongside government ministers to give
evidence to a committee of MPs on cycle safety.

Some 10,000 people responded to the newspaper's invitation to use an
interactive map to highlight dangerous roundabouts, junctions and other
sections of road as part of its Cities Fit For Cycling campaign, launched in
February.

The Elephant & Castle gyratory system in South London - described late last
year by Mayor Boris Johnson as "perfectly negotiable" by cyclists - emerged
as the location flagged up by most people on The Times' interactive map.

The newspaper says that "4,010 junctions, 2,778 stretches of badly designed
road, 1,453 poorly built cycle lanes and 1,360 roads afflicted by dangerous
pot holes" were highlighted by people who use them.

Seven of the most complained about locations were in London, with King's
Cross/York Way, site of the death of cyclist Deep Lee last year, in second
place.

However, junctions and roads across the UK in cities including in
Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Belfast were also regularly
nominated, says The Times.

It added that suggestions to improve them included allowing cyclists to
benefit from a head start at traffic lights, one of the changes Transport
for London is proposing at the Bow Roundabout, site of the death of two
cyclists last autumn.

Commenting on the results, AA President Mr King, himself a cyclist, said:
"It would be fair to say from these findings from 10,000 people that in many
cyclists' view the roads are not fit for purpose.

"Many of the things highlighted in the survey show that particularly on
major roads in and around urban areas we need a fundamental review of road
design and junction layout," he added.

Chris Peck, policy co-ordinator at national cyclists' organisation CTC,
said: "It's time for the Government to get to work on a national cycling
action plan with enough funding to begin to rectify some of these appalling
places for cycling."

Martin Gibbs, British Cycling's policy and legal affairs director, added:
"This is valuable data that the Department for Transport should use
immediately to start remedial works. We need a total shift in policy. We
should never have got into this situation and the government must now commit
to putting cycle safety into road and junction designs before they are
built.

"This is a dramatic policy failure and transport ministers should be highly
uncomfortable that a national newspaper is leading this process."

Today, Times editor James Harding will join broadcaster Jon Snow, who is
also President of CTC, and transport ministers Norman Baker and Mike
Penning, in giving evidence to the House of Commons Transport Select
Committee.

Today's session forms the conclusion of the oral evidence phase of the
committee's inquiry into the government's road safety strategy, and focuses
specifically on cycling.

In an unusual step, and one perhaps reflecting the way that the issue of
cycling has moved up the political agenda in recent months, the committee
had last week invited members of the public to submit via Twitter questions
that could be put to ministers today.

http://road.cc/content/news/57097-aa...ds-are-not-fit

--
Simon Mason

On Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:39:49 +0100, Mrcheerful wrote:

"Cyclists are living in a fantasy land and need a good dose of reality.
This is NOT the 1950s where the volume of traffic was extremely low -
they are living in cloud cuckoo land if they think they can petulantly
kick and scream there way through an argument like spoilt little girls
and deny the reality of the modern level of traffic which makes it
totally unsafe to ride next to articulated vehicles and EXPECT to be
seen - totally ridiculous, immature and stupid"

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/ne...664/index.html

Maybe the lycra-clad bicyclists are.



--
Life is a venereal disease with 100% mortality.

On 24/04/2012 21:16, Simon Mason wrote:
QUOTE:
AA President Edmund King has said that the results of an appeal to cyclists
and motorists by The Times to identify Britain's most hazardous junctions
demonstrate that cycllists believe that much of the country's road network
is "not fit for purpose."

They are entirely fit for purpose. That purpose being the motor car,
not a child's toy.

--
Dave - Cyclists VOR. "Many people barely recognise the bicycle as a
legitimate mode of transport; it is either a toy for children or a
vehicle fit only for the poor and/or strange," Dave Horton - Lancaster
University

On 25/04/2012 19:51, Dave - Cyclists VOR wrote:

On 24/04/2012 21:16, Simon Mason wrote:

QUOTE:
AA President Edmund King has said that the results of an appeal to cyclists
and motorists by The Times to identify Britain's most hazardous junctions
demonstrate that cycllists believe that much of the country's road network
is "not fit for purpose."

They are entirely fit for purpose. That purpose being the motor car, not a
child's toy.

Speak for yourself.

Ever tried to drive from Southampton to Bath?

A motorway (M36?) connecting the Solent to The M4 and M5 north of Bristol is
badly needed.

"Simon Mason" wrote in message
. uk...
QUOTE:


Some 10,000 people responded to the newspaper's invitation to use an
interactive map to highlight dangerous roundabouts, junctions and other
sections of road as part of its Cities Fit For Cycling campaign, launched
in
February.

Glad to see those data being used at last - at least four of those were my
own reports from around here.

--
Simon Mason

On Apr 25, 7:54*pm, JNugent wrote:
On 25/04/2012 19:51, Dave - Cyclists VOR wrote:

On 24/04/2012 21:16, Simon Mason wrote:
QUOTE:
AA President Edmund King has said that the results of an appeal to cyclists
and motorists by The Times to identify Britain's most hazardous junctions
demonstrate that cycllists believe that much of the country's road network
is "not fit for purpose."
They are entirely fit for purpose. That purpose being the motor car, not a
child's toy.

Speak for yourself.

Ever tried to drive from Southampton to Bath?

A motorway (M36?) connecting the Solent to The M4 and M5 north of Bristol is
badly needed.

Badly? Why? Have you found an area of unspoilt countryside to mess up
then?
About 1 hour 30 minutes by train, isn't it? Why the haste?

On 25/04/2012 21:32, Simon Mason wrote:


"Simon Mason" wrote in message
. uk...
QUOTE:


Some 10,000 people responded to the newspaper's invitation to use an
interactive map to highlight dangerous roundabouts, junctions and other
sections of road as part of its Cities Fit For Cycling campaign, launched
in
February.

Glad to see those data being used at last - at least four of those were my
own reports from around here.

So you DO live in the city.

Glad that's cleared up.

On 25/04/2012 22:33, Squashme wrote:
On Apr 25, 7:54 pm, wrote:
On 25/04/2012 19:51, Dave - Cyclists VOR wrote:

On 24/04/2012 21:16, Simon Mason wrote:
QUOTE:
AA President Edmund King has said that the results of an appeal to cyclists
and motorists by The Times to identify Britain's most hazardous junctions
demonstrate that cycllists believe that much of the country's road network
is "not fit for purpose."
They are entirely fit for purpose. That purpose being the motor car, not a
child's toy.

Speak for yourself.

Ever tried to drive from Southampton to Bath?

A motorway (M36?) connecting the Solent to The M4 and M5 north of Bristol is
badly needed.

Badly? Why? Have you found an area of unspoilt countryside to mess up
then?
About 1 hour 30 minutes by train, isn't it? Why the haste?

Ever been to Germany?

Or the Netherlands?

On Apr 25, 10:33*pm, Squashme wrote:


Badly? Why? Have you found an area of unspoilt countryside to mess up
then?
About 1 hour 30 minutes by train, isn't it? Why the haste?

Because motorists are selfish creatures who want a three lane highway
from their front door to wherever they want to go and stuff the rest
of society.
And they expect the rest of us to pick up the tab.

--
Simon Mason