What is a cyclist?

Doug wrote:

Should only apply to personal transport.

So suppose someone else uses their bike for all local transport, the
same as I do. The fact that I use a train for long distance trips and
they use the car would mean that I'm a cyclist and they're not?

I don't think so.

--
http://lnr.livejournal.com/

Jeremy Parker twisted the electrons to say:
How many laps of the Elephant and Castle roundabout would equate to
completing an ironman triathlon?

www.gmap-pedometer.com reckons it's 0.4427 miles for a circuit of both
roundabouts. So about 253 laps for the bike leg and about 50 laps for
the running, dunno how you'd manage the swimming part though? :-)

But here's a thought, is a triathlete a swimmer, a cyclist or a
pedestrian?
--
These opinions might not even be mine ...
Let alone connected with my employer ...

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:57:37 +0100, Paul Luton
wrote:

I am a human being ! Labelling people as cyclists, motorists etc just
suggests (incorrectly) that these are types of people so we get "
Council biased against motorists " as if it were a type of discrimination.

I am not a number! I am a free man!

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk/urc | http://www.nohelmetlaw.org.uk/
"Nullius in Verba" - take no man's word for it.
- attr. Horace, chosen by John Evelyn for the Royal Society

On 10 Sep, 13:06, "Brimstone" wrote:
Paul Luton wrote:
Doug wrote:
On this newsgroup are motorists who also claim to be cyclists but who
are highly critical of cyclists, which casts doubt on their claim to
be cyclists. So what, for the purposes of debate here, might qualify
as a cyclist?

May I suggest the following: 'If a person travels further each year
on a cycle than they do in a car then they can be regarded as a
genuine cyclist'.

Now, take some examples for evaluation. Someone commutes to work on a
bicycle but at the weekend bombs around in a car for fun. Conversely,
a person commutes by car but bombs around for fun and exercise at the
weekend on a cycle. What are they primarily, motorist or cyclist? It
surely depends how far they travel on each?

--
World Carfree Network
http://www.worldcarfree.net/
Help for your car-addicted friends in the U.K.

I am a human being ! Labelling people as cyclists, motorists etc just
suggests (incorrectly) that these are types of people so we get "
Council biased against motorists " as if it were a type of
discrimination.
I contend that Cycling facilities are mostly for "non-cyclists".
People who cycle already will go on cycling. People who don't need
encouragement.
All this despite the original source of "CTC".

It's interesting is it not that Doug, who claims to abhor discrimination,
wants to create artificial catergories which is the first step towards
discrimination.

The categories exist already but the distinctions are often blurred
and vary depending on vested interests.

--
Car Free Cities
http://www.carfree.com/
Carfree Cities proposes a delightful solution
to the vexing problem of urban automobiles.

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 14:25:48 +0100, mileburner wrote:

"Doug" wrote in message
news:14b747c0-a3fa-4039-878d-
...
On 10 Sep, 07:35, "mileburner" wrote:
"Doug" wrote in message


...

On this newsgroup are motorists who also claim to be cyclists but
who are highly critical of cyclists, which casts doubt on their
claim to be cyclists. So what, for the purposes of debate here,
might qualify as a cyclist?

May I suggest the following: 'If a person travels further each year
on a cycle than they do in a car then they can be regarded as a
genuine cyclist'.

Now, take some examples for evaluation. Someone commutes to work on
a bicycle but at the weekend bombs around in a car for fun.
Conversely, a person commutes by car but bombs around for fun and
exercise at the weekend on a cycle. What are they primarily,
motorist or cyclist? It surely depends how far they travel on each?

I think that when I ride my bike I qualify as a cyclist and when I
drive my
car I qualify as a motorist. As a cyclist who rides most days and
thousands
of miles a year I think that qualifys me as a fairly experienced
cyclist. I
may however drive more miles in a car but that does not negate the
fact that
I am a cyclist. Doug seems to think that cyclists and motorists are
mutually
exclusive: that you can only be one and not the other.

Nope, I contend that you are more one than another and that this
colours your judgement and opinions, bearing in mind that we are all in
competition for road space.

I seriously do not think there is "competition" for road space.

There isn't. Well, only in Doug's tiny mind..

Mike P

In article , Eleanor Blair wrote:
Doug wrote:

Should only apply to personal transport.

So suppose someone else uses their bike for all local transport, the
same as I do. The fact that I use a train for long distance trips and
they use the car would mean that I'm a cyclist and they're not?
I don't think so.

Apparently being an evil nasty car user overrides being a cyclist,
but being a nice fluffy train user doesn't. Maybe in Dougspeak cyclists
and motorists are exclusive classes of road users, and only road use
matters when classifying people.

"Just zis Guy, you know?" writes:

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:57:37 +0100, Paul Luton
wrote:

I am a human being ! Labelling people as cyclists, motorists etc just
suggests (incorrectly) that these are types of people so we get "
Council biased against motorists " as if it were a type of discrimination.

I am not a number! I am a free man!

Ah - but can you cycle in Portmeirion? I visited the place this summer
and it doesn't look like it.

Still - there was an image of a penny farthing wheel in the credits
iirc...

On 2009-09-10, Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:57:37 +0100, Paul Luton
wrote:

I am a human being ! Labelling people as cyclists, motorists etc just
suggests (incorrectly) that these are types of people so we get "
Council biased against motorists " as if it were a type of discrimination.

I am not a number! I am a free man!

[sound effect: evil laughter]

Alistair Gunn wrote:
Simon Mason twisted the electrons to say:
Well, I cycle 6000 miles a year to work, but drive 3500 miles in my
3 week holiday, so still qualify.

What if we include flights and/or ferry journeys? Maybe you might
turn out to be an aviator or a sailor? :-)

Only if you are actually piloting the aircraft or sailing the ferry, surely?

Doug wrote:
On this newsgroup are motorists who also claim to be cyclists but who
are highly critical of cyclists, which casts doubt on their claim to
be cyclists. So what, for the purposes of debate here, might qualify
as a cyclist?


May I suggest the following: 'If a person travels further each year on
a cycle than they do in a car then they can be regarded as a genuine
cyclist'.

Why does it have to be distance, why not time. If a person travels 120
miles a week by car and 100 miles by bike, they could easily achieve the
car distance in 2 hours yet the bike distance would take many cyclists
over 5 hours. They would spend longer in the saddle, than at the wheel.

It could also be how they treat their cycles are car. e.g. do they spend
more time maintaining the bike than the car?

Would a qualitative guide be far better than a quantitative measurement.
e.g. Does the person regard themselves as a cyclist, or a motorist, or
both, or neither.

Now, take some examples for evaluation. Someone commutes to work on a
bicycle but at the weekend bombs around in a car for fun. Conversely,
a person commutes by car but bombs around for fun and exercise at the
weekend on a cycle. What are they primarily, motorist or cyclist? It
surely depends how far they travel on each?