get on your bike - I rode in today from Greenwich and frequently do from Bexley area too, with very little difficulty, of course you need to have access to a shower in the office though.
tell you what some cyclists some in town give other bike riders a bad name.
going through red lights, riding on pavements, green men, taking bikes on trains during rush hour times, basic rules. some are a law unto themselves. I barked at one when i crossed a road the other day and told him there was a green man, he looked at me as if i was mental. who do some of them think they are?
then you've got the selfish motorists that think all cyclists are invisible. cutting htem up, pulling out of a turning giving no consideration for a cyclist who will have to stop. (this happened to me on the south circular)
once i get lights for my bike, i plan to cycle every day into work. loved it in the summer cycling up to london and along the river, never went through a red light either.
Ive cycled to work for most of my working life and only ever had one accident which was my fault, well sort of. Pretty much all bus lanes/cycle paths on my route, its only Tower bridge which doesn't have either that is dodgey.
When people go about cyclists 'breaking the law'. I tend to argue as follows:
So do you drive?
Ever broken the speed limit? Ever run a red light? Ever driven when slightly over the limit?
So you break the law but its alright for you driving something which kills, but you moan about cyclists who rarely kill anything..
I do admit however that some people on bikes are reckless and inconsiderate to pedestrians.
You should try living in Amshterdam. They just do whatever they want and there's millions of them. If you're trashed you don't hear them coming. Not keen on trams, either.
razil,
I'm not claiming to be a saint, but i don't run through red lights (for fear of fines) i may go over the speed limit. but i haven't got a car at the moment and have rare access to one. I have been driving for 9 years, and never had a ticket or had an accident.
I'm all for cyclists and i think they get a rough deal, its the minority that cause the issues, i just wish they didn't as it creates the feeling that they're all the same and therefore drivers don't give them the respect they deserve
you're 90% more vulnerable on a bike than in a car
mortimerician> ever driven on a bike stoned in Amsterdam and got the wheel stuck in a tram line with a tram coming towards you??? its not good....
I agree with Razil that cyclists infringe in different ways to motorists and that a cyclist is unlikely to ever kill anyone except themselves.
As a motorist I do not consider myself a dangerous driver but often exceed the speed limit (32 say in a 30 zone, 45 in a 40, 60 in a 50, 80 on the motorway etc.). As a cyclist I go through some red lights (especially uphill!!), but always stop if a pedestrian is, or could be, affected. I am not saying these are right but there you go. I have not had a car accident in this country (some idiot drove into the back of me whilst I was stopped at red lights in France!), my only bike accident has been someone opening their car door on me. Having said that, I'll probably get killed on the way home tonight!
Whatever mode you are in - cyclist, pedestrian, motorist it is important to be courteous and sensible. Those who are not give a bad name to all other cyclists, cabbies, white-van men etc.
PS Cycling from Greenwich, a good route is through the foot tunnel and alongside the Thames most of the way to Shadwell Basin ie. off road and away from white-van man!
I used to cycle from Greenwich to Rotherhithe daily and, apart from my work colleague who cycled the same route with me, I was the only cyclist who thought that red lights applied to them. Now I know that's hardly a scientific survey, but the number of near misses with both motor vehicles and pedestrians was shocking. The majority of cyclists on the route seemed to have no regard for the safety of themselves or others.
Comments
going through red lights, riding on pavements, green men, taking bikes on trains during rush hour times, basic rules. some are a law unto themselves. I barked at one when i crossed a road the other day and told him there was a green man, he looked at me as if i was mental. who do some of them think they are?
then you've got the selfish motorists that think all cyclists are invisible. cutting htem up, pulling out of a turning giving no consideration for a cyclist who will have to stop. (this happened to me on the south circular)
once i get lights for my bike, i plan to cycle every day into work. loved it in the summer cycling up to london and along the river, never went through a red light either.
When people go about cyclists 'breaking the law'. I tend to argue as follows:
So do you drive?
Ever broken the speed limit? Ever run a red light? Ever driven when slightly over the limit?
So you break the law but its alright for you driving something which kills, but you moan about cyclists who rarely kill anything..
I do admit however that some people on bikes are reckless and inconsiderate to pedestrians.
I'm not claiming to be a saint, but i don't run through red lights (for fear of fines) i may go over the speed limit. but i haven't got a car at the moment and have rare access to one. I have been driving for 9 years, and never had a ticket or had an accident.
I'm all for cyclists and i think they get a rough deal, its the minority that cause the issues, i just wish they didn't as it creates the feeling that they're all the same and therefore drivers don't give them the respect they deserve
you're 90% more vulnerable on a bike than in a car
mortimerician> ever driven on a bike stoned in Amsterdam and got the wheel stuck in a tram line with a tram coming towards you??? its not good....
As a motorist I do not consider myself a dangerous driver but often exceed the speed limit (32 say in a 30 zone, 45 in a 40, 60 in a 50, 80 on the motorway etc.). As a cyclist I go through some red lights (especially uphill!!), but always stop if a pedestrian is, or could be, affected. I am not saying these are right but there you go. I have not had a car accident in this country (some idiot drove into the back of me whilst I was stopped at red lights in France!), my only bike accident has been someone opening their car door on me. Having said that, I'll probably get killed on the way home tonight!
Whatever mode you are in - cyclist, pedestrian, motorist it is important to be courteous and sensible. Those who are not give a bad name to all other cyclists, cabbies, white-van men etc.
PS Cycling from Greenwich, a good route is through the foot tunnel and alongside the Thames most of the way to Shadwell Basin ie. off road and away from white-van man!
you just said it better than me.