For Anyone Who Tells You Cycling is Too Dangerous in Today's Traffic

[jonny jeez]

I guess you are going to find most of those fatalities will be in the major cities.
London in particular i have noticed many times picking up the paper and seeing another cyclist being seriously injured or worse.

that's because around 50 billion cyclists ride through London every minute.

These figures are representative and may not be accurate. Quoting back to the poster with a yellow smiley may cause ridicule from other forum users

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Who's nit picking? I'm merely pointing out that most cars of the time would not reach today's National Speed Limit, though of course a few would have.

Quoting me directly and saying what I've said is irrelevant kind of feels like nit picking.

(Prepares to flounce from thread )

 

[jonny jeez]

Department of Transport figures;

Number of cyclist deaths in Britain last year - 113

Number in 1934 - 1,536.

In the last 15 years, the number of pedestrian and car occupant fatalities has halved, whereas cyclist fatalities are down a mere 10% over the same period. That said the total number of cyclist deaths is a fraction of the other two.

So its safer to cycle and is getting safer, just not as quickly as other transport means.

Oh and it tells us that, statistically, driving and walking in town is far more deadly than cycling.

 

[srw]

In the last 15 years, the number of pedestrian and car occupant fatalities has halved, whereas cyclist fatalities are down a mere 10% over the same period. That said the total number of cyclist deaths is a fraction of the other two.

And the number of cyclists and the distance they travel has shot up, whereas the number of pedestrians and car occupants and the distance they travel has remained roughly static. So your interpretation exaggerates the risk to cyclists.

(But it is still very safe to cycle - or, for that matter, be on or near roads in any mode of transport)

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

that's because around 50 billion cyclists ride through London every minute.

These figures are representative and may not be accurate. Quoting back to the poster with a yellow smiley may cause ridicule from other forum users

Ridicule? Bring it on!

 

[Drago]

Cycling is safer than walking, per journey mile. Its safer than gardening, according to the CTC. Presumably that's measured by the cabbage.

 

[Drago]

Both my parents got to their mid-80s but the last year or two of their lives were pretty unpleasant. I would happily go suddenly a few years younger. 60s or even 70s is too young though.

The other thing to consider apart from quantity of life is quality of life. My dad lived to 84 but he was almost disabled by illness for about his last 30 years. If I could cycle until (say) 79 years and 11 months but then die suddenly at 80, that would be fine!

You know me, full of pith and vinegar. I'm going to die aged 104 fighting ISIS insurgents in a leaking nuclear reactor with a bunch of hungry crocodiles on the loose. I'm going down in a blaze of glory, sticking my middle finger up at death and fate.

 

[gavgav]

Quoting me directly and saying what I've said is irrelevant kind of feels like nit picking.

(Prepares to flounce from thread )

Exactly why I don't participate in anything other than "Your Ride Today" anymore

 

[_aD]

Exactly why I don't participate in anything other than "Your Ride Today" anymore

Never underestimate the power of the "Ignore User" and "Report this post" features. It makes most forums much nicer places.

 

[bigjim]

It's one of those things isn't it. Like texts. People say things via the keyboard and maybe it reads different to what is meant. I don't participate much in the keyboard speak, re opinions, these days because some things get my backup and I'm offended. Maybe too easily. But all you have to go off are the words on a page. So I tend to stay out of it. The conversation/argument in the pub where there were such things as body language and facial expressions,smiles etc are becoming a thing of the past. Taking the urine was good fun and easily readable. Sad.

 

[Smokin Joe]

Never underestimate the power of the "Ignore User" and "Report this post" features. It makes most forums much nicer places.

Bloomin' heck, I only quoted his post to make a point. Anyone would think I gave him a Politics & Life style flaming

 

[jefmcg]

By your own admission then, by cycling you are only postponing the inevitable (if you are unfortunate enough to have heart disease in the first place) by about 2 years. So you are still going to become a "death from heart disease" statistic, but a couple of years down the line.

Umm, well, anything that doesn't kill you just postpones your death by a while. Or did you expect to live for ever?

 

[gavgav]

Never underestimate the power of the "Ignore User" and "Report this post" features. It makes most forums much nicer places.

Don't worry, I have quite a few on ignore!

 

[Brandane]

Umm, well, anything that doesn't kill you just postpones your death by a while. Or did you expect to live for ever?

My point was, in the context of the reply to @ColinJ , that there might be limited value in dodging one bullet just to get hit by another even more unpleasant one.

 

[ColinJ]

Ridicule? Bring it on!

Ridicule is nothing to be scared of!