Laura Trott interview about London cyclist

[Boris Bajic]

I agree with her about it not always being the car's fault. It is not. I agree with her that some cyclists don't help. Some don't.

I like her reference to the general swing towards bicycle use.

I disagree with her about helmets. How dull life would be if everyone held my views.

She's a successful athlete who's done (more than) her fair share to raise the profile of women's cycling and (up to a point) women in sport.

In a way, she's not helping the Barclays Bike initiative by making the helmet point, since the joy of the scheme is that you can just grab a bike and go. If users had to schlep around the capital with helmet in hand, popularity would drop off a cliff.

Beyond her words and her message (which may be on or off message) there is some benefit simply in having a positive role model for cycling in the mass media...

 

[Davidsw8]

[QUOTE 2629562, member: 259"]It would be a shame if this thread had to be moved to the helmet debates section.[/quote]


Sorry...

I agree with Ms Trott on most of what she says apart from the helmet issue, I think safety is a personal thing and if you're alone on your bike how you protect yourself is down to you. However, how you act on your bike can impact others and I think more needs to be done to exposing bad cycling and educating people with regards to what's considered safe and what is legal.

 

[benb]

Really? Read the comments under any online news report about cycling and you could readily draw the conclusions that bad cycling is both highly visible and universal.

I don't think any resources should be wasted on tackling bad cycling, given that it's such an insignificant factor with regards to road safety.
If a cyclists goes through a red in front of a PC, of course they should be busted, but targeting police resources on cyclists is not the best use of those resources, if the desired outcome is safer roads.

 

[Davidsw8]

I don't think any resources should be wasted on tackling bad cycling, given that it's such an insignificant factor with regards to road safety.
If a cyclists goes through a red in front of a PC, of course they should be busted, but targeting police resources on cyclists is not the best use of those resources, if the desired outcome is safer roads.

Adrian & Ben

When I say 'exposing bad cycling', I'm referring to making sure beyond doubt that people know what is legal and what is not. I guarantee there's a decent portion of those folks cycling through red lights with no lights on that have no idea they're committing offences. Then there are the car drivers who crawl through the ASZ on a red light and those motor cyclists who think that image of the bike in the ASZ refers to them believe they aren't doing anything wrong.

Also, the amount of times I've seen cyclists RLJ or cycle round in the dark with no lights on right under the nose of police and nothing has happened, not so much as an 'Oi!'. The general consensus on those news report comments tends to be of the RLJ'ing pavement cyclist and the reason for this is because the visible few that represent the invisible majority are seen to be getting away with it. The police do nothing, fellow cyclists say nothing, there are no consequences for bad behaviour and then we wonder why we're all tarred with the same brush.

 

[Davidsw8]

I know what you mean. Somedays, when I think about the routine, casual speeding, mobile phone useage, obstruction of the highway etc. etc. etc. it makes me almost ashamed to admit that I hold a driving licence in case I am tarred with the same brush.

Given that the car driver is the majority-user of the road, I don't think there is a brush, now if you're talking about cabbies or white van man that's a different story

 

[ufkacbln]

I agree with her about it not always being the car's fault. It is not. I agree with her that some cyclists don't help. Some don't.

I like her reference to the general swing towards bicycle use.

I disagree with her about helmets. How dull life would be if everyone held my views.

She's a successful athlete who's done (more than) her fair share to raise the profile of women's cycling and (up to a point) women in sport.

In a way, she's not helping the Barclays Bike initiative by making the helmet point, since the joy of the scheme is that you can just grab a bike and go. If users had to schlep around the capital with helmet in hand, popularity would drop off a cliff.

Beyond her words and her message (which may be on or off message) there is some benefit simply in having a positive role model for cycling in the mass media...

It is intetrseting that those schemes with helmet use have not been successful as those without.

Mind you, would you want to wear a helmet that was damp with a stranger's sweat and crawling withte infetstaions of a hundred previous users... this is the main reason why they failed.

 

[glenn forger]

Cyclists account for 2% of traffic. Unlit cyclists are a factor in 2% of accidents. It's really not worth bothering about.

 

[Davidsw8]

Exactly, so why do we beat ourselves up over the behaviours of a small number of people?

Because, as said before, those small numbers are who everyone sees, that's the stereotypical cyclist. But if you can change the general perception of people towards cyclists to be more positive there'll be fewer cases of aggression towards us on the roads.

 

[glenn forger]

I bet you fifty million pounds if every cyclist behaved impeccably from now on it wouldn't make a scrap of difference to those with an irrational hatred of cyclists. They are so desperate they make up taxes that don't exist to attack us.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Any road, ref the OP, wasn't Laura Trott's sister knocked off with 4 other cyclists by a car in Belgium?

If so, then surely she should be providing a helmet-endorsing interview for Het Laatste Nieuws?

As an aside, my brother tripped pool-side on holiday in Greece whilst wearing flip-flops, do we now insist people in Manchester wear substantial footwear when they go swimming?

 

[Davidsw8]

Will the land also flow with milk and honey, or will we just have to make do with manna from above?

Sorry, I should have read the tagline under your profile ID Adrian...

No harm in a bit of optimism eh? You never know, it might just make a difference and it won't have cost anyone anything.

 

[Boris Bajic]

I bet you fifty million pounds if every cyclist behaved impeccably from now on it wouldn't make a scrap of difference to those with an irrational hatred of cyclists. They are so desperate they make up taxes that don't exist to attack us.

But on a serous note... How many of us have ever encountered another road user with 'an irrational hatred of cyclists'?

I've elicited some shouty insults on occasion, usually either because I've been stupid or the other party is having a crap day.

I've been swerved into or had vehicles pull out in front of me, but usually through inattention rather than irrational hatred.

And I'm pleased to say that I've never been attacked with taxes that don't exist, although I was once thrown over the bonnet of a taxi that did exist...

Has anyone (sane) on these pages been attacked by a desperate and irrational cyclist-hater with taxes that don't exist? Does it hurt?

 

[jarlrmai]

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe3B2e_6jIg&feature=c4-overview&list=UUoAxm0yxqzd6oozVeEQihLQ


Not sure what else to put this down to

 

[glenn forger]

Mad rush to get past!!! Then all the time in the world to stop and direct abuse.

 

[Hip Priest]

Not sure what else to put this down to

Poor driving.