MP’s safer cycling call angers drivers

[Domeo]

If a council can just paint a line down a pavement and it's suddenly safe as a 'shared route' for bikes and peds, why should a cyclist be fined for riding on one they haven't gotten around to painting yet?

As it is illegal to ride cycles on the pavement, any pavement has to be re-designated as part of the highway and then a local bylaw restricting its use to non motorised vehicles has to passed. It also means that any pavements proposed for shared use need to be assessed for suitability. Whether this happens in reality is another thing.

 

[400bhp]

Urban myth. One report, which is not designed to focus on accident causation, suggested speed is not a large factor in RTCs. This has been endlessly and dishinestly cited by the pro-speeding lobby. This use of statistics has been described by a professional statistician as ‘extremely naughty’ and by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions as ‘mischievous’.

It's not an urban myth. It's a statistic and of course care should be taken with that as with your professional statistician comment.

This is going OT.

 

[turnout]

It's not an urban myth. It's a statistic and of course care should be taken with that as with your professional statistician comment.

This is going OT.

OK, forget the arguments about causation statistics, if speed is not a main factor then look at the way accidents rates decrease dramatically when lower speeds are introduced:

Typically within Hull, 20 mph zones have achieved reductions[<A href="http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmtlgr/557/557ap80.htm#note106">106] in injury accidents of:

• — Total accidents -56 per cent

• — Killed & seriously injured accidents -90 per cent

• — Accidents involving child casualties -64 per cent

• — All pedestrian accidents -54 per cent

• — Child pedestrian accidents -74 per cent.

It is estimated that at the end of 1999, 390 injury accidents had been prevented within the 20 mph zones which had been previously installed. 122 of these would have involved injuries to children.


http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmtlgr/557/557ap80.htm

 

[Dan B]

As it is illegal to ride cycles on the pavement, any pavement has to be re-designated as part of the highway and then a local bylaw restricting its use to non motorised vehicles has to passed.

Pedant point: it's already part of the highway. I suspect you mean carriageway