Radio Clyde 2 cyclist bashing discussion.

[johnnyb47]

The coach driver said "modern day roads are no place for cyclists"
What a load of rubbish. What's different from regarding modern day roads as to opposed roads of years gone by. Absolutely nothing except for the fact to many people are to lazy to walk to the shops etc ,and would much prefer to clog up our roads with polluting cars. Speed limits have not changed, roads have not become narrower ,so I my opinion the term modern road is a load of old tosh. There is bad in both cyclist and motorist, but its nearly always the motorist who shows aggression towards the cyclist and not the other way round.

 

[Drago]

You know you're in the gutter when even the coach drivers, the poorly paid lepers of the transport industry, look down upon you and your kind.

 

[fixedfixer]

I see that Janet Porter-Street-Road-Pavement person was banging on about cyclist again. Yawn. Similar viewing figures to Radio Barney and Clyde?

 

[srw]

Well, that's kind of obvious but ...

Unfortunately recent electoral results suggest that ignorant prejudice is rather widespread, and not to be so easily ignored. I fear we are in for dark times ahead as the "stands to reason" brigade call the shots in legal constraints on cycling.

As I might have pointed out once or twice, there simply isn't the legislative room for anything remotely controversial. The "stands to reason" brigade, ignorant prejudice and all, have seen to it that parliamentary time is now completely swallowed up by preparing for something that most of the country didn't vote for, to make sure it's only a minor disaster rather than a complete catastrophe.

 

[KnackeredBike]

I am always a bit reticent to see the "some cyclists do have insurance" argument because it does somewhat suggest that responsible cyclists choose to have insurance.

Of course things are much simpler. Insurance is compulsory for activities that have a high risk of happening and cause a lot of harm. Motorists frequently have crashes that severely injure people and damage property so they must have insurance. Cyclists almost never do so they have the choice.

As for road tax perhaps it should be hypothecated to treat sedentary and respiratory illnesses. Type 2 diabetes costs about £50,000 to treat over a lifetime. There is someone on my ward at the moment who weighs 215kg, the cost of his treatment would need a huge fleet of road tax payers.

 

[Slick]

[QUOTE 4969779, member: 43827"]In not too many years time when electric cars are the norm motorists won't be able to chuck that hoary old insult about not paying "road tax". Have no fear other insults will replace it.

But bike use will have risen even more.[/QUOTE]
This is kinda what I based my argument on, car drivers are a huge part of an unsustainable problem, where cyclists are part of the solution.

 

[srw]

I wish I could be so optimistic. What makes you think anti-cyclist legislation would be controversial?

 

[Drago]

Here's another loony who will never really matter.

 

[smutchin]

Speed limits have not changed, roads have not become narrower

Actually, speed limits have been reduced in many places. And the increasing prevalence of on-street parking means roads are de facto narrower than they used to be - in fact, a few roads round my way have been made one-way because of it.

The truth is that roads are no place for motor vehicles - they cause congestion that makes town centres extremely unpleasant places to be, untold environmental damage and thousands of deaths every year.

 

[Drago]

Roads shouldn't be used as car parks. We should be like Japan - you have to prove you have somewhere off road to store a car before you are issued with the necessary paperwork to allow you to buy one. If you don't, you either aren't allowed to buy one, or are stuck with a tiny Kei car, depending on the prefecture. Should be the same here.

 

[Profpointy]

Roads shouldn't be used as car parks. We should be like Japan - you have to prove you have somewhere off road to store a car before you are issued with the necessary paperwork to allow you to buy one. If you don't, you either aren't allowed to buy one, or are stuck with a tiny Kei car, depending on the prefecture. Should be the same here.

Move everyone out of cities into the suburbs. There'll then be plenty of parking spaces when you drive into town to work as the people who used to live in the cities and walk or bus to work will have moved out to the suburbs and villages.

 

[smutchin]

Roads shouldn't be used as car parks.

Absolutely 100% agree with this.

What riles me even more is parking on the pavement. Some melon farmer up the road from me has off-street parking for four cars. Unfortunately, he owns five, so he always parks one of his fleet on the pavement. Apparently one of the neighbours has complained to the council about it but nothing has been done. I'd love to get a few mates round one night, sneak over there and tip his car off the pavement into his field.

 

[Drago]

I live in the boonies and almost never drove to work when commuting.

 

[srw]

Move everyone out of cities into the suburbs. There'll then be plenty of parking spaces when you drive into town to work as the people who used to live in the cities and walk or bus to work will have moved out to the suburbs and villages.

You're so right. Which is why London, the suburbiest city in the country has so many parking spaces available.

 

[steveindenmark]

I have never heard a programme, either TV or radio, knock cyclists in Denmark. Quite the opposite. There is a slight concern that only 50% of our school children cycle to school. It used to be higher and our cycling infrastructure just gets better. I should write into my local paper and complain about the two 5km stretches of cyclepaths I came across in my area that summer. The ones with benches with great views and pumps to blow your tyres up with, They were not announced in the local papers and there were no sign of grinning politicians.