What will be the next 'big thing' for bikes?

[vernon]

[QUOTE 2807864, member: 45"]Which is great for those commuting or on busy roads, but not so good for those who want to pootle to the shops as it implies that training is needed before you can ride on the road, and this is not and should not be the case.[/quote]

That's bollocks.

 

[vernon]

[QUOTE 2807876, member: 45"]Thanks for that clear and reasoned response.

Great for training to be offered but it's perfectly possible to ride competently and safely on the road without attending a training course.[/quote]

And it's perfectly possible to ride incompetently and unsafely without attending a training course.

 

[vernon]

[QUOTE 2807915, member: 45"]I've not suggested otherwise. It's also perfectly possible to ride incompetently and unsafely after having attended a training course (look at some of our drivers). But that's beside the point.[/quote]

A road environment where every user is trained will be safer for minority users than a world where only some of the minority users are trained.

Safety is a shared responsibility.

 

[vernon]

[QUOTE 2807947, member: 45"]That's right. Shared, but not equally. That's why training should be available but not compulsory.[/quote]

You've introduced the concept of compulsory. I refer you to the quote:

It is why I am paying for free cycle training for any Londoner, adult or child, who wants it; it is why I have appointed a cycling commissioner, making cycling the only transport mode to have its own dedicated representative in my senior staff; and it is why I am recruiting almost 130 extra staff to Transport for London to help deliver my cycling programme.

Now go off and bang your drum elsewhere.

 

[Linford]

A road environment where every user is trained will be safer for minority users than a world where only some of the minority users are trained.

Safety is a shared responsibility.

I couldn't agree more

Cyclist entering road from the pavement’
The second most common contributory factor attributed to cyclists was ‘cyclist entering the road from the pavement’. This was assigned in a fifth of serious collisions and was especially common for children (over a third of serious collisions). This contributory factor includes crossing the road at a pedestrian crossing. Analysis of in-depth investigations from the ‘On The Spot’ project (Cuerden, 2008) found that ‘cyclist crossing or entering the road into the path of a vehicle’ was a frequent collision type for children. More research is required to identify why cyclists are making this manoeuvre and what can be done to reduce such collisions.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives....gr/roadsafety/research/rsrr/theme1/ppr445.pdf

There are people on here who freely admit to cycling on the pavement when it takes their fancy... MOD EDIT: this part Deleted ...and funnily enough are arguing against the the value of training on this very thread....

 

[vernon]

[QUOTE 2808010, member: 45"]

Remember that we live in a country where cyclists shouldn't be on the road because they don't pay road tax.

[/quote]

It's a falsehood and has no value in the discussion.

 

[vernon]

[QUOTE 2808010, member: 45"]
Remember that we live in a country where cyclists shouldn't be on the road because they don't pay road tax. [/quote]

It's a falsehood and has no value in the discussion.

[QUOTE 2808052, member: 45"]That's your view.
[/quote]

It's not my view. It's a fact.

 

[vernon]

Which, when taken together with other stuff like his scourge of headphones on cyclists thing, can readily be seen as placing the blame for the situation on cyclists.

That's one interpretation.

 

[marknotgeorge]

What's teaching kids how to cross the road if not training? Surely ensuring that people are aware of risks of the road is no bad thing.

 

[Linford]

What's teaching kids how to cross the road if not training? Surely ensuring that people are aware of risks of the road is no bad thing.

 

[marknotgeorge]

[QUOTE 2808156, member: 45"]No one is suggesting that it is.[/quote]

I am. It may not be formal prove-your-competence training, but it's still training.

 

[Linford]

Training is only of value if it is adhered too

 

[marknotgeorge]

Mr Paul meant that no one is suggesting that is is a bad thing.

I could be wrong of course, but this:

[QUOTE 2807864, member: 45"]Which is great for those commuting or on busy roads, but not so good for those who want to pootle to the shops as it implies that training is needed before you can ride on the road, and this is not and should not be the case.[/quote]

suggests the opposite. Do you really mean that it's a good idea for people to use roads without any idea of how they work?

 

[middleagecyclist]

Not read the whole 7 pages so apologies if already mentioned, but this might well have a big impact on urban, commuter, utility tyoe cycling. Just replace your back wheel and you have an electric bike and one that charges up while braking as well!

 

[marknotgeorge]

All I'm pointing out is that Mrs Miggins, and you, have trained yourselves. Learning by doing.