The Times publishes more than 4,000 personal accounts by cyclists of dangers they face on Britain's roads

At the risk of raising a smile here is a combination of Bez and cycling : http://www.flickr.com/photos/44562691@N07/5977267485/

One small idea: the contents of ALL the 7.5 tonne trucks entering London should be unloaded at a depot onto a fleet of CARGO bikes and their payloads thus redistributed ...... any volunteers for the cargo bike riders?

anyone glanced at the letter column in today's Sunday Times? Letter after letter after letter of the "cyclist's bring it on themselves" variety. I predicted that the Times Campaign would end up this way by day 10 and It seems I was a little optimistic.

I regard my self as a sensible, highway code abiding cyclist who uses Bikability principles, and I've had a car used against me as a weapon three times in three years for no reason what ever. One of them started hooting at me from the other side of a roundabout, deliberately took my exit so he could try revving, shouting and running me off the road. He did it; (failing to knock me off thankfully), turned round at the next roundabout and went back to where he was going.

Some people on the roads HATE cyclists. Its a disease in our national psyche, I truly believe that. And it starts from the belief that is endemic, that we (cyclists) deserve everything that could possibly happen to us, and it should all be at our own risk. The fact is 90% of our risk comes from people like those above. If it weren't for them, cycling would be virtually risk free.

The other day I sat in on a CPC (Certificate of Professional Competence) training session for LGV (Large Goods Vehicle) drivers on Driving in London, which had a cycle awareness element. As the only regular cyclist in a room of hairy a***d truck drivers, it could have been awkward, but they were a decent bunch. Two things struck me: they all had the perception that cycling was much more dangerous than I felt it was, and to a man (no women there) they were clear about the worst LGV drivers "skippers and tippers". Most professional drivers aren't out to intimidate or hurt you. Problems occur when neither side is aware of the other. As long as one person is looking and thinking, it's usually all right. Even as a cycling instructor, however, I revised my rule of thumb on how far in front of a big lorry I needed to be for them to see me. (A bike's length plus, if you're wondering.) Our main problems at the moment are that too many motorists don't cycle as well, and too many cyclists don't behave like road users. Phil Rice and Adam Smith make good points. The single simplest way to reduce the odds of a collision involving you as a cyclist is to get on-road training, however good you think you are. It's all about Positioning, Awareness and Communication. Get them right, it's a doddle. Get any of them wrong, and problems start. You'll come across bad driving (and cycling), but the trick is to know how to anticipate, avoid and cope with their behaviour, and to let it be their problem, not yours.

@ Simon E. And it is the capital city... where better to start?
Capital city of where? Britain,the UK, since devolvement of Scotland and Wales, perhaps England, this green and pleasant land? I think not. Every time I have visited London I have been reminded of how little the place has in common with the "country" ie Gt Britain in which I live. It is an entity of its own having little in common with the country it is said to be the capital of. Example :- In 47yrs of commuting by bike I have never seen a cyclist ride through a red light. I rest my case.

Unfortunately it's not just the city's drivers attitudes that need to be changed. going down local lane get overtaken by idiot in car who could not seem to turn that wheel in front of him to give me a bit of room, caught up with him a short time later when he was very gingerly overtaking a horse and rider. Now if he can do it for one why not the other? is it that he has been affected (afflicted?) by all this anti cycling lycra bashing in the media?

So, this is a London thing right? Got to love our south-east as the centre of the world media.

With oldridgeback on his comment. Hackney's are pretty reasonable. The private hires are the real buggers I've found. Again, those who drive artics are pretty reasonable - they give me plenty of room etc. The ridgid and flatbed drivers are the real bar stewards quite possible as they have more pressure from their employers to meet targets. (Not sure if it has changed but I think you can actually drive up to a certain tonnage before sitiing a HGV?) White van man comes into this as well regards targets. These businesses should be prevented from making such demands on their drivers.

Very goog point made by Andrew Parker regarding the piece by the idiot Matthew Paris. It's like James Martin's claim of running cyclists off the road when he was testing a car. How can the mainstream press print such rubbish?

I've never found London's black cab drivers to be a big problem to cyclists in the +20 years I've been commuting in the city. They can be pushy but you generally have an idea of what they're going to do. Bus drivers aren't great at times and all too often hang just a few inches off your back wheel for a distance rather than slowing down progressively for a bus stop, but they're not the worst.

For sheer aggression, delivery van drivers of all types have to top the bill. They're the worst for overtaking then making sudden left turns across your path with only the briefest flicker of an indicator.

I'm always very careful around HGVs. I have been in the cab of various HGVs for work over the years and I know full well just how restricted the view is. Most HGV drivers aren't deliberately aggressive (and the large supermarket chains seem to hire the best for their artics) but they can't see that well.

Of HGV drivers the ones you have to be particularly careful around are waste industry trucks or Eastern European lorries. Skip lorries or vehicles carrying scrap metal tend to be driven more aggressively and I always try to keep my distance, whether I'm on one of my bicycles, my motorbike, or even in my car. The DfT has a lot of statistics on accidents involving foreign registered trucks and the risk posed by Eastern Europeans in particular are rather alarming.

Oh, and big respct to Andrew Austin for not giving up on cycle commuting

Is it just me or is The Times' idea of publishing all these "I got knocked off" stories actually counter-productive? Yes, we need action but surely it's also potentially putting people off trying cycling as a means of transport.

ive only just started cycling again after about 25years and the cycle ways around here are always full of glass thorns etc so roads it is but i seem to notice the smaller the car the nearer they get to you dont see theres much we can do about it but as a car driver aswell im now a lot more aware of cyclists .

"Prime Minister David Cameron as well as senior Labour politicians giving their support to the newspaper's initiative"

Sadly I suspect that it's nothing more than lip service to a campaign that is currently popular. Whether anything actually comes of it is another story.

I used to regularly commute in London and agree that there are more than enough bad cyclists too but it must be said they don't have 1/2 ton of armour plating so good luck to them jumping lights and not signalling. My main gripe in town wasn't black cabs but Addison bloody Lee drivers! No idea of the speed limit, where the indicators are and not at all aware of the carnage they leave in their wake!

Very much agree with Alix's comments, as someone who cycles regularly in London. Dare I say it, I think there has been a minor improvement in the attitude of black cab drivers as they now realise that cycling is here to stay and they won't be able to scare us off the streets.

I was cycling to Sainsburys in New Cross before Christmas when a black cab overtook me and left a large gap as he did so. Was gobsmacked at his courtesy! Having said that, have had many black cabs pass me with just 2 inches to spare since.

I'm generally quite chilled when cycling, but if the situation that Colin Rae found himself in arose, I'm not sure my normal reserve would apply. That type of behaviour really get's on my moobs.

I think that it is time that Andrew Austin realised that, perhaps, cycling is not for him.