Mr Loophole lawyer says lockdown has led to “culture of toxic cycling”

Beat me to it. Picapau you need to get your GCSE physics text book out...

I learnt all my physics from watching Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear 😂

Picapau wrote:

I learnt all my physics from watching Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear 😂

You see, then - right there, that's your basic mistake.

The physics and statistics are straightforward. Cars, or rather their drivers, cause thousands of deaths and horrific life altering injury, bikes do not. This is the baseline from which to start finessing. 

Picapau wrote:

Hi all, new to Road.cc but been following for a short while now. Live in London and have driven a lot over the years. Whilst a driver I had made many of the same arguments against cyclists that get repeated over and over again, i.e. no insurance, no awareness of the Highway Code etc. Having started cycling again in London, after over a decade off the bike, due to the coronavirus outbreak and reluctance to use public transport, my opinions are thus based on the short 2 month period that I have been a daily commuter cyclist in central london. As traffic has picked up so has the slightly aggressive driving with close passes and lack of courtesy towards bikes. But unfortunately pretty much ever near miss I have had has been with other cyclists or pedestrians. With so many new cyclists on the road, many of whom have never even driven in London, at times its absolute chaos. Just a few days ago when the Sun was out I had multiple incidences which pretty much highlights all my issues: 1. Boris bike unable to go in a straight line constantly swerving left and right in the hyder park cycle lane - almost crashed into me as I was overtaking 2. Groups of cyclists (usually teenagers) who have just stopped in the middle of the cycle lane and completely blocked it 3. cyclists not understanding that the lanes only go in one direction, so almost had multiple head on collisions 4. Later the same day cyclists breaking red light almost crashed into me as I went across a junction 5. Almost another head on collision as a group of Boris bikes go up a one way road which doesn't allow contralateral cycle flow 6. Family walked into the road across a cycle lane without even looking, had to swerve radpidlly to avoid them 7. Similar thing happened again when a pedestrian with ear phones in just decides to start crossing the road without looking. He actually almost got run over by a car before I even got to him. The main issues I have had with cars is that they wont let me merge when in from the left and tend to speed up particularly on the busier roads. Some close passes as well. 

So I do think the whole cycling and driving / Transport strategy needs to be overhauled to make it safer for all. Insurance is useful to help provide cover in case of an accident but ultimately we need better facilities and better awareness of road rules from both cyclists and motorists. 

If the above sounds anti-cyclist - its not meant to be. I am finding cycling really liberating and very enjoyable. Just feel that it could be made safer. I wouldn't tell any of the above to the wife as she wasn't happy I took my bike out in the first place. 

Try succinctosity; it works much better than prolix.

Picapau wrote:

Hi all, new to Road.cc but been following for a short while now. Live in London and have driven a lot over the years. Whilst a driver I had made many of the same arguments against cyclists that get repeated over and over again, i.e. no insurance, no awareness of the Highway Code etc. Having started cycling again in London, after over a decade off the bike, due to the coronavirus outbreak and reluctance to use public transport, my opinions are thus based on the short 2 month period that I have been a daily commuter cyclist in central london. As traffic has picked up so has the slightly aggressive driving with close passes and lack of courtesy towards bikes. But unfortunately pretty much ever near miss I have had has been with other cyclists or pedestrians. With so many new cyclists on the road, many of whom have never even driven in London, at times its absolute chaos. Just a few days ago when the Sun was out I had multiple incidences which pretty much highlights all my issues: 1. Boris bike unable to go in a straight line constantly swerving left and right in the hyder park cycle lane - almost crashed into me as I was overtaking 2. Groups of cyclists (usually teenagers) who have just stopped in the middle of the cycle lane and completely blocked it 3. cyclists not understanding that the lanes only go in one direction, so almost had multiple head on collisions 4. Later the same day cyclists breaking red light almost crashed into me as I went across a junction 5. Almost another head on collision as a group of Boris bikes go up a one way road which doesn't allow contralateral cycle flow 6. Family walked into the road across a cycle lane without even looking, had to swerve radpidlly to avoid them 7. Similar thing happened again when a pedestrian with ear phones in just decides to start crossing the road without looking. He actually almost got run over by a car before I even got to him. The main issues I have had with cars is that they wont let me merge when in from the left and tend to speed up particularly on the busier roads. Some close passes as well. 

So I do think the whole cycling and driving / Transport strategy needs to be overhauled to make it safer for all. Insurance is useful to help provide cover in case of an accident but ultimately we need better facilities and better awareness of road rules from both cyclists and motorists. 

If the above sounds anti-cyclist - its not meant to be. I am finding cycling really liberating and very enjoyable. Just feel that it could be made safer. I wouldn't tell any of the above to the wife as she wasn't happy I took my bike out in the first place. 

Just from reading this post it strikes me that the common denominator is you, 

I doubt there will be any meaningful change in cycling safety if many of the people on this forum are allowed to peddle their toxic views. Absolutely no balance with facetious comments aimed at a new cyclist who has tried to start a discussion on some of the issues. Good luck to you all. But I am out. 

Picapau wrote:

Absolutely no balance with facetious comments aimed at a new cyclist who has tried to start a discussion on some of the issues. 

I think you got pretty balanced replies and they aren't aimed at a new cyclist they are specifically aimed at you and what you have written. You have outlined many points where cyclists should blah blah, and they have been countered.  Please examine the facts and you will see that pandering to the shite the media trots out is likely to get folks here backs up.

But you did say you were a returning cyclist.

Now I see what went wrong in April : not enough cars around to keep me (I) safe (I) in order and (iii) from crashing into myself. 

I always wonder what exactly motorist-advocated bike insurance is designed to cover. Is it so they can get away with some "knock for knock" (for which read severe injury).

You pay the correct tax,  as in VED.  Don't let these people inflict number plates or tabards on you,  it's not like it  would stop there stop is it  - the idea is to box you in and make cycling even more of an impossibility or a hassle  than it already must seem to many. 

A proportion of us are being hit with an Ajax error when posting. Sometimes it posts still and sometimes it doesn't. We can hit save five times and then find five posts or hit it once or twice and nothing has been posted.

There is a Forum post on it but not seen anything that it is being looked into or what changes to make to fix it at our end. I'm assuming it is some browser updates myself. 
 

Eton Rifle wrote:

Christ, the state of the comments under the original article. You can tell it's owned by the Daily Heil.

Christ, the state of the comments under the original article. You can tell it's owned by the Daily Heil.

Christ, the state of the comments under the original article. You can tell it's owned by the Daily Heil.

Christ, the state of the comments under the original article. You can tell it's owned by the Daily Heil.

More to the point, the state of the comments on Road.cc...

Yep. Roads seemed worse than ever this Monday just gone. I don't know if its people forgetting how to safely drive as you say, or a more insidious fighting back against this perceived "golden age of cycling", which, lets face it, will probably not materialise.

Yep. Roads seemed worse than ever this Monday just gone. I don't know if its people forgetting how to safely drive as you say, or a more insidious fighting back against this perceived "golden age of cycling", which, lets face it, will probably not materialise.

Never attribute something to maliciousness when incompetence explains it better.

Yep. Roads seemed worse than ever this Monday just gone. I don't know if its people forgetting how to safely drive as you say, or a more insidious fighting back against this perceived "golden age of cycling", which, lets face it, will probably not materialise.

Yup.

As for 'dangerous entitlement' - pure projection.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52370352

GMP said it had caught more than 6,200 drivers breaking speed limits since lockdown began on 23 March. The force recorded a driver doing 115mph on a 40mph road and one reaching speeds of 129mph on the M62