Pedal bikes on the road

[pookie]

The schools don't do bikeability for kids until they are 10 ( year 6). School children at 6 ( year 2) are taught about dangers of crossing the road ( kerbcarft). Many of those already have 2 -3 years of bike riding under their belt.

I don't think its necessary wise to let loose a load of school children on the roads but promoting safer riding and awareness at a young age may propagate better riding later in life.

I think the number of hgv and lorries contribute of fatalities in London...

[Dipper]

Originally Posted by Spank86

With regards to slow moving cyclists holding up traffic and their legal right to ride two abreast or whatever.

Rule 169... Pull over.

https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-15...ing-162-to-169

However you rarely see cycles holding up "a long queue of traffic" as stated in Rule 169, ultimately they are much easier to pass than a large chunk of farm machinery etc. but yes they may add a few seconds to your journey.

Originally Posted by Dipper

However you rarely see cycles holding up "a long queue of traffic" as stated in Rule 169, ultimately they are much easier to pass than a large chunk of farm machinery etc. but yes they may add a few seconds to your journey.

Actually I see it quite often.

perhaps not in Essex or big cities like London but quite often in small old towns round here when it's busy.

[Dipper]

Originally Posted by Spank86

Actually I see it quite often.

perhaps not in Essex or big cities like London but quite often in small old towns round here when it's busy.

I see your point, we're lucky in Essex to have loads of quiet lanes to play with. As Dave says it's about education on both sides, tolerance and understanding is way better better than impatience and ignorance.

HGV's have special bike mirrors which if used correctly are very helpful when driving, but bike riders must be aware that the lorry driver might not have seen them despite everyone's best intentions. All the HGV drivers I know are very aware of the danger to bikes and do their upmost to avoid them. In the test they go to great lenghts to point out the dangers to other road users, and you are told to imagine that every kerb has a baby in a pushchair on it.

[Littlepeahead]

Today's accident was a tipper truck, of the 6 fatalities this year it seems like tippers were involved frequently and at known accident blackspots. The cost to businesses today with staff arriving late for work due to the gridlock, 3 to 4 hours in many cases, probably cost far more than it would cost to remodel that junction to make it safer.

[maviczap]

Originally Posted by Mrs DJ Fridge

HGV's have special bike mirrors which if used correctly are very helpful when driving, but bike riders must be aware that the lorry driver might not have seen them despite everyone's best intentions. All the HGV drivers I know are very aware of the danger to bikes and do their upmost to avoid them. In the test they go to great lenghts to point out the dangers to other road users, and you are told to imagine that every kerb has a baby in a pushchair on it.

Originally Posted by Littlepeahead

Today's accident was a tipper truck, of the 6 fatalities this year it seems like tippers were involved frequently and at known accident blackspots. The cost to businesses today with staff arriving late for work due to the gridlock, 3 to 4 hours in many cases, probably cost far more than it would cost to remodel that junction to make it safer.

The trouble is with most adult cyclists is that they buy a bike and then they are straight out on the road. They're wearing helmets (most of the time) and hi viz, so they think they're safe. They've only been used to driving their cars which is a nice cocooned environment.

Some sort of training would go to reducing some of these fatalities, although I don't know at what point you could deliver it.

Hazard perception by these born again cyclists is a big problem I think, not jut driver error & poor road design.

As job said, there are idiots and A-holes in every group, cyclists included.

Also, on the insurance front, aren't cyclists still liable for any damage they cause irrespective of whether or not they have insurance? A lot of commuters in London have third party liability and legal cover.

Some of the cyclists I saw on my commute (cycling) had absolutely shocking hazard perception. Then again, so do most minicabs, some drivers, a lot of scooter riders and many white van men.

LPH, was the accident north side, or south side of Vauxhall bridge?

[Littlepeahead]

South side I think. I only heard because the visiting team bus on the way to the Oval got caught in the traffic. The players ended up unloading their gear and walking to the ground past the accident so that would be south.

Yeah, I know the junction. You gotta keep your head switched on, It is a huge junction taking a lot of traffic. But there are loads of cycle lanes all around it. The remoddelling would probably be best at just re-inforcing these, probably not even a big deal.

I, for one, do not use the cycles lanes around there as they are in really bad repair, are not clearly de-marked from the pedestrians, and I can keep up with the traffic round the one way system.