Just for Fun: If I were Prime Minister, I would...

pickylongstocking

South London to Reading? Thats a rather long commute on a bike?

Kieran_Burns

Il Principe wrote:

pickylongstocking wrote:

Make it law for all cyclists to wear helmets

Make all cyclists take a cycling proficiency test to be allowed to rdie on the roads in London

I am a cyclist and have nothing against people who want to cycle on Londons roads (although I often think they are mad), I do however ever think that their are an extremely small minority who either choose to have a blatant disregard for their own safety or are too stupid to realise they are putting themselves in danger.

Please don't all attacke me as I believe 99.9% of cyclists have the skills and knowledge to cycle on the roads safely but the few who don't are giving cyclists a bad name. I drive through London everyday and sometime find myself gobsmacked at some peoples cycling.

Sorry rant over!

Sheesh. I need to re-evaluate my life choices. I commute in London without a helmet. I must be really really stupid. Although I have managed to master the art of typing ans spelling...

Hang on, you 'Drive through London everyday.' Are you insane? Get on your bike FFS.

simonaspinall

In built-up areas you could have on-roof snipers for any motoring offences - No need for any traffic police then - just straight to execution.

The motto: "I love the smell of BMW driver in the morning"

will3

No motor vehicles on Tuesdays

CiB

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

It only takes a moron not paying attention to knock you off your bike and that could well be it for you.

Didn't mean to rattle any cages

Hi - welcome to our chummy little place.

No - saving one life is the worst argument for any law. It means that for virtually zero return / benefit, society is strait-jacketed into some little hitler's view of how the world should be. Even If It Saves One Life is the cry for such dreadful nonsense as Sarah's Law, or the complete banning of handguns in any sporting guise, or the reduction of the drink-drive limit to zero so that no-one can drive for days just because he / she had a drink a while back. Etc etc. Just one life isn't worth didlly-squat in reality, otherwise we'd all be confined to barracks wearing padded suits. Life is risky - it kills everyone in the end. Live with it, and enjoy it while you can.


Here's one. Lolly-pop ladies to have full powers of detention & arrest. Lolly-pop sticks to be modified to carry a large spring-loaded comedy hook with which to capture miscreants & baddies.

il_principe

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

It only takes a moron not paying attention to knock you off your bike and that could well be it for you.

Didn't mean to rattle any cages

How about going away and reading around the subject? For one, cycle helmets are not designed to offer protection if you get hit by another vehicle...

You can start here

Informed opinion is so much better...

bails87

Il Principe wrote:

. Although I have managed to master the art of typing ans spelling...

EDIT: Bollocks, too slow, how did it take me 4 minutes to type that?!

glauciaregina9

pickylongstocking wrote:

Make it law for all cyclists to wear helmets

Make all cyclists take a cycling proficiency test to be allowed to rdie on the roads in London

I am a cyclist and have nothing against people who want to cycle on Londons roads (although I often think they are mad), I do however ever think that their are an extremely small minority who either choose to have a blatant disregard for their own safety or are too stupid to realise they are putting themselves in danger.

Please don't all attacke me as I believe 99.9% of cyclists have the skills and knowledge to cycle on the roads safely but the few who don't are giving cyclists a bad name. I drive through London everyday and sometime find myself gobsmacked at some peoples cycling.

Sorry rant over!

The compulsory helmet thing in it's raw form is a bit too contentious.... however... with a few tweaks it could be made weird, and inoffensive to cyclists:

for example, just to confuse and annoy everyone, make helmets compulsory, but give the authorities absolutely no ways or means to enforce this, thus making the compulsory-ness utterly pointless

will3

bails87 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

. Although I have managed to master the art of typing ans spelling...

EDIT: Bollocks, too slow, how did it take me 4 minutes to type that?!

You got pwned by your keyboard. Your typing is shut.

soy_sauce

1) send all the Chavs to one island on the other side of the world and then bomb the island. (this will reduce most of the benefit thieves, free up houses in the process, improve public safety and etc.) :twisted:

2) introduce "an arm for an arm, an eye for an eye" punishment. :x

3) introduce cycling week - no cars for a week (due to some people might need them for work, that week will become public holiday) 8)

Agent57

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

So why not apply the same logic to car drivers and passengers, as I suggested? Or pedestrians? Or children playing in a playground? Or another of the hundreds of other activities that carry a degree of risk with them?

Kieran_Burns

Agent57 wrote:

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

So why not apply the same logic to car drivers and passengers, as I suggested? Or pedestrians? Or children playing in a playground? Or another of the hundreds of other activities that carry a degree of risk with them?

Like typing on this forum... we know where you live....

il_principe

bails87 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

. Although I have managed to master the art of typing ans spelling...

EDIT: Bollocks, too slow, how did it take me 4 minutes to type that?!

Fail! I'm off to buy a helmet!

pickylongstocking

Agent57 wrote:

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

So why not apply the same logic to car drivers and passengers, as I suggested? Or pedestrians? Or children playing in a playground? Or another of the hundreds of other activities that carry a degree of risk with them?

Granted, but when cycling on the road you always have the unknown factor that is other peope as you all have mentioned. I agree that we could be in danger of becoming more of a nanny state but I would rather take my chances with a cars bonnet whilst wearing a helme than not.

will3

pickylongstocking wrote:

Agent57 wrote:

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

So why not apply the same logic to car drivers and passengers, as I suggested? Or pedestrians? Or children playing in a playground? Or another of the hundreds of other activities that carry a degree of risk with them?

Granted, but when cycling on the road you always have the unknown factor that is other peope as you all have mentioned. I agree that we could be in danger of becoming more of a nanny state but I would rather take my chances with a cars bonnet whilst wearing a helme than not.

If I were PM I would make it imperative that anyone mentioning enforcement of gear to protect you whilst having an accident will also come up with at least 10 new ways of preventing the accident from happening in the first place.

pickylongstocking

will3 wrote:

pickylongstocking wrote:

Agent57 wrote:

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

So why not apply the same logic to car drivers and passengers, as I suggested? Or pedestrians? Or children playing in a playground? Or another of the hundreds of other activities that carry a degree of risk with them?

Granted, but when cycling on the road you always have the unknown factor that is other peope as you all have mentioned. I agree that we could be in danger of becoming more of a nanny state but I would rather take my chances with a cars bonnet whilst wearing a helme than not.

If I were PM I would make it imperative that anyone mentioning enforcement of gear to protect you whilst having an accident will also come up with at least 10 new ways of preventing the accident from happening in the first place.

1. Improve cycle paths
2. Make all drivers undergo bi-annual refresher courses in safe driving practice
3. Make all new drivers take a course in drink driving rehabiblitation before they even get a licence
4. Ban all HGV and LGVs from busy roads at commuter hours
5. Install satellite controlled speed contol devices to all motor vehicles

Sorry could only come up with five.

CiB

pickylongstocking wrote:

Agent57 wrote:

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

So why not apply the same logic to car drivers and passengers, as I suggested? Or pedestrians? Or children playing in a playground? Or another of the hundreds of other activities that carry a degree of risk with them?

Granted, but when cycling on the road you always have the unknown factor that is other peope as you all have mentioned. I agree that we could be in danger of becoming more of a nanny state but I would rather take my chances with a cars bonnet whilst wearing a helme than not.

Does not compute... What 'unknown factor'? Do other accidents have some forewarning in their invocation? Is it me?

If that's how you feel, I'd suggest you wear a helmet. With my full blessing. Please don't ask for laws that would force me to wear one whilst riding across the idyllic rural of the lanes of Bucks / Oxon, saying hello to nice young ladies on horseback. (Them not me).

MonkeyMonster

using a flail while on cycle back in response to bad motor vehicle handling to be a non-arrestable offence.
Large weighty spiked ball to the back of the motorbike helmet would make em think twice of going in the asl again

Agent57

pickylongstocking wrote:

Agent57 wrote:

pickylongstocking wrote:

My apologies, I have obviously touched a nerve. My only justification is that if making all cyclists using the road wear a helmet then if even one life is saved then it is worth it?

So why not apply the same logic to car drivers and passengers, as I suggested? Or pedestrians? Or children playing in a playground? Or another of the hundreds of other activities that carry a degree of risk with them?

Granted, but when cycling on the road you always have the unknown factor that is other peope as you all have mentioned.

Of course; but that same unknown factor is present if you're behind the wheel of a car, or a passenger in one. So it's no more an argument for mandatory helmet-wearing on a bike than it is for the same in a car.

pickylongstocking wrote:

I would rather take my chances with a cars bonnet whilst wearing a helme than not.

That's perfectly reasonable, and it's a choice you're free to make. But the key word there is that it is a choice. The jury's still out on the efficacy of helmets for cyclists. They may help in some instances -- mitigating damage, or even saving a life -- but they're not designed for a high speed impact (for example). They're designed and tested to withstand an impact at a speed of 12 mph falling onto a stationary kerb from a height of about 1 metre. Basically, the sort of fall you might have if you are distracted by something and ride into the kerb (I did that once; she was very pretty). So they're not even tested for their ability to save a life in a 40+ MPH collision (if I ride into a car coming the other way, for example). Also, they can't protect against rotational forces which are claimed to be the cause of most fatal injuries. Then there's the problem of people who do wear helmets, but don't wear them correctly.

Overall, it's certainly not black and white, which is why I argue that it should be a matter of choice, not compulsion.

For example, here's a study (albeit a fairly old one -- 1996 -- using even older data):

The pattern of injury in fatal pedal cycle accidents and the possible benefits of cycle helmets concluded that if pedestrians and motorists wore helmets it would save 12 times more lives than if cyclists wore them.

From its abstract:

There is no justification for compelling cyclists to wear helmets without taking steps to improve the safety of all road users.

For the record, I do wear a helmet most of the time.

simonaspinall

Any motoring offence whatsoever - Car is confiscated and replaced with a G-Whizz or a adult-size pedal car.

oooo oooo oooo even worse - a pashley!

Pork Sword

If I were Prime Minister I would make it Law that all fit lasses wore see-through knickers and micro skirts and all fat lasses wore a public health warning... oh, and anyone found deliberately 'cutting' up a cyclist in a Car, Van, Taxi, Bus etc was publicly flogged!

TommyEss

pickylongstocking wrote:

South London to Reading? Thats a rather long commute on a bike?

I've done Reading to Marble Arch - lovely route!

TommyEss

Il Principe wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

. Although I have managed to master the art of typing ans spelling...

EDIT: Bollocks, too slow, how did it take me 4 minutes to type that?!

Fail! I'm off to buy a helmet!

I thought it was intentional...

Apologies for over-estimating you! :P

Kieran_Burns

TommyEss wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

. Although I have managed to master the art of typing ans spelling...

EDIT: Bollocks, too slow, how did it take me 4 minutes to type that?!

Fail! I'm off to buy a helmet!

I thought it was intentional...

Apologies for over-estimating you! :P

Hoi!

I took the pee first! I demand recognition for being a smug git.

wgwarburton

pickylongstocking wrote:

1. Improve cycle paths

Why? We have roads, already!

2. Make all drivers undergo bi-annual refresher courses in safe driving practice

Bi-annual is excessive. retesting every five years or so would probably suffice.

3. Make all new drivers take a course in drink driving rehabiblitation before they even get a licence

Really? Very few drivers drink & drive these days. Why not focus on them rather than targetting the innocent? What about people who don't drink at all?

4. Ban all HGV and LGVs from busy roads at commuter hours

I think there might be "unintended consequences" with that. Have you thought it through?

5. Install satellite controlled speed contol devices to all motor vehicles

Again, you're targeting the innocent, here. Bear in mind that speed isn't the problem, it's inappropriate use of it that is dangerous. The highest speeds are generally seen on roads that are cycle-free. I don't think a speed cap would help.

How about we raise the speed limit on Motorways to, say, 90mph instead? If traffic levels were reasonable, fast traffic would choose to use a longer (but quicker) route which was cycle free, so cyclist (and pedestrian) lives would be saved.

No? Ah well...

Cheers,
W.

CiB

Pork Sword wrote:

If I were Prime Minister I would make it Law that all fit lasses wore see-through knickers and micro skirts and all fat lasses wore a public health warning...!

Magnificent , but barking.


Personally I'd like to see poor people done away with for a while. They vote wrong, if at all, they clog up the benefits system and generally look a sight when they gather outside Primart and Burger Kong. At least tidy yourselves up. And vote properly. Come on - get a grip you people. Make an effort.

Arm the rich. I like that.

CdrJake

....resign straight away, I have far better things to be doing, like working for an honest living.

Kieran_Burns

Could all the people posting sensible replies please bugger off to the Road forum? That humourless bunch would welcome you with open arms

il_principe

I'm just glad none of us actually wield any power; it's clearly go to our heads... :shock:

TommyEss

Kieran_Burns wrote:

TommyEss wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

. Although I have managed to master the art of typing ans spelling...

EDIT: Bollocks, too slow, how did it take me 4 minutes to type that?!

Fail! I'm off to buy a helmet!

I thought it was intentional...

Apologies for over-estimating you! :P

Hoi!

I took the pee first! I demand recognition for being a smug git.

Duly noted KB!