Cycling discussion on BBC breakfast

johnboy183
johnboy183 Posts: 832
edited February 2012 in The bottom bracket
Just put tv on and seems to be big feature on cyclists safety. Guess its going to be on all morning for those of us lucky enough to see it!
Can't comment on it cos not seen enough
Mods pls move if in wrong place

Comments

  • dirtymonkey1985
    dirtymonkey1985 Posts: 529
    Just saw part of it and from what I can tell its all positive stuff. You obviously get the usual idiots emailing in generalising all cyclists as red light jumping, dangerous t#€ts.
    Not quite sure how they'd enforce the idea that all cyclists should have to do some sort of cycling proficiency test though.
    Scott Foil - viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12982779
  • martinwitnam
    martinwitnam Posts: 439
    The bloke from The Times did at one point actually advocate jumping red lights!
    Can we fix it?
    Yes we can!
  • rc856
    rc856 Posts: 1,144
    Think a lot of it is coming from The Times campaign. Guest in the studio was from the paper and they had a large pull out the other day.
    Trying to get a lot of dangerous junctions in London improved.
  • dirtymonkey1985
    dirtymonkey1985 Posts: 529
    martinwitnam wrote:
    The bloke from The Times did at one point actually advocate jumping red lights!

    I missed that part. Surely he didn't say it was ok to do it at all times?
    That'd really stir the pot a bit!!
    Scott Foil - viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12982779
  • martinwitnam
    martinwitnam Posts: 439
    No, he didn't say all of the time. But he did say that it was OK to jump lights if safe at dangerous junctions. In that couple of seconds where both sets of lights are on red. And you are waiting for your set of lights to change to green.
    Can we fix it?
    Yes we can!
  • dirtymonkey1985
    dirtymonkey1985 Posts: 529
    Ah I see that's kinda fair enough. But you know you'll get the usual people whining about it.
    Scott Foil - viewtopic.php?f=40044&t=12982779
  • martinwitnam
    martinwitnam Posts: 439
    dirtymonkey1985 wrote:
    Ah I see that's kinda fair enough. But you know you'll get the usual people whining about it.
    That was my thought exactly.
    He did then talk about having cycling specific traffic lights which go Green a few seconds before the motorised vehicle lights do.
    Can we fix it?
    Yes we can!
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 43,171
    The problem with doing that is that the intergreen time is there to avoid the person pushing amber to the limit meeting the 'green anticipater' in the middle of the junction so you really need to be sure the traffic stream leaving green has stopped and also that it is definately going onto your stage!
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    martinwitnam wrote:
    dirtymonkey1985 wrote:
    Ah I see that's kinda fair enough. But you know you'll get the usual people whining about it.
    That was my thought exactly.
    He did then talk about having cycling specific traffic lights which go Green a few seconds before the motorised vehicle lights do.
    Why the rush to get in front of the car that is going to hit you?
    Why not be happy to sit behind?
    As someone else said, you don't put the infantry in front of the tanks.
    Just asking.......
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    daviesee wrote:
    Why the rush to get in front of the car that is going to hit you?
    Why not be happy to sit behind?
    As someone else said, you don't put the infantry in front of the tanks.
    Just asking.......

    Well if you cycle in a city and there're queues of traffic everywhere then you either ride past the queues or you sit in the queues and take twice as long to get anywhere. If you're just going to sit in the queue you may as well drive....

    I'm not quite sure what you're suggesting here. Are you saying you should always yield to cars immediately and let them past so they don't HAVE to drive over the cyclist? The tank/infantry analogy really doesn't help btw as it just makes it sound like it's a war. It's not and it shouldn't be. It's about everyone getting around safely and having respect for other road users regardless of their mode of transport.

    Front of the queue is usually safer than mid-queue IME.
    More problems but still living....
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    amaferanga wrote:
    I'm not quite sure what you're suggesting here.
    I am suggesting being part of the traffic in the same way as a motor bike is.
    Filter when safe. Wait when it is not. Ride in primary when narrow.
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • john-e-big-guns
    john-e-big-guns Posts: 489
    dirtymonkey1985 wrote:
    Not quite sure how they'd enforce the idea that all cyclists should have to do some sort of cycling proficiency test though.

    I think that it should be at least part of the driving test
    No Pain; No Gain;

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/john-e-big-guns/
  • thegreatdivide
    thegreatdivide Posts: 5,807
    john-e-big-guns wrote:
    dirtymonkey1985 wrote:
    Not quite sure how they'd enforce the idea that all cyclists should have to do some sort of cycling proficiency test though.

    I think that it should be at least part of the driving test

    Agreed.
  • Ron Stuart
    Ron Stuart Posts: 1,242
    It's my guess that around the same percentage of those that drive cars, vans and lorries that are idiots also ride bikes, form governments, run councils, run hospitals, run the military, the financial institutions, the judiciary, the railways, airports, social services etc, etc.
    The real problem it seems is that the percentage of idiots all round is on the increase as is the totals number of us reliant on them for our well being. :o
  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    john-e-big-guns wrote:
    dirtymonkey1985 wrote:
    Not quite sure how they'd enforce the idea that all cyclists should have to do some sort of cycling proficiency test though.

    I think that it should be at least part of the driving test

    No it shouldn't. Or would everyone also have to be able to ride a horse and motorbike to pass a car test? Or be able to drive to ride a bike?
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • Blancmange
    Blancmange Posts: 103
    Slow Downcp wrote:
    john-e-big-guns wrote:
    dirtymonkey1985 wrote:
    Not quite sure how they'd enforce the idea that all cyclists should have to do some sort of cycling proficiency test though.

    I think that it should be at least part of the driving test

    No it shouldn't. Or would everyone also have to be able to ride a horse and motorbike to pass a car test? Or be able to drive to ride a bike?

    You forgot to mention walk, skateboard, push scooter, wheelchair, pogo stick, stilts, roller blade, etc.
    All these types of traveller invariably have to use the highway at some point of their journey. It would
    be fun to watch everyone undertaking each task in order to gain a full car driving license. :)
    - Slave to the cadence -
  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    You could always do a combined test. A wheelchair on stilts on a pogo stick, I'd pay good money to anyone (s. hawking) have a go on that.
    The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
    momentarily from the herd and thinks for himself.
  • amaferanga
    amaferanga Posts: 6,789
    daviesee wrote:
    amaferanga wrote:
    I'm not quite sure what you're suggesting here.
    I am suggesting being part of the traffic in the same way as a motor bike is.
    Filter when safe. Wait when it is not. Ride in primary when narrow.

    I agree, but that view is far from clear in your previous post :wink:
    More problems but still living....
  • Blancmange
    Blancmange Posts: 103
    Cleat Eastwood wrote:
    You could always do a combined test. A wheelchair on stilts on a pogo stick, I'd pay good money to anyone (s. hawking) have a go on that.
    Now you're just being silly.
    - Slave to the cadence -
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    amaferanga wrote:
    daviesee wrote:
    amaferanga wrote:
    I'm not quite sure what you're suggesting here.
    I am suggesting being part of the traffic in the same way as a motor bike is.
    Filter when safe. Wait when it is not. Ride in primary when narrow.

    I agree, but that view is far from clear in your previous post :wink:
    The point I was trying to get over in my original post is that for some reason there are cyclists that think that they have to be at the front of the queue. I have seen it happen only for me to pass them within metres whilst in primary behind the car in front wondering why did they bother. That is all :wink:
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • Slow Downcp
    Slow Downcp Posts: 3,041
    Blancmange wrote:
    Slow Downcp wrote:
    john-e-big-guns wrote:
    dirtymonkey1985 wrote:
    Not quite sure how they'd enforce the idea that all cyclists should have to do some sort of cycling proficiency test though.

    I think that it should be at least part of the driving test

    No it shouldn't. Or would everyone also have to be able to ride a horse and motorbike to pass a car test? Or be able to drive to ride a bike?

    You forgot to mention walk, skateboard, push scooter, wheelchair, pogo stick, stilts, roller blade, etc.
    All these types of traveller invariably have to use the highway at some point of their journey. It would
    be fun to watch everyone undertaking each task in order to gain a full car driving license. :)

    I'd only need to learn to learn the stilts - can do all the others :-) Good idea, bring it on, the roads will be nice and quiet for me for a while :lol:
    Carlsberg don't make cycle clothing, but if they did it would probably still not be as good as Assos
  • Mr_Cellophane
    Mr_Cellophane Posts: 690
    Blancmange wrote:
    You forgot to mention walk, skateboard, push scooter, wheelchair, pogo stick, stilts, roller blade, etc.
    All these types of traveller invariably have to use the highway at some point of their journey. It would
    be fun to watch everyone undertaking each task in order to gain a full car driving license. :)
    Given all the silly cyclists who weave about in traffic and have no idea that they can, at times, be invisible to vans and lorries, perhaps a driving test should be part of Bikability.
  • Blancmange
    Blancmange Posts: 103
    Slow Downcp wrote:
    Blancmange wrote:
    Slow Downcp wrote:
    john-e-big-guns wrote:
    dirtymonkey1985 wrote:
    Not quite sure how they'd enforce the idea that all cyclists should have to do some sort of cycling proficiency test though.

    I think that it should be at least part of the driving test

    No it shouldn't. Or would everyone also have to be able to ride a horse and motorbike to pass a car test? Or be able to drive to ride a bike?

    You forgot to mention walk, skateboard, push scooter, wheelchair, pogo stick, stilts, roller blade, etc.
    All these types of traveller invariably have to use the highway at some point of their journey. It would
    be fun to watch everyone undertaking each task in order to gain a full car driving license. :)

    I'd only need to learn to learn the stilts - can do all the others :-) Good idea, bring it on, the roads will be nice and quiet for me for a while :lol:

    Stilts are a piece of cake compared to travelling any distance by pogo stick. So you should pass the new test
    first time. :)
    - Slave to the cadence -

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