#SharetheRoad

slowbike

Mentioned over in Commuting Chat ... but if you don't look there ...

http://www.ingenie.com/blog/2012/08/ing ... etheroaduk

Just why are BikeRadar.com endorsing "Compulsory training and testing should be introduced for cyclists before they take to the road."

Thanks BikeRadar ... go and stand in the corner with a dunces cap on.

Mikey23

Groans inwardly ... I'm sure the gang who think its cool to jump red lights if it suits them, not have to wear cycle helmets and not be distracted by their mp3 players will shortly make their feelings known here. Personally, I think it's a good idea

slowbike

Mikey23 wrote:

Groans inwardly ... I'm sure the gang who think its cool to jump red lights if it suits them, not have to wear cycle helmets and not be distracted by their mp3 players will shortly make their feelings known here. Personally, I think it's a good idea

Including the compulsory testing before being allowed on the road (riding a bike) ...

t.m.h.n.e.t

Bikeradar.com has been asked by BikeBiz.com to comment on the support for the Ingenie campaign but no response has yet been received. Bikeradar.com is published by Future Publishing which also publishes print magazines MBUK, Procycling and Cycling Plus.

They will be waiting a while!

El Zomba

Wouldn't make a difference though, would it? You have to go through compulsory training to drive a motor vehicle and yet people still break speed limits, drive dangerously, etc. Why do people assume that cyclists with poor habbits towards safety and road traffic laws would behave any differently if they're legally qualified to ride a bike?

To quote Jerome Flynn: 'There's no cure for being a c**t'.

BelgianBeerGeek

Slowbike wrote:

Mikey23 wrote:

Groans inwardly ... I'm sure the gang who think its cool to jump red lights if it suits them, not have to wear cycle helmets and not be distracted by their mp3 players will shortly make their feelings known here. Personally, I think it's a good idea

Including the compulsory testing before being allowed on the road (riding a bike) ...

^This. Compulsory testing means having a licence. Which you would have to pay for, and pay when you get endorsements on it for dangerous activity eg RLJing, not wearing a helmet etc. It is therefore a way for the govt to take your money from you and must be resisted at all costs.
Wotever next, horseriders having licenses?

Beatmaker

Mikey23 wrote:

Groans inwardly ... I'm sure the gang who think its cool to jump red lights if it suits them, not have to wear cycle helmets and not be distracted by their mp3 players will shortly make their feelings known here. Personally, I think it's a good idea

You've not thought this one through, have you?

Fixed Wheelnut

They should be endorsing 'driver training on bikes' I see more bad drivers than bad cyclists out on the road.

plowmar

Last time I had experience of 'compulsory' training was when my daughter was young and an official course was held by her school.

Half way through the six week course it was 'amusing' to see the darwinite lads go straight over a busy B road without a look after the lesson.

So it just does not work, except for those that want learn proper riding skills.

B.M.R.

Bah, compulsory testing would just be another way for the Government to take our money. Want to bike?, you've got to take a course which will cost. Then, you've got to have a bike license, whick will cost. Oh, and it'll expire every five years (or something) so you'll have to get a new one, which will cost.

Alternatively, we could just accept that biking has its dangers, and there will always be idiots who jumps lights or ride on the pavement. The vast majority of cyclists are sensible and ride as safe as they can. But when has the actions of the majority ever stopped people pointing at the minority and demanding action.

Edit : I had cycling proficency when I was at primary school, and as I recall it was pretty much mandatory.
This is a good thing, and there ARE some good ideas in this new scheme.
But licensing before you can take to the road? Licensing is a bad thing, and I'm amazed that BR has endorsed this scheme as a whole, because of this statement. Did someone not read the whole thing before agreeing? By all means take the good ideas they've suggested, but to effectively endorse bike licensing (and no biking until you have one), is, IMHO, a bit of a shot to your own foot.

Plus, apparently in this survey 64 percent thought licensing would be a good idea..... REALLY? Who did you canvas? London cab drivers?

slowbike

Now BikeRadar have taken down the article
Have they seen sense?
Is compulsory testing a step too far?

t.m.h.n.e.t

This is only going to get more and more embarrassing for BR and Future before it gets better.

slowbike

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

This is only going to get more and more embarrassing for BR and Future before it gets better.

Indeed ...

I could've understood their backing parts of the campaign - like compulsory training in the school curriculum ... probably a heightened awareness training for drivers too ...
I would've also been happy if they'd pushed for advertising to discourage cyclists from breaking the existing laws (mainly RLJ) ...

So - are they going to publish why they've withdrawn the article and are they going to retract from the ingenie website too?

Clarion

Utter FAIL.

I'm not buying the mag till they get themselves out of this ridiculous campaign (albeit one with a few laudable aims), and have a sit on the naughty step while they consider what they've done, and why they should think before signing up to anything. :roll:

mybreakfastconsisted

This is a load of steaming great bollocks and whoever at Bikeradar thought this was a good idea should be taken outside and shot.

cookdn

Slowbike wrote:

Now BikeRadar have taken down the article
Have they seen sense?
Is compulsory testing a step too far?

For the benefit of anybody that didn't see it you can access the article and many of the comments at Google's cache:

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:www.bikeradar.com/news/article/gary-lineker-and-bikeradar-back-ingenies-road-safety-campaign-35017/

Best regards
David

mybreakfastconsisted

Extremely misguided, dangerous and counter productive, I can't believe this was discussed and approved.

Gizmodo

From another thread on the same subject

Wirral_Paul wrote:

http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/sharetheroaduk-bikeradars-response-35028/

A nicely worded climbdown it seems - whether from the backlash seen all over Twitter etc, or from a genuine misunderstanding of the campaign?

Mikey23

Ok guys, keep your collective toupees on I was joking... At least partially

slowbike

Slowbike wrote:

Mentioned over in Commuting Chat ... but if you don't look there ...

http://www.ingenie.com/blog/2012/08/ing ... etheroaduk

Looks like the whole #sharetheroad campaign has been shelved - it's disappeared from the ingenie.com website too ...
Perhaps they realised they should put their "own house" in order first ...

Kerguelen

Mikey23 wrote:

Ok guys, keep your collective toupees on I was joking... At least partially

You mean you've been called out on your bullshit and now you're backpedalling?

Where have I seen that before...?