Grant Shapps wants a speed limit for cyclists

[guerney]

Very often drivers don't even indicate!

Shapps vows 'death by dangerous cycling' law - but drivers are a bigger threat, say campaigners

'A selfish minority of cyclists appear to believe that they are somehow immune to red lights,' the Transport Secretary claimed

inews.co.uk

Dr Ashok Sinha, Chief Executive of the London Cycling Campaign, told i that while he has no issue with the change in principle, it is important to also focus on the much greater number of driving-related deaths.

He said: “The greatest number of deaths and serious injuries to pedestrians and cyclists are caused by cars. We routinely see every single day law breaking by motorists – running red lights, turning corners at speed without any attention to pedestrians crossing.

“It’s fine to change the [cycling] sentencing regime. But where is the commensurate effort being put into dangerous driving which kills, maims and destroys lives, routinely. I would like to see action taken to address that.”

Professor Chris Oliver, cycling enthusiast and retired surgeon told i: “It’s very rare for a pedestrian to be killed by a cyclist.”

“In 2015, two pedestrians were killed and 96 seriously injured after being in a collision with a bicycle. These accidents created a huge amount of interest in the media.

“To put those deaths in context, every year in the last decade, about 100 cyclists are killed and more than 3,000 seriously injured on UK roads. By far, the majority is by car-driving motorists.

 

[guerney]

I prefer to use my voice rather than the bell or the Hornit. "Good morning, bike coming by on your left, keep going as you are" (aarrgh no Missus, other Left, ring finger side ). It's a bit more friendly.

I rarely cycle winding paths uphill through woods, but when I do... I sound the Hornit beep every few seconds, in case another cyclist is hurtling unseen downhill. It also scares away squirrels. A little tinkling bell is pretty much useless.

 

[guerney]

I agree it is attitude rather than speed.

The most common issue for me, living in a quiet largely rural area, is when walking along a shared use path. A bike suddenly goes past without warning, sometimes quite fast. If I haven't seen it (assume it came from behind), the sudden tyre noise and whoosshh of wind and tyres can be quite unsettling. Even worse if I had been just about to turn across their path. They don't mean to do anything wrong, but I do wish they'd ring a bell as a warning, well before they reach me.

As nothing compared to what happens in major towns and cities.

It's unnerving for sure... I always feel guilty whenever I'm forced to cycle on the pavement. It's a pity that some other cyclists don't feel the same way - especially those without bells or horns. It's worse when there's more than one - a father with his two kids zoomed past me while I was disguised as a pavement ambling pedestrian a couple of days ago, no bells.

 

[guerney]

I have been looking and the sites I normally look at only show his proposed law for all the 'killer cyclists' - no mention of speed limits

anyone got a link?

It's something he said - designed to galvanise the Tory faithful. I very much doubt a speed limit for bicycles will become law, but with this government becoming increasinly desperate at the near certain prospect of losing the next election (without a gigantic lurch to the populist right, while pretending to care about the poor), who knows what scatty decisions they might make? Clearly, he's upset Tory voting drivers with the recent Highway Code changes designed to protect cyclists - which as far as I've experieneced, are ignored by drivers anyway.

Truss will make it law, then say she was misinterpreted Hasn't she heard of focus groups? Get ready for an extremely airheaded government folks!

Grant Shapps proposes tougher jail sentences for killer cyclists

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps wants to close an 'archaic' legal hole which means riders who kill pedestrians like Charlie Alliston (pictured) can be jailed for a maximum of only two years.

www.dailymail.co.uk

‘How perverse is it that at the moment there is no speed limit for cyclists? You can have a 20mph limit but many fit cyclists can go faster than that – but there is nothing to stop or deter them.

 

[guerney]

I've had this, I didn't realise at the time but I was suffering, and still do but not as intense, from a mild form of PTSD, the sudden beep of a horn whilst walking would make me paranoid, the specialist just put it down to high blood glucose over a long period without medication.

Sorry to hear that - I wonder how common this is... whether symptoms are relieved by diabetic medication, and if so, how long that takes? Now that I think of it, most of the diabetics I know are a bit jumpy. I had assumed it was caused by overcaffeination, or general stress. I do recall feeling more stressed when I was pre-diabetic, three stones ago.

 

[StuartsProjects]

It doesn't seem to have been noticed in here, but there is a crackdown on motorists going on in conjunction with the aggressive promotion of cycling.

The new Highway Code measures to protect cyclists and pedestrians announced in January for example, coupled with the courts implementing huge fines in £1000s for breaches of its recommendations, some examples posted in here.

Really ?

£1000s for breaches of the highway code ?

 

[Nealh]

Really ?

£1000s for breaches of the highway code ?

Yes high £100's and some fines of four figures for close passing cyclists, this is a breach of the new HWC recommendation for passing distances or unsafe passes.

 

[nigelbb]

But they are cyclists. I'm speaking of the general public who think £300 is expensive for a whole bike so are appalled at the prospect of a £600 battery alone, or a £1000 mid motor replacement.

You hit the nail on the head mentioning fashion.

In the late 1980s golf suddenly became very fashionable, so four more golf courses were added to the four we already had on our doorstep. Even the kids were walking about with a bag of clubs. Now those courses are dead and empty most of the time and one of the clubs has become a wedding centre.

Later in the 1990s horse riding was the craze, new stables opened and convoys of horse were seen everywhere with both adults and kid learning. The newer stables dead and gone now and horses rarely seen about. One rider professing a new found keenness for riding I got friendly with in the local lanes, but now he's sold his hunter and drives a Westerham sports car instead.

Today Covid has brought a cycling craze, extending to e-bikes as people found that cycling was actually hard work, especially the daft way it's done in this country. But just wait 'til the things I mentioned come true to see how the fashion will pass.
.

Squash used to be the thing that middle managers indulged in to compete with one another. Apparently they all go cycling nowadays.

 

[guerney]

Squash used to be the thing that middle managers indulged in to compete with one another. Apparently they all go cycling nowadays.

Alan Sugar heads out on his Pinarello Nytro just eights weeks after knee replacement

When Lord Sugar isn't firing hapless contestants on The Apprentice, he's been known to enjoy heading out for a bike ride every now and then... and most recently he's been using his Pinarello e-bike to get himself back to full fitness following a knee replacement. The Apprentice does e-bikes –...

ebiketips.road.cc

 

[guerney]

Squash used to be the thing that middle managers indulged in to compete with one another. Apparently they all go cycling nowadays.

I dread to think what'd happen if I tried to play squash now. A mate of mine recently had a stent installed - had a heart attack after playing badminton. He's fat, and slightly younger than I am.

 

[guerney]

Squash used to be the thing that middle managers indulged in to compete with one another. Apparently they all go cycling nowadays.

Have you seen any Monkeypox cases yet? The blindness complication is concerning, as are the reported very high pain levels.

 

[flecc]

Really ?

£1000s for breaches of the highway code ?

Yes, £4500 in one case, for a close pass of a cyclist.
.

 

[StuartsProjects]

Yes, £4500 in one case, for a close pass of a cyclist.

Really, which case was that ?

 

[PC2017]

Very often drivers don't even indicate!

I don't blame them sometimes, have you seen the price of indicator fluid...

most of the diabetics I know are a bit jumpy

The constant fluctuations in BG causes little understood micro-effects on the body, from mood to stress, let alone the effects of prolonged untreated high and lows. Some days are better than others but the medication alone does not level things out per se it mainly just helps with the not dying a slow and painful death part imho.

 

[flecc]

Really, which case was that ?

You obviously haven't been watching this forum, since it was reported in here with links and video of the incident and how I found out about it.

A line of riders were passing a parked car and the last seen passing, a woman rider, was passed by a driver of an Audi from the obvious direction at speed on the two lane road. He made it worse by being fractionally over the centre white line. I don't have a link so you'll have to take my word for it, and Nealh's since he concurs. The actual fine was less, but he was ordered to pay the near £1000 case costs and claims the case cost him £4500 in all.

I'm surprised you've missed so much, since it was also posted in here with links and video a pensioner fined £2000 for close passing a cyclist at less that the HWC 1.5 metres, I believe from memory with a Range Rover. There have been others since the the new code introduction with over £1000 fines and costs, one I remember being £1150.

Clearly the courts have been instructed on this matter.
.

 

[Croxden]

I ring my bell, but they don't listen, or hear, or have things plugged in to their ears.
Should deaf people have a sign to warn cyclists of the potential problem?

 

[PC2017]

I ring my bell, but they don't listen

That's why I tend to wait for acknowledgement, we get a lot of intoxicated people as well and guaranteed they'll wobble just as you pass!

 

[oyster]

I ring my bell, but they don't listen, or hear, or have things plugged in to their ears.
Should deaf people have a sign to warn cyclists of the potential problem?

If you are approaching from behind, it's your responsibility to do whatever is necessary. Including stopping, if needed.

(I never walk with things plugged into my ears. That is plain daft. But I know many do.)

 

[guerney]

The constant fluctuations in BG causes little understood micro-effects on the body, from mood to stress, let alone the effects of prolonged untreated high and lows. Some days are better than others but the medication alone does not level things out per se it mainly just helps with the not dying a slow and painful death part imho.

The PTSD link is one I'd never heard of. The diabetics I know who take Metaformin, have fared better with Covid infections (vaccinated). It's all rather mysterious.

 

[PC2017]

PTSD link is one I'd never heard of

Could be the fact I worked in violent pubs n clubs over the years, seen a lot mind blowing horror not too mention the personal tragedy of people I once knew from stabbings to suicide.