mobile phone use whilst cycling.

[Beeping-Sleauty]

...having been 'almost' mown down by a cyclist on the pavement, who was at the time 'on the phone', this item: Mobile ban for cyclists in the US? | Bicycle business | News by BikeBiz caught my eye.

but thinking about it, i'm not so sure this is good legislation, surely it must remain a birth-right of all morons to voluntarily remove themselves from the gene pool, after all... is this not how evolution works....?

wot say yoo ?

 

[flecc]

surely it must remain a birth-right of all morons to voluntarily remove themselves from the gene pool, after all... is this not how evolution works....?

Many of today's parents say cycling itself is a way of doing this when banning their kids from having a bike.
.

 

[Alex728]

Riding whilst not in control of the machine (such as using a mobile phone or other gadget) is already supposedly covered by legislation -it could be viewed an offence of careless cycling to do this anyway..

Of course there is the issue of enforcement, but you've got the "big brother" dilemma yet again - either the streets are filled with CCTV and cops, and public money spent to put them there, or people are pragmatic about this and "let certain things go", even if they consider them to be disagreeable practices. Such might be the price of freedom...

After all the OP was not actually knocked over, (if he had been it would be a different matter and he would have every right to notify the Police and for them to try and look at CCTV and maybe arrest the cyclist) but the incident may well have given the cyclist enough of a fright to be more sensible in future.

Bluetooth kit is cheap these days...

I will admit to ocasionally using my mobile on a totally empty road but would not do so in a busy town.

 

[Morag]

I'd say natural selection at work, leave them to take the risk of removing themselves from this chaotic life we lead.

 

[jasono]

Must admit, if it's illegal to drive whilst using a hand held mobile phone, then surely the same law should apply to cyclists. I've lost count at the amount of cyclists I see either talking on the phone, or worse still, texting whilst on the move, seemingly oblivious to everything around them

Whilst I'm on a bit of a rant, what you really have to be careful of are pedestrians and cyclists with ear-phones - now they are in a World of their own!

 

[Morag]

I have to admit I'm amazed anyone can do that personally, I have enough job just cycling (haven't for 30 years I've perfected the wobble )

As for texting while on a bike, flippin heck, I do feel a smidge of admiration, quite frankly I can't text when sitting in my comfy recliner never mind on the move!!!

 

[Alex728]

I'd say natural selection at work, leave them to take the risk of removing themselves from this chaotic life we lead.

unfortunately not as simple as that... others get involved as well

I've seen the cost of a injury/fatal RTC to the public purse quoted at several thousand quid... they take up a lot of NHS resources

the incident mentioned here was the OP, a man in his fifties, nearly being injured as a blameless innocent pedestrian - if he had been hurt have then probably been denied the ability to ride his own bike until he recovered... no justice there..

say some young chav talks on his phone and is involved in a collision with a car... press freedom means everyones location is listed in the crime report, it would be easy for the chavs friends/associates to locate the driver and his/her family and intimidate them... either via Facebook or in real life.. round here the aftermath of "normal" RTC's often result in feuds between families lasting generations (to the point the cops have to watch both familes like hawks, particularly if the young males of each family should encounter one another in a pub or club..)

perhaps the use of cops/PCSOs in areas where this behaviour is endemic is one part solution -a £30 fine is £30 less to spend on phone credits....

I work as an IT manager, extension 222 from all the offices will contact my mobile - but if I tell staff "I am on my bike" they are perfectly happy to wait for me to call them back when I am in a safer place...

 

[Morag]

True enough I guess I forgot what I always say when a complete prat drives like a pillock, 'if you want to kill yourself don't take anyone else with you' in real life unfortunately they inevitable do involve some innocent person. I don't see a soloution to this quite frankly not one that will be satisfactorily enforceable.

 

[Alex728]

True enough I guess I forgot what I always say when a complete prat drives like a pillock, 'if you want to kill yourself don't take anyone else with you' in real life unfortunately they inevitable do involve some innocent person.

indeed - there's been about 3 or 4 young girls killed here because their boyfriends have driven like idiots - ironically these girls would probably have been safer on bikes (and less at risk of being controlled by their partners)

solutions won't come quickly and won't be popular but I think the culture of the private motor car and the young male owner-driver considering themselves above all else will come to an end eventually, however stubbornly it is resisted. And as this happens, more people will turn to bikes and have to behave properly when riding..

As for the cyclists, we've already paid for those PCSOs, make them earn their taxpayers cash by stopping those riding dangerously. They can't of course be everywhere, so put them where collisions happen (if these actually are even an issue)

If they can't do the stop themselves (not 100% sure of the powers/training) then the bobby can back them up! OK some of them might get into "life on mars" style situations as youths particularly are stubborn and less compliant to authority these days, but they've all got a radio and access to backup and people put on a uniform for a "bit of action"

 

[Beeping-Sleauty]

yup

Many of today's parents say cycling itself is a way of doing this when banning their kids from having a bike.
.

...a nurse i know, refers to cyclists as 'organ donors'.......

 

[eTim]

.

but thinking about it, i'm not so sure this is good legislation, surely it must remain a birth-right of all morons to voluntarily remove themselves from the gene pool, after all... is this not how evolution works....?

wot say yoo ?

Maybe the phoning cyclist had already evolved and was trying to remove you from the gene pool

 

[Beeping-Sleauty]

quite possibly....

Maybe the phoning cyclist had already evolved and was trying to remove you from the gene pool

...yes, you could be right, there was most certainly something of the 'Toad' about him, as for me, i'm sure the flouride will work eventually.