In the past fortnight 6 cyclists have died on our capital's (London's) roads.
Closer to home a 50-year-old cyclist from St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex died after a hit and run collision on the A21 Robertsbridge bypass.
These are sobering headlines that highlight the dangers of cycling on Britain's roads........
I love cycling, I have found it a great way to keep fit and see some of our magnificent countryside. There is nothing I enjoy more than getting up early on a Sunday morning to make the best use of our empty roads, in fact the only people one might see for miles is another cyclist. However our roads aren't always so quiet and at times it can feel quite nerve-racking, especially when you have vehicles motoring past you at 50mph+.
In recent days the pro-cycling and anti-cycling brigades have been very vocal...
The pro-cycling camp have vented their frustrations by calling for a ban on Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) on London roads in the daytime, they have called for more cycle lanes and have ranted at ignorant drivers.
The anti-cycling camp have called for cycling to be banned, they have used the old "They don't pay any road tax" line and have ranted at ignorant cyclists. The truth in my view is that both sides are right, and wrong.
Banning HGV's from London's roads would not have prevented 3 of the 6 recent deaths from happening, unfortunately 2 people died after collisions with buses and 1 person died after colliding with a coach.
More cycle lanes won't help either, just painting white lines on roads and pavements is pretty useless, and nobody has invented a force field yet!
On the other hand calling for cycling to be banned is just stupid and the "They don't pay any road tax" is just as pointless. There hasn't been a road tax for decades, it is a vehicle excise duty which is based on engine size and on the pollution that the vehicle emits. The other reason that the tax argument fails is because many cyclists also drive, own cars and pay excise duty.
Both sides complain about the others' ignorant and dangerous behavior. I have been knocked into by van drivers, passed extremely closely by idiots going too fast and seen drivers go through red lights. By the same token I have seen cyclists riding 3 or 4 abreast, I have seen cyclists pass lorries and buses on the inside, I have also seen cyclists ride straight through red lights.
There needs to be some common sense from both sides.....
Yes, I would like to see more cycle lanes, but they need to be physically separated from other road users; however this shouldn't be at the expense of other road schemes. For example the A27 from Polegate to Lewes in East Sussex is a dangerous road, this was highlighted last night when another motorist died. The Government and the Highways Agency have failed to upgrade the road over many years (in my view a dual carriageway is needed), but the highways agency was willing to spend £1 million on a separate cycle-path that only stretches for 1 mile near Lewes. Why not upgrade the road and add a new cycle-path in the process?
Drivers need to have more consideration for cyclists and vise versa. While we're at it cyclists need to respect pedestrians and pathways too!
I read in a blog that one HGV had 'OFFSIDE' written on the right mudflap and 'SUICIDE' on the left, it is a simple, yet effective message
I hate too many laws and legislation, but one piece of legislation could be brought in very quickly, that is ALL cyclists must wear cycle helmets when cycling on public roads and cycle paths. It isn't rocket science, but motorists and cyclists need to look out for one another, because it is those left behind who have to deal with the aftermath.
