Looking at VeloNews today, I thought this was an interesting piece. Obviously the legal elements of it may or may not apply in the country I live in but it's still interesting. I imagine motor insurance companies the world around probably take the stance of trying to get out of paying up for their claims and this article is a fairly typical example of this.Reading the item reminded me of the times I've had car drivers/passengers fling their doors open right as I'm coming past. So far, I've not made contact with any of them but it's a scary moment I'm sure nigh on anyone who cycles has experienced. I would guess people genuinely don't expect to see cyclists on the road. In the past, I've been out for cycles lasting about five or six hours and not seen a single cyclist (other than myself of course) in that whole time. That being the case, you can understand why other people don't expect cyclists to be passing. It's not as an excuse for their inconsideration. They should still be careful and consider other people. I'm writing that more as a reason behind their stupidity, rather than any form of 'get out clause'.
It's little wonder people into cycling often bemoan the lack of cyclists on the road. Unfortunately, people are frightened to cycle on the roads because they perceive it as dangerous and most road dangers are partly caused by a lack of cyclists. I'm sure our roads wouldn't be getting loose stone sprayed over them and we would have a lot more facilities for cyclists (and I don't mean dangerous cycle lanes) if more people used their bicycles as a form of transport. It really is amazing to think of how lazy people can be, making tiny journeys in cars. It's fair enough to use a car to go and pick up a few bags of coal (although, even then, you could probably have it delivered anyway) but do you need to use it to go and get a paper at the shop half a mile away from you? I'm getting onto a bit of a rant there and it's probably 'preaching to the converted' for anyone who actually reads this.
What can be done to make people more aware of cyclists and get more people using bicycles as a viable form of transport? The recent terrorist attacks on London seem to have increased bicycle usage there (please click here for a news item related to this). As I'm sure anyone but a complete loon would agree, that's hardly the best way to go about increasing cycle usage but what is?
It's little wonder people into cycling often bemoan the lack of cyclists on the road. Unfortunately, people are frightened to cycle on the roads because they perceive it as dangerous and most road dangers are partly caused by a lack of cyclists. I'm sure our roads wouldn't be getting loose stone sprayed over them and we would have a lot more facilities for cyclists (and I don't mean dangerous cycle lanes) if more people used their bicycles as a form of transport. It really is amazing to think of how lazy people can be, making tiny journeys in cars. It's fair enough to use a car to go and pick up a few bags of coal (although, even then, you could probably have it delivered anyway) but do you need to use it to go and get a paper at the shop half a mile away from you? I'm getting onto a bit of a rant there and it's probably 'preaching to the converted' for anyone who actually reads this.
What can be done to make people more aware of cyclists and get more people using bicycles as a viable form of transport? The recent terrorist attacks on London seem to have increased bicycle usage there (please click here for a news item related to this). As I'm sure anyone but a complete loon would agree, that's hardly the best way to go about increasing cycle usage but what is?
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