BBC Panorama this evening

[andyinluton]

What’s needed is a “cyclists phase“ at light, where you are released 10 seconds early, ahead of the other traffic, so you can get out of their way. But that’s not going to happen, due to the cost of implementing it.

Its pretty common in Cambridge & works well.

 

[Amarillo]

Why do people hate cyclists? Because they are an outgroup. Much like foreigners, various religious groups, etc and to a lesser extent BMW and Audi drivers. I’ll wager that most people on this forum are not that keen on big, white motor homes - another outgroup.

Cyclists don’t help themselves by wearing funny clothes, dressing up as an imperial stormtrooper just to go cycling. I know, I’m one. I wear funny clothes, Lycra shorts, shoes that you can’t walk in, mirror sunglasses, a big black helmet, the whole shebang.

I don’t “jump” red lights and I don’t condone it. However, some people cross a junction on the pedestrIan phase to get a head start on the traffic. What’s safer? Riding off on your own or with a few other cyclists, or starting off with all the other traffic, most of whom just want you to get out of their way. What’s needed is a “cyclists phase“ at light, where you are released 10 seconds early, ahead of the other traffic, so you can get out of their way. But that’s not going to happen, due to the cost of implementing it.

Red light jumping by cyclists is endemic in London, but I don’t believe it is elsewhere. I commuted by bike all my working life, to the centre of several big cities and I didn’t see it and I don’t see it now, except when I visit my son in London.

ID plates for cyclists may be a good idea, but they are just not practical. Where would you put them on a bike? If you did have them, they’d have to be so small as to be unreadable. I and other cyclists aren’t going to wear a ridiculous tabard with an ID number on it either.

The Swiss Velovignette would be unreadable if a bike were observed jumping a red light. A high resolution digital camera might get it.

But what is most interesting about this bike, is not the 2007 registration sticker, but the Rohloff hub. 14 gears evenly spaced at 13.6%, giving a range of 526%.

A German engineering miracle.

 

[sidepod]

What percentage of red light jumping cyclists are couriers?

One for the stats fans out there.

 

[sidepod]

....well maybe what the Cali Euthanasia tourist board is offering isn't so bad after all

C.E.T.B. Got a ring to it. Does it need its own Forum Section?

 

[Velma's Dad]

What percentage of red light jumping cyclists are couriers?

One for the stats fans out there.

Or maybe an even more interesting stat would be... what proportion of serious accidents involving cyclists have anything whatsoever to do with the cyclist having "anticipated" a green light?

Not a cyclist so don't feel I have a dog in this particular fight, although always good to get a ringside seat when this scrap re-starts every few months.

 

[WelshGas]

Or maybe an even more interesting stat would be... what proportion of serious accidents involving cyclists have anything whatsoever to do with the cyclist having "anticipated" a green light?

Not a cyclist so don't feel I have a dog in this particular fight, although always good to get a ringside seat when this scrap re-starts every few months.

Semantics.
Anticipating a Green light or Ignoring a Red light. 2 very different scenarios as one would presume if you are anticipating a Green light you are already stationary on the Red light.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Semantics.
Anticipating a Green light or Ignoring a Red light. 2 very different scenarios as one would presume if you are anticipating a Green light you are already stationary on the Red light.

Yes that's what I meant. Obviously both are very poor driving/riding - and traffic offences of course - but very different scenarios with different safety risks.

[EDIT] and the "killer" combo (sorry!) is probably most often a cyclist going early while a driver amber-gambles on the crossing road. However that's conjecture, I haven't seen any actual stats.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Another level of danger.

 

[sidepod]

I love the sense of "hey aren't we cool, nobody has ever done anything crazy like us before".
Whatever!

 

[Amarillo]

I was very active with the London Cycling Campaign between 2002 and 2012, and read all (or most) of the reports of cyclists killed on London’s roads. A particular common type of fatal incident was the “HGV left hook”.

Cyclist on the inside of an HGV at red lights, either by the HGV pulling alongside the cyclist, or the cyclist going up the inside. The lights turn green, and without looking properly first the HGV turns left killing the cyclist.

While female cyclists were a minority on London’s roads, perhaps 20 or 30% in that period (2002 to 2012) they were a majority (over 50%) of cyclists killed in that manner.

One theory put forward was that finding themselves in that position (next to a left turning HGV) women cyclists are less likely to bang on the cab door to gain the attention of the driver, or shoot the red light to escape the danger zone, and more likely to hang back for the lights to change to green.

Whatever the reasons, the results were stark. Women cyclists disproportionately fell victim to the HGV left hook.

It happened (non fatality) to a friend of a friend. Apparently the HGV pulled to the right quite a long way to turn left before hitting and crushing the pelvis of my friend’s friend who could recall nothing of the HGV before being hit.

 

[Amarillo]

Ricky Sunak has family ties to a technology partner of the
WEF that has advocated for a Chinese communist party-style economy
complete with trackable, digital identities and currency.

His father in law - Akshata Murthy founder of Infosys. So it will be coming
soon enough.

Will it be Labour policy?

Labour revives ID cards idea to reduce irregular immigration | Identity cards | The Guardian

Stephen Kinnock says identity scheme would help to reassure public ‘we have control of borders’

amp.theguardian.com

 

[RodCouncil]

It should be so f**king obvious why you need unique personal identity, so any voting age citizen can do exactly that, exercise their democratic right with zero obstructions.

We can do that digitally via Bank ID or any form of ID that are all linked to your personal number, it's so simple that even cretins in charge could process this equation.

Still, if you have a bus pass or some other selective ID you can at least keep this foul stinking government in power.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

This thread might be a record breaker 213 posts in <6 days.

 

[WelshGas]

It should be so f**king obvious why you need unique personal identity, so any voting age citizen can do exactly that, exercise their democratic right with zero obstructions.

We can do that digitally via Bank ID or any form of ID that are all linked to your personal number, it's so simple that even cretins in charge could process this equation.

Still, if you have a bus pass or some other selective ID you can at least keep this foul stinking government in power.

I very much doubt if Diane Abbot could handle it, she has problems putting on a matching pair of shoes.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

It should be so f**king obvious why you need unique personal identity, so any voting age citizen can do exactly that, exercise their democratic right with zero obstructions.

We can do that digitally via Bank ID or any form of ID that are all linked to your personal number, it's so simple that even cretins in charge could process this equation.

Still, if you have a bus pass or some other selective ID you can at least keep this foul stinking government in power.

Not sure i’m understanding your last comment @RodCouncil ?
What’s having a bus pass got to do with voting habits?

 

[RodCouncil]

Not sure i’m understanding your last comment @RodCouncil ?
What’s having a bus pass got to do with voting habits?

Sorry should have added context, the point being the ID options proposed are quite thin cohort groups.

Voter ID: ‘It’s Far Worse than Any US State’ – Byline Times

Josiah Mortimer reports on fresh voter suppression claims facing the Government – including the impact on young people – ahead of a rushed roll-out of mandatory voter ID for next May's local elections

bylinetimes.com

 

[WelshGas]

Sorry should have added context, the point being the ID options proposed are quite thin cohort groups.

Voter ID: ‘It’s Far Worse than Any US State’ – Byline Times

Josiah Mortimer reports on fresh voter suppression claims facing the Government – including the impact on young people – ahead of a rushed roll-out of mandatory voter ID for next May's local elections

bylinetimes.com

Ah, I see, a " main " stream apolitical publication .

https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9187/

 

[Velma's Dad]

It happened (non fatality) to a friend of a friend. Apparently the HGV pulled to the right quite a long way to turn left before hitting and crushing the pelvis of my friend’s friend who could recall nothing of the HGV before being hit.

I used to drive HGVs, okay it was many moons ago but I recall plenty of times when a cyclist or motorbike misinterpreted the fact that the truck often has to swing slightly right first before making the left turn at a tight junction. So the biker would try to nip through, assuming I was actually turning right not left. I recall several near misses.

I don't remember even one single occasion when a biker banged on the cab door, although as I said it was a long time ago so maybe things have changed now.

When I was riding motorbikes, also in the dim/distant, I would almost never risk pushing up on the left of an HGV at a junction, or at least stay back behind the turning circle of the back wheels. Basic self preservation.

 

[Velma's Dad]

Sorry should have added context, the point being the ID options proposed are quite thin cohort groups.

Voter ID: ‘It’s Far Worse than Any US State’ – Byline Times

Josiah Mortimer reports on fresh voter suppression claims facing the Government – including the impact on young people – ahead of a rushed roll-out of mandatory voter ID for next May's local elections

bylinetimes.com

Ah, so that presumably includes citizens of the Republic of Ireland, Malta or Cyprus who, if they register here as voters, are entitled to vote in any UK election? (Although in the case of a Cypriot, they can't register solely on the basis of a Turkish passport.)

Funny old world.

 

[Borris]

I keep finding myself dipping into this thread. Not because I am interested in the subject matter, which has been done to death many times before, but more to gaze at a dog fight that neither mutt stands a chance of winning.

 

[Amarillo]

When I was riding motorbikes, also in the dim/distant, I would almost never risk pushing up on the left of an HGV at a junction, or at least stay back behind the turning circle of the back wheels. Basic self preservation.

Absolutely. It’s a difficult situation when the large vehicle pulls alongside at red lights.

I’ve frequently banged on the passenger side windows of London busses which have pulled alongside. In 1993 I was even arrested for it, and charged with being drunk and disorderly and drunk in charge of a bicycle (I don’t recall the exact wording of the charge.)

In court I was found innocent of both charges after I described how I came to be trapped between the bus and kerb and the bus driver agreed with my version of events.

The police (bless them) described how they had to drive at speeds of up to 25 mph *up* Royal Hill, a steep hill between the Thames in Greenwich to the Blackheath plateau, to catch me. The Magistrate interjected to the prosecutor and asked if he really thought that [Mr Amarillo] could really be cycling like the “Maillot Jaune” in the Tour de France and still be drunk.

The prosecutor replied that some cyclists cycle better after a few drinks.

The Magistrate turned to me and asked my opinion. I said that it sounded like a Carling Black Label advert - refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach. At this levity it looked like the Magistrate would have apoplexy. In a raised voice he said, “NO, No, no Mr [Amarillo]. It’s Heineken that does that, not Carling Black Label.”

A completely true story.

The only bit left out is that the police (in a blatant lie) accused me of shouting a racial slur at the bus driver. The bus driver made no such accusation.

 

[soulstyledevon]

This rubbish won’t end until we build infrastructure.
Unfortunately, we can’t even do that correctly…

 

[GrannyJen]

There’s a really good fully segregated cycle track between Greenwich and Tower Bridge.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=457856712980371

I walked that bit as I made my "down memory lane" video. I thought at the time "bring a bike next time, Jen"

There are some lovely cycle tracks around but two often a few great miles ends up in a morass of sheer utter rubbish. My severe case of gravel rash last year occurred when a cycle path became so blocked with overgrown brambles, and thorns almost dragging me off my bike, that I had no choice but to ride in the road.

Anyway, after a terribly sad day yesterday, I was knocked off my bike today, well almost, I was collided into from the side but managed to stay upwards .

 

[Amarillo]

I walked that bit as I made my "down memory lane" video. I thought at the time "bring a bike next time, Jen"

There are some lovely cycle tracks around but two often a few great miles ends up in a morass of sheer utter rubbish. My severe case of gravel rash last year occurred when a cycle path became so blocked with overgrown brambles, and thorns almost dragging me off my bike, that I had no choice but to ride in the road.

Anyway, after a terribly sad day yesterday, I was knocked off my bike today, well almost, I was collided into from the side but managed to stay upwards .

TfL have at last learned how to build a decent cycle path, I hate to say this, but I think it’s probably thanks to Boris. There’s still a lot of rubbish cycle lanes in London, a legacy of King Ken’s tenure. But the good cycle paths have continued to be built (at a snail’s pace) under Khan’s reign.

 

[SamSara]

I walked that bit as I made my "down memory lane" video. I thought at the time "bring a bike next time, Jen"

There are some lovely cycle tracks around but two often a few great miles ends up in a morass of sheer utter rubbish. My severe case of gravel rash last year occurred when a cycle path became so blocked with overgrown brambles, and thorns almost dragging me off my bike, that I had no choice but to ride in the road.

Anyway, after a terribly sad day yesterday, I was knocked off my bike today, well almost, I was collided into from the side but managed to stay upwards .

For the past year and a bit the section in Deptford has been block by roadworks almost constantly