Cycling charter from the evening standard

[beatnic]

As I blogged last night, this may not be new but it was new to me, the Evening Standard have a Charter for improving cycling in London...

Evening Standard?s 12-point charter

A real cycle network across London

Better cycle lanes with proper segregation

Enforcement of special advanced stop lines for cyclists

HGVs to be fitted with special cyclist safety mirrors

Compulsory cyclist awareness training for all bus drivers and new HGV drivers

Make safe the Thames bridges: some of the most dangerous places for cyclists

Cycle-friendly streets: fewer one-way systems which funnel cyclists into the middle of traffic

More cycle parking across London

A police crackdown on bike theft

Campaign to urge the selfemployed to claim a 20p a mile cycling allowance against tax

Better cycle-bus-rail coordination: adequate parking at all railway stations

Cycle training for all schoolchildren and any adult who wants it

What do fellow cyclists think?

[Nero]

All good, but lacking in what the cyclists have to do. Why not make it compuslory for helmets to be worn, and for all lights to be fitted and working at all times, and for fluorescent cuffs/sashes etc. to be worn? It seems the cyclists are getting everything and not being asked to do anything themselves, which could make them feel entitled and somehow better than other road users. Nero

[Ant]

It does seem like a nice idea, but I agree with Nero's point. You could easily add something like 'no whizzing past a red light and through the crowd of people who are trying to cross the road' for a start.

Btw, I think the having lights fitted is already covered by the highway code.

[Kathryn]

Its not exactly enforced if it is. I find it very scary when driving to have cyclists that dont wear anything of protection, no helmet, no lights and no bright yellow vis clothing. I dont think they know how invisable they can be especially at dusk and at night, even some of the bikes that have lights on them are no good.

Other than that I think the charter is a great idea. Did you read the bit about how it took one couple and hour and a half to cycle from islington to east dulwich (the Parmaston) because the info they got from the website was so poor they kept getting lost. (mind you they were also a bit scathing about coming south of the river!)

Any way sorry charter good. I have many many friends who cycle to work and this would be a good thing.

[AnotherPaul]

I agree that it should include safety equipment and charter's a great idea but hugely optimistic. There are thousands of drivers still cruising about using their hand-held mobiles with impunity how will it ever be possible to "Enforce (?) special advanced stop lines for cyclists"?

Nero, It's a shame you think that that "cyclists are getting everything and not being asked to do anything themselves". We are doing something, not fouling up the environment is pretty important.

As for that couple taking 1.5 hours to get from Islington to LL, they must have been wanting to get lost, or be really dim, or both.

[spadetownboy]

or how about making cyclists aware that the big black bit in the middle is where they are supposed to ride their bikes-not the pavement.

[Nero]

What I meant to say was that according to those twelve points, cyclists could be seen to be getting everthing done on their behalf and not having to do anything themselves. I did not mean that cyclists in general right now not doing anything themselves, but did not express myself sufficiently well. Nero

[Parker's Folly]

Despite what cyclists "do" for the environment, it would be nice if some of them (a minority of course) cycled responsibly, instead of riding up pavements, shooting red lights and whizzing through pedestrian crossings, as well as riding the wrong way up one-way streets.

Don't get me wrong - I've nothing against them in particular, but some really do give the others a bad name in my opinion.

[blinder999]

controversial article in the Evening Standard re cyclists shooting red lights:

Male cyclists who jump red lights 'are safer'"

[Dannyboy]

The two things work together, I think. One factor that encourages cyclists to behave irresponsibly is their perception of being poorly served by the traffic system and other road users. If you're not being given enough space by car users and think you 'know' the lights, then there is a temptation to ignore red in order to get thirty seconds of freedom. That's stupid in all sorts of ways, of course, but it's the idea of interaction that is important. Similarly, they won't use bike lanes if they know from experience that they lead them into more dangerous situations/intermingle them with heedless pedestrians/are full of broken glass. A contract might therefore be better than a charter - and one between all those who use the public highway, be they cars/motorcycles/scooters/bikes/pedestrians, and those who construct and administer it.

But that might have implications for enforcement. In Australia, as I understand it, any offence you commit on the road - whether in a motor vehicle or not - can earn you points on your licence. For some cyclists, the threat of getting three or more points would limit their behaviour. On the other hand, is this what we want the police to do? The entry costs of cycling can be very low. That's one of its wonders, but it also means that its open to the young and the irresponsible, particularly teenage boys. Quite how you get them to wear helmets/lights/reflective gear/ride on the road I'm not sure.

[Nero]

How do you get them to wear helmets etc? You make sure that they know that if they don't the will be fined. That's the only way, apart from education. Of course, whether the police have the funds and inclination to do just that is another thing entirely. Nero

BTW, I am thinking seriously about getting a bike to ride around on and into work, a Pashley, perhaps. (Don't want to have to lean forward due to 2 prolapsed discs.) Any thoughts? Nero

[Dannyboy]

Interesting article blinder999. I guess you could argue that some of those who jump the lights are making a better assessment of risk than those who get themselves into HGVs' blindspots. But those are different categories, I think. I try to resist the temptation to jump lights because I know it annoys drivers, and/but I wouldn't cycle up the inside of a lorry for all the money in the world, even if there was a non segregated cycle lane.

Nero - given the name, I'd have thought a chariot driven by some nubile slaves was more appropriate! Pashleys have a nice upright position, but I might be cautious about cycling with a back problem. See if you can get one from somewhere other than Evans: the Starbucks of bike shops.

[beatnic]

Dannyboy I think you've hit the nail on the head with Contract over Charter definitely.

In the end it's got to be about showing respect and sharing the road.

And that includes pedestrians too. My closest shave this week was with a dopey guy who stepped out without looking as I was doing 20mph or so down Rye Lane. I screeched to a halt and ended up about an inch behind him. He had absolutely no idea how close he'd come to landing us both in King's A&E so was rather taken aback when my adrenaline kicked in and I had a bit of a rant at him.

5. Compulsory cyclist awareness training for all bus drivers and new HGV drivers

Why only bus drivers and HGV drivers? Surely it should be for all drivers.

As for bus lanes - the New Kent Road is particularly bad, it's either motorbikes who brush past on your right or cabs, buses etc. thinking it's ok to drive half a metre behind you. They would never drive that closely behind a vehicle *with* brake lights!

And without wanting to come over holier-than-thou (I used to edge through the occasional red, but don't any more), but as cyclists we've got to get people on our side. It really winds me up when I'm waiting at the advanced stop line at a red light (that's when the moped and motorbike riders have left enough room!) and a cyclist comes shooting through. All it does is stir up the drivers immediately behind the advanced stop line who then take it out on the cyclists immediately in front of them when the lights go green.

[Mark]

As a scooter rider in London I generally find cyclist perfectly amicable on the road, I like to feel that sense of two wheel camaraderie when possible and we all hate crap car drivers. You have more sense of awareness when you're more exposed on two wheels (or at least you should have) so it can make for a better, more considerate road user although some of us need to remember we're not invincible.

I also favour the idea of flashing amber lights at no peak times which means proceed with caution (and give way to traffic from the right I think). It's frustrating at intersections when there's hardly any traffic and because of the poor timing of lights you have to wait a couple of minutes to allow one vehicle past. The main junction on the way to Herne Hill station springs to mind. What I'm saying is that I can understand why it's tempting to go through red lights on a cycle at those junctions when the coast is totally clear and you know you have to wait for another minute or so however I'm not saying it's right.

Out of curiosity, do you cyclists have bells on your bike to make pedestrians aware of you when the situation requires it?

[beatnic]

I have a bell and use it all the time. It's definitely helped avoid a few collisions with pedestrians. Then again so has my voice :-)

If it's a two minute red light and it's worth it, I'll hop off and wheel across and hop back on again. As a driver when I've seen cyclists do this it doesn't wind me up.

Agreed about the camaraderie of the two-wheelers.

Just as there are loads more cyclists on the roads these days, and therefore loads more bad cyclists as well as good, the congestion charge definitely brought a surge in scooters/mopeds and some of them are driven pretty badly too. The only two accidents I've had in the last 5 years have both been caused by moped drivers.

As for the advanced stop line area, what about splitting the box in two and having cyclists on the left and two-wheelers with engines on the right?

[Mark]

> what about splitting the box in two and having cyclists on the left and two-wheelers with engines on the right?

Makes perfect sense to me, any idea who should I write to and suggest/support it?

[Ant]

But what if the box is at a junction where cyclists want to turn right?

(Sorry, just being awkward.)

[beatnic]

Divide it in to 4 ;-)

[Dannyboy]

But those 2 minute red lights are the perfect time to practise your track stands!

I don't have a bell and rely on my voice/reactions. Dopey pedestrians can be a hazard, but I think it just shows how much we all rely on sound as well as sight when crossing the road - people don't hear a cyclist coming (other than when I'm coming up to Crystal Palace, when you can hear me wheezing and croaking from some distance), so they don't have the stimulus to look. I'm trying to work on my zen attitude to all other road users, you can tell. That goes particularly for motorbikes/scooters - in fact, I think you do best as a cyclist to emulate motorbikes in terms of overtaking stationary traffic and so on.