To think that cyclists should no longer be treated as ‘exempt’ from the law?

[Amch]

I’m in no way trying to be difficult, but this is a situation that I find is getting rather problematic, dangerous and very unfair.

In my opinion, ALL road users should be identifiable and able to be held accountable for any wrongdoing.

I am in complete support of cyclists, but the fact that it is lawless for them is very unfair. Sometimes, like all road users, cyclists decision making and actions are unjust, these actions can cause and has caused serious harm.

I’ve had various personal experiences where on multiple occasions cyclists have completely ignored red lights, they’ve narrowly missed pedestrians whilst crossing roads. Just recently a cyclist knocked on the rear window of a car in front of me (the car had stopped due to traffic) in order to try to get the car to move over for them to squeeze through.

This particular cyclist had a camera on their helmet, as a lot of them now do and I do believe it’s a great move for them to wear cameras on their helmets. Of course other road users can also cause harm, drive aggressively, competitively and can cause harm to cyclists who are clearly more vulnerable in the sense that their mode of transport offers nil protection.

However, it seems very one sided that cyclists cameras are able to identify and report other road users, yet cyclists themselves cannot be in any way be held accountable for any wrongdoing on their part.

I’m interested in hearing other opinions, from all points of view.

Speaking as someone who cycles 5 days a week to work,no one has mandated we should be identifiable. How is it going to work? Be paid for and administered? Who will police it? Motorists are driving without insurance and licenses in stolen/dangerous cars (you can find all this out on YouTube/police programmes) under the influence of drugs/alcohol or cant be arsed. on their phones etc. Motorists blocking junctions, speeding, dangerous driving etc. i get the frustrations some of you have with people who ride bikes but really the cyclists arent the big issue. Road fatalities in the UK is approx 1600 per year. You will find that figure is not caused by cyclists. Re Tyre particles, the amount of vehicle tyres is the issue not bike tyres. EV tyres wear faster btw

1 person killed - I understand the grief. how many killed by motorists?

We need cyclists to adhere also.
One minute- road user but then the lights change and suddenly they're up on the pavement?
Red lights aren't seemingly applicable either.

Yes I absolutely believe it is worth it. i enjoy it, for one thing. I don’t personally know any child who cycles who dislikes it, yet by adulthood it’s become a polarised, terrifying mode of transport.

We manage the risk by:

• cycling early a.m. at the weekend as much as possible. (We take the car when it’s too busy)
• We practice a lot on cycle routes in our green spaces (we are lucky to have lots of paths).
• When we tackle roads, we brief the route and the rules before we head out together.
• We stop regularly to check we feel safe and not too tired to continue (tired legs can wobble).
• We avoid cycling on bad weather.
• When we are doing a new or long route, we go convoy - dad at the front, kid in the middle, mum behind.

When I grew up, I had a hand-me-down bike that wasn’t considered roadworthy so I was prohibited from joining my school Bikeability. I learned to cycle on roads years later on, from a friend who was banned for drunk driving and became a cycling devotee and never returned to driving.

I passionately believe we need MORE and more sensible cyclists. Start small, start young. I teach manners and rules on his bike now, so hopefully dc won’t grow up to be a rude cycle maniac.

I want people to see us cycling and think “let’s try”. I want our local road users to be familiar with the idea that kids cycle here.

It works in other countries. It can work here.

FFS.
Nobody is disputing the difference in numbers.
But please lets stop pretending a cyclist bombing along at 20-30 ( or faster with these chuffing e-bikes) isn't going to kill or injure.

I’ll pay for this when every vehicle on the road is properly maintained, when the council fix the potholes and road-sweep the cycle lanes, when every vehicle has been properly taxed and insured (FAR too many are not).

I’ll pay for this when Bikeability lessons are free in schools for ALL age groups and they ACTUALLY take kids on proper roads.

Create ourselves a population of averagely competent and not-suicidal cyclists and all your problems go away - huge numbers of cyclists would make a huge difference to the problem.

The problem is we do not have enough cyclists - if every third vehicle was a bicycle everything would be different

No, but something needs to be done about the proliferation of teens, often in ballys, tear arsing around at 40mph on delimited e-bikes, before people start getting killed.

How will it be enforced?

Cyclists on pavements isn't enforced, e scooters everywhere, not enforced

Having some form of I.d on a bike won't possibly be able to be enforced

E bikes chipped so the rider doesn't pedal and goes about 30mph, not enforced

Parking on double yellow lines, not enforced

It's all very well bringing in laws but if you don't enforce them humans will naturally ignore them

I agree we have too many bad cyclists. But the biggest issue is we don’t have a large enough volume of great cyclists.

The more people hear and see cyclists behaving like dicks, the worse it gets. So yes I agree, definitely need to come up with a better way of managing the dangerous and dickish behaviours.

Are a large number of cyclists causing serious harm? What are the statistics? And how do they compare to car drivers?

For environmental reasons we need to encourage cycling and I don't think we should do anything which would put people off (and there are enough reasons not to cycle already)...such as having to register their bike and display a registration plate. Enforcing helmets in Australia resulted in a decline in the number of people cycling. I don't think any other country in the world requires it (Italy proposed it, but don't think it's actually been implemented yet).

too right - here are moaning about teenage cyclists but stopping on yellow lines because “in a rush to ballet, darling” is the preserve of the sanctimoniousness MNetter, isn’t it?

drive past a primary school at drop off or pick up and you’ll see some audacious hairy car manoeuvring.

I mean, if you aren’t aware the back end of your SUV hangs two feet over the pavement when you chuck it into a high speed three point turn , what the heck are you doing behind the wheel (and YeS I will photograph you and report to the school and the police , and probably bang on your car and publicly shame you in front of the whole school run. Again.)

being a dick on the road doesn’t end at age 18 or when you get your drivers licence.

In theory - great.
In practice - they'd clutter the pavements and footpaths even more!

If wouldn’t make any difference. Look around you at all the maniacs in cars, they (mostly) have licences but continue to drive selfishly and risk lives daily.

Cyclists could have QR codes- either on bikes or helmets- there is a massive number of phone thefts local to me on being committed on bikes

and yes cyclist should be legally required to wear helmets- horse riders are, so why not cyclists?

???

Im not doing an either or game.

At least a motorist will be found and prosecuted for going over the speed limit and murdering killing someone. Rather than loved ones having to search and investigate because the cyclist just pissed off and left a dying lady in the middle of the road.

Do you think having QR codes on bikes would solve the problem of thieves on bikes stealing phones?!

@beAsensible1 should pedestrianise have licence plates too? Because there are also incidents of them causing the deaths of cyclists.
I've been knocked of my bike twice. Once by a driver, once because of a dick move by a pedestrian. They both fucked off.

Dh was injured in London (London Bridge near train station) by a cyclists that ran through a red light and then gave him the finger when dh called out after him. It took months of physio therapy for him to stop being on pain from the damage to his shoulder.

Police were informed but unable to identify the cyclist.

I would be for cyclists having a registration plate.

I grew up in Scandinavia where the infostructure is so very different and more enabling of cyclists. I would be for creating more cycle lanes.

YANBU - I can certainly see the benefits, especially to pedestrians who come way down the pecking order. I walk my dog (on lead) on shared public paths and since we got him I've had my eyes well and truly opened to the appalling behaviour of a good number of cyclists here who have obviously never read the Scottish outdoor access code and who ride at speed inches from us. If my dog knocks a cyclist off their bike and causes injury or worse then I (or my insurance) will pay for damages - if a cyclist does damage to me or my animal then I have no recourse, even if it's 100% their fault. They will be on their bike and off, and I won't have a clue who they are.

I don’t think it would solve it but it would make them more identifiable and potential deter them at least a bit

LOL classic.

A dick move by a pedestrian is not equivalent to knocking someone over going ABOVE the legal speed limit and leaving them to die in the street you maniac.

Reading this it sounds like the safest place for pedestrians must be in the middle of the roads.

Many European cities seem to integrate cyclists and pedestrians a lot better than we do. People there of all ages seem to have a beat up and rarely locked bike which they nip down to the shops on, weaving politely through pedestrianised streets, and then leave it propped outside a cafe or bar. There are obviously many and better cycle lanes and cycle storage at stations, but there also seems to be a general sense that both cyclists and pedestrians can exist together. Why can't we do that here?

@beAsensible1 you might want to tell that to the family of the woman who was pushed in front of a moving car by a pedestrian?
People can get killed or seriously injured when other people act like dicks.