To think that cyclists should use cycle lanes where they are available?

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

Particularly now the nights are getting darker earlier?

No matter how many lights they have on them and their bike, they are still safer in cycle lanes and so should be using them?

Tonight I was driving along a newish road (single carriageway) that has a separate footpath and a separate cyclepath running alongside it. In the space of about 2 miles, I passed 3 cyclists on the road. They all had lights on, one in particular had lots, but it still meant that the cars travelling in the same direction as them had to overtake. Wouldn't the cyclists be far safer on the cycle path?

Everyone's explained very well all the reasons why a cyclist chooses the road over a cycle path. Loads of them are shite, and unless you're a super nervous cyclist the road is often safer and quicker.

You're in a vulnerable position on a bike, so even if it's not clear to a person in a car what the reason is for your choice, it is 99% certain that there is a reason and it's nothing to do with the effect your choice will have on motorists.

wouldn't catch me on the road when there is a cycle path. Feel much safer on my bike off the road.

Tyler, spurious points, if you have two cars you pay road tax twice so why not for a bike.

As for uninsured motorists you are right but that does not stop cycles being insured

A lot of keen cyclists are insured. The CTC offers an insurance scheme to cover injuries or damage caused by a bike.

JGK - I cycle in Oxford. Within Oxford, the road is generally easier than the cycle lanes especially where there are shared cycle and bus lanes. I hate the pavement cycle lanes - the road surface changes all the time so it is very easy to slip off, especially if having to avoid pedestrians doing stupid things.

I wouldn't cycle on the A40 though. Or on the A34.

so, when my DD pootles out on her first bike, she should have insurance for that???

bonkers.

Edgar, why bonkers, maybe a dispensation for under 18 but no reason for cyclists not to have compulsory insurance or road tax. I have two bikes and I would pay it. If you use the roads you should pay towards them.

I wish the traffic police had enough resources to pull every cyclist off the road where they don't have lights (and it's dark).

I can't tell you how many school aged kids I see cycling around in the early evening with no lights. Just appalling and so dangerous :-(.

I was wondering when someone would mention 'road tax'. There's no such thing. There's VED which goes into general taxation and is not ring-fenced specifically for the road networks. It is also based on the emissions of the vehicle so a cyclist would not pay anything as they have zero emissions.

I am pleased though to see the responses on here supporting cyclists. Too often we are demonised by drivers and pedestrians alike.

I cycle regularly and compete in Time Trials on my road bike and the attitude from some people towards us is awful. I know of someone who was pushed off their bike deliberately by some arsehole who was annoyed at being held up by all of 10 seconds on a Sunday morning. Luckily he wasn't injured too badly but it could easily have been far worse.

BeerTricksPotter, you have just summed up the problem. Drivers don't want cyclists on the road and pedestrians don't want to share the pavement so where the hell are we supposed to cycle?

That said the only time I have ever cycled on the pavement or used cycle paths is when I used to ride with the child seat on the back of my mountain bike. I wouldn't take the risk of riding on the road with my child on board. Now I'm riding on my own again I never ride on the pavement.

And to the OP, have a browse below and you will see why most cyclists won't go anywhere near cycle paths!

homepage.ntlworld.com/pete.meg/wcc/facility-of-the-month/book.htm

Morgan, fair point, but everyone should pay to use the roads, maybe £10 a year (ringfenced) would help to pay for good cycle paths.

I cycle a lot but tbh it is mostly off road and I tend to take the bikes to where I want to cycle on the car. I do think insurance should be compulsory.

Another major problem with cycle paths shared with pavements is that, down our way, a lot of cars tend to turn straight across the pavement into driveways without looking for cyclists (no, obviously not at all safe for pedestrians either, but the cyclists are going much faster, so have less time to make that emergency stop). I've been hit a couple of times by drivers on the pavement.

Another issue is car head light design - if you're on the 'wrong' side of the road, they can be tilted to blind you, which is extremely unpleasant.

And finally, the poor state of the cycle paths - I've ended up in A & E due to a badly maintained cycle path.

In my experience, there are parts of the road which are much safer than being on the cycle paths, and parts where I'm happy on the cycle path. It has to be a decision taking at the time.

reasons not to tax cycling or require insurance -

unenforceable
unnecessary (how many other roadusers are damaged by bikes? v.v. few..)
discourages exercise
encourages pollution & traffic
inconsistent (are you going to demand shopping trolleys get insurance too? they damage cars sometimes..)

newwave, everyone does pay to use the roads through the tax system.

Good comment BeerTricksPotter, cyclists shouldn't be on the pavement and I don't blame you for giving them an earful if they are.

If you pay council tax or income tax then you're paying for the roads already. I own a car too so already pay VED and so do most of the cyclists I know. I don't see that adding another tax and the inherent issues with collecting it would help very much.

We need to change attitudes to cycling in this country. I lived in Germany for a while and they had a very good cycle lane system, pedestrians knew to keep out of the cycle lane and cyclists had right of way at junctions so avoiding the problem mentioned by GrendelsMum. Trouble is I don't see anything like that ever happening here.

Can't argue that cyclists have just as much right to use the roads and some of the cycle paths are just dangerous BUT please stop scaring the shit out of me...wear a helmet, wear something bright, buy proper lights and FFS stop going through red lights / cycling on the pavement to avoid having to stop at a red light. I know you will flame me and say it's a minority, but then surely it's a minority of car drivers who are crap too? And whether you like it or not, in an accident the cyclist will come off worse. This doesn't excuse the bad drivers of course but everyone has to take responsibility for their own behaviour.

rather the road than the pavement...DD and I are regularly almost run over on the school run by parents and kids cycling on the pavement...but that would be opening up a whole other can of worms!

am biased though, living in an area with thousands of student cyclists who go through red lights almost daily or nip past on the inside while you are indicating to turn left, and lots of kids cycling on pavement. Have been hit by a cyclist going through a red light and had at least 4 near misses.

I know not all cyclists are irresponsible though.

I'd say that in this area it isn't actually a minority who go through red lights, it's probably at least 50%.

anyway, sorry to rant, I do actually love cyclists who have lots of lights and stop at red lights.

yes, the car drivers are awful here too, have had 3 near misses in last year alone when on bus going across a particular junction and car/van pulled across its path..I think we would be safer walking (but DD won't go in her buggy any more!)

I DO pay road tax. On my car, which I have kindly left at home so a) I dont contribute so much pollution to f&%k up our shared planet, b) so I don't clog up the roads with yet another car to add to the traffic jam. Even if I am doing 15 mph, I can still get through city traffic faster than a car, I know for sure as I've spent the last 2 months being forced to drive to work instead of cycle because I'm heavily pregnant with SPD. I've spent the time cursing road designers and roadworks and wracking my brains why people who aren't actually in pain bother driving. Rant over, here's the reasonable bit.

Someone said it earlier - there are bad car drivers and bad cyclists. What is very unreasonable is tarring all with the same brush. My last 6 weeks forced car commuting has made me very aware how invisible cyclists can be to car drivers, especially as the nights draw in, which is a good lesson for me (stupid glowy clothes def on the Xmas list, and I shall be cycling much more defensively in the future, i.e. taking up my share of the road). BUT "I just didn't see you" is not a defence in court if you are done for driving without due care and attention. Your responsibility as ANY road user, car, lorry, bus, cycle or on foot, is to be aware at all times of other road users. It's hard work to do properly at the end of a long day's work, or having been up all night with a toddler, but that's not an excuse to step out in front of a bike/car, pull out in front of a car/bus/motorbike. A month ago I was the only 1st aider at the scene when a car pulled out in front of a motorbike. In broad daylight, I'd say it's touch and go whether the guy made it alive as I'm pretty sure he'd broken his neck. "I just didn't see you" from the car driver will never change what happened.

Slightly off topic, but blanket cyclist bashing is pointless, as is blanket car bashing.