Bike-buggy-smuggy-mummies: they think they're invincible!

[Vagabond]

You know those little carriages on the back/front of bikes with little children cocooned inside? What are these mums thinking of? It looks like they've got a litter of kittens inside sometimes!

The way they ride their kids around town in these bicycle people carriers seems so dangerous to me. I pass at least a dozen of them a day and I'm astounded by the sense of entitlement these mums feel above the overwhelming enormity of actual traffic. They seem invincible when, actually, they are putting themselves and their kids in enormous danger.

I drive so carefully around them but it irritates me to see the smug look on their faces. I'm equally sure that they hate my smug face driving my car. It's soooo Oxford and it irritates the hell out of me!

Yes, it's green. I get that. It still gets on my nerves.

Hmm - having myself been knocked off a bicycle in busy city centre traffic I don't think I'd consider cycling with any kind of child seat / trailer on roads which carry heavy / faster traffic.

A shame, but some things are just incompatible - not really a question of who's right or wrong, more that most British roads are not designed to accommodate both cars and bikes at the same time.

"Are you a bit dim? The trailer is bright red and yellow. It has lights and reflectors on it, and a big fuck off flag sticking out of it. How is that invisible to you unless you are either legally blind or a total moron who can't watch the road?"

I still bet that it's out of eyeline for lorries from some angles. They can barely see cyclists for the most part, never mind little tents on wheels.

You're obviously very angry about this as you feel the need to be rude, but at the end of the day, it's not a risk I would take with my DD because I actually agree with you in that there are a lot of "dim", "moronic" drivers about and I wouldn't trust the other people on the road not to miss them, there are certainly rather a lot of squashed cyclists on yearly basis and they're more visable. Mind you, I wasn't thrilled when DH wanted to cycle to work because I think cycling is dangerous in general with the way our roads are.

Sounds like you're not safe. If you are behind a large vehicle you shouldn't be making sudden changes that would impact on cyclists.

They are not invisible, you just don't know how to drive properly.

I cycle with 4 children.

In London.

Sometimes on pavements.

Shoot me.

tarantula, you beat me to it :o

That is total bollocks Tarantula. Road tax was in place long before "emission taxes".

Also, please tell me where "emission taxes" come on my bank statement? Lordy, there are so many costs on my car that I've lost count!

Cyclists pay nothing to use the roads (which would be a good thing had they not taken over and flaunted every rule) but the day will come unless they start to pay heed and stop acting like God's Green Earth!

Yes it's very different in the Netherlands. But then it's flat, so there's and ease to cycling you don't get in much of the UK. And the cycle paths are often off the road. And yes, you do have to give way to cyclists at roundabouts if the road markings indicate so, though the cyclists don't use the road but the paths (usually completely separated). But it's a completely different country built in a completely different way with a different geography and culture...

all cyclists are unlaw abiding red light streaking loud weird buggy pulling odd balls - I love them me included when i can cycle again after running a red light and ending up in a green wheely bin and breaking wind

I'm a perfectly good driver and trust myself not to hit your children in their tiny little trailer, however many many car, van, motorbike and lorry drivers are fucking awful and could crush one of those (metal bar encased? Really?) little trailers before they could stop themselves.

It's Vehicle Excise Duty not Road Tax and look at your council tax bill for the highway maintenance budget.

What about pedestrians, should they stay away too?

its windy in netherlands and you don't know when the wind is going to stop or change direction - not like hills, at least you get to the top before 10 miles is up..

Motorists pay nothing to use the road go look and see what you pay tax for - its not the use of the road..

Unduchable, you are right there is no point in comparing it with the Netherlands, cycling is part of the way of life.

whispers, they cycle without helmets

ivykaty44 try cycling through the polders :o

whispers - I went onto the road to cross a roundabout and a car/motorist stopped for me! gosh they where lovely in cars

Cycling with children is safe. The sense of entitlement felt by people driving cars everywhere is what's truly scary! If you get too close to a cyclist it's because you can't drive safely. The motorist is responsible for that NOT the cyclist. If you say you can't see the illuminated and brightly coloured cyclist it's not because they are hiding on the road - it's because you aren't observing properly as you drive.

Whether or not it's car drivers' fault, and regardless of who has paid the most road tax, the fact is that in most cases the cyclists WILL come off worse in a collision.

Which makes it not worth the risk with young children in tow.

I do very much like the idea that cyclists are a bit homogeneous squirming mass. They're all exactly the same, you're right.

And these rigorously tested, incredibly sturdy and extremely safe trailers to which you refer, well there are accidents involving them all the time aren't there? It's all over the news on a daily basis. The road is littered with upended trailers isn't it? Oh no hang on, that's bollocks.

Nonsense Pixel. The real risk is in raising children who can't deal with traffic and are driven everywhere because it's 'safer'. My daughters have benefited hugely from cycling in our city.

PixieHerder, the same applies to cars vs pedestrians. Should we not take kids for walks anymore?

I know it sounds unbelievable but for some people bikes are actually a mode of transport.

Pixelherder - how many on bike trailers/bike seats have been reported hurt of worse in your local paper in the last 2 years? Cycle accidents make the newspapers as unlike cars the accidents are rarer and more server as you say - just approx numbers will do

Agree Northern, it's really worrying how many children don't know how to deal with traffic because they don't have to

I'm not necessarily talking about children who are old enough to ride their OWN bikes and properly learn about road safety on roads that aren't insanely busy.

But I personally wouldn't cycle on any busy main road any more unless I really had to, (having done it quite a lot in the past).

I don't drive a lot either, we're fortunate in that we can walk to most places we need to go.

I'm guessing that the number of people who use bike trailers is pretty small within the general population, I don't know anyone who uses one. If it suddenly started to be mainstream, then the accident stats would probably rise, along with newspaper headlines.

None, Eric, thats how many. When was the last time you heard of a car or van squashing a trailer on a bike? Whats that...never you say?

Much more likely for a twatty driver to ram your car or mow you down on a pedestrian crossing. I do hope you don't ever bring your children in your car on the street, how irresponsible would you be!

There are plenty of bikes out there fitted with bike seats, bikes seats have been around for the last 30 years and now pretty common that was why I included them in the question, with over 60 million bikes in the UK and a few few of those will be fitted with child seats - they are pretty main stream modes of transport.

The more people that cycle stats say the safer cycling becomes, cycle accidents in australia went up when they brought in the laws for wearing cycle helmets - that wasn't supposed to happen and why the CTC are very wary of bring it in here amongst other reasons.