Page 12 | To think this is so unsafe…

Ineke · 31/08/2021 17:53

My mother used to have me on the back of her bike in a seat when ai was three to four, I carried on when I had my children, same slept of child seat. I have seen bikes with a seat in the front as well as one on the back.
I come from a Dutch background so this is normal, but agree, UK city roads and drivers are a hazard to the cyclist. This is why we need more cycle lanes for better environments. It is now usual to have children wear helmets when on these seats, in my time they didn’t exist. I have never had an accident with my child on the back of my bike.

Ifrozethehoumous · 31/08/2021 17:53

I see your point but in my view card should be banned from many streets in cities and even villages. In fact in London they are, or they are obliged to go very slowly. The idea is to reduce emissions and pollution. Bikes are environmentally friendly and cheap! Where my daughter lives in London it’s very common to see parents on bikes with trailers or bike seats. Good for them - they are setting an example to their offspring. The writer who put up the stats is right. Why should cats dominate our streets?

Lucyk1 · 31/08/2021 17:53

What I'm wondering is why is it not illegal to have range rovers and those huge type of cars in busy towns and London. They are popping up everywhere, and there's no need for that type of car for a town. It's tiny little people who drive them with big egos... We all know they pay monthly to rent them rather than buying them but so environmentally unfriendly. Our kids are having to breath that shut in.... Unlike the cyclists. If you can't see the cyclist and the kid on the back... I suggest you get a normal sized car.

Ifrozethehoumous · 31/08/2021 17:54

Ooops in both cases I meant CARS and not cards or cats 🐈‍⬛ even! 😊. But I guess you’ll get my point.

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 31/08/2021 17:55

@whenthedoveslie

Cyclists' exceptionalism. Didn't you know?

No just very silly parents. Can we not get into the usual mud-slinging about people who dare to ride bikes please.

I completely agree - I think those silly little seats are deathtraps. Either wait until your child can ride a tandem or get one of the Dutch cargo bikes.

And as a pp on page one said, maybe drivers could modify their behaviour as well.

Ifrozethehoumous · 31/08/2021 17:55

Luckyk1 - I couldn’t agree with you more.

lockdownmadnessdotcom · 31/08/2021 17:56

@Lucyk1

What I'm wondering is why is it not illegal to have range rovers and those huge type of cars in busy towns and London. They are popping up everywhere, and there's no need for that type of car for a town. It's tiny little people who drive them with big egos... We all know they pay monthly to rent them rather than buying them but so environmentally unfriendly. Our kids are having to breath that shut in.... Unlike the cyclists. If you can't see the cyclist and the kid on the back... I suggest you get a normal sized car.

Agree with everything you've said. I'd happily ban SUVs tomorrow for anyone who doesn't live in a rural area (and even then, if you live down country lanes, a small car is a lot more practical in most cases).

lllllllllll · 31/08/2021 18:07

but complaining about children breathing in fumes whilst on the back of a bike is nonsensical. They are not producing the fumes, their parents are not producing the fumes. The cars around them are producing the fumes. The solution is not for everyone not in a car to go home. The solution must surely be to have less cars?

What you say is true in an ideal world, but we haven't got to the point where we have less cars yet. I personally wouldn't be prepared to put my child's life at risk in order to prove a point. I'm astounded that anyone is.

lllllllllll · 31/08/2021 18:13

What I'm wondering is why is it not illegal to have range rovers and those huge type of cars in busy towns and London. They are popping up everywhere, and there's no need for that type of car for a town. It's tiny little people who drive them with big egos..

@Lucyk1 Hmm, I detect a hint of the green-eyed monster in this post, particularly in the last sentence.

I was stuck in traffic recently behind a small old banger that was belching out black, smelly fumes from the exhaust. I've no idea what was wrong with it but I'd wager it was far worse for the environment than a brand new SUV.

Personally I'm looking forward to 2030, when the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars will be banned.

LifesTooShortForYourNonsense · 31/08/2021 18:14

Op is obviously starting a campaign for dedicated cycle lanes on all major routes, which is fantastic, right behind you

lllllllllll · 31/08/2021 18:16

It’s one of many risk assessments we make as parents.

It's not even a risk assessment though, it's just totally and completely reckless. I feel so nervous for the child whenever I see one.

Booknooks · 31/08/2021 18:16

We have some cycle paths here, the issue being that for some reason they randomly stop, there's a really dangerous bit of narrow, fast, country lane, and then it starts again. It kind of renders a lot of the route pointless (there aren't many reasons to travel the route unless going the whole way which has the missing bit in the middle).

UnfinishedBunting · 31/08/2021 18:17

I read a quote from someone in marketing recently that said that the greatest marketing success in recent history was convincing everyone that they need a 2 ton 4x4 to pop to the shops to collect a pint of milk.

Lucyk1 · 31/08/2021 18:31

What would I be envious about? I have a degree in Geography and Geology which is all based on environmental and pollution/climate change. That's why my whole job is on.
My bitterness purely stems from having a child that started school 2 years ago and outside the school gates is range rovers parked on the pavement practically running the kids down. The kids are having to breath that crap in.... And yes.... They usually do have tiny little people driving the cars. Lazy mums who can't walk their kids to school or cycle and go home and drive to work if that's why they need to do.

masterblaster · 31/08/2021 18:42

@MyBadHabitsLeadToYou

Parents with toddlers on the back of the bike, cycling on busy city roads with the buses and the crazy drivers.

Howwww is this legal?! When the rules on car seats are so strict.

And don’t even start me on those flimsy trailer things that are so low down they couldn’t be seen from a large car.

Am I missing something??

Maybe we need more cycle lanes.

Maybe if people can't see other road users they should not be driving.

Mirw · 31/08/2021 18:44

Surely there is room for cars and bikes. Not all car drivers are bad drivers. There are a whole lot of cyclists who need to have their bikes taken off them. But for the rest, if your only transport is a bike that is how you carry your child. Public transport is not always available. But we have to get away from cars bad, bikes/buses good because it is wrong. There is no alternative in huge parts of the UK than car use...

Angie1403 · 31/08/2021 18:57

@whenthedoveslie

Cyclists' exceptionalism. Didn't you know?

Don’t even get me started on these selfish fuckers. The number of accidents I’ve narrowly avoided that these idiots have created!

Angie1403 · 31/08/2021 19:05

Maybe if someone doesn’t ‘drive’ a vehicle that has road insurance they shouldn’t be on the road? What’s my compensation when a cyclist causes an accident? Apparently home contents insurance is supposed to come into play but I have no idea if that’s true?

purplesequins · 31/08/2021 19:11

there is no such thing as 'road insurance'
road upkeep is paid for with council tax which cyclists also pay.

and in the highway code cyclists are very much entitled to use the streets snd roads same as cars.

bicycles also cause a lot less wear and tear and damage to the road infrastructure.

UserNameNameNameUser · 31/08/2021 19:19

@Lucyk1

What I'm wondering is why is it not illegal to have range rovers and those huge type of cars in busy towns and London. They are popping up everywhere, and there's no need for that type of car for a town. It's tiny little people who drive them with big egos... We all know they pay monthly to rent them rather than buying them but so environmentally unfriendly. Our kids are having to breath that shut in.... Unlike the cyclists. If you can't see the cyclist and the kid on the back... I suggest you get a normal sized car.

Trying to make sense of your post, so I’ll compare it to my own situation.

I have an SUV (it’s electric). I’m not tiny. I do “pay monthly” (it’s a 4 year lease). I can see the cyclist and the kid on the back. WTF is your actual point????

VaccineSticker · 31/08/2021 19:24

Wow the hate for cyclists on here is astounding.
Cyclists do it for the love of exercise, decreasing their carbon footprint, and the cost and efficiency in transport in big cities.

The road tax you talk about is emissions tax. Pedestrians don’t pay to use the road, and neither do cyclists for that reason.

Maybe learn something new today?
“Vehicle Excise duty operates through a range of bands, relating to the Co2 emission level and age of the vehicle. Motorcycles pay less, and good vehicles pay more, relative to cars.”

I am cringing reading angry car owners’ responses here.

I am a car driver and you don’t represent me.
I went to the Netherlands few years ago and Amsterdam was full of these bikes you hate so much. Their cycling system works like a dream. Cleaner air and less congestion is a bonus.

Please Note: I don’t cycle - I have no bias.

Pinklemonade1 · 31/08/2021 19:27

Definitely don't move to the Netherlands. You will be having kittens on a daily basis. I was! 😱

bunanarama · 31/08/2021 19:29

I cycle with 2 kids in zone 3 London - one up front and one behind. I invested in a heavy duty Dutch bike (not a box one) and use it more than our car. We bought our car after the bike and have never used it for a local journey. We are fortunate to have some low traffic neighbourhoods around which mean the route to nursery is quiet and I cycle defensively - quite central in the road so I'm visible and wont be knocked off by people opening car doors. I find it crazy that I am seen by a huge number of people as less sensible for cycling 10 mins with my kids instead of driving 5 mins in a huge SUV (although our local LTNs mean the drive is actually more like 15). I lived in Amsterdam for 5 years and the difference is not just infrastructure but the them and us attitude doesnt exist as most car drivers are also cyclists. Sad that this is an area of parenting where it's still ok to judge so strongly.

Daffi · 31/08/2021 19:31

Perhaps they care about the child's future and less cars.

purplesequins · 31/08/2021 19:33

you think child seats or trailers are bad?
below is a common sight in nl of a child hitching a ride with their parent...