To think this is so unsafe…

[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??

I've asked repeatedly if anyone has any evidence to back up their view that child bike seats are dangerous and no one has been able to provide any, whereas multiple people have cited evidence showing you are proportionally at much greater risk of injury and death while in a car or walking on the street than riding a bike. There is no point arguing with people who want to rely on opinions rather than facts. It's so depressing.

I witnessed an awful accident once where a car hit one of the trailers with 2 young kids in it. The dad cycling was trying to cut across from a side street and went out in front of the car travelling along the main road. If he hadn’t had the trailer it would have been a close shave, but the car driver didn’t stand a chance of stopping in time. It was horrible for everyone involved.

mswales if you look a few pages back you will see the evidence that proportionality you are much greater risk on a bicycle than a car. Click on the link I put on here. All facts.

They both terrify me- the trailers more so.
However, I think that is because I'm not a cyclist- I would love to be a confident enough cyclist to have a toddler seat and use the cycle track near my house (it's just for walking and bikes) and on quiet roads - so that I could use the car less and get more excerise. I probably would never feel comfortable with busy roads but I can't imagine cycling on a busy road or in a cycle lane is any more dangerous than being a pedestrian - the top of my street used to be a really dodgy place to cross, especially with a pushchair, but there was no where else to cross with a pushchair due to all the parked cars on the road- so if I walked anywhere with the pram/pushchair when my dd was a baby/toddler I had to cross there! It now has a green man, it's been made safer not by everyone avoiding walking but by better infrastructure. (In this case I think less entitled attitudes from us drivers wouldn't go amiss either!)

My ex used to cycle into central london and he said people get stretchered off and have serious injuries you never read about them in the papers. Their needs to be more cycle super highways to encourage safety and cycling culture its a no brainers as two with one stone obesity and pollution knocked on their heads. I also think it improves mental health and cognition. The only thing I will say is I haven’t mastered going to an apt looking stylish and non sweaty also it saves money too !!

I cycle a lot in central London and would do so willingly with a bike trailer. The bike infrastructure is good and I know my way onto quiet routes.

Today I had to go to zone 3. The route my bike GPS took me (meant to be quiet roads/bike paths) on felt dodgy as fuck and the drivers were very aggressive. Cute cycle infrastructure was also terrible - 18inch wide path on pavement covered in broken glass /overhanging brambles. It’s a real shame as it’s a deprived Borough and more cycling would have health & financial benefits for the community. Might also bring in new residents. I wouldn’t move there as any commute would feel very challenging.