AIBU in thinking that those on bikes should also be banned from using their mobile whilst cycling?

[Saltire]

A teenager today nearly ended up under the wheels of a lorry, he was weaving all over the road, no hands on the handlebars, chatting on his mobile. Another one had only one hand on handlebars, the other she was using to chat on her mobile and she too wasn't paying attention to what was going on around about her

[goodnightmoon]

i thought it was funny today, i saw an advertising board for a cycle hire place on the South Bank (in London), with a picture of a happy tourist on her bike, holding up a camera taking pictures. definitely not a wise thing to do on the streets of London!

[Stigaloid]

YANBU - it is illegal to drive with a mobile phone and i wish that the law would enforce this stronger and arrest more people for it. It is illegal to cycle and speak on the phone.

People are idiots on the road. they think they own it and are invincible. The number of people i see cycling and listening to an ipod is tragic. They can't hear traffic over music. Stupid stupid stupid.

[MorningTownRide]

YANBU - it's the same principle as car drivers.

You are only steering with one hand and are not concentrating on the road.

It's a no brainer really.

[skidoodle]

Also if everyone maximised what they could do there would be fewer cars in towns and villages, and therefore less congestion for the people who did need to drive.

Of course, this is where the tragedy of the commons comes into play.

[PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot]

Yes it does get a pita- ds3's SNU is 40 mnutes drive away. He has transport provided by the LEA but even then it means tehre's often times when we have to be in two palces at once to allow for srop off

DH is absed from home for a few months whihc is a Godsend, but is in Uni in September and whilst we are maing a big effort to be green atmin many ways, that won't change the fact that I can't be in two places at once! There'd be no point in driving to the school- with our one way system it takes longer than walking LOL and even then you can't park (neighbour does it though), but it will on rare occasions mean driving over to the SNU. And of course we have a big car (actuially we have a Smart Car also but the baby seat id restricted to Merc and can't afford, and you cant fir baby plus ds3 in there) to allow for a buig family - we are saving for a much better Multipla- so its not good todrive anywhere much.

But if everyone does what we have- maximise what they can do- it'd be a heck of a start I think. If we allw alk or cycle when we can, use appliances as little as possible, try and shop locally- much better.

[SomeGuy]

But, just to add the thing with the activities, is you can be 3/4 mile from school, but son's swimming lessons are 2 miles away (which we would walk too) but he has only half an hour to get there after school, and that includes getting changed, so it's either bicycle or car.

[SomeGuy]

Well we used to walk to school. It's 3/4 of a mile. The lazy bastards a few doors up the road drive though.

We moved here to be walking distance from school.

[PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot]

you dont need to be a cyclist not to drive toschool thogh

i've always very deliberstely lived no more than ten minutes walk from school, it ewas different when we were back in Somerset but heck if there's no nursery in the village what can you do? (not cycle, apart from 3 under 5 at the time, DH wascyclingto work then and it was lethal- along the A38 as only option and a motorway junction just around the corner).

[SomeGuy]

My son has after school activities, which he needs to get to on time, and by going by bicycle we get their quicker than by driving and don't piss off the residents near the school by parking there, and also don't clog up the roads with our car (which does about 20mpg in a slow-moving urban setting).

He's also slim and healthy, unlike some unfortunate children who apparently get no exercise at all.

[SomeGuy]

I am not a proper cyclist, and would avoid bus lanes, even though they have bicycles on the signs as well, buses and bicycles don't mix, very scary.

Fortunately there is towpath to supermarkets and bicycles are generally allowed on the pavements as well as in the pedestrianised town centre.

It's quite unusual that you'd need to carry anything really heavy, we've got one of these:

www.hamax.com/admin/common/GetImg2.asp?FileID=1341

you can put child on back as well as storage on left and right rear and in basket at the front as well (though something like this: www.hembrow.eu/dscf6837.jpg would give better front storage)

[skidoodle]

Me too. I get much more annoyed by cyclists as a pedestrian than as a driver TBH.

[bleh]

I do. Almost everywhere.

[skidoodle]

Because cycling is way faster?

Why can't you walk?

[talbot]

I've got 3 kids to take to 2 different schools and then have a 15 minute window in which to get to / from work to/from school so driving is the only option for us. Plus we have a Prius and so with no congestion charge and contract parking at £6.00 a day, it's pretty economical. My kids are too young to cycle safely.

I would never get visibly annoyed with a cyclist hugging the white line, I just don't understand why they do it. Personally, if I'm cycling, walking or even driving, I position myself in such a way that faster moving traffic can oervtake if it's safe to do so rather than obstructing them.

[bleh]

YANBU. I nearly got hit by one today chattering away on his bloody mobile phone. And, for cyclists going through red robots, there are two main roads near my home. The blardy cyclists are ALWAYS going through red lights and nearly knocking over pedestrians/hitting cars. I think it's because the roads are relatively straight and slope downhill, they all love working up the speed and then can't be arsed to stop. Every day I see one having an argument with (normally) a taxi. They're idiots.

(as you can tell, I'm not that fond of cyclists). Why can't they bloody walk?

[skidoodle]

I would take a bus to a city in preference to driving. Cars and cities don't mix IMHO and I'd rather be unencumbered by the need to park and drive around really slowly trying to find a space.

Cycling better than the bus obviously, but I think you have to be quite organised and committed to it to be able to carry heavy things on a bike. Also I think if you are a "proper" cyclist then you are much more likely not to be nervous about putting a baby on the back or using a trailer, and you will be far more confident using busy roads and crossing at complicated junctions. Then you have a lot more options than someone like me tottering down a back street on a bone shaker hoping talbot isn't getting too pissed off behind me

OMDB wow, that sounds great. There is almost nothing here. They spent millions building this amazing cycle track that goes for miles through one end of the city on the route of an old railway. It's useful for commuters but also beautiful and peaceful for weekend recreational cycling. Just before it was finished they announced they are converting it into a high-speed bus route

Apparently cyclists will be allowed to uses it too Argh one of the reasons I hate being on the normal roads is because I have to share space with massive, filthy vehicles that can't see me.

[PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot]

And at 4miles to a Waitrrose- none here whatsoever. For some reason Newport is the city that Waitrose forgot

[PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot]

See I don't mind the bus at all, but find it expensice for all of us. We have 4 children you see, none of whom can cycle alone (not safe due to SN or just too young- even ds2's dyspraxia whilst terribly mild as a problem make him dangerous on a bike)

Pus I am a crap cyclist LOL

Give p[eople the options- safe cycle routes, buses and even flexi working that means one can cycle or walk to work rather than having to be in both aplces at the same time (or just mroe breakfast clubs, none here)

Tis the only way forwards

[SomeGuy]

PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot you are right of course, different settings mean different transport choices.

It's about 2 miles to Waitrose (takes about the same time by car or bike), and 4 miles to Sainsburys. And our baby was in her seat on the back of my bike. And ds, who is 7, on his own bike (if he were younger than a trailer, a towed bicycle, or two seats on one bicycles are all options)

4 miles is really not very far on a bicycle, the problem evidently is the roads.

And I'd never take a bus btw, I'd rather drive, walk or cycle.

[Overmydeadbody]

skidoodle we have quite a few counter-floe cycle lanes and seperate rules for cyclists here, but all clearly signposted and marked. On one-way streets with no counter-flow cycle lane I don't tihnk cyclists should cycl the wrong way down them. It is dangerous, apart form anything else.

[Ripeberry]

Bristol is good for cycling but it has too many hills! I used to like using the Bath to Bristol cycle route, but it does go through a very rough part of Bristol and in the evenings (just when commuters are coming home) there are gangs of kids trying to pinch people's bikes and if they see that you're a woman then they target you first .
I used to wait for a big group of men on bikes to come along and pedal like mad to keep up with them and pass safely past the gangs.
So although i did not have to worry about traffic, there are lots of other dangers, especially for women cyclists

[Upwind]

YABU - obviously reckless, stupid behaviour. But drivers are a much more serious threat to other road users. Resources should be concentrated on their behaviour.

Talbot - I also walk at 5mph, so find it hard to believe that you regularly encounter cyclists at that speed

[SomeGuy]

In Holland, they don't.

There's a contraflow cycle lane here too on a one-way street, which is quite handy.

One-way streets are designed to control cars, which are big, wide, and heavy, none of which are attributed of bicycles.

When I was in Bali I was following some friends leading the way on motorbikes, unfortunately it turned out to be a one-way street except for motorbikes. Got lots of people shouting at me and calling me 'crazy white man' as I struggled to get through.

[PeachyTheRiverParrettHarlot]

Somehuy you are perhaps fortunate, our trip to the shops each week costs £125 9expensive gluten free stuff) and could not have been carried home on a journey of 8 miles by us with the baby.

My parents shop by bike but only have themselves to feed and a journey of a mile or two (and hence no car)

But I think perhaps you live somewhere different to us? Kids travel miles into the village for school, no decent shops (unless yopu count pedlers of twee ) and the clogged roads here lead to accidents- indeed I was hit by a car parked doubly and my little boy shouldhave been killed, it's a massive issue here.

So the solution is to look at different settings in a different way? What works in cities won't really work in villages- and we're not that remote, with a supermarket within 4 miles or shops in 8- i'velived in worse.

I do thinkk well managed busesare an option: the ones we travelled on as a child, indeed into my late twenties, were fine. They're a realistic option for more people- elderly, disabled, people with small children (especially if more than one)- and overall better than rows of cars.

It's perhaps not one size fits all?

Oh and OP I don't yabu, dangerous is dangerous- its not just about how many killed by bikes but injuriestoo. quite possibly to the cyclist as anyone else.