Re: I have been CHALLENGED. . .

In message <jrnl44t5i0luotm15vh7vvsg91mm815jup@xxxxxxx>, "Just zis Guy,
you know?" <guy.chapman@xxxxxxxxxxx> writes
On Sat, 7 Jun 2008 20:02:27 +0100, Robert Sneddon
<fred@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> said in
<rMzNxRTDttSIFw+G@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>:

You think. Actually in the UK, according to the last numbers I saw
anyway, you are something like 100 times more likely to be killed or
seriously injured on the footway by a motorist than by a cyclist.

Lots more motor vehicles than bicycles in use in major cities which is
where pedestrians and cyclists come into contact the most. That skews
the statistics. Then again motor vehicles don't regularly travel on the
sidewalks at 15mph unlike cyclists.

Right. So cyclist are a constant menace on the footway, we are
told, yet as it turns out, despite their prevalence, and despite the
fact that cars rarely (FSVO) trespass on the footway, the motorist
kills more people on the footway than does the cyclist. Which
indicates that the nuisance of footway cycling is just that: a
nuisance, rather than a significant danger.

Minor injuries also count; your "100 times" number is for people killed
or seriously injured. Accidents caused by cyclists breaking the law tend
not to be in those categories, true but for the number of vehicle-miles
cyclists travel each day the number of minor injuries is high, and those
are only the ones reported or recorded by hospitals or the police.

This all ignores the reason the cyclist is on the footway in the
first place, of course, which is usually acknowledged to be fear of
motor traffic. This is not an excuse, just an explanation.

It's still breaking the law (I've done it myself, in the recent past).
If a biker drove on the pavement regularly even at cycle speeds it's
certain he'd be reported to the police and cautioned if not prosecuted.
Cyclists are immune to law enforcement because they are anonymous.

Actually I don't think any group of road users is more or less
likely to obey the rules than any other. Cyclists jump red lights,
so do motorists;

Very rarely. A lot of city centre lights these days have cameras
attached to catch red-light jumpers -- as I said before, I was caught
out once by one (80 pound fine, three penalty points). I see cyclists
jump lights on a regular basis. In fact I tend to take note when they do
in fact stop for red lights instead of cycling out into the junction to
wait for a gap in the cross-traffic and dashing off, because seeing one
obey the rules of the road is so unusual. The cameras aren't any use in
such circumstances because the lawbreakers can't be identified, unlike
motor vehicle drivers.
--
To reply, my gmail address is nojay1 Robert Sneddon
.

Relevant Pages

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