Re: Safety in numbers effect?

On 15 Mar, 18:55, delboy <del.copel...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 15 Mar, 18:43, Doug <jag...@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

On 15 Mar, 16:49, delboy <del.copel...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi,

Can anyone please explain how the 'safety in numbers effect' is
supposed to enhance cycling  safety?

I can understand how it works for shoals of fish or herds of
wilderbeest, where an individual can hide himself in a pack, and where
it confuses predators. It might even work in a large peloton of
cyclists where only the guys at the front and the back, and on the
offside are at risk, unless a large HGV wipes out the lot of them.

However I can't see that say 30 individual cyclists an hour riding
along a particular stretch of road are any safer than 60 individual
cyclists per hour. If there are a lot of cyclists they will start
riding two or more abreast, which is even more dangerous. Motorists
see plenty of cyclists (assuming they carry lights and wear high viz
bibs at night), so they know what to expect.

It can be achieved by a critical mass of cyclists riding together all
at once and occupying one or more lanes while facilitated by corking.
Apart from anything else they provide plenty of witnesses and mutual
support in the event of a collision.

--

So does that make cycling a practical means of transport, unless
everyone wants to go to exactly the same place at the same time
(unlikely)? Critical mass is just an illegal stunt designed to p!ss
everyone off!

CM is not illegal. It has been authorised by the Law Lords as a
'customarily held procession'. That is why the police can't stop it
and why motorists here are so annoyed by it.

--
Critical Mass London
http://www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk
"Get out of my way you f*ing cyclist"



.

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