cycle safety
Test your awareness
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An old psychology test seems to have been re-appropriated by TfL to show people how easy it is to overlook something that should be obvious.
A good test if you’ve not seen it before, though the link to cycling and driver awareness is questionable/tenuous at best
Advice Mallard for Cyclists
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In my 15 years of cycling on the roads, this single piece of advice has kept me better protected than any helmet or hi-viz vest.
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(For those who are not familiar with this meme, this is the ‘actual advice mallard’ who dispenses useful advice and life-tips. Not to be confused with his cousin, the malicious/bad advice mallard.)
Red Light Jumpers in London
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TfL gathered some data about red light jumping cyclists in London.
This data has been dug up from the 2012 archives possibly in response to the recent hidden-camera footage of cyclists jumping reds (http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/cyclists-filmed-jumping-red-lights-in-london-taxi-drivers-hidden-camera-footage-8969043.html)
While heavily-edited footage gathered by disgruntled taxi drivers hardly constitutes scientific evidence, it remains true that cyclists in London need to clean up their act if they want to maintain the moral high ground and support their case for decent infrastructure.
The following video illustrates some related issues:
Related articles
- ‘More than half’ of cyclists jump red lights (london24.com)
- Cyclists caught jumping red lights in London taxi drivers’ hidden camera footage (standard.co.uk)
- London Cyclists stage mass ‘die-in’ (dutchbikeguy.wordpress.com)
Utrecht’s Traffic Garden
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Everyone know that the Dutch take up cycling from an early age and keep going until the bitter end.
What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that cycling is actually part of the Dutch education. Children from all over The Netherlands visit this unique ‘traffic garden’ in Utrecht in order to learn how to use the roads safely and respectfully, regardless of whether they are in cars, on bikes, or on foot.
Inspiring stuff.
Ultra Shocking Video about Lorry Blind-Spots
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TfL (Transport for London) have made a video showing just how blind lorry drivers are in some circumstances. This is great evidence for the argument that heavy-goods vehicles and bikes shouldn’t have to share the same road space.
I’d say more, but the video speaks for itself…
Upgrade London’s CS2 to Continental Standards – call to arms
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Upgrade London’s CS2 to Continental Standards – call to arms
Five cyclists have died in the last nine days on the streets of London.
People are justified in their anger that cycling infrastructure is too sporadic to offer any effective protection. Please help by sending a message to London’s mayor to let him know how you feel.
Coverage from the BBC paints a fuller picture
Related articles
- Cycle deaths leave London bewildered (bbc.co.uk)
- Cyclist killed on cycle superhighway (bbc.co.uk)
- Boris Johnson called on for cycle superhighway safety measures after Bow cyclist death (express.co.uk)
- One Step Forward, Two Steps Back: What Next for Cycle Safety in London? (sustainablecitiescollective.com)
100 miles of Dutch-Style Bike Lanes planned for Bristol
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100 Miles of Dutch-Style Bike Lanes for Bristol
In a bid to save lives and reduce the fear factor preventing people from taking to two wheels, Bristol is to announce radical new proposals which will make it Britain’s first city to adopt a truly Dutch-style network of cycle lanes.
Already the UK’s top cycling city with an estimated 16,000 regular cyclists, the 100 miles of cycle paths are due to be operational as soon as Spring 2014!
In contrast to this fantastic news, the national picture is comparatively bleak. With cycle uptake ever on the increase, the number of cyclists killed or injured on Britain’s roads is at its highest for three years: 118 deaths and 3,222 injuries recorded in 2012. Although these figures represent regrettable injuries and tragic loss of life, statistics like these are what motivated the Dutch to unite as a nation and demand the changes that led to their precedent-setting infrastructure.
In other (related) news, a new peer-reviewed study has revealed that financial investment in cycling infrastructure can increase the share of journeys taken by bike. This might seem like the predictable answer to another do-bears-poop-in-the-woods sort of question, but it’s not always cut-and-dried that spending to achieve a goal actually works. Look at roadbuilding, for instance: billions of pounds are pumped into constructing new roads in order to reduce congestion, yet congestion keeps on increasing.
Ridiculous, unnecessary, and obvious as it seems, it’s still good press. Click here for the Guardian article.
Related articles
- Dutch-style bike lanes set for roll-out in Bristol – Britain’s cycling capital (independent.co.uk)
- City’s ‘Dutch-style’ bike lane plans (bbc.co.uk)
- Move over Amsterdam, the London cycling revolution is in top gear (standard.co.uk)
- New Denver Bike Lanes Not Only Safer, Good For Business (denver.cbslocal.com)
Dutch bikes in the UK 