BBC Radio 4 You and Yours program (cycling)

[bigsharn]

Well after listening to BBC Radio 4's You and Yours special on cycling, I'm quite annoyed at some of the ideas put forward on the show. Because Facebook won't let me post on their wall, I'll have a quick moan here (if, of course, nobody objects)

Idea 1. Segregate bicycles from other road users

a. using the footpaths to carry bikes
As much as this would be a good idea if all cyclists travelled at <8mph, most cyclists travel WELL above 8mph, which is the speed limit for the pavements in the UK. Personally I *average* a speed of 18mph, going up to 24mph regularly (and that's just on the flat)

b. more cycle lanes
No. There are far too many cycle lanes in the UK where they don't need to be, this one for example



Idea 2. Make bicycles...
a. pay road tax
There is no such thing as Road Tax, there is Vehicle Excise Duty (or emissions tax) which goes to pay for things such as... Well nobody actually knows. Seeing as technically a bicycle has less emissions than an electric car (which pays £0 emissions tax), this would be pointless. Find out more at ipayroadtax.com

b. get a license
Now this is a good theory on paper, but if you think about it, it would cost a lot more money than it would make, and considering the government is having a hard time balancing the books, this is a bad idea. There's also the point that the only license that comes close to this is the CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) test, which can only be taken by those 16+, so where would the cutoff point be? There is a scheme currently in place called Bikeability, but making that into a compulsory test would be extremely costly and too much effort for the government to partake

c. apply for registration
As with Road Tax Vehicle Excise Duty, the government would be spending more money and getting no returns, and where would the limit be brought in? Parents that just bought their kids bikes for Christmas would have to faff about registering the bike, and second hand bike sales would be so problematic that most cycles would just end up in landfill at the end of their lives

d. get third party liability insurance
Again, good idea but how would it be enforced without a form of bicycle registration? A lot of cyclists (members of the CTC and BC) have insurance anyway for third party and personal accident cover anyway but as I said, there's no way to enforce a law to bring this in

Idea 3. Make commercial vehicles (HGVs(or semi trucks)/buses)
a. stay off the road
An impossibility. As a member of the public said on the show itself "Lorries are a neccessary evil and are here to stay". Granted, most articulated vehicles are FAR too big for the road (see also: bendy buses). But the chance of outlawing them is very slim, especially remembering how many people would lose their jobs because of it.

b. install cameras and other bits of technology to make them more aware of their surroundings
Ok, again, not a bad idea but enforcing this would be a near-impossibility without adding it into the commercial vehicle MOT (or Vehicle Inspection in the US), and even then people would rely on the technology, rather than using it as well as their own common sense.

c. all have glass doors so they have less blind spots
Not a bad idea, but again, VERY costly, and what would be do about foreign trucks coming into the UK? Would they have to have their doors replaced as well?



Summary
As always, I have my own opinion on these matters, and contrary to what everything above says, I think that abolishing cycle lanes would make sense. Someone on the show said "There is no substitute for good manners, and this should also apply on the road" and I whole-heartedly agree with this. If someone does a good deed they should be thanked.

On the other hand, I also think that some motorists need educating properly, there are people who passed in the 1980s and 1970s that have no idea how to treat cyclists, many of which leave an inch or two of room to pass because they think this is enough and is safe, it's not them being stupid, it's them being educated incorrectly. Cyclists also need educating, for example many a-time have I been stood at the stop line at a red light and someone sailed straight past me on a bike. Bikeability is a good way to educate the population on this, but not a lot of folks know about the scheme (hell, I'm willing to bet nobody on here apart from myself and Dom knew about it before this article).


I may or may not do a follow-up article on how to ride a bike safely on the road. Writing one or not depends on the reaction to this one. I realise mcompute isn't a cycling forum and I don't claim it to be, but think about it; all that money you'll save on fuel costs by reading these... You'll be able to afford a new hacking laptop by the end of the month.