Chris Boardman - Manchester

[confusedcyclist]

He's spot on with identifying public perceptions of barriers to cycling, though - "59% perceive that roads are too dangerous to cycle on - a record low." [Record low? ] That's the British Social Attitudes Survey 2016: Public attitudes to transport - Page 3, published just a couple of days ago.

Yes, this is exactly why he's the right man for this kind of job.

 

[GilesM]

He's spot on with identifying public perceptions of barriers to cycling, though - "59% perceive that roads are too dangerous to cycle on - a record low." [Record low? ] That's the British Social Attitudes Survey 2016: Public attitudes to transport - Page 3, published just a couple of days ago.

I doubt one of the possible answers in the survey was, "I'm a fat slob, and riding a bike would be really hard work, especially if it might rain".

 

[confusedcyclist]

I doubt one of the possible answers in the survey was, "I'm a fat slob, and riding a bike would be really hard work, especially if it might rain".

When you are done projectinging shadows on obese people who perceive they have no means of integrating physical activity in their day to day lives, take a look what cycling can inspire.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/6xaqqk/hey_yall_a_little_under_200lbs_gone_forever_in/

Fortunately, the problem isn't that cycling is too dangerous, it's just that it is perceived to be thanks to the lack of good infrastructure. Even streets in Amsterdam are not completely segregated, and most people don't melt in the rain, from what I read on the internet anyway. Dealing with the perceived barriers is the only thing stopping the people who I know are keen or might be tempted to try cycling for transport, but are too scared of the risks.

 

[srw]

There's a very sensible response on the Guardian website:

"while it sometimes doesn’t look or feel like our roads are safe, and while it can feel like everyone is out to get everyone else, neither is true. I have rarely encountered real rage while cycling, much less serious near misses. If I wore a helmet camera, the results would be immensely dull. [...] 80% of “cyclists” hold driving licences. We’re the same people"

My best guess is that Boardman made some slightly unguarded comments in a reasonably informal conversation with Helen Pidd, which she turned into a newspaper article. Which is understandable (it's her job) but also slightly disappointing (she's one of the more thoughtful and less sensationalising journalists out there). Despite the posed photos the original piece doesn't read like a set-piece interview, either on paper or on the website - the newspaper has slots for those, and this was printed on the news pages. Maybe there'll be something fuller later.

 

[GuyBoden]

Obviously, CB must be terribly upset about his mum's tragic death and the court case must bring back all the tragic details again and again and again.

I was riding along with a bloke who had a vintage Cougar bike today, he didn't know it was a Terry Dolan bike.

CB in TT mode on a Cougar.

 

[Bollo]

There's a very sensible response on the Guardian website:

"while it sometimes doesn’t look or feel like our roads are safe, and while it can feel like everyone is out to get everyone else, neither is true. I have rarely encountered real rage while cycling, much less serious near misses. If I wore a helmet camera, the results would be immensely dull. [...] 80% of “cyclists” hold driving licences. We’re the same people"

My best guess is that Boardman made some slightly unguarded comments in a reasonably informal conversation with Helen Pidd, which she turned into a newspaper article. Which is understandable (it's her job) but also slightly disappointing (she's one of the more thoughtful and less sensationalising journalists out there). Despite the posed photos the original piece doesn't read like a set-piece interview, either on paper or on the website - the newspaper has slots for those, and this was printed on the news pages. Maybe there'll be something fuller later.

My feeling also. The Graun is the only mainstream paper that gives cycling anything like a serious treatment and there've been a few interesting and non-trivial articles recently.
I'm not a special Chris Boardman fan, but he's an ex-pro that at least considers cycling in the wider context. I don't agree with what he's said in this case, but it's understandable given what happened to his mum. I've still got a week or two until I'm allowed on the bike again and I know Mrs Dr B is extremely unhappy with the idea of me back on the roads, despite the stats.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Perhaps, just perhaps, Boardman is reflecting what it is like to cycle in Manchester, experienced from the perspective of a rider who's recently lost his mother in a cycling accident and who still has to face, prejudging from the charges, an ugly court case. The challenge for Manchester is to embrace cycling and raising participation way above the quoted figure of 2%. It's been years since I went to Manchester but recent trips to Leeds and Bristol left me thinking what shitty places to cycle in some of our larger cities are, London being something of an exception here because gridlock, bus lanes and some, often inadequate, cycling infrastructure have joined together to make London cycling possible and enjoyable for well above 2%.

I hope it's not just because I have a great deal of respect for him (for a long time he's been Britain's foremost cycling advocate, IMO) that I feel he's uniquely well placed to hesitate before advising people to embrace cycling on the roads they'd have to face. It must be hard to talk about it being statistically safe when your own mother has just been killed riding her bike.

London appears to have had to overload its road transport until it broke before looking for solutions that include the bike. I hope Manchester can learn from London's experience and save having such a long journey back to some kind of idea of integrated transport.

 

[srw]

Boardman is reflecting what it is like to cycle in Manchester

Probably. Pidd has also recently had a piece published about why she doesn't ride in Manchester. Which makes it a shame that the Boardman interview makes it sound as if he's generalising.

 

[GilesM]

When you are done projectinging shadows on obese people who perceive they have no means of integrating physical activity in their day to day lives, take a look what cycling can inspire.
https://www.reddit.com/r/bicycling/comments/6xaqqk/hey_yall_a_little_under_200lbs_gone_forever_in/

Fortunately, the problem isn't that cycling is too dangerous, it's just that it is perceived to be thanks to the lack of good infrastructure. Even streets in Amsterdam are not completely segregated, and most people don't melt in the rain, from what I read on the internet anyway. Dealing with the perceived barriers is the only thing stopping the people who I know are keen or might be tempted to try cycling for transport, but are too scared of the risks.

It was a somewhat tongue in cheek comment, I am sure that there are those who don't start cycling because of the perceived dangers, my point is just that many people don't cycle because motorised transport is easier, but are happy to use the dangers of cycling as the reason.

 

[mjr]

It was a somewhat tongue in cheek comment, I am sure that there are those who don't start cycling because of the perceived dangers, my point is just that many people don't cycle because motorised transport is easier, but are happy to use the dangers of cycling as the reason.

As you've repeated that point, let me repeat mine: there doesn't seem to be much evidence for that. People giving answers that they think are more socially acceptable is a known problem and the sort of thing that cleverer statisticians and survey designers than me can test for - or at the moment, we can use the temporary delay between people doing internet searches and realising you have little privacy on most search engines to estimate how big the social-desirability bias is - but, apart from on cycling sites like this, do you really think that many people would hesitate to say that they feel the car is easier? Newspapers are full of cycle-hate and even our politicians (who should be concerned about public health and the economic damage of private cars clogging up the roads) keep on bleating nonsense like "cars are essential" so I doubt there's a significant social stigma against saying that you just don't like bikes, rather than saying you feel something's dangerous if you don't.

https://thinkingaboutcycling.com/article-fear-of-cycling/ has lots more digging into whether the fear is real, plus some other types of fear of cycling that aren't fear of heavier traffic.

 

[Slick]

https://thinkingaboutcycling.com/article-fear-of-cycling/ has lots more digging into whether the fear is real, plus some other types of fear of cycling that aren't fear of heavier traffic.[/QUOTE]

Wow, that's one way to back up your point.

 

[KnackeredBike]

I wonder if an easy first step would be for the government to publish "mandatory" cycling measures that councils need to take when working on a road. Many things actually cost almost nothing, like having ASLs at every junction, and having pelican crossings that change instantly rather than waiting for a break in traffic.

This would need to be carefully agreed with cyclists because we all know some of the traffic calming councils put in, like build outs, actually just create a conflict point for cyclists.

Make implementing them obligatory and councils have to justify why they haven't used them at every location.

 

[mjr]

It would be relatively easy, just issuing a few local transport notes and maybe updating the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions again to change signal timings (if they're now in there).

However, I wouldn't allow councils to justify them away. We already see similar loopholes abused by Highways England to argue that they don't need to provide for cycling along new routes because no one currently cycles across those fields, or local councils use it to claim Traffic Regulation Orders are on the grounds of safety even when they make things less safe.

We need to make them accountable for building junk, so as well as the duty to provide for cycling, I'd make highways authorities jointly liable for the costs of crashes on substandard infrastructure, plus I'd allow any cycle nation, cycling UK or HSBCUKBC member group or club (not affiliate) to denounce substandard infrastructure by filing a report with the authority responsible and applying red/white hazard tape to the sign poles, so everyone knows if a section is substandard, both to take extra care and so they know they may have a stronger claim.

 

[Cavalol]

I've noticed a genuine decline in roadcraft from car drivers over the last 10 years on my commute to work, feel like a sitting duck sometimes..

I have to say (God help me if I've jinxed it now!) I have found drivers much better. I put it down to more people cycling, so drivers are used to seeing more bikers, plus motorists are better educated these days, not to mention the advent of cycle and dash cams. Of course, there are still idiot drivers, just like there are still idiot cyclists.

Have been privileged to have had a couple of ride outs with CB from a(n) LBS couldn't meet a nicer, more cycling enthusiastic person.