Cities Fit for Cycling - The Times

[MrHappyCyclist]

I take it you don't use the bus........

Not often, no. Before I started having problems with my hip, I'd walk the 3 miles from town before I'd catch a bus (and often did). I'd be very happy to see lanes turned into bus/cycle lanes, though.

 

[semislickstick]

Having just been looking around the Roadsafe site, I see they say the Times effort has many ill-informed aspects and have offered a link to the London Standard
http://www.roadsafe.com/news/default.aspx

Cycle Safety Campaign launched in London (7 Feb 12)
The London Times has launched a public campaign and 8-point manifesto calling for cities to be made fit for cyclists. Although many aspects of the campaign are ill-informed it does seek to engage cyclists themselves in working with others to reduce the death and injury to this vulnerable group.
Cycle Safety

A counter to the Times proposals has been published in The London Evening Standard in an excellent article and well - informed article by Simon Jenkins(ROADSAFE's words). It can be read here.
Published: 9 February 2012

 

[growingvegetables]

A counter to the Times proposals has been published in The London Evening Standard in an excellent article and well - informed article by Simon Jenkins

Hmmm - there's a bit of Jenkins article makes me squirm. "Cycling accidents overall have risen slightly but this is attributable to the soaring number of cyclists," is (in the words of so many threads in CC) a straw man.

A crude comparison of stats from Leeds City Council

- cyclists as a %age of people travelling into/out of Leeds city centre during rush hour = 0.9% (doubled in 10 years or something)
- but cyclists constitute 8% of the road casualty KSI figures, 75% of which happen in rush hour.

Yup - a (generous) fraction of 1% in numbers, but several times that in terms of KSI casualties?

I kinda resent this easy slippery argument that casualties are down to the increased number of cyclists. It's a sneaky, sly "blame the victim" argument.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Chris Boardmans take on the situation

Sorry if its been posted before

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3309130.ece

 

[Titan yer tummy]

As advised I wrote to my MP and asked him to sign the EDM.

I have received this response.

Thanks for your e mail. I very rarely sign an EDM - never if possible. They have no impact within Westminster and each costs £350 to the taxpayer. However PR companies and the like suggest they have impact as it makes them look like they have done something. Many MPs sign them to placate constituents knowing full well they are useless. I think that is dishonest. It would often be much easier to sign but I do not. They are expensive and a con. As I said I will try to attend the debate if I do not have to be in another committee.

Does anyone know if what he claims is right.

TyT

 

[CopperCyclist]

Chris Boardmans suggestion: A sign at a roundabout or where a road narrows that reads “motorists, give priority to cyclists” would have a massive impact on road safety by giving a clear instruction to both parties. It would cost little to implement and, in most cases, I doubt it would have much effect on traffic flow. In my opinion that simple signage, indicating a change of priority, would do more good for cyclists than 1,000 miles of cycle lanes that take me miles out of my way

It's simple and elegant, and I like it - although I'd maybe scratch the roundabout part, in case you get cyclists interpreting it as they ALWAYS have authority and just pull straight out onto it without looking - you know there will be at least one!

For pinch points and the like though, it's a really nice idea.

 

[CopperCyclist]

As advised I wrote to my MP and asked him to sign the EDM.

I have received this response.

Thanks for your e mail. I very rarely sign an EDM - never if possible. They have no impact within Westminster and each costs £350 to the taxpayer. However PR companies and the like suggest they have impact as it makes them look like they have done something. Many MPs sign them to placate constituents knowing full well they are useless. I think that is dishonest. It would often be much easier to sign but I do not. They are expensive and a con. As I said I will try to attend the debate if I do not have to be in another committee.

Does anyone know if what he claims is right.

TyT

He is right about the cost of an EDM. However, I once replied (on a different subject) to my MP, pointing out that I, and the other numerous people writing to him WERE taxpayers, and despite his personal feelings, I and the others would be more than happy for a proportion of our taxes to be spent on this EDM. I therefore asked him to reconsider based on the fact that a number of his taxpayer constituents were aware of the cost, aware of the potential lack of impact, but still felt strongly enough to want the EDM to go ahead.

 

[srw]

He is right about the cost of an EDM.

I doubt it. It feels like a nonsense number either pulled out of thin air or calculated by the simplistic expedient of dividing the annual cost of the EDM department by the number of EDMs in a year. One more EDM (or even a hundred more) probably wouldn't actually cost any more to process.

The point about sticking a notice up on the noticeboards is pretty accurate, though.

 

[sheddy]

Afternoon debate on Thurs 23rd Feb - http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/ab...tch-the-cycling-safety-parliamentary-debate-0

 

[GrumpyGregry]

^ and I bet that is more than turn up to the debate...

... happy to be proved wrong though.

 

[2Loose]

77 reportedly turned up Greg, happy now?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

77 reportedly turned up Greg, happy now?

Not really. 650 MPs in the commons and scant more than 10% of the members turned up in a country where thousands die on the roads every year...

How many do you think would turn out for a motoring related debate? The entire stinking pile is in thrall to the car.

 

[semislickstick]

77 reportedly turned up Greg, happy now?

Is there a list of names?

 

[semislickstick]

Is there a list of names?

Found it...
Ian Austin, Maria Eagle, Tessa Jowell, Kerry McCarthy, Andrew Smith, Lilian Greenwood, Susan Jones, Kate Hoey, Alison Seabeck, John Leech, Mark Lazarowicz, Ben Bradshaw, Zac Goldsmith, Sir Gerald Kaufman, Nia Griffith, Sadiq Khan, Jeremy Corbyn, Heidi Alexander, Stella Creasy, Tony Cunningham, Jim Cunningham, Karen Buck, Martin Horwood, Andrew Slaughter, Meg Hillier, Jason McCartney, Andrew George, Tom Brake, Fabien Hamilton, Guy Opperman, Julian Sturdy, Rehman Chishti, John Howell, Richard Harrington, Rob Wilson, Jack Lopresti, Mark Hunter, Sir Alan Beith, Simon Kirby, Andrew Bingham, Michael Ellis, Mike Weatherley, Sarah Woolaston, Jane Ellison, Gavin Barwell, Mark Menzies, Graham Evans, Paul Maynard, Nigel Mills, Fiona Bruce, Angie Bray, Tessa Munt, Jonathan Lord, Bob Stewart, Neil Carmichael, Andrew Selovs, Stephen Lloyd, Oliver Colville, Shailesh Vara, Sir George Young, Richard Graham, Norman Baker, Andrew Jones, Julian Huppert, Steve Brine, Robin Walker, Sir Bob Russell, Diane Abbott, Jo Swinson, Seema Malhotra, Rushinara Ali, Stephen Pound and Sheila Gimor.

My MP .....
www.jonathandjanogly.com/
Member of Parliament for Huntingdon and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice.....Did not. I can't wait to find out why he didn't.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

My MP .....
www.jonathandjanogly.com/
Member of Parliament for Huntingdon and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice.....Did not. I can't wait to find out why he didn't.

I think he may have other priorities like appeasing the roads lobby...

"I and many of my constituents are somewhat dismayed that the process of building the new
A14 is not now well underway."