How to reply to school newsletter

[steve292]

Road Safety - Cyclists
A concerned parent has advised that four students were cycling along Church Road, near the Golf Club, one morning without high vis jackets or arm bands; the lane is very tight and with the now dark mornings it was difficult to see them. Please could cyclists ensure they are suitably attired when cycling to and from school for their own and others' safety. Thank you.


This was in this weeks Churchill academy newsletter.
i was minded to write a bit of a rebuke of this POS advice, pointing out that perhaps people could use their eyes to watch out for others in the road, instead of facebook, eating porridge, the application of makeup, shaving...all of which I have seen on this stretch of road.

Then I thought....that won't achieve anything with regards to getting the school to put across a point of view that encourages alternatives to the car, and leaves out the implied blaming of others for being hit by a vehicle.
How would you go about it? a bit of levity is alright, but can you suggest how to get the message across in a way that might achieve a result?

I'm thinking @theclaud @mjr @User et al

 

[slowmotion]

You could ask them what colour of car the "concerned parent" was driving. Dark coloured ones are quite hard for cyclists to see.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Road Safety - Parents/Drivers
A concerned parent has advised that a number of parents who drive their children to school seem to be unable to give due consideration to other road users and driving conditions and are having difficulty appreciating that students will be cycling to school; there is no requirement for them to wear high vis jackets or arm bands; please could drivers ensure they are suitably paying attention to the rights of other road users when driving. Thank you.
Edit - I was going to suggest adding "you utter bellends" but possibly not for the eyes of children...

 

[mjr]

Yeah. Inform them that there's no good evidence that hi vis reduces road casualty rates and ask when they're going to do something more likely to help, such as act to stop parent motorists overtaking without leaving 1.5m clearance, as in operation Close Pass. Make a formal complaint about the bad attitude discouraging cycling instead of tackling bad drivers if you must.

I'd be very tempted to ask if they deal with bullying by issuing body armour to the victims, or with knife crime by telling people to buy stab vests, but I doubt much good would come from that.

 

[Drago]

The person reporting clearly saw the four students, which makes her report somewhat baffling.

 

[mjr]

http://Twitter.com/hiVisFails BTW

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

At risk of boring people with this story as I have mentioned it many times before...

I was once ranted at by some bloke in a car as a I made my way up a hill in fog (it was summer), he decided he needed to roll his window down and shout "nobody can see you mate! Get a light on!!"" (I was in Englandshire, so "mate" seemed fitting). He slowed down, and drew level with me. "Sorry?" I said. "Nobody can see you!!" "Who are you speaking to then.." He called me a c*nt. I chuckled.

 

[snorri]

Quite a number of drivers seem to imagine their eyesight is infinitely better than everyone else on the road, it's a funny thing.

 

[steve292]

This is my opening gambit-

To the Headmaster,


In response to the article in the newsletter of the 6 October headed “Road Safety- Cyclists”, I would like to point out that this is wrong on many levels, and is effectively shifting the burden of blame for any potential accident from someone who is piloting a device that weighs in many cases in excess of a tonne and is capable of fast acceleration and high speeds, and has sat a test to prove their competence to drive it, to a child on a bike.


It concerns me that a number of parents who drive their children to school seem to be unable to give due consideration to other road users and driving conditions and are having difficulty appreciating that students will be cycling or walking to school. The person who reported the four cyclists evidently saw them in the road and they had every right to be there so I would suggest that the real issue here is that he/ she was held up or nearly hit someone through driving inappropriately for the road and / or conditions.


There is no requirement in law for a cyclist to wear high vis jackets or arm bands; indeed if drivers are not suitably paying attention to other road users when driving it won’t help at all. If I may make an analogy here would you issue body armour to a bullying victim or tackle the cause of the bullying?


By all means promote the use of lights on cycles that are ridden in low light conditions, and a common sense approach to road safety and adherence to the law among your pupils who cycle, but please also put forward the many health related benefits that can also come from cycling, along with a strong message that parents who drive their children to school, or pick them up (and I am one who occasionally does just that) have a responsibility to -

· Obey the law

· Drive in way that respects the rights of other road users.





Regards,







We shall see.
.



,

 

[classic33]

Hi-Vis in a low sun condition can cause you to be "lost" in the vision of anyone viewing you. You're there, you're gone.

Colours that contrast with your surroundings are better.

 

[Welsh wheels]

The person reporting clearly saw the four students, which makes her report somewhat baffling.

I must complain about the four cyclists I saw who I couldn't see.

 

[raleighnut]

Nothing new, I missed it but both my younger sisters had to wear reflective armbands when walking to/from school. This was early/mid 70's.

 

[raleighnut]

That was to do with the experiment about keeping summer time in the winter.

I don't remember that but I was too busy hooning around on my bike (or better still my cousins Carlton which I had access to from 74) and trying to get girls to like me to notice what was going on in the world.

I thought it had something to do with the powercuts.

 

[mjr]

Nothing new, I missed it but both my younger sisters had to wear reflective armbands when walking to/from school. This was early/mid 70's.

Did you go to school in Scarfolk?

 

[growingvegetables]

Road Safety - Cyclists ...

Anecdata - sorry! But if the adults who contribute to CC have their stories/perceptions about close and aggressive passes, I reckon school kids would have MANY, MANY more. Just personal observation from around a couple of schools where I've worked.

Guessing you're a parent. Question - do your children cycle to the school?