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I think this is the key
From my own experience, a lot of my reactions depend very much on the way I'm feeling. Some descents are done with joy, exuberance and at top speed, others can be fearful, defensive and slow. On a different day with a different feeling the same road might be handled differently.
Certainly, my opinions on what a cyclist should or shouldn't have done are very different sitting in front of a screen than they would be if I was on a saddle.
I know it's the Internet but the way this discussion has gone down the tubes is quite distasteful and, it has to be said, sad, on a cycling forum. All black or white, little nuance or subtlety.
A simple example: I'd imagine that someone out on a training ride or looking for a PB or to top a segment might have a very different attitude to the exact situation outlined in the terrifying video than someone out for a pootle.
If cyclists don't even look for common ground with other cyclists how can anyone expect the situation on UK roads to ever improve?
The introduction of hypotheticals and then the use of said hypotheticals to batter a poster is veering pretty close to bullying in my book.
This place is losing its friendly vibe. Rapidly.
On a bike I am a vulnerable road user. Laws are in place to protect me, to assign responsibility. Laws won't repair my injuries or bring me back to life in the event of an incident. The best way I can continue to ride my bike is to do so as safely as possible. I try not to judge others but someone else's misfortune is an opportunity for me to re-examine how I do things. If some call that victim blaming, so be it. I call it common sense.
The cyclist could have been more careful and the driver can still be at fault. Both those things can be true.
From my own experience, a lot of my reactions depend very much on the way I'm feeling. Some descents are done with joy, exuberance and at top speed, others can be fearful, defensive and slow. On a different day with a different feeling the same road might be handled differently.
Certainly, my opinions on what a cyclist should or shouldn't have done are very different sitting in front of a screen than they would be if I was on a saddle.
I know it's the Internet but the way this discussion has gone down the tubes is quite distasteful and, it has to be said, sad, on a cycling forum. All black or white, little nuance or subtlety.
A simple example: I'd imagine that someone out on a training ride or looking for a PB or to top a segment might have a very different attitude to the exact situation outlined in the terrifying video than someone out for a pootle.
If cyclists don't even look for common ground with other cyclists how can anyone expect the situation on UK roads to ever improve?
The introduction of hypotheticals and then the use of said hypotheticals to batter a poster is veering pretty close to bullying in my book.
This place is losing its friendly vibe. Rapidly.
On a bike I am a vulnerable road user. Laws are in place to protect me, to assign responsibility. Laws won't repair my injuries or bring me back to life in the event of an incident. The best way I can continue to ride my bike is to do so as safely as possible. I try not to judge others but someone else's misfortune is an opportunity for me to re-examine how I do things. If some call that victim blaming, so be it. I call it common sense.