I think we can all agree that laws to govern cycling shouldn't restrict cycling, we are all likely concerned that any laws will end up restricting cycling, which was my motivation starting this thread - what regulations could work? (anyone who wants there are multiple threads to moan about Charlie Alliston and other dickheads etc over there -->)
What regulations work? Well let's take our usual favourite example. The Dutch.
So what are the laws here?
Well, you have to have a front and rear reflector, front and rear lights, a safe bike with at least 1 brake, pedal reflectors, and side reflectors (wheel or tyre side wall).
So what do I actually see when cycling around Amsterdam. Well most bikes have exactly none of the above. Where the brakes are installed, the chances of them allowing an effective rapid deceleration are next to zero. Lights are regarded as optional. Reflectors usually fell off, and as for safe bike. I'm still trying to convince people that a bike wheel should only rotate on one axis, and that the grinding noise their bikes makes is not actually normal. So in a city where bikes out number people, and most of them are basically unsafe junk. The law is basically useless...
And as such, nearly everyone cycles, noone wears a helmet, and the KSI numbers are very low.
There can be no question (!!!) that cyclists can be no more trusted to police themselves than drivers can and, without the history and background of a cycling culture, widespread dickish behaviour is a result. OK, this might be a predominantly London thing, but that's where an awful lot of cycling happens, and a lot of awful cycling, to boot.
Yes, but the potential for my 12kg bike travelling at 20kph to do harm to others, relative to someone in a 2 ton lump of metal doing 70kph is not even in the same order of magnitude...
If you think London cyclists are bad, come join me on my 7.5km commute in Amsterdam. I've done hide park corner on a brompton in the rain and dark. I've cycled in Brussels, I'm pretty good at dealing with moron motorists. But yegods, my commute here, I stopped counting when the near misses went to double figures in the first week...[1]
A set of expectations/laws for cycling would be no bad thing, for example why shouldn't it be an offense to use a mobile on a bike? As for enforcement, that might be similar to speeding is in cars. As in, not normally enforced, but can be. Speed limit on superhighway could be set at 12mph, and prosecuted over 20. No speedo needed, if you can't tell the difference that's your problem.
They are talking of bringing in a law here to ban the use of mobile phones when cycling. The popular opinion is one of "hahaha like that'll work".
As for the speed limit on the cycle superhighways. That's a bloody stupid idea, all it will do is make people cycle less. Which is pointless.
If you want to revise the laws on cycling in the UK there are three basic things to do:
- Presumed liability for motorists
- Fix the laws on lights[3]
- Explicitly state in law that a helmet and hi vi is not a requirement
J
[1]The epiphany was to treat Dutch cyclists as if I'm basically surrounded by London Black Cabs. Once you work on that basis, it becomes a lot simpler to handle them.[2]
[2]The first week of term the students at the uni round the corner from work started cycling to college. Ye gods. At first I described them as demented lemmings. This is unfair. Lemmings demonstrate more will to live and basic survival instincts...
[3]Dutch law says that you can have the bike lights attached to the rider rather than the bike. This is a popular choice as it means you don't have to remember to take your lights off the bike when you dump it in Leidseplien in the vane hope it's still there when you come back later. They did however request that people turn the lights off when off the bike. Beyond that the law needs to make sure that a light that produces enough light to safely descend a hill at speed, is legal. Whilst also handling the safe aspect of morons with 1200 lumen portable suns. Oh and while we're at it, can we do something about drivers who don't understand the correct use of main beam, or the tilting on their car lights?