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http://notsobigsociety.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/health-professionals-how-not-to-use-social-networks/
That was three frigging years ago. Idiot-meet the internet.
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I have way too much time on my hands
Don't jump red lights
- Red light jumping is as pervasive among drivers as it is among cyclists.
Don't ride without a helmet
- The case for the efficacy of cycle helmets is overstated, both at the individual level, and especially at the population level. Your own experience is limited, prejudiced, and any extrapolation entirely flawed.
Don't undertake at junctions
- Undertaking or filtering?
Don't use my car to lean on at traffic lights. Mits off.
- Your car will survive a handprint.
Don't cycle in the middle of the road
- Best practice in urban (and other) cycling is often to take a primary position in the road, particularly at pinch points or other points where a cyclist may be at risk of close passing vehicles.
Don't change road position without signalling
- If you're driving so close that this is a major issue, perhaps you should hold back.
Don't wear headphones
- The same might be said for drivers with the radio on. And the engine running. And the windows closed.
Don't ride on the pavement
- Only 2% of pedestrians injured on pavements involved cycles. In the absence of adequate infrastructure, pavements (or, rather, footways) may be the only safe place for a person on a bicycle. Shared use zones exist all over the place, with minimal conflict.
Don't ride without lights
- When? During the day?
Don't wear all black outfits
- When? During the day? Irrespectively, the case for hi-viz clothing is overstated, particularly in well-lit urban environments
Don't dress like Lance Armstrong on your way to the shops
- Your sartorial advice is noted, if a little inconsistent.
Don't stop in front of the stop line so you can't see the lights
- A lack of adequate infrastructure means that being positioned in front of motor traffic is the safest place for people to be on bicycles. As opposed to down the side on the roadway. Visible is best, right? Isn't that why you promote the use of lights and wearing of highly coloured clothing?
Don't ignore pedestrian crossings
- What type of crossing? cf. red lights, and drivers ignoring the same. Except killing more people while doing it.
Don't ignore ambulances
- The same may be said for motor vehicles.
Don't continue what you are doing when you hear sirens
- The same may be said for motor vehicles
Don't hold onto cars to get your speed up.
- And just how often does this happen
Don't swear at me because I have caused you to stop
- Don't drive like a cunt then. You're in two plus tonnes of fast moving steel. The same may also be said of motor vehicle drivers, of course. I mean, perish the thought anyone should impede their god given right to drive as fast as they like
Don't leave the scene of an accident you have caused
- The same may also be said of motor vehicle drivers. Except that car drivers cause magnitudes more accidents that people on bicycles.
Don't think for a moment that you own the road
- People on bicycles have the same entitlement as people in motor vehicle. Moreso, as they may use the roads without license. More than 80% of them also own and drive motor vehicles too '- does that mean they do own the roads?
Don't turn left or right without signalling
- The same may also be said of motor vehicle drivers
Don't ride in the road if you can't ride in a straight line
- Should they ride on the pavement then?
Don't ride 2 abreast
- Riding 2 or more abreast, when in a group, is safer for the riders, and allows for faster vehicles to may quicker overtaking manouevers once there is adequate space.
Don't ride 3 abreast
- Riding 2 or more abreast, when in a group, is safer for the riders, and allows for faster vehicles to may quicker overtaking manouevers once there is adequate space.
Don't block the road for a chin wag with your mates
- The same may also be said of motor vehicle drivers
Continued...
Don't pretend I don't exist just because you are going up hill
- Don't pretend the cyclist doesn't exist, or exists only as an inconvenience, because you want to be in front of them.
Don't blame cars for everything, you are often to blame
- Well yes. But when something awful does happen, the person on the bicycle is more likely to come off worse. But the burden or responsibility is skewed towards the vulnerable road user, as opposed to the perso driving two or more tonnes of fast moving steel.
Don't play chicken with a car
- Don't blame the victim
Really don't play chicken with a van
- Don't blame the victim
Really really don't play chicken with a bus
- Don't blame the victim
Really really really don't play chicken with a lorry. They are not moving, because they haven't seen you. It will hurt. You will probably die and I will in turn need counselling!
- Don't blame the victim. But thanks for the stunning display of empathy there. I wonder if that's what you would have said to these people:
- The lorry driver who killed cyclist Catriona Patel was drunk and chatting on a mobile.
- The lorry driver who killed Eilidh Cairns had faulty eyesight. He then went on to kill another woman in the same manner.
- The lorry driver who killed cyclist Brian Dorling turned across his path.
- The lorry driver who killed cyclist Svetlana Tereschenko was in an unsafe lorry, failing to indicate and chatting on a mobile.
- The lorry driver who killed cyclist Deep Lee failed to notice her and smashed into her from behind.
- The lorry driver that killed cyclist Andrew McNicoll failed to notice him and side swiped him.
- The lorry driver that killed cyclist Daniel Cox was in a truck which did not have the correct mirrors and whose driver had pulled into the ASL on a red light and was indicating in the opposite direction to which he turned.
- Red light jumping is as pervasive among drivers as it is among cyclists.
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Post it to het / his twitter feed.
The post it was in response to has been removed by the cowardly shitehawk.
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anti-cyclist-prejudice-and-tropes.zip
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Saturday, 30 June 2012
Cyclists: Take Note"Cyclists of various shapes and sizes acting like muppets"
OK, before I say anything else, I ride a bike. I ride to work (sometimes) and I have been known to cycle across Europe from time to time. That said... I HATE cyclists! Don't get me wrong, there is a lot to be said for riding a bike and if done properly, with due care and attention and respect, there is nothing wrong with it. However, as most of you will know, the courteous, well lit, single file, helmet wearing, law abiding cyclist is few and far between. Most think they own the road; they cycle about 3 foot from the kerb, they are not mindful of other road users and constantly jump red lights; red lights there to protect them and pedestrians.
There are different types of cyclists, each with their own unique style and habits that rub me up the wrong way:
The Commuter: Traffic is heavy, there are people everywhere, it is stop start and everyone is in a rush. These commuters, with their trousers tucked into their socks riding collapsible Bromptons, are a menace. They weave in and out of traffic, drift through red lights and most have head phones in their ears. This means they pedal away oblivious to the ambulance desperately trying to get past. They also tend to get where I am going quicker than me and quite frankly that annoys me!
The Trendy Cyclist: Some people cycle as much for the look as it is practical for them to do so. They slowly pedal away on their old fashioned bike complete with basket on the front without a care in the road. However in doing so, they fail to look left or right. In fact they fail to look at anything. They saunter across junctions, they swerve left and right, apparently incapable of cycling in a straight line and look truly offended at a) the noise of the siren or b) having to move and / or slow down to allow us to pass. How dare we?!
The Sunday Cyclist: Everyone cycles on Sundays, the roads are littered with bikes. I find the cycle clubs the worst. Groups of 20 plus men, all wearing their matching condom suits, insisting on cycling 3 abreast across the road. They go out of their way to be an obstruction and more often than not swear and hurl abuse when I resort to the 'bull horn' after the sirens have failed. They also don't wear helmets, just these stupid floppy caps. WEAR A BLOODY HELMET! Seriously!
There is no reason pedestrians, cars and cyclists cannot get on in harmony. Car drivers have their faults, as do pedestrians, but cyclists seem to be taking over the world without the skills and courtesy that cyclists on the continent have. They are a law unto themselves; they think that the Highway Code doesn't apply to them and cause endless crashes and traffic jams every single day. To that end, here is a list of 'don'ts' for our lycra loving population to adhere to:
Don't jump red lights Don't ride without a helmet Don't undertake anyone, ever Don't use my car to lean on at traffic lights. Mits off. Don't cycle in the middle of the road Don't jump red lights Don't ride without a helmet Don't change road position without signalling Don't wear headphones Don't ride on the pavement Don't ride without lights Don't jump red lights Don't ride without a helmet Don't wear all black outfits Don't dress like Lance Armstrong on your way to the shops Don't stop in front of the stop line so you can't see the lights Don't wear a face mask with no helmet * Don't jump red lights Don't ride without a helmet Don't roll in the middle of the road just because you are going fast Don't ignore pedestrian crossings Don't ignore ambulances Don't continue what you are doing when you hear sirens Don't jump red lights Don't ride without a helmet Don't hold onto cars to get your speed up. Don't swear at me because I have caused you to stop Don't leave the scene of an accident you have caused Don't think for a moment that you own the road Don't jump red lights Don't ride without a helmet Don't turn left or right without signalling Don't ride in the road if you can't ride in a straight line Don't ride 2 abreast Don't ride 3 abreast Don't jump red lights Don't ride without a helmet Don't block the road for a chin wag with your mates Don't pretend I don't exist just because you are going up hill Don't blame cars for everything, you are often to blame Don't think that any of us care that your bike cost more than our car Don't jump red lights Don't ride without a helmet Don't play chicken with a car Really don't play chicken with a van Really really don't play chicken with a bus Really really really don't play chicken with a lorry. They are not moving, because they haven't seen you. It will hurt. You will probably die and I will in turn need counselling!Admittedly, I am moaning a lot about the red light thing and the helmet thing but seriously, most injuries and deaths on the road from cyclists being knocked off are from them jumping red lights and not wearing helmet. *Also, the face mask with no helmet thing?! Is it just me or is there a seriously weird risk assessment going on there? 'I'm willing to risk falling off and cracking my skull open but got forbid I breathe in fumes'! Weird! Just for the record, car passengers are at higher risks from fumes than cyclists. Stop being a pretentious tool! Follow these simple rules and less people will get hurt. That's a fact. I'm not saying don't cycle, I cycle, but don't think that because you are being healthy and saving the environment that other road users will play nice. They won't. Be sensible and realise it is YOU that is going to get hurt and NOT the car or the concrete. Oh, and one more thing.....cycle lanes..... USE THEM!!!! Take note!
Click the Take Note photo at the top to see the other posts in the series!
Posted by Ella Shaw at 11:08 am
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Labels: Ambulance, Ambulance blog, Cyclists, EMS, EMT, NHS, Paramedic, Road safety, RTC, Take Note -
Bike shop employees should wear cycle helmets too
http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/car-hits-sheffield-bike-shop/01695910 times ffs!
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The comments are moderated in a queue though
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"most injuries and deaths on the road from cyclists being knocked off are from them jumping red lights and not wearing helmet. "
She's entitled to her views, however batshit crazy, but there's a nasty whiff of prejudice about claims like this.
Neither claim is even remotely true. It's just what people assume must be the case. Cyclists get the most stick for jumping reds, footway cycling, and not wearing helmets. Well, it's probably a bit of a stretch to claim that footway cycling kills them, so let's assume that about the other two.
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Lulz, although the leaning on cars thing is just kinda rude and pointless, do a sweet no handed trackstand or put your feet down. At least she had one point in a mountain of waffle.
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Short piece on BBC Breakfast with Chris Boardman, on cycling in cities. Nothing particularly revealing or controversial: cities are a bit shit for cycling.
In the studio round-up after the report, the final word from the presenter (who had accompanied Chris) was a short, factual statement that although she had been wearing a helmet, Chris hadn't because he thinks they're unnecessary.
Being apropos of nothing else and incongruously tagged on at the end, it was clearly a "don't try this at home" warning and the inference being that Chris was doing something dangerous and ill-advised.
Why no mention that she was wearing a fluorescent jacket and he was in "civvies"?
So much for informed, impartial broadcasting...
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I didn't see it that way - I thought it was more 'please don't inundate us with anguished e-mails and tweets about helmets'. Though I agree it was, peculiarly, delivered with the sort of solemnity usually reserved for announcements of a royal death.
More interesting was Chris Boardman saying he doesn't ride a bike in London because it is too unpleasant. That and his hipster pointy-handsignals. -
Maybe.
On the third showing, they added that they asked Chris why he wasn't wearing a helmet and have posted his response on Facebook.
If it's an issue, why post on FB and not broadcast it?
It strikes me that their attempt to address the issue neutrally, is anything but and also hypocritical: if his behaviour is so maverick it requires a caveat, why have him fronting the piece?
But I agree, his hand signal was risible; better though than her not indicating at all though.
[If someone with a FB account could quote it here, I'd like to read it.]
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Remember kids... always wear a helmet. (The almighty bikeradar helmet thread)
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"When I write these blogs I do so just saying what comes into my head,"
I'd better not say what just comes into my head