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I'm not sure Thatcher got rid of Cycling Proficiency, as I remember doing mine when Major was in power.
I also don't remember fuck all from it other than sticking your arm out to indicate. It took me about two years of riding like a dunce on the streets (and pavements) of Derby about 15 years after I did my test before I got into internet forums and actually read stuff about cycling better.
We really just need to get info out there to people taking to bikes as to better riding techniques and the benefits thereof as no one is really exposed to the information. But sadly there's people like that Donowotsit bloke who are afaik actively against that because it detracts from the exclusive goal of cycle lanes.
Jezston-
^ Such a daft line of division; why aren't individuals fast on some days and really slow on others? (Age does this to you, fam.)
I'm not sure Thatcher got rid of Cycling Proficiency, as I remember doing mine when Major was in power.
I also don't remember fuck all from it other than sticking your arm out to indicate. It took me about two years of riding like a dunce on the streets (and pavements) of Derby about 15 years after I did my test before I got into internet forums and actually read stuff about cycling better.
We really just need to get info out there to people taking to bikes as to better riding techniques and the benefits thereof as no one is really exposed to the information. But sadly there's people like that Donowotsit bloke who are afaik actively against that because it detracts from the exclusive goal of cycle lanes.>
The point is that the idea of doing any kind of a test/course wasn't so strange, the idea of communicating with other road users was seen as the norm.
Right now there are numerous people even here that will champion training yet wouldn't contemplate doing it themselves...
I did an S.U.D course this weekend that went really well. The drivers really got it. They got a firm understanding of why cyclists do the stuff they do (e.g. failures of infrastructure). They got a taste of being tailgated by cars and non-related HGVs rumbling around them - with a driver on the phone in one case. They all admitted at the end that they'd still be reluctant to sign up to a course...I guess its A.E.A.R.B (as easy as riding a bike)
...Le sigh
MultiGrooves
MuckBulligan
Why should someone that cycles to and from work on night shifts be subjected to HGVs with the added danger of a lack of visibility?
Drivers are now forced to sit an SUD (safe urban driving) course to drive in London and are getting better. No matter how good, how understanding they may become, we still have hundreds or thousands of that lost generation of cyclists* that still undertake at junctions despite the flashing lights and loud alarm. This leads us back to the issue of cycle infrastructure...
*Lost generation = Along with our milk it was thatcher that ended cycle proficiency.