Driver takes out 50 cyclists

What do you think we can do about the bad driving?

Imagine we think up a really good solution. Would we be able to get it introduced. What would the immediate reaction of drivers be?

to be honest, if you'd asked me before i moved to london, i would have said "better driver education".

now, i say "get more cyclists on the road and improve peoples' awareness"

the reason i say this is because despite the much greater traffic density here, i personally feel that the traffic is much more accepting of cyclists. i'm pretty sure the difference is not one of education. i think it's because of two reasons:

a) the traffic is slower - therefore the traffic doesn't feel like cyclists slow it down (cyclists mostly travel at a similar speed to cars in london). cars don't have as much reason to get aggressive.

b) drivers know there are shitloads of cyclists, and are forced to look out for them. i know people complain about drivers not looking, but it's FAR better here than it is in melbourne!

so i feel significantly safer on the roads here, despite the much higher traffic density (and bendy buses). i don't think education works as well as forcing people to pay attention through experience does.

feeling safer in heavier traffic may sound counter-intuitive, but in london i'm the quickest thing on the road. drivers are forced to be aware (to avoid hitting other cars, pedestrians, bikes). in australia i'm constantly getting passed by vehicles travelling 2-3 times my speed, and the drivers don't give a fuck about cyclists.

but to be honest, my dad used to tell me stories about things drivers used to do to him while he was riding, and based on that it's far better than it was 20 years ago.