Cycle campaigning

Remember those ads on telly about how to share the road with horses (showing my age)? I can't believe there isn't the possibility for cheap instructionals for cyclists and motorists about giving each other a bit more care and respect. The motorbike ones (think bike and the think ahead ones) seem very effective. It really wouldn't hurt for there to be a governmentally endorsed message reminding us all of our obligations.

I believe that given the time (and means to pay my bills whilst doing it), I could find funding for this. Corporations love to win hearts and minds.

A few cycling campaign groups are made up of people who wear functional clothes and consider Millets trousers with detachable legs to be the height of fashion. But I have to acknowledge that at least they are willing to attend meetings, stand in the rain, collect signatures etc. My point that lead to Oliver starting this thread is that despite a lot of us being very vocal here, preaching to an audience of other cyclists, very few track-stand up and be counted at the roadside.

There are moments when it can feel like the Judean Peoples Front, there is some factioneering in the campaign groups, which does not always help matters, but this is where people like markbikeslondon are really doing amazing work, unifying various groups to come together.

I do appreciate this thread, I think the debate will be healthy, and hopefully it can be used to publicise campaigns in future.

Good points about personal responsibility and rljing but to me it is still a no-brainer: lorries should not be allowed to tear around our inner city roads especially during rush hour.

As far as I'm aware it's got nothing to do with HGV's 'tearing around'. The overwhelming majority of incidents appear to be at junctions, where I'd assume the vehicles involved are doing <10mph.

i have not read the above.

but it does seem to have kicked off a bit.

yes always important to stress the positive.

i love riding my bike. it is great fun and gives me a sense of freedom.

i have not read the above.

but it does seem to have kicked off a bit.

????

This has mostly been a very enjoyable and informative debate so far.

got to go to bed now.

happy campaigning (and riding).

????

This has mostly been a very enjoyable and informative debate so far.

^ nice one.

I must point out that LCC have done a lot of flyering in the past - it is hard to measure the effectiveness of this though.

In our ongoing efforts to reduce lorry deaths we have focussed at various times on the rider training and responsible cycling (we have promoted Exchanging Places events whereby cyclists have the opportunity to sit in the cab of a lorry to see exactly what (little) they can see from behind the wheel), as well as campaigned for lorry side guards, extra mirrors, automatic warning alarms, etc etc - we have never said it is all the driver's responsibility but I suppose there comes a point when these attempts just aren't enough to stop people dying, so much stronger demands need to be made.

A few cycling campaign groups are made up of people who wear functional clothes and consider Millets trousers with detachable legs to be the height of fashion.
tush!

and you have referred to nodders before

http://www.lfgss.com/post2408216-41052.html

This is like the last Black Mirror.

As far as I'm aware it's got nothing to do with HGV's 'tearing around'. The overwhelming majority of incidents appear to be at junctions, where I'd assume the vehicles involved are doing <10mph.
I personally think that's a wrong assumption. I know I see many large vehicles going at speed around junctions and along smaller roads all the time.

and you have referred to nodders before

http://www.lfgss.com/post2408216-41052.html
there are nodders and then there are actual nodders. i have grown to dislike this term anyway as i do think it's f*cking rude.

I only call people who nod when they pedal nodders.

I call the rest of them mouth breathers ;)

I call them friends I haven't met yet.

Or would ever want to.

I am willing to campaign

with all my energy

against the gratuitous use

of double spacing

Good

luck

Well, somebody has to. :)

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:)

This here is yet another example of the dividing lines being drawn http://www.lfgss.com/thread77390.html. Naturally it has prompted quite a reaction from 'us', which I think purposefully fails to recognise some of the more reasonable points the article makes.

This here is stream of cuntery many levels up from anything i would expect to see in print. Naturally it has prompted a reaction from us and it should prompt a (violent!) reaction from anyone who reads it. The only valid points are that we usually come off worse in a collision and that imperfect cycling contributes to some accidents (both of which the cunt states in more exaggerated forms). It's in places ignorant, throughout morally cowardly and outright dangerous given the target audience.

This is why I'd like to see bike shops taking a small bit of responsibility and teams of volunteers talking to people on the street and hanging notices on parked bike handlebars. I really believe it could raise awareness.

I wrote a business case to gain funding for an independent info campaign a while back and received some interest from a few companies who were happy to fund printing and distribution in return for a money off voucher for their products on the back. Perhaps a little poor taste given the severity of the message although perhaps it would reduce the scaremongering factor slightly?

CTUK do not leave their promotional material on locked up bikes because, if the bike is left over night, the leaflet still attached to it marks it out as a bike that is open to being nicked. CTUK and Hackney do distribute promotional material to bike shops, libraries and sports centres though.

Interesting. There is also a risk for corporate littering liability.

Top tube stickers? Using soft glue that leaves no residue and peels easily...

i think stickering could still antagonise people

Sorry for so many quotes above, but I wanted to draw all the relevent stuff for this together, as I think that its an interesting idea, but I do see and understand the problems with it. Might spokecards be a better solution? Less obvious that cards hung on the top tube, less risk of them just being dumped, less issues with glue than top tube stickers...

Just a thought :)

It does put people off cycling to be told that cycling is dangerous, which it isn't....

Well I disagree I think it's hideously dangerous. I've been doing it seriously for a couple of years and I've had more near death experiences from other road users (lorry overtaking and crushing me, cars blasting past at 60mph speed differential with a couple of inches clearance, cars overtaking and cutting in too early etc) than I did on active service in NI when people were deliberately trying to kill me.

We are without doubt second class road users who motorists may injure and kill with near impunity. People should know what they're getting into, the dangers should be highlighted and then maybe we might get some action even if it puts people off starting up.

If cycling is dangerous then why do generation after generation of parents put their kids on bikes? I mean, that's just negligent surely? Someone call social services! [kidding]

Cycling isn't dangerous, it's the behaviour of people (including cyclists) out on the roads that can and does create dangerous situations for cyclists (and others too).

By some measures, cycling is less 'dangerous' than walking. The truth is that both are very low-risk activities.