Responsible Cycling Zones ?

How about this for an idea?

Create Responsible Cycling Zones around major City Centres (say, ZONE 1 in London) wherein all cyclists would need to be registered, insured and attend a day of cycling-safely training (and possibly wear a helmet)

This will help to reduce the appalling accident rate by helping novice cyclists to cycle safely. It will also cut down on the 'renegade' attitude that many cyclists display, knowing that traffic violations could be traced back to them.

Limiting these measures to busy city centres will stop the CTC moaning about 'punishing everyone' in the UK and deterring people from taking up cycling due to excessive legislation.

It would be a massive PR boost for cyclists who are (often rightly) criticised by motorists for having no training or insurance. It would show a collective will amoung cyclists to act responsibly and counter the somewhat reckless image that hangs over us.

Of course there must be incentives to sweeten the deal - so the training is FREE - and perhaps registering comes with 2 years free insurance and a 10% discount card for local stores?

... Of course the concept behind the whole idea is undermined by the very existance of Boris Bikes - unless the 'casual use' option was dropped and yearly subscribers were obliged to undertake the registeration process.

Any thoughts?

Fuck this!

How about this for an idea?

Create Responsible Cycling Zones around major City Centres (say, ZONE 1 in London) wherein all cyclists would need to be registered, insured and attend a day of cycling-safely training (and possibly wear a helmet).

This sounds unworkable. The public wouldn't take the limiting of their freedom of movement without a riot. I hope.

This will help to reduce the appalling accident rate by helping novice cyclists to cycle safely. It will also cut down on the 'renegade' attitude that many cyclists display, knowing that traffic violations could be traced back to them.

It'd probably be cheaper and easier to gain support for police at every red in Zone 1, each with a tazer.

It would be a massive PR boost for cyclists who are (often rightly) criticised by motorists for having no training or insurance. It would show a collective will amoung cyclists to act responsibly and counter the somewhat reckless image that hangs over us.

Only if this 'pilot' was rolled-out across the country.

Of course there must be incentives to sweeten the deal - so the training is FREE - and perhaps registering comes with 2 years free insurance and a 10% discount card for local stores?

We're not materialistic enough to give all that up for a discount card. Which is why I don't want compulsory insurance considered vital because a wing-mirror on a german saloon
costs £120.

... Of course the concept behind the whole idea is undermined by the very existance of Boris Bikes...

Yeah, amongst other things.

The concept has plenty of flaws, sure.

But if cyclists must continue to share the same road space as cars - we should all try to get along.

So how do we...

1) Improve cyclist behaviour (often maligned)

2) Educate poor cyclists (I see them take deadly risks every day)

3) Improve the "image" of cyclists?

Have you stopped at an ASL recently? I don't think "getting along" is gonna cut the mustard anymore. A major rethink is required.

1. That implies there's something wrong with it to begin with, which frankly, even though I got "trained" to drive a car, never stopped me being a dick when I had a car on my hands. Being a dick is down to the person, not the training. As long as I still hear the "you don't pay road tax" shouted at me, my attitude isn't going to change very quickly.i

2. WUT?

3. The whole publicity/Boris beating around the bush isn't going to change overnight with a couple of speeches and blue paint spanning the city. Frankly, "image" is hardly useful when you get overtaken by a HGV.

Your whole argument, while commendable, sounds like a PR brush over that seems to look for the easiest way out then taking a deep look at why cycling in the U.K overall is such a hot potato topic.

... Of course the concept behind the whole idea is undermined by the very existance of Boris Bikes - unless the 'casual use' option was dropped and yearly subscribers were obliged to undertake the registeration process.
Any thoughts?

It's also undermined by the fact it's a well debated topic that hasn't been carried out anywhere for a reason

10% discount to local stores you say? I'm in!

How about an "enforce the road laws that are supposed to be enforced in the first place" zone? Then once we no longer see amber gambling, speeding, driving while using mobiles, careless driving, dangerous driving, driving non-legal cars and lorries, driving without insurance, etc etc, we can see if we also need additional legal controls on cyclists.

There are c30 deaths a week on UK roads and very few are cyclists. Focussing on cyclist behaviour might have some improvement on the cyclist death rate but it won't do anything for the overall death rate. Focusing on driver behavior would help everyone.

repped. if it were economically/practically viable* to have shitloads of police going about arresting everyone they saw committing a crime on the roads there would be a lot less deaths of pedestrians/cyclists/drivers. If we also compelled HGVs to have side and rear cameras eliminating all blindspots, then it would be almost job done.

*sadly it's not

How about an "enforce the road laws that are supposed to be enforced in the first place" zone? Then once we no longer see amber gambling, speeding, driving while using mobiles, careless driving, dangerous driving, driving non-legal cars and lorries, driving without insurance, etc etc, we can see if we also need additional legal controls on cyclists.

There are c30 deaths a week on UK roads and very few are cyclists. Focussing on cyclist behaviour might have some improvement on the cyclist death rate but it won't do anything for the overall death rate. Focusing on driver behavior would help everyone.

This in spades^

Driver behaviour is all. It needs to improve. If it's impossible to enforce, slow them down with road design when they are around people.

have you ever seen season 3 of the wire? that didn't turn out well.

neither would this idea.

change infrastructure first and attitudes would improve for everyone. cyclists haven't killed anyone in a collision, cars have. i'd focus more on things that can kill than things that can't.
but that's just me.

change infrastructure first and attitudes would improve for everyone. cyclists haven't killed anyone in a collision, cars have. i'd focus more on things that can kill than things that can't.
but that's just me.

People kill. They are not things. Cars are only things like guns, they don't kill without people .
I am not a pedant referring to drivers not cars is important