United Kingdom

This reminds me of two recent posts that I got involved in here.

The first was about Wales' upcoming 20mph zone, where people were complaining that "they're just trying to generate revenue". Well, only if you decide to break the law, surely?

The other was a discussion on the cyclists who were "caught" speeding in Devon. Drivers were outraged and wanted cyclists to adhere to the speed limits (good luck without a speedometer). But they would get apoplectic when you suggested that they should do the same.

As a cyclist it always strikes me that we probably don't need any new laws to make the roads safe, we just need the current laws to be enforced and obeyed. If every driver gave every cyclist 1.5m of space, priority at junctions, kept out of the cycle lanes, etc. as they'resupposed to then the roads would be a lovely place to cycle.

Driver training and awareness campaigns and reduced speed limits are all tinkering around the edges. They don't make any meaningful change. The Netherlands and Denmark proved this is a solved problem: build dedicated cycleways with a curb separating them. Yes it's expensive, but it works. Anything else is virtue signalling. Cars and bicycles are wildly different modes of transport. Asking them to share the same space is dangerous. Much more dangerous than asking pedestrians and cyclists to share the same space.

Here are the 10 recommendations (there's a lot of text surrounding these explaining and justifying them which I've trimmed out):
A1) the Government consider the introduction of escalating penalties for repeat traffic offences.
A2) the Government seek consistency by requiring re-testing for anyone wishing to drive following any period of disqualification.
A3a) the Government increase the maximum sentence for dangerous driving to four years.
A3b) the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) guide police forces to bail drivers whom they arrest for dangerous driving with a condition not to drive.
A4) the Sentencing Council revisit its 2020 guidance on the totting-up disqualification, to reinforce that exceptional hardship should only be granted in truly exceptional circumstances.
A5) tolerances in the enforcement of speeding be removed.
B1) the development of guidance based on best practice, with the intention that it is adopted as widely as possible by Police forces.
B2) the implementation of a standardised system across police forces for submission and processing of third-party reporting, based on best practice and supported by adequate resourcing.
B3) the Government appoint a UK Commissioner for Road-Danger Reduction.
B4) Police and Crime Commissioners should consider all crash victims as victims of crime.
B5) the Government launch a very extensive and ongoing communications campaign designed to increase greatly both understanding of and compliance with the changes

I live in a moderately sized British town which is completely flat and would be perfect for cycling, but it's so car focused it's ridiculous. There used to be a cycle lane at some point but it's completely washed out and no one bothers to fix it. If you cycle anywhere you expect to be killed any moment, because people are annoyed by you and overtake by the smallest margin. Just recently there was this absolute bastard complaining in the town's Facebook group about people doing less than 60mph in the b-roads around town, the same b-roads that are super twisty and barely fit two cars side by side, and should really be 40mph.

I've been trying to get my local council to enforce the law on the road near me and have just been fobbed off repeatedly.

It's a 30 road, with a school and loads of pedestrians and cyclists using it yet we see people running the red lights, speeding well over 50 and doing crazy overtakes DAILY

I've driven and cycled in 3 other countries and England is by far the scariest, feels like every other driver is trying to kill you

I got into cycling a few months ago, but I’m pretty much done with it at this point. Last week I was nearly hit twice on a 10 minute ride…

I love it, but it’s just not safe, and I find that it’s just a stressful experience at this point. It’s also not just cars, pedestrians have zero respect for a cyclist on a road or shared cycle path.

I’ve had people just walk out into the road and expect me to go around… people wouldn’t do that with a car ffs.

Then I’m getting shouted at on a shared path because someone had to move slightly to one side, despite the rules being that no one has right of way.

Government wants me to cycle? The government can get fucked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiVuHEv2VZ4

I love the arguments about tolerances, how "having to stare at the speedometer will make things less safe".

The average 17 year old is expected to be able to drive at a steady speed while dividing attention effectively and NOT staring at the speedometer, and demonstrate this skill on their driving test. So basically all the people going on about how they will "have to stare at the speedo" are saying: "Speed limits shouldn't be enforced because I'm too incompetent to safely drive at the speed limit". It makes me think that it would be a good idea that driving licenses really expire at their expiration date, requiring a new driving test.

Anyone who thinks driving at the speed limit needs to stare at the speedo seriously needs some remedial training from a driving instructor.

This is the best summary I could come up with:

Talking in public for the first time about the death of his mother, Carol, who was run over in 2016 while cycling in north Wales by a pickup truck driver who had just been on the phone, Boardman recounted his dash to the hospital in Chester from France on learning the news.

Compiled by the all-party parliamentary group on walking and cycling, the report contains 10 recommendations, which while considered and relatively modest, could have a transformative effect if implemented.

In which other area of life, I asked, would an activity that on an average day kills five people and seriously injures more than 80 be treated as normal, with attempts to curb this toll seen as nanny state interventionism?

Just before Boardman spoke, Yair Shahar, a London-based father of three, quietly set out how a driver pulling out from a side road rode directly over him and his bike.

One of the recommendations included in the report is to greatly curb the ability of repeat speeders who keep their licence even after amassing 12 points by claiming “exceptional hardship”.

This is a long-term structural issue, and even though the current justice secretary, Alex Chalk, is a former co-chair of the all-party cycling group, no one is holding their breath for immediate action.

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