----- Original Message -----
From: "Ian Walker" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 11:58 AM
Subject: Re: widespread visible onroad cycle facilities
> One possible interpretation of the increase
> in cycling you refer to (and I throw this out as a thought rather than
> hard fact) might be that the creation of cycle lanes doesn't
> necessarily make people feel safer as such, but rather acts as a form
> of advertising, regularly illustrating the potential to cycle and -
> perhaps more importantly - demonstrating official approval of the act.
From personal anecdote, I think this might be true. As someone who cycled
(in london) in the early eighties and has recently returned to doing so, I
certainly felt gladdened and encouraged by all the nice green lanes
(although when I started using them, they did seem to have promised more
than they delivered).
To build a speculation on what is already a mere speculation, I wonder if
there might be something similar going on with high-vis clothing. I've
haven't worked through the research on conspicuity but I gather (please put
me right if I've got this wrong) that there is by no means an inevitable
chain of causality that goes "bright clothes - will be noticed by motorist -
motorist takes extra care - cyclist will be safer" and that in some
circumstances it might in fact go "semi-official-looking clothes - will be
interpeted by motorist as indicating exceptional competence - motorist
passes closer - cyclist slightly less safe".
However, maybe the appearance of cyclists in a sort of specialised uniform
(the high-vis jacket plus helmet and flashing lights) might act as an
advertisement for the activity. All this extra kit does make cycling look a
bit dangerous but by that very token it also makes it look both *exciting*
and *serious* as a mode of transport - the sort of thing a grown-up can
legitimately *choose* to do, and that is worth doing, not just a casual
default for poor people (and people will make strenuous efforts not to
appear poor).
I certainly wouldn't advocate the increasing "formalisation" of cycling on
these grounds and I do agree that if you start to feel that half a ton of
kit is *necessary* it does put off more people than it attracts and should
be resisted for that reason. But on the other hand, the flocks of
flourescent cyclists who have recently appeared in london do sort of make me
think "oh, that does look fun!".
Martin Parkinson
(www.parkinson.greenisp.org)
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