Hello everyone
I've been a lurker on the
list so far, but the email below has got me to post.
Recent debates on the forum
about onroad cycling facilities look to be made more urgent by this
small but potentially serious change to the Highway Code (see article
below)
One of my fears about on road cycling
facilities (probably well articulated in the forum discussion which I confess I
skimmed a bit..) is the risk of a presumption that I should be using them if
they're there - meaning that if I choose instead to be part of the traffic,
either a driver feels less obligation to give me space, or if the worst
happens a drivers' insurers/lawyers argue its my fault for getting in the
way of the vehicle when alternative facilites were available, regardles of how
inconvenient/unsafe they are.
This modification to the Code
seems set to give that position conclusive weight, on the road and in
the courts. So, just takes a few seconds to send an email to your MP via
the CTC site (link in article below), at the least.
Looking forward to the
weekend..
Matt
____________________________________________
Dr Matt
Watson
Department of Geography, Durham
University
Science Site, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
t +44
(0) 191 334 1856
f +44 (0) 191 334 1801
e
[log in to unmask]
____________________________________________
Get the full picture. Click here to see the html
version.
<http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/news/week_news/news1.html>
WARNING: THE HIGHWAY CODE MIGHT DRIVE YOU OFF THE
ROAD
Every cyclist should be aware that The Driving Standards Agency is
currently revising the Highway Code. This includes a proposal to urge cyclists
to 'use cycle routes when practicable and cycle facilities ... where they are
provided (Rule 58)'.
This sounds like common sense until you consider the
implications.
What if you were hit by a car on a road near a cycle path
and the lawyer or insurance company defending the motorist used the alibi that
the accident wouldn't have occured if you had stuck to the cycle path? What if
you consider your local off-road cycle path less safe after dark than a lit
road? How many cycle paths have a sign at every access point to alert potential
users of their existence?
The Driving Standards Agency's proposal ignores
the decisions every one of us takes whenever we travel. One day we'll choose the
safest route. Next day, the quickest and most convenient. On Sunday, when time
is not a consideration, you might take the prettiest. All these factors come
into play whether we cycle, walk or drive. The problem with this proposal is
that, for the first time, it questions the cyclist's equal right to use the
public road (bar motorways / dual carriageways). And it ignores the fact that
whenever you choose to cycle rather than take the car you are part of the
solution to the ever-growing problems of road congestion, danger, pollution and
global warming. Cyclists are not the problem, yet, once again, we are being
singled out by the bureaucrats. The Driving Standards Agency's brains are
obviously crying out for oxygen. We suggest a brisk road ride.
The CTC
(Cyclist's Touring Club) are heading the campaign against this bad proposal.
They have even penned a suggested email, automatically addressed to your MP. See
ctc.org for the full story.
<http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4303>