Sheffield Cycling on the increase

[Scabbydog 10]

Are you accusing me of running defective/un safe vehicles on public roads?

Probably best ignore that trolling post.

 

Not me your honour. It is just that several of the illustrious posters on here seem to think it is.

 

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1286605

[stifflersmom 11]

Not me your honour. It is just that several of the illustrious posters on here seem to think it is.

 

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1286605

 

Ah, a BMX thread. Not at all relevant to commuting or road cycling.

[onewheeldave 22]

Not me your honour. It is just that several of the illustrious posters on here seem to think it is.

 

http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1286605

 

It's not that relevant to this thread.

 

The only road bikes you see with 1 brake are the single speed, no-freewheel 'fixie' bikes- i.e. fixed gear bikes.

 

It's legal for them to have only a front brake, as the fact that they can lock/slow the rear wheel via the pedals is classed as a brake.

 

BMX's sometimes lack a front brake as the cables make some tricks impossible. Do they ride them on the roads to get to the skatepark? Yes, I'm sure some do.

 

Is riding in traffic with only a rear brake safe? I certainly wouldn't do it- the front brake is the main brake, the most powerfull and the best for stopping.

 

Is it a big problem that a minority of BMX-ers, making up a tiny minority of cycles on the road, sometimes ride with 1 brake? Not in comparison to the amount of metal boxes lacking insurance/license, lacking a competent driver, and/or lacking basic respect for vulnerable road users (e.g. cyclists).

 

Cars are a menace- the roads are in a state due to excessive numbers of cars, whose drivers are so disgruntled by the traffic jams and expenses/cost of motoring that they go rabid at the sight of cyclists zipping past the mess they're in caused by incredible numbers of cars on the roads.

 

Cyclists doo not slow traffic down- traffic is slow cos way, way, too many metal boxes are on the roads.

 

Ask any driver if they'd prefer that 90% of car drivers switched to cycling, and any box driver with their brain engaged would surely have to agree that, yes, more cycles and less boxes would indeed greatly facilitate traffic flow.

 

Next time you're in your boxes, crawling along behind a cycle, cast your eyes around and realise that you can't pass them purely because of the lines of hundreds of parked or slow moving cars that prevent you passing the cyclist- if those cars weren't there, you'd have no issue.

 

Alternatively, sit in your boxes and persist in your delusion that cyclists are somehow to blame- keep forking out £2k/3k/4k a year on ever rising insurance, fuel, MOT costs and seethe in your jelousy each time a cyclist passes you in your self made jams.

 

And, as a final point, maybe another reason some cyclists ignore your reds is cos the only reason we need traffic lights is to control the gross numbers of metal boxes chundering along roads that simply aren't sufficient to host those numbers. It's your mess- man up and deal with it- don't try to fob it onto cyclists who, in reality, by being on a bike and not a car, are probably the motorists best friend.

[Penistone999 10]

Sell your bike and get the bus

 

Thats good advice for ALL cyclists .

[Rob_1 10]

For the umpteenth time....Riding a bicycle and driving a car are not the same.

 

All because someone knows how to drive a car it doesn't follow they know how to ride a bike safely.

 

Make them take lessons before getting onto busy main roads and then they should be safer.

 

Regards

 

Doom

 

Actually they wouldn't. What would happen is all cyclists would learn to ride assertively, not riding in the gutter and taking primary position in the centre of lanes when it is the safer option.

 

This should make cyclists themselves much safer as a whole, but would hugely increase the amount of bad driving and road rage from drivers who would feel they were being 'held up' on purpose, and that cyclists should move over to within 6" of the kerb so they can squeeze past - after all cars have more right to be on the roads because we pay 'car tax' innit!

 

Btw we have two cars and pay over £400 per year VED already, do you think I should pay more to ride my bike too? I have zero interest in cycle lanes other than in the city centre - and it's in the interests of local councils and government to encourage as much cycling as possible to reduce pollution and congestion, therefore potentially increasing footfall and revenue as they become easier to access.

 

So no, I wouldn't be willing to pay a penny extra for cycle infastructure as it is in the interests of everyone for it to be there.

Edited March 28, 2014 by Rob_1

[Stan Tamudo 10]

Despite a disappointing flat picture across the whole UK, Sheffield is named as one of the cities seeing a strong increase in the number of commuting cyclists.

 

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/mar/26/commuter-cycling-fails-census-data-uk

 

Great stuff.

[jezzyjj 10]

Cycling threads on SF are a complete waste of time. Certain people have an irrational hatred of cyclists and these posters come out with the same stupid, ignorant comments every single time. There's no point informing them of any actual facts as they so obviously have a bigoted viewpoint they are not interested in the reality of the world.

 

I think every cycling thread needs to start with a link to the facts rebuffing the usual nonsense, saying to read this before posting any replies. Then if anyone mentions for example 'road tax', 'jumping lights' 'income tax' or the most stupid of all 'cyclists slow traffic down' the post simply get deleted and replaced with a link to the facts re cycling and road tax etc.

[Doom 10]

turn right on an early sunday morning to go in to the peaks it can absolutely glorious. Gliding along, early sun turing the mist on the reservoirs orange, cheery wave to farmer as i stop to let his sheep pass. Check me out, getting all poetic.

 

Now that sounds like my sort of scene.

 

and Doom, I was the that cyclist that stopped this morning...

 

It's a small world.

 

Yourself and I would guess most of the other posters on here are the acceptable face of cycling, because you take it seriously and follow the rules of the road.

 

The problem I have is that I believe there are some people who wake up in the morning and suddenly decide they're going to start cycling to work to keep fit, but don't have the first clue about cycling properly.

 

These individuals are not only a danger to themselves, but also other road users. A few lessons and a competence test certainly wouldn't go amiss as far as I'm concerned.

 

Regards

 

Doom

[alas_alas 10]

Why don't you just change the record, Doom. You seem to be stuck. Just can't help having a dig, can you?

 

It seems to be beyond your capacities to imagine that the road is free for everyone to use. And that it might benefit everyone if you improve overall safety and conditions of the transport network rather than isolating cyclists as a modern day boogyman.

[onewheeldave 22]

 

These individuals are not only a danger to themselves, but also other road users. A few lessons and a competence test certainly wouldn't go amiss as far as I'm concerned.

 

Regards

 

Doom

 

Just out of interest, do you have an opinion on whether a compulsory competence test would lead to less cyclists on the road?

[martinj_77 10]

Hold on, Doom is raising a valid point.

 

There are some terribly bad cyclist out there. There are also millions of good ones.

I raised the point previously that BAD cyclists who jump red light etc are only doing it because they don't want to stop at red lights, and they think they'll get away with it. Chancers... thats it, just like BAD motorists are just chancers. But Doom raises a very valid point that SOME people are possibly going through red lights on bikes because they THINK its ok, they don't know any different. Some bad motorists will be messing up because they've forgotten everything from their driving test or just really not that good for what ever reason. Some BAD people chose the break rules, put people at risk, some are just clueless/just plain rubbish at it for what ever reason.

 

The blond guy on the pale blue/black kinesis-crosslight-fivet obviously knew his cycling, but chose to chance the reds lights that morning. Education probably isnt going to stop those BAD cyclists, just like education doesn't seem to stop BAD motorists from drink driving, using their mobile phones, bullying cyclists of the road. Thats why we have traffic police (wish they could be a little more active on the roads though). But for the new people who just don't know different, yes, i think there should be compulsory training. I'm not talking about 8 weeks of lessons followed by 3 tests costing a thousand pounds like the DAS motorbike licence, just one off 30 mins/£15 or so with a police cyclists or such. thats it. Really not that big an issue. Yes, it will reduce the amount of cyclists, but also possibly accidents, deaths. Of course its very possible i may be completely wrong, so please suggest an alternative. But also I could imagine the amount of motorists on the road being reduced by re-testing every few years.

 

Some people just don't take the roads seriously. The GOOD people do, the BAD ones don't. may be we could reduce the amount of bad people on the road...by turning the bad good. but some are plain rubbish. The wifes car was crashed in to by some one on a roundabout who just replied 'sorry, wasnt looking'. OK fair enough, they admitted fault but...'wasn't looking' as an explanation?

 

I'm trying to destroy the myth that its cyclists Vs motorists. It isn't. its BAD and CLUELESS people Vs GOOD people.

 

Why not suggest ways to fix the problems rather than tarring the good from each camp with the same brush as the bad and firing abuse at them. Like the subject of post is trying to discuss...

There will be more and more cyclists and motorists on the roads, so best try to get along.

[LeMaquis 10]

.....I believe there are some people who wake up in the morning and suddenly decide they're going to start cycling to work to keep fit, but don't have the first clue about cycling properly.

 

You believe that, do you? Do you have any evidence? Do you also believe in fairies?