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Do We Need Tougher Cycling Laws?
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After this case there have been calls for tougher cycling laws but I don't think we need them, we just need to more rigorously enforce the more than adequate ones we have. Eg stop riding on the pavement, through red lights, no lights, no brakes, non road bikes etc. All we have to do is get serious with what we have not introduce more to ignore. This guy was riding an illegal bike for example and should not even have been on the road. Lets start prosecuting cycling offences.
After this case there have been calls for tougher cycling laws but I don't think we need them, we just need to more rigorously enforce the more than adequate ones we have. Eg stop riding on the pavement, through red lights, no lights, no brakes, non road bikes etc. All we have to do is get serious with what we have not introduce more to ignore. This guy was riding an illegal bike for example and should not even have been on the road. Lets start prosecuting cycling offences.
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Once of aday bikes used to have rear view mirrors / bells not any more "Why" they should be aware of what's behind them as much as what's in front of them, make it illegal to undertake any type of vehicle especially HGV's for their own safety, High Viz Vest's should be a legal requirement, am I right in saying this lady crossed the road although the Traffic lights were on green to the cyclist, & the woman was on her phone, although It's not very nice to say it but she should have been aware of the traffic.
The size of the bike to the size of the car in relation to injury Gness, a cyclist can loose a leg by getting hit by a car but not the motorist, we have them here the same as your area with all the gear on, Helmet, Clothing, Sun Glasses ( even when it's Izzing down) can they see? I understand there are some aggressive motorist out there, & at times the aggression is caused by the inconsiderate cyclist that pay nothing for using the road but expect everyone else to get out of their way, that's my views Gness xx
the inconsiderate cyclist that pay nothing for using the road but expect everyone else to get out of their way,
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Oh dear, back to that old(but massively inaccurate) chestnut, hence we have motorists with the attitude they have.
For the umpteenth time NOBODY pays Road Tax because no such tax exists.
EVERY tax payer contributes to the building and upkeep of the UK's highways.
You're confusing it with Vehicle Excise Duty.
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Oh dear, back to that old(but massively inaccurate) chestnut, hence we have motorists with the attitude they have.
For the umpteenth time NOBODY pays Road Tax because no such tax exists.
EVERY tax payer contributes to the building and upkeep of the UK's highways.
You're confusing it with Vehicle Excise Duty.
Irrespective of nit picking about semantics, a sport at which I excel, it is a clear fact that cyclists contribute nothing from their cycling to the Exchequer whereas motorists pay through fuel tax, VED etc., they are also obliged to have insurance, maybe cyclists should also be obliged to carry third party insurance as they do in many other countries.
In this sad case the pedestrian seems to have been at fault too, we all need to be more aware when being pedestrians.
In this sad case the pedestrian seems to have been at fault too, we all need to be more aware when being pedestrians.
Returning to the OP, the widower would like to see a change in the law:
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[i]Mr Briggs told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was campaigning for a change in the law because "sometimes in life you have to step up and do the right thing". He called for cycling to be incorporated into the Road Traffic Act with the creation of new offences, such as causing death by dangerous cycling, death by careless cycling and causing serious injury.
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Alliston was charged with an admittedly archaic offence - but it is the closest to dangerous driving a cyclist can be charged with.
Unlike a dangerous cycling charge, causing GBH by wanton and furious driving takes into account injury. It may sound slightly eccentric, but perhaps it is down to its wording which was coined in 1861. Introduced under the Offences Against the Person Act, the charge was created to deter people from driving horse carriages recklessly. It is now used when it is not possible to prosecute under the Road Traffic Act 1988 - ie, when the vehicle in the crime was not mechanically propelled - and in cases of serious injury or death caused by a cyclist's actions.[i]
So it does seem like time to bring the law up to date - mention of a "coachman" in the law wording (see link) shows how archaic it is.
http://
[i]Mr Briggs told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he was campaigning for a change in the law because "sometimes in life you have to step up and do the right thing". He called for cycling to be incorporated into the Road Traffic Act with the creation of new offences, such as causing death by dangerous cycling, death by careless cycling and causing serious injury.
...
Alliston was charged with an admittedly archaic offence - but it is the closest to dangerous driving a cyclist can be charged with.
Unlike a dangerous cycling charge, causing GBH by wanton and furious driving takes into account injury. It may sound slightly eccentric, but perhaps it is down to its wording which was coined in 1861. Introduced under the Offences Against the Person Act, the charge was created to deter people from driving horse carriages recklessly. It is now used when it is not possible to prosecute under the Road Traffic Act 1988 - ie, when the vehicle in the crime was not mechanically propelled - and in cases of serious injury or death caused by a cyclist's actions.[i]
So it does seem like time to bring the law up to date - mention of a "coachman" in the law wording (see link) shows how archaic it is.
Vehicle excise duty is a tax that motorists pay to be on the road with their vehicle, therefore a road tax. They also have to have insurance and have the vehicle checked every year for road worthiness. Cyclists pay nothing to be on the road, they don't have to have insurance and only check the cycle when the chain comes off.
I heard an 'alarm' on a bike today when it went past a pedestrian and it sounded like a dog's squeaky toy, you should have seen my dog's face, it was a picture. I definitely think the laws we have in place now should be more rigourously enforced, sick of them riding on pavements and coming up behind me without me knowing they are there !
That didn't answer my question at all, TWR. Should motorists be trained to take into account cyclists as other road users and not an afterthought to be hassled?......
I pay my road tax, VED, car tax....choose the one that makes you happy....... which I think allows me to use a wheeled vehicle on our roads....
I pay a little extra on my house insurance and almost £100 cycle insurance on top of that to a specialist insurance company. This covers me, my bike and any damage I may cause by making motorists aggressive.......
Oh and my bike is extremely well maintained, Vulcan.... :-)
I pay my road tax, VED, car tax....choose the one that makes you happy....... which I think allows me to use a wheeled vehicle on our roads....
I pay a little extra on my house insurance and almost £100 cycle insurance on top of that to a specialist insurance company. This covers me, my bike and any damage I may cause by making motorists aggressive.......
Oh and my bike is extremely well maintained, Vulcan.... :-)
> Should motorists be trained to take into account cyclists as other road users and not an afterthought to be hassled?......
Yes, and they are. Motorists have lessons and a test, which they can fail and not be allowed on the road - unlike cyclists. This lad actually tried to use ignorance as a defence, but unfortunately it isn't. Perhaps there needs to be lessons and tests to ensure that those cyclists who are ignorant become educated, and thereby reduce the chances that they end up being prosecuted for killing people - as it does for motorists.
Yes, and they are. Motorists have lessons and a test, which they can fail and not be allowed on the road - unlike cyclists. This lad actually tried to use ignorance as a defence, but unfortunately it isn't. Perhaps there needs to be lessons and tests to ensure that those cyclists who are ignorant become educated, and thereby reduce the chances that they end up being prosecuted for killing people - as it does for motorists.
In that case, Ellipsis.......many motorists either forget or ignore those lessons once they pass their test.
I cycle and I drive.....I have acknowledged that there are some folk on bikes who are a menace..... but those of us who do cycle responsibly experience far too often unwarranted aggression and danger from motorists.....x
I cycle and I drive.....I have acknowledged that there are some folk on bikes who are a menace..... but those of us who do cycle responsibly experience far too often unwarranted aggression and danger from motorists.....x
In the case of the OP, there is no motorist: the cyclist is the aggressor and the pedestrian is the victim. I think the young lad has no defence and should have been prosecuted (so I'm happy that he was), exactly as I would be happy if a motorist who had faulty brakes was prosecuted for killing a cyclist who did something a bit stupid.
it is a clear fact that cyclists contribute nothing from their cycling to the Exchequer
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No, they don't pollute, don't cause gridlock and are generally fitter, hence they need less from the NHS and subsequent social care.
They rarely(bar this and the odd case) injure or maim and have a love of the outdoors.
The sedentary lifestyle of the UK is a ticking time bomb.
Did anyone actually watch the Chris Boardman YouTube clip I posted?
He knows a bit about cyclists and injury, his mother was killed last year whilst on her bike yet he still advocates cycling.
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No, they don't pollute, don't cause gridlock and are generally fitter, hence they need less from the NHS and subsequent social care.
They rarely(bar this and the odd case) injure or maim and have a love of the outdoors.
The sedentary lifestyle of the UK is a ticking time bomb.
Did anyone actually watch the Chris Boardman YouTube clip I posted?
He knows a bit about cyclists and injury, his mother was killed last year whilst on her bike yet he still advocates cycling.
I know that, Ellipsis......I'm responding to those who say we pay nothing to ride our bikes, have no insurance and no regard for the rules of the road...
I'd be happy to see all cyclists having to take out an insurance if it could be done.......
But some motorists have to change their attitude towards us too...when you read some of the comments on AB from motorists about cyclists you know exactly how they behave towards cyclists on the road.....x
I'd be happy to see all cyclists having to take out an insurance if it could be done.......
But some motorists have to change their attitude towards us too...when you read some of the comments on AB from motorists about cyclists you know exactly how they behave towards cyclists on the road.....x
Doesn't half make you jump when your ambling down a country lane on a horse and a cyclist whizzes past. You can always rely on the sensible ones to call out from quite a way back so you know what's coming but a few clowns are suddenly right beside you and then gone, leaving me and horse needing a lie down in a darkened room.
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