pah

Aug. 5th, 2002 10:21 am
ajva: (Default)
[personal profile] ajva
This really pisses me off. I am already of the opinion that people who rely on cars in cities deserve a good talking to, but the following is the daftest yet:

The move prompted a furious response last night from motoring and insurance organisations, which claimed it would encourage 'bicycle guerrillas' who do not obey the Highway Code and frequently shoot red lights.

Now, whether you agree with the policy or not, it is surely disingenuous to the point of gobsmacking dunderheidness for drivers to argue that cyclists will run red lights because suddenly somebody else will pay for the damage if they get run over. They obviously think cyclists have the same attitude to accidents that they do i.e. it is an annoyance, particularly with the insurance; they "forget" that cyclists have bigger things to worry about in even a minor accident. A dent in your bonnet = a dent in cyclist's head.

My opinion on the proposed law, by the way, is that it is a blatant prejudice against car drivers, and as such should be utterly encouraged.

Date: 2002-08-05 02:55 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valkyriekaren.livejournal.com
I'm not sure the wearing black clothes thing is so much of a problem if you have lights. Unless you're covering your face and deliberately disguising your silhouette, I don't think a driver has any excuse for not recognising the shape of a cyclist with a good set of bike lights.

Date: 2002-08-05 03:05 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] wechsler.livejournal.com
Certainly, the only excuse they'll have for not seeing me is that I've burnt out their retinas. And possibly their eardrums, if I'm riding the bike with the horn.

Should I rephrase that? ;)

Date: 2002-08-05 03:09 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] valkyriekaren.livejournal.com
hey, if you have the horn on your bike, that's no business of ours ;->

Date: 2002-08-05 05:19 am (UTC)
lovingboth: (Default)
From: [personal profile] lovingboth
Note the word 'and'! :)

No lights at night is an option (albeit not a very sensible one) if you're wearing reflective clothing, but the vast majority of unlit cyclists I see in London are wearing dark clothing. Some can only be seen when they occlude someone else's light. Ghod knows what the ones I don't see are wearing - invisibility cloaks, probably.

There's more on the story at http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,2763,769369,00.html http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,2763,769373,00.html and http://www.guardian.co.uk/transport/Story/0,2763,769411,00.html

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