SAME RIGHTS, SAME RULES.
INTRODUCTION Cycling on the roads can be daunting for any cyclist. Every year in this country around 19,000 cyclists are killed or injured in reported road accidents, including around 3,000 who are killed or seriously injured. Most cycling accidents happen in urban areas where most cycling takes place. Almost two thirds of cyclists killed or seriously injured were involved in collisions at, or near, a road junction, with T junctions being the most commonly involved. Roundabouts are particularly dangerous junctions for cyclists. Not surprisingly, the severity of injuries suffered by cyclists increases with the speed limit, meaning that riders are more likely to suffer serious or fatal injuries on higher speed roads. Almost half of cyclist deaths occur on rural roads
In collisions involving a bicycle and another vehicle, the most common key contributory factor recorded by the police is ‘failed to look properly’ by either the driver or rider, especially at junctions. ‘Failed to look properly’ was attributed to the car driver in 57% of serious collisions and to the cyclist in 43% of serious collisions at junctions.
By Dan Joyce & John Whitney
So why are UK cyclists, and would be cyclists, so paranoid about safety? “Minority status generates fear,” he says. John Franklin, cycling skills expert and author of Cyclecraft, agrees that the perception of cycling risk doesn’t match the reality. “There’s nothing in life that’s risk free,” he says. “It’s about the management of risk, not simply the fear of risk.” As a cycle commuter, managing risk means being assertive, and behaving like traffic so that others will treat you as traffic. Good positioning is key. Position yourself as a driver with the rest of the traffic, not hugging the kerb. The ‘primary position’ is in the centre of the moving traffic lane. You’re obliging others to acknowledge you as another user of the road and not someone they can ignore. You’re causing them to think.
A huge protest has taken place in central London with more than 1,000 cyclists sprawling themselves across roads to demonstration against dangerous traffic conditions that have seen a raft of fatalities on the streets of the capital. The protest, which was called a “diein”, featured cyclists spread in the road surrounded by their bikes outside the Transport for London headquarters in Southwark, as well as on Blackfriars Road. “We Londoners are going to join the Dutch, and follow them until we get our roads safe,” said Donnachadh McCarthy, 54, an organiser of the Stop Killing Cyclists protest, who took inspiration from a similar protest in the Netherlands. “So I respectfully ask you now, London cyclists and pedestrians and drivers who have come to join us today, to lie on the pavement with your bicycles, turn on your lights and let them flash in the memories of people killed and injured in the last eight years.”
He added: “We are here because Londoners are fed up of being killed. We need to have modern, European, safe cycling network. We believe it’s a human right for children and pensioners to cycle around our city safely, and at the moment they can’t. We have brought the battle to TfL’s headquarters because these are the people making the decisions. We want representations and we want real funding. We want £600 million a year spent on safer cycling in London. London Mayor Boris Johnson said: “This targeted operation has been hugely effective at raising awareness of road safety among motorists and cyclists. This is a balanced operation reminding everyone of their duty to take care of each other while out on the roads, and I hope the figures put to rest concerns by some groups that they are being singled out.” The number of cyclists killed in London so far this year - 14 - now stands equal to those who died in the whole of 2012. Leon Daniels, managing director of TfL Surface Transport, said one of the protesters’ key demands - segregated cycle routes - were to be introduced in the next 10 years. He said: “We are all shaken by the recent spate of deaths on the roads, and our sympathies are with all the friends and families of those affected. The protesters are rightly demanding safety should be at the top of our priorities. It is. That’s why we are investing nearly one billion pounds in upgrading the existing superhighways with greater segregation, introducing major new segregated routes and backstreet quiet routes, and overhauling dozens of junctions to give more protection to cyclists
He added: “Delivering such major improvements will take time, but we are working flat-out to do so. We and the mayor have set out our plans and the first major improvements, such as the segregated extension of the Superhighway to Stratford, are now being seen. Over the forthcoming weeks and months Londoners will see many more improvements as the investment we are making bears fruit.” The protest, organised in part by cycle activist group Critical Mass, follows a police operation that stationed hundreds of officers at busy junctions around central London. Operation Safeway deployed 650 officers to 60 junctions during evening and morning rush hours on Monday, primarily targeting cyclists who breach the highway code.
6M CYCLIS AND HOW CORRE
By Andreas Kambanis www.londoncyclist.co.uk
MISTAKES STS MAKE W YOU CAN ECT THEM
RIDING WHERE CARS CAN’T SEE YOU
1
Perhaps the most frequent error made by new cyclists is riding in the gutter or too near the pavement. This often feels safer as you believe you are out of the way of cars. However, it is actually far more dangerous. For a start it encourages drivers to attempt risky manoeuvres when there is clearly not enough space to overtake you. You are also less visible not only to cars but also to pedestrians who step out onto the road. If there is an obstacle ahead it also means you have less room to avoid it.
This is one of the tips I have heard before for safe cycling but I was definitely ignoring it far too often. Now, when I’m in a position where I can travel at the speed of the traffic or I believe that a car is not safe to overtake me I travel in the centre of the lane. In-fact, cycling in the centre of the lane is my default position. I only move to the side when I comfortably feel a car can overtake me.
NOT HAVING AWARENESS OF OTHER ROAD USERS
2
Frequent glancing over the shoulder every 8-10 seconds gives you a good awareness of the road users behind. This means you don’t get any nasty surprises. The huge side benefit of this is that cars will feel like they are being watched and therefore will behave with more courtesy towards you.
Also, by glancing, you draw their attention towards you so they recognise your position on the road. Eye contact has a huge role to play in keeping safe on the roads therefore don’t stop glancing behind you.
ALLOWING A CAR TO PULL UP NEXT TO YOU AT A JUNCTION
3
If a car manages to pull up next to you at a junction, then when it comes to move off you are going to be in a dangerous, narrow position.
Instead, when you see a junction up ahead, you should move into the centre of the lane you are in. This prevents cars from forcing you into a horrible position and allows you to move off safely
MOVING OFF A CURB WITH NO CLEAR VIEW OF WHERE THE CARS ARE
4
This is an area I was far too casual with and it was putting me in a dangerous position and causing problems for drivers.
What I was doing is flinging my bike onto the road where I can’t be seen and then cycling into traffic. Instead, I should position myself where I can very safely be seen from a distance and then hop on and start cycling.
OVERTAKING ON THE LEFT WHERE VEHICLES DON’T EXPECT CYCLISTS
5
During this part of the lesson I really started to question how appropriate cycle lanes are. It is also when I realised that rather than act like a cyclist I should be thinking more like a motorbike.
If, for example, you are approaching a set of lights and there are a few cars already there waiting for the green light. Instinctively, I would overtake on the left, often in a narrow cycle lane, to get to the front of the queue.
However, if the lights turn green during this, then I have not put myself in a good position. Also, a car driver is trained to look to the right for people overtaking. This is a safer place to be. In general when overtaking traffic you should always do it on the right. You never know when a car is going to turn left into your path without looking.
RIDING WITHOUT YOUR FINGERS ON THE BRAKE LEVERS
6
Hands should permanently be positioned on the brake levers so that if there is suddenly a need to brake sharply you are ready to do so.
If this doesn’t feel comfortable then you should have your brake levers adjusted so they come closer to the handlebars.