Cycling UK Forum

Is Simon having a joke? As his statement is THE classic way of propagating an urban myth. However in this case it is perfectly true because it happened to a friend of my second-cousin's ex-wife.

Also many of us are opponents of car use in general and could manufacture evidence of speeding to get them of the road.
This is unlikely but similar things have happened often enough to make convictions on such evidence unsafe. Criminal prosecutions demand a high level of proof.

The opportunity for all to better their positon is quite self evidently untrue. One of those lies told to try and ease the guilt of the better off.
There is an opportunity for SOME to better themselves. The good jobs are in limited supply no matter how many people get degrees.
When you go to a comp. the statistics are that the bottom half are going to end up missing out. After a couple of years most people have worked out where they stand in the order of ability. Why should they continue to support a system which only needs them to be failures to mirror the sucsesses. This isnt sour grapes, I got letters after my name but I understand why the other kids hated those of us that climbed out of the pit on their backs. Inteligence and ability is only half the story, priveledge and advantage carry just as much weight.
Public school boys are more likely than not to be an officer or go to uni. Comprehensive kids are more likely not to do so.
As for socially acceptable behaviour, the rules for this are made up by a minority society and imposed on the majority.
I would no sooner drop litter than hit myself, it is against my "religion" but I have no right to impose my religion on others. If it isnt their religion I can tolerate them or impose my will by force. The only moral advantage I hold is only valid in MY OWN value judgement system. When people start to decide their value system is more valid than someone elses and feel justified in imposing it, we tend to end up with conflict.

If it isnt following, I bet you notice before he does.

Sorry I cant keep it realistic because they will only entertain changes which have no real effect. The only thing to do is to vote Green, not to get them in power as that is not going to happen yet. However if they see a significant green vote they will change policies to try and capture that voter. The more often people vote Green the more they will improve their act to chase that vote.
I dont vote Green myself because in Wales we are lucky to have another minority party which actually manages to win seats and that really has an effect on the attitude of the main parties.
Personally I cant see any difference between Labour and Tory. I am sure that if Plaid or Lib-dems got as powerful they would end up the same way to.
Think how when the people in Lancashire started voting for BNP how all the big guns raced up there to promise the earth to people they had previously totally ignored.

There is a bus with a bike rack in your city!
The traws-cambria X40 has a multi-bike rack. I see about 10 of them passing me each week. I have never seen one with a bike on the rack. So I guess the bus company would be fully justified in saying "We tried but nobody used them".
I saw on another thread you have used the brecon bike trailer bus.
Coming from Carmarthen I had to put mine in the luggage hold. Pity it only runs on Sundays and Bank Holidays and for only half the year.

The Police are supposed to be neutral administrators of the law.
So if we take private speed readings we will be seen as being opponents of the people we accuse. Therefor any evidence we provide is probably not trustworthy.
The same thing goes for CTC enquiries into cycle crashes. How would we feel about AA investigations into cycle collisions which decided the cyclists were to blame.
Justice is unlikely to be recieved because the burden of proof is to difficult to acheive. If this was not so we could run around accusing every motorist and always getting our way.
Note that when the law makers know themselves to be right they create a new law to lock people up without even a crime being committed.

Oracle
You say we should all realise we have a role to play for the benefit of UK Plc. The problem is that for many people their role is to do all the dirty work and get none of the rewards. To criticise them for not playing to your rules is futile only force and opression will do the job.

Did it again today. Lovely feeling of satisfaction as I pulled away from a lorry that had been catching up with me. I realised that I actually put more work into the downhill cycle than I do into the uphill. When I am going uphill I feel I have to conserve energy to ensure I make it to the top. When you go downhill you can try as hard as you like because if you run out of energy you just carry on coasting.
Unfortunately most hills I go down at 20 mph or less using the brakes because as the man said I am too experienced to go through the gravel rash thing. On a big wide road going downhill and straight for a mile or more how can you resist it with nothing to worry about except millions of car drivers.

Was it a Police Officer?

I cant see any difference between the situation in England and that here in Wales. Are you saying we have had preferential treatment? In which case your roads must be unbelievable.

Viscount

I do live in the middle of Wales and I would give up the car, in practice I never drive it when I do not have somebody or something large to carry.
The only times I use the car for MY benefit is when I take the bike in it to ride in an Audax.
I didnt have a car until I was 30 and this car is really my wifes. I would give up the car if it was my choice. It is very difficult to run a modern life without a car but I dont live a conventional life. However if everyone gave up cars it would be much easier as people would no longer be expected to do so much travelling.

Rower40

This is something I have noticed. We have a lot of old drivers around here and most of them drive as if they believe they can not cross the centre line to overtake a cyclist. Often with no other vehicles in sight and on a straight wide road, they will slow down and slowly overtake inches from me when the rest of the road is totally empty. I have never had this behaviour from people looking 60 or less.
Someone suggested a very scary but probably true explanation. Their eyesight is so poor that they can not see more than 30 yds. So they can not see the road is empty so their only option is to proceed slowly hugging the cyclist!

British arrogance has no bounds when it comes to motoring. Most of us has experienced being passed by an unusually considerate motorist and understood when we saw the foreign number plate.
We often cite the North European laws where the car driver is automatically responsible in the event of a collision with a pedestrian or cyclist. This sort of foreign driving attitude is very much needed in the UK.
Some years ago I got a green card to drive my car to Germany. The car was insured for my wife and myself. However I was told that my wife could not drive the car abroad because her licence wasnt good enough.
The problem was she held a German driving licence so I had to drive the car in Germany because I have a UK licence! This is the honest incredible truth. She did of course drive to the ferry in Britain. Without using a mobile, laptop, etc etc.
However there is a valid point about rogue haulage companies and it is easier to be a rogue outside of your country of registration.
Weird how threats of racism and sexism can stiffle factual debate. I can of course be acused of a racist attitude in calling Brtitish arrogant. It is one of those totally unfounded racist attitudes that many foreigners hold.
Also we "all" hold UK driving licences not English licences. My licence is written in Welsh and has a large number of other languages on the front.
If I wish to cycle to Germany should I have to take the ferry to Hamburg because I have never bothered to learn French or Flemish? In those countries I would have to rely on international cameraderie if I had an accident but fortunately most people dont begrudge a bit of friendliness to foreign guests.

They arent all bad, I saw a few driving along the pavement, so as not to inconveiniance other car drivers. The pedestrians obligingly stepped out of their way, quite quickly in fact, so I guess they didnt want to inconveiniance anyone either.