pedals2slowly wrote: ↑29 Oct 2021, 11:54am
The Triangular warning sign on page 74 with the statement 'Increasing cadence and sprint speed are two of the most positive steps a cyclist can take to enhance safety' and ' a sprint speed of 32kph (20mph) will enable you to tackle most traffic situations with ease'. As commented that is how to put the less able (and able probably) off.
Though it is worth bearing in mind that Bikeability, which doesn't have the above about sprint speed, has a proven track record of doing nothing to encourage people to cycle (it
does give a useful leg-up to those who would cycle anyway, but it hasn't been shown to generate new cyclists). It isn't
Cyclecraft (or Bikeability) putting people off, it is the UK's hostile road environment, and if you have decided you're going to go head to head with multi-tonne fast metal boxes then it is actually useful to be able to get out of their way when they're driven by folks that aren't looking out for you. That
shouldn't be the reality, but it is. Vehicular cycling is a proven dead-end in generating modal share, but without a benign cycling environment it's all we've got.
pedals2slowly wrote:What needs to be said is something along the lines of 'the slower you go the more l you will need to check you have sufficient time and space to complete your manoeuvre, conversely the faster you go the easier you will find moving in traffic'
I think that is better than the implication that you need a sprint, yes.
pedals2slowly wrote:Sections further on seem to be putting people off using separate cycle facilities because the may be more dangerous than the road, whereas I'm sure slow cyclists find them a lot safer.
Franklin is not keen on facilities, because he's familiar with the reality of a lot of the trash that exists in the UK. There is now rather more that warrants use by anyone, slow or not, but the fact is that there is a lot of bilge in the UK that makes cycling less convenient and more dangerous. Again the problem is with the environment, and while
Cyclecraft does over-egg the pudding on the rubbish that can be found as these days there is some going in backed by Actual Clue, it's not fundamentally wrong.
pedals2slowly wrote:There are other odd pieces of advice -P91 'you should usually aim to stop without using your brakes', P93 'you should use your brakes as little as possible' and there are more.
As stated elsewhere, this applies to motoring too and is about efficiency. The above doesn't say don't use your brakes. What it's about is that given a choice of letting the terrain slow you down where you know you'll need to slow down, and using the brakes instead, you're better letting the terrain do the work. You still have the brakes as an option, you're using less energy and there's less wear on the bike.
pedals2slowly wrote:One of the interesting ones I'm not sure about is P104 appears to assume primary as the normal riding position. In my opinion we should ride in secondary and move to primary when a hazard means we do not wish to be overtaken. I'm sure there's a lengthy debate to be had on that one.
I have the 2020 (given away the previous one) so I can't comment on the particular diagram, but I can't see one in the current edition that suggests Primary is a default riding position. Nothing obvious in the text either.
pedals2slowly wrote:I work with adults as well as school children, I haven't met anyone keen enough to purchase and read such a lengthy and expensive book. The Bikeability booklets are very simplistic and below the level of older primary school children. Something in between would be very useful.
There are, of course, libraries!
In summary, I'm not saying there's no room for improvement or that additional sources wouldn't be good, but I think the suggestion that C-C isn't fit for purpose is wide of the mark. If you're going to put yourself up against 40 tonne trucks and SUVs driven by eejits on their phones it still stands up pretty well, and those are the things putting people off rather than the techniques to ride alongside them
Pete.
Often seen riding a bike around Dundee...