Cycling UK safety petition

[Thornyone]

I have just signed the online CUK petition as urged in the latest edition of “Cycle”. I had to describe myself as an experienced and confident cyclist as this was the most accurate label to apply to myself from the drop-down list of options. I would have liked to add a different description: “an experienced and confident cyclist who feels that increasingly poor/criminal driver behaviour is putting me at ever greater risk”. Two major issues (besides many others):

1) The almost-total lack in my policing area of the observation of/enforcement of speed limits (especially in 30 mph zones) on roads which I have to use.

2) The fact that I am increasingly intimidated and put at risk by motorists who think that it is acceptable, indeed normal, to overtake parked vehicles on their side of the road, at speed, by driving straight at me on my side of the road.

I do at times take to the pavement (with no risk posed to pedestrians because I am always very careful). Mind you, this is often not possible, because (another sign of falling standards/non-existent policing) many pavements (like cycle tracks) are simply used as car parks.