h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Roads 'too dangerous' for cyclists

BBC poll suggests that "More than half of British adults believe the roads in their local area are too dangerous to cycle on".

Has it become that bad.

Not where I am, but I would wonder how many of the adults who answered the poll live in London? More than half?

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The results do appear to be a little strange or regional but people would tend to trust the BBC.

But would the headline of 'more than half of adults think that walking is quite nice, all things considered' make the news?

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The point is the alleged opinion that cycling is dangerous and the propaganda against the cycle is wrong.

You are the more expert BB

I wouldn't describe myself as an expert – I just do a lot of cycling. I started cycling 3 miles a day when I had my paperround when still at school, and now I cycle over 16 commuting to work, and do a few more bike rides now and then.

The CTC (who are experts), in their FAQ About Cycling (http://www.ctc.org.uk/local-campaigners/ctc-local-campaigners-information-kit/campaigning-skills-and-tactics/getting-sta-1) say:

On average, only 1 cyclist is killed on the roads for every 30,303,030 miles travelled by cycle. This
equates to about 1 cyclist for around every 1,200 times cycled round the world. Mile for mile, you are less likely to be killed if you choose to cycle than to walk and you are more likely to be injured playing tennis, using a Rowing machine or gardening.

Also, over 10% of all premature deaths in Europe would be prevented if everyone who is currently inactive became active, by, say, taking up cycling.

In any case, it probably isn't the roads that are dangerous (unless they're talking about potholes and glass), it is the other possible road users. And the only way to improve that is to introduce a cycling culture where road users see more cyclists. Keeping cyclists off the streets is only going to make things worse.

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Good points BB.
However it doesn't quite explain why so many people think otherwise. I have noticed local news plays up any cycling accident. Do you think the press are overdoing it.

And I do not advocate keeping cycles off the street that would be the worst thing that could happen. Perhaps some sort optional accident insurance to cover you and your cycle.

The press definitely overdo it, but then they are also helping to spread the message that at the moment British cyclists currently the best in the world, shown in events like the Olympics and Tour de Yorkshire.

I'd just be interested to know what the demographic of the people who answered was. I grew up on the Isle of Wight, which is rural and holds an annual cycling festival, but I don't feel comfortable cycling in busy cities (but I don't really feel comfortable in busy cities anyway, whether cycling or not). Does the poll reflect an urban and rural divide? It is a response to a perception of cycling, not cycling itself.

Should more be done to encourage cycling? Yes. Many organisations, such as the CTC and British Cycling, do offer different types of insurance for cyclists. If that were better known, perhaps more people would cycle?

I think the main problem is that drivers tend to think 'cyclists should not be on the road' rather than 'I must share this road with cyclists, after all, bicycles were invented first and Britain's modern road network can trace its existence to the Road Improvement Association, which was formed by cyclists for cyclists before the invention of the internal combustion engine.'

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