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"outraged by the expression of less confident cyclist"

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  1. chdot
    Admin

    Someone has posted a thoughtful comment on a photo I put on Flickr -


    "
    I get outraged by the expression of less confident cyclist which should really be subsituted with someone who manages to cycle on reasonable infrastructure.

    Don't blame the cyclist!

    Confident cyclist = someone who manages to cycle on crap infrastucture

    In this country car-centric planning and thinking still rules, making cyclists second class citizens by default. Above all the political will, local and national level, is not there.'
    "
    KatsDekker - "Currently on a mission to improve conditions for cyclists in Newcastle upon Tyne"

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. Arellcat
    Moderator

    That's a good point, chdot. It's like the 'cyclist' vs 'person who uses a bike' vs 'avid cyclist' article that .citycycling featured. Any sort of pigeonholeism is invariably posited on referring to one group of people in terms of another.

    Why is a 'less confident cyclist' actually less confident? Do people identify as such? Presumably there is some innate level of risk with which we each feel comfortable, but that level is going to be different for each person. I'm not a very confident BMX trials rider, because I don't have much riding experience, and I don't have that because concrete bowls look 'too dangerous' and 'too uncompromising' for the inevitable mistakes I'd make. I might be a confident trials rider if the park were made of foamm rubber; we're all more confident if all our identifiable sources of risk are removed, and when someone else has the experience and the ability to deal with less favourable environments, then naturally they would appear more confident to others.

    That's why I did try to tone down the whole avid thing, because it suddenly reeked of my own smug superiority that surely came across as patronising to other people.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  3. gembo
    Member

    Yes - the point is well made and I have posted before that motorists of certain types react badly to smugness in cyclists. Hard not to be smug when jumping queues, keeping fit enjoying yourself on commute instead of caged in metal deathtrapkiller machine

    Resist The Smug

    I am only gonna be Smu' from now on

    Posted 13 years ago #

  4. Smudge
    Member

    "I am only gonna be Smu' from now on"

    I think you should stick with Gembo, my surname is confusing enough without people nicking chunks of my nickname ;-)) ;-p

    Posted 13 years ago #

  5. chdot
    Admin

    "my surname is confusing enough without people nicking chunks of my nickname"

    And there's the danger of confusion with former RHS Rector Smuga.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  6. Smudge
    Member

    There are a lot of us about! ;)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  7. LaidBack
    Member

    'person who uses a bike' vs 'avid cyclist' article that .citycycling featured

    That was a good one... sure CC will be back online in 2011!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  8. PS
    Member

    I know quite a few people who would happily admit to being "less confident cyclists" and who only want to cycle on off-road paths. There may be a number of reasons for this - like lack of practice/experience, or having had a bad experience on the road - but it doesn't change the fact that they are less confident than your average punter on a bike.

    Given the context of the photo, ie an Edinburgh measure that could be construed as "reasonable infrastructure" (yes, really) it seems a bit off to take offence.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  9. Smudge
    Member

    I followed a "less confident driver" tonight. It's simply not true to suggest that all cyclists (and potential cyclists when they make the leap) will demonstrate "confidence" from the word go. Ergo, like novices in any pursuit they will not have the same level of confidence as an experienced person at least initially. To blame it all on the infrastructure is I would respectfully suggest somewhat over simplistic.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  10. Min
    Member

    Yes, I don't really get it. "Less confident cyclist" sounds like the epitome of political correctness to me and I think I will reserve my outrage for other stuff.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  11. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Too many "confident" drivers (and cyclists!) aren't "skilled" or "experienced" (or "sensible"!). What I mean here are the over-confident.

    There's plenty of less-confident drivers and cyclists who are aware of their less-confidence and drive/ride accordingly and are all the safer and better for it.

    A lot of road users could do with a bit less "confidence" in themselves and take a little bit more care and attention and the roads would be a better place.

    Confidence count = 5 (or 6 including that one just there)

    Posted 13 years ago #

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