CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Found this rather interesting: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2021/07/29/new-highway-code-to-rule-that-motorists-should-cede-priority-to-pedestrians-and-cyclists/
Assuming the revisions make it through parliament, and assuming there's a proper public education campaign to make drivers aware of them, and assuming drivers actually bother to obey the new rules, this could be quite good - at least, it might make it marginally easier to prosecute drivers when they run us over? <:D
The proposed changes are described in detail here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-the-highway-code-to-improve-road-safety-for-cyclists-pedestrians-and-horse-riders/summary-of-the-consultation-proposals-on-a-review-of-the-highway-code
Note that this has been available online for just over a year. There have been articles about it elsewhere in the past 12 months but the Forbes article has it right when it says that getting the new message out to existing road users (and not just drivers) will be a challenge.
Position yourself in the centre of your lane if it is safe to do so.
Or you are brave enough and willing to have this argument with a driver,
...Assuming the revisions make it through parliament...
@fimm: I don't think they need to go through parliament
Actually, it does: "In accordance with section 38(3) of the Road Traffic Act 1988, where the Secretary of State proposes to revise The Highway Code by making any alterations in the provision of The Highway Code (other than alterations merely consequential on the passing, amendment or repeal of any statutory provision) he must lay the proposed alterations before both Houses of Parliament and must not make the proposed revision until after the end of a period of forty days beginning with the day on which the alterations were so laid"
From: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/997749/2021-_Revised_Highway_Code.pdf (which also includes the full amended text of the HC as proposed).
I stand corrected. Thank you.
The Daily Mash nails it
Daily Mail commenters currently having kittens so must be good!
One of the motorbike groups I'm a member of has come up with some absolute bangers.
I was doing my best to counter some of these but have lost the will to live.
What gets me is all the articles stating that "now cyclists have priority on roundabouts"!
Surely no driver actually believed that they only had to give way to other drivers when entering a roundabout?
Although I suppose if they now start giving way as a result of this mythical change, it will be an improvement...
Robert
Sore tempted to respond to all the complaining cagers in Other Places with
"Please, my privilege, he is very sick..."
It really is concerning reading the reaction to this from drivists, mostly because over and over the common thread I'm noticing is it really is just down to their perception that a bicycle isn't a "proper" road user and their general ignorance of the rules as they already exist. When it gets explained to them that, no, they're not "legalizing undertaking a car that's indicating to turn!!111!!!2", they're clarifying that actually bikes and bike lanes *do* count in terms of the rules about not turning across active lanes of traffic because too many drivists didn't realise that was already the case, they're completely stunned or indignant at the very notion. Ditto for pretty much everything else. Like, I knew that was the case with the <rule 2>'s I've encountered myself, but I'd hoped they were the exception rather than the rule.
So I'm now decidedly less optimistic these will do anything of substance, even discounting the absolute loons on FB saying they'll intentionally ignore the new rules and cannot wait to run down some "road lice".
@arrelcat. That's quite a list of ignorance.
At least whoever wrote this one is correct:
The diagram (from the official advertisement doesn't have a pedestrian crossing and therefore suggests that pedestrians have right of way even though no crossing exists.
I suspect they don't realise it though.
Always worth remembering that Facebook and Twitter are designed to stoke anger. They promote tweets/posts with "angry" content, as this drives up viewing, keeps you hooked - they want your attention
Basically, Facebook and Twitter don't give a true picture of what most normal people think (which is essentially, "yeah, whatever, the new rules are fine")
Unfortunately neddie, the problem is that driving seems to instigate in people exactly those same angry attitudes. A lot of people *say* they're fine with something, but when they're behind the wheel of their insulated, soundproof mobile living room on their way home from work and you are in their way a lot of them are going to be more like the twitter radgies than their normal, reasonable selves.
The govt should have posted a leaflet to every household, instead of relying on the media to send out a distorted message.
Article about the worse misrepresentations (including, of course Littlebrain in the Daily Mail).
https://road.cc/content/news/national-newspapers-continue-anti-cycling-attacks-289795
Surprisingly positive article about Critical Mass in the Evening News who are marking the changes in their next ride.
I posted this well-written article about the entitled driver from (surprisingly) the Spectator on Spokes Facebook, which has received more reactions than any other post.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/entitled-motorists-have-ruled-the-roads-for-far-too-long
I keep telling myself I won't get involved in the comments for those articles, then I see someone saying "I refuse to bow down to cyclists!" or "Everyone is going to be rear ending each other!" and I can't help myself.
“
Cyclists and pedestrians are better protected as of Saturday as a revamp of the Highway Code comes into force, despite concerns that millions of drivers are confused by or unaware of the changes.
An AA survey of more than 13,700 drivers carried out this month indicated that 33% were unaware of the changes, including 4% who had “no intention” of looking at the details.
“
Twice heard that "cyclists will ride in the middle of the road" on the Today programme this morning.
<rule2>
Email fired off, for all the good it will do.
“Twice heard that "cyclists will ride in the middle of the road" on the “
Radio Scotland too
Discussion included someone from CyclingUK.
Bizarre really
Road and lane - the difference is simple and must be understood by 99% of road users
Any chance novice cyclists will take it literally??
More likely put people off from cycling.
Not even sure ‘cyclists will/can cycle in middle of lane’ is helpful.
There are 2 main reasons for doing it - parked car door zones and discouraging overtaking.
I’m sure I often cycle ‘too close’ to parked cars - informed by ‘dynamic risk assessing’ of whether there is anyone inside.
Main place I do ‘middle of lane’ is approaching islands/refuges. Also, with degrees of success/fear, approaches to roundabouts.
But as Neil Greig said on RScot ‘UKGov has failed to run an information campaign before changing the rules’.
Neil Greig, the stopped clock of road safety.
Definitely seems to be triggering the gammon contingent in my Facebook feed. Guess the disingenuous way it has been covered in the media won’t have helped.
But as Neil Greig said on RScot ‘UKGov has failed to run an information campaign before changing the rules’.
Aye but that hauf witt really wants a consultation to bury it with.
Is anyone actually planning on cycling differently because of these changes? Those with kids now happy to let them pedal off themselves?
...
Thought not.
@chdot: ...4% who had “no intention” of looking at the details.
So that's 4% of drivers who have no intention of getting behind the wheel of a motor vehicle again because their knowledge and understanding of the Highway Code is out of date, then?
Thought not...
@chdot Main place I do ‘middle of lane’ is approaching islands/refuges. Also, with degrees of success/fear, approaches to roundabouts.
Going right at Bristo Place and from Gilmore Place also. Both common NCN routes but not understood to be so by drivers. This is the 'letting cyclist out' request and can only be done if you are confident and able to look over shoulder, signalling and pointing at painted bike lane. Does not apply to Gilmore Place as all markings worn off, no r/h bike lane ever painted!
Daughter only cycled around solo for a while at high school. When younger she understood that tandeming was safer. Noted two tandems on yesterday's CM ride round town. Elephant Bikes and Tern GSDs another option.
@LaidBack - Elephant Bikes excellent for Critical Mass rides, due to their incredible stability and the way one can ride them in an absolute straight line slower than walking pace. Tern (HSD in my case) not good for these rides with a passenger on the back unless one also has a lot of weight over the front wheel: hard to ride slowly in a straight line.
Not sure that an Elephant Bike tandem is 'a thing', and if it were, one would have to be careful while out riding because of its tendency to attract, through the force of gravity, heavy objects (planets, stars...) due to its immense weight.
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