We’ve had some interesting replies to Colin’s email about the relationship between cyclists and motorists, which he sent to us in response to our article on public awareness of the upcoming changes to the Highway Code.

While a few expressed at least some degree of sympathy with Colin’s viewpoint, most of you took exception to his claim that cycling and walking on country roads is “inherently dangerous”, with one reader commenting that “danger is brought into this environment by inappropriate driving.”

Here’s a selection of some of your views:

Well, I disagree with Colin's opinion…

Cyclists are obviously part of the solution, not the problem so it's insulting and disingenuous to claim that some lone cyclist is 'stubbornly claiming his/her space' without also realising that a large percentage of drivers are also sole occupants and using much more space.

Some people have been fed the 'car is the solution' story so many times that they can't spot that the personal car has spectacularly failed as a mass transit solution and is also very damaging to people's health and welfare.

"Cyclists riding in groups can be impossible to deal with."

What's "impossible" about driving behind them until there's a safe legal opportunity to pass?

Colin's comment is worryingly close to 'the responsibility for road danger is 50-50, can't we all just be nicer to each other?' That is to misunderstand the problem and any possible solution.

I have some sympathy for what Colin says. And yet, he paints a picture of even a solitary cyclist being the problem, on roads which are "inherently dangerous".

Both postulates ignore the truth, which is that the problem and the danger are presented by the excessive numbers of drivers in vehicles… The dangers and frustrations Colin describes are real, however. We have arrived here by following a path of ever more cars. Demonising car substitutes can not be the answer.

I think there needs to be a happy medium in Colin's story between unfairly calling out a solitary cyclist undertaking a worthwhile journey, and condemning the reckless and selfish antics of large groups of leisure cyclists hogging the roads and making cycling more dangerous for everyone.

https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-30-december-2021-289173#live-blog-item-30595

swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> We've had some interesting replies to Colin's email about the
> relationship between cyclists and motorists, which he sent to us in
> response to our article on public awareness of the upcoming changes
> to the Highway Code.
>
> While a few expressed at least some degree of sympathy with Colin's
> viewpoint, most of you took exception to his claim that cycling and
> walking on country roads is "inherently dangerous", with one reader
> commenting that "danger is brought into this environment by
> inappropriate driving."
>
> Here's a selection of some of your views:
>
> Well, I disagree with Colin's opinion.
>
> Cyclists are obviously part of the solution, not the problem so
> it's insulting and disingenuous to claim that some lone cyclist is
> 'stubbornly claiming his/her space' without also realising that a
> large percentage of drivers are also sole occupants and using much
> more space.
>
> Some people have been fed the 'car is the solution' story so many
> times that they can't spot that the personal car has spectacularly
> failed as a mass transit solution and is also very damaging to
> people's health and welfare.
>
> "Cyclists riding in groups can be impossible to deal with."
>
> What's "impossible" about driving behind them until there's a
> safe legal opportunity to pass?
>
> Colin's comment is worryingly close to 'the responsibility for
> road danger is 50-50, can't we all just be nicer to each other?' That
> is to misunderstand the problem and any possible solution.
>
> I have some sympathy for what Colin says. And yet, he paints a
> picture of even a solitary cyclist being the problem, on roads which
> are "inherently dangerous".
>
> Both postulates ignore the truth, which is that the problem and
> the danger are presented by the excessive numbers of drivers in
> vehicles. The dangers and frustrations Colin describes are real,
> however. We have arrived here by following a path of ever more cars.
> Demonising car substitutes can not be the answer.
>
> I think there needs to be a happy medium in Colin's story
> between unfairly calling out a solitary cyclist undertaking a
> worthwhile journey, and condemning the reckless and selfish antics of
> large groups of leisure cyclists hogging the roads and making cycling
> more dangerous for everyone.
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-30-december-2021-289173#live-blog-item-30595

Not an original thought in your empty head as always,
Like to tell us about your huge pension none existent pension pot and why
you were kicked out of BP for gross misconduct?

On Thursday, December 30, 2021 at 6:21:41 PM UTC, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:

> Like to tell us about your huge pension none existent pension pot and why
> you were kicked out of BP for gross misconduct?

No point - since I told you only yesterday, you'd only forget it all again.
Short term memory loss, it seems.