The Sensible Use of Power.

As the debate about jumping traffic lights, and safe cycling rages across the media, including on this blog, it seems that things, for a while at least, things might get more black and white, if a parliamentary committee gets its way. The snappily titled “House of Commons Public Accounts Committee - Improving road safety for pedestrians and cyclists in Great Britain" makes recommendations for more education on the laws relating to cycling on the roads and to target anti-social activities such as riding on pavements and jumping red lights. So it seems that there might, in theory, be more attention from the police if you do break the law. Whether the police really have time to enforce this, or whether there’ll be any change at all remains to be seen.

What the report does show is how some cyclists are seen. Tory MP David Curry seems especially upset with cyclists he’s encountered, and wants to tar all of us with the same brush, as “going like a bat out of hell outside the House of Commons, dressed like Darth Vader, as they all do!”(I guess he mush have come across someone in a rain cape), even in the face of Robert Devereaux, the Permanent Secretary for the Department for Transport and his reasonable arguments that irresponsible cyclists are a minority. If nothing else, I suppose this shows the perception that the actions of a few people can build, and perhaps explain the anger that gets directed at all of us occasionally. I still think it’s a good argument for sticking to the laws and helping to portray cyclists as the vulnerable road users we are, in need of genuine changes to make riding safer in London (and everywhere in the UK), rather than reckless and careless.

Having said that I’m sure that I’ll find myself riding on to a kerb rather than having my wheels bent over it by a bus that hasn’t seen me, and drifting through a red light, late at night, with no-one about to see, again.

All that seems a bit serious, so take a break by going to something cultural where you can relax and enjoy films, or a cup of tea, or a band. Although it seems that there’s a growing trend to make you work for your entertainment with bicycle powered generators. As I was alerted to by this actual press cutting (we do exist in the real world as well, you see) about Oxjam on Kilburn High Road last weekend.




I just hope that people don’t get too tired before the end of the event. It’d be terrible to never know the end of a film, or have to cut a band off halfway through a set, just because no-one has the energy to keep going. Perhaps you have to make sure you have a constant supply of food and drink all to keep the power going. Somehow, and very anti-environmentalist, it seems a lot easier to just plug into the mains. Replacing power stations with banks of bikes might be a whole other idea, or just harnessing the power from every city centre gym doing spinning classes to power local areas? Far more sensible and practical, I think you'll agree.

A