Boris Johnson has defended the safety of cycling in London again, citing figures which seem to suggest that fewer people have been killed than in previous years. While, clearly any death is terrible, given the increased number of bike journeys in the city, combined with the darker evenings and less good weather and inexperienced riders there is the potential for more accidents. Statistically I feel myself, once again, on the side of the Mayor, however mixed my general feelings about him might be. He has successfully encouraged cycling in the city, with all the benefits that brings in terms of reduced congestion and better health and I hope he will continue to do so.
Granted, the infrastructure is not as bike focussed as in some cities but, dare I say, we do have an existing cycling network. It’s called the roads. The problems only come where there are conflicts between the users of that network and we have to share. It is only common sense to take any precautions you decide are needed when you ride, and to balance the risks with your convenience and style. That has to be an individual choice within the law. So obey all the rules of the road and treat it as a place where you should be paying as much attention as if you were driving.
If you are desperate to tick some boxes and have your say then there is a survey you can complete from the London Assembly. You’ll feel better then.
All of that is a quite dry way to celebrate this, which is officially the 1000th FMFT post. For that I’m allowing myself a little “woo” and a moment of reflection over the history of this blog and the development it has gone through. Hopefully it’s improved, hopefully you still like it?
Have a celebratory video:
Ali C - Inspired Arcade from TartyBikes on Vimeo.
And a look at Cav rocking some off-road skillz:
Cav rockin the pump track on his Venge #aeroiseverything @MarkCavendish iamspecialized @ Specialized HQ http://t.co/kiTKQcCE17
— Mark Cote (@MITAerobike) November 19, 2013A
No comments:
Post a Comment