Comments on: Compensation for Cyclists

By: Simon Lewis

Simon Lewis — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:09:53 +0000

WestfieldWanderer – I personally don’t think you can take the view that “I cycle on pavements because car drivers are aggressive”. I have no problem with Children on pavements but the vast majority of adults who ride on pavements do so because they are impatient and feel that they have some right to continuously move forward and not have to wait in a queue of traffic.

I agree that many drivers are very agressive. I got told my a driver this morning to get off the road and onto a cycle path. This was in Richmond Park were I was riding with a friend. The cycle path was actually the footpath. I was going 18 mph and the speed limit in RP is 20mph but I was still holding her up so I got an ear full. But that does not give me the right to become aggressive or to endanger pedestrians.

I walk my daughter to school each morning and when standing at the zebra crossing and the predestrian crossing only 1 in every 4 riders will stop even when its obvious we want to cross or the lights are red. How can I teach my daughter to be safe when its not safe to cross even when the green man is on. We cyclists can’t blame drivers for everything.

By: anon

anon — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 05:11:38 +0000

Lessons to be learned:
1. Always wear your helmet.
2. Legal system is based on opinions, not facts, and sometimes contrary to facts.
3. Cars are being equipped with more and more airbags precisely to reduce head injuries, e.g., side impact airbags, so the helmeted car passenger is already a reality.

By: WestfieldWanderer

WestfieldWanderer — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 18:29:28 +0000

Simon: Do you ask the pavement cyclists why they think that they want to cycle on the footway? Do you ask the red-light-jumpers why they jump red lights?
Perhaps with a bit more give-and-take and a little less belligerent and aggressive behaviour from the drivers then the more nervous cyclists might feel more comfortable cycling on the road.

By: Simon Lewis

Simon Lewis — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:40:59 +0000

This is such a red herring. Whilst I always wear a helmet, putting any effort into making cyclist wear them is of little use. The focus of any government campaign should be on making cyclist obey the law (when I’m cycling I confront other riders who go on pavements) and educating drives and motorbike riders to use their sodding mirrors and to be patient.

By: Nick Harrison

Nick Harrison — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 14:04:33 +0000

This case is really interesting, we’ve been looking at it in some detail and have written a blog on it at http://blog.pannone.com/personal-injury/cyclists-may-lose-some-of-their-compensation-for-failing-to-wear-a-helmet-34/