“Cyclists see themselves as the centre of the universe,” says actress Patricia Hodge in rant questioning why police “never” stop red light-jumping cyclists

Definitely, when it comes to most cyclist v pedestrian encounters, the subjective danger outweighs the objective danger. And yes, you pretty well sum up the biggest problem areas when it comes to the type of 'cyclist' that most people will think of when they visualise a 'problem cyclist'. I guess similar to me visualising an unkempt white transit or a white Audi when I visualise being subjected to a close pass. It's human nature to put things in nice tidy boxes.

I look at this from the view of my mum, in her 80s, , vision problems, getting frail and a little unsteady on her feet. She is genuinely worried by bikes / scooters close passing her unexpectedly as she knows that being hit, even gently, is likely to have her fall and that is likely to do her damage. She is also worried by uneven surfaces and by cars, especially those who park on pavements. Does she overestimate the risk? Possibly. Do I understand why? Definitely and I try to take that into account when I read elderly actresses making off the cuff comments about cyclists.

Oh and returning to my mum, she is also worried every time I get on my bike to ride home after visiting her. She thinks it's dangerous for me to cycle on the roads, despite me never having had a serious collision in half a century of road riding, and she tells me so every time. She isn't anticyclist, she just perceives the risk differently to you and I.

LeadenSkies wrote:

Definitely, when it comes to most cyclist v pedestrian encounters, the subjective danger outweighs the objective danger. And yes, you pretty well sum up the biggest problem areas when it comes to the type of 'cyclist' that most people will think of when they visualise a 'problem cyclist'. I guess similar to me visualising an unkempt white transit or a white Audi when I visualise being subjected to a close pass. It's human nature to put things in nice tidy boxes. I look at this from the view of my mum, in her 80s, , vision problems, getting frail and a little unsteady on her feet. She is genuinely worried by bikes / scooters close passing her unexpectedly as she knows that being hit, even gently, is likely to have her fall and that is likely to do her damage. She is also worried by uneven surfaces and by cars, especially those who park on pavements. Does she overestimate the risk? Possibly. Do I understand why? Definitely and I try to take that into account when I read elderly actresses making off the cuff comments about cyclists. Oh and returning to my mum, she is also worried every time I get on my bike to ride home after visiting her. She thinks it's dangerous for me to cycle on the roads, despite me never having had a serious collision in half a century of road riding, and she tells me so every time. She isn't anticyclist, she just perceives the risk differently to you and I.

Exactly - it's very common for people to be terrible at estimating risks. The big, sensational risks are usually magnified by our ape brains (e.g. plane crashes) and the ordinary banal risks are usually ignored (e.g. food poisoning from bagged salad).

Thanks for the real-world case.  That is not uncommon (and due to all be benefits of the last century increasingly common).  But it's not just the elderly *.  Lots of people (including the occasional much younger burly bloke!) seem to get worried / triggered by cyclists - apparently out of all proportion to the danger.

That danger does exist - however it's small (we should of course take into account relative abundance / distance / time travelled or some other suitable metric - although the "deaths" figures may not be clear cut as IIRC these report "involved in collision").  And there is a direct feedback loop which doesn't exist with e.g. motor vehicles - it's likely that a cyclist will also be injured in a collision with a pedestrian.

Perhaps objectors have indeed had a bad experience (not necessarily involving injury) - or know someone who has?  I think there are additional factors here - the main one being those using quite different modes just tend not to enjoy mixing.  Having cyclists "in our space" / "on the pavement" is an unusual thing for most.  Combine that with cyclists moving fast but being quiet plus the authorities officially encouraging mixing** and there's a recipe for conflict.

I would want to avoid that ***.  But... while addressing this we should also take account the actual figures to guide how we set the priorities.

Of course I'm talking rubbish - like most things it's gonna come down to politics plus what someone can get a pot of money out of quick, isn't it?

* Those of your mother's age may remember slightly different times of course.

** Or (as in the Auriol Gray case) the system being such a muddle that it's plausible even for those responsible not to be sure of who is officially allowed where.

*** Just do it like the Dutch and make sure everyone has their own space - and it's completely obvious who should be where!

Why do all these posts only ever have one up-vote? Is it Boo and Rich CB basically jerking each other off?

she communicated with the cyclist hive mind

Car Delenda Est wrote:

she communicated with the cyclist hive mind

Resistence is butyl.

Boopop wrote:

Car Delenda Est wrote:

she communicated with the cyclist hive mind

Resistence is butyl.