New study finds that cyclists don’t hold up motorists

Requiring cycling time for driver licencing might be nice, but one challenge might be to justify why just cycling. Why not require experience of other vulnerable road use - say, riding a horse or using a mobility scooter (or e-scooter, given the latest news)? Or come to that, experience the challenges faced by a whole range of road users (tractor drivers, bus drivers...)? And pretty soon that would become impractical.

An easier to implement approach might be to tighten up the requirements for driving instruction, so that they have to teach the perspectives of other road users, rather than just how to navigate around them, and to improve the driving test so that it tests rigorously for these. It would be less visceral than actually experiencing it, and so less effective, but could still make a useful contribution to shifting attitudes.

And then, of course, we have to bring in retesting every 5 years to re-educate the vast mass of existing drivers who have already learnt bad habits.

The more intractable problem, though, is how to shift the mindset that speed is everything - that getting places and getting things done quicker is always better, no matter what the costs.

How about cheaper car insurance for drivers who have completed level 3 bikeability training?

Or if we had retesting and relicencing the cost of that could be discounted for those with bikeability training?

In general, though, it seems like holding a licence ought to require, rather than just encourage, an understanding of other road users' perspectives.

Better yet, no licence unles you passed Bikeability Level 3. Because if you cannot pass that, then you definitely should not be in charge of something as dangerous as a motor vehicle. 

This is the fact that most people don't see when they drive, that all they're doing is getting to the back of the next queue more quickly. Rarely do they make it through lights any sooner, or out at a junction, and on the occasions when they do, there's other traffic just a little way ahead. Once I accepted this I became much less bothered by traffic when I'm driving.

People are strange and very illogical, it's like the studies they've done on queuing in supermarkets, people feel better about their situation when there are people queing behind them, rather than being in a shorter queue, I guess this translates over to driving, as long as they feel they're getting ahead of someone they feel better about themselves. Explains those drivers you see on the motorway desperately weaving in and out of traffic, yet 10 minutes later they're less than 50 meters further ahead of you than simply sticking in the lane.

Strange, illogical - hmmm - child-like in my view. When you're really little, you have very little concept of what just happened, or what will be happening next - you live for and respond to the moment you're in. Quite worrying, really. 
As has been said, your efforts as a driver to "speed up" your journey nearly always come to nought.
"Hang back", my old dad taught me, when there's any sort of situation ahead on the road, yet many drivers charge on in to whatever tangle it is. When you cycle, you conserve energy and momentum, e.g. you've no interest at all in accelerating up to a red light. 

Bit confused - was it the same journey and you cycled on the motorway, or one where you cycled on crowded roads and another, different route, involving motorways ? (sounds a pretty short journey to involve a motorway, even when 6.3m is miles rather than metres).

fukawitribe wrote:

Bit confused - was it the same journey and you cycled on the motorway, or one where you cycled on crowded roads and another, different route, involving motorways ? (sounds a pretty short journey to involve a motorway, even when 6.3m is miles rather than metres).

I lived north of Bristol and worked in the centre, so my route was a few minor roads to get to the A38, Gloucester Road, and then straight in.  There is always queueing traffic which it was easy to get around, but would be a nightmare in a car (something the same hundreds of drivers I passed every day seemed unable to grasp).  The best car alternative is the M32, built to cure congestion in north Bristol, but like all the other roads built with that premise, it didn't, it just encouraged more driving; money well spent

If they closed the M32 to everything except buses, emergency vehicles and cyclists, it would massively improve air quality, noise pollution and safety and accessibility for cyclists.  The authorities, either the HA or the council weren't keen.

With my commute to work I have a choice of two A roads and a Motorway the later obviously called into play if I drive. All three routes come to 5 miles. I can cover the A roads faster than when the motorway is clogged up with traffic!  There is a third road which adds on an extra mile or so and is even quieter than the others. The advantage of early finishes is my return leg is 20 odd miles!! 

fukawitribe wrote:

Bit confused - was it the same journey and you cycled on the motorway, or one where you cycled on crowded roads and another, different route, involving motorways ? (sounds a pretty short journey to involve a motorway, even when 6.3m is miles rather than metres).

A while back for work, I cycled from very South to very North of Sheffield through city centre and the following morning I drove, but used a section on motorway because that was quickest way by car.  Bike was marginally faster and about 11 Vs 13 miles

Mungecrundle wrote:

In 35 years of driving, I reckon I can count my time lost due to cyclists in terms of minutes. Whilst the time lost due to traffic congestion caused by cars, lorries etc would be measured in weeks, if not months.

I suspect all time lost to cyclists in a lifetime is less than the time lost to congestion due to a single accident because some f'wit can't drive properly. Yet no drivers give those eedjits any abuse when they finally pass them.