Monday morning a very good family friend was put in intensive care for a short amount of time. I was told this only this morning. He is both an experienced and very conscientious bike rider - the type who wears reflective materials, keeps their reflectors on the bike, and uses lights at night or in poor visibility. The type who, like many of us, frowns upon bad riding practice.
However the problem is there is only so much you can do as a cyclist. He did the best he could to be visible.
Despite a punctured lung and several broken bones he is now stable on a normal ward (or as normal as they come). I have emailed my Father, his close friend for around 40 years, a whole mass of information and advice... solicitors contacts, what to document, and so on. The poor bastard looks to be in hospital on Christmas day.
So, a request!
He was unlucky to encounter a driver who didn't bother to look before pulling out of a side road. Many of us have been in such a situation, many of us have thankfully been able to avoid injury or collision, but for the sake of not just ourselves - for the sake of future generations of cyclists and those that are too timid to ride now, lets make some noise!
Cycling should not be about avoiding bad drivers. It should be free and easy, free from fear or discomfort. Send this idea out to the papers, to their letters pages, blog about it, film it, write about it. Tell your friends and family how you feel and what you have to put up with. Get interviewed by the local and national papers, get on the TV, on the local news broadcasts, the radio (if you've been hit get them to do a story on it). Let the world know how law abiding you are, that you do not deserve the way this has turned out!
We have much to do. Only we, as cyclists, can spur the initial changes that will make cycling safe and attractive to future generations and future cyclists. This spur will set about a chain reaction as friends and family start to see cycling for what it can bring us all, join with us, and how cycling has been hindered in recent years.
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1 comments:
Considering the modal share that cyclists make up, typically less then 5% overall and normally a bit higher during rush hour in towns but still less then 20% it seems silly that cyclists are the one's who need to adapt their behaviour to the vast motoring majority.
Whilst cyclists/motor vehicles accidents usually result in serious consequences for the cyclists, at which point we here the usual lights/hi-viz/law breaking arguments rolled out I don't tend to see the same suggestions/accusations in the multitude of accidents that involve 2 motorised vehicles? Do we suddenly see calls for drivers to all go around in brightly coloured cars (as opposed to the much more favoured "ninja" black/grey/navy blue), to have lights on (which brings up the subject of DRL - a whole other can of worms!) or that they should "shock horror" NOT break the law by speeding/using a mobile phone/red light jumping etc?
As you correctly point out I think the only thing worse then the cycling provisions (I wouldn't call it infrastructure as the vast majority is a shoe-horned in afterthought) in this country is some drivers attitudes on the road: "I'm important and must get everywhere at full speed and no man or beast shall get in my way"
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