The "Right to Ride", Vehicular cycling etc - an opinion

Unfortunately, you’re also going to be missing out on the next meeting which will be in Manchester on Saturday 21st May. We’ll be agreeing our Governance and Constitution and then we shall be sorting tasks. We are developing a Wiki on Infrastructure Standards if you would like to carry out research and assist. In the meantime, if you have any further ideas on how you would like to see the Embassy develop then let me know.

I liked the blog post. Very well put, and the thoughts on family and the pros and cons of getting them cycling in the current environment very pointed. I liked the BMA/setting-up of the NHS analogy, never thought of that one, but quite accurate. And you are right to point to the nonsense of the idea of “sharing the road” between totally dissimilar modes of transport. You made me think about this more clearly – just the complete nonsense of the concept in a scientific sense, never mind any politics – like what would equitable sharing of roadspace between cars and bikes actually mean: equal numbers? equal areas of roadspace (huge gain for cycling)? equal danger? equal kinetic energy (even bigger gain)? Just thinking about this makes clear the nonsensicality of the idea of “sharing the road” between cars and bikes.

I’m sure you will be able to help. Hope to meet you at some future event.

David

Very well put, I agree wholeheartedly. I have been thinking along these lines since my son has started riding 4-5 miles into town with me this year. We spend most of the time on the pavements, but if it’s a quiet Sunday morning I have been slowly introducing him to roads. Whilst trying to teach him to ‘take the lane’, avoid parked car door-zones, not filter near buses and other such practices my heart has been in my mouth. There’s no way I’d let him go out on his bike alone.