Hipster causes murder on a bike

[darmstadt]

Boobs, bums and a gay man, that should fix all these problems with bikes...

[glebe digital]

I will tell that to the kids I see doing their bikeabilty courses the next time I see them....

That's complete nonsense. The people I see doing the most dangerous things are teenage boys in their dark coloured hoodies who tend not to have lights.

Oh and you are aware hi-viz comes in a variety of colours? Yes for some reason most people opt for yellow probably because their gear isn't cycling gear but jackets, gilets and waist coats for construction workers, refuse collectors, etc,

Yes it starts with the kids, being inculcated with this faux safety. Large swathes of the next generation may not even leave the house at all, if they can't find their YJAs, or if their 'precautionary' GoPros aren't charged.

It's fine to disagree, and yes your stereotypical 'teenage boy' might be a good example of idiocy on two wheels, but they're generally not the ones we hear about losing their lives on the road. Maybe they're more 'savvy' cyclists than we might think, or their unconformist approach breeds a form of alertness we're not aware of? Of course, in the dark (with no lights) a cyclist deserves everything he gets, regardless of clothing choice.

Where I live, hi-viz is black, with white moving details. The visual landscape is predominantly green, brown and yellow. People should be advised to consider the landscape they're riding in, and dress accordingly, not rely on a catch-all garment for magical protection, which at the same time, speaks volumes about what the wearer considers the competence of other road users. If what I wear says "I think your a bell-end" then might that not be a contributory factor on their subsequent behaviour?

[vetran]

Agreed. I got dangerously close to a bike coming the other way, quite legitimately overtaking a slow-moving line of cars in a dark winter morning, when I couldn't distinguish his strobe light from the other headlights in the queue. A fixed light means you can see how it's moving along the road, flashing ones merely confuse things.

I have both, a low intensity flasher (to catch your attention) and a steady light for seeing with.

High vis not an attitude just good manners any time of day, other road users have enough difficulty seeing 2 ton cars as the accident statistics show.

[BrilloPad]

I completely agree, if conditions are even remotely murky I always pull-on a lycra top with reflective strips, my hat, gloves and shoes are white & I carry lights (non-blinking) if the situation demands it.
Yellow jackets give a completely false sense of security, and to my mind are belligerent and offensive. They say "If you hit me, it's YOUR fault, no matter my behaviour" and that just breeds contempt. I see cyclists in these, at night, and no lights. It's moronic and dangerous in the extreme.

Most of the drivers and pedestrians I see are moronic and dangerous in the extreme.

Though they are pussies compared to CUK mods....

[SueEllen]

Most of the people I see on the roads are moronic and dangerous in the extreme.

Though they are pussies compared to CUK mods....

FTFY

I've seen idiots using every mode of transport including their own two feet and even horses <shudders>

[Hobosapien]

Boobs, bums and a gay man, that should fix all these problems with bikes...

That's certainly hi viz.

Maybe we (humans) are getting it wrong. We don't really need clothes (most animals survive with some kind of fur, so just stop shaving it all off).

Skin is also waterproof for all those softies with their hundreds of pounds worth of goretex kit. Though with that I think it's not about getting wet it's about being uncomfortable while you dry out that makes people want to avoid the experience.

More women cycling in bikinis are needed, as a study on what Sue was saying about wearing a skirt causes a better reaction from motorists. I think I read somewhere that people seen to be more vulnerable through lack of protective kit cause other road users to treat them more as humans than obstacles.

[mudskipper]

. I think I read somewhere that people seen to be more vulnerable through lack of protective kit cause other road users to treat them more as humans than obstacles.

That is true - there has been research. If you don't look like you know what you're doing on a bike, people give you more room.

It is one of the reasons why CyclingUK (CTC) do not insist on helmets - a helmet will give you some protection if you have an accident, buy you are more likely to have one if you are wearing a helmet.

Long hair (look female from the back) and no helmet and cars give you a wide berth.

British Study on Passing Clearance and Helmets

Although subsequent studies have questioned the validity.

[SueEllen]

That is true - there has been research. If you don't look like you know what you're doing on a bike, people give you more room.

It is one of the reasons why CyclingUK (CTC) do not insist on helmets - a helmet will give you some protection if you have an accident, buy you are more likely to have one if you are wearing a helmet.

Long hair (look female from the back) and no helmet and cars give you a wide berth.

British Study on Passing Clearance and Helmets

Although subsequent studies have questioned the validity.

Those kind of studies you can't really do properly as they rely on people's unconscious actions.

If you tell people they are going to be filmed/watched passing random cyclists no one would do close passes, yet I've seen a lot of them.

[vetran]

That is true - there has been research. If you don't look like you know what you're doing on a bike, people give you more room.

It is one of the reasons why CyclingUK (CTC) do not insist on helmets - a helmet will give you some protection if you have an accident, buy you are more likely to have one if you are wearing a helmet.

Long hair (look female from the back) and no helmet and cars give you a wide berth.

British Study on Passing Clearance and Helmets

Although subsequent studies have questioned the validity.

Having tried without a helmet ,I have a 2 inch scar on my head to prove a helmet would have been useful.

[Hobosapien]

Long hair (look female from the back) and no helmet and cars give you a wide berth.

..no one would do close passes, yet I've seen a lot of them.

Just when I though the mullet had a place in society after all and there was a plan b opportunity to provide mullet caps for cyclists so they all look like girls from behind, I remember that women tend to get unwanted passes from men. Back to the drawing board.