I was thinking about an article I had read in the legendary Cambridge Evening News about a cyclist moaning about how she had been knocked off her bicycle by two cars recently. It appears that there is a growing feud between the different types of road users in our city. Currently the police are having a crackdown on illegal cycling, fining cyclists for breaking traffic laws and especially for cycling on the pavement. It appears that this is in response to large numbers of complaints from the general public about bad cyclist behaviour.
Without condoning illegal cycling I think it is important to put things into context especially in light of what is deemed to be good use of police time. Speed cameras, drink-driving laws and a whole raft of other legislation has been implemented under the name of safety. It seems counterproductive to blitz cyclists when, for example, mobile phone use is still incredibly rife amongst drivers. How many people do cars kill per year? How many people do cycles kill per year?
Let’s move away from this point now.
It seems that the price that most cyclists pay for their choice of transport is a complete lack of understanding from other road users. The government is pushing for us to reduce our environmental footprint and the occasional cycle to work week or other green-scheme does not give cyclists any respect. I have an alternative proposal that I think would make powered vehicle owners see cyclists and pedestrians in a better light…
What I propose is that Monday the 29th of October 2007 becomes National Drive to Work Day.
Everybody who owns a car should drive to work, and any journeys, no matter how short should be taken on an internal combustion engine powered vehicle. People who do not possess a car should attempt to use public transport. My idea here is that, certainly in places like Cambridge, car users and public transport users will get to experience the congestion that would occur if the usual people who walk or cycle to work took to the roads in cars. Public transport users would hopefully notice how much more full their bus was, or how much longer the journey took. Drivers of vehicles sitting in the jams would maybe notice the absence of bicycles. Hopefully the myth that cyclists get in the way of cars/buses/lorries would be dispelled.
I seriously encourage people to consider this new approach to sending a positive message to the minority of vehicle drivers who oppress more vulnerable road users who do not have the benefit of a steel cage around them.
