[Closed] Cardiff and Utrecht: The joy and dread of cycling

Good article - cheers

We could learn a lot from countries like Holland - if only we weren't so bloody arrogant!

I do agree with the Dutch/Belgian way of cycling. I've been banging on about it to anyone that will listen for years.
But it's not anywhere near as bad as that article paints it in the UK. I ride nearly every day and it's very very rare there's any sort of incident. It's hysterical bullshit like that which puts people off.

did any of those paragraphs contain more than one sentence?

It's more the UK's attitude to cars than bikes that's the issue, along with petrol crimes being so leniently treated 🙁

Colleagues in Utrecht were telling us that the Dutch presumed liability law means many younger people ride carelessly crossing traffic etc, as the onus is on vehicles to stop. I don't mean riding normally, straying from cycle lanes or being careless. I guess there are positives and negatives to every scenario. That said cycling there is a joy, but then so was the ride back from Edale to Nottingham last night in the evening sun.

Hilldodger and spud have it. The entitlement to drive like a dick unpunished, and the potential entitled attitude of some cyclists if we switched to presumed liability, are the real problem.

Actually just seems to be a British problem with entitlement.

So a "potential" problem that you have no evidence for is a good reason for not trying something?

I don't believe that cyclists would suddenly start behaving suicidally just because the legal system makes it easier for them to claim compensation for their injuries. Getting knocked off and injured still hurts and permanent disability is not easily compensated for by mere money. Middle-aged car driving men will always complain about the behaviour of who they consider to be out-groups, whether or not there is any evidence. Have there been more bike+car crashes since the law change?

But it's not anywhere near as bad as that article paints it in the UK. I ride nearly every day and it's very very rare there's any sort of incident. It's hysterical bullshit like that which puts people off

Depends on where you live and ride, and what you call an incident, I'd guess? I'm comfortable enough riding the roads here in Swansea but still see plenty of 'incidents'. Not enough for me to get overly angry these days, but still incredibly poor, aggressive, incompetent driving. (Just one example - I ride 4 miles to work, it's mainly cycle paths but to get to the first cycle path I need to ride all of about half a mile on the main road. I can guarantee that every Saturday morning I will have a driver making a suicidal overtake into the on-coming traffic only to still be immediately in front of me at the roundabout before the cycle path.)

And as a pedestrian I'll see an 'incident' pretty much every time I walk along a road, from drivers going through red lights across pedestrian crossings to the moron in a Range Rover gunning it past my kids' school the other day.

Exaggerating the problem isn't great, but ignoring the fact that there is a huge problem with driving at the moment is not helping at all.