Do you like riding a bicycle? I do, it’s good exercise, a good way to meet people and it’s great fun. I’ve been privileged to undertake some fabulous bicycle trips, including a 306 mile journey from my home through the English countryside, all the way to Prenton Park. A wonderful uplifting journey of discovery.
I’ve done a lot of cycle commuting in my time, most of it in Central London where I often use Boris Bikes. Cycling in London is a great way to get about, and for some it’s a great way to get yourself killed too. I’m not talking about the many tragedies that make the news, though these stories are of course very sad.
No, I’m thinking about all the idiots who jump red lights on their bicycles. In my experience gathered from several years of cycle commuting I’ve come to an uncomfortable conclusion. London cyclists are the most inconsiderate, lawless road user group out there. When I started to commute I figured it would be taxi drivers, or HGV drivers, or maybe white van man. But nope, it’s my fellow cyclists, and their stupidity infuriates me. Why do so many cyclists feel it’s OK to jump the lights and then feel so angry when we are cut up on our roads? Would as many cyclists do this if we had to display some kind of registration, thus making it easier for the police to dish out £1,000 fines when we choose to endanger ourselves and others?
Don’t get me wrong, I think much more needs to be done to educate motorists and other road users to share the highway more respectfully, and to punish them when they don’t. But most cyclists I know are soft and squishy, and have a tendency to bend and break when hit by another vehicle. Jumping the lights feels like asking for trouble to me.
If you are a cyclist, don’t make yourself a target. And if you don’t care about yourself or your fellow road users, think of the kitty.