Boris Johnson retracts claim that two thirds of London cyclists killed or seriously injured were breaking law

@iDavid: you only have to view my comments in the Daily Mirror/Tony Parsons article to see that I very much dislike the clique that a lot of cyclists & drivers seem to think we are all in, just because we own bikes.

I am a road user but it is very apparent that my main mode of transport is only considered in road planning as an after thought, or at worst, in the cases of Bow roundabout and Kings Cross, there is evidence that TfL told the road planning assessing those junctions to ignore any safety concerns with cyclists and pedestrians as their 'score' was too low and would impede traffic flow.

Michael5 wrote:

Whilst many motorists break the law, they are generally stamped on if caught; financial penalties in the form of fines and points on license that add up to higher insurance bills, and ultimately their toy taken away.

Unfortunately, that summation bears no weight whatsoever: car drivers regularly RLJ, drive without due care and attention, use mobile devices and get away with it. When they are hauled in front of courts for traffic offences, the resulting punishments are derisory to the point of insulting. You only have to do a search here or on the CTC site for reports of cases demonstrating it time over.

Michael5 wrote:

I just think if people on bikes want to be considered part of the traffic, best at least behave like we are, by complying with the rules - especially those that are designed to make using the road safer for everyone.

It is far too late (like over 100 years) for anyone to be holding reservations whether cycles are a part of traffic or not (and will be considered only if they behave). Bicycles are traffic and have been for a while before cars came into existence. That line of thought is so wrong it can only be seen as ignorant and dumb. Its as stupid as when they were telling women they can only have the vote if they stop misbehaving.

The fact of the matter is that cyclists safety will not improve if everyone obeyed every single road law. The crap infrastructure, the terrible attitude of a lot of drivers, as well as the inability of a large amount of them to maintain their attention to driving their vehicle safely will still be there. Suggesting all cyclists should behave before things improve (or moves made to improve things) is like saying women shouldn't dress like sluts if they want respect.

Michael5 wrote:

What is the difference; asking a car to wait 2 mins behind someone on a bike or asking that person on a bike to wait 2 mins til a traffic light goes green? Are they both in such a rush??

Studies carried out by TfL have shown that the number of cyclists RLJ is a small minority and when cyclists were questioned after they had jumped lights, it was more a case of safety than 'being an arsehole'. You only have to read a CCIWF post from last year about Russell Square to understand that because of how the infrastructure is designed, it is safer to RLJ than it is to obey the 'rules'.

zanf wrote:

Studies carried out by TfL have shown that the number of cyclists RLJ is a small minority and when cyclists were questioned after they had jumped lights, it was more a case of safety than 'being an arsehole'. You only have to read a CCIWF post from last year about Russell Square to understand that because of how the infrastructure is designed, it is safer to RLJ than it is to obey the 'rules'.

Do you really, honestly believe this? In what reality is it safer to venture across the path of traffic rather than waiting at a red light? If you feel unsafe when queuing at a light, I personally think you shouldn't be on the road in or on any vehicle.

Nick T wrote:

Do you really, honestly believe this? In what reality is it safer to venture across the path of traffic rather than waiting at a red light? If you feel unsafe when queuing at a light, I personally think you shouldn't be on the road in or on any vehicle.

Did you read the article I linked? Did you not grasp anything from how the design of that junction (which is standard in London) puts cyclists at risk? Did you not understand how a large number of the cyclist deaths last year could have been avoided if only for a redesign in the infrastructure? Do you not grasp what the "Love London, go Dutch" campaign is about? Do you not know thats why there is not a massive uptake in utility cycling that would reduce the number people using cars for journeys under 3 miles?

@Simon_MacMichael He will have my admiration for one of the boldest moves to try make London a great city to live in (that riled the Tories so much) and that was the GLC's 1981 policy of "Fares Fair"

The impact of it was almost instant and to think what London would be like 31 years on would definitely put other European cities to shame.

Mr Will wrote:

Boris is one of the few politicians who does his best to serve his electorate, rather than his own agenda.

Mr Will wrote:

Boris is one of the few politicians who does his best to serve his electorate, rather than his own agenda. He might not always get things right (first time or at all) but he listens and is prepared to change his view in the face of a convincing argument. How many other politicians can you say that about?

Boris? Is that you?

@Mr Will Actually I think Boris is almost entirely self-serving and a poor listener. However we all make mistakes, he got this number wrong and corrected it - no big deal, let's all move on.