Cycle campaigning

Hey guys...thought I'd spill my guts about this seeing as my post in spotted triggered some further debate. I have no intention to cause offence with this post and hope that this will trigger a debate that will teach me more about issues I know little about.

Firstly I'd like to say that campaigning for safer roads and more sensible legislation governing the use of lorries in central London is clearly a very important thing. As somebody who covers 100mi+ a week on London streets I see lorries squeezing themselves through roads that simply cannot accomodate them safely and junctions that are misleading, confusing and sometimes downright dangerous. LCC and other campaign groups do have a ethical responsibility to address this and it is a cause to which I am happy to lend my support. At some point, TFL and other organisations will have to listen and have to take action and collective and cumulative pressure is key.

However, I sometimes feel that the focus has shifted too far away from the cyclists themselves. We must all take responsibility for our own safety and I also think that as a dedicated and proud cyclist I have a responsibility to spread the safe cycling message to other cyclists who perhaps are less aware or experienced. Sometimes, in fact quite often, cyclists are in accidents due to their own actions.

I think that most people who ride in London have noticed the huge spike in road works, bottlenecks and lorry traffic in recent months. The next 6 to 12 months will probably be the most dangerous period facing london cyclists possibly ever. Can you imagine what it is going to be like when we have millions of people descend on our city in hire cars with little experience of driving on the other side of the road and bringing continental/global driving styles with them? Add the logistics vehicles (lorries too!) to that swollen number of road users and things could begin to look quite nasty.

I feel very strongly that the various campaign groups MUST scale back their attention from junctions and lorries for a period of time and pile their resources into hammering home cycle safety messages to everybody who they can possibly engage with. I think we should be flyering bikes with key messages, targeting cyclists on busy commuter routes, getting bike shops to talk to purchases at point of sale... really shouting about the free cycle training that is available etc etc etc. I'm sick to death of being told by various campaign group members on this forum that this approach will not work...it will improve things if only slightly.

I appreciate that the various groups do a lot to promote cycle safety but I feel that some groups have become quite insular and also are afraid to go out there and force the message on people for fear of scaring people away from their bikes. I feel, perhaps, for once, that it is time to take that risk and see if we can save a few lives and limbs in the coming exciting period for London.

I see heartstopping moments every other day when out on my bike and can remember clearly the days when I was less experienced and used to put myself into dangerous positions until others taught me the errors of my ways. From where I am standing, the ratio of near misses caused by bad cycling compared to bad lorry driving/layout is approaching 10:1.

No campaign group is going to make a blind bit of difference to lorries and junctions between now and the end of the summer. I feel that some of the groups have become particularly insular and caught up in their own manifestos to the point of losing focus on some issues that are probably more pressing than others.

On the subject of personal responsibility, if we see somebody do something dangerous I feel we must say something even if we risk an abusive response. To all the RLJers on the forum, please think about what you do. I RLJ sometimes and feel quite safe doing so but we are setting an example to riders who maybe don't have the same experience as some of us and who don't have the neccessary experience to read the roads. Even if we are rljing safely, others will see us, think its ok and put themselves at risk. We must lead by example. Further, the roads work because every road user is supposed to obey the same set of rules and behave predictably. Over the coming months especially, we need to be acting predictably so that drivers who are not used to driving in London have the best chance possible of making it from A to B without taking one of us out.

How many times have you filtered through a small gap because you feel confident and safe to do so only to realise that half a dozen nodders have followed you through that gap despite the fact the lights are about to change?

So...on to why I don't go to LCC meetings and other forums to debate these issues. Quite simply, I'm sick of the holier than thou and sanctimonius attitude that seems to pervade those who have been involved in those groups for a long period of time when somebody attempts to bring new ideas to the table. Fresh blood is woefully overdue.

These are my humble opinions. Please tell me if I am wrong. If anybody has any suggestions on what I can personally do (shut up is not an option ;) ) then please let me know.

Thanks to all of you who have Facebooked me and PM'd me in support. Its nice to know that I'm not the only person who has these views.

(Sits back and awaits the flaming and nergging).