Is It Really Sensible To Cycle In Dangerous Road Conditions?

[Katiebob]

I've absolutely nothing against cyclists. In fact, I applaud them generally even though (as a motorist) I do have to be very aware.

 

My concern is that I have seen lots of reported incidents of cyclists and motor-cyclists who have been injured in road accidents as a result of the snow in the East. Is it really sensible to cycle in these conditions? I would totally agree that it may also not be sensible for car drivers to be out but as they are the most vulnerable road users, why don't cyclists and bikers just stay at home for a few days?

 

MOST car drivers don't need to make their journeys either (and it's depressingly sad to see how many have absolutely NO idea how to drive in snow) but if a car gets out of control it becomes an unguided missile. Pedestrians, cyclists and any other road user is vulnerable. I (for one) certainly wouldn't want to be any of the reporters standing on an interserction discussing the traffic situation. Why are people so oblivious to danger?

 

I suspect there will be lots of people who would wish that car drivers shouldn't be on the road but even if car drivers weren't there - the lorries would still need to move. I would just prefer that the more vulnerable members of the road society didn't endanger themselves when the weather gets tough.

[reds]

Good question. If they are cycling to get to work then it's the employers who should be taking responsibility. They should be advising staff not to travel in whilst the weather is bad.

 

I would argue that the onus is on car drivers to be extra cautious and to always be aware of other road users, regardless of the weather.

 

You are quite right though and have a very valid argument because safety should always come first and not enough people prioritise that. If it's not necessary to take the risk when roads are badly affected, then we simply shouldn't

[BillyMalc]

Well, if a car out of control turns into an unguided missile it would make sense for car drivers to stay at home, so as not to injure or kill anyone, wouldn't it? I've hit the road god knows how many times while out on my bike, snow or no snow, without ever hurting or killing anyone.

I rely on my bike to go to work. My street is on an estate, and it's a dead end, so it never gets gritted. If I were to move my van in those conditions I'd prolly have caused a few 100 £'s in damages before I'd have even left the estate - never mind parking once home again. Then I can't even park it near work, so would have to park it on an ungritted road on another nearby estate. I'm a temp, which means that every minute that I don't work I don't get paid, regardless of the reason - I couldn't afford to sit at home and stay safe!

Why not spend a few £1000's more on making the roads safe for everybody by gritting them better? As well as more active policing of those idiots who reckon it's okay to ride a bike without lights - drives me up the wall! Now that IS asking for trouble!

[cycas]

It may not be sensible, but you do what you have to. Years ago when I was rather poor and looking for a job, I lived in an outlying village but had to sign on for benefits in the local town. It snowed, so I phoned in to say that the roads were bad and could I leave it to next week, but was told that I had to turn up or no money.

 

I cycled in (the buses were not running) and yes, it was risky, but it was that or no rent. The road, as it happened, had been gritted, but there was so much snow that it was in great grey ruts in places, very hairy.

 

I've often wondered since whether if I'd come off and broken a leg or something I could have sued the Jobcentre. It was totally daft, really, if I'd broken a leg or something I'd have been unable to travel to interviews and very likely been out of work longer.

[Ian]

Sensible? No, it's ridiculous & arguably we should all stay home - car drivers as well once it gets really bad (it isn't now!) Reality, however, as Billy & Victoria have already said is often different to sensible. Few people would want to ride a bike in this weather, the chances are that sadly they have had to do so!

 

What I wonder whenever it snows is why we can't do better in this country - a smattering of snow & we grind to a standstill, other countries cope far better with far worse - presumably only because they are used to & therefore better equipped for it.

[cycas]

That's the thing though, snow ploughs and even gritters are insanely expensive and have to be maintained whether they are used or not, for a council hard pressed on budgets, it must be awfully tempting to cut back, specially after a few warm years and the ploughs not been used at all.

 

If you go to somewhere where it snows all the time, then snowploughs are an essential of road maintenance, there is no option but to have them - whereas we get little enough snow that some years much of England apart from the mountains will see none at all.

 

In Reykjavik, the roads all have hot water pipes run underneath them to keep them melted at all times, apparently! That's impressive. And there are well stocked huts all around the main roads in Iceland, for people who get snowed up and have to stop. But it would be daft to take those sorts of precautions in the UK where getting snowed in for days on a main road just doesn't normally happen.

 

I bet if you look at somewhere with similar weather to the UK or a bit warmer, you'd find they were equally poorly prepared for heavy snow, because they don't get it very often. Similarly, we aren't terribly well prepared for earthquakes. But we are much better prepared for heavy rainfall, mud and fog than many other countries, because that's what we get a lot of.

Edited December 19, 2009 by cycas

[BillyMalc]

Holland has got very similar temperatures to the UK. However, it is also very much a cycling country so people don't really think about it twice when it snows and just get on their bikes and get on with it.

I do find the general attitude towards cyclists in this country shocking tho. I can see a few haphazard improvements in Manchester - such as cycle lanes which lead somewhere random and then stop, with an arrow point, into the car lane ), but at least they're making an effort - but in general it seems that other road users see cyclists as a nuisance, who should be off the road and "somewhere else". How on earth people should feel more encouraged to take a bike instead of their car is beyond me sometimes.

[krusewalker]

personally, ive alwasy cycled in the snow, in DK and UK.

 

I've never had any trouble.

 

Some places have cycle lanes anyway.

 

I used to get a right buzz cycling away passing all the cars on the way!

 

Like you say, its the same as cars in the snow, some people know how to drive, some dont.

 

Cyclists could and are killed by guided missiles anytime of the year

[Kathyw]

I do not drive but years ago I rode a bike to work. On the Highway in stepney I diced with death every day with the big lorries and it made me chuck the bike and walk - job was nowhere near a bus route.

 

But in London if we stop at a red light and there are bikes approaching we always bet on how many will cross the road against the red light. Most of them do.

Amwell street has a cycle lane - it's a busy road during rush hour yet bikes will often be two and sometimes three abreast as they race each other down the hill seemingly oblivious to oncoming cars in the car lane.

Most do not wear head protection yet have the nerve to wear a mask so they don't breathe in car fumes!

 

We need a system of cycle lanes everywhere but cyclist must not overtake or race other cyclists - they take their lives into their hands and it's scary.

 

Many car drivers should also learn that they roads are not their private property and they also have to obey the rules.

[cycas]

 

Most do not wear head protection yet have the nerve to wear a mask so they don't breathe in car fumes!

 

 

I don't see what's wrong with that. Car fumes can do a lot of damage to a cyclists lungs. Cycle helmets, however, are quite controversial and may offer much less protection than is often believed : http://www.cyclehelmets.org/ has information on this topic.

[reds]

There is a move to make it legal for cyclists to turn left at a red light. In London they are by far and away the biggest road casualty Yes some are as reckless as drivers, i.e. use their mobile phones and take their attention away from the road, and in that respect we are all equal but in terms of how vulnerable cyclists are compared to car users - it's a very simple equation to work out! Junctions are where the majority of cycle-car/lorry accidents happen and that's simply because drivers don't look properly and/or the cyclist is in the blind spot - which is why the left hand wing mirror is called BOB (Boys on Bikes!).

 

The safety benefits of cycle helmets are indeed controversial but the advice is always to wear a well-fitting safety tested one. Given that most cyclist fatalities are from a head injury (especially children) and that head injuries are the most common kind, along with limb injuries, it would be wise to wear a helmet and give yourself some protection.

 

A safe new year to everyone!

[Ian]

Is that a typing error - illegal to turn left? Either way, how is that supposed to prevent accidents, surely if there's a red light & they can't turn left the cyclist may still be in the blind spot, but just waiting to go straight on?

 

I must confess I hadn't seen anything like Cycas link before & can count on one hand the number of times I've ridden a bike in recent years but I've never worn a cycling helmet despite the fact I'm inclined to think they probably do aid safety in teh event you have an accident. I guess we often just assume it wont happen to us

[Katiebob]

On the subject of cycle helmets, I recall the same statistics being quoted about riding hats. Fortunately the majority of horse riders decided to adopt riding hats (not least because insurance companies wouldn't insure them). It was probably around 15 or so years ago but seems like they were always around (riding hats, not insurance companies)!

 

I still believe cyclists are horribly vulnerable to car/lorry/van drivers and if I were obliged to ride a bike to work in snow/ice, I'm sure I'd NOT cycle in those conditions although I appreciate what those who do cycle say. IMO, your life is more important than your job, no matter what.

[cycas]

One difference is that although horse riding is a great hobby, it is a hobby. It's also one that involves travelling an awful lot higher up than being on a bicycle.

 

Whereas cycling is a way to hugely reduce congestion and pollution.

 

In situations where cycle helmets are made compulsory, cycle usage tends to fall (because it makes cycle usage more of a nuisance as you have to carry the helmet with you everywhere), and head injuries generally don't: if having to wear a helmet causes even a small percentage to choose to travel using a much more polluting and lethal car instead, then it's likely to actually make road deaths more common overall. I doubt many people use horses for essential journeys nowadays.

 

Not that I can talk, I used to use a bike all the time when I lived in a town, but now I live in Cornwall everything is too steep and the risk of being hit by something coming the other way along the lanes seems too great. Though admittedly I could hardly carry 2 sighthound on a bicycle anyway!

[BillyMalc]

So far it appears that any serious accidents with casualties due to the snow/ice have taken place on motorways, where cyclists obviously aren't allowed. Like I said, for me it's very simple: for every minute that I don't work I don't get paid. If I don't get paid I can't afford my rent and heating bills, so I'd be out on me ear and in this weather that would seem even less of an attractive option.

 

I've been cycling for 36 years - since my first little tricycle - and so far the most serious accident that I've ever had was a meeting with a stupid pedestrian who stepped off the pavement onto the cycle lane, into my front wheel. It goes without saying that the pedestrian escaped without so much as a scratch, while my face looked like I'd just fought Mike Tyson! Should cyclists therefore also refrain from commuting by bike, because pedestrians (who I've found to be at least equally hazardous) can't and won't look where they are going?

 

As with everything else in life, it all comes down to common sense and decency. If everybody could just keep their brains switched on and focussed, and lose the idea of being 'king/queen of the road', then most acidents simply wouldn't happen