Hi there,
Another thread brought up the issue of cyclists failing to speak up in their own interests,
especially when local authorities ignore all the 'Best practice' advice they are supposed to follow
and so make the roads even more 'cycling unfriendly' then they are already.
The important point was made that whilst most LA's have 'Cycle Forums' these are usually regarded by
council officers as being 'talking shops' to keep the local cycling zealots quiet and to meet their
statutory responsibility to consult. In addition, those dedicated cycle campaigners most people
leave campaigning work to are often seen as being unrepresentative of 'normal' cyclists or even just
'nutters', even when those campaigners are doing nothing more then quoting from offical design
guidelines. (For example, it seems many LA's actually believe that 'cyclists' want narrow badly
surfaced 'cycle paths' where the cyclist has to give way every few metres and that most cyclists
have no problems at all with 'pinchpoints' and roundabouts...)
What is really needed is more cyclists getting of their backsides and expressing their concerns to
LA's and other bodies, perhaps taking the time to find out just what their LA is supposed to be
doing, what road schemes are under consideration and so on.
Given the way cyclists are being ever more marginalised how about a few more cyclists standing up
for themselves and making the resolution that:
'Where I see the interests of cyclists being ignored by central government, local authorities or
others, or cyclists unfairly vilified in the press, I will take the time to stand up for my own and
other cyclists interests by at least writing to object.'
That't it, if every cyclist did this only 3 or 4 times a year we just might have a chance of getting
more attention paid to cyclists needs. I am sure plenty of people here are not adverse to wring the
odd letter to their MP's but I have no doubt plenty of people don't. Let's heed the words of a
speaker at the Mass Cyclists protest held in Hull in 1935,
'only by continually protesting and acting could cyclists maintain their place on the roads of
Great Britain'.
A happy New Year!