I am an occasional cyclist. Not even occasionally during winter, which starts tomorrow, or even autumn, which today feels suspiciously like winter. But I cycle. Not any great distance, mind you, and usually on cycle paths. And why don’t I cycle too far away from quiet roads and cycle paths? Because it’s bloody dangerous, that’s why!
I was reminded just how dangerous cycling can be when driving down the Gloucester Road tonight. The traffic wasn’t actually that heavy, at least by Bristol standards, but there were plenty of cyclists. Some of them wore fluorescent jackets, most had lights, a few had both or neither. In the gloom, with so much street furniture to take in, how they were dressed, how bright they were; it didn’t matter.
I lost count of the number of cyclists who “undertook” inside the white line in which there is an alleged cycle lane. I was forced, at one point, to move sharply to the left to avoid a bus moving swiftly towards me. I observed through my nearside mirror, a cyclist moving at a rapid rate of knots, with working lights but no fluorescent clothing, earphones in, without a care in the world. He missed me by a foot at most, as he proceeded to ignore the red traffic light ahead. (I believe traffic lights represent a basis for negotiation for most cyclists.) The law of averages suggests to me that if this guy cycles like this every day, at some point he will hurt himself and possibly someone else too.
Cycling is undoubtedly healthy but Bristol was not designed for cycles, or for any other form of transport for that matter. Visit the Netherlands and you will see dedicated bike lanes everywhere. They do not compete for space with anyone else. It would take some doing to get hurt. In Bristol, cyclists compete with tons of moving metal.
You cannot un-invent the bicycle and there is neither the will nor the money to build the real cycle lanes we need. So we end up where we are and where we always will be. With Bristol in near gridlock at times, it is understandable that so many people choose to travel on two wheels. I feel terrified for some cyclists and fuming at the rest!
