Friday 9 October 2009

BBC women cyclists article....

Not bad, not bad.

Easy as she goes

I'm relieved that someone finally brought up the whole more men are killed than women thing. More women have been killed by HGVs this year, a lot more, but I'm starting to wonder about the possibility of statistical anomaly (wipes brow after effort of enormous words).

The fact is that far more men are killed overall and this year could well be a blip as it were in the numbers. Action still must be taken as one person killed is one too many but it bears some consideration.

The other fab thing brought up in the article is that men and women are different. Yes it's bloody obvious, but when it comes to cycling a lot of dyed in the wool cyclists forget this unalterable fact. Women won't cycle if they don't feel safe and are less likely to be assertive on the road. Men and women have different styles, different things that drive them to cycle and different attitudes. Not all of them, but a lot.

Pity that diagram shows a lorry overtake maneuver that only a mentalist would try. Going up the right side of a lorry? In traffic? In London? With our narrow roads? Bugger that.

5 comments:

  1. My boyfriend sent me that article, I'm glad I wasn't the only one horrified at that lorry schematic! I was thinking "that's really what I'm supposed to do? On my wide arse bike? I'll get hit by a bus coming the other way!!". UGh! made me feel a bit sick thinking about it. If there happens to be a lorry in front at a junction, unless I can get right up front easily before the lights change I hang right back behind, in front of the car that can see me instead. You don't need to be at the front of a junction, you need to be in the safest position where people can see you...

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  2. There I was looking up 'boys pissing' on Dad's computer, and I found 'Roger and Me'!! I enjoyed reading it. xx

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  3. Hurrah dozen oaks, another sensible person!

    Moomin on the other hand! Shocking :@)

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  4. Hi Weenie! I happened to cycle past Boris Johnson on my journey home the other night so after an uphill race to weaken him, I grilled him about his plans to make roads safer for cyclists. We talked about the woman-cyclist-lorry thing and he said we need to be better at fighting our way to the front. Not exactly helpful!!

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  5. Sigh, disappointing to say the least. I'd argue the opposite is true. Maybe we should be less pressured to get to the front?

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