Betters laws for cycling would stop riders being stigmatised

Men behind the wheel on four wheels versus a man on two wheels.

They share road space but apparently loathe the sight of each other in an adversarial relationship blighted by wildly inaccurate mutual perceptions.

Men in metal see men in Lycra as arrogant, entitled, nuisances dedicated to getting in their way, hogging the road without paying road tax, flouting speed restrictions men in metal must abide by and their muscly calves, thighs and buttocks just make them see red.

Men in Lycra view men in metal as ignorant pigs whose mission is to intimidate, endanger and irritate the hell out of them. Run them off the road if they can, speeding away cackling.

I use the term men above to generalise, although this spiralling dislike between motorists and cyclists is involving women. Some have spoken about being pat at, shouted at and run off the road for daring to pootle around on their bike.

Sitting on a saddle and peddling instantly turns people in to public enemy number one. Once crossed, then they come out fighting every trip.

Throw into the mix pedestrians, who fear cyclists, who see them as erratic obstacles, and there’s a triumvirate of simmering hate.

Serious cyclists are labelled militant; the club cyclists clad in the latest gear who ride in packs, sometimes two abreast.

These premium specimens of fitness instantly wind up drivers, who are mostly not remotely honed muscle, and argy-bargies ensue. It doesn’t take a Mensa member to realise that irritation stems from jealousy at the super fit out in the fresh air keeping healthy, and the opposite munching on his Wagon Wheel heading for the pub.

The cyclists, sick to the back teeth of drivers roaring up behind them, passing too close and hooting intolerantly to make every driver pay for the bad’uns, creating permanent stand-off atmosphere whenever the twain meet.

There needs to be some sort of national mediation between drivers and cyclists to build mutual understanding and make the roads safer for everyone.

An 'Understand Each Other on the Roads Week'? A tolerance for operators of all wheeled vehicles on the road.

A tiny minority of bad behaviour and reckless disregard for each other has created a cavernous divide.

The sniggers were palpable when nearly 1,000 cyclists were fined in the City of London police crackdown by the new Cycle Response Unit, many for repeatedly jumping red lights.

Such is the poor reputation of cyclists, former Olympic champion Chris Boardman stopped allowing himself to be photographed in Lycra and stopped wearing a helmet if riding around town and jettisoned the word cyclist, preferring “person on a bike” to remind everyone there was a human in the saddle.

“Cycling is just lazy walking,” he said. “That’s how we need to see it”.

In the Netherlands, people don’t view themselves as cyclists. They are using the easiest form of transport.”

Introducing some sort of parity like number plates for cyclists, insurance and being harder on two-wheeled speeding so everyone on the road abides by the same rules have been dismissed by the government because costs would outweigh the benefits and practical difficulties.

But it might help ease the resentment and reduce the roadside abuse and altercations.

Now, an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill of a new offence of causing death or injury by dangerous, careless or inconsiderate cycling has been decried as anti-cycling.

But, like pedestrians are protected by law by dangerous car driving, they need to be protected from reckless cycling.

In 2016, Kim Briggs died in hospital a week after Charlie Alliston collided with her in east London on his fixed-gear bike, which illegally had no front brake.

He was convicted of actual bodily harm by “wanton and furious driving”, an offence under a 19th-century legislation, but was cleared of the more serious offence of manslaughter.

Her husband has campaigned to a law change since

Hilda Griffiths, aged 81, died two months after a cyclist travelling between 25mph and 29mph on laps of the park that has a 20mph speed limit, but the Metropolitan Police Service confirmed that it does not apply to people riding bicycles, which makes no sense because a speed limit is a limit.

Laws are inadequate and need to change. If this had been a car driver travelling over the speed limit, they would have committed an offence.

More parity in the law and more tolerance generally might bring about more responsible riding and driving, and harmony on the road.

To top all the crises plaguing the UK, now our jails are bursting with no more space.

Police custody cells are becoming temporary jails in England and Wales until prison beds become available with hundreds of bail hearings at magistrates’ courts delayed from last Wednesday under Operation Early Dawn.

Warnings about full prisons were made two months ago and now it has happened.

So, what happens when the 400 police cells are full? Hotels, B&Bs, back on the streets?

We’re not being assured that high risk offenders, including domestic abusers, aren’t being freed early or those who should be held in custody given bail?

Chaos in our justice and custody system could have tragic consequences. Again, no solutions to predicted situations which ordinary people will pay for.