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This was actually filmed for Newsnight last night, it was quite interesting. Mostly it was in the context of 'why is cycling so popular and great in the Netherl

This was actually filmed for Newsnight last night, it was quite interesting. Mostly it was in the context of 'why is cycling so popular and great in the Netherlands and what can we do to get people cycling in the UK', but it felt like it ignored a whole host of social factors that'll make it difficult in the UK. Potentially, we could have had a similar experience to the Dutch however during the 70s/80s the car was raised to be as important as house ownership (there's some specific quote from a member of the Conservative government to that effect, but I cannot for the life of me remember it). Cars are massively important in British life, the roads have been designed specifically for them, traffic lights (new ones) are designed more for drivers than pedestrians. The car lobby is huge, there was a guy from the Association of British Drivers who basically said 'why would anyone cycle, it's one of the most risky occupations you can undertake, you should have a car'. It's nice to see how well organised the Netherlands is (despite what I'm sure are many flaws in the system), but it'll take another oil crisis to shake British love for cycling. As a postscript, I've just started cycling part of my commute recently (9 mile round trip), and whilst cycling in Britain is definitely doable, it's scary how close some drivers get to you at times. I think it's a lack of respect of the distances, and a little blindness to anything outside of your bubble rather than malicious intent, but I can't imagine any parent being happy about sending their teenagers out on the roads.

gpvos 13y ago
There is a quote that is often attributed to Margaret Thatcher about that people who still ride a bus when they're 30 have failed, but she probably never said it. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Margaret_Thatcher#Bus_.22failure.22_quote http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Margaret_Thatcher#Bus_.22f...
martswite 13y ago
I also cycle my commute. When I used to cycle to the old office this was 14 mile commute on a variety of surfaces. When I initially rode on the road I would gutter crawl; cars would pass real close. Then I read a few tips on cycling safer and realised that my gutter crawling was actually very dangerous as cars will try to squeeze past to overtake. I don't know how confident you are but for me, riding a third into the lane at all times has improved my safety as cars will now only overtake if they have a ton of room and they'll always go way over into the other lane to do it. I will also take the full lane if I feel I need to. I essentially just needed to be more confident. YMMV
- nicholassmith 13y ago
  I've actually started moving further out and establishing my area on the road, and it has helped, but I'll often have to slow down and move in. Without typecasting it's often people in 4x4's (Range Rovers, X5s etc), I don't believe it's always down to the person driving it being, well, an asshat but due to the size of the vehicle changing your perspective. Thankfully a lot of my commute is on cycle paths, but the quality level of road surfaces is some what variable.
Aethelwulf 13y ago
The Thatcher government was indeed very big on roads. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_for_Prosperity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_for_Prosperity
chestnut-tree 13y ago
Actually, what surprised me most about this article is the percentage of people that use public transport (it's displayed in one of the tables in the article). The UK has one of the lowest subsidies for public transport compared to other European countries. We also have the highest fares. And yet, more people in the UK travel by public transport than Germany and France - two countries with much higher rail subsidies, modern high-speed rail services and lower fares. That just doesn't seem to make sense!
- GlennS 13y ago
  Potentially a population density thing? Public transport makes more sense if people are more packed in, because the stations are more likely to be 1) close to the things you wants to go to and 2) close to your house. Meanwhile, private transport becomes less attractive because of traffic jams.

gpvos 13y ago

There is a quote that is often attributed to Margaret Thatcher about that people who still ride a bus when they're 30 have failed, but she probably never said it. http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Margaret_Thatcher#Bus_.22failure.22_quote http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Talk:Margaret_Thatcher#Bus_.22f...

martswite 13y ago

I also cycle my commute. When I used to cycle to the old office this was 14 mile commute on a variety of surfaces. When I initially rode on the road I would gutter crawl; cars would pass real close. Then I read a few tips on cycling safer and realised that my gutter crawling was actually very dangerous as cars will try to squeeze past to overtake. I don't know how confident you are but for me, riding a third into the lane at all times has improved my safety as cars will now only overtake if they have a ton of room and they'll always go way over into the other lane to do it. I will also take the full lane if I feel I need to. I essentially just needed to be more confident. YMMV

nicholassmith 13y ago
I've actually started moving further out and establishing my area on the road, and it has helped, but I'll often have to slow down and move in. Without typecasting it's often people in 4x4's (Range Rovers, X5s etc), I don't believe it's always down to the person driving it being, well, an asshat but due to the size of the vehicle changing your perspective. Thankfully a lot of my commute is on cycle paths, but the quality level of road surfaces is some what variable.

Aethelwulf 13y ago

The Thatcher government was indeed very big on roads. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_for_Prosperity http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roads_for_Prosperity

chestnut-tree 13y ago

Actually, what surprised me most about this article is the percentage of people that use public transport (it's displayed in one of the tables in the article). The UK has one of the lowest subsidies for public transport compared to other European countries. We also have the highest fares. And yet, more people in the UK travel by public transport than Germany and France - two countries with much higher rail subsidies, modern high-speed rail services and lower fares. That just doesn't seem to make sense!

GlennS 13y ago
Potentially a population density thing? Public transport makes more sense if people are more packed in, because the stations are more likely to be 1) close to the things you wants to go to and 2) close to your house. Meanwhile, private transport becomes less attractive because of traffic jams.