Tag Archives: Strava

Cycling Danger to Pedestrians

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female cyclist riding bicycle along mountain road in summer
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

There have been a number of media reports on the problems caused by dangerous cycling. That includes several pedestrians killed in collisions with cyclists who were typically exceeding 20 or 30 mph speed limits. A recent example was the death of Hilda Griffiths after being hit by a cyclist in Regents Park where groups of cyclists race around the outer circle. That has a 20-mph speed limit but speed limits do not apply to cyclists as cycles are not “vehicles”. See this Telegraph article for more examples: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/05/19/justice-dangerous-cyclists-matt-briggs-legal-amendment/

Some years ago (in 2016) I pointed out the danger of cyclists using the Strava App to monitor their cycling activity. In practice they are using it to compare their pace to others and are effectively racing against the clock over known stretches of road. They wish to record the fastest time. After I wrote an article on the subject I received abuse from cyclists claiming it was untrue and asking me to remove the article. I refused.

Since then the situation has got a lot worse.

The current law does not easily enable the cyclists to be prosecuted. This may change after the passing of an amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill last week meaning cyclists who ride dangerously and kill or maim will face tougher new laws and longer prison sentences. However it will be difficult to stop the current criminality of cyclists exceeding reasonable speed limits, riding on pavements and through red lights until they have registration plates.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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More Pedestrian Deaths Caused By or To Cyclists

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The BBC have reported the death of a 73-year-old woman on Oxford Street after she was hit by a cyclist on Tuesday the 12th September. She suffered head injuries in the collision. A man was arrested at the scene.

The BBC also noted that a 67-year-old woman died on the 9th September after she was struck by a cyclist during July’s RideLondon event. RideLondon is a charity event that attracts as many as 100,000 riders and where many roads in London and Surrey are closed to traffic – which causes enormous problems to many residents.  We have objected to such events in the past. However, the roads are not of course closed to pedestrians while many of the cycle riders consider it a race even those in the “non-competitive” part of the event. It is alleged some are using the Strava App to record and compare times – I have previously commented on that use by cyclists in London. In fact all riders in RideLondon get their times to complete the event reported by the organisers which no doubt encourages the competitive spirit. In practice, it means that cyclists are racing on public roads.

There was also one death amongst the riders from medical problem this year, and two deaths in the previous year.

It is surely time these events were reconsidered and the general encouragement of “furious” cycling discouraged, whether in an organised event or otherwise.

Roger Lawson

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Drivers_London

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