From Newsgroup: uk.rec.cycling
<
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/02/10/make-selfish-cyclists-wear-a-license-plate/>
QUOTE:
Clive Aslet
Make selfish cyclists wear a licence plate
TheyrCOve already proved they hold the rules of the road in contempt, so
they must be made identifiable
10 February 2026 9:29am GMT
Oh the irony of it! Cyclists, who, in the opinion of many road users,
live only to jump red lights rCo providing they do live of course rCo are going to have specially dedicated traffic lights of their own erected
for them in RegentrCOs Park.
This will be an abomination on visual grounds. It is another example of BritainrCOs deplorable habit of cluttering up streets, cities and open
spaces with signage of every description, often poorly designed, bossy
and pointless. There is a good reason for this installation, however. Tragically, a woman was recently killed when a cyclist careered into her
at this very spot. What had once been but an irritation to law-abiding citizens, who treat red lights and other road users with respect, has
grown into a public menace which requires action.
The first reform non-cyclists might wish to make is behavioural. Some dedicated cyclists regard carriageways, of whatever kind, as existing
purely for them. Hold on a minute, bicycling friends say, theyrCOre not
alone in this. Our lanes and highways seethe with animosity, as
motorists vie with pedestrians, motorcyclists with Amazon drivers,
attempting to get an advantage on their various modes of transport,
moving at different speeds. Folk misbehave if they think they can get
away with it. Cyclists shoot the lights, drivers speed. Which mostly
works, until for some reason it doesnrCOt, and then the results are catastrophic. But the nature of the bicycle rCo lack of windows rCo gives
the person on it a unique opportunity to cause distress.
He rCo and itrCOs usually a he rCo can unload unspeakable tirades of invective, then pedal away out of earshot before the offended party has
had the chance to let off a volley in return. Fortunately, one reaches
an age when one doesnrCOt always hear. The issue is a fairly new one. The bicyclists of my youth did not wear Lycra. They were likely to have
wicker baskets on the front of their machines, piled with books. The
egomaniac cyclist who believes that all the world should scatter before
him is the product of an absolutist belief in the green agenda and a
hatred of the rCLgreat car owning democracy,rCY for whom motor vehicles are not a symbol of individual freedom, as Margaret Thatcher believed, but
of greed.
It was made worse by Covid, during which bureaucrats surreptitiously
planned a rCLcar-free recoveryrCY and driving tests for youngsters became almost impossible to obtain. Not all the new cycleways were well
conceived. It can be ambiguous who has right of way. Inevitably tensions
rise. Now the problem has been compounded exponentially by electric
motors. Push bikes are now super-propelled, legally travelling at up to
28mph rCo which is fast if one hits you. Scooters also zip around at
alarming speeds, without those on them having to wear crash helmets.
To car drivers, the increased responsibility these machines impose is terrifying. But the law seems not to have noticed them. They or those in charge of them should have number plates. So, particularly in urban conditions, should cyclists. After all, they frequently wear cameras in
case their rights are infringed by other road users rCo they want to be
able to identify them in court. Cyclists who wear face coverings should
not be anonymous; with rights go responsibilities. A licence plate
system would allow aggrieved pedestrians to level the score.
ENDQUOTE
Discuss...
--- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2