tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666218922795754507.post4212387222800116934..comments2023-11-21T23:07:57.616-08:00Comments on Countercyclical: Single speed is fine by me, as long as we are not talking about gears. And can we all stop turning up our noses at Strict Liability?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666218922795754507.post-91084859970750421862013-01-06T03:50:51.697-08:002013-01-06T03:50:51.697-08:00" traffic light phasing re-set to the lower s..." traffic light phasing re-set to the lower speed so racing from light to light can be seen by any moron to be a pointless exercise"<br /><br />TfL have done exactly this on Camden High Street to 'enforce' the 20 limit, bit guess what the morons insist on doing as soon as they get a green light? <br /><br />That's not to say it won't work: it will have a better chance if rolled out across the board, but there is no limit to the stupidity of human beings.Wanderlusthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11088057232917167663noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666218922795754507.post-28881860554461071332013-01-02T11:46:16.587-08:002013-01-02T11:46:16.587-08:00Thanks for your comment - my first, yay! Apparent...Thanks for your comment - my first, yay! Apparently about hslf of all blogs are only ever read by their authorsaso I am past that hurdle at any rate!<br /><br />I had a little exchange on Twitter today with some more eminent bloggers than myself and, to be fair, I don't think anyone in the separationist camp actually opposes strict liability. The issue they see is that some elements of cycle campaigning (you know who you are...) argue that speed limits and strict liability are THE solution, not merely a part of it. Presumably this is driven by fear that dedicated infrastructure would lead to cyclists being barred from using the roads altogether - which strikes me as inherently implausible in light of the status of the public highway in UK law, ie that motorists get to use it as a privilege which has ot be paid for, while others (pedestrians, horse riders/drivers, cyclists) may use them as of right.<br /><br />I do however think that we have to be careful of how we express ourselves. There are powerful, wealthy and determined forces out there who do NOT want strict liablity. The insurance industry for a start. You could say that they can price in the risk into premiums, and indeed a view already exists as to what that price should be, but uncertainty remains - how can you quantify claims which would never even be initiated under present law because the odds are sijply too long? And how do you deal withthe first year when liability changes but extant policies were not priced for them?<br /><br />The motor trade generally doesn't want it - they think it sends a message, that motorists are bad people, who must fess up to their sins. That is baloney, as will become obvious almost immediately strict liability is introduced (as I am sure it will be one day, even if it takes EU directive to force it) but there is nmore emotion than reason in this argument.Paul Mhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07929808238663838155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8666218922795754507.post-24240252414884651452013-01-02T10:59:14.208-08:002013-01-02T10:59:14.208-08:00Well, you have one supporter here. If you want a c...Well, you have one supporter here. If you want a cycling culture like the Northern Europeans, you can't cherry pick on the basis of what you assume are the best or most important bits. To ensure you get the same result, you have to reproduce the conditions. <br /><br />Where is the empirical evidence that you get high cycling share and good safety without strict liability? And is it desired to have more people cycling full stop, or more people cycling in greater or equal safety to now, given that segregation of all roads is impossible? If you're happy with the current KSI rates and the latest evidence suggests that they may be worsening (http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2012/12/30/some-london-cycling-statistics/), fine - that's up to your conscience. I'm not.<br /><br />Also, reports from Brits who have cycled in most European countries - high modal share, comprehensive infrastructure, or not - almost universally praise the couteousness of continental motorists to cyclists. Why do the anti-strict-liability people think this happens - because the Europeans are fundamentally nicer than Brits? Can they then tell us how this amazing psychological difference has arisen? And if they can justify that, can they then tell us how to keep cyclists safe on the roads that can't be segregated?Jitensha Onihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13977971109066956363noreply@blogger.com