On Sat, 10 Sep 2005 18:55:52 +0100, "Martin Underwood"
wrote:

I'd rather that offences committed on a bicycle (exceeding speed limit,
riding while over the alcohol limit, riding through red lights or occupied
zebra crossings, overtaking on the left a vehicle that's indicating left)
were treated as motoring offences and generated points on your driving
licence if you hold one - or a summary fine if you don't.

I don't believe points are appropriate, unless a cycling licence is
introduced. Otherwise, those who do have a car are punished more
harshly than those who do not.

I would be supportive of a suitably large fine.

Incidentally, it is my understanding that the drink-drive limit does
not apply to bicycles per-se, and as such that you'd be convicted of
something different if caught cycling dangerously due to having
consumed too much alcohol. This probably isn't a bad thing, as you're
a whole lot less likely to kill someone cycling badly at 10mph than
you are driving a car at 30. (This is not a justification for drunken
cycling, merely a comparison of the two rather different modes of
transport involved).

And I'd like to
see cyclists required to carry third-party insurance to cover damage to cars
when they try to overtake and scratch your car or when they cause other
drivers to swerve to avoid an accident, hitting something else in the
process.

Many of them do, in the form of their household insurance, believe it
or not.

If car drivers "swerve to avoid an accident, hitting something else in
the process", they haven't avoided an accident, incidentally, they may
well have *caused* one. While I won't defend poor cycling or driving,
if you drive assuming that others *will* do something stupid or
dangerous, you're unlikely to hit them or anything else. I have lost
count of the number of times I have avoided accidents, both in my car
and on a bike, by having suspected someone was about to do something
stupid/illegal/dangerous and taking suitable and safe evasive action
before said act was perpetrated.

I'm not, however, a perfect driver or cyclist; I have been involved in
accidents on both means of transport over the years.

As a cyclist, I always resist the temptation to overtake on the left because
as a driver I know how dangerous it is.

Agreed. It would help if junction layouts were not set up to
encourage cyclists to do this. Things like advanced stop lines are
not really helpful to the cyclist or the car driver.

That's the sort of
riding that is indefensible and is a reason why (IMHO) bikes *do* need
recognisable registration plates. If he'd had plates, I'd have stopped as
soon as it was safe and reported him to the police, as I suspect many of the
other affected motorists would.

Perhaps, but the police would have taken no action as it'd be your
word against his (unless others also reported him, I suppose), hence
why I would prefer more actual police officers out and about. You'd
also have a job enforcing cycling bans.

Neil

--
Neil Williams in Milton Keynes, UK
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