Is the skate collectively insured for third party risks, e.g a pedestrian
getting run down by skaters when crossing the road with the "green man"
showing?

Well that would still be covered by the one long vehicle rule but yes, the
skate is insured. The t-shirts available on the website and before the skate
help fund the insurance.

G

In message , Cast_Iron
writes
I would suggest they are guilty of using an ecologically sound form of
transport that if more widely adopted would resolve London's traffic
congestion problems at a stroke

Be okay until it rained. Then they would all be getting on the bus.
The question you have to ask yourself is if skating/bikes are so great.
Why are there so many cars on the road. People like their cars. Simple.
--
CJG

And this is exactly why skating is not viable alternative to the car.

And a car isn't a viable alternative when you have to travel thousands of
miles in one go. Your point?

G

Gerard McGovern wrote:
Is the skate collectively insured for third party risks, e.g a
pedestrian getting run down by skaters when crossing the road with
the "green man" showing?

Well that would still be covered by the one long vehicle rule

There is no such rule in law. A body of skaters is not a vehicle. You are
merely following advice from the police on how to behave; presumably they
don't want to invest the effort in policing it properly. Anyway, a
pedestrian trying to cross the road is not aware of this "rule".

What happens at zebra crossings by the way?

but yes, the skate is insured. The t-shirts available on the
website and before the skate help fund the insurance.

Glad to hear it.
--
Richard J.
(to e-mail me, swap uk and yon in address)

As Fri, 22 Aug 2003 18:53:09 GMT appeared fresh and rosy-fingered,
"Martin Underwood" wrote:

Now let's look at the benefits of public transport:

- quicker if you and your place of work are close to a train/bus route

- no problem with parking

- bus or bike may be quicker in heavily congested traffic providing a
dedicated bus lane exists

I don't think bike qualifies as public transport! Though I suppose it
might if it is hired, or one of those help-yourself schemes that exist
in a few places. Or one of those cycle rickshaw things.

....
Usually there isn't: for
impromptu, unplanned journeys you don't have to get your bike and helmet out
and resign yourself to a longer journey,

Um, won't you have to get your car out instead?


--
Arthur Figgis

What advice is given to the skaters when they encounter traffic ahead
going
in the same direction? Do they slow down and wait behind it, going at its
speed, or do the individual skaters break ranks and skate to the left and
right of other traffic? Do they obey the rule about not overtaking traffic
that's indicating (eg don't overtake a vehicle on the left if it's
indicating left and don't overtake a vehicle on the right if it's
indicating
right)? Do you try to keep the skaters confined to a single lane at
multi-lane junctions or on multi-lane roads so as to allow traffic to
overtake the skaters when it's safe to do so?

The primary piece of advice given to skaters is keep left. This obviously
means that skaters keep in the correct lane and also allows marshals to move
up and down the pack. We also must stay as a pack. There are front and back
marshals and anyone outside of these two areas is no longer considered part
of the skate. We also shout/reprimand anyone who skates on the pavement.

To be honest, it is very infrequent that we are actually overtaking traffic
so those rules hardly ever come into play. But when they do, we follow the
exact rules of the Highway Code. More often than not any cars that are in
the way ahead will be held by marshals for the safety of both the driver and
skaters. But as I said, this is infrequent.

For multi-lane roads, we will normally take up all available lanes. There
are on average 200 to 600 skaters each Wednesday and Friday so if you
imagine on a two-lane dual carriageway that would be a long line of skaters
and far too dangerous for cars to be passing all those skaters. We do go
over bridges a fair bit and in that instance we will keep everyone left and
allow the third or fourth lanes to be used by cars.

If you have any more questions, fire them at me.

G

Well that would still be covered by the one long vehicle rule

There is no such rule in law. A body of skaters is not a vehicle. You
are
merely following advice from the police on how to behave; presumably they
don't want to invest the effort in policing it properly. Anyway, a
pedestrian trying to cross the road is not aware of this "rule".

Well 'rule' as by following police instructions.

Whilst a pedestrian may not be aware of the rule, I think they would work
out not to cross when 600 skaters are streaming by. We do also say a big
thank you to anyone who lets us pass.

What happens at zebra crossings by the way?

If someone is crossing we will obviously stop. However the marshalls do a go
job of keeping the roads/crossings ahead clear so that situation hardly ever
arises.

but yes, the skate is insured. The t-shirts available on the
website and before the skate help fund the insurance.

Glad to hear it.

Gotta do these things properly.

G

In article , Andrew
Dingwall-Smith writes
As someone who is learning to skate in London is considering taking
part in this event in future, I may be able to answer some of these
questions. Obviously, as I have never actually been on one of these
skates, my information may be inaccurate.

The London skate is indeed a weekly event, although I think it shuts
down during the winter. I believe it has been happening for a few years
now.

It's nice to see something coming from Paris being emulated, rather than
another US 'so bland it's immensely popular but crap' -innovation (see
Starbucks, BMX, Avril Lavigne, etc.)

--
Martin @ Strawberry Hill

In message , Martin
writes
Avril Lavigne

That would be another CANADIAN 'so bland it's immensely popular but
crap' -innovation

A huge difference.
--
CJG

In article , CJG
writes
In message , Martin
writes
Avril Lavigne

That would be another CANADIAN 'so bland it's immensely popular but
crap' -innovation

A huge difference.


Apologies to all other Canadians, but if smells like a duck, walks like
a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck!

(Sk8ter Boy indeed! She's the just the latest in a long line of pouty
little Misses produced by the LA music production line.)

--
Martin @ Strawberry Hill