Thoughts about road safety

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Here's an opinion piece from one of the Cycling City team:

The topic of road safety has been on my mind lately. It sprang from a conversation between Tony, my landlord, and Helen, my girlfriend. As Helen was manoeuvering her bike out of the kitchen Tony asked: "Isn't it scary out there riding your bike amongst all that traffic?".

I've been asked that question enough times myself for my standard response to be: "No, it's fine, just ride as fast as the traffic and you'll be alright". That's quite a glib response which isn't at all useful or practical for people who aren't regular cyclists. Riding at 20+ mph is pretty tough unless you happen to be wearing sports clothing, riding a racing bike and have calves like Lance Armstrong. 

So it was really refreshing to hear Helen answer: "No not at all. I thought it would be but I took a training course a few months back and when there's a really busy road I'll use a map to find a local cycle path."

I've been riding with Helen over the past few weeks, back and forth to Parkway and Temple Meads train stations, and on journeys into the city centre. I've realised that cycling at a slower pace does make you more vulnerable, but by holding your ground, not being forced into the gutter, and riding sensibly, the majority of vehicles respect you.

We haven't had any incidents or near misses so far (touch wood). Have we just been incredibly lucky or is it down to training lessons, common sense and learning to anticipate the actions of motorists?

I'm convinced that it's the latter. Training is fantastic for learning why cyclists should adopt certain behaviours, like positioning at the centre of a T-junction or riding four feet away from parked cars.

Common sense cycling is, well, common sense. Don't race around in the wet, watch out for wet leaves and manhole covers. Expect the unexpected. As I know from personal experience, racing around narrow streets, even when you have the right of way, is a sure fire way to cause an accident.

Cyclists also need to second-guess what motorists are going to do. Expect the worst and it'll serve you well. Expect that car to pull out from that junction. Expect that boy-racer to cut you up at that roundabout. Expect that car on your right to turn left without indicating. Chances are it won't happen but if you're expecting it you'll be able to take quick, evasive action to stop an inconvenience becoming an accident.

Sure, local authorities need to educate motorists (and probably cyclists too). Bristol City Council, for example, are running publicity campaigns such as advertising on city council vehicles (pictured right). But, for me, the biggest thing to improve cyclists' safety is the safety in numbers effect. The more people cycling, the safer things will be.

So next time you're asked if it's scary cycling on the roads, think of the practical steps you take to reduce the chances of an accident. Then tell those who say it's too scary. It'll potentially help get more cyclists onto our roads, which will make it safer for us all in the long run.