I would like to think so, although its very unlikely.
Sadly not many helmets, but its the volume of cyclists that's impressive.
Sadly not many helmets
Edit that quick, before you start another tedious debate about helmet wearing. Ta
Looks a nightmare for those of us that commute at 20-25mph, like comuting by car along an A-road and having all the cars doing 40mph. Not many places to pass and get some speed up, I'd always be late.
Personally I find 60mph traffic is fine for me.
Go to Cambridge - it's the nearest we have
Sadly not many helmets
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God i bloody hope not. That looks horrid. 😉
petrol is £1.40/litre and rising.
we'll get there...
petrol is £1.40/litre and rising.
£1.32.9 last night.....
I see your double facepalm PP, and raise you a quadruple 🙂
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petrol is £1.40/litre and rising.
only if you pay for it, I actually get a rebate on mine 😀
£132.9 here too, but saw £148.9 at a service station on the M5 on Sunday!
Only two RLJers too (at least for the first red light - couldn't be @rsed watching the rest, as I guess nothing much else happens...). Now that is impressive!
When I lived in Holland my commute to work was a 10 minute cruise on a Dutch style bike... I loved it! On the down side, mountain biking at the weekend was a wee bit limited.
Having had someone have a go at me this morning as I stopped at a red light and they nearly hit me, I wouldn't hold Cambridge up as a good example of a cycling town at all...
I must admit to being so perplexed at the idea of being shouted at for doing the right thing, I didn't even get the chance to say anything back.
Rachel
extreme mtb in Holland 😉
That video looks like some nightmare future dystopia! On the busy bridleway I use for my commute, it is only a very slight inconvenience when there is a family of 4 or 5 on bikes bimbling along and taking up the whole path. Imagine if the whole route was like that!
I must admit to being so perplexed at the idea of being shouted at for doing the right thing, I didn't even get the chance to say anything back.
On my commute I come off a cyclepath and then have to cross a dual carriageway (it's in a town through and has a 30mph limit). I use the pedestrian crossing and yesterday duly pressed the little button and waited for the green man. The lights changed quickly and a driver stopped while the lights were still on amber, this irritated a large lady in a people carrier behind the stopping driver. Cue horn beeping and gesticulation from said large driver. I guess she would have just sailed through the amber/red light (as happens quite often on this particular crossing) in her rush to drop her spawn off at school.
<sigh>
Had a very relaxing cycle tour in the Netherlands. Lovely place to cycle, and fantastic to see so many people of all ages out cycling.
I think the single biggest difference between the Netherlands and the UK is that people don't appear to identify as "cyclists". It's just something everyone does naturally and casually, in the same way they catch a bus or use the car. This is reflected in the way that cycle facilities are seamlessly integrated into society. Cycle routes are all clearly signposted, well maintained, and go directly from A to B, in parallel with other transport routes. Everyone is a cyclist, and all their friends and relatives are cyclists, so they don't have the divisive "them and us" attitudes that exists here.
The UK is generations behind with its "Top Gear" automobile-based aspirational culture. Cycling has had a big boost in popularity here recently (BC membership doubled in 4 years) but it is a growth in utility cycling that will change things, rather than challenge events, sportive riding and off-roading.
petrol is £1.40/litre and rising.
I don't believe petrol price has any impact on how much people drive, more and more people are driving 4x4s and big stupid beemers and audis faster than ever as far as I can see.
I don't believe petrol price has any impact on how much people drive, more and more people are driving 4x4s and big stupid beemers and audis faster than ever as far as I can see
big diesels are giving pretty good mpg of late.
what kcr said
Looks a nightmare for those of us that commute at 20-25mph,
Yeah, my daily commute is about 30 miles each way, which I usually do in just under an hour. Would be quicker if there weren't so many hills and traffic lights. Would find overtaking that lot a nightmare.
£148.9/litre!!!!!! Where do you get your fuel from?
Except the M5 services... Answered my own question, awesome!
RealMan - that's not a cycle commute, shoorely?!
And kcr +2
I don't believe petrol price has any impact on how much people drive, more and more people are driving 4x4s and big stupid beemers and audis [b]faster than ever as far as I can see.[/b]
Can you see???
A few years ago, I would have considered doing 70 on the motorway as dangerous. Certainly you would have been one of the slowest vehicles (cars) on the road and felt pretty vulnerable.
Where I drive 70 is now amongst the fastest of the main traffic flow (yes there will always be a few in a big hurry).
Motorway / dual carriageway speeds seemed to have dropped by 10-20mph, and I can't imagine it's the safety campaigns that have achieved this...
Motorway / dual carriageway speeds seemed to have dropped by 10-20mph, and I can't imagine it's the safety campaigns that have achieved this...
This +1
I do Middleborough to Wokingham and back a couple of times a month, I'm more fixated by the fuel economy than by the speedo, if I'm really good I can do it in a tank (1.6 100ps c-max, which beats the official consumption figure of 47mpg!).
It does mean adding to the sat-nav's estimated arrival time, now averageing 56mph door-door rather than flooring it and beeting it by a good hour like the misus does averaging about 72mph, but she has a smaller car and no fuel economy meater.
drove back from somerset to sheffield on Sunday, doing about 70 / 80, with almost every car overtaking us, sometimes it felt like we were driving backwards...
That video makes cycle commuting look like a nightmare, almost enough to force me back to the car 😕 That would take me forever to get to and from work.
I'm guessing that's a local path, the equivelent of the city center? You'd still get to blast allong at 15-20mph on the main roads.
Looks a nightmare for those of us that commute
Yep.
That many cyclists would be a PITA for motorists & people cycling at a reasonable speed.
One of the great things about my commute is that I can cruise along at my own pace without having to worry about overtaking all the nodders bumbling along at 12mph.
Coincidentally, someone sent me a link to this video today:
Looks a nightmare for those of us that commute
Yep.
That many cyclists would be a PITA for motorists and people cycling at a reasonable speed.
Even as a fast commuter, I would love to see this level of cycle use in the UK because I think the benefits to me as a cyclist, and to society as a whole, would be enormous. The point is that the Dutch public don't find this a PITA at all. No-one is forcing them to use bikes in this way; they actively choose a pro-cycling culture because of the social, environmental and economic benefits. Motorists would find it significantly more of a PITA if you took the people in the OP's video off their bikes and put them on other forms of transport.
Essentially, cycling in the Netherlands (on paths or on road) is a pleasure. Relaxed, easy and fun. The moment I really got it was when I was waiting to cross a rural road as a Range Rover approached. I didn't have right of way, and waited patiently for the big 4WD to pass. The driver simply stopped in the road and sat waiting, with a slightly puzzled look on his face until I realised what was going on and crossed to other side.
As a society the Dutch have a fundamentally different approach to transport.
I for one hope this crazy idea of cycling on the wrong side of the road never catches on in the UK.
To be fair thats probably the busiest junction in town during the school run, one of my ex-colleagues who lives in the Netherlands is a keen roadie and he commutes in to work by bike - he always makes sure he rides in to the town centre where he lives out of school hours so he can put in some reasonable speeds. On the way home he pootles a bit amongst the crowds on bikes and enjoys the fact he lives in a country that is pro-cycling.
This is serious, people! Where is he? Unleash THE SIGNAL!
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MOrning CFH
It works! 🙂
Mornin', Teej!
Looks a nightmare for those of us that commute
Yep.That many cyclists would be a PITA for motorists & people cycling at a reasonable speed.
One of the great things about my commute is that I can cruise along at my own pace without having to worry about overtaking all the nodders bumbling along at 12mph.
I can't see more people riding bikes as a problem in any way really.
More cyclists hopefully = More facilities + less cars
Like said above. You just avoid busier times. Or overtake.
Go on then.
Sadly not many helmets, but its the volume of cyclists that's impressive.
Why is it sad? Surely it would be sadder if they all felt so threatened that they felt they had to wear helmets. do you think there is an epidemic of dutch cyclists with head injuries?
Or do you understand that when you have a mass of cyclists like that a safe form of transport (cycling) becomes safer. Ever heard of safety in numbers?
They have a lower rate of cyclist casualties than us - very much lower and a very small amount of head injuries.
Assumed liability works!
Can you see???A few years ago, I would have considered doing 70 on the motorway as dangerous. Certainly you would have been one of the slowest vehicles (cars) on the road and felt pretty vulnerable.
Where I drive 70 is now amongst the fastest of the main traffic flow (yes there will always be a few in a big hurry).
Motorway / dual carriageway speeds seemed to have dropped by 10-20mph, and I can't imagine it's the safety campaigns that have achieved this...
Maybe where you live, but on my last long motorway trip from Edinburgh to south Wales and back, apart from the congestion around Brum and Manc, I'd say most cars were doing 80-90, and a few over 100, based on me chuntering along in the inside lane at 70 in a little yaris.
With the DoT saying 49% of drivers ignore the 70mph limit and the plans for the 80mph limit, I'd say this backs up what i see on the motorways. Guess it might be different in the south with so many people and congestion.
CFH / TJ - superb 🙂
Also note the rather smart (and varied) forms of public transport in that video.
They've just managed to create a different mindset in the public. I guess they've had some common sense legislation, allocation of public money and they hit a wave of public conciousness.
We had the Thatcher years.
Indeed Alex - in the 70s cycle use was declining in the Netherlands so they decided to make it a government aim to increase cycling - very successfully
Sadly not many helmets, but its the volume of cyclists that's impressive.
Why is it sad?
purely down to this forum and the arguement that could have arised from posting a video of people riding bikes without helmets, nothing to do with cyclists in the video.