Diary Of An ADI

This BBC story makes highly entertaining reading. If nothing else, it shows clearly why there should be a minimum IQ required in order to be allowed to vote!

In the wake of the recent spate of cyclist fatalities the BBC asked its readers if they had any solutions to the problem. You can read the full article for yourself, but here’s a selection of some of the stupidest comments.

I am absolutely shocked that nobody suggested a network of cycle paths with its own traffic lights etc. It is time that some of the UK population drop their ‘island’ mentality and look how other places deal with cyclists e.g. Germany and the Netherlands. I stopped cycling when I moved to the UK 20 years ago because it is just too dangerous. Anjalika Baier, Warminster, UK

Great idea. All we’d need to do is increase the area of the UK by about 10 times and this would work perfectly. But why the hell is it that people see fit to compare us to other countries, when we are NOT other countries? The UK is different from Germany and the Netherlands on about a million different fronts, and it simply isn’t possible to turn the clock back by a century and try to copy them (which goes for trams, incidentally – just because they work in German cities doesn’t mean cramming one into Nottingham’s less salubrious areas is going to work).

What about requiring that in order to get a driving licence, every driver has to cycle for three miles along a dual carriageway. This seems to me the best way to make drivers realise that cyclists have a right to use the road and not to be squeezed into the gutter. Most cyclists are drivers too or have been at one time but most drivers have no experience of what it’s like to cycle in traffic and don’t seem to believe that cyclists have any right to be on the road. Pedal Pusher, London

Yeah, right. No one who drives a car cycles, do they? In this example we see the typical mentality of the average serious cyclist, and the reason why it’s a good job IQ testing isn’t mandatory in order to be a pedal pusher.

Lorries should have “beepers” when turning, like they do when reversing. Chris Hammond, Facebook

Can you imagine the environmental impact of every lorry making that loud, piercing beep-beep-beep sound that they currently have while reversing? Or an annoying voice going “Warning! Vehicle turning” at all hours?

You missed the big one – making lorries and buses install sensors and cams for the sides of the vehicles so drivers can check for cyclists and pedestrians when turning. Also heavier penalties for drivers guilty of death by careless driving or dangerous driving. Maybe a 10-year ban from driving would make them more careful. Phil Furneaux, Brampton, Cumbria

That one is right up there with making lorry cockpits out of transparent material for better all-round vision. To go hand in hand with this one, another jackass comments:

More needs to be done with vehicle design. I have never understood how being in someone’s blind spot is an excuse for being maimed. A vehicle operator who is in effect moving their vehicle into space which they cannot see is clear, is simply not acceptable, especially with all the technology now available. This is where the majority of cyclists get killed and injured by lorries turning left and crushing them. Also, if a lorry driver kills or injures a fellow colleague in the depot, the HSE would be all over it, yet the same lorry driver can kill an individual on a public road (while still carrying out a job) it is no longer an issue for the HSE. It’s an absurd disconnect where we accept death and injury on our roads, yet don’t accept it in the workplace. Rob, Essex

Er, Rob. The cyclist shouldn’t be on the left of a lorry at a junction. Period. It’s like trying to blame the manufacturer of a gun if some prat shoots himself in the foot with it.

A good idea I think is if there were special roads made for cyclists like the Netherlands. Cyclists could have to pay a certain amount to travel on the special cycle roads. The toll could be very cheap. This would make road tax seem fair for cyclist and driver, help keep the bike roads/routes maintained and updated, and would be extremely cheap. Alexander, Birmingham

Oh, God! Again with the Netherlands. And British cyclists wouldn’t stick to those routes anyway for the simple reason that their respective destinations would be OFF those roads. Get real, for crying out loud.

If any collision between a bicycle and a motor vehicle was dealt with by a mandatory prosecution for the motorist, then this would immediately cut accidents between cars and bicycles. Steve Canning, Plymouth, Devon

Obviously, there is a sort of gravity well in Devon when it comes to IQs. And this idea would address the problem of cyclists not following rules how?

Cyclists often won’t use cycle tracks because they are littered with rubbish, making them hazardous. So perhaps the government could think of sweeping them to make them usable. Hilary Tesh, Facebook

I’d lay odds she comes from Devon, too. Could it be that simple? That cyclist fatalities are ultimately caused by litter?

The simple fact is that cyclists and motor vehicles don’t mix. If you have a small number of cyclists doing their level best to keep out of traffic and using cycle paths wherever possible then the situation is tolerable for all parties. Add Spandex or green politics to the mix and you automatically have a major, major problem. Add Boris Johnson, and it is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

The number of cyclists in London alone has tripled in the last decade, and Johnson wants to at least double that if he can.