One thought on “Motorists’ and cyclists’ views of each other

  1. Infographics present quite complex issues in an over-simplified way. It was encouraging to note that a large proportion of drivers are positive about cyclists. Actually there is a false distinction here as many drivers are cyclists as well and v.v.
    The real distinction to be made is between responsible and irresponsible road users, irrespective of their mode of travel. Some cyclists behave irresponsibly on the road as do some drivers, but the difference is that cyclists are mostly likely to harm themselves through their behaviour and not others. Thus while we would not condone drinking and cycling it is a less harmful activity than drinking and driving, and if you cycle to the pub you can always push your bike home if you have too much.

    Road Tax doesn’t exist – the correct phrase is Vehicle Excise Duty which is a tax on the vehicle not the road and doesn’t “pay for the roads” If VED were applied to cycles at current rates, as a zero-emission vehicle the rate would be zero so it would be a rather pointless exercise.

    Many cyclists do have insurance through their membership of CTC or another cycling organisation. However the best solution to the insurance issue would be Strict Liability where the driver of the larger vehicle always held to be liable in a collision (different from “at fault”)

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