malumbu

I had a great bus and tube journey to and from central London on Saturday night. Trains weren't running, but my connections were brilliant. Friday to North Greenwich was also successful. Conversely my bus journey to Sydenham yesterday was disrupted by road works and the fatal shooting. London public transport is brilliant and no need to use a car for the majority of my journeys. I did raise frequent engineering work on the Overground and a reduction in post COVID mainline with Ellie and feel she needs to make this a higher priority.

1. I was responding to a post that inferred that drivers were not a problem due to licensing, having to pass a test etc. I disagree. I made a number of points why. You simply dismiss these points. 2. Where have I condoned cycling on the pavement? Please go through the hundred of posts on this subject and find one from me saying that riding on the pavement is fine. 3. I tried to get some proper debate about how to address this issue. But there was failure to engage, just the usual stuff on LTNs and that the police and local authorities should patrol the pavements. To repeat myself education, information and training is important. 4. The authorities will not take action against children cycling on the pavement. What age is appropriate to ride on the road? I'd say year 5 with appropriate training and the presence or approval of a responsible adult. 5. I will occasionally try to discourage pavement cycling either politely or with older children and adults bluntly. Depends on my mood

Drivers - oh no they don't, Most signal late when turning left at junctions, if at all. Recommend you actually check for yourself. No point in signalling as you are actually turning. Too late. It's good when cyclists give indications of what they are doing, through good road position, checking behind and where possible signalling. But your post suggests you have a massive bias against cyclists whilst believing drivers do little or nothing wrong.

Guilty as charged. I'm always riding over equestrian crossings! Glad they didn't ask me that in my driving test. I was asked about bus lanes, and had never driven on one. We also didn't have level crossings where I came from. Like here Anyway nobody appears to have commented on my well presented points on poor driving standards. Do you agree or disagree?

Not demonising drivers. Pointing out the bad habits that most have, that will not necessarily lead to points on the license but could lead to someone being killed or seriously injured. I've said on numerous occasions that information and training is the key to good cycling standards. Most of the primary schools offer this through the government's Bikeability programme. Sadly due to funding some adult training has been cut.

Yes that one is great. Sydenham is small, they have done up the larger one on Southend Road towards Downham

Anecdotal from driving instructors I worked with on driving standards and smarter driving. A select cadre of advanced driving instructors together with friends who are, or were, instructors. Pick any junction, and see how many indicate properly in advance, one in ten I expect How many check their mirror before indicating? I expect less than half How many people check inside before turning, well under half How many people routinely exceed speed limits when their are no traffic cameras? The majority How many people cut corners when turning - most One hand on the steering wheel, etc etc Not backing off the accelerator when shops, crossings, schools, cyclists, Judging by Honor Oak Road and the school there, majority don't. Driving smoothly in traffic calmed streets, most don't. You may get away with one of those on your actual test, but any more expect it will be a failure. And that is for generally inexperienced drivers where there will be some leniency from examiners. You may well get away with this low level poor driving skills for all of your driving life without a serious collision, but it only takes one turn left across a cyclist or right when a motorcyclist is overtaking...... If you've got an idle moment then stand by a junction, or a school with relatively free flowing traffic and do your own research. Of course you go to some other countries in Europe, and beyond, and there is far worse. Cross over the border from France into Germany, or Austria into Germany, and you will see fairly quickly much more aggressive driving styles. I expect most of this is just poor driving skills rather than aggressive driving, The one in twenty that should give cyclists more room is probably simply unaware rather than seething due to their views on cyclists, clarification in the Highway Code etc But if you tested most drivers on the Highway Code, unless newly qualified, yes, you'd guessed it, they'd fail.

Drivers need to demonstrate this on the day they pass their test. Then much of that goes out of the window. Do a spot test on drivers on the road today and 95 percent will fail. There is no compulsion for refresher or advanced training of drivers. I've posted this many times but a number of you continue to be apologists for poor drivers/driving.

I'll do an order from Lidl in Sydenham if you ask nicely 😁

There are several of you who take every opportunity to criticise cyclists, Southwark, active travel campaigners, road safety campaigners across numerous threads.

Property has been for a long time a good way to invest. When interest rates are low, even more so, as returns can be better than banks and the financial markets, and money is cheap to borrow. Some people are fortunate to come from money. Some are successful at work. Many of us inherit from parents or other relatives. Governments do take action from time to time. Mortgage tax relief, tax relief on landlords, inheritance tax and gifting (waiting Starmer) and stamp duty. The UK has also been historically a good place for overseas investors, including laundering dirty money. Over our lifetime most of us have seen is the widening gap between property owners and those unlikely to get on the housing ladder. Owning multiple properties has made this more stark. Family stayed in private accommodation in big university cities where we did when we were students. Except the four bedroom houses are now seven. You could argue that increasing multi tenant properties could help the housing shortage, even if this does benefit a few already well off landlords. Of course it could all collapse again. But unless Trump trashes global economies would always pick up. Personal interest? I once put an offer on a one bed flat with the thought of adding an upstairs bedroom, modest and a skylight which was permitted development in those days and not a major project. But ironically the current owners decided to stay and do this. That was a long time ago.

Men? Youths?

Today I have seen in the backstreets around Sydenham several cars cut corners when turning right, one van completely on the wrong side of the road, several speeding, one well exceeding 40mph, one bizarre car stopping and then with no indication reversing towards a cyclist by the curb before doing a three point turn, on pick up truck on their phone, one van driver peeling a banana (well at least it was healthy) and delivery vans parked by a junction on the pavement blocking the line of site for road users approaching the junction or turning into this. All of these could led to serious collision. As it was not commuting time, and not a cycle route, about four leisure cyclists doing nothing particularly exciting and one delivery moped not crashing into loan women drivers, just doing their job. This fixation with cyclists is ridiculous.

Bit old but gallows humour if you substitute Ronald Regan for Trump

Colin From Accounts

Animals?

I think it is right to uphold freedom of speech. Sadly as I expect we all know there has been dreadful hate crime against Mayor Khan including sadly infiltrating at least one of my WhatsApp groups. And yes, of course, that was to do with the LTN. Where this oversteps the mark on the forum, yes I expect Admin will take action. But I have challenged both the OP: and others to come back to me on this thread, and it has gone quiet. Please others look at my last two posts, Why the silence? It goes without saying Shut Man is clearly bonkers.

I think if you just said FOT we'd understand, and most would agree.

I'm discussing collisions involving cars, with other road users and fixed objects. Where is your evidence that drivers are during not quite as bad as the past? Car design and safety features, reduction in drunk driving, clamping down on hand held mobiles, and lower speed limits helped reduce killed and seriously injured stats, which have plateaued. None of these are driver behaviour in terms of what I consider skills - control of the accelerator and brake, steering, positioning, communication (which many are appalling). awareness of other road users including those behind, anticipation. Why do a number of you continue to be apologists for poor driving? Perhaps the million plus a year since 2018 having to do a speed awareness course is improving driving standards and/or the number of people with dash cams or helmet cams reporting careless driving. If so that is a good thing.

I was responding to your view about drivers being innocent in collisions. Happy to discuss cyclists elsewhere on the forum. Most of my 'accidents' as a pedestrian, cyclist, motorcyclist and driver have been my fault. As I have learned from these, including minimising the likelihood of another road user colliding with me, I very rarely have collisions nowadays. Edited to add. A number of you are unhappy, if not angry, about measures that affect motorists. LTNs, CPZs and the ULEZ. It's a shame that I cannot add a rise I fuel duty on that. Yet you adopt a polarised view that it's all the fault of those cyclists, most who ride through red lights, when not in the pavement. Meanwhile drivers can do no wrong. I'm happy with measures against drivers and promoting active travel. But do not have an opposite polarised view on drivers and cyclists

If the road condition is bad, slow down. If visibility is bad, slow down. If there is low sun, slow down. If there is the potential of ice or slippy leaves, slow down. If you don't know the road, slow down. If you are by a school, shops or other places pedestrians could cross without looking, slow down, and be ready to stop It would help if you stopped making excuses for drivers. In a 20 mph zone then there is no excuse for the vast majority of collisions

Ouch. Would you not agree that cars colliding with other cars, other road users, and fixed objects is due to driver error the majority of times?

GHA, God Help America

A lot of people have extended their properties as am investment rather because they need the space. Obviously what is an appropriate space for a family is objective but I view some building projects as self indulgent and out of scale with the surroundings. Some of the comments on this thread appear reactionary.

I think you will find it's about 70/30 on this forum that considers poor driving is a greater priority.