LadyDeliah

Thought I'd share my glee :-) Plus it was a bit of a poke at all the 'banners' on the EDF, of course.

Possible unforeseen consequence of banning dogs from parks, more dog poo on the pavements?

Uncleglen, how contrary of you to state that you can write what you like (which of course you can up to a point) but that I shouldn't because you don't find it amusing.

Mako, First-Mate explained the benefit to the council pages ago. The council have sold most of the school playing fields. Schools are expanding and the kids need playing fields. Get rid of dogs from parks, hey presto, playing fields. Simples.

Boo hiss!

I hardly ever agree with MM's politics, but in the flesh he is a really sound guy. Have fun in Cornwall. Wish it was me!

If you think things are bad now, wait until these tough new measures come into force: http://tompride.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/on-the-spot-fines-for-being-common-or-poor-come-into-force/

I will be glad when these measures are in place as it will improve safety for cyclists. Not sure what the answer is re motorcyclists though as it's pretty scary having motorbikes whooshing past you when the lights turn green. I have seen car and van drivers nearly take out motorcyclists and cyclists by turning left, cutting accross the bus lane without checking, quite a few times. I agree that motorcyclists are very exposed on the roads, but putting them in with cyclists might not be great for cyclists safety. Something does need to be done though to protect all vulnerable road users from careless/dangerous car/van etc drivers.

EP, ssshhhhhhh

Actually, I was being a dumbass. I thought it was him who posted the original questionnaire, but it's clear from his post he's a bit dubious about the fairness of the survey, so appologies to Mr Barber.

Still no sign of J Barber? Could it be that he is in favour of whatever aims the people behind the survey have?

Lol, however old, you lot are braver than me. A day with my granddaughter has me sparko for the whole of the next day!

I'm glad mine are all grown up. It was exhausting at times in my 20's, no idea how people in their mid 30's + manage with young kids.

The problem with dog exercise areas is that they are unlikely to be big enough for the owner to actually have a walk at the same time. One of the positive aspects about owning a dog is the increased exercise for the owner when they take the dog for a walk. For some people it's the only exercise they get.

First they came for the illegal immigrants, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't an illegal immigrant. Then they came for the dog owners, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a dog owner. Then they came for the cyclists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a cyclist. Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.

There seems to have been an increasingly anti-dog attitude displayed on forums and in the media over the past few years which does not appear to be based on any solid facts. Many of you may say, so what, but my 14 year old daughter was shouted at aggressively last week on two seperate occasions by adults for walking our dog off the lead in Dulwich Park. She is now extremely reluctant to take the dog to the park because she is scared of getting more abuse. All of these negative campaigns (dog / cyclists / benefits / disability / immigration etc) give a green light to aggressive arseholes like the ones who verbally abused my 14 year old, to have a go at other people and feel justified in doing so. With politicians of all colours riding the populist bandwagon, however, I think this kind of thing will only get worse in the future.

Cycling threads turn into cycle bash-fests, dog ones turn into dog bashing threads, child ones become rants about one thing or another, so I thought I'd follow suit and drag my agenda into this car one :-)

Yeh I bit. Took a second post though :-) But it's true, I do agree there should be much harsher penalties for dangerous drivers and I think some of the venom directed towards cyclists that is pretty common place, might be more useful of it were directed towards other, more dangerous road users.

Loving some of your points there Green Ranger. I wish people would get as up in arms about dangerous car drivers as they do about cyclists.

Bon3yard, negligence is only relevant if there is some form of injury or damage anyway. The point the Judge was making was that the cyclists had a duty to look after his own safety and you need to weigh this up when considering the illegal act of cycling on the pavement. The illegal act would clearly be given more weight if the cyclist had injured a pedestrian as he could be held to have acted negligently, but ordinarily despite it being illegal, it was prudent to avoid the dangerous stretch of road by cycling on the pavement.

Also: Kotula v EDF PLC, Morrison Utility Ltd & Birch Ltd Comment by His Honour Judge Simon Brown QC in the High Court. ?In my judgment, although it is illegal for cyclists to use the pavement (unless it is specifically sanctioned by a local authority for shared use), when weighing up the danger to himself (cp danger to pedestrians) it was a reasonable decision by the Claimant to ride on the pavements in this area rather than the road in the context of the duty of care owed to himself to take reasonable care for his own safety whilst cycling. In my judgment, although illegal and potentially negligent in any action vis a vis a pedestrian, it was not ?blameworthy? in terms of negligence in contributory negligence? http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/QB/2010/B11.html

The fixed penalty notice was introduced on 1st August 1999 the Home Office Minister at the time (Paul Boateng) issued the following letter; ?The introduction of the fixed penalty is not aimed at responsible cyclists who sometimes feel obliged to use the pavement out of fear of traffic and who show consideration to other pavement users when doing so. Chief police officers, who are responsible for enforcement, acknowledge that many cyclists, particularly children and young people, are afraid to cycle on the road, sensitivity and careful use of police discretion is required.? Just saying.....

Er road safety, dangerous roads, pavement cycling, shared spaces. Can you not join the dots yourself? Reeko, you have your way of doing things and others do things differently. I don't think I have to justify myself in any way, especially when I have explained as fully as I have what my reasons are for the stance I take. You may not agree with me, that's fair enough. If you like to do things by the book rather than try to challenge things, that's up to you. But I think I've explained my personal position as much as I'm prepared to but I'm totally content to discuss the wider issues of road safety & cycling if you want to.

I am involved in various cycling campaign groups and have spent time campaigning within the Green Party on these issues. I also try to raise awareness whenever the opportunity arises, e.g. the cycle bashing threads that appear on the internet on a regular basis. Should I post my CV for your approval of my campaigning credentials?

If you'd like to base your opinion on facts rather than anecdotes, here is some info on cyclist deaths: Every year in this country around 19,000 cyclists are killed or injured in reported road accidents, including around 3,000 who are killed or seriously injured. Cyclist Casualties, 2011 Killed 107 Seriously Injured 3,085 Slightly Injured 16,023 Total 19,215 http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/adviceandinformation/cycling/facts-figures.aspx