Category Archives: Safety

Instead of blaming individuals, fix the system

Posted on August 8, 2018 by aseasyasriding

Doubtless many of you will have seen this video of a ‘near miss’ on the A38 in Bromsgrove, in which a child narrowly escapes serious injury, thanks to the quick reactions of a driver – a fireman, Robert Allen. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Safety, Subjective safety, Underpass | 17 Comments

Complacency

Posted on April 24, 2018 by aseasyasriding

The Netherlands is a wonderful country to cycle around, with a dense cycle network made up of motor traffic-free paths, low motor traffic access roads, and protected cycleways, all of which allow you to make door-to-door journeys in complete comfort … Continue reading →

Posted in placefaking, Safety, Sustainable Safety, The Netherlands | 8 Comments

Inconsistency

Posted on March 14, 2017 by aseasyasriding

Why is it that cycling is regarded as a serious potential risk in ways that motor traffic travelling at greater speeds (and with much greater momentum) is not? Part of the explanation must lie in the fact that we have lived … Continue reading →

Posted in London, Royal Parks, Safety, Sustainable Safety, Walking | 21 Comments

Different standards

Posted on October 9, 2015 by aseasyasriding

A few weeks ago the City of London held a cycling safety event, aimed in particular at women, following an astonishing 30 serious injuries to female cyclists in the Square Mile since 2010, and three deaths. And this week a haulage company was running … Continue reading →

Posted in Exchanging places, Promotion, Safety, Sustainable Safety, The Netherlands | 24 Comments

It’s motor traffic, not immigration, that prevents children playing in the street

Posted on April 1, 2015 by aseasyasriding

So Nigel Farage gave a speech at the White Cliffs of Dover yesterday, in which he suggested that children are not playing football in the street any more because of ‘discomfort’ and ‘unease’ due to high levels of immigration. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Safety, Subjective safety, Sustainable Safety, The Netherlands | 21 Comments

Natural character

Posted on December 17, 2014 by aseasyasriding

What is ‘natural’? The word, formally, means something that is not made, or caused, by humans. But this strict definition is very rarely employed. We use the word ‘natural’ to describe all kinds of things that are not ‘natural’ at … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurd transport solutions, Car dependence, Dual network, Horsham, Horsham District Council, Infrastructure, Mobility, Natural character, Safety, Southwater, Sustrans, The Netherlands, Town planning, Transport policy | 100 Comments

Selective attention to danger

Posted on September 24, 2014 by aseasyasriding

The local cycling forum in Horsham are banging their heads against something of a brick wall, attempting to get contraflow cycling on a short (residential) street that has one-way flow. This is Barrington Road. There’s a bit of background here, but essentially … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsham, Infrastructure, London, Safety | 14 Comments

The going rate

Posted on July 29, 2014 by aseasyasriding

I’ve just spotted that Transport for London’s new Draft Cycle Safety Action Plan attempts to pull the same trick that Norman Baker and Mike Penning tried to pull back in 2012. That is, it makes a comparison between cycle safety in London and … Continue reading →

Posted in Safety, The Netherlands, Transport for London | 27 Comments

The natural impulse to protect, and what it means for the school run

Posted on January 8, 2014 by aseasyasriding

A couple of days ago I was sent this email circular from PTRC, a company that runs training courses for transport and planning. It’s by David Jilks, the PR manager for CILT (the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport). Running … Continue reading →

Posted in Car dependence, Cycling policy, Infrastructure, Safety, Space for Cycling, Subjective safety, The Netherlands | 54 Comments

How failure to design properly makes death more likely

Posted on December 20, 2013 by aseasyasriding

Back in late 2011, I wrote a post about how the TfL policy of ‘smoothing traffic flow’ is antithetical to the creation of space for cycling. Creating ‘smooth flow’ means attempting to push as many motor vehicles through a green … Continue reading →

Posted in HGVs, Infrastructure, London, Safety, Space for Cycling, Transport for London | 10 Comments