High-visibility community punishment?

Sharp Edge Trip has recently pointed out that Manchester City Council has filed their pretty poor Cycling safety web page under the heading "Crime, antisocial behaviour & nuisance".



The parts that really piss me off are lines like

Always wear a helmet as this reduces the risk of head injury if you are involved in a crash.

and

wear bright or fluorescent clothing in daylight and in poor light and reflective clothing at night

Neither of these measures are proven to be effective, and are probably both counterproductive. The case for Hi-Viz is demolished by the Road Danger Reduction Forum as yet more victim blaming, and the case against cycle helmets has always been clear, as collated by the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation.

Thinking this through over the holiday I remembered a previous Hi-Viz news story, Labour Minister Jack Straw introducing compulsory high visibility orange vests for offenders serving out their punishment under Community Payback....


Photograph: Ministry of Justice

When will Manchester City Council and TfGM stop treating cycling as a nuisance behaviour to be punished, and start promoting it as a safe healthy activity which should be enjoyed whilst wearing normal clothing and build the infrastructure to go with it?

#TAKECAREGTRMCR

There is a whole road safety industry out there that seems to treat people who walk and cycle as vermin to be removed from the road. The latest incarnation of this in the local area is the campaign from the Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership.

The attitude towards people like us can be seen in this line advising drivers:-

You might think you know the roads but every day new hazards appear; road works, pedestrians and cyclists so make sure you pay attention.

So the Greater Manchester Casualty Reduction Partnership regard pedestrians and cyclists as "hazards" alongside roadworks. To them we are no different from traffic cones or holes in the road!



The whole approach is to push blame towards the victims and young drivers, rather than enforcing road traffic law and reducing traffic speed and levels.

Worst of all is the advice for "cyclists"

Remember that cycle lanes are there to help you and when you need to make sure you share the road.

Don’t go unseen make sure your wearing high visibility clothing and always wear a helmet.

Cycle lanes are there to help you? Not round here they aren't, most of the cycle lanes in Manchester are CRAP!



Many are even downright dangerous.



As for Hi-Viz and Helmets, they are both causes for concern and may actually be counterproductive. The case for Hi-Viz is demolished by the Road Danger Reduction Forum as yet more victim blaming, and the case against cycle helmets has always been clear, as collated by the Bicycle Helmet Research Foundation.

Of course neither are a legal requirement on our roads and promoting either of them actually discourages people from cycling, with all the consequent health risks of inactivity.

This campaign is doing nothing to improve the safety on our roads. We desperately need better road traffic law enforcement in Greater Manchester. Every day I walk down Deansgate I see drivers openly flouting the law and endangering lives... Here a bus goes straight through a red, long after the other direction has gone green.



It is time to properly enforce road traffic law and take the dangerous drivers off the roads, not blame their victims.

-------------

UPDATE

Following our complaints this page has now been reworded to remove some of the offensive language...

You might think you know the roads but every day new hazards appear; road works, pedestrians and cyclists so make sure you pay attention.

Has been replaced with

You may think you know the roads but are you prepared for change? Are there roadworks along your journey now? Are there any pedestrians in the road or waiting to cross? Is there a cyclist ahead? Give room! Slow Down! Be respectful. Share the road!

and

Remember that cycle lanes are there to help you and when you need to make sure you share the road.

Don’t go unseen make sure your wearing high visibility clothing and always wear a helmet.

has been updated to read

Remember that cycle lanes are there to help you and can be useful for your journey, please use them when safe to do so.

Don’t go unseen make sure your wearing high visibility clothing and always wear a helmet.

Which is no better, except that it acknowledges what we have known all along, that some of Greater Manchester's cycle lanes are actually dangerous.

Tea, Coffee, Cake, Helmet & Hi-Viz Propaganda

If I am looking to relax in a bicycle friendly place I don't want to get stuff like this thrown at me.



I was not impressed to see this kind of negative propaganda at Ancoat's newest coffee shop.



Quite why a coffee shop should feel it necessary to tell it's customers how to cycle, I don't know.



Not that anyone on a pedal cycle was in evidence on a busy Saturday afternoon.

 

The compound does also serve as a car park and contained two vans at the time.