Road Safety Minister says GB's roads safer for cyclists than those inNetherlands (+ videos)

QUOTE:
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning yesterday astonished and angered
cycle campaigners by claiming before the House of Commons Transport
Select Committee that Britain's roads are safer for cyclists than
those in the Netherlands. Earlier, broadcaster and CTC President Jon
Snow yesterday had urged the government to provide leadership on cycle
safety as he gave evidence to the committee, but both Mr Penning and
Minister for Cycling Norman Baker insisted that it is making progress
on the issue.

Mr Penning’s claim was based on deaths per 100,000 population, a
measure that takes no account of the huge differences between the
numbers of cyclists and levels of cycling in the UK and those in the
Netherlands; according to an analysis of the relevant figures on the
RadWagon blog, which used the standard measure of deaths per kilometre
per 100 million cyclists, people here are nearly three times more
likely to be killed while riding a bike than their counterparts across
the North Sea.

Afterwards, Roger Geffen, Campaigns and Policy Director at national
cyclists’ organisation CTC, told BikeBiz: "It is absurd for the Road
Safety Minister to claim that cycling in Britain is safer than the
Netherlands. More people cycle in the Netherlands. Per mile cycled the
risk of a cycle fatality in Britain is more than twice as high.

He added that the minister “should be taking action to encourage more
people to cycle and to improve safety for cyclists, not using
misleading statistics to pretend that the problem doesn't exist."

It’s not clear why Mr Penning chose to highlight deaths per 100,000
population, at least without framing those figures within the context
of the different patterns of cycling in each country; it certainly
does not seem unreasonable to expect that civil servants within his
department helping him prepare for today’s session would be familiar
with ways of comparing casualty statistics between different
countries, and ensure he had the relevant figures to hand.

What is apparent, however, from today’s hearing is that there is a
huge gulf between what cycle campaigners believe needs to be done to
help protect cyclists, and what the government claims it is doing to
ensure their safety.

At the end of the session, the general feeling among a number of
cyclists who had been following proceedings and who were using Twitter
to provide their reaction included disappointment and frustration that
the ministers - and by extension, the government - did not appear to
fully appreciate the issues involved or the suggested solutions.

In a week that on Saturday will see thousands of cyclists take to the
streets of the British capital in support of the London Cycling
Campaign’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign, which calls for Dutch-style
infrastructure, there was also disbelief and hostility at suggestions
by both Mr Penning and Mr Baker that authorities in the Netherlands
should visit the UK to learn how to improve the cycle safety.

Prior to the two ministers addressing the Transport Select Committee
in a session that brings to an end the oral evidence being gathered as
part of its inquiry into the government’s road safety policy, MPs had
heard from Times editor James Harding, whose newspaper launched the
Cities Fit For Cycling campaign last February, Mr Snow, and author,
long distance cyclist and cycle campaigner, Josie Dew.

The full session is available to watch online here, while short
extracts of some of the evidence provided by Mr Harding and Mr Snow
appear below.
Afterwards, in a statement released through CTC, Mr Snow said: “There
is no leadership from central government on cycling. Leadership means
joined up government with all departments working together to further
cycling. There needs to be much more funding for cycling – perhaps
£300 million a year from central government, a diminutive sum of money
even in an age of austerity. ”

Ms Dew maintained: “I have ridden five hundred thousand miles in fifty
countries and in my experience driver behaviour is getting worse.
Drivers should have to ride a bicycle before they get behind the wheel
– the best way would be to have cycling as part of the driving test.”

The presence of Mr Harding at today’s session reflects the way in
which cycle safety has been pushed up the national political agenda as
a direct result of his newspaper’s Cities Fit For Cycling campaign,
launched after one of its reporters, Mary Bowers, was left in a coma
after being struck by a lorry in November.

After today’s hearing, Mr Harding commented: “It has been amazing to
us how people have responded to our campaign. Cycling is one area
where people are now looking to politics and politicians for answers

http://road.cc/content/news/57138-ro...erlands-videos

--
Simon Mason

QUOTE:
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning yesterday astonished and angered
cycle campaigners by claiming before the House of Commons Transport
Select Committee that Britain's roads are safer for cyclists than
those in the Netherlands. Earlier, broadcaster and CTC President Jon
Snow yesterday had urged the government to provide leadership on cycle
safety as he gave evidence to the committee, but both Mr Penning and
Minister for Cycling Norman Baker insisted that it is making progress
on the issue.

Mr Penning’s claim was based on deaths per 100,000 population, a
measure that takes no account of the huge differences between the
numbers of cyclists and levels of cycling in the UK and those in the
Netherlands; according to an analysis of the relevant figures on the
RadWagon blog, which used the standard measure of deaths per kilometre
per 100 million cyclists, people here are nearly three times more
likely to be killed while riding a bike than their counterparts across
the North Sea.

Afterwards, Roger Geffen, Campaigns and Policy Director at national
cyclists’ organisation CTC, told BikeBiz: "It is absurd for the Road
Safety Minister to claim that cycling in Britain is safer than the
Netherlands. More people cycle in the Netherlands. Per mile cycled the
risk of a cycle fatality in Britain is more than twice as high.

He added that the minister “should be taking action to encourage more
people to cycle and to improve safety for cyclists, not using
misleading statistics to pretend that the problem doesn't exist."

It’s not clear why Mr Penning chose to highlight deaths per 100,000
population, at least without framing those figures within the context
of the different patterns of cycling in each country; it certainly
does not seem unreasonable to expect that civil servants within his
department helping him prepare for today’s session would be familiar
with ways of comparing casualty statistics between different
countries, and ensure he had the relevant figures to hand.

What is apparent, however, from today’s hearing is that there is a
huge gulf between what cycle campaigners believe needs to be done to
help protect cyclists, and what the government claims it is doing to
ensure their safety.

At the end of the session, the general feeling among a number of
cyclists who had been following proceedings and who were using Twitter
to provide their reaction included disappointment and frustration that
the ministers - and by extension, the government - did not appear to
fully appreciate the issues involved or the suggested solutions.

In a week that on Saturday will see thousands of cyclists take to the
streets of the British capital in support of the London Cycling
Campaign’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign, which calls for Dutch-style
infrastructure, there was also disbelief and hostility at suggestions
by both Mr Penning and Mr Baker that authorities in the Netherlands
should visit the UK to learn how to improve the cycle safety.

Prior to the two ministers addressing the Transport Select Committee
in a session that brings to an end the oral evidence being gathered as
part of its inquiry into the government’s road safety policy, MPs had
heard from Times editor James Harding, whose newspaper launched the
Cities Fit For Cycling campaign last February, Mr Snow, and author,
long distance cyclist and cycle campaigner, Josie Dew.

The full session is available to watch online here, while short
extracts of some of the evidence provided by Mr Harding and Mr Snow
appear below.
Afterwards, in a statement released through CTC, Mr Snow said: “There
is no leadership from central government on cycling. Leadership means
joined up government with all departments working together to further
cycling. There needs to be much more funding for cycling – perhaps
£300 million a year from central government, a diminutive sum of money
even in an age of austerity. ”

Ms Dew maintained: “I have ridden five hundred thousand miles in fifty
countries and in my experience driver behaviour is getting worse.
Drivers should have to ride a bicycle before they get behind the wheel
– the best way would be to have cycling as part of the driving test.”

The presence of Mr Harding at today’s session reflects the way in
which cycle safety has been pushed up the national political agenda as
a direct result of his newspaper’s Cities Fit For Cycling campaign,
launched after one of its reporters, Mary Bowers, was left in a coma
after being struck by a lorry in November.

After today’s hearing, Mr Harding commented: “It has been amazing to
us how people have responded to our campaign. Cycling is one area
where people are now looking to politics and politicians for answers

http://road.cc/content/news/57138-ro...says-gbs-roads...

A cycling acquaintance told me that he'll cycle in Paris and New York
City but won't "bother taking a bike to London."

It's critically important to go all out with high tech to make cycling
safer.


Bret Cahill

On Apr 25, 5:27*am, Bret Cahill wrote:
QUOTE:
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning yesterday astonished and angered
cycle campaigners by claiming before the House of Commons Transport
Select Committee that Britain's roads are safer for cyclists than
those in the Netherlands. Earlier, broadcaster and CTC President Jon
Snow yesterday had urged the government to provide leadership on cycle
safety as he gave evidence to the committee, but both Mr Penning and
Minister for Cycling Norman Baker insisted that it is making progress
on the issue.

Mr Penning’s claim was based on deaths per 100,000 population, a
measure that takes no account of the huge differences between the
numbers of cyclists and levels of cycling in the UK and those in the
Netherlands; according to an analysis of the relevant figures on the
RadWagon blog, which used the standard measure of deaths per kilometre
per 100 million cyclists, people here are nearly three times more
likely to be killed while riding a bike than their counterparts across
the North Sea.

Afterwards, Roger Geffen, Campaigns and Policy Director at national
cyclists’ organisation CTC, told BikeBiz: "It is absurd for the Road
Safety Minister to claim that cycling in Britain is safer than the
Netherlands. More people cycle in the Netherlands. Per mile cycled the
risk of a cycle fatality in Britain is more than twice as high.

He added that the minister “should be taking action to encourage more
people to cycle and to improve safety for cyclists, not using
misleading statistics to pretend that the problem doesn't exist."

It’s not clear why Mr Penning chose to highlight deaths per 100,000
population, at least without framing those figures within the context
of the different patterns of cycling in each country; it certainly
does not seem unreasonable to expect that civil servants within his
department helping him prepare for today’s session would be familiar
with ways of comparing casualty statistics between different
countries, and ensure he had the relevant figures to hand.

What is apparent, however, from today’s hearing is that there is a
huge gulf between what cycle campaigners believe needs to be done to
help protect cyclists, and what the government claims it is doing to
ensure their safety.

At the end of the session, the general feeling among a number of
cyclists who had been following proceedings and who were using Twitter
to provide their reaction included disappointment and frustration that
the ministers - and by extension, the government - did not appear to
fully appreciate the issues involved or the suggested solutions.

In a week that on Saturday will see thousands of cyclists take to the
streets of the British capital in support of the London Cycling
Campaign’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign, which calls for Dutch-style
infrastructure, there was also disbelief and hostility at suggestions
by both Mr Penning and Mr Baker that authorities in the Netherlands
should visit the UK to learn how to improve the cycle safety.

Prior to the two ministers addressing the Transport Select Committee
in a session that brings to an end the oral evidence being gathered as
part of its inquiry into the government’s road safety policy, MPs had
heard from Times editor James Harding, whose newspaper launched the
Cities Fit For Cycling campaign last February, Mr Snow, and author,
long distance cyclist and cycle campaigner, Josie Dew.

The full session is available to watch online here, while short
extracts of some of the evidence provided by Mr Harding and Mr Snow
appear below.
Afterwards, in a statement released through CTC, Mr Snow said: “There
is no leadership from central government on cycling. Leadership means
joined up government with all departments working together to further
cycling. There needs to be much more funding for cycling – perhaps
£300 million a year from central government, a diminutive sum of money
even in an age of austerity. ”

Ms Dew maintained: “I have ridden five hundred thousand miles in fifty
countries and in my experience driver behaviour is getting worse.
Drivers should have to ride a bicycle before they get behind the wheel
– the best way would be to have cycling as part of the driving test.”

The presence of Mr Harding at today’s session reflects the way in
which cycle safety has been pushed up the national political agenda as
a direct result of his newspaper’s Cities Fit For Cycling campaign,
launched after one of its reporters, Mary Bowers, was left in a coma
after being struck by a lorry in November.

After today’s hearing, Mr Harding commented: “It has been amazing to
us how people have responded to our campaign. Cycling is one area
where people are now looking to politics and politicians for answers

http://road.cc/content/news/57138-ro...says-gbs-roads...

A cycling acquaintance told me that he'll cycle in Paris and New York
City but won't "bother taking a bike to London."

It's critically important to go all out with high tech to make cycling
safer.

Bret Cahill

Well, if there was a will, which there isn't, I'd guess that a
combination of mobile phone technology and the car's onboard computing
could be used to decrease the dangers that motorists pose to others.

On Apr 25, 5:07*am, Simon Mason wrote:
QUOTE:
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning yesterday astonished and angered
cycle campaigners by claiming before the House of Commons Transport
Select Committee that Britain's roads are safer for cyclists than
those in the Netherlands. Earlier, broadcaster and CTC President Jon
Snow yesterday had urged the government to provide leadership on cycle
safety as he gave evidence to the committee, but both Mr Penning and
Minister for Cycling Norman Baker insisted that it is making progress
on the issue.

Mr Penning’s claim was based on deaths per 100,000 population, a
measure that takes no account of the huge differences between the
numbers of cyclists and levels of cycling in the UK and those in the
Netherlands; according to an analysis of the relevant figures on the
RadWagon blog, which used the standard measure of deaths per kilometre
per 100 million cyclists, people here are nearly three times more
likely to be killed while riding a bike than their counterparts across
the North Sea.

Afterwards, Roger Geffen, Campaigns and Policy Director at national
cyclists’ organisation CTC, told BikeBiz: "It is absurd for the Road
Safety Minister to claim that cycling in Britain is safer than the
Netherlands. More people cycle in the Netherlands. Per mile cycled the
risk of a cycle fatality in Britain is more than twice as high.

He added that the minister “should be taking action to encourage more
people to cycle and to improve safety for cyclists, not using
misleading statistics to pretend that the problem doesn't exist."

It’s not clear why Mr Penning chose to highlight deaths per 100,000
population, at least without framing those figures within the context
of the different patterns of cycling in each country; it certainly
does not seem unreasonable to expect that civil servants within his
department helping him prepare for today’s session would be familiar
with ways of comparing casualty statistics between different
countries, and ensure he had the relevant figures to hand.

What is apparent, however, from today’s hearing is that there is a
huge gulf between what cycle campaigners believe needs to be done to
help protect cyclists, and what the government claims it is doing to
ensure their safety.

At the end of the session, the general feeling among a number of
cyclists who had been following proceedings and who were using Twitter
to provide their reaction included disappointment and frustration that
the ministers - and by extension, the government - did not appear to
fully appreciate the issues involved or the suggested solutions.

In a week that on Saturday will see thousands of cyclists take to the
streets of the British capital in support of the London Cycling
Campaign’s Love London, Go Dutch campaign, which calls for Dutch-style
infrastructure, there was also disbelief and hostility at suggestions
by both Mr Penning and Mr Baker that authorities in the Netherlands
should visit the UK to learn how to improve the cycle safety.

Prior to the two ministers addressing the Transport Select Committee
in a session that brings to an end the oral evidence being gathered as
part of its inquiry into the government’s road safety policy, MPs had
heard from Times editor James Harding, whose newspaper launched the
Cities Fit For Cycling campaign last February, Mr Snow, and author,
long distance cyclist and cycle campaigner, Josie Dew.

The full session is available to watch online here, while short
extracts of some of the evidence provided by Mr Harding and Mr Snow
appear below.
Afterwards, in a statement released through CTC, Mr Snow said: “There
is no leadership from central government on cycling. Leadership means
joined up government with all departments working together to further
cycling. There needs to be much more funding for cycling – perhaps
£300 million a year from central government, a diminutive sum of money
even in an age of austerity. ”

Ms Dew maintained: “I have ridden five hundred thousand miles in fifty
countries and in my experience driver behaviour is getting worse.
Drivers should have to ride a bicycle before they get behind the wheel
– the best way would be to have cycling as part of the driving test.”

The presence of Mr Harding at today’s session reflects the way in
which cycle safety has been pushed up the national political agenda as
a direct result of his newspaper’s Cities Fit For Cycling campaign,
launched after one of its reporters, Mary Bowers, was left in a coma
after being struck by a lorry in November.

After today’s hearing, Mr Harding commented: “It has been amazing to
us how people have responded to our campaign. Cycling is one area
where people are now looking to politics and politicians for answers

http://road.cc/content/news/57138-ro...says-gbs-roads...

--
Simon Mason

The minister would also like to point out that large numbers of UK
cyclists might even drown before managing to reach Dutch roads in
order to ride on them.
This may well be the reason that Simon Mason found a cycle helmet on
the beach.
Minister now favours deep-sea diving helmets for cyclists. "If it
saves just one motorist from missing a mobile phone call, it will be
worth it."

On Apr 25, 10:01*am, Squashme wrote:

--
Simon Mason

The minister ....

is a cretin.

By extension, the M1 is safe for cycling... no cyclist has been
injured on it, so it must be.

Obvious really.

On 25/04/2012 09:58, Squashme wrote:

Bret wrote:

QUOTE:
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning yesterday astonished and angered
cycle campaigners by claiming before the House of Commons Transport
Select Committee that Britain's roads are safer for cyclists than
those in the Netherlands. ...
Mr Penning’s claim was based on deaths per 100,000 population, a
measure that takes no account of the huge differences between the
numbers of cyclists and levels of cycling in the UK and those in the
Netherlands...

Afterwards, Roger Geffen, Campaigns and Policy Director at national
cyclists’ organisation CTC, told BikeBiz: "It is absurd for the Road
Safety Minister to claim that cycling in Britain is safer than the
Netherlands. More people cycle in the Netherlands. Per mile cycled the
risk of a cycle fatality in Britain is more than twice as high.

Do you also get the impression that there are some cyclists who don't seem to
be able to make up their minds as to whether cycling is safe or dangerous?

"Squashme" wrote in message
...
On Apr 25, 5:07 am, Simon Mason wrote:

The minister would also like to point out that large numbers of UK
cyclists might even drown before managing to reach Dutch roads in
order to ride on them.
This may well be the reason that Simon Mason found a cycle helmet on
the beach.
Minister now favours deep-sea diving helmets for cyclists. "If it
saves just one motorist from missing a mobile phone call, it will be
worth it."

I was surprised just how easy it was for me destroy that helmet with a
simple stamp of the foot.
Not possible with a m/c crash hat or a diving helmet - I would break my
foot.

--
Simon Mason

On Apr 25, 6:50*pm, JNugent wrote:
On 25/04/2012 09:58, Squashme wrote:

Bret *wrote:
QUOTE:
Road Safety Minister Mike Penning yesterday astonished and angered
cycle campaigners by claiming before the House of Commons Transport
Select Committee that Britain's roads are safer for cyclists than
those in the Netherlands. ...
Mr Penning’s claim was based on deaths per 100,000 population, a
measure that takes no account of the huge differences between the
numbers of cyclists and levels of cycling in the UK and those in the
Netherlands...
Afterwards, Roger Geffen, Campaigns and Policy Director at national
cyclists’ organisation CTC, told BikeBiz: "It is absurd for the Road
Safety Minister to claim that cycling in Britain is safer than the
Netherlands. More people cycle in the Netherlands. Per mile cycled the
risk of a cycle fatality in Britain is more than twice as high.

Do you also get the impression that there are some cyclists who don't seem to
be able to make up their minds as to whether cycling is safe or dangerous?

"It depends what you mean by safe or dangerous"

On 25/04/2012 21:32, Simon Mason wrote:


"Squashme" wrote in message
...
On Apr 25, 5:07 am, Simon Mason wrote:

The minister would also like to point out that large numbers of UK
cyclists might even drown before managing to reach Dutch roads in
order to ride on them.
This may well be the reason that Simon Mason found a cycle helmet on
the beach.
Minister now favours deep-sea diving helmets for cyclists. "If it
saves just one motorist from missing a mobile phone call, it will be
worth it."

I was surprised just how easy it was for me destroy that helmet with a
simple stamp of the foot.

Except that it never happened you ******.


--
Dave - Cyclists VOR. "Many people barely recognise the bicycle as a
legitimate mode of transport; it is either a toy for children or a
vehicle fit only for the poor and/or strange," Dave Horton - Lancaster
University

On 25/04/2012 05:07, Simon Mason wrote:


http://road.cc/content/news/57138-ro...erlands-videos

Completely unreliable source. Bunch of lying halfwits.



--
Dave - Cyclists VOR. "Many people barely recognise the bicycle as a
legitimate mode of transport; it is either a toy for children or a
vehicle fit only for the poor and/or strange," Dave Horton - Lancaster
University