So, I tried to set up an "e-petition" which was rejected, which I find a bit ridiculous. Do people agree with what the e-petition team said?

Your petition was classed as being in the following categories:

* Wording that is impossible to understand

* Statements that don't actually request any action

It read as follows;

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to: 'recognise
the importance of encouraging cycling and the vulnerability of
cyclists as road users'

The vulnerability of cyclists and the Government's failure to
introduce serious pro-cycling measures need addressing.

This petition calls for:

* The vulnerability of cyclists to be recognised by affording
them the same rights as pedestrians, including but not limited
to the ability to cross roads according to safety, not traffic
lights.

* The scrapping of the proposed anti-cyclists amendments to the
highway code.

* Introduction of legal protection of cyclists, as is the
practise in Germany.

* Enforcement of what little cycling infrastructure there is,
including penalties for motorists ignoring ASLs and fines for
owners of vehicles parked in cycle lanes.

* Bicycles and bicycle paraphenalia to be zero rated for VAT.

* Harsher punishments for people endangering cyclist's lives
through reckless or agressive driving.

makes no sense, but there are 64 cycling petitions open (not all pro-cycling), why not vote for them instead?

http://search.petitions.pm.gov.uk/kb...0&ha=1157&mt=0

just voted for about 20 petitions.

I didn't vote for these:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to introduce tax for cyclists who use roads.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to scrap cycle forward boxes, (cycle lanes across the road in front of motor vehicles at traffic light junctions).


We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Keep going with the new highway code and force cyclists off the road. (a reference to more cycle lanes?)

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to make pedal cyclalists have minimum 3rd party insurance and pay a road tax.


some of the anti-cyclist commentary is pretty depressing stuff.

some of the others are pretty funny:

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to make a law which mean bike lanes lead somewhere.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Increase road tax to £1,000 per annum.

We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to Award a Damehood to Jane Tomlinson.

Fred, thanks for these. Not only depressing but some are very offensive.

I think there is a site where we can report bad drivers behaviour and accidents? Does anyone know about it and what happens to the report. The best way to get anywhere is to get sympathy in the media and change the current perception of the public toward cyclists. I find it unbelievable to see motorists intimidating cyclists with their vehicles which to me equals to threatening someone with a knife/gun. but what can you do? It will always happen and petitions will not be read...

Ha ha this one's funny as fuck. Intimidation of drivers by cycles, my arse. of the 14 signatories to it, three of them are abuse entered into the 'name' field... http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/nocycleforward/eynes.

PS, tom. perhaps make the petition shorter, more to the point? I agree its hard to say yours doesn;t have any clear request, but perhaps there are too many?

my personal favourite:
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to make all cyclists take a compulsary test. make all peddle cyclists take a cycle test on simmilar grounds to car and motorcycle test,including theory and practical and then be liecenced and insured. they must also have a registration plate. also fines and endorsements for commiting a road traffic offence ,ie running a red light or riding on the FOOT PATH and having no lights is an out right ban. if they have none of the required documents then thier cycle is confiscated and crushed, They must also be held responsible for any accidents and injuries they cause due to,speed using a mobile phone etc etc. This will stop a lot of irresponsible cyclists from harming peddestrians going about thier normal days buisiness

What a load of utter crap... I think we should set up a petition for all pedestrians and drivers to have a compulsory day of cycling on all major routes through London.

But... But... But

I could cycle before I could read good. How could I take a test?

Good heavens! Check this one!

Many people would like the car driving age changed to 16 as by then people have finished school and want to go out and get jobs and travel to college and even though a moped maybe a solution for many people its dangerous and slow to travel long distance on them and holds a danger to others on the road aswell. This also gives many people independance to get around. For the above reasons we have started this petition we feel that at the age of 16 you are no more maturer or have changed in anyway than if we were 17.

^^^Good point, they probably are no maturerererer than if they were 17. Raise the age, I say...^^^

* The vulnerability of cyclists to be recognised by affording
them the same rights as pedestrians, including but not limited
to the ability to cross roads according to safety, not traffic
lights.

i find that counter productive. people worked pretty ahrd to get bikes classified as vehicles here, and though often people don't realize it's illegal to ride on the sidewalk, as well as unsafe by perpetuating the myth that cyclists don't have rights to the road it endangers more cyclists lives.

by saying theyre no more than pedestrians this would eliminate the ability to ride on the road in theory. just saying. this is a bad idea.

yeah but aint you in america buddy? The rules are different here. As far as I know, in terms of protection under british law, cyclists are currently less than pedestrians.

yes, we don't have jaywalking (well we not in the sense of the word, people wander about in the road All THE TIME but it's not an offence, only on a motorway but that doesn't concern cycles) the onus is on vehicular traffic to give way to peds at all times.

some people know this and aggressively assert themselves with arrogance into the path of oncoming vehicles, others don't know but just walk into the road because of ignorance, carelessness and downright fucking lazyness.

one petition I would like to see is something to bring back public service adverts on how to cross the road correctly, for children and adults, outlining the consequences of causing an accident by being selfish/careless.

it seems these days carelessness is no longer an issue, as if expecting someone not to be a cock is an infringement of their "rights" or something. maybe the government don't care.

not so in the days when tufty and the green cross code man told you that playing with traffic fucking kills you and cause other cunts to get killed. This is the problem, if cunts don't mind risking their own lives, the effect on others is no longer enough to make them think twice. They simply don't give a fuck. and there lies the rub.

right topic closed, it's all getting a bit fucking C+

You might get taken more seriously if you took the elementary step of checking your spelling. "Peddle"? FFS...

Petition for RPM to be the new green cross code man, sign below:

1. asm

Petition for RPM to be the new Green Cross Code man if he can defeat Darth Vader in a light sabre duel, sign below:

1. tom.

Hey! It wasn't me who wrote this piece, it was a copy & paste from the petition site...

OK then, "He might get taken more seriously etc..."

;)

any day.

my skills with a lightsabre may be seldom used, but they are lethal nonetheless

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6sUnzKinmQ

Ca-Ray-Zee !
Maybe Pedestrians should take a test too...
I've seen plenty of them (everyday on Oxford St.) unable to do the basics.
If they don't have the correct documentation they should be put under house arrest.

i don't know how many mothers with push-chairs, tots, etc, that i've nearly hit as they can't be arsed to used the crossing 15 meters away so they nip between slow traffic/stand in the middle of the road/come our of no-where on the right.... they wear me down. jeebus.

Do you also notice mothers using the pushchair with child as a bulldozer type device through pedestrians, then they come to the edge of the road, THEY stand on the kerb and push the pushchair out into the road THEN look to see what the traffic is doing....


or is it just me that attracts such idiots.

RPM the green cross code man:

"Listen kids, traffic kills cunts. Don't be a cunt: stop, look listen".

It's the future.

(Agree with all points you make BTW).

what I like best is when they push the pushchair onto the road and wait on the pavement for the traffic light to change.

retrograde abortion?

it's not just you.

I've had them do that without the looking bit.

just march straight across, pushchair first.

I often say "you've just walked straight into the road without looking, you'll cause an accident"

they just ignore, or huff, like it's my fault.

a couple of years ago cycling along clapham common southside i watched a mother let go of her pushchair to look in her handbag, she didn't notice it rolling out into the traffic, i slammed my brakes on (was doing 25mph+) skidded for a bit, unclipped and stopped the pushchair with my foot.

she said "sorry" and i just cycled off muttering something about waking up before you leave the house. could have been nasty as there was a lot of traffic about.

did you shag her though?

It would have been fucking rude of her not to offer lets be honest

Should have let the baby roll, she'd have wanted another one then ;)

that is insane. I didn't know that. i figured that it would be the same in the UK as it is in Canada, Aussie and the States.