Gray Matter
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I value my safety more than the law
A pleasing feature of a column such as this is the debate it stimulates with readers, both in the letters column of the newspaper and in my own mailbag (what, haven't you got one?). In respect of those writing directly to me, I would be happier if more of them felt able to slough off the cloak of anonymity. This would show greater courtesy - possibly courage - and make them accountable for the views they present so forthrightly.
"Disappointed of Botley" put pen to postcard recently to complain that she/he had seen me riding my bicycle on a pavement. "Never mind that it's illegal, hazardous and inefficient what can she/he mean by that?. The problem is that your bad behaviour gives me a bad name, even when I cycle like an adult. David Cameron is not a role model."
The remark about Cameron will be understood to refer to his having been nabbed by a photographer from the Daily Mirror breaking all manner of traffic laws. These included crossing a red traffic light and going the wrong way round a "Keep left" bollard but not, I think, riding on a pavement. Almost certainly on the orders of his spin doctors, he issued a grovelling apology: "I know it is important to obey traffic laws but I have obviously made mistakes on this occasion and I am sorry."
My correspondent is perhaps hoping I might say the same thing. She/he is going to be disappointed again. What I shall say is this: I know it is important to obey traffic laws, but there are times when I choose not to, the better to preserve my own skin.
Let me explain. The road system in Oxford has been designed and installed by engineers - working on the orders of their political masters - who have some very strange notions of safety. They love bicycles and they love buses. They make a fatal mistake, though, in thinking that bicycles and buses should love each other, cosy up together. In fact, they should properly be kept as far apart as possible - the one so slight and vulnerable, the other so wide and mighty.
Park End Street, where Disappointed observed my malefaction, brings these two mismatched forms of transport into fearfully close conjunction at almost all times. The traffic engineers' insane decision to restore two-way traffic here, means there is no room for cyclists to pass the long line of buses almost always present at the lights heading west into Frideswide Square. The line would be even longer, incidentally, if the driver of every third bus did not extend the absurdly short time allowed for crossing by going through a red light. You don't believe me? Just take a look.
So, rather than sit amid a fume-belching, menacing convoy of buses, sensible cyclists are likely to make their way up the wide, empty pavement on the left. I do this often. Usually, I push my bike; sometimes I scoot; occasionally (because it seems to me no whit more dangerous) I might pedal very carefully. And it might not surprise you to learn that I am not alone in this.
Another dangerous location where Disappointed could observe me breaking the law most days of the week is at the junction of High Street and Longwall. If I am heading east, and there are no pedestrians waiting to cross in front of me, I will make for Magdalen Bridge the moment I see the lights change to green on the pedestrian crossing to my left. (This, of course, means that I am not at risk from the movement of any motor vehicles.) I do this in order to gain a head start on the queue of buses waiting to cross behind me, and so avoid having them snarling at my shoulder as I pass Magdalen College. The road, you see, is not sufficiently wide at the beginning (those traffic engineers again!) to allow buses and bicycles to proceed together. And later, when the road widens, there is the ever-present danger of a pedestrian straying into the cycle lane from the busy, narrow pavement.
It hardly needs saying that I would not cross the red light when a police officer is about. But how often is that?
10:27am Thursday 10th April 2008
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CommentPosted by: Tarbatt on 2:53pm Fri 11 Apr 08
What a selfish and stupid individual. Can't Mr. Gray see that his behaviour could encourage inexperienced cyclists, such as students, to also jump red lights?
Probably not, because he only thinks of himself.
What a selfish and stupid individual. Can't Mr. Gray see that his behaviour could encourage inexperienced cyclists, such as students, to also jump red lights?
Probably not, because he only thinks of himself.
Posted by: Tim, Oxford on 12:34pm Mon 14 Apr 08
You already have a head start, called the advanced stop line. Alternatively, why not get off your bike at Longwall street, push it across the pedestrian crossing when green, remount and continue on your way towards Magdalen Bridge? What you don't mention is that in your approach, you cycle across the pedestrian crossing on the High Stree while it is green for pedestrians - an idiotic and selfish way to cycle. PS I cycle this route every day and have never felt the need to break the law to stay safe.
You already have a head start, called the advanced stop line. Alternatively, why not get off your bike at Longwall street, push it across the pedestrian crossing when green, remount and continue on your way towards Magdalen Bridge? What you don't mention is that in your approach, you cycle across the pedestrian crossing on the High Stree while it is green for pedestrians - an idiotic and selfish way to cycle. PS I cycle this route every day and have never felt the need to break the law to stay safe.
Posted by: Kate, Oxford on 9:16am Fri 18 Apr 08
I'm with Disappointed of Botley. Your behaviour is stupid, selfish and pointless. If you don't like obeying the traffic laws that apply to the rest of us, get off your bike and walk!
Not only do you give cyclists a bad name, you achieve the even more difficult feat of giving local newspaper opinion columns a bad name.
I'm with Disappointed of Botley. Your behaviour is stupid, selfish and pointless. If you don't like obeying the traffic laws that apply to the rest of us, get off your bike and walk!
Not only do you give cyclists a bad name, you achieve the even more difficult feat of giving local newspaper opinion columns a bad name.
Posted by: G, Oxford on 9:28am Fri 18 Apr 08
Thank you Mr Gray for helping to give all the cyclists in Oxford a bad name. You've just helped to instill into your readers that cyclists don't care about the law - something that isn't going to help Oxford become a safer place to cycle.
Thank you Mr Gray for helping to give all the cyclists in Oxford a bad name. You've just helped to instill into your readers that cyclists don't care about the law - something that isn't going to help Oxford become a safer place to cycle.
Posted by: Andrew C, Oxford on 11:28am Fri 18 Apr 08
Mr Grey,
Darting in and out of traffic streams around heavy vehicles with limited visibility is plain daft, and that goes for darting onto the pavement too: I assume you'll want to re-join the real traffic stream at some point. You want to be seen, stay seen, and give the things the wide berth they need for their sweeping turns. You know, like you would in a car or on a motorcycle or in any other type of proper road vehicle.
Every instance of RLJing or pavement-hopping that gets witnessed by a motorist makes life harder for other cyclists on the road. Please stop. We're only going to gain the respect we need by obeying the law and behaving as properly responsible road users.
Mr Grey,
Darting in and out of traffic streams around heavy vehicles with limited visibility is plain daft, and that goes for darting onto the pavement too: I assume you'll want to re-join the real traffic stream at some point. You want to be seen, stay seen, and give the things the wide berth they need for their sweeping turns. You know, like you would in a car or on a motorcycle or in any other type of proper road vehicle.
Every instance of RLJing or pavement-hopping that gets witnessed by a motorist makes life harder for other cyclists on the road. Please stop. We're only going to gain the respect we need by obeying the law and behaving as properly responsible road users.
Posted by: ian harvey on 1:54pm Fri 18 Apr 08
Mr Gray
How can cyclists ever hope to overcome the negative public perception of them, when commentators like you prouldly proclaim their flexible approach to the law.
Mr Gray
How can cyclists ever hope to overcome the negative public perception of them, when commentators like you prouldly proclaim their flexible approach to the law.
Posted by: John S, Oxford on 2:08pm Fri 18 Apr 08
Every time Chris Gray mounts the pavement, in some small way he makes the world worse for every cyclist, including himself: he undermines their political claims to legitimacy on the roads; he encourages them to do as he does, both by example and proselytising here; and he provides every driver with an excuse to hector and threaten cyclists onto the pavement (where drivers feel anyone without a metal carapace belongs).
When Chris Gray discounts the intentions of what he derisorily emboldens as "[bold]traffic[/bold]" engineers (what does he think his bicycle constitutes: scotch mist?) he is making the same mistake as drivers who feel that speed limits don't apply to them because they can't perceive the particular problem the limits try to mitigate. In doing this he presumes he has some extra knowledge that degrees in engineering, road safety, traffic management and all the rest somehow don't teach, forgetting that common sense is frequently employed by those who have access to no other kind.
It astonishes me that someone can put so much apparent thought into such effectively thoughtless behaviour, and that so much effort can be expended on attempts at improving one's own safety and convenience, to the actual detriment of both.
Every time Chris Gray mounts the pavement, in some small way he makes the world worse for every cyclist, including himself: he undermines their political claims to legitimacy on the roads; he encourages them to do as he does, both by example and proselytising here; and he provides every driver with an excuse to hector and threaten cyclists onto the pavement (where drivers feel anyone without a metal carapace belongs).
When Chris Gray discounts the intentions of what he derisorily emboldens as "
traffic" engineers (what does he think his bicycle constitutes: scotch mist?) he is making the same mistake as drivers who feel that speed limits don't apply to them because they can't perceive the particular problem the limits try to mitigate. In doing this he presumes he has some extra knowledge that degrees in engineering, road safety, traffic management and all the rest somehow don't teach, forgetting that common sense is frequently employed by those who have access to no other kind.
It astonishes me that someone can put so much apparent thought into such effectively thoughtless behaviour, and that so much effort can be expended on attempts at improving one's own safety and convenience, to the actual detriment of both.
Posted by: John S, Oxford on 2:08pm Fri 18 Apr 08
Every time Chris Gray mounts the pavement, in some small way he makes the world worse for every cyclist, including himself: he undermines their political claims to legitimacy on the roads; he encourages them to do as he does, both by example and proselytising here; and he provides every driver with an excuse to hector and threaten cyclists onto the pavement (where drivers feel anyone without a metal carapace belongs).
When Chris Gray discounts the intentions of what he derisorily emboldens as "[bold]traffic[/bold]" engineers (what does he think his bicycle constitutes: scotch mist?) he is making the same mistake as drivers who feel that speed limits don't apply to them because they can't perceive the particular problem the limits try to mitigate. In doing this he presumes he has some extra knowledge that degrees in engineering, road safety, traffic management and all the rest somehow don't teach, forgetting that common sense is frequently employed by those who have access to no other kind.
It astonishes me that someone can put so much apparent thought into such effectively thoughtless behaviour, and that so much effort can be expended on attempts at improving one's own safety and convenience, to the actual detriment of both.
Every time Chris Gray mounts the pavement, in some small way he makes the world worse for every cyclist, including himself: he undermines their political claims to legitimacy on the roads; he encourages them to do as he does, both by example and proselytising here; and he provides every driver with an excuse to hector and threaten cyclists onto the pavement (where drivers feel anyone without a metal carapace belongs).
When Chris Gray discounts the intentions of what he derisorily emboldens as "
traffic" engineers (what does he think his bicycle constitutes: scotch mist?) he is making the same mistake as drivers who feel that speed limits don't apply to them because they can't perceive the particular problem the limits try to mitigate. In doing this he presumes he has some extra knowledge that degrees in engineering, road safety, traffic management and all the rest somehow don't teach, forgetting that common sense is frequently employed by those who have access to no other kind.
It astonishes me that someone can put so much apparent thought into such effectively thoughtless behaviour, and that so much effort can be expended on attempts at improving one's own safety and convenience, to the actual detriment of both.
Posted by: Ed Lehmann, Oxfordshire on 4:54pm Fri 18 Apr 08
For 50+ years cycles, horses and later on traction engines got along fine, with everything mixed up on the roads together.
Then motor use began to mushroom. In the 1920s, if memory serves, with a fraction of the cars we now have, road deaths were about 5 - 10 times the present level. So in came Belisha Beacons, Traffic Lights, No Entry streets, One Way streets, White Lines and enough signpost jumble to overwhelm Picasso.
All for the motor car.
It's time the balance was redressed, and people were protected from buses, cars and the like.
Until then, when I cycle my skin comes before scrupulously, mindlessly obeying Motor Law. For that is what it actually is.
Sorry - I'm with Chris Gray on this one!
For 50+ years cycles, horses and later on traction engines got along fine, with everything mixed up on the roads together.
Then motor use began to mushroom. In the 1920s, if memory serves, with a fraction of the cars we now have, road deaths were about 5 - 10 times the present level. So in came Belisha Beacons, Traffic Lights, No Entry streets, One Way streets, White Lines and enough signpost jumble to overwhelm Picasso.
All for the motor car.
It's time the balance was redressed, and people were protected from buses, cars and the like.
Until then, when I cycle my skin comes before scrupulously, mindlessly obeying Motor Law. For that is what it actually is.
Sorry - I'm with Chris Gray on this one!
Posted by: Graham Paul Smith, oxford, Grandpont on 6:01pm Fri 18 Apr 08
Nr Gray is responding to a situation which has been created by the people who design our roads and the controls they have put in. Although critics of his behaviour are'right' that it is or seems selfish, a greater teruth is that he feels himself forced to run the risks designed into the system by others. Cars are wonderful empowering beasts and the politicians and engineers make every effort to accommodate the car's demands. I would say that there is no effort to support cycling at any point. Even the engineers, planners, et al who cycle into work in Oxfrod have their priovate cycle parking and do not make the slightest effort to make access by bicycle easy or take any effort to make secure cycle parking space. In other words Mr Gray is running the riosks imposed on him by others. Good luck to him and may the engineers and palnners one day join up the dots. they restrict car use, they restrict residents parking, they restrict car parking in new developemnts in the city but they do nothing to provide parking at city centre destinations, and the on-road provisions are appalling.
Graham
Nr Gray is responding to a situation which has been created by the people who design our roads and the controls they have put in. Although critics of his behaviour are'right' that it is or seems selfish, a greater teruth is that he feels himself forced to run the risks designed into the system by others. Cars are wonderful empowering beasts and the politicians and engineers make every effort to accommodate the car's demands. I would say that there is no effort to support cycling at any point. Even the engineers, planners, et al who cycle into work in Oxfrod have their priovate cycle parking and do not make the slightest effort to make access by bicycle easy or take any effort to make secure cycle parking space. In other words Mr Gray is running the riosks imposed on him by others. Good luck to him and may the engineers and palnners one day join up the dots. they restrict car use, they restrict residents parking, they restrict car parking in new developemnts in the city but they do nothing to provide parking at city centre destinations, and the on-road provisions are appalling.
Graham
Posted by: Robert, Oxford on 6:02pm Fri 18 Apr 08
Pavements are for pedestrians.
It seems there are many who think they are clever to avoid motor vehicles
to avoid waiting for a few seconds by riding on the pavement or going through
pedestrian crossings against red lights. It is essentially greedy and selfish
and those that suffer are pedestrians. I have seen many incidents where
due care and attention is not taken and pedestrians are alarmed or, at least
in my case, angered. Once I obstructed the route of a "pavement cyclist" - quite
unintentionally - and the cyclist fell off - serves him right! Sometimes I feel like
doing something intentionally - Chris Gray seems like a good candidate for at least
a loud earful.
As a cyclist I know I have some preferential treatment on the road but equally expect to be patient when waiting for lights or overtaking opportunities.
Pavements are for pedestrians.
It seems there are many who think they are clever to avoid motor vehicles
to avoid waiting for a few seconds by riding on the pavement or going through
pedestrian crossings against red lights. It is essentially greedy and selfish
and those that suffer are pedestrians. I have seen many incidents where
due care and attention is not taken and pedestrians are alarmed or, at least
in my case, angered. Once I obstructed the route of a "pavement cyclist" - quite
unintentionally - and the cyclist fell off - serves him right! Sometimes I feel like
doing something intentionally - Chris Gray seems like a good candidate for at least
a loud earful.
As a cyclist I know I have some preferential treatment on the road but equally expect to be patient when waiting for lights or overtaking opportunities.
Posted by: Bill, Oxford on 9:09pm Fri 18 Apr 08
If a scribbler boasts in the paper about breaking the law, aren't the Police interested?
If a scribbler boasts in the paper about breaking the law, aren't the Police interested?
Posted by: Jenny, Eynsham on 9:30am Mon 21 Apr 08
Don't like the road designs in Oxford, Mr Gray? I assume you've already contacted the council many times with your concerns, written in your column about it and joined Cyclox? Did you perhaps organise a peaceful protest too? After all, surely you'd only break the law once you'd exhausted every conceivable means of lawful action against Oxford's pro-motorist culture. You're a modern-day suffragette, Mr Gray... or, just possibly, just a lazy, selfish lawbreaker who's giving other cyclists a bad name.
Don't like the road designs in Oxford, Mr Gray? I assume you've already contacted the council many times with your concerns, written in your column about it and joined Cyclox? Did you perhaps organise a peaceful protest too? After all, surely you'd only break the law once you'd exhausted every conceivable means of lawful action against Oxford's pro-motorist culture. You're a modern-day suffragette, Mr Gray... or, just possibly, just a lazy, selfish lawbreaker who's giving other cyclists a bad name.
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