Please, don't discuss my death with me

As someone that identifies as a cyclist and more often than not is in situation where I introduce myself as a cyclist the decision by those I meet to turn the conversation towards death is never far away. It can come from just about anyone, it's not usually as faux pas as shouting "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!!!" and often is very socially accepted and sometimes even expected.

With another rider down comes a wave of "glad you aren't dead, I worry you will die in a horrific way like that one day" or "don't you worry sometimes that could be you?" or any other number of ways to get onto the subject. At times I'm guilty of it too, it's become that ingrained and normalised of a discussion to have around cyclists I can't even stop myself as much as I wish I would. But then if I know someone who goes base jumping or free climbing which logically seem more dangerous we just never talk about it in the same way. It's also both my death and not my death, it's hardly ever specified who dies but the description will be one size fits all so you can try and shrug it off or accept it's as much you as them.

Statistically the chances are if I'm involved in a crash it will be that I'm hit from behind. I can almost entirely reduce the risk of other types of crash. I can even lessen the chances I'm hit from behind by positioning myself correctly but for the overwhelming majority it's in the hands of the driver behind.

I'd also like to say that for many the attitude towards driving is wrong. Some cling to the word "accident" when really most are having crashes as a result of years of taking chances. If you drive in London daily and are a driver making close passes on cyclists a couple a of times a day is easily 500 in a year and it just takes 1 misjudgement to result in a crash. Other things like dodgy parking around schools and speeding past them again done by many a couple of times a day each day for years resulting one day in a crash or contributing too a crash.

It brings me on to the discussion of what are you going to do about it? That really is the only context that I want my death discussed in, one where we are acknowledging a risk and working together to change it.

Route Interruption and New Cyclists

With work one of the things I find myself doing is selecting suitable routes for trainees. It should be boring but it's got me looking at areas outside my usual riding habits with a level of detail and considerations I wouldn't normally have. It's also got me thinking much more about how new cyclists or those considering cycling will see the journeys they could make and with that the huge blow an interruption within a route can make. Obviously interruptions come in different types and some will only feel a few of them are an issue but essentially they can all make or break an ideal journey.

fences/gates

Something I think every cyclist has come to and been frustrated by at one point or another. For those with modified bicycles, trailers or cargo bikes they can make it impossible to continue on that route which makes not only that point but the routes either side of it useless too.

As an example here is a route from google maps that goes across a park then along an old canal path(no longer a canal but a nice green space).



By no means the most extreme but at the crossing from the park onto the canal path are these railings and gates, you would really struggle with a trailer here.



The crossing is a toucan crossing so there is a clear expectation for cycling across. Yes google did give other options but with a busy dual carriageway involved and thinking as a new cyclist the idea didn't look good.

the random dismount

This is something that happens for a variety of reasons all of which are based on very strange assumptions. The first is that your average cyclist is dangerous and has become a danger to themselves and all those around them. The next is that the minority who are cycling dangerously that the sign intends to stop are going to take any consideration to the sign.

So here is another route, a decent mile across a common on a shared use path, another alternative along a busy road.



So by the crossing of tooting bec rd you have this.



A number of shared use signs, a toucan crossing and a cyclists dismount sign. For some who are taking the idea of starting cycling seriously and want to do everything right this will either make for an unplesant walking section or just make the entire route unviable.

I'll add some more to this later, will need to go out and take some better pics.