The Church of Sit-Up Cycling

Reverend Twowheeler says:

Hi all,

Thanks for the link David.

Koz touches on a very interesting point: is it simply inexplicably amazing that Amsterdammers don’t regularly have serious injuries, or is there something else to it?

I like to think of sit-up cycling as walking on wheels. Nobody would wear a helmet when walking to work. Also nobody would walk very much if there weren’t sidewalks. And most people who walk to work don’t jog or sprint to work wearing special clothes (some do, but not most). This is how cities around the world that are interested in completing their streets need to think about cycling. Not a sport, like running or rollerblading or mountainbikinig, but just faster walking.

If someone taking every preventative measure – lights, bells, sit up height, strict compliance with traffic signals, a leisurely pace and the use of dedicated cycling streets and lanes – is hurt, I think I’m happy to chalk that up to bad luck. Like walking into a lamppost, or tripping over a dogleash.

Please do join in the conversation on the Facebook page though gents. Try to cite statistics not anecdotes where possible. We all have friends who’ve had near misses when driving, crossing the road, paragliding, chopping vegetables etc.

RevReport