Cycling
campaigns are no new phenomenon - from local BUGs
to the CTC there are generally some vocal attempts
to make the world a better place for cyclists. But
how many of these reach outside the hallowed walls
of the cycling fraternity? How many might actually
change Joe Public's perception? Well now a new campaign
has started up, one with a simple premise, and the
possibility of being seen by motorists...
‘Give
Cyclists Room’
"Well
that’s a bit of a no-brainer, isn’t it?”
These
were the warm words of support my (non-cycling) friends
gave me when I showed them the campaign website. But
of course it's not, is it? I mean we’re all
cyclists, or at least interested in it. If there’s
anyone out there who hasn’t had a near miss,
then I suggest you push your sights a bit further
than the end of your garden.
This
started off as an appeal for stickers. We’ve
all seen the ‘I Give Way to Horses’ badges
on the back of a pristine X-5 or Porsche Cayenne on
the school run. Well of course you’d give way.
That’s ¾ of a tonne of densely packed
muscle under an illusion of control. It doesn’t
need an awareness campaign. The
question I posed on the C+ forum was about a similar
sticker for cyclists. Where can I get them? Erm …
you can’t! And from there came the campaign.
Not all at once, but so quickly that I didn’t
see it coming, and I’m running the flippin’
thing.
So
what is the problem?
I
was going to start to lay out all the ways in which
motor vehicles can fail to give cyclists the road-room
they need, but that’d be preaching to the choir.
So let me give you the benefit of a little sociology
I’ve kicked about with people much more expert
than I.
