02-14-2019, 01:23 PM
(02-14-2019, 01:15 PM)Vieri Wrote: If you know the rules of the road there'll be no problem for you to pass a simple test then will there? Drivers have passed a theory and practical test to give them access to the roads and to prove they have the requisite co-ordination and hazard perception to not cause danger to other users. It's mental that you think cyclists deserve some sort of parity on the roads without having achieved a permit.
The ideal situation is specialist lanes for them to cycle and wear their spandex in, which are removed from the actual roads but the cost to implement that would be prohibitive.
The law has tended to be quite clear on the testing issue: testing is proportional to power output. Adding a motor creates faster, more powerful vehicles so operators of motor vehicles are subjected to a form of test before being allowed to propel their machines on the public highway. It's important to stress there's no requirement for a motor vehicle operator to have formal lessons before starting to use the road under power, merely that they must sit an exam.
Road users propelled by engines often have a great deal of power at their disposal so, potentially, pose a risk of harming others. The compulsory examination of a motor vehicle operator happens just once and, as is plain for all to see, does not lead to automatic compliance with road laws. For instance, the majority of motorists admit to breaking speed limits and some do so habitually, at great risk to others.
Regrettably, cyclists also break road laws and, yes, such law breaking is often deemed to be behaviour common to all cyclists.
Given that cyclists do not have engines (apart from those who operate electric bikes, but that opens up a whole new can of worms) the law has not seen fit to require testing before cyclists start using the public highway, even though they operate what the law has considered a carriage since 1888. This carriage, ridden carefully by an unprotected operator who risks injury to their self, is deemed to be capable of causing little harm to others. In this respect cyclists are like pedestrians. Test cyclists who use the roads, and you'd have to test pedestrians who use the roads.
However, despite there being no legal requirement for cyclists to sit tests, a great many cyclists are given road training. Many children get Bikeability training at school and there are many cycle trainers around the UK who offer Bikeability training for adults.
It's also worth pointing out that nearly ninety percent of cyclists own cars and so have passed the driving test.
Get it up ye Jeremy Clarkson