Another Fine Mess

The CTC today criticized Mayor Boris Johnson’s plans to allow bicyclists to turn left on a red light without being fined. For those of you who don’t know it, Britons (as well as Australians, Indians (sort of), Japan, etc.) drive on the left hand side of the road. So, turning left on red is the equivalent of turning right on red in the United States. CTC said that one-third of cycling deaths occur when heavy goods vehicles or HGVs (large trucks) are turning left.

To be honest, I can’t see what the problem is. Cyclists, like motorists, have a responsibility to make sure they aren’t turning into the path of an oncoming vehicle, and the cyclists I know (except in Italy) have a sense of self-preservation that curbs (or kerbs in Britain) any suicidal tendencies to try to outrun any car racing towards them. I’ll tell you another thing. If I was cycling (and I do), I’d welcome the chance to turn left and get a head start on any HGV behind me before the light changed. I lived in Britain for 27 years, so I know about these things.

I’m baffled at what CTC has really got against this. I suspect that they have leftist tendencies and are lashing out at this politician because he represents views that are considerably to the right of theirs.

Folks, this represents Another Fine Mess of the hugest proportions. No one – no politician, political party, businessman or woman, no theologian, no academic professor (& I are one, sometimes) – not even a political action group, lobbying group, and certainly no environmental group – has a corner on the best ideas. We need to learn to give credit where credit is due and not to take ourselves too seriously.