Tuesday 21 September 2010

Mad to Cycle or Mad to Drive?

I've posted a filtering video before on this stretch of road.


It isn't as bad as that every day, but it's not unusual during school term. However, today was even worse. In 2.3 miles I must have passed multiple hundreds of cars (over 500 I reckon, does anyone want to count?)



Madness. Yet, despite all of this it is the cyclists who are often portrayed as being mad. How often have we heard people say to us, '...you must be mad to cycle...'. No. You are mad to drive!

What I find most bewildering is that the road comes from the affluent suburbs of Glasgow (I live in a slightly poorer village!). People pay a premium to live in areas where they have to sit in traffic like that day in day out. Marvelous! :biggrin:

So when will it dawn on these drivers that driving just isn't worth it, that there has to be a better way? Of course, cycling won't suit everyone. I can't imagine my wife or myself cycling the kids 8 miles to the nursery on route to work! But for a large majority, it is a viable, faster, more enjoyable way of getting to work.

My favourite part of the video is at 1:06 where a woman who was at the bus stop accepts a lift from one of the drivers in the queue. maybe I should have offered her a backie! :biggrin: