Yes. There is a substantial overall net gain (I thought it was higher than the figures given).
And while the risk of being killed by a car is substantially higher than when travelling in a car for the population as a whole, IIRC the risk for Cyclists Touring Club members (& most sensible adult commuters are CTC members) is about the same as for people travelling in cars, with most of the risk being on the pavement cyclist, no lights, red light jumping brigade, but I don't remember a source for that. If anyone does, that'd be useful.
Neither does the AA, who produce a schedule of running costs for each model on sale. They also add in the cost of being a member of a breakdown service.
Indeed.
If interest on a loan (which is actually far more typical) were included, the costs would be higher).
Yep. Clearly you don't want to be woken up when you're sleeping.
However, I find it hard to believe the car is loud enough for that to be the case.
He shouldn't.
My point is : Who cares ?
There's a bloke who lives in the house directly behind mine, with a VERY loud Mitsubish Evo. When he's going to and fro, I can hear him from half-way across the village.
But it doesn't bother me in the slightest. Doesn't wake me up at night. In fact, doesn't have any effect on me whatsoever ! Now if he just sat outside the house, blatently revving the engine for long period, making maximum sound, it may well piss me off - but that's simply not the case.
It's his life, and his car - he can do whatever he likes.
In Denmark, the number of miles travelled by bicycle more than doubled between 1975 and 1988. About 18% of all trips are made by bike.
In Holland, they invested hugely in cycling facilities following the mid-'70s oil crisis, with the result that bicycle usage went up 29% in six years (not sure if that refers to miles travelled or trips). And this was starting from a high base. About 27% of trips in Holland are made by bike.
One of the things they did in Denmark was to enact legislation forcing local authorities to provide safe cycle routes to schools. The result is that 50% of Danish children now cycle to school. Here in the UK the figure is 2%.
There are other success stories. Germany manages to have 10% of trips made by bicycle despite being one of the most car-friendly countries on earth. The Germans have the nous to realise that you can provide safe cycling facilities without penalising motorists.
I'm not suggesting that the UK could ever have the same sort of cycling culture as they have in Holland, but experience around the world (including here in Britain, in York) shows that where you make cycling safe, significant numbers will get on their bikes.
But what about someone doing some sort of work in which they need to be able to hear clearly or someone with a medical condition that causes them to have hypersensitive hearing?
I don't have a source for that, but the following is interesting:-
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Including:-
"It is important to understand that the risks of road cycling are greatly overestimated. Where good data exist, it may be shown that the hourly risk of death when cycling is similar to that for car users. For instance, official statistics show that in the Netherlands and Denmark, cycling is safer than driving. In France, an hour of cycling is three times safer than driving, even though French cyclists share road space with French drivers. In Germany, there is parity of risk, while in Great Britain, an hour of average cycling incurs 2.5 times the risk of death when driving, but here the comparison is biased because half of British cyclists are young males. Accounting for this bias suggests that British cyclists face risks no greater than the European average for car occupants, or for US car occupants. In Great Britain, a mile of walking is more likely to kill you than a mile of cycling."
WTF?? What if I have a psychological condition which makes me violently ill at the sight of red - should my neighbours get rid of their red car? Of course not - it's my problem, and I have to find a way to deal with it. The OP has a condition which makes him a whining old fart, but that's his problem.
In that case you may have to pay a bit more and get a folder. I would think that even if you lived in the cupboard under the stairs you would have room for a Brompton. As for not using it in the winter, why not?
cross *replying* to all the groups the post you're replying to came from is the only way you can be sure that your reply will get seen by the person to whom you're replying. Cross *posting* is only done when someone goes out of their way to add another newsgroup to the thread. The OP in this thread sent to - uk.rec.cars.modifications , uk.transport - all the others have been added later.
Mock all you want you moron, you obviously are in perfect health and have never suffered any kind of problem, however minor.
Someone having a medical condition doesn't affect everyone around them, excessive and unnecessary noise affects everyone to some degree - even if they choose to ignore it.
Intentionally fitting an exhaust that disturbes everyone for a considerable distance around is simply juvenile behaviour in the "look at me, I'm here" mould. Most people grow out of it before they are old enough to drive.
Oooh yes definately - some examples of idiots follow - I hesitate to call them cyclists.
I threatened to hurt a cyclist who nearly ran me over while I was crossing on the green man - he scarpered.
I brown trousered a nolight cyclist along with an XJS driver I was following - overtaking a lorry and last moment - dark cyclist no lights no reflector - half off his bike leaning over the verge - absolutely shit scared. Further proof of stupidity - no lights a few days later when I saw him again. The XJS driver also thought him stupid.
I remonstrated with a cyclist in our housing estate - dark no lights - I told the moron the next driver could be the driver who killed him - abuse followed - both ways - I laid it down - get lights or get killed.
I have had three other near accidents with moronic cyclists.
1) Nearly hit one cycling through town in a traffic jam on my side of the road towards me - 10 mph for me - couldn't swerve - he pavemented.
2) Nearly hit unlit neighbours daughter main A road - night - I had poor lights on my motorbike and did not seem them until very near - just missed them.
3) Unlit bike on my side of road - similar to condition 1
In these cases a pedestrian would be fine as they are slower, more tucked in or on pavements (all 3 above there were pavements)
It is so easy to avoid - I did for years, lights - I used to have two each end - 1 set battery and 1 set dynamo, ride on the correct side of road. Proof teenagers often have more sense than adults.
I see idiots quite regularly - this is depressing!
Which is about as relevant as your previous comment. Nobody can be expected to live thier life according to the exceptional circumstances, medical or otherwise, of the people around them.
WTF?? You seem to be incapable of linear thought. YOU introduced the spurious case of unusual medical conditions as if in support of the OP's argument. I simply tried to illustrate the flaw in your reasoning - at no point did I draw any sort of comparison between people with medical complaints and people who make noise; you did that.
There is a natural element of exhibitionism in most people, which tends to be most freely expressed during adolescence and early adulthood, often in the form of choice of clothing, hairstyles and suchlike, but in some cases by having loud car stereos/exhausts. It's just natural behaviour, and the OP should accept the fact that he is living in a society of individuals, and take account of the fact.
Also, I take exception to the idea that having an exhaust which is louder than standard is necessarily anti-social. I, and many other people, find the a sporty exhaust sound to be preferably to that of a stadard one, and that they make a pleasant variation in the background drone of car noise.
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