L-plate equivalent for cycling?
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008The more I talk to potential cyclists, the more I realise that the moment they start cycling on the road - they feel that inorder to survive, they have to be as competent as the lycra wearing speed machines that run through our city. Drivers have no way of telling who has been cycling on the road their whole life and who is stepping out for the first time.
I remember the first time I hopped onto the road with my bike and I was scared - I could barely take my hands off the handle bars to indicate or turn my head backward to check what was coming. I wished that I had an easy way of showing that I was new. When you start driving a car, you wear big yellow plates indicating that you might be a bit shaky and people around you generally give you a little extra space.
While you don’t have to go through different tests and licensing procedures to cycle, this doesn’t mean that you should be denied a way of letting people know you wouldn’t mind some extra room in case you are a bit wobbly. I don’t believe it should be compulsory, but I think that a system which lets other road users know if you are a new cyclist would be great. It would need to be well publicized so that it entered driver’s consciousness and possibly handed out for free so it encourages widespread use. I also would like to stress that it wouldn’t restrict the new cyclists freedom in any way, it would be purely for informing drivers and giving the cyclists some peace of mind.
As to what to use - I am still thinking - a vest, a flag, a sticker or something propped on your helmet. I am still open for ideas (and recommend you use the comment section to put down your ideas).
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