news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4719015.stm
Printable version Chain reaction By Tom Geoghegan BBC News Magazine Cyclists in central London on day of attempted attacks Cycling is undergoing a surge of interest since the London bombings, as c ommuters decide to head to work under their own steam. Could they be avo iding the threat of terror only to face a more everyday danger on the ro ads? Two hours after the bombings on 7 July, a man walked into a bike shop in London Bridge. Sell me a bike,'" recalls Tr avis Lindhe, manager of On Your Bike, where sales have increased from th ree bikes a day to 15 ever since. A cyclists' organisation, the London Cycling Campaign, reports a 10 to 30 % increase in use of bike stands at three points in central London, alth ough it says this news is hardly a cause for celebration, given the circ umstances. Fear has driven primary school teacher Stephen Thorpe, 45, on to the sadd le of his new bike for his journey from Bow, east London, to Kennington. "You wake up in the morning and think 'I've got to get on the Tube and I' m taking a risk,'" says Mr Thorpe, who used to cycle part-time. "I was h alf an hour behind the Liverpool Street bomb, which was a very frighteni ng experience. "But when I ride to work I don't have to worry about being a potential bo mb victim." Traffic hazards are not such an issue because his route is on towpaths an d quiet streets, he says. Nationally, there has been a small but steady fall in cycling over the pa st 20 years, with the capital bucking this trend. Birmingham City Cycles reported a surge in sale s on 7 July, when it was also beset by transport and security problems. Obesity debate Not everyone is reacting through anxiety. Some of London's new breed of t wo-wheeled commuters say it's just to avoid the delays and disruption on public transport. Bikes Bike stands take the strain Cycling was already enjoying a boom in the capital and this has accelerat ed that trend, says Barry Mason, of Southwark Cyclists. "The congestion charge increase, the obesity debate and then the long dry summer meant t here were more and more cyclists on the road. It's fast, healthy and no longer considered nerdy or for the super-fit, h e says, so the novices should be welcomed. But for t hose new cyclists, there is an uncomfortable fact that they are far more likely to involved in an accident than in a bombing. FATALITY RATES (per billion km) Bus and coach 04 Rail and Tube 049 Car 31 Bicycle 42 Pedestrian 59 Motorcycle 106 SOURCE: Dept of Transport, Local Government and Regions 2001 But cycling is still very safe, says Mr Mason, because on average you wou ld have to cycle non-stop for 96 years before you were killed. Yet this mismatch between perception and reality is significant and one o f the main reasons for it is control, says Professor John Maule, an expe rt on risk and director of the Centre for Decision Research at Leeds Uni versity. "When people get on the Tube, they have no control of what's happening bu t when they're on their bike they feel more in control of their behaviou r, so the perceived risks are reduced." Without the availability of statistics for us to work out the exact likel ihood of being involved in an explosion, people do their own "mental sho rt-cuts", he says. Prof John Maule Terrorist events which leave very dramatic images in people's minds are m uch more retrievable then their frequency of occurrence means they shoul d be Prof John Maule Risk expert One factor is the availability of images in our mind, which dictates how soon the event could happen again. Pictures of the blast aftermath are s o powerful and so omnipresent they stick in the memory, so people overes timate the likelihood of these events happening again. "How readily can you bring to mind the image of a cyclist being knocked d own?" "Not easily, because the media isn't interested and that' s the lens through which we learn about the world." This principle applies to other areas such as child abductions, he says, which happen at the same rate as in 1945 but which are perceived to be m ore frequent nowadays, perhaps due to media coverage. Experiences which make you feel frightened increase your perception of ri sk, he adds, so getting on the Tube - and the associated anxiety - makes people think it to be more dangerous than it is. Lorraine Duncan, 45, from Hayes in Middlesex, avoids the Tube on her dail y commute to central London in favour of a bus from Paddington railway s tation. She accepts buses are now targets from terrorists but she feels safer abo ve ground. If I'm going to be a lit tle inconvenienced, at least I'm alive." Add your comments to this story using the form below: I've been riding a motorcycle to work for years. Over the last couple of weeks there has been a noticable increase in the number of cyclists on t he roads. It seems that people would rather face a cramped, smelly, uncomfortabl e, and perhaps dangerous, journey on public transport rather than get a little wet. Charles, London, UK I've cycled in London for about 5 years, am aware of the statistical risk s and have had one accident that resulted in hospital. Yet, oddly, never think about the risk when cycling, but do now think about the much smal ler risk on the tube - silly, but true! peter, london I cycle to work most days and there has been a notable increase in the nu mber of cyclists on the roads since the first bombings. Today, however, in the pouring rain it was apparent that most of them had hopped back on the tube! I do hope it continues though - I maintain that cycling is th e easiest way to get around London. Sarah, London, UK What a shame that it takes the tragic events of 3 weeks ago to make peopl e see all the positive benefits of 2 wheels. I took the decision to cycl e the 35 miles to work everyday some 5 years ago and I wouldn't go back to driving (regardless of the weather, that's what high tech' waterproo fs are for) if you paid me. The Bicycle was recently voted mans greatest invention, but I bet half the people who voted haven't riden one for ye ars. CG, UK I take my folding bike into London on the train and then cycle to my onwa rd train at Waterloo. Not only do I integrate exercise in to my daily ro utine (I also cycle at each end of the journey), but it is the fastest w ay around town (Farringdon to Waterloo in 6 minutes; Mike Smith, UK The risk of accidents in city traffic is much reduced if cyclists wear hi gh visibility reflector jackets. TJ London TJ, UK I've been cycling from Northeast London to work in Central London for yea rs now and have noticed a lot of 'new' cyclists on the roads in recent w eeks. They are easy to spot as they wobble their way with uncertainty th rough the morning traffic. It's just a shame that it's taken terrorist b ombs to bring them out. Cycling has its risks, especially in winter, but I'd like to see more cyclists, and fewer vehicles, on London's roads in the morning, and I hope the 'newbies' don't all disappear after the sum mer. David Clancy, UK Although cycling seems 10 times more dangerous than driving, you have to remember that the figures are inflated by all the inexperienced people w ho cycle dangerously. You can make yourself much safer by taking a few s imple precautions, like wearing high visibility clothing, being properly lit at night, staying well clear of HVGs, and being extra careful at ju nctions. In 30 years of daily urban cycling in four different UK cities, I've had just two bumps and zero injuries (touch wood). Ted, UK For me, the health benefits of cycling to work far outweigh the risks. Ad d to that the reliability and the sheer pleasure of cycling and it becom es the only sensible choice. I welcome the increasing number of fellow c yclists because the more of us there are, the safer it becomes. Jon, England I applaud all the people buying bikes and cycling to work, it's fun and g ood for your health. But how many will continue to do it when the weathe r turns foul? It was only raining a little this morning and there were d efinately fewer cyclists on my way to work. Rob, UK I have cycled on and off for many years in London and have seen a sharp i ncrease in cyclists in London since the bombing...
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