Cyclists hit out at new bill (From The Oxford Times)

• "Cycle campaigners are fighting Mrs Leadsom's bill with the same weapon they always use against any attempt to make cycling safer. They are churning out statements that aren't true.
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  CTC spokesman Steve Davies claims Rhiannon Bennett's death "was a one-off". Adam Parnell claims "Cyclists are not a danger to pedestrians". The truth is that on average, cyclists in the UK kill two or three pedestrians per year and injure 200 more.
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  In 2008 cyclist Darren Hall killed pensioner Ronald Turner in Weymouth and got seven months. In 2007 cyclist Jason Howard killed teenager Rhiannon Bennett in Buckingham and got a £2,200 fine. In 2006 cyclist Peter Messen killed Gary Green in COrnwall and got 300 hours’ community service.
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  All three killers were cycling on the pavement. They and other cyclists who kill or injure pedestrians are not "one-offs".
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  Parnell claims "cyclists are more at risk than any road... user". The truth is the casualty rate per billion miles is significantly higher for motorcyclists than pedal cyclists and has been for decades.
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  As usual, Oxford's foremost source of misinformation on cycle safety is Cyclox chairman James Styring. He claims the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 is enough to prosecute killer cyclists. The truth is that the act's maximum penalty for a killer cyclists is only two years' imprisonment, whereas the sentence for causing death by dangerous driving carries a sentence of up to 14 years.
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  Mrs Leadsom's bill proposes equality before the law: that killer cyclists be treated the same as killer drivers. James makes clear that he doesn't want equality: he wants softer laws for cyclists - even including cyclists who have committed an offence.
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  In the Oxford Mail last week JAmes went further. He wants the UK to copy a Dutch law that James presumes the larger vehicle in any collision is guilty until proven otherwise. This opposes not only equality before the law but also being innocent until proven guilty. `
  These have been fundamental good principles of English law for centuries. But they don't suit cycle campaigners' dogma that they are morally superior to all other road users and the law should be changed to reflect this.
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  James hates the fact that in the past I have called hist type of cycle campaigner "pedal-bigots". But ever since then he has continued to give me more reasons for doing so."
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