The chaos of bicycle racing is still there. Why do the "violent riding groups" just "not brake"?
2024-08-28
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On July 25, Beijing's traffic control department issued an announcement that it would strictly investigate speed racing on urban roads. This matter has attracted widespread attention from the public. Blindly pursuing the competitive nature of cycling and ignoring the law-abiding requirements of urban roads have a significant impact on the safety of other citizens and cyclists themselves, and has therefore caused many complaints. This newspaper and the 12345 citizen hotline have recently received feedback from citizens that uncivilized cycling phenomena such as speed racing still exist around some parks and popular "check-in spots".
On the evening of August 22, some non-motor vehicles ran a red light on the road south of Nanhai Zi Park and rode in groups on the motor vehicle lane.
Many bicycles on the new Shougang Bridge are traveling at high speeds, affecting the safety of surrounding citizens.
Witness
Speed riding still appears frequently
"They run red lights, ride non-motor vehicle groups on motor vehicle lanes, and even take videos to show off. Don't they know that the traffic management department is strictly checking?" Recently, many citizens have reported to the 12345 hotline that there are still illegal cycling behaviors around Nanhai Zi Park, which affects people passing through normally.
August 22, Nanhaizi Park. In the evening, at the South Ring Road outside the south gate of the park, although the east-west traffic light had turned red and pedestrians walking north-south began to cross the zebra crossing, there were still many people riding road bicycles from east to west. Due to the high speed and the lack of bells, when these vehicles approached pedestrians crossing the road, the cyclists kept shouting "Hey hey" to remind the other party to get out of the way. Some pedestrians turned their heads suddenly and found that the car was about to hit them. They were so scared that they quickly dodged. Some pedestrians were very dissatisfied: "The sidewalk is clearly green and it is safe to pass, but we still have to avoid these bicycles that run red lights. There are many elderly people and children who come here for a walk. What if they get hurt?"
After 7 o'clock in the evening, the number of road bikes riding near the park gradually increased. At this time, there are still many shared bicycles and electric bicycles on the roads around the park. Due to the limited width of non-motorized vehicle lanes, some road cyclists riding in groups directly rode their bikes to the motor vehicle lanes on the side. A driver once reported to the 12345 hotline that the inner motor vehicle lane was occupied by a group of riders, and there were people on the outer lanes holding their mobile phones while riding and filming. The reporter searched on multiple social platforms and found that many videos with "Nanhai Midnight Ride" and "Uniform Speed of 37 kilometers" as eye-catching points all have situations where group riding occupies motor vehicle lanes, runs traffic lights, and the average speed exceeds 30 kilometers per hour.
The New Shougang Bridge is a popular "check-in spot" for cycling. On the afternoon of August 25, the reporter saw at the scene that many cyclists pedaled hard to accelerate when going down the bridge, and they were able to overtake the bicycles and even electric bicycles beside them in an instant. An electric bicycle owner told the reporter that the slope of the New Shougang Bridge is relatively large, and downhill acceleration and racing often occur here. "It's too fast, it's quite scary, I have to hide from them when I ride my bike." The reporter also saw on a social platform that many cyclists posted posts to record their daily cycling, and their average speed reached 30 kilometers per hour.
On Kunming Lake East Road outside the Xinjian Palace Gate of the Summer Palace, many citizens also complained about speeding. At around 7 p.m. on August 23, as tourists left the park, many pedestrians gathered at the T-junction of Kunming Lake East Road and Xinjian Palace Gate waiting to cross the road. Just as everyone was about to cross the road, some cyclists drove by quickly without any courtesy. "I was shocked. These people rode too fast, and the lights on the handlebars were particularly dazzling. I couldn't judge whether to dodge forward or backward," said a tourist.
investigation
Why is speed racing so difficult to ban?
Speeding not only attracts the disgust of citizens, but also escalates the disputes over road rights. In July this year, on a social platform, many netizens posted that some people on the road maliciously threw thumbtacks, broken glass and other items, endangering the safety of cycling. The reason for the incident is related to the dissatisfaction of some citizens caused by speeding. "This kind of 'fighting violence with violence' is definitely not advisable, but the police have a ban on speeding on urban roads, so why are there so many people speeding now?" Many citizens asked this question during the interview. For this reason, the reporter conducted an investigation.
A citizen who complained to the relevant departments about speed riding told the reporter that after the complaint, he received the reply that "the rectification and investigation will be intensified, and the illegal behaviors will be discouraged, criticized and educated." "If it is just verbal criticism and education, it will be difficult to deter those speed riding people, right?" The citizen suggested that the traffic management department should investigate and punish a number of lawbreakers and expose a number of typical cases, so as to truly deter the "violent riding group."
Regarding the illegal issues related to speed riding, the reporter contacted several traffic detachments for consultation, and the answers they received were mostly "dissuasion, criticism and education will be the main approach". Taking Nanhaizi Park as an example, the traffic team staff said that they have launched an investigation into illegal speed riding of bicycles, and will criticize and educate those who violate the rules. In serious cases, they will be punished according to the relevant provisions of the Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China.
What speed is considered speeding? During the interview, many cycling enthusiasts also mentioned this question. The reporter found that in the "Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China", there is a speed limit of 15 kilometers per hour for electric bicycles in non-motorized vehicle lanes, but there is no clear speed limit requirement for bicycles.
In addition, many cyclists mentioned that there is still a lack of road signs and speed measurement tools for bicycle speed limits. One cyclist admitted that under the influence of the "cycling craze", she just got started and bought a road bike, but it was not equipped with a speedometer to check the speed, so she didn't know how fast she was riding, and often estimated her speed by referring to the electric bicycles next to her.
suggestion
Clarify speed limit standards and actively encourage cycling tours
How can we effectively prevent dangerous speed racing on urban roads? The reporter interviewed Chang Weidong, president of the Fengtai District Bicycle Sports Association. He said that speed racing on non-motorized vehicle lanes and even motor vehicle lanes is a new problem encountered by traffic management in recent years. For traffic management departments, they should try to improve the detailed regulations on bicycle speed limits, so that traffic police can enforce the law and impose penalties based on evidence. In addition, more targeted supporting measures should be introduced to ensure the orderly traffic on public roads.
Chang Weidong pointed out that from the perspective of social culture, cycling, as a sport culture that has gradually gained attention in recent years, is worthy of encouragement and tolerance. Beijing has opened bicycle lanes for this purpose, and cyclists are often seen on mountain roads in the suburbs of Beijing. However, health and civilization are also the meaning of cycling culture. Exercise is not a reason for dangerous cycling, nor is it an excuse for "speeding up". Any hobby must be warned when it develops to the point of endangering the safety of oneself and others.
Cycling can be divided into two categories: cycling and racing. Chang Weidong said that the speed of cycling is relatively low, and cyclists can enjoy the surrounding scenery and breathe fresh air while riding, which can also play a role in physical exercise. Racing is more inclined to the competition level, and has very strict requirements for the hardware and software in cycling. "If it is a racing competition, in order to ensure the safety of the players themselves and others, the prerequisite is that it must be carried out on a special road or even a professional track. In addition, cyclists also need to be equipped with professional equipment such as helmets, knee and elbow pads, spikes, etc. During the cycling process, professional "cycling gestures", guide cars and tail cars are also indispensable. If it is on an open road and the hardware and software are not equipped, you should not ride too fast. You can't just want to enjoy the speed of the competition, but ignore the standards of the competition in the hardware and software configuration." Chang Weidong also pointed out that cyclists should not regard public roads as a small group venue. If a racing ride is organized on urban roads, once an accident occurs, the organizer of the ride will bear joint liability.
