Welcome
In SE London, many of our rides are organised on a cross-borough basis by the Dog & Bell Crew, centred on Greenwich and Lewisham, but including members from Bromley, Southwark and elsewhere. Non LCC people too!
Articles
Southwark Healthy Ride to the Thames Barrier - Mar 9th 2024.
Footage courtesy Zayneea.
William Cheung: Why is there a maximum number of riders? Surely this is a collection of random people gathered together to ride a common route with a leader, of which there has to be. But that leader can’t be made to be responsible for health and safety of everyone, can they?
Alex Raha, Admin, Top contributor: William Cheung we're in a new post pandemic world of risk assessments and ride liability insurance. It means spaces are now limited, but can be somewhat increased at the discretion of the ride leader if there is necessary paperwork in place. If you're going to blame anyone, it's the insurers.
William Cheung: Alex Raha cheers Alex. Who made it a thing for insurance in the first place…? No rider is being forced to ride and are free to come and go as they please (aren’t they, in this free world) and Their personal responsibility, safety and accountability doesn’t then automatically transfer to you or Jane or any ride leader when they turn up and are close proximity to a ride leader, say within 20meters (or does it). So then why insure? I’m fairly simple and maybe too thick to understand but that’s what’s wrong in the world today - it’s always someone else’s fault and blame and that what I guess your indemnifying against…. I thought the pandemic caused severe flu like symptoms and death, maybe some long covid gig. Not risk assessments and liability insurance.
William Cheung: Alex Raha if I turned up for a ride you were leading and didn’t register cos I was totally computer illiterate or just left my nails growing for too long and followed your group of riders, not too far behind, even overtaking and intermingling, not part of your group but de facto part of your group and went under a bus along with another one of your registered riders …….. whats the liability sketch in this instance?
Sam Gillies: Top contributor: William Cheung - If you went under the bus you'd likely be dead. Another casualty who wouldn't have taken any insurance out, who didn't listen to experienced cyclists but decided they knew better.
Jane Davis: Admin: Top contributor: William Cheung Wot Alex said. Believe me, if it was up to ride leaders, we’d like nothing better than to have the old turn up and go back. And don’t get me started on having to do risk assessments for a simple ride with just adult participants.
Grzegorz Krolak Top contributor: Jane Davis risk assessment for each ride? Wow. Is it for ride leader liability insurance purposes?
Jane Davis Admin Top contributor: TBH, all the organisations ask we do them now. I try and keep as many as possible so we can adapt whenever possible. Important thing is that ride leader knows the route and is prepared for hazards and has strategies for dealing. All that comes with experience and common sense, not in a form. And mistakes are inevitable from time to time. Mistakes and mishaps. The important thing is to avoid as many a.s humanly possible and learn from the ones you can’t avoid.
William Cheung: In the olden days when I had time to ride there was no booking or reserving spaces. People would just turn up or not. Why is there this booking thing going on. I thought we left the EU?
Steven John Edwards: William Cheung the EU was never the problem!
SS Robin has now been moved from outside ExCel to Trinity Buoy Wharf. But its journey was somewhat circuitous, as it had to leave the Royal Docks by passing through a large lock at the far end. This lock turned out to be fully functional, despite its looks.