At least he's wearing a helmet! And it appears to be a spontaneous photo, not staged. So even if he gets thumped by a lorry, his squash will likely be intact. Traffic rule infringement: -2 Wearing helmet: +10 !

Who cares? Obviously cities are designed with cars in mind, because you don't care if you have to drive a longer route to get where you're going when you aren't getting tired doing it. But when you're on a bike, shortcuts make a lot more sense.

The more attention cyclists get the better. I don't ride much (I take the subway) but my co-worker was recently hit on his bike. He had a helmet on, a bright yellow vest, a headlight (it was dusk) and he had the right of way...it doesn't matter.

Dirvers (myself included) just don't think about cyclists enough. I can tell you that I have been more careful since my co-worker got hit (luckily it was just scratches)...but it shouldn't take an accident.

The more aware drivers are, the safer our streets are. Oh, and I agree that cities need to be more pedestrian/cyclist friendly. It doesn't make sense to own a car in many large cities.

I like the photo you chose, showing 4 journalists breaking the law by running in the road!

Am I the only person who thinks it's hilarious that the photo shows Cameron was flanked by three photographers? Someone took the picture from the front and there are at least two with obvious cameras behind him.

Sheesh. You'd think nobody had ever seen a British politician on a freaking bike.

As soon as someone takes to the road on a bicycle, they quickly come to the conclusion that some of the rules of the road don't make much sense for bicycles. Each of us, as bicyclists, have decided to break the rules that don't work for us. It varies from one cyclist to the next. Some break nearly all the rules and some break almost none with lots of variety in between the two.

I hear motorists ask why cyclists don't follow this rule or that and I can only tell them to get on a bike and ride a while. If they did so, they'd quickly understand.

Maybe 'conservative' in the UK means a different thing than it does here in the States? I don't normally associate the description 'conservative' with the kind of person that bikes to work!

Hey TreeHugger, how about a piece on environmentally-minded conservatives, if they exist?

I reckon this is all baloney. I mean the guys is the leader of the opposition party and he's cycling to work. No chauffeur, no fancy car and no line of security in tow. I think its fantastic that he's doing his bit. Hell all cyclist "break" the law but if you see the amount of car's speeding or breaking half a dozen other rules then I think we can overlook jumping a red light by 2 meters:)

Frankly, I no longer bike commute because of cyclists who pick and choose which rules they will condescend to obey. I think such reckless riders are causing much of the animosity coming from drivers, and making the roads more dangerous for everyone. Image the chaos if drivers decided to obey only the rules that made sense to them!

The other day, I almost struck a woman who decided the stop sign didn't apply to her, running it after I had already started through the intersection. And then she had the nerve to race up to me when I stopped at the next light to scream about how I should have seen her coming a block away and let her go through. There was no question of who had the legal right of way but obviously her sense of self-entitlement was stronger than her sense of self-preservation.

I used to commute by bike five days a week, but I never had the attitude that I could break the rules of the road with impunity. The rules are in place to render our movements more predictable, and therefore safer for everyone around us. Break them at your own risk.

Rob R. - I am an environmentally-minded conservative. The difference is in the way I want to accomplish environmental objectives. Liberals prefer government control, I prefer free-market paths.

However, I believe that, ridiculous rule or not, all cyclists have an obligation as citizens to obey the laws. Change those laws that you don't like. Cyclists or pedestrians who selectively disobey the laws create chaos - a recipe for disaster. Motorists need to be educated about cyclists, and fined heavily when they disregard the rules, such as cutting off a cyclist to turn into a drive or side street. For that we need to select our judges more carefully.

As long as a truly representative government makes the rules, give me strict enforcement and "hanging judges" over individually-conceived expediency and anarchy any day.

Is British government truly representative? Ask a Briton who USED to own a gun! Ask a Briton who has recently tried to defend himself against home invasion. Ask the same questions of a resident of Washington, D.C.!

@arerea

"I don't normally associate the description 'conservative' with the kind of person that bikes to work!"

What kind of bigot are you?

I ride my bike to work and I'm a Conservative.

I've got a theory that cyclists behaviour can roughly be divided into two groups, fight or flight. Think about it you've got elevated heart rate + adrenalin + conflict (with motorists) that's all the elements you need to induce a fight or flight reaction.

the Fight reaction is to ignore all the rules, ride aggressively into the thick of it, assume no one has seen you and do what ever you need to to stay alive.

the Flight reaction is to stick to the rules, ride timidly, give way to everyone, buy a stack of safety lights and a yellow jacket.