Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Live blog: Highways England 'Get on your bike' tweet backfires, drivers ignorant of mobile phone penalties, Toronto police overkill, Sagan spotted on new Venge? + more

All the news from the site and beyond as we start a new week
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

20 comments

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
1 like

That Highways England 'Get on your bike' tweet is appalling - does nobody there look or even think before they send off their soshul meeja stuff? no

Avatar
HoarseMann | 5 years ago
3 likes

Love how all the police cars end up parking in the cycle lane to “clear the road”, thus forcing the other cyclists that come along into the road.

Should have given themselves tickets for blocking the bike lane!

Avatar
MaxiW | 5 years ago
2 likes

The cyclist was a complete dick, he was loving the whole process playing it up for his you tube audience thinking about all the likes and views he was going to get, he even made sure to get his own face included in the video on a few occasions for his big 15 minutes.

Avatar
brooksby replied to MaxiW | 5 years ago
4 likes

MaxiW wrote:

The cyclist was a complete dick, he was loving the whole process playing it up for his you tube audience thinking about all the likes and views he was going to get, he even made sure to get his own face included in the video on a few occasions for his big 15 minutes.

One comment, eh?  Well, hello there, officer! yes 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to MaxiW | 5 years ago
3 likes

MaxiW wrote:

The cyclist was a complete dick, he was loving the whole process playing it up for his you tube audience thinking about all the likes and views he was going to get, he even made sure to get his own face included in the video on a few occasions for his big 15 minutes.

No he wasn't. He would have been perfectly happy to go about his business if it wasn't for the dickhead of a cop trying to unlawfully detain him. He had every right to call out the cop's bullshit and if he wants to post it on YouTube, then why not? It's about time incompetent police were named and shamed so they can go learn the actual rules that they are supposed to be enforcing. They have literally one job to do.

Avatar
Leviathan | 5 years ago
1 like

LA cyclist need to give out some free 'I parked in the cycle lane' bumper stickers... er wait, what are the guns laws like in CA? 

Avatar
Boss Hogg | 5 years ago
0 likes

Obviously the police officer hadn't done his cycling rules homework but the cyclist got a chip on his shoulder and was pretty much begging for a confrontation in order to prove that he was the victim of police brutality (which, unfortunately, happens all too often but *not* in this case). 

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to Boss Hogg | 5 years ago
3 likes

Boss Hogg wrote:

Obviously the police officer hadn't done his cycling rules homework but the cyclist got a chip on his shoulder and was pretty much begging for a confrontation in order to prove that he was the victim of police brutality (which, unfortunately, happens all too often but *not* in this case). 

Because when you're harrassed for no good reason, assaulted with the cop driving within 18" and on top of that cops ignore you when people on bikes are mown down THAT is the result, you've had enough and it's time to stand up for what is right.

Or maybe you think allowing those who supposed to keep the peace keep on doing the same old shit time after time with a pass through go and collect £200?

Get lost snowflake.

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
0 likes

I wonder if HE are ever going to learn?  I mean, they've just had a new cycling strategy, including making sure that they consult, and that all new infrastructure is actually fit for purpose, but they still don't consult and their infrastructure is a joke.

Avatar
jestriding | 5 years ago
6 likes

$127,000 salary for being a traffic cop?  Good gig when you can get it.  You'd think there'd be a requirement to know the law for that sort of money...

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to jestriding | 5 years ago
2 likes

jestriding wrote:

$127,000 salary for being a traffic cop?  Good gig when you can get it.  You'd think there'd be a requirement to know the law for that sort of money...

I can't think of any other jobs where you can get away without even knowing the basics of your own job, let alone wasting time and resources on doing the wrong thing. Excepting politicians, of course.

Avatar
Ush | 5 years ago
9 likes

On a lighter note, it was good to see the support that the Toronto cyclist had.  Big thumbs up to the members of the public that ensure that they were not merely passive bystanders.  I think that probably had a big outcome on the result of this, which would otherwise plausibly have resulted in this man being beaten up and framed.

Avatar
Deeferdonk | 5 years ago
7 likes

I think the cop was being a bit of a dick. To detain him (i.e hold him under threat of assault and imprisonment) for no reason.

I supect the real crime he was stopped for was "cycling whilst black".

Avatar
Boss Hogg replied to Deeferdonk | 5 years ago
1 like

Deeferdonk wrote:

I think the cop was being a bit of a dick. To detain him (i.e hold him under threat of assault and imprisonment) for no reason.

I supect the real crime he was stopped for was "cycling whilst black".

Police officer was no WASP either. Stop playing the victimization card all the time as it may lose its purchase.

Avatar
FrankH | 5 years ago
3 likes

Toronto cyclist was a bit of a dick, wasn't he? Why couldn't he be polite: "I think you're wrong officer" rather than immediately going on the offensive? Politeness costs nothing.

Avatar
danthomascyclist replied to FrankH | 5 years ago
15 likes

FrankH wrote:

Toronto cyclist was a bit of a dick, wasn't he? Why couldn't he be polite: "I think you're wrong officer" rather than immediately going on the offensive? Politeness costs nothing.

 

Yes, he was impolite but you must know that's besides the point? Whether he was polite, or rude, you have five police officers misunderstanding the law at his expense. This isn't an uncommon situation, and in many "developed" countries we are seeing cyclists treated as second-class citizens for no reason other than ignorance. It's common from motorists to hear "get in the cycle lane" and cyclists battle punishment passes on a daily basis for merely minding their own business. When police officers are propogating this attitude it's scary and alarming.

I have bigger concerns with the officers' ignorance rather than the cyclists' attitude.

Avatar
simonmb replied to FrankH | 5 years ago
0 likes

FrankH wrote:

Toronto cyclist was a bit of a dick, wasn't he? Why couldn't he be polite: "I think you're wrong officer" rather than immediately going on the offensive? Politeness costs nothing.

Absolutely right. What a world we live in.

Avatar
Ush replied to simonmb | 5 years ago
2 likes

simonmb wrote:

FrankH wrote:

Toronto cyclist was a bit of a dick, wasn't he? Why couldn't he be polite: "I think you're wrong officer" rather than immediately going on the offensive? Politeness costs nothing.

Absolutely right. What a world we live in.

,

Yeah.  Fuck you, you polite, little, diseased scrotum.

Avatar
Simon E replied to Ush | 5 years ago
5 likes

Ush wrote:

Yeah.  Fuck you, you polite, little, diseased scrotum.

Congratulations! You are the winner.

Only the fifth comment and you managed to drag the discussion into the gutter. Give yourself a pat on the back. wink

Avatar
Ush replied to Simon E | 5 years ago
1 like

Simon E wrote:

Ush wrote:

Yeah.  Fuck you, you polite, little, diseased scrotum.

Congratulations! You are the winner.

Only the fifth comment and you managed to drag the discussion into the gutter. Give yourself a pat on the back. wink

Congratulations,  you are officially a thick-as-fuck cunt.  Give yourself a kick up the arse, Ms. Manners.

Latest Comments