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news
London cyclist approaching junction.jpgTruth the first casualty in BBC's War on Britain's Roads?
BBC One yesterday evening aired its controversial documentary The War on Britain’s Roads. By inaccurately presenting cyclists and motorists as polar opposites in a bid to sensationalise the issue, the broadcaster missed an opportunity to make a constructive contribution to the road safety debate that is being pursued elsewhere – most notably, in the press, led by The Times, and Parliament, due to the efforts of the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group with support from cycle campaigners.
Much of the footage will already be familiar to road.cc users, having been widely viewed on sites such as YouTube for several years in some cases. For the vast majority watching, however, it would have been the first time they’d seen it.
Less than a month ago, AA President Edmund King had called for an end to the ‘two tribes’ mentality that polarises the cycle safety debate between cyclists and motorists. If anyone from the programme’s makers, Leopard Films, read his comments, it didn’t show.
There was no acknowledgement that most adult cyclists also drive cars. No hint that millions of motorists also ride bikes. Cyclists and motorists, it appeared, were enemies, as the programme’s title suggests, though even that was misleading – if there was a combat zone anywhere, it was largely on London’s streets.
We already knew, through feedback from those who’d been given the opportunity of previewing the whole show, that it was likely to be a piece of sensationalist programming that deliberately focused on polarised extremes rather than trying to present a balanced picture of the everyday reality of cycling.
In the past days, the BBC was urged to review some of the programme’s content, in particular a segment of six-year-old footage, which as road.cc recently revealed was shot by professional American documentary maker Lucas Brunelle, of alleycat racing through London’s streets. The footage was released commercially as a DVD through his website after originally being posted to YouTube.
In the final version of last night’s documentary, the programme makers mentioned in passing that it reflected “extreme behaviour” – certainly well short of the kind of clarification that had been sought and that use of the footage warranted.
Among those who pressed the BBC to review the content of the documentary, efforts intensifying yeterday as transmission time approached, was Carlton Reid, executive editor of BikeBiz, who in an article on that site catalogues those approaches made to the broadcaster to have the show’s content toned down. Handily, he sets out how you can complain, and provides some of the BBC guidelines the programme is said to have ignored.
We don’t know whether the London cyclist shown weaving in and out of a queue of near-stationary traffic at speed, before aiming for a non-existent gap between a double decker bus and a pick-up truck – it seems a miracle he wasn’t killed – was playing out exactly that kind of alleycat scene in his head. The BBC’s editorial guidelines, citing Ofcom rules, are clear though that reckless behaviour some might be tempted to imitate is out of bounds.
The single most powerful moment in the programme was also the one that gave its makers the opportunity to explore, briefly and inadequately, the road safety angle without resorting to sensationalising it.
Stop-frame CCTV footage showed the moment when cyclist Alex Barlow was killed by a cement mixer on London Wall in 2002. It was chilling viewing. The programme focused on the efforts of her mother, Cynthia, who had given permission for that footage to be used, to improve lorry safety, beginning with the company that owned the truck that had killed her daughter. Those segments gave a glimpse of what the programme could have been.
A surprising moment came at the end, when a taxi driver of five decades’ standing, who during the programme had pointed out various pieces of misbehaviour by cyclists such as jumping red light, revealed that he had actually come to realise just how vulnerable cyclists are on the city’s streets after his own grandson lost his life.
That vulnerability was clearly shown in the helmetcam footage provided by the likes of Cyclegaz, Magnatom and Traffic Droid, who have each developed a strong following among cyclists on YouTube, with near miss after near miss shown.
But constant references to cyclists ‘taking matters into their own hands’ made it sound as though it was the bike riders themselves who were doing something wrong.
Also lost was the reason why the likes of Cyclegaz perhaps come across as a bit shouty – any rider who has had a large vehicle pass that close to them, where a couple of inches nearer could result in serious injury or worse, will have experienced that rush of adrenalin mixed with shock and fear.
Pedestrians - whose casualty numbers far exceed those of cyclists, with more than four times as many killed last year in rioad traffic incidents, itself a 12 per cent increase on 2010 - were hardly acknowledged, other than one woman shown being hit from behind by a bicycle on a shared use path when without looking, she suddenly moved sideways and into the path of the cyclist who had changed direction to go round her.
By pure coincidence, the programme that preceded War on Britain’s Roads, an episode of the documentary series Supersized Earth contained a segment about a London bike courier called James. No footage of him weaving in and out of traffic, no angry encounters with motorists.
In fact, the only thing anyone could begrudge him was the fact that due to the 50 or 60 miles he reckons he puts in on a typical day, he can eat like a horse without putting any weight on. Cyclists, eh?
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.
Latest Comments
- ktache 50 min 9 sec ago
The small frame, the aggressive posture, lots of standover height.
- mctrials23 1 hour 45 min ago
As i've said before, the police should be sued for a lot of money when someone they have knowingly ignored has gone on to commit a serious crime....
- David9694 1 hour 53 min ago
'Bad parking' blocks firefighters multiple times on same emergency call-out...
- David9694 1 hour 57 min ago
Cambridgeshire boy, 13, crashes Audi into garden wall after taking it from home...
- Adam Sutton 2 hours 43 min ago
Good stuff. Now do it on cycleway C9 through Hammersmith to Chiswick.
- mark1a 2 hours 52 min ago
It's technically allowed but it's not known as "London's Orbital Car Park" for nothing.
- Dogless 4 hours 26 sec ago
You're defending bombing hospitals and refugee camps and starving children.
- mattw 6 hours 40 min ago
Used car salesman is a complete attention-seeking plank....
- tubasti 6 hours 57 min ago
I don't know if they're any better, but they's certainly become more boring.
- FionaJJ 7 hours 23 min ago
At risk of being cynical, and stereotyping the police, it's so they don't have to leave the comfort of their panda cars and pursue on foot when...
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69 comments
I was looking forward to this BBC program hoping it would be a good opportunity for the BBC to generate a positive approach to cyclist from car drivers, truck, taxis and bus drivers, after watching it I am not totally sure it has, I ride to work most days and it has make me think twice on any risky manoeuvres as I weave my way through South Manchester streets in the dark, I just hope that anybody who is a vehicle driver who watched the program would take a look at themselves and may be be a bit more patient and respect that cyclist have as much right on the road as they do.
The young man who is first interviewed with his opinion, rides through traffic at 30mph loves keeping up with cars, is openly aggressive to other drivers and their property (car).
Who is he?
To me this person is the worst example of a cyclist who openly feels he has a god given right to rule the roads with no respect to other traffic or the environment he's surrounded by. I've watched the first 6 mins and had enough. Some of the helmet cam footage shows him, the rider going far to fast. I've been riding/racing/training within cycling clubs in the Northeast for 20-30 years and never experienced this attitude amongst fellow sport cyclists. I've started to commute to work again, part of the problem I see is 'Joe Blog's' cyclists who ride to work only, no cycling experience and no bike handling skills whats so ever. Car's kill so at the average of 16mph my ride to work is as safe as I can possible make it.
@ Robertj4
I know CycleGaz from his youtube channel and I'm surprised how the BBC's show makes you view him, I say this because I know that he cycles in a very professional manner and takes cycling safety very seriously, there is nothing wrong with cycling at 30mph on main roads when those roads are suitable as some are.
Other than that the programme was mostly pointless tabloid journalism and very uneducational.. I don't think it even covered cycling down the inside of HGVs etc in a very informative way.
I managed to watch the full program through the day which I believe only high lights cycling in inner cities. My point regarding 30mph is fine on open country roads if you have the thighs to do it (!) but in cities amongst traffic, madness. 'Cycling Gaz' did mention he likes keeping up with cars, there should be no respect for this type of attitude nor would I want to ride with people like this. One thing is certain commuting by cycle in London is growing to large in a short period of time. My heart went out to the lady losing her daughter and to the taxi drivers putting up with bad cycling and aggression because that's what we saw. Don't forget it's the courier riders who've started this, riding badly for years (how about New York City) and getting away with it so all other commuters follow suit. Also a growing trend now for single speed bikers in inner cities and videos on websites to boot promoting more bad riding habits, I'm not talking about the proper organised single speed road racing events but the 'general cycling public' see it as a trendy fashion status riding around showing little respect towards other road users
No headcam footage of commutes on the cold dank wet mornings either
Was it all filmed in summer...?
It was down south, they wimp out at the slightest hint of rain.
My cam doesn't like the wet, or low light levels, so it was always going to be skewed to summer.
Interesting points above about giving way when you don't have to and whether riding a bike at 25mph is safe. Personally, I think 25mph can be fine as long as you're not "driving furiously" (even if I very rarely achieve such speeds any more) and I think it's good to give way if you can, but you're doing everyone a disservice doing things like letting a car overtake during a right-turn: it's against the highway code (rules 167 "DO NOT overtake...when a road user is indicating right" and 168 "maintain a steady course", and also 163, 212 and 213) and they may start to expect it and hit another cyclist who quite correctly doesn't swing wide to let cars pass.
I do agree with the "Why is he stopping to argue, why not just sod off?" (I have a camera, but I will ride away ASAP and give the police the recording, rather than confront them myself) and that the editing seemed dodgy.
if your going to show the alleycat racing, why not show the motorcyclist lapping the paris peripherique, or some footage of cars street racing.
It all happens and is equally illegal, only real difference is who and how many get killed if it goes wrong.
I don't get why Brunelle is referred to as a "professional" documentary maker, or why any of the riders involved in the alleycats he films are "professional". Brunelle is a profession IT geek who pumps loads of that cash into making amateur documentarys, and the riders are mostly fakengers whos closest thing to a profession is having a trust fund.
I mostly thought it was a reasonable documentary and agree with a lot of others that the Mother of the killed cyclist, the taxi driver who's grandson had been killed and the Cemex driver all made decent points.
I did have a bit of trepidation going into a few roundabouts on my commute this morning though! That HGV on the glaswegian guy was terrifying!
Arguing on the internet is fun. I'm out. Off to listen to some Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Like airborneyellow I've started in the past few months on country lanes to wave cars on and also give those that wait until it's safe to over take a wave of thanks. It works well. I often get a little wave and a beep back to show that my appreciation of their good sense has been appreciated back. It seems to reinforce in their minds too that I know they're there, I'm trying to help them on their way and I like to think they carry the mutual respect generated on to the next cyclist.
On the local club run we have a 2 lane road at traffic lights that has a right turn lane that turns into a a narrower road. Filtering to the front, as you turn in, quite often in the past I've been deliberately cut up by the first driver - incensed that I've come to the front of the queue got in front of him and added 5 seconds to his journey.
However, turning wide to allow as many cars through in front as you turn right and waving them on works wonders.
Weak? Maybe. But if I want to push in and demand to be recognised as in a hurry and entitled to go first at every set of lights am I not behaving as childishly as some motorists?
It adds 5 seconds to my journey but a line of drivers go home thinking that not all cyclists are self righteous wankers and next time they see a cyclist they expect to share the road again.
It is a war out there but sometimes you don't have to butt heads to get the right results.
Sigh. Where was the footage of the cyclists attacking drivers then? It happens. I've witnessed it.
You really are a dullard, arent you?
Where was the footage of pedestrians walking into the road whilst engrossed in browsing their mobiles or locked into calls?
Or pedestrians that run out into the road despite having looked and seen oncoming traffic?
For me, that is typical behaviour I experience every day on the journey in and way home.
I think that programme was well suited to you because you come across as a short attention spanned voyeurist who enjoys road rage pornography, seeing as you're upset by the lack of it.
One positive was the story of the brave lady who after losing her daughter to a left turning cement mixer became a Cemex shareholder and achieved positive changes to improve road safety for us.
It's a lesson in activism - all of us involved in logistics and procurement should, as part of contract requirements, demand minimum standards and improvements in lorry design, proximity warning sensors, cameras and driver training to help reduce the exceptional risks posed by lorries.
Anyone who cites the alley cat footage as meaningless because it is extreme behaviour has their head in the sand. People ride like that all the time. It is part of their "bike culture". It is promoted and celebrated.
Noone is complaining about the other aspects of extreme footage shown last night, like drivers getting out of their cars and assaulting cyclists.
The alleycat racing has provoked such a reaction because it is exceptional and not the average cyclist behaviour. It showed a complete imbalance and a huge sensationalist slant because if the show was about 'balance' then it would have shown cars on organised races tearing about, or even this: http://youtu.be/MhFlw7r63R8
To argue anything else is plain ignorant.
a tiny, insignificant minority ride like that sometimes, you mean. it was specifically a race.
by the same token, there's a tiny, insignificant minority of motorists who like to race illegally. it's just not representative.
Turned it off after the first half hour, around the part where the guy in Glasgow nearly got hit by a tanker.
As above - lots of examples of bad behaviour from drivers and cyclists. I found myself giving a running commentary to my other half (who is paranoid about me cycling at the best of times) - "What's he doing up the inside there?" "Why is he stopping to argue, why not just sod off?" "That car's going to pull out, see, told you." "I've seen this bit before, he's going over the bonnet." (At the mini-roundabout). It wasn't helped by the cyclist at the start being so instantly dislikable.
Why can't we all just get along?
This. I hope my family weren't watching, they'll be thinking I ride like him...
Agree it was London based. I see bad behaviour all the time from cyclists and drivers alike in London. Doesn't make one side more right or wrong than the other.
Gareth is actually a very likeable guy and yet they made no mention of his website http://sillycyclists.co.uk where he documents exactly that, just as much as he documents bad drivers.
I found it incredible that they showed the incident with the cabbie, who claimed to be calmly going home, leaving lots of space and only pulling into the left lane when he had passed, yet the video showed he did not do that at all.
Nice bit of editing of the interviews and Gareth looks as though he is provocative and confrontational.
Terrible piece of TV and its a shame that people have come to accept such low standards.
This was a poor documentary. Aside from the programme-maker's evident po-faced schadenfreude in presenting these as invariably adversarial encounters, it was overly London-centric, and extrapolated the views of two riders, three motorists (2x taxi, 1x lorry) and a bereaved mother into 'the views of all road-users'. It would be amusing if it wasn't so lazily misleading. For me, the only credible element was Cynthia's moving story.
As a cyclist and a motorist, here's an anecdote: I live in a part of the country with lots of twisting narrow lanes. Approaching right-hand curves, I can usually see much further ahead from my position riding close to the verge than any following motorists can from their driving position in the offside of vehicles close to the centre of the road. If the road is safely clear ahead, I always give the following vehicles an obvious and lengthy thumbs-up. Almost without exception this is acted upon, and almost without exception I get a friendly wave, pip on the horn or flashed indicators as the released motorist zooms off. This doesn't make me a hero, but it does illustrate two facts which it didn't suit the programme-makers to acknowledge: that basic courtesy is usually appreciated and reciprocated, and that different road users aren't automatically antagonistic towards one another.
I missed the start of it but saw the second half. It could have been worse, but could quite easily have been a whole lot better had it been made by a better team.
There were some good moments and the mother of the girl killed by the mixer truck made very poignant comments. This was probably the high point, or it was of what I saw. The taxi driver who re-evaluated his opinions after his nephew was killed also made good points, as did the cement mixer driver talking about cyclists cutting up the inside of HGVs at junctions.
But there was a lot of misrepresentation. Much of what I saw was cheaply produced, sensationalist rubbish.
Had the program been better produced and more honest about the facts, it would have had significantly more impact.
I was expecting worse to be honest, the mothers tribute and efforts in honour of her lost daughter were humbling. What I think the programme missed and would have concluded things well is that whoever people percieve as right or wrong, whatever social sterotypes are made, there is only 1 person in that equation who is in a life threatening position. I think this is a thought that the programme makers could have ended with, whether you're in a car or on a bike it's important to remember
The inclusion of anything like this would have made the programme better from a road-user 'education' perspective:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzL0Kyk4m-8
I was shocked to tears by the fatal collision footage, but the opportunity for incisive 'lessons' identification was largely lost. Unfortunate.
The use of the brunelle alley cat footage gave a false impression of cyclists behaviour in London.
what do you expect from the bbc? very typical, unfortunately.
So do you really think that any of the other 4 major channels would have made (or have even attempted) a better job?
For me it was an unexpected surprise. Whilst there was of course a sensationalist aspect, there were also some thought provoking moments (from a cyclists and drivers perspective). Overall I felt it was a lot more balanced than the pre-program hype had made out. If it makes one rider or one motorist think enough to avoid a potentially deadly situation then great.
I had to especially admire, the bravery and determination of the mother of the young lady killed by a cement lorry. Her work with the company involved to improve their lorry design and driver training has already saved lives by the sounds of it and it doesn't seem as though she'll stop there. Deepest sympathy to her an her family, but a huge thanks from me as a cycling road user for never giving up on her quest.
Not sure if road.cc have written anything in the past along the lines of a road cyclists "survival guide", but I think it would perhaps make useful reading for all of us. Top tips for riders to improve their own safety on the road. A lot of it may be obvious, but again it only takes one person to read it and learn enough to keep them self safe.
It was sensationalist, and something I would definitely qualify as trash TV.
But if people in cars, lorries, buses and on bikes are just a little more careful this morning, then maybe it wasn't a complete waste of time.
Complete waste of a one hour prime time slot on BBC1. All heat, no light.
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