Café replaces bicycle billboard with car… blocking bike parking in the process; 20mph roads expanded, and locals aren’t happy + more on the live blog
Café replaces bicycle billboard with car… blocking bike parking in the process
Sometimes if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. Today’s bit of daily car-brain comes from a café owner who has inherited a very motonormative view of the world and swapped the bicycle for the automobile. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t warrant a live blog mention, although today’s dose of irony is too good to miss.
We begin in April 2019, where Terry’s Café has a small quaint bicycle billboard on the pavement outside. So far, so ordinary…
By the time we emerge from the pandemic, the bike billboard has sadly succumbed to evolving marketing trends (we presume), but we don’t mind that with some bike parking installed next to the lamppost instead, along with some Cycleway signage.
But then things start shifting, tragically for the worse. By this point the cafe seems to have had a bit of a makeover, becoming more overtly patriotic according to the signage, whilst the bike parking places have been cut to a single space presumably brought by the owner of the solitary bicycle we see parked outside in July 2024…
Fear not however, because at least by last year a parking bay has been installed for dockless e-bikes and e-scooters, encouraging micromobility and a shift from more polluting modes of transport, even if private bicycles get short shrift…
But that brings us to yesterday, when one cyclist on Reddit captured the horror of what is there today…
A restaurant advertisement parked in cycle spot
by
u/popopopopopopopopoop in
londoncycling
“There are a couple of motor vehicle spots just to the left of this, including currently free ones. This is one of very few cycle hire designated spots around…” our poster writes.
“The breakfast there is overpriced and service has been meh both times I’ve been but now even more reason to avoid.”
Amusingly, this crime against bike tolerance seems to have set some internet sleuths on the case who have found the car has no MOT results and its tax expired in May, which sets it up nicely for being towed if someone wishes to report it.
A quick look at social media finds this café has somehow amassed 100,000 Instagram followers, with the flat cap wearing owner promoting his book about “a day in the life of a café owner” whilst driving around in Robert Maxwell’s old Rolls Royce.
I suspect the owner comes from the school of business that believes all publicity is good publicity, though judging by some of the other Reddit comments that may not be the case…
“This just screams petulance at having a hire bike point outside in “their” space.”
“Ebikes should block him in I guess”
“Is it legal to ride a jump bike over a car parked in a cycle lane?”
You get the idea…
Semi-segregated bike lane on roundabout?
If you want people to respect traffic rules when they cycle, then the rules and the street designs need to respect them. Expecting people give way to cars from behind them is dangerous, and disrespectful.
— Newham Cyclists (@newhamcyclists.uk) 29 October 2026 at 10:36
Yet another major injury and a broken bike...
View this post on Instagram
Oof, that’s not a good-looking bike. Dutch amateur Jens Bassa takes up the story:
“Last Thursday, I was involved in another accident during training. A driver cut the corner, resulting in a head-on collision.
“I’ve ended up with three bruised ribs, a bruised wrist, shoulder and forearm, and pain throughout my body from the impact. I’m incredibly lucky that these are the only injuries and that things didn’t turn out much worse.”
Having been hit by another driver and breaking his femur in April, this unfortunately isn’t Massa’s first major injury.
“What makes this especially difficult is the timing. This week, I had finally ridden on the road where my first accident happened again. For the first time since then, I was back on the bike feeling pain-free and riding naturally again. It felt like I was finally taking a big step forward in my recovery.
“Now, I’m back to square one in many ways, and I’m incredibly disappointed that my brand-new bike has also been written off.
“It’s frustrating, mentally as well as physically, to have to deal with another setback just when things were finally moving in the right direction. For now, the most important thing is to recover and be grateful that I got away with what I did.
“One step at a time, again. ❤️🩹”
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"Semi-segregated bike lane" There is only one useful kind of separation ("segregation") for bike infra * and it isn't "bike lane", whether "semi" (?) or other. Legally even some "mandatory" cycle lanes have little/no legal effect. And of course ignoring the law is commonplace as it brings zero sanction for beaches here. * Separate protected cycle path - although pragmatically in *some* places where there are few cyclists and even fewer pedestrians expected "shared use" may be pragmatic.
Doesn't look like they're planning on going anywhere in it, so that's not likely to have much effect. Leave the bike on top of the car instead. In fact, why not a game of 'how many bikes can we stack on the car'?
Looks good, but the geo looks a bit retro - almost '90s
Rupert Lowe may like to bang on about "young foreign men" riding e-bikes. But the two blokes who tried to steal a young bloke's e-mountain bike while brandishing an angle-grinder the other day sound fairly local: "The two suspects, Mason Portlock and Luke Beale, both 18, have since been charged with robbery and possession of a bladed article. One of the men was also wanted in connection with separate offences of robbery, possession of an offensive weapon, and breaching a court order." I'm all in favour of strict regulation, and nicking anyone on an illegal machine. But, I suspect Rupert Lowe cares more about things he can pin (rightly or wrongly) on non-white folks, rather than solving the entire e-transportation problem.
They are still boring as anything though 😴
The entrance to that shared space looks fun as well - appears to direct you towards a bunch of flowerbeds, with no explanation of which way you're expected to go round them. The most direct route to the exit requires doglegging onto the diagonal, past the entrances of the Premier Inn and the steakhouse, for extra fun dodging anyone coming out.
What are you going to do when you get to the top of the hill and have to go down again, though?
@Rendel Harris https://maps.app.goo.gl/ELGbeC5SWmZWzkqu6
@Rendel Harris I admire your optimism. Alas, in this case no such charitable explanation exists - as far as I can tell, the "cycle lane" exists to direct cyclists from a shared space onto the busy, three lane carriageway. I'll post a streetview link separately, but the location appears to be Nottingham, on Maid Marian Way outside the Premier Inn.
@BrianP just wait until you read road.cc stories for a couple of weeks: you'll start to fathom it alright... ... although it won't make you happier, and indeed may even disincline you to cycle on the roads. In fairness a quick general review of cases of assault might also be depressing in terms of outcomes / actual penalties for any identified perpetrators. But on the roads I believe little changes until our current motornormative culture does. No matter what "top down" changes might be made. And indeed even those law changes / directions to police and courts won't be a priority for the politicians until the electorate change their view... Change - it's possible (see NL) but very hard, until it happens.
2 thoughts on “Café replaces bicycle billboard with car… blocking bike parking in the process; 20mph roads expanded, and locals aren’t happy + more on the live blog”
Doesn’t look like they’re planning on going anywhere in it, so that’s not likely to have much effect. Leave the bike on top of the car instead. In fact, why not a game of ‘how many bikes can we stack on the car’?
“Semi-segregated bike lane”
There is only one useful kind of separation (“segregation”) for bike infra * and it isn’t “bike lane”, whether “semi” (?) or other.
Legally even some “mandatory” cycle lanes have little/no legal effect. And of course ignoring the law is commonplace as it brings zero sanction for beaches here.
* Separate protected cycle path – although pragmatically in *some* places where there are few cyclists and even fewer pedestrians expected “shared use” may be pragmatic.