Welcome to your midweek live blog, with Jack Sexty, Simon MacMichael and the rest of the team…
Live blog: Cyclist stands ground to stop car cutting junction on wrong side of the road (claim they’re doctors in rush to see patients); cyclist unable to make Fred Whitton due to bike booking blunder; B’ham’s new cycle routes blocked by bins + more
All today’s news from the site and beyond…
Wed, Jun 12, 2019 18:27
SUMMARY
12 June 2019, 18:27
A small consolation
Just received excellent news. Yes it is actually possible to get a conviction for close passing. This driver received €250 fine, 3 points and a conviction after pleading guilty. @SafeCyclingEire @roadcc @Cyclistie @IrishCycle @CorkCyclingCrew @sticky_bottle @CitizenW0lf pic.twitter.com/TJejqV7fIX
— Righttobikeit (@righttobikeit) June 11, 2019
This Irish cyclist managed to get a conviction from submitting evidence of a nasty close pass, with the driver getting three points and a 250 euro fine. Look out for our guide to submitting camera evidence in the coming weeks to make sure you know how to go about reporting dodgy driving like the above.
12 June 2019, 18:27
Bloody cyclists, never stopping at crossings or red lights...
Since I started cycling to work I’d like to think my awareness of my surroundings whilst cycling and driving has improved vastly, this morning being a prime example. Approaching a pedestrian crossing, I could see in the distance someone walking towards it…. pic.twitter.com/mBAXYwpVg6
— Duncan Milne (@DM_No5) June 11, 2019
12 June 2019, 18:27
Of all the things...
Some bizarre scenes captured here, where a helicopter blew multiple riders off their bikes mid-race. It looks like none were hurt as they battle to re-mount against the huge winds generated by the chopper.
12 June 2019, 18:27
Cyclist captures numerous blockages along new Cycle Superhighway in Birmingham
68-71 Kent Street 13.41 on 9 June. pic.twitter.com/eRuQT6H9M0
— Karen Canner (@kazhardwick) June 9, 2019
The second city’s first dedicated ‘Cycling Superhighways’ on the A38 and A34 were officially opened by Shanaze Reade and Jason Kenny last week, but some commuters are already complaining of blockages along the route from council bins, joggers and cars parked along it, according to the Birmingham Mail and several cyclists on Twitter.
Welcome to the new A38 cycle lane @WMPRHRT pic.twitter.com/EyyXRE8k62
— Ryan Stait (@ryan_stait) June 9, 2019
Speaking to the Birmingham Mail, PC Mark Hodson of West Midlands Police Road Harm Reduction Team said: “We will be patrolling the new cycle routes on police bicycles to ensure that the infrastructure is being used in a lawful manner by all road users.
“When we witness any misuse or offences then we will deal with this through our usual combination of education and enforcement.”
12 June 2019, 18:27
Flying mount perfection?
A race-saving moment?
How good was @marianne_vos‘s cyclo-cross bike change during Tuesday’s stage at the Kent @Cyclopark? #OVOWT #UCIWWT pic.twitter.com/FIjhvB3v1c
— The Women’s Tour (@thewomenstour) June 12, 2019
Cyclocrossers and triathletes take note… Marianne Vos shows us how to nail the flying mount, and manages to roll smoothly back into the peloton like nowt happened.
12 June 2019, 18:27
Man who missed the Fred Whitton thanks to Virgin Trains bike booking blunder demanding hotel and race entry refund
.@VirginTrains You offer me only a £66 refund for my ticket and a standard class ticket but not the refund for my @fred_whitton entry or my hotel? Are you kidding? If you can send me a £66 cheque, you can refund me for EVERYTHING. This is not good enough. @richardbranson
— NW6Cyclist (@Cycle_Whamp) June 12, 2019
The disgruntled cyclist received £66 compensation from Virgin Trains for his ticket – but wants the full race entry and hotel cost off them too. Virgin asked for the matter to be handled via private message, to which the man insisted it be handled publicly to show them up. How do you think this will go? We’ll be following in earnest with (hopefully) a full story coming later today…
12 June 2019, 18:27
Breaking news: Froome taken to hospital after crash at the Dauphiné, putting his Tour de France hopes in jeopardy...
Not good news for Froome or Team Ineos. Full story here.
12 June 2019, 18:27
"I'm going to take a photo of you to show my patients why I'm late". Doctors drive up wrong side of the road and are blocked by cyclist, and an angry exchange ensues for over five minutes
It’s happened before and it will happen again, but the latest attempt by a driver to head down the wrong side of the road to turn right at this junction in Regent’s Park has been foiled by a very determined cyclist, who stood in the way for five minutes before the driver and unrepentant passenger eventually back up. What ensued in between is an oscar-worthy few minutes of sarcasm, name-calling and excuses.
This video shows how vulnerable road users are starting to assert themselves over lawbreakers in cars. The passenger has no concept whatsoever that you can’t go the wrong way down the road. Watch — fascinating.
(via @MikeyCycling)https://t.co/uq4VhLDpPV— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) June 12, 2019
While the driver honks his horn, the passenger claims they are doctors who are late to see patients, which is why they wanted to cut the traffic queue. The passenger admits to the offence, and even takes a photo of the cyclist to “tell cancer patients why they are late.”
The footage was retweeted by Jeremy Vine, who commended the cyclist going by the name Cycling Mikey on Twitter.
Bizarrely, a taxi driver towards the end of the video berates the cyclist for holding up the traffic – even though for him the blockage would have been exactly the same whether the cyclist was there or not.
Do we need more Cycling Mikeys, or would a camera snap and a quick call to the authorities been enough in this case? Do let us know your thoughts.
12 June 2019, 18:27
Confirmed: no Froome at Tour de France due to broken femur
Full story here.
12 June 2019, 18:27
Missed our NAMEDSPORT newsletter offer of free HydraFit energy drink sample?
…well we’re giving you the chance to take advantage of the offer again! All you have to do is sign up here for a free sample of NAMED’s Hydrafit energy drink mix, training advice and exclusive offers and deals. There’s no obligation to buy, unless you really like it of course…
Here’s that link again, just so you definitely don’t miss it.
12 June 2019, 18:27
Re Regent's Park...
Big news! The Royal Parks, which is responsible for 8 of London’s largest and most iconic green spaces (including Regent’s Park) have a bold new transport strategy up for consultation.
Lodge your support today and help return the parks to the people: https://t.co/j6hnm7HXTa pic.twitter.com/obuESu0qXS
— London Cycling Campaign (@london_cycling) June 11, 2019
Incidents like the one in the clip below could actually become a thing of the past thanks to a consultation that wants to close the Parks’ roads to motor traffic, as we reported at the weekend. You can show your support by filling out the form here.
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Jack is group editor across road.cc, off.road.cc and ebiketips, overseeing all three sites in the F-At Digital group to make sure everything’s up to scratch. He’s been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of road.cc including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town, and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master’s degree in print journalism, and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it’s a long story).
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Latest Comments
Rendel Harris 43 minutes ago
@Paul J Van Schip certainly seems a bit of a dick, but he's a European and multiple World Champion on the track, pretty sure you don't get there without having some talent in your legs.
Bill H 56 minutes ago
Poor Vincent cannot get over the simple fact that given the choice people prefer dedicated cycling spaces, rather than pretending to be cars like vehicular cyclists.
pbunyon 1 hour ago
What is the point of the fancy air sensor if it can't account for changing weather conditions?? If all you care about is a delayed approximation of aerodynamic watts in steady conditions, you don't need any special sensors for that. Just your speed on a decently flat course is enough to approximate rolling resistance and drivetrain losses. And the rest must be aero. If you assume a less aero body position at the same watts, your speed will drop while rolling resistance also drops, which means approximated aero watts goes up. And that's enough to demonstrate what you've shown in your testing protocol ("I sat upright and the number went up a little while later").
chrisonabike 1 hour ago
Your correction is accurate - it's almost always been "the (lack of) thought that (doesn't) count". "Massive" - less than a billion a year spent on active travel (trying to catch up / building a network across the entire country) Not massive - 6 billion every year (2026-2030) spent on road *maintenance* of existing "already built, goes everywhere, very convenient" road network for inactive travel Ultimately the reason "cycle infra" is *needed* is those unbelievably colossal amounts spent every year (and for more than a century now) on making mass motoring not just viable but apparently the "best choice" for most journeys. As the Dutch and others have shown, the majority of people *are* prepared to cycle and even mix with very light, slow local motor traffic *if* cycling is also made safe and convenient for the whole of their journey (including secure parking at both ends). (The history of the financial drivers of the current situation are a complex topic but note that while people complain about "crumbling roads" and underfunded motor infra - with some reason - by us continuing the fuel duty escalator freeze (for example) we're actually helping motorists pay *even less* for that activity / subsidising more of the cost of driving than ever.)
belugabob 1 hour ago
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
Astralstroll 4 hours ago
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
Mr Anderson 5 hours ago
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
MaxiMinimalist 5 hours ago
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
Paul J 5 hours ago
Obree had some actual talent in his legs though, in addition to his bike/aero engineering talent.
Maruis Kalchev 6 hours ago
Малко като опит за доказване е излязло... Никой няма нужда от толкова голям въртящ момент и мощност на шосеен велосипед с тънки гуми, които дори трудно ще предават тази мощност върху пътя. А ако има и ограничение от 25 км/час е още по-безмислено.
62 thoughts on “Live blog: Cyclist stands ground to stop car cutting junction on wrong side of the road (claim they’re doctors in rush to see patients); cyclist unable to make Fred Whitton due to bike booking blunder; B’ham’s new cycle routes blocked by bins + more”
is it just the way the
is it just the way the picture is taken but looking at that Audi parked on the cycle superhighway it looks like there is a tree in the middle of the blue painted section? (and further trees) surely not…not that I want trees removed from urban streets – there is a perfectly good road that could give up space …and if you read the tweet and look at later pics the (untaxed) Audi is moved to block the ped’ area and only partly obstruct the cycle lane dangerously so as it means cyclists riding towards oncoming traffic could be forced closer to it by cyclists passing the car
antigee wrote:
Its not a cycle highway. Its the lefthand lane the Outer Circle with an island divider: [GMaps streetview]
They had driven on to the wrong side of the road and subsequently, the road furniture, so they could cut the corner and continue driving along the Outer Circle wheras all the other traffic was backed up waiting at the lights to get onto Marylebone Road/Euston Road.
zanf wrote:
Its not a cycle highway. Its the lefthand lane the Outer Circle with an island divider: [GMaps streetview]
They had driven on to the wrong side of the road and subsequently, the road furniture, so they could cut the corner and continue driving along the Outer Circle wheras all the other traffic was backed up waiting at the lights to get onto Marylebone Road/Euston Road.
— antigee
Antigee is commenting on the Birmingham Cycleway blocking, not the two “We are Doctors so better the God” drivers in the latter video that most of the comments are about.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
I have several privacy extensions that block images from third party sites so didnt see the images in the Twitter posts
zanf wrote:
I have several privacy extensions that block images from third party sites so didnt see the images in the Twitter posts— AlsoSomniloquism
Surprised you see any content.
antigee wrote:
.
An Audi? Being driven/parked
An Audi? Being driven/parked selfishly? Surely not.
According to the Twitter
According to the Twitter replies it is also untaxed. And in another set of pictures it has been moved onto the pavement fully to leave the cycleway clear so it is clearly still being driven. Still WMPHRT or the OpSafeParking team will be on the case I’m sure.
I was under the impression
I was under the impression that medical personnel get to (pretty much) ignore the rules of the road on their way to an emergency if (and only if) they have a big blue flashing light on their vehicle.
I can’t see their blue flashing light, so…
brooksby wrote:
Certainly in days gone by, doctors used to get a green light to put on the top of their cars (Starsky & Hutch style) to warn other users they were on their way to an emergency call, but it was purely advisory. They were not permitted to run red light, or break the limit and their was no obligation placed on other vehicles to get out of the way … but clearly many did so as a gesture of goodwill.
Haven’t seen one for a long time.
CyclingMikey has said that an
CyclingMikey has said that an NIP was sent.
ktache wrote:
I wonder if he has also contacted the GMC? I think they might have something to say to doctors who believe their job title excuses their law breaking.
Although, I admit, might be difficult if he doesn’t know the doctor’s name.
jh27 wrote:
I’m on my way to do my job, but I’m a bit late, so that entitled me to drive on the wrong side of the road.
If that woman had shown me a picture of the cyclist I would have said it’s lucky you didn’t kill him driving on the wrong side of the road.
hirsute wrote:
Reminds me of the story in the local rag a few years ago, complete with picture, of a gran done for speeding, using the excuse that her grand-daughter had been taken ill, so it was ok to speed and put other people’s grand-children at risk. She was outraged and considered that her prosecution was utterly unreasonable.
Are we not entitled to hear
Are we not entitled to hear the full story re the so-calleed VT “bike booking blunder”? I don’t think anyone should be forming opinons on stuff they only know half the facts of.
Chapeau to Cycling Mikey. It
Chapeau to Cycling Mikey. It is a demonstration of how much vitriol there is towards cyclists when the taxi driver berates him and not the driver.
I’m assuming that this is close to CM’s heart because he’s had a close call or two at this junction, and I can imagine that turning left and being faced by a ton of metal coming towards you at 30mph might make you determined enough to do something about it.
burtthebike wrote:
It’s a minor point, but the car manufacturers would give their eye teeth to make a modern car weigh around a tonne. I’d like to know what the average weight of a car is, but I bet it is nearer 2 tonnes than 1 these days, with all these over-engineered tractors masquerading as limos that people seem unable to live without…
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
Fiat 500 weighs in at just under a tonne.
Presumably one can ride over
Presumably one can ride over a car parked on a bike lane like this one – perhaps Danny Macaskill can give us regular riders some tips on doing it safely. Of course, unclipping on roof and slamming foot down would also be needed!
I didn’t see CM stop the
I didn’t see CM stop the cyclist who want the wrong side if the island. One rule for drivers and one rule for the holier than thou cyclists.
Master Bean wrote:
He’s a man, not a gate, so assuming he can pick either the two tons of metal at 30mph or the <100kg of squishy human at 15mph, which one do you think best deserves his attention?
One rule for……those who
One rule for……those who have the capaicity to, and in fact do so with horryfing frequency, kill on the roads of this country and another for those not worth pursueing
People in a real hurry
People in a real hurry usually find the time to stand and argue for quite a while, don’t they?
Doctors? Travelling around in
Doctors? Travelling around in a pair to an appointment? There’s never a pair of doctors in the appointment room whenever I go. Dunno, maybe it’s a thing with peripatetics?
Sriracha wrote:
Or Harley Street?
The driver tells the other
The driver tells the other cyclist who stops to squeeze past and mind his own business.
Clearly impeding traffic by driving on the wrong side of the road is not the concern of those road users who are impended or endangered by such actions.
Proof, if any be needed, that
Proof, if any be needed, that if you go looking for trouble then you can find it.
In support of MikeyCycling
In support of MikeyCycling (and cycling in the parks in general) I have completed the Royal Parks Survey.
And I don’t even live in London.
In support of MikeyCycling
Apologies – double post.
The Duncan Milne Twitter
The Duncan Milne Twitter video: IIRC overtaking within the zig-zags of a pedestrian crossing is illegal and a three-pointer.
zero_trooper wrote:
Only in respect of another motor vehicle.
hirsute wrote:
The Duncan Milne Twitter video: IIRC overtaking within the zig-zags of a pedestrian crossing is illegal and a three-pointer.
— hirsute Only in respect of another motor vehicle.— zero_trooper
Thank you for the correction.
If only there was a London
If only there was a London doctor (professor), who was in to debating road safety and congestion and maybe a Lord to boot. He could address issues like this.
If only there was a London
If only there was a London doctor (professor), who was in to debating road safety and congestion and maybe a Lord to boot. He could address issues like this.
If only there was a London
If only there was a London doctor (professor), who was in to debating road safety and congestion and maybe a Lord to boot. He could address issues like this.
Go head on into traffic ,
Go head on into traffic , easily could have injured someone( bet they have done that before)
and then try and blame the cyclist if one of there cancer patients dies because they are not there.
tell you what “ DR” take fu££ing responsibility and make sure you get to your patience’s on good time instead of thinking you have some right to break the law and possibly injure someone.
what would have happened if they had blocked a ambulance or fire truck trying to get to a real emergency ? “I’m now swearing quite a lot “
Go head on into traffic ,
Go head on into traffic , easily could have injured someone( bet they have done that before)
and then try and blame the cyclist if one of there cancer patients dies because they are not there.
tell you what “ DR” take fu££ing responsibility and make sure you get to your patience’s on good time instead of thinking you have some right to break the law and possibly injure someone.
what would have happened if they had blocked a ambulance or fire truck trying to get to a real emergency ? “I’m now swearing quite a lot “
If only there were a cancer
If only there were a cancer specialist who might know what can happen if you drive on the wrong side of the road. And why it’s not a Measure you should resort to.
Does she really say “why don
Does she really say “why don’t you do something worthwhile for a living.”? What a self righteous, sanctimonious, vile cretin (if that is what she does say (my laptop speakers are awful)). I wouldn’t mind betting that she has been spoilt since birth.
“We are both doctors!” You are both wankers!!!!
Fluffy…, good point, well
Fluffy…, good point, well made.
The taxi driver who stops to
The taxi driver who stops to have a go ‘what about what you lot do on bikes’ then pulls up and parks on double yellows 50m down the road!
“…..because we are both
“…..because we are both Doctors going to private appointments with outpatients at a private practice and couldn’t be arsed to leave with enough time as we know we can skip a lot of traffic by committing a motoring offence that doesn’t matter to us because if stopped we will just say it is ok because we are both doc….”
Aren’t doctors supposed to
Aren’t doctors supposed to uphold the Hippocratic Oath – “First, do no harm unless you’re in a car in which case do what you want and sod everyone else”?
I was also under the impression that most cancer treatments take quite a while and waiting an extra 5 minutes is probably not going to make much difference to someone going through weeks/months of chemotherapy etc.
What we should have is a system whereby professionals on their way to an emergency can indicate their urgency with maybe flashing blue lights and a loud siren to alert other road users.
hawkinspeter wrote:
there are already a few systems in place.
One lets you park on double-red, a bus-stop or cycle lane if you put a handwritten scrap of paper in the windscreen saying something like ‘photocopier engineer on call’.
The other lets you break any traffic law simply by turning on the hazard warning lights. Everybody can interpret these correctly, and it’s actually illegal to be really pissed off about it, so be careful.
Finally, if you nearly kill a cyclist or pedestrian during the course of your driving, say by racing through the lights, or turning right across them, or not seeing them on the roundabout, you can wave at them if you’re a guy, or if you’re a woman you can give them a sympathetic look and a little smile, and that makes everything ok, so if you then call them a something rhyming with blunt you’re actually the criminal.
Brilliant. Well done cycling
Brilliant. Well done cycling Mikey!
This only ‘worked’ because
This only ‘worked’ because the occupants of the car were ‘nice’ (for relatively small values of ‘nice’).
When the vehicle is a flatbed belonging to a scaffolding company, and the two blokes inside are called Chris and Gary, then the cyclist is going to be seriously assaulted, and his bicycle crushed under the wheels.
And then the police will charge the cyclist with criminal damage, if the underside of the vehicle is scratched.
Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:
When has anyone in the building trade ever been worried about arriving late to work??
Nick T wrote:
Yeah, you’d think.
But why is it that when I leave the house early to get into the office, and most of the other vehicles are small white vans, large Transits and scaffolding lorries, everyone is going like a fucking bat out of hell?
Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:
They have to get to site quickly to sit drinking coffee and “reading” the third page of a certain tabloid
“You know what time we left?
“You know what time we left? Quarter to eight.”
It’s a hard life.
Well, how did you become two
Well, how did you become two doctors? That’s most unusual – I mean, did you take the exams twice, or…?
srchar wrote:
Ask Colin Baker
hawkinspeter wrote:
Oh – that’s from the story with the Sontarans, the cannibals, and the ginger eyebrows, isn’t it?
(you could have also gone with (2) Tennant & Smith, (3) Pertwee, Troughton, and Hartnell, or even (4.5) Davison, Pertwee, Troughton, fake Hartnell, and old video of Baker…).
(I’ll get my coat
).
srchar wrote:
she’s only one doctor really. It’s her patients’ fault:
Doctor, Doctor – I keep singing “Green green grass of home” – I think I have Tom Jones syndrome
It’s not unusual…
One of my jobs (I’m a multi
One of my jobs (I’m a multi-tasking kind of guy), is as a casual car park assistant. In the interview (yes, such jobs demand an interview) I said about members of the public sometimes having an ‘unrealistic belief in their exaggerated entitlement’.
The female passenger is one such person and people like that really piss me off.
Obvs I got the job
This incident was on the
This incident was on the Outer Circle of Regent’s Park , which shouldn’t be used as a through road. There’s a perfectly suitable road (Albany Street) parallel to it.
I hope this story rumbles on.
I hope this story rumbles on.. has the internet found out the names of these two very important’ing doctors yet?
Doctors can be a different breed of human sometimes, that video demonstrates the bubbling undercurrent of their ever so common god complexes.
Put two of them together and they can literally do anything! Heal the sick, drive within impunity, work two jobs… basically superhumans.
peted76 wrote:
You’re thinking of consultants.
peted76 wrote:
Nailed it there Peted76!
It was posted on this thread that an NIP had been issued. So at least the police know who the car owner is.
There must be some way of complaining to a professional body (BMC?) about their ‘attitude’? It’s just that you need to identify them first.
peted76 wrote:
they can actually heal the sick all on their own…
Had to look up how much the
Had to look up how much the better half’s peugeot 107 weighed, it’s only 800kg, but it is a little car. Suits her fine, good fuel econemy and VED £20. Insurance less than my bikes, grr.
Have managed to fit the bike in the back when I cut the end off my finger and she picked us up from A+E, though dismantleing it with one hand was not easy.
I don’t understand the huge vehicle thing, and I probably never will.
The guy holding up the wanker
The guy holding up the wanker ‘doctors’ – what an absolute LEGEND
.