Custom shoe designer surprised to hear Bradley Wiggins is a fan; Cyclist pushed off bike in ambush robbery; Former Tour de France leader banned; Sadiq Khan defends cycle lanes; Removal of bike lane delayed by protest + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Removal of Kensington High Street segregated bike lane delayed by Extinction Rebellion and Stop Killing Cyclists
Result @XRebellionUK 1
@DailyMailUK 0Illegal destruction by @RBKC of the segregated cycleway halted for one night by stopping works.
Well done @StopKillingCycl@DonnachadhMc
Now can it be made permanent?@ZackPolanski @CarolineRussell @sianberry @LBC@DailyMirror pic.twitter.com/uhWI25dawZ
— FergalMcEntee (@McEnteeFergal) December 3, 2020
Works to remove the bollards on Kensington High Street and reopen both lanes to motor traffic were delayed last night by a protest from Extinction Rebellion and Stop Killing Cyclists. The group blocked the lane and prevented the removal of infrastructure. Council documents show that of the first 1,000 emails they received about the lane, 58 per cent were in favour of it which some have suggested casts doubt on the council’s claim that a large number of complaints was the reason for its planned removal.
The protesters then moved to Northcliffe House, the office of the Daily Mail and MailOnline. Yesterday a MailOnline employee called on the council to reverse their decision. Five local schools and Imperial College Union also expressed their support for the cycle lane, while the Kensington Business Forum released a statement saying the council’s claim that the Forum asked for the lane to be removed was not true.
BREAKING: The Kensington High Street cycle lane will not be removed tonight 🎉🤸🏽♀️
Tomorrow the campaign to save it pushes on, follow: @betterstreetskc, @FoxPrimary & @London_Cycling 💫
Great video reporting tonight by @bearwitness2019pic.twitter.com/gXhZqd9yM3
— Extinction Rebellion London 🌍 (@XRLondon) December 2, 2020
Will Santa run out of bikes this Christmas?
The BBC reports that bikes could be in short supply this Christmas after a year when sales have rocketed as people sought outdoor exercise during the pandemic. To make matters worse, many manufacturers struggled to keep up when factories were forced to close as part of lockdown restrictions. Consequently some manufacturers now have huge backlogs to deal with during one of their busiest times of the year.
Paul Tomlinson, cycling director of Halfords, said: “There has been huge interest in cycling as the public seek alternatives to public transport and as a way of keeping fit. And as a result we’ve seen a massive surge in demand, with sales of bikes and cycling products up.”
UK brand, Raleigh, were one of the manufacturers that struggled with factory closures. Managing director, Lee Kidger explained the problem saying: “There have been delays in products coming to the market, but the consumer appetite for bikes remains high. As consumers begin ticking off their Christmas shopping lists, there will likely be a shortage of bikes leading up to Christmas.”
Qhubeka Assos announce big name signing of former Vuelta a España winner Fabio Aru
🔥DONE DEAL🔥
We are thrilled to confirm that former @lavuelta champion @FabioAru1 will join Team Qhubeka ASSOS.
“I immediately felt that this was an environment that I wanted to be a part of”
➡️Read more: https://t.co/nattIUk8Dz#BicyclesChangeLives@assos_com @GettySport pic.twitter.com/cCHCWsLebO
— NTT Pro Cycling (@NTTProCycling) December 3, 2020
Despite the rumours that Qhubeka Assos will have one of the smallest budgets in the WorldTour next season, Doug Ryder’s team have managed to attract a big name for 2021. Fabio Aru joins and will hope to recapture the form that saw him win the Vuelta a España in 2015, twice finish on the podium at the Giro d’Italia and come fifth at the Tour de France. The Italian has struggled in recent times and hasn’t finished in the top-10 of a Grand Tour since 2017 but will ride for the team next season alongside other recent signings Simon Clarke and Harry Tanfield.
“I am absolutely delighted to be joining Team Qhubeka Assos next season and very grateful to Douglas Ryder who welcomed me to his team,” Aru said.
“When the possibility to sign first came about, and then after speaking with Douglas and other team members, I immediately felt that this was an environment that I wanted to be a part of. In the last few years I haven’t experienced all of the success that I’d hoped for and so I will use this new step to draw from some of the simple factors that saw me achieve those results, as I know that I’m capable again of similar success.
“At this point in my career Team Qhubeka Assos is the perfect place for me to do so and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that they’ve provided me with to contribute to their legacy and to build on that fantastic work that they’ve done in the past.”
'London's road to recovery cannot be clogged with cars': Sadiq Khan defends cycling infrastructure
London’s road to recovery cannot be clogged with cars. It has to be one Londoners can walk and cycle down as part of a greener, cleaner, healthier future.
That’s why we’re taking bold action to find new ways to help Londoners travel around our city.pic.twitter.com/Aj15817Emw
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) December 3, 2020
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, once again expressed his support for cycling infrastructure and said that “London’s road to recovery cannot be clogged with cars.” Answering questions on James O’Brien’s LBC show, Khan said he was disappointed to see Kensington and Chelsea council approve the removal of the High Street cycle lane after a short trial period because of complaints from businesses and residents.
Khan said that many of the complaints weren’t from residents, or even people who live in London. Answering a question about Kensington High Street, he said: “I’ve started to cycle again over the course of the last few months. I feel far more safe and confident cycling around our city now and what we’ve got to avoid is a car-led recovery.
“The short answer is that Kensington High Street is the responsibility of the council. We’re trying to persuade them to do the right thing for thousands of cyclists. We want to avoid a car-led recovery that leads to more carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and London coming to a gridlock. We want more people walking and cycling, particularly because of our concerns about using public transport at rush hour.
“This council has persistently refused to have cycle lanes in their borough. This cycle lane is working really well, it’s used by thousands of cyclists who feel safer using it. The council is ripping it out because a few people have signed a petition, many of them aren’t residents and aren’t even Londoners.
“We should let the cycle lane be in for some time and see how it works out. After a few months we can review it. We have already tweaked some across the city because there were issues. This seems to be a knee-jerk response which I’m definitely against.”
Chris Boardman's impressed by the Mayor of London's view of cycle lanes
Logical, evidence led leadership 👏👏 https://t.co/8ZKvhqamJh
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) December 3, 2020
Former Tour de France leader Rinaldo Nocentini banned for doping offence
L’Équipe reports that former Tour de France yellow jersey wearer, Rinaldo Nocentini, has received a four-year ban for a doping offence. The Italian is now retired from the sport but claims to be innocent. Speaking to TuttoBici, he said: “At 41, why should I have resorted to prohibited practices? They are not part of my working method or my values. In my career I have undergone all kinds of checks and nothing has ever turned out.
“In the many years in which I have been a professional there have been inquiries like Operation Puerto and those concerning Dr. Ferrari, I have never been brought up in any case and in no interception, being disqualified now so heavily seems to me something out of this world.”
As a professional, Nocentini spent nine years with AG2R La Mondiale and wore the yellow jersey for eight days at the 2009 Tour de France. He took the jersey from the breakaway on Stage 7 in Andorra and held it through the second week before losing it to eventual race winner Alberto Contador following the Spaniard’s famous Stage 15 attack to win the summit finish at Verbier.
Cyclist pushed off bike in ambush robbery
The Hertfordshire Mercury reports that Bedfordshire Police are investigating an ambush robbery which saw a cyclist pushed off and their bike stolen by three men in Bedford. At around 6pm last Wednesday, November 25, the man was surrounded while riding on a cycle path on the outskirts of the town. One of the men pushed the cyclist off and the offenders quickly left the scene with the Carrera mountain bike pictured above.
Investigation Officer Alex Purffett said: “We are appealing to anyone who saw this incident or who has any information about these three men to come forward as this could help us with our enquiries.
“If you have been offered or seen a bike matching this description for sale, please get in touch. We do not tolerate this type of behaviour and we will do all we can to find those responsible.”
Primoz Roglic wins Vélo d’Or award
Primoz Roglic has won Vélo magazine’s prestigious Vélo d’Or prize for best cyclist of the year. Julian Alaphilippe was awarded the best French rider prize for the second-consecutive year. Roglic won four stages of the Vuelta a España, the race overall, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and was second at the Tour de France this year. Taking the prize from Alaphilippe, Roglic was humbled to win the award: “I went through the list of previous winners and saw it’s really an important award,” Roglic told L’Equipe.
“I want to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to the people who voted for me. I understood that it was a jury of journalists from all over the world, that’s why it really touches me.”
Alaphilippe did not come away empty handed, however, as he was awarded the French Vélo d’Or honour after a year that culminated in him becoming world champion in Imola.
“Primoz Roglic amply deserves this trophy. Last year, I had a big, big season to win it. It is in the logic of things that he wins it this year,” Alaphilippe conceded.
“Winning the Vélo d’Or Français makes me very happy, it’s nice to see that my results didn’t go unnoticed and I was again named best French rider of the year, thus getting another trophy. This season has been a special and different one, with plenty of challenges, but I managed to achieve many of my goals and I can be satisfied with what I did, the world title I won in Italy being, of course, the cherry on the top.
“The rainbow jersey is the most beautiful in the world and wearing it in a few races before the season ended made me realise what a huge honour it is to have it. This gives me a lot of motivation for next year.”
Poll: Who was your Vélo d’Or?
Custom shoe designer surprised to hear Bradley Wiggins is a fan
Brad wearing our logo socks today 🔥🔥 https://t.co/IwMaJZOH3H
— The Shoe Dr. (@theshoedr_) November 10, 2020
Shea Gribbon was surprised to find out that Sir Bradley Wiggins is a fan of his work. The Irish graduate, who set up his custom designed cycling shoe business while at Coventry University, found out Wiggo had bought a pair of his shoes when he spotted a pair of the socks Shea throws in with every order in a picture Brad posted on Twitter.
“Bradley happened to pull on the pair of socks I sent to his son before going out for a run one morning and shared a picture of himself on social media wearing them. That was pretty cool to see, and proved to be great promotion for my business,” Shea explained.
The Shoe Dr. has also made a custom design for Harry Tanfield ahead of La Vuelta a España. Wiggins was in the news today after CyclingWeekly reported he had liquidated a third company with debts of £141,000. In October he liquidated two other companies which had debts of over £1 million.
3 December 2020, 09:19
3 December 2020, 09:19
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50 Comments
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Exactly my thoughts. A real shame, they're amazing bikes, same as Islabikes. Really sad to hear the news. Having said that, we probably didn't do enough to help them. My son had one Islabike and two Frogs, all second hand that we resold for about the same amount.
I couldn't agree more, and when we have all that everywhere I might think about leaving off the helmet, but until then if I have to share the road with huge fast-moving chunks of metal, many of them piloted by persons of limited intelligence and even less self control, I'm going to keep the lid, which even Burt agrees can "probably" offer some protection from injury.
And the irony is that helmet promotion and mandation kills lots of people and they don't reduce the death rate of cyclists. The benefits of cycling vastly outweigh the risks, and helmet promotion and mandation deter cycling (the only proven effect) so those deterred lose those benefits and die earlier.
I see Mont Pythons upper class twits have been replaced by male anti helmet twits who probably ride under 10000 km/year while wearing bike gloves, ladies bib capris, power meters to register the watts they dont produce ,gps because they are easily lost on a tiny island, a mobile phone to call the wifey in case the ride gets too hilly or wet or fast or windy, all while complaining their tushy hurts. They always ask for proof..you could crash a few times on purpose without and with a helmet and send us the pictures. Do pros complain about helmets?..if you rode in a country with sun you would know that styrofoam actually keeps your head cool.. Ps ice hockey players say they dont need mouthguards..ask them to smile
If it saves one life...
Pro cyclists wear helmets as it is mandated. Before it was mandated, very few wore them. Infrastructure, separation, 20 mph, traffic calming are far more important.
Bigger wheels should roll better over lumpy ground and bigger wheels will lead to more aesthetically pleasing bikes for very tall riders. The hazard in my view is that the market cannot support all sizes and even 29" wheels are already too unwieldy for the shorter riders that comprise most of the world's population, including, critically, most women. I fear the loss of sensible sizes for average users, pushed aside by marketing of equipment that gives marginal gains to superathletes in extreme terrain.
Yes but...you're not going to crash your car at 200 mph+ and are highly unlikely to roll it (and you may not have a roll cage but you do have a built-in safety cage), whereas cycling to work, given a suitable downhill, I can (fairly) easily reach the speeds for which pro cyclists wear helmets (30mph+). It's vanishingly unlikely that you will experience anything like the crash severity an F1 driver will face, whereas cycling, especially if you come into contact with a motor vehicle, it's quite possible you will experience the same crash severity as a pro cyclist, so if you agree with them that they should wear helmets when racing there is a pretty good came that you should emulate them.
I 100% agree with pro-cyclists when they say helmets are essential - just as I agree with Max Verstappen and Sebastien Ogier when they insist that helmets (and roll cages, six-point harnesses, and flame-retardant underwear) are essential. Should I wear one to cycle to work, or the shops? I don't wear a helmet when I drive to work, my car doesn't have a six point harness or a roll cage and - you might not believe this - I don't even own any flame retardant underwear.
Erm, I don't think _they've_ dropped it. I think just possibly it has more to do with het Nieuwsblad rebranding themselves as just Nieuwsblad.
50 thoughts on “Custom shoe designer surprised to hear Bradley Wiggins is a fan; Cyclist pushed off bike in ambush robbery; Former Tour de France leader banned; Sadiq Khan defends cycle lanes; Removal of bike lane delayed by protest + more on the live blog”
There is already a shortage
There is already a shortage of bikes … been trying to buy one for the last several weeks, without success. Been told there should be some stock of the model and size I am after next week but there won’t be many and they will go quickly, so probably just need to get lucky and be on the site during the small window when they are there.
I can wait, and it is definitely a first world problem, but another of the many frustrations created by the current situation.
“58 per cent were in favour
“58 per cent were in favour of it which some have suggested casts doubt on the council’s claim that a large number of complaints was the reason for its planned removal.”
42% is a large amount. It’s just not a majority. Sorry to pick at this, but the semantics bugged me.
There’s no evidence that the
There’s no evidence that the 42% all made complaints. Probably most of them didn’t.
58% in favor is great. You
58% in favor is great. You are much more likely to hear from people who don’t like something, than from those who do.
If we all wrote them to tell them we found the M25 annoying and would like it removed, how many letters would they get from people saying they like it and use it every day?
Fantastic action by
Fantastic action by Extinction Rebellion and Stop Killing Cyclists, I doff my chapeau a thousand times. When democracy doesn’t work, direct action is needed from the people, and this demonstration of people power is exactly what’s needed to show that the majority want the cycle lane, and it’s the voluble minority of cycle haters who want it taken out.
Hopefully, this will get plenty of press coverage, and some of it might even be positive, not the DM of course, and lead to a bigger debate about what kind of cities we want to live in.
Completely disagree, just
Completely disagree, just plays into the narrative that cyclists are part of a loonie left mob. Not in my name.
Nigel, do you think all
Nigel, do you think all direct action protests imply “loonie”, or just those carried out by SKC or XR?
Do you think civil rights marches in decades past were “loonie” too? Stonewall actions? Or just when it comes to cycling? Safe cycling is just as much a social justice issue as any of these.
Specifically XR – these
Specifically XR – these people have nothing to do with saving the planet and climate and are simply a bunch of anti-democratic neo-Marxists. A rent-a-mob who achieve nothing but the opposite to the stated aims of their “movement”.
Dozens and dozens of examples, e.g. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/extinction-rebellion-protester-defaced-winston-churchill-statue-racist-a4567626.html
They don’t speak for me in any capacity on any issue.
Nigel Garrage wrote:
Hmmm. Anti-democratic neo-Marxists. Hmmm. Maybe you could provide some actual proof of your somewhat absurd allegations, instead of the single example you use to try to illustrate it, which merely proves the vindictive nature of the establishment to anyone who dares to challenge it?
I can’t speak to their neo
I can’t speak to their neo-Marxism, and it would be an insult to Marx to suggest that the mindless “boo capitalism” of much of XR owes much to his work.
They’re certainly anti-democratic though: a self-appointed group with no electoral legitimacy taking it upon themselves to affect the lives of other people, without giving those people any opportunity to approve or reject their actions. You may agree with those actions, but they are not democratic.
I don’t see that (near me at least) they’re productive. The protest near me blocked Elephant & Castle at rush hour (when we had such a thing), so the main people affected were people (disproportionately poor and black) on buses, and middle-class cyclists like me. I didn’t notice anyone saying “this is a great idea, I’ll make sure not to use the car I don’t have in future”.
eburtthebike wrote:
Well, let’s see. There have already been examples posted… the defacing of Churchill’s statue… The blockading of the free press… SWP and Young Communist Leage placards at the protests and infiltration of the organisation…
Then there is the “Rising up” draft manifesto (https://risingup.org.uk/draft-manifesto), a laughable “back-of-fag-packet” economic manifesto which appears to have been dreamt by an NUS 2nd year arts student. Abolishing interest on loans and effectively nationalising private property would appear to fix nicely into that model.
As for anti-democratic, their entire movement is based on anti-democracy – direct unpopular action, reviled by the vast majority of voters, directly against the legitimate parliamentary representatives of the people.
*edit* although it is fair to criticise what I’ve written as an insult to Marx, who was one of the great thinkers of the late 19th century. Some consider it more “Neo-feudalism” than Marxism, e.g. https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/09/10/extinction-rebellion-radical-reactionaries/
Nigel Garrage wrote:
Hmm. But maybe you could provide some proof.
Plenty of demonstrations are disruptive. That doesn’t make them neo-Marxist or anti-democratic. The involvement in some groups within a movement doesn’t align the whole movement. On the contrary, from its own website:
“If we are to have any hope of coping with the emergency, we have to move beyond the politics that have so far held us back, and into listening, dialogue and towards unity and action. Extinction Rebellion does not want to seize power, we want to place power in the hands of citizens.”
That sounds quite democratic, to me. It might not be the version of democracy you are used to or want (but then powerful fossil fuel lobby groups isn’t really democratic, either), but it is expressly democratic, and its objectives are primarily climate-focused, for the bnenefit of all – which is also democratic.
I’m not against XR being described as Marxist, however I’d prefer it if that was the basis of an evidence-based objective assessment of its structure, beliefs and objectives, rather than used as a basis for pejorative insult.
Nigel Garrage wrote:
— Nigel GarrageIf only those anti-democratic, car-hating Dutch had listened to you instead of the “Stop the kindermord” movement, which blocked roads, demanded safety and hassled politicians, against the will of the majority. Nothing just happens, you have to fight for what is right, democratic or not, especially when the majority are dumber than the average sheep.
eburtthebike wrote:
You originally said that calling XR anti-democratic was “[an] absurd allegation”. Yet you’ve just claimed that the suspension of democracy is a means to an end, that “the majority are dumber than the average sheep”, and that “you have to fight for what is right”. I’m sure Tommy Robinson has a similar view to you, but we’ll leave that discussion for another day.
I want you to do a little read-up on the “Stop the kindermord” movement: https://www.lcc.org.uk//pages/holland-in-the-1970s.
What do you notice about the photos, the descriptions? Do you think it looks similar to XR of today? No, of course not, because Stop the kindermord was a popular, peaceful, protest by normal people, against a disgracefully high number of road accidents and fatalities. It won because it achieved its aims through reasoned argument in a democratic manner. No statues or monuments were desecrated. No newspapers were blockaded. No one treated the protests as a dressing up competition.
Everyone has a right to peacefully protest, and peaceful protest has a long history in our democracy. It shines a light on injustice, and brings a public understanding of the issues at hand, putting pressure on politicians to act, eventually causing them to crumble under a deluge of public opinion.
The way that XR go about “protesting” alienates rather than unites. They detract from the issues at hand and antagonise the very people they need to persuade. But that’s because they don’t want to really solve the problem – they are professional protesters who want to fight. They are like 5 year olds who’ve never heard the story of the North Wind and the Sun.
Nigel Garrage wrote:
You are Socraticycless and ICMFP.
No but XR could help their
No but XR could help their cause(s) greatly by dropping their brand of politics from it,which is always just below the surface of every stunt they do.
The Daily Mail isnt responsible for this cycle lane removal, they havent relentlessly campaigned against it or forced the council to do anything, so what does protesting outside their office actually achieve, let alone mean ?
Will Kensington & Chelsea council turn around & go, sorry got that wrong your protest outside the Daily Mail totally convinced us to reinstate the cycle lane,thanks XR for opening our eyes to this injustice.
Because that’s the aim of the protest right ? To get the cycle lane reinstated…
Awavey wrote:
Any protest action is political. Any group or individual that participates brings their own brand. It is impossible to leave your politics behind whilst participating in action for change.
Theres nothing political
Theres nothing political about wanting cycle lanes,and it should be possible to totally leave politics out of it, because all that happens if you dont is instead of rationally debating with opponents,from all political views, cycle lanes and showing them the real benefits, we spin off in tangents and argue about what Marxism really is or whats the latest meme we can attach to former UKIP leaders, none of which advances the case for a cycle lane one iota.
And that’s what annoys me the most, it diverts all the attention, focus& energy away from the thing we actually want to campaign about and actually should be caring about the most, those kids who rode that cycle lane yesterday are impacted by these decisions, we owe it to them to be a bit more grown up about how we campaign on their behalf.
Awavey wrote:
I’m sorry Awavey, but I can’t agree
politics
noun
UK /ˈpɒl.ə.tɪks/
US /ˈpɑː.lə.tɪks/
B1 [ U ]
the activities of the government, members of law-making organizations, or people who try to influence the way a country is governed
[Source https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/politics%5D
It’s all about changing government, at whatever level, local or national. It is intrinsically political
Wanting cycle lanes is common
Wanting cycle lanes is common sense, right? To us, it all falls into place as making complete sense. Taking a car on a three mile journey across town is in most instances disproportionate, lazy, costly etc.
Yet I still come up against what to an awful lot of people is their “common sense” e.g. that bike lanes hold up the traffic, aren’t used, “dear Mr Editor, my four mile trip took an hour yesterday…” “the main road is closed 9 miles away from my small town centre pub and my trade is affected” and all the rest of it.
Many People have no experience of cycling, other than as some far-off childhood thing; they now have no memory of life before it was cars everywhere, all the bloody time, and they have no vision of what it could be like future-wise.
Our proposition of the future is alien to them – instead of the warm and comfy no-effort SUV leased on such reasonable terms – we offer sweat, oily hands, out of breath, cold, chafing. No wonder they react with such horror, develop I can’t possibly cycle infirmities, and run in to the welcoming arms of Conservative politicians.
This absolutely is political – we have engage with and to play the politics to try to gain ground. Even if others opt to vandalise the LTN planters.
David9694 wrote:
That to me David? if so couldn’t agree more
There is no point in not engaging politically. Eg why campaign for a cycle lane – do you then campaign for the next? And the next? How many hard-fought battles do you have in you?
Change the policy, however, and then you only have to fight once…. (in theory)
“Politics” has become a dirty word, for the likes of Mogg, de Pfeffel etc. But it encompasses any desire for change, and therefore cannot be left behind.
Boopop wrote:
Just wait until someone tells him about Emmeline Pankhurst and her crowd…..
Captain Badger wrote:
It’s just totally undemocratic, demanding a vote.
eburtthebike wrote:
There needs to be a consultation. With the anti-mob only…
And as for attending a Martin
And as for attending a Martin Luther King rally, well…
Captain Badger wrote:
I did consider mentioning the suffragettes!
What’s ‘loonie’ about wanting
What’s ‘loonie’ about wanting safe streets, clean air and healthy people?
By the way, your name seems to be associated with a nasty manipulative liar, though maybe you have different views from that particular piece of work.
It’s a play on words, sorry
It’s a play on words, sorry if you feel triggered.
Triggered? I must admit that
Triggered? I must admit that every time I see that face, I think of Toad of Toad Hall,
I wonder how he’ll get on now that his campaign of sucking up to Trump has ended?
hawkinspeter wrote:
Lol I’ve no idea, just because I’ve played on his name doesn’t mean I support him. In fact, I think he’s a nob! That said, I’m sure he will maintain an audience.
That is rather an undignified
That is rather an undignified comment. You’re being deliberately unpleasant and provocative. Farage is an arsehole, and I had assumed that you weren’t.
Username is a combination of
Username is a combination of a bottom-trawling, fraud-committing bilge merchant and a motor car storage facility.
May as well have named themself “I’m a huge trolling troll please give me some attention”.
Velo-drone wrote:
“drone” (verb): to pass or spend in dull or monotonous activity or in idleness
Looks like you’ve named yourself perfectly. Just because I disagree with you doesn’t invalidate my opinion or make me less of a cyclist, which is what I thought this website was catering for. So if you don’t like it, either a) ignore me, or b) snowflake off.
Thanks!
Velo-drone wrote:
I suspect it’s a sock puppet account of a certain attention-seeking troll on this site.
hawkinspeter wrote:
No doubt whatsoever – my professional expertise is in linguistics and semantics and it sticks out like a sore thumb! If one ran any of the commonly-available language-checking programs on their posts they would return a 90% probable match.
I’m afraid you’re both wrong.
I’m afraid you’re both wrong. Is Rendle your sockpuppet Peter? Just felt like spraying around a false allegation.
He does have form. Boo was
He does have form. Boo was him as well.
Edit – For clarity the Boo that disappered at the same time as his sabatical, not the similarly named account that has posted on this thread.
Actually, Extinction
Actually, Extinction Rebellion is the logical conclusion of the science of global heating – it’s the ‘not-in-my-namers’ who are the loonies.
Vigilantes, a culture war =
Vigilantes, a culture war = LTN planter vandals; XR … Discuss.
XR did a couple of massed Saturday cycle rides around Salisbury city centre – was it last summer or was it 2019, I lose track. Anyway, however well intentioned (or just point scoring) it may have been, I’m not convinced it was all that helpful, since it’s ordinary Joe’s like me that are going to be mixing with the slightly more pissed off with cyclists than before drivers, come Monday morning.
The people friendly Salisbury thing was strangled at birth and lasted barely a month. What would happen if we the went whole hog and removed all the one ways and roundabouts as well, I wonder.
Those I know who have been
Those I know who have been involved (to the extent of joining a sit down protest that blocked a road) just feel they have run out of ways to save the human race. Politicians talk about green policy and “build back better” but the moment it gets difficult, and 2 people assert their God-given right to drive an SUV 200 yards to KFC with the aircon on even if it takes an hour, they fold.
Picture the scene in 2050. “Grandma / Grandpa, what did you do in the war?”
“Well, I heard about the climate change thing in 1990, and even Mrs Thatcher got it, and at that point we could have made some changes. But by late 2020, almost nothing had been done and I still thought that something would come along. So I carried on driving and flying. Voted Conservative, because the most important thing is that individuals can choose to conserve their fate.”
Conservative party record on
Conservative party record on CO2 reduction here.
Always better to make decisions based on actual facts.
https://www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-uks-co2-emissions-have-fallen-29-per-cent-over-the-past-decade
That’s good to know, but
That’s good to know, but along with shutting coal power stations, it looks like a large part of the reduction was by simply importing stuff rather than making it – international aviation and shipping isn’t included in our CO2 figures (which have been increasing). Also, we’re not on target for meeting our 2030 target.
The post 1990 figures are
The post 1990 figures are flattered by deindustrialisation but the post 2010 figures are mostly due to the reduction in coal use and the concurrent increase in energy efficiency.
I agree that were currently not on track for our 2030 targets but we have some of the most ambitious targets of any major economy and these are getting even more ambitious, eg recent change to ICE vehicle ban.
There are many reasons to dislike the current government but on decarbonisation they’ve actually delivered.
(I’m quietly optimistic that they will deliver on increased cycling modal share too.)
I hope so.
I hope so.
I wasn’t intending a partisan criticism – it’s just that there’s a trend of Western countries moving their dirtier manufacturing over to China and then celebrating how we’re cleaning up our act because we don’t have to count it in our figures anymore. It’s all smoke and mirrors.
I agree, the use of the 1990
I agree, the use of the 1990 figures as a starting point is a bit sneaky as it allows politicians to take environmental credit for manufacturing moving to other countries.
It’s a figure you often see quoted though.
In the same vein I personally don’t see much point in spending billions to reduce the UK’s carbon footprint if the same money could produce greater reductions elsewhere in the world.
Climate change is a global problem, we need to think globally when it comes to solutions.
The difficult problem for
The difficult problem for your take on that analysis is that it doesn’t compare any party with another. It simply summarises some carbon dioxide statistics of the UK since 2010, and the Tories have been in government the entire time. Would things have gone better with any other party? We’ll never know.
But perhaps another party would have acted on the Ed Davey “oh shit” moment when he realised how insane the Drax subsidies are. They are, as far as I know, still being paid. And they could have maintained fuel duty in line with inflation. And they could have begun a programme of building insulation, creating jobs. But they have not.
Even the “build back better” opportunity – when we know government spending will have to rise – is being steered towards HS2 and £20 bn+ on road building, both of which have significant carbon costs, both now and in future operation.
So your blue glass may be half full – more improvement had been made than we might have expected. But my green glass is half empty, because there’s a vast amount more to be done, and it’s getting far more urgent and more difficult to do.
You can either make decisions
You can either make decisions based on objective evidence or based on ‘what ifs’.
The current government has achieved the greatest reduction in CO2 emisions out of any major advanced economy.
Have they got absolutely everything right? Of course not.
Would any party have got everything right? It would be naïve to think so.
TheBillder wrote:
I still want someone to explain to me, properly and rationally, why they simply must have an overseas holiday
Ignore Covid for the moment, and think about aircraft emissions.
Some of the worst Covid quotes I heard at the tail end of the summer were along the lines of “Well, I’m a key worker, and I deserve a holiday!”
There’s a lot of people with
There’s a lot of people with family/friends in other countries, so an overseas holiday is the only way they can meet up with them.
I voted Brexit and I fancy
I voted Brexit and I fancy Greece this year.