Chris Boardman slams “myopic” Streetspace ruling (and Shaun Bailey wants to compensate taxi drivers who brought case); BMX’er unconscious after ice cream parlour roof stunt; Police recover 22 stolen bikes + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Conservative mayoral candidate asks Sadiq Khan to compensate taxi drivers over unlawful Streetspace ruling
Shaun Bailey has gone further than just supporting the High Court’s ruling that Sadiq Khan’s Streetspace initiative was unlawful — the Tory London mayoral candidate wants taxi drivers to be compensated. Responding to the ruling, Bailey tweeted: “@SadiqKhan will you apologise and compensate the taxi drivers who lost business during the pandemic due to the restrictions?”
Streetspace was first rolled out in London last summer and was introduced to transform London’s streets to accommodate active travel better, but was challenged by the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association and the United Trade Action Group. The two groups argued the measures were unfair on taxi drivers and that taxis had failed to be distinguished from “general traffic”. Bailey claims this led to lost business for which they should be compensated.
In her ruling Justice Lang said Khan and TfL “took advantage of the pandemic” to rush through “radical changes”. The Interim Guidance to Boroughs was also quashed, which means TfL and the Mayor must “substantially” revise their plans. The guidance has led to many pop-up cycle lanes and LTNs being built.
Movistar's The Least Expected Day returns for a second season
📺🚴♂️ #ElDíaMenosPensado tendrá 2ª temporada. Todo sobre el 2020 de nuestro equipo. Disponible esta primavera.
🚨 Everyone had asked for it. The Least Expected Day returns this spring. Announced at Thursday’s #MovistarTeam2021 launch.@MovistarPlus pic.twitter.com/Nvqnk9oOe0
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) January 21, 2021
In an increasingly crowded pro cycling fly-on-the-wall documentary market, Movistar’s The Least Expected day was one of the better ones from 2020. The first season aired on Netflix in the spring when cycling fans most needed their racing fix and showed unseen moments of the dysfunctional relationship between Movistar’s GC leaders in 2019. Nairo Quintana and Mikel Landa have moved on since then and it was one of the team’s least successful seasons in recent memory with just one WorldTour win all year. Season two is coming this spring…
Bernie bike memes
When you claim your spot at the Carrefour de l’Arbre early for Paris-Roubaix 😉 https://t.co/OM9aThkSZk pic.twitter.com/Uy1bBFEZTr
— Simon MacMichael (@simonmacmichael) January 21, 2021
road.cc lines that aged well part one...
Lawyers for Dr Richard Freeman tried to have his tribunal adjourned so that he could help deliver the Covid mass vaccination programme…A reminder of news editor Simon MacMichael’s opening line from a story about the case back in February 2019: ‘Preliminary arguments mean case involving ex-Team Sky and British Cycling medic is bound to run over the 20 days allotted to it’. 701 days later…
Wout van Aert signs contract extension to stay with Jumbo-Visma until 2024
What can’t he do?😜#Wout2024 #samenwinnen pic.twitter.com/9TGXYoA2gn
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) January 21, 2021
We shared the rumours about this a couple of weeks back but this morning it’s been confirmed…Wout van Aert has signed a new contract with Jumbo Visma to keep him with the Dutch squad until 2024. On the deal he said: “I really wanted to extend because I have become a lot better with this team. I think everyone has seen that I have made huge steps forward as a rider in recent years. I was always in shape when I needed to. I owe a lot to the team to be able to work towards my goals. The decision that I wanted to re-sign was was made pretty pretty quickly in my mind. We have become the best team in the world. It was best for me to stay.”
Yesterday, Wout showed he’s got some strong form ahead of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships next Saturday…He’s flying…
Too fast to handle @WoutvanAert☄️💥⚡️ pic.twitter.com/Dgx04XjelM
— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) January 20, 2021
Dorset vehicle crashes caused 25 deaths in 2020
Dorset vehicle crashes caused 25 deaths in 2020, according to a report by the Bournemouth Echo. Although records show that 16 lives were lost, the figure doesn’t include crashes on private roads, those due to a medical episode or “unvalidated” incidents that are still being investigated. With these included the number is 25. Deaths were marginally down from 27 in the county in 2019, however during the first national lockdown there was a three-month period without a death. Five deaths in vehicle collisions were recorded in July alone.
On August 19, a 70-year-old cyclist died in hospital two weeks after being involved in a crash with a Ford Mondeo driver, while two pedestrians were killed in September.
Inspector Joe Pardey from Dorset Police told the Bournemouth Echo: “We are particularly keen to tackle the five biggest killers on our roads known as the ‘fatal five’. These are: drink and drug driving, excessive and inappropriate speed, not wearing a seatbelt, driver distractions such as using a hand-held mobile phone and dangerous/careless driving.”
New bike maintenance stands near Regent's Park
All you need to get started with maintenance and servicing, at no cost to the user 👍 pic.twitter.com/ogq3xi4dys
— London Cycling Campaign (@London_Cycling) January 20, 2021
"Turbo Durbo demolition": Team BikeExchange's Luke Durbridge wins solo by two minutes as pro racing returns in Australia
It was a nice return to racing for Luke Durbridge overnight in Australia. With the rest of the world barred, the Aussies are making the most of what would usually be the Tour Down Under by racing a revised four-stage Santos Festival. Durbridge won the first stage by over two minutes having attacked solo with 80km left. The highlight of the week should be the third stage which takes in the iconic finish up Willunga Hill. Can anyone beat Richie Porte?
Sam Bennett says he thinks cycling "gets trashed a lot" and that people only focus on the negatives
Sam Bennett says he wishes people in Ireland would focus less on the sport’s negative past. Speaking at the launch of NOW TV dublinbikes, which he starred in a brilliant ad for, Bennett said: “I think that unfortunately – and it’s a part that I don’t ever like to go into but – in Ireland they only focus on the bad sides of it but there’s so much good stuff to cycling and it’s such a fantastic sport that I just feel like it gets trashed a lot.
“It hurts because I’m a genuine guy and I work so hard that I don’t like that the image is destroyed at times.”
The Irishman has named another Tour stage win as his big goal for 2021 but would also like to win a first WorldTour one-day race. Currently, Bennett is scheduled to start his season at Paris-Nice before a double-header of big one-day races in March with Milan-San Remo and Gent-Wevelgem.
Police arrest 16-year-old for handling stolen goods as 22 bikes recovered
#Read |#Arrested
16yr old male arrested for handling stolen goods & 22 bikes recovered.Had your bikes stolen?? Take a look.#Share with someone that has.
Call us if you believe one of these might be yours.
We want to return these.📞 Call 101 and quote ref: 4996/19JAN21 pic.twitter.com/YoElIAv3qV
— Richmond Police | #StayHome (@MPSRichmond) January 21, 2021
A 16-year-old man has been arrested for handling stolen goods after police recovered 22 stolen bikes. The full collection can be viewed above and includes several Bromptons as well as a BMC and Specialized road bike. If you recognise any of these you can contact the police on 101 and quote the reference number 4996/19JAN21…
Back in November a study suggested that more than 110,000 bikes had been stolen in Britain since the pandemic began. In London, bike theft accounts for 10% of all reported crime with over 3,000 bikes reported stolen in the capital in September alone.
London Cycling Campaign's response to High Court ruling on TfL Streetspace plans
London Cycling Campaign (LCC) has also released a statement on Streetspace being ruled as unlawful by a High Court judge. LCC were disappointed by the outcome but stressed the decision shouldn’t have any impact on current schemes. The statement said: “Judicial Reviews look at the process of decision making and how it is recorded and we believe, like TfL, that Streetspace is both necessary and justified.
“TfL, the Mayor and boroughs should of course consider the needs of disabled and elderly people in every scheme. However, these represent a minority of trips by taxi, and while they are important to consider, it is also imperative that we give increasing priority to public transport, cycling and walking for the sake of all Londoners.”
LCC also suggested that the legal challenge is the latest act of the taxi industry opposing any scheme that seeks to cut car use in favour of active travel and emphasised there is no requirement yet to suspend or remove any Streetspace infrastructure.
Edinburgh to host a stage of 2021 Tour of Britain
Edinburgh will host the penultimate stage of the Tour of Britain later this year on Spetember 11. The finish will be in Holyrood Park, at the base of Arthur’s Seat. A quick look on Strava found a 1.4km climb at a steady 5.8% average to the top of the landmark. Could we see a cheeky uphill sprint?
The Tour of Britain is due to start in Penzance on September 5 and will live up to its name, finishing in Aberdeen eight stages later. Edinburgh last hosted the race in 2017, when the first stage left the city en route to Kelso where Caleb Ewan won the bunch kick.
BMX rider unconscious after jumping from roof of ice cream parlour stunt
A Costa Rican BMX freestyler was left unconscious after a stunt that involved him jumping off an ice cream parlour went badly wrong. Álvaro Esquivel was filming for a Vital BMX video but couldn’t stick the landing and hit his head on the road…He came round after being unconscious for a minute and was treated by paramedics at the scene before being taken to hospital.
“Now I’m waiting for the results of some tests. I was a little dizzy, but I feel good thanks to God,” Esquivel told Q Costa Rica. “The important thing is to give the truth of what was happening, because many people will take it as a madman who jumped off the roof just because, but no, it was a very important film.
“What happened was that I was about 10 centimeters short because I fell on the very edge of the sidewalk and it threw me back, then hit my head and was unconscious for almost a minute.”
What he said...
Is there another machine as low cost and high value as a bicycle?
Annual service, new seat, new brakes, new gear cable.
£62 all in.— George Monbiot (@GeorgeMonbiot) January 21, 2021
"Myopic": Chris Boardman on Streetspace scheme deemed unlawful by High Court judge
Remarkable ruling when no street has actually been ‘blocked off’ and no one has had access denied. The only thing stopped has been rat running. I sincerely hope this myopic ruling is overturned. https://t.co/YYmiluk8wP
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) January 21, 2021
Boardman has added his thoughts after the LCC released a full statement earlier (further down the page).
He said: “Remarkable ruling when no street has actually been ‘blocked off’ and no one has had access denied. The only thing stopped has been rat running. I sincerely hope this myopic ruling is overturned.”
While the ruling is been considered a blow for active travel, Mrs Justice Lang suggested that TfL and the Mayor should “substantially” revise their plans, and that even if they lose, more time can be granted before the quashing orders are issued for pop-up cycle lanes and LTNs brought in since the start of the pandemic. Those disappointed will also be enthused by plans for active travel in Paris, which were rejected by a judge before being given the go-ahead again following an appeal.
Those disheartened about the court ruling on Streetspace should remember this judgement is through a specific lens; the way streets work is complex and multifaceted.
Paris’ plans were also successfully challenged by lobbyists but the decision overturned.https://t.co/gVDVS06A4Y
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) January 21, 2021
21 January 2021, 09:01
21 January 2021, 09:01
21 January 2021, 09:01
21 January 2021, 09:01
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Latest Comments
@Pub bike - well, off-road (ICE) motorbikes have been available for decades, so you're right about the proposed law being too narrow. I've seen scrotes riding them in parks and on the roads, but they're much less common than the newer e-motorbikes.
@hawkinspeter I think my point buried in there somewhere is that the law being devised is too narrowly focused around electric bikes/motorbikes and it should encompass the sale of any kind of motorbike. The wording talks about "electrically assisted" which would seem to exclude throttle controlled bikes. The bikes I saw that had no pedals - and therefore the electricity does not assist but is the sole source of propulsion - would fall outside of this legislation, so already there is a loophole. It would probably help to have some technical input to this bill by people that actually understand the differences between bicycles, e-bikes, EAPCs and motorbikes before it goes too far.
The Streeting Rule is, Cycling and Walking tomorrow and Cycling and Walking yesterday, but never Cycling and Walking today.
It’s a nuanced proposition, for sure. I did start the article with “There are few hills I’m truly up for dying on, but kickstands on bikes is one of them” - and no comment here has changed my mind 😎
@ hawkinspeter you are absolutely right. But of course there is little enforcement, the police don't have the resources etc etc.
@jackcycles - no it reflects the reality that most folk are scared to cycle because of inconsiderate and dangerous drivers. Cycling numbers markedly increase when it is made safe to do so.
"Kickstands make every bike ride better" Can't think of any of my rides in the last few weeks that would have been "better" with a kickstand; a few that *might* possibly have been a bit more of a pain with one (especially with the amount of plant growth at the moment in the South West of the UK), but none it would have improved. So there we go, nice easy proof by contradiction.
I'll be surprised & amazed if all of those billions are actually delivered. I expect to hear, in a few years' time, that only a fraction of that was taken up for various reasons, & the rest was therefore diverted towards other 'number one issues'.
@bensynnock to be fair, there does seem to be a marshall shown in the picture.
@Rendel Harris Going down the hill was usually Ok ish, it was coming back up that was the problem, especially at night. Near the top it narrowed with hedges on a low wall, not somewhere you would chose to ride on your own in the dark. Best time was race days when it is all stationary!
27 thoughts on “Chris Boardman slams “myopic” Streetspace ruling (and Shaun Bailey wants to compensate taxi drivers who brought case); BMX’er unconscious after ice cream parlour roof stunt; Police recover 22 stolen bikes + more on the live blog”
Ah good, Shaun “homeless
Ah good, Shaun “homeless people can afford a £5000 deposit” Bailey wants the Mayor to blow a wad of CT payers’ money to compensate the alleged losses of a group of malcontents who try to block every clean air/traffic mitigation initiative in London on the basis of a ridiculously biased court judgement that has every chance of being overturned on appeal. Good job he hasn’t a snowball’s of getting in.
ETA What bloody losses anyway? The longer a cab journey takes and the more circuitous a route the more they charge! Perhaps Bailey thinks they should be compensated for the fall in customer numbers caused by more people riding bikes?
Haha! Good points. It didn’t
Haha! Good points. It didn’t occur to me what losses they want remuneration for.
If the cab drivers can
If the cab drivers can demonstrate what losses they have suffered due to active travel schemes rather than the pandemic then pay them. Oh wait, they can’t? Shame.
AidanR wrote:
They might have trouble showing much of a loss on previous years; a mate of my dad’s used to do quite a lot of cabbies’ accounts (many years ago, maybe things have changed with electronic payments) and he said it was a mystery to him why so many cabbies were fat because judging by what they declared to the taxman none of them could afford food…
This is Shaun Bailey the liar
This is Shaun Bailey the liar who blamed Sadiq Khan for TfL’s precarious finances. But Bailey completely ignored the drop in passenger numbers since the pandemic that had reduced income. Bailey also ignored the fact that Khan had managed to reduce the debt previous mayor Boris Johnson had left TfL with by 70% before the pandemic hit.
Genuinely Shaun Bailey is so
Genuinely Shaun Bailey is so useless and utterly unelectable I wonder if the Conservative party want to lose the election somehow? He’s miles behind in all the polls and always has been despite the media bias.
he’s just utterly awful and wrong in pretty much every way.
it’s just bizarre…
EddyBerckx wrote:
Just one word; Boris.
EddyBerckx wrote:
Well, having won a decent majority at the GE with a candidate who boasted those identical qualities, perhaps they think they’ve found the magic formula?
Rendel Harris wrote:
I fear that maybe they have. It never fails to amaze me how [enough of] the public keep returning to the chalice of Kool Aid….
Is Shaun Bailey also keen to
Is Shaun Bailey also keen to get cab drivers to compensate folk whose health has been damaged by their poison spewing death machines?
Enabling walking and cycling
Enabling walking and cycling in cities is the right thing to do.
The taxi driver associations and the Conservative Party Mayoral candidate are seeking a wrong and bad outcome. They should stop doing what they are doing.
I don’t really get why the
I don’t really get why the cabbies are complaining. Surely the knowledge test means they knew the long way to take any fare, so LTN’s just excused them for doing what they’ve done all along ?
Why take the long way though?
Why take the long way though? More money in several short hops that a few longer ones.
Only if you can get the fares
Only if you can get the fares. Driving is earning, waiting does not.
“taxis had failed to be
“taxis had failed to be distinguished from “general traffic”
And?
Why do Taxis need to be treated like a special breed? A significant number of them treat London like they own it already.
STiG911 wrote:
Exactly, any failure to distinguish taxis from general traffic is the failure of the taxis. They ARE general traffic.
Is that Shaun Bailey who
Is that Shaun Bailey who recently said that homeless families in temporary accommodation should be easily able to save c.£5K for a deposit on an affordable house? Delightful chap!
That’s the one. Totally out
That’s the one. Totally out of touch as well as being unfamiliar with the concept of truth.
OldRidgeback wrote:
Came across a lovely quote the other day, which applies to all politicians “‘We all know that Prime Ministers are wedded to the truth, but like other married couples they sometimes live apart’.
Re: New bike stands. I give
Re: New bike stands. I give it a week before the tools are cut off / pump tube damaged.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
Sadly you may be right, but actually there are a few robust track pumps dotted around London cycleways – there’s one on the junction of Royal Mint Street and Cable Street, for example – that are still going strong several years after being installed.
The ones near my office in
The ones near my office in Paddington remained intact for the year or so before lockdown, and may well still be so. Unlike my bike, which had its cables snipped and bar/shifters removed (hopefully not using the tools on the stand).
That was my first thought
That was my first thought when I read the article. Compare that to Zermatt in Switzerland. There are tools on cables outside every cable car station and chairlift, they are used by skiers. They’re all top quality Knipex tools, all brand new, and none have been stolen, or defaced.
Quote:
…for certain values of ‘important’…
About half of that Strava
About half of that Strava segment up Arthur’s seat is flat; the actual climb is a good bit steeper than 5.8%. (Felt a lot steeper on the couple of occasions I’ve done it but maybe that’s just me.)
I think the description of
I think the description of the Arthur’s Seat segment is pretty much spot on. From the turn off to the pond it’s a solid lump, with a short 10% bit in the middle.
https://www.strava.com/segments/686793
Careful if you go that way on an evening – I met pod racers going the wrong way round it twice in one summer.
It’s also very narrow by the
It’s also very narrow by the standards of sprint finishes. And be careful in the winter too as it’s not well gritted and can get icy. Snowy up there now…