The sequel nobody asked for — bike lane Amazon van is back; Wrong day for white shorts… cyclist rides alligator alley; Shell, domestic racing in crisis etc. etc. — British Cycling members welcome new CEO with extensive to-do list + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
The view from rugby league — "cycling's gain is league's loss"
Among the requests were good luck messages and thanks from those in the rugby league community who, from yesterday’s reaction, were quite impressed by the job Jon Dutton did as CEO of the successful Rugby League World Cup events in England in 2021.
Former England league and union international Jason Robinson said British Cycling had made a “great appointment”, while Mail Sport reporter David Coverdale agreed, saying Dutton “did a great job overseeing the Rugby League World Cup”.
Well all I’ll say is, cycling’s gain is definitely Rugby leagues loss. Good luck @jon_dutton72 👍
— stephen barlow (@wolrab316) April 13, 2023
Ah! Turns out I love cycling too! If Jon brings half the magic he brought to rugby league, we’ll be reet 👍
— @andypreston (@cockwomble12) April 13, 2023
Leeds Rhinos legend Barrie McDermott said he is “sure you’ll be a huge asset to the sport in the same you have been for us, good luck”.
Positive reviews, I’d say…
"Big job, best of luck, please do your best by our sport": British Cycling members suggest some early priorities for new CEO Jon Dutton
There’s a new boss at British Cycling…
> British Cycling appoints Jon Dutton as new permanent CEO
No sooner had the email dropped and the social media posts sent, the requests for Mr Dutton’s ‘to-do’ list were already flooding in from British Cycling members and the wider cycling community. We had mentions of Shell, the state of the British domestic racing scene, inclusivity concerns, too much focus on road and track, plus just about every other conceivable ask…
If he leads a roots and branch reform, with culture change at its heart, he’ll have my support for what it’s worth. Anything less will be pointless tinkering. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be yet another journeyman CEO.
— RideFastCoaching (@RideFastCoach) April 13, 2023
On Facebook, British Cycling’s post received a comment from one onlooker asking Dutton to not forget “cycling is so much more than just road bikes”, pointing out there’s ‘cross, MTB and BMX, all “massively underfunded”.
A big in-tray for this man.
How high up will domestic road racing be in his list of early priorities? https://t.co/uSZDU2YmAJ
— The British Continental (@BritishConti) April 13, 2023
Another, Lee Haigh, said: “I’m a ‘working class’ cyclist, but cycling especially road cycling, in my opinion, is far too much of a ‘white middle class’ sport dominated by mamil’s (many drs, solicitors and dentists etc) who can afford tens of thousands of pounds of the best equipment available to the pros!
“We’ve never been a cycling nation like Belgium or France and never will be whilst it’s only rich middle aged men that can afford it! That needs changing! I hope the new CEO will do something about that, but doubt it! Rich kids on expensive bikes!”
Rae Hughes commented: “So he wants to ensure ‘British Cycling continues to … positively impact communities …’ perhaps he might like to do something about the partnership deal with Shell that still has seven years to run. Surely a link up with a fossil fuel company, whose products do not ‘positively impact communities’, is not in the best interests of a sport with green credentials.”
“Better step up to the plate for women’s sport,” Neil Lawson added.
Just a few things for consideration… as one comment pointed out: “Big job, best of luck, please do your best by our sport”. No pressure…
Wrong day for white shorts... cyclist rides alligator alley
Yesterday it was Kriss Kyle’s 2,000ft hot air balloon BMX skills, today’s it’s this brave cyclist riding the snappiest gravel going that’s causing us a non-training-related elevated heart rate…
Alligator alley, as we’ve named it, looks like a pretty good route for some sprint training. Just drop in a full attack every time you meet a frightening reptile… you’ll be flying in no time…
Back in 2016, a Florida-based rider went viral for a YouTube video of him riding along a waterside path while bemoaning being “sick and tired with people putting these logs across the… oh that’s a crocodile… or an alligator”…
While visiting the southeasternmost U.S. state, Chris Froome was unphased by his gator encounter…
There is of course a more serious dangerous side to things… in 2021 a Florida man (yes, it’s always Florida) sustained injuries after falling off his bike and landing on an alligator, while way back in 2015 one of the state’s many reptiles was blamed for causing a six-rider pile-up after a group ride crashed after slipping on some scaly road kill.
Over half of UK drivers still confused by Highway Code change, shows survey
> Over half of UK drivers still confused by Highway Code change, shows survey
London's dockless Lime bikes being hacked thanks to TikTok
One of London’s most popular hire bike schemes is being hacked by users getting rides for free, London News Online reports, with TikTok videos reportedly showing how it’s done.
> Westminster starts removing hire e-bikes from central London streets on safety grounds
Westminster councillor Paul Dimoldenberg said they are “very concerned about the apparent ease with which these bikes can be hacked and essentially used for free”.
“There are videos across social media which demonstrate how to hack Lime bikes, and we hope that all dockless bike companies will do more to tackle this,” he said. “If these bikes are hacked, the rider is untraceable and the bikes can simply be dumped with impunity.”
Run aeroboy run: Alex Dowsett set to pin a race number on again... at the London Marathon
What does a retired pro cyclist do to enjoy life after a career at the highest level? Run the London Marathon… (obviously)…
Dowsett brought the curtain down on his 12-year professional career at the end of 2022, a period during which he won two stages of the Giro d’Italia and six national TT championships. Now, free from the ‘shackles’ of life in the WorldTour, the 34-year-old is turning his hand to other sporting aspirations and will run next weekend’s London Marathon to raise money for his haemophilia charity Little Bleeders.
“The London Marathon, you watch it every year and you only hear wonderful things from it. It looks incredible,” Dowsett told the BBC. “25 miles on the bike was a distance I specialised in. In the back of my mind I knew that was near enough a marathon. On a good day it would take me 45 minutes to an hour. I always thought the prospect of doing that on foot was daunting.
“I’m definitely nervous about it. The transition [from cycling to running] has been quite difficult, my body is quite fine-tuned to riding a bike and whilst I have a good engine my chassis isn’t ready for the impact of running so I’ve had to work on that.”
Who'd have thought it? GB News deputy political editor makes the case for "connected, protected cycleways" and less hi-vis talk
Things I didn’t expect to write today…
Well, especially not considering the GB News back catalogue in our archives…
> GB News presenter claims 15-minute cities and LTNs are “un-British” and “illiberal”
Yep, this is the comment of GB News presenter and deputy political editor Tom Harwood who shared this tweet…
British cycle commuters:
High Viz ✅
Helmet ✅
Clip in shoes ✅
Lycra ✅
Protected Cycle Ways ❌Dutch cycle commuters:
High Viz ❌
Helmet ❌
Clip in shoes ❌
Lycra ❌
Protected Cycle Ways ✅Would protective equipment or a protective environment make you feel safer cycling? pic.twitter.com/BHEseAojmw
— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) April 14, 2023
Put your anti-cycling bingo cards away, folks… Harwood agreed…
“This is a really good point. High vis nonsense wouldn’t be necessary, roads would frankly look nicer, if we worked towards connected, protected cycleways.”
I’m going to need a lie down, back with you in a bit…
DEALS, DEALS, DEALS
> Merlin Dealcincher Takeover — Fulcrum, Wilier, De Rosa, Castelli and more
Comment of the day
Mountain bike icon Danny MacAskill gets £8,500 stolen bike returned… after two years
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> Mountain bike icon Danny MacAskill gets £8,500 stolen bike returned… after two years
And if you'd rather watch our video
The sequel nobody asked for — bike lane Amazon van is back
Guess who’s back? Back again…
It’s me again @AmazonUK. Highway Code rule 243: “DO NOT stop or park where you would obstruct cyclists’ use of cycle facilities” & 247: “DO NOT load or unload where there are yellow markings on the kerb” pic.twitter.com/EA9O9AOq58
— Edward Tissiman (@edtiss) April 13, 2023
This is the sequel nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody, asked for. A few weeks back our Friday live blog covered the story of an Edinburgh cyclist, Edward, who waited 15 minutes for the driver of an Amazon-branded van to return from multiple deliveries to remove his vehicle from the segregated cycle infrastructure.
“I’ve never seen it without someone parked in it,” Edward told us…
We got in touch with Amazon and the company was quick to point out that Amazon Logistics engages independent delivery providers to provide delivery services, meaning it’s “important to note” that Amazon does not own the vehicles nor employ the drivers, so it would be “wrong to say Amazon driver”. Good to get straight to the important stuff…
“We have very high standards for the delivery service providers we work with and how they serve customers. We are investigating the incident.”
Clearly…
Anyway, at least the Amazon help account got involved this time, that’ll sort it, I’m sure…
Hi there! We’d like our Operations team to look into this. When you have a moment, please send us your details here: https://t.co/izwnhXnAMC, so we can take a closer look. -Brooke
— Amazon Help (@AmazonHelp) April 13, 2023
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I'll counter that by saying the Bryton 750se I have drives me nuts at times. Inconsistantly picks up on routes created on Komoot and the app re-syncs every few seconds when trying to set up the device and sends me back to the home screen. The most infuriating one is that I turned live track on. Once. It now won't turn off and repeatedly flags up the live track is starting, and then disconnecting every few seconds whilst riding. I haven't timed it but it wouldn't suprise me if 10-20% of the time the the screen is covered with an error message. That's been about 6 weeks now. Other than that it's great :/
RE: Police launch road safety operation... by clamping down on cyclists using footbridge Meanwhile in Glasgow, Police Scotland are riding their motorbikes over the pedestrian and cyclists only bridge. https://x.com/FietserGlasgow/status/2065106152917012523?s=20
@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.
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.
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").
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.)
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
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...
@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.
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.
37 thoughts on “The sequel nobody asked for — bike lane Amazon van is back; Wrong day for white shorts… cyclist rides alligator alley; Shell, domestic racing in crisis etc. etc. — British Cycling members welcome new CEO with extensive to-do list + more on the live blog”
This one is a news story that
This one is a news story that completely passed me by:
Shamed cyclist who killed woman, 79, on pavement before riding off found dead in woods
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/shamed-cyclist-who-killed-woman-26694753
It’s always the wrong day for
It’s always the wrong day for white shorts.
Steve K wrote:
and white shoes, saddles and bar-tape. ?
Classic response from Amazon:
Classic response from Amazon: that’s got nothing to do with us, we just pay them to do it and put our brand on it.
We want you to 100% belive
We want you to 100% belive the service is a seamless product of amazon, until we do something criminal then it is 100% not our fault.
As well as its brand, it puts
As well as its brand, it puts other spurious labels on, too. Labels that try to make out it’s a huge HGV, instead of a panel van:
oursome random, unaccountable driver is trained not to look what they are doing.Amazon van with Amazon
Amazon van with Amazon colours and Amazon branding, they’re happy to take all the advertising and credit when it goes right. So very quick to wash their hands of it and claim “not us, independent contractor” when it goes wrong. Can’t have it both ways
ajft wrote:
That should be the case but I think you’ll find that like so many businesses “having it both ways” is the business model (drivers employed as “contractors” by Amazon Flex I believe).
Same goes for tax (unclear on Amazon’s arrangements but it’s usually “we barely make a profit in your country”…)
ajft wrote:
Unfortunately, they can (and seem to be actively encouraged to do so).
“Another, Lee Haigh, said: “I
“Another, Lee Haigh, said: “I’m a ‘working class’ cyclist, but cycling especially road cycling, in my opinion, is far too much of a ‘white middle class’ sport dominated by mamil’s (many drs, solicitors and dentists etc) who can afford tens of thousands of pounds of the best equipment available to the pros!”
Go fornicate yourself Lee, from a fellow working class cyclist.
Because there’s not enough bigoted nonsense thrown at us from all sides without us turning on ourselves with this utter crap.
Driving is a middle class
Driving is a middle class sport. Only the super rich can afford a mazerati or a ferrari because drivers are all rich white men.
Also, why does this person
Also, why does this person think that anyone but a top level pro (who doesn’t pay for their bike) NEEDs a top level bike to go racing, the difference between a super cheap bike and a 10 grand superbike is less than 10% of the performance. The difference between a good medium bike and a superbike is going to be way less.
RE: Amazon van – in an
RE: Amazon van – in an unfortunate coincidence that’s just outside Leith Cycle Co here…
(I’ve been in a couple of times though never used for maintenance – they seem to be nice folks).
Re the Amazon parking on
Re the Amazon parking on Leith Walk. I think it’s about time we had a “just a minute” protest such as they have in Canada.
https://www.eta.co.uk/2022/05/04/just-a-minute-protest-targets-drivers-blocking-cycle-lanes/
Safety wrote:
I like that, a lot
But I also liked the other part of that article:
Sounds like that would fit
Sounds like that would fit right in. Per graffiti I saw there “What is Leith? Begbie, don’t hurt me…”
Umm, what happens after the
Umm, what happens after the catclaw is triggered ?
Hirsute wrote:
Welcome to Edinburgh, pal (pic taken on the Hawthorne Path).
Considering Jon Dutton’s
Considering Jon Dutton’s track record in previous sports; particularly in his last job for Rugby League, and he has previously worked with BC and the UCI, I believe he is someone who understands the sporting and community aspect as well as the business side of governing bodies. Considering sporting governing bodies are effectively run by sporting administrative journeymen, and not ex-athletes with a personal interest, the clinical approach used by previous CEOs and those in other sports should be mellowed somewhat in Dutton’s approach.
Here’s hoping my belief is right, and his time as custodian leads to the changes and improvements that the domestic scene is desperately looking for, both from a competitive and from a social and commuting standpoint.
I’d be happier if I knew what
I’d be happier if I knew what his aims or goals were for his tenure, the classic interview questions where do you see yourself in 5 years? What’s your view on this hot topic ? How would you improve cycling as a sport ? How are you different than the last ceos Etc etc.
At the moment he’s just another in the identikit bland guy in a suit administrators, sporting bodies in the UK excel at giving jobs to.
I’m sure that those answers
I’m sure that those answers will come in due course. The appointment was fairly sudden in the public eye, so adjustments to his role are likely to come first, along with working out what type of changes need to be made.
For an ‘identikit bland guy
For an ‘identikit bland guy in a suit’ he was a success with the Rugby League World Cup which was delayed a year after nearly being cancelled completely, rugby league has has had its share of problems administratively so it stands out more when judging this outcome as a success. Having worked in a poorly resourced sport with a huge community participation can only have added to his experience going forward for cycling to benefit from.
It’s quite clear there has
It’s quite clear there has been a steady drift into delivery vehicles parking unlawfully, and both on social media and in interactions it is also clear that these drivers believe they are entitled to do it.
The trouble is that as it is habitual, they also do it when urgently picking up their lunchtime pastie, and other drivers are starting to copy.
I gave a white van a hearty slap on my way home on Tuesday (checking the mirror that there was no driver to door me, but I could see there was a passenger to wake up) who was parked on zig-zags to pop into One Stop – clearly a builder, not deliverer. The car behind was parked on double yellows (and highly unlikely to be loading as allowed by the exemption for goods). Caused quite a nuisance and a genuine safety issue for the crossing.
Locally, drivers are now incapable of parking without blocking a pavement or cycle lane, and I am sure if challenged would claim that otherwise they would block the road. Well, perhaps if they don’t think it is right to block the road, (typically causing no more nuisance than blocking the pavement and half a lane so traffic still needs to pause), then they need to reassess their parking strategy. Often locally this would involve the tedious effort of using a driveway.
IanMSpencer wrote:
I wonder if, like many things, this could be blamed on the pandemic. During the lockdowns, delivery drivers became much more important because we needed stuff delivering. So many came to believe they were providing a Very Important Service so f- off with yer rules’n’regulations.
Could be. What has happened
Could be. What has happened over the last decade or so is a massive expansion in this market. Ultimately simple “selection pressures” will cause any and all rules to be tested. Value of delivery is in large part judged on speed. If one company can do it quicker / the same volume more cheaply it will get the business.
Without strong negative feedback no change will occur. That is: swift consequences in a sufficient number of cases. Consequences which need to also reach the higher ups not just the grunts – and ultimately the shareholders. Especially when society in general doesn’t really see this as an issue. With some local exceptions there is approximately zero feedback for illegal parking in general, never mind the merely dangerous / antisocial type.
chrisonatrike wrote:
Hey: remember when Amazon was an online bookshop?
Remeber Borders…? Lots of
Remember Borders…? Lots of reasons for “change” but – shock! – it turns out that people really like “cheap” and “don’t have to go anywhere to get one”…
chrisonatrike wrote:
I liked Borders. I liked a big f-ing huge bookshop that had actual physical copies so you could browse and go, “Wow – never heard of that, it looks interesting, think I’ll get that”.
Even Waterstones (the last big bricks-and-mortar bookshop) doesn’t do that any more
[/quote]
Hey: remember when Amazon was an online bookshop?
[/quote]
Jesus, I can remember when Amazon was a river.
mike the bike wrote:
Hey: remember when Amazon was an online bookshop?
[/quote]
Jesus, I can remember when Amazon was a river.
[/quote]
I don’t believe Jesus had even heard of the Amazon…
brooksby]
[quote
Nope, Amazon is a hyper-scaler, public cloud platform to rival Azure, Google etc..
IanMSpencer wrote:
But – they pay pavement tax…
“Who’d have thought it? GB
“Who’d have thought it? GB News deputy political editor makes the case for “connected, protected cycleways” and less hi-vis talk”
I’m sorry, did the tunnel I cycle through this morning contain a portal to an alternative universe?
I think I need a lie down too, Dan.
That’s one way to create a
That’s one way to create a new LTN https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/23456094.tut-hill-bury-st-edmunds-permanently-closed-traffic/
This is what Right Said Fred
This is what Right Said Fred tried to warn us about! 😉
Looks good (obvs. I don’t know the local details).
Wonder if it will go like a local no-through-road intervention close to my place? You need monitoring and quick response to people “granting access”. The one near here – folks first drove over the verge / through vegetation to get round. After a bit they moved some of the barriers. When these were reinstated, very quickly a large planter was trashed and a couple of substantial concrete barriers were shifted. Not sure if it’s part of council plan to remove this now (it was Covid-era) but the road is back to being a through-road.
Sometimes where there’s a “won’t” there’s a “will!” and a way.
“Only cyclists may now pass
“Only cyclists may now pass through the gate.”
Pedestrians: “You shall not pass “
Not sure many can fit a two
Not sure many can fit a two seater sofa in their car…