Top road safety cop shuts down bicycle number plates talk… asks for media to focus on “primary causes of road death”, not cyclists; Council slammed for replacing pub’s outdoor seating area with bike racks; Overgrown cycle lanes + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Froome headlines Ventoux one-day race
Roll up, roll up, get your running jokes…
Froome returns to scene of THAT Quintana-crushing 2013 stage win (and THAT 2016 jog) for today’s fifth edition of the Mont Ventoux one-day race. Two ascents of the famous mountain on the cards, although perhaps Froome’s teammate Michael Woods is a better tip all things considered?
Time will tell. Elsewhere on the startlist: in form Spanish climber Cristián Rodríguez, Giro stage winner Einer Rubio, his Movistar teammate and fellow Colombian climbing wizard Iván Sosa, French prospect Lenny Martinez, 2019 winner Jesús Herrada, plus enigmatic double Dauphiné stage winner from 2021 Mark Padun.
Welcome to the jungle: Overgrown cycle lanes
Ah summer… stifling heat, downpour-sodden commutes, tan/burn lines, planning your route around water. Add overgrown cycle lanes to the list of inconveniences… (I’m well aware I moaned all winter about the cold and rain, we’re based in the UK, it’s what we do)…
“Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lanes?” Well, this, I kid you not, is the designated cycle lane on the busy A4074 between Wallingford & Benson. Narrow, overgrown, unpleasant and unsafe. Come on, @OxfordshireCC, we can do better than this! @psud12 @AndrewGant3 pic.twitter.com/v6dZcrKyiy
— GreenAndrea (@AndreaJPowell2) June 12, 2023
Elsewhere…
Abingdon Road near Culham has a similar feel pic.twitter.com/8YkqxqfvrS
— Ben Poole (@_ben_p) June 12, 2023
Less permanent than this at least…
Post pics of shit cycling infrastructure hashtag #ShitCycleLanes. pic.twitter.com/utvXaQ86Iv
— CycleNotts² (@CycleNott) January 16, 2023
Eggcelent bike storage
But what if I need to transport 200 mixed weight free range eggs? Can’t do that by bike, can you?
When the design of your cycling infrastructure takes everyone into account, not only the young and fit, you see all kinds of people using it, with all kinds of cargo.
How else are you going to transport 200 eggs? 😁 pic.twitter.com/EGLqUgCUCf— Amaury (@AmauryJBxl) June 12, 2023
Mont Ventoux race cut to single climb due to storm risks
And the entire peloton breathes a sigh of relief…
Today’s one-day race on Mont Ventoux has been shortened by 55km, with the second and final ascent of the Giant of Provence cut from the route due to the risk of storms this afternoon.
🔴En raison des mauvaises conditions météorologiques, l’arrivée sera jugée au sommet de la première ascension du Mont Ventoux. pic.twitter.com/X5c70svLiw
— Équipe Cycliste Groupama-FDJ (@GroupamaFDJ) June 13, 2023
Chris Froome and co. were originally set to tackle a double ascent of the legendary mountain, but thanks to the threat of storms later in the day on the exposed, lunar-like landscape of the Ventoux, the organisers have decided to shelve the final, tougher climb from Bedoin.
The race will still finish on top of the Ventoux, however, and will cover 99km instead of the planned 154km. With the climb from Bedoin – the side traditionally used in the Tour de France for summit finishes – scrapped, the new finish will see the riders ascend from Sault, a longer and less severe variation on the mythic climb, averaging five percent over its 24.3km.
“Due to adverse weather conditions, the finish of the race will be taken at the summit of the Ventoux after the first ascent,” the race organisers said in a statement.
“We have taken this decision to ensure the safety of the riders, which is our priority. We are naturally a bit disappointed, as the organisers, not to have the route we initially set out, but this decision is the wise one.”
But don’t worry too much, as we’ll still be treated to some classic Ventoux action this lunchtime. The final six kilometres will still take in the iconic, barren section after Chalet Reynard and, combined with the shorter distance and (relatively) less taxing approach, should result in some explosive racing.
Just don’t expect any running this time, eh Froomey?
Team DSM unveil new name and new very, very, very, very dark blue kit
New name, same team, same values…introducing Team dsm-firmenich 🤩
We’re excited to debut our new look at the @giro_donne and @LeTour! 🙌🏻#KeepChallenging pic.twitter.com/F46tjHnNuH
— Team DSM (@TeamDSM) June 13, 2023
Out with the old Team DSM, in with the new Team dsm-firmenich…
The name change for the Dutch team, which boasts Romain Bardet and the talented young British duo Max Poole and Pfeiffer Georgi, reflects the merger between health multinational DSM and Firmenich last month, and will make its debut at the upcoming Giro Donne and Tour de France.
(Eltoromediadotcom)
As well as the new name, DSM also revealed its new (kind of, I suppose) kit, complete with updated logo and – apparently – “blue” colour scheme.
Or, as Father Ted might say:
https://t.co/wXHlunXP95 pic.twitter.com/iC2PR4qu53
— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) June 13, 2023
‘Just leave your bike in the train’s designated cycle storage area… Yep, that’s the one, alongside the bins’
A classic of the Bikes on Trains live blog genre here, posted on a local active travel Facebook group by cyclist Karina as she travelled from Southampton to Brighton yesterday evening.
Apparently all the passengers squeezing past were “very understanding”. The bins, not so much…
“Surely we can do better”: A day in the life of a cyclist in Belfast
As dedicated readers of the live blog will be well aware (as I keep banging on about it), Northern Ireland’s approach to cycling infrastructure and safety is somewhat… outdated, to say the least.
That lacklustre approach was succinctly summarised yesterday by Sustrans, who gave us an insight into a ‘Day in the life of a cyclist in Belfast’ on Twitter:
Thread: A day in the life – #walking & #cycling in Belfast – 4 Sustrans staff were nearly creamed crossing at green light for pedestrians at Donegal Quay junction with Ann St as a car did a rogue turn coming off Queen’s Bridge…but only cyclists go through red lights @PSNIBelfast pic.twitter.com/eGYk4VvVHr
— Sustrans in Northern Ireland (@SustransNI) June 12, 2023
First up: “Four Sustrans staff were nearly creamed crossing at green light for pedestrians at Donegal Quay junction with Ann St as a car did a rogue turn coming off Queen’s Bridge… but only cyclists go through red lights.”
And then… “Cycled into city centre – pushed bike through ‘pedestrianised’ College St beside Fountain Centre full of parked cars and moving vehicles. Tried to get on bike at cycle lane in Queen St, woman sitting in parked car idling engine and blocking lane.”
Classic.
“Turned right into Castle St, sat waiting for red light to change at Primark – sensor still doesn’t appear to work for bikes? Finally out of city into Belfast Harbour estate to use dedicated cycle lane – covered in broken glass.”
The charity concluded: “Poor show. Just a bad day or is this other people’s experience of walking and cycling in Belfast? Surely, we can do better.”
Surely…
French neo-pro Lenny Martinez takes first pro win on Mont Ventoux
Prima vittoria in carriera per Lenny Martinez che a soli 19 anni fa sua la Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenges 🔥#CICMV pic.twitter.com/C8VpJZJvZZ
— Matteo Vasile (@TeoMatt89) June 13, 2023
Remember the name…
19-year-old Lenny Martinez, one of the new crop of ever-younger ‘Next Big Things’ in cycling, took the first win pro win of his career today, and on Mont Ventoux of all places.
The precocious Frenchman outkicked hilltop-sprinter-in-chief Michael Woods to come out on top in a seven-rider sprint at the end of the shortened 99km one-day race finishing on the Giant of Provence. EF-Education EasyPost’s British rider Simon Carr managed third after failing to match Martinez’ initial burst just before that iconic right-hand bend towards the summit.
After strong performances at the Volta a Catalunya and last week’s Dauphiné, Martinez has certainly underlined the potential that set French tongues wagging during his U23 career.
Just don’t mention Bernard Hinault, the Tour de France, or 38 years, alright?
“What a joke”: Pub slams council’s decision to rapidly replace outdoor seating area with bike racks “without warning”
This is currently happening on Parliament street. Where we received a message with no reason why permit was refused and clearly this had being planned for weeks . What is going on @DubCityCouncil pic.twitter.com/ZRG1IWdQtT
— Street 66 Dublin (@st66dublin) June 12, 2023
Dublin City Council has come in for heavy criticism, from cyclists and non-cyclists alike, after rapidly moving to install a bike rack in an area which only two days previously had been the site of outdoor seating for a pub.
Siobhán Conmy, the owner of Street 66, a LGBTQ+ venue in Dublin city centre, says the bar’s rolling outdoor furniture licence – which has enabled it to have a popular seating area located on their loading bay – was rejected for the first time in years on Friday afternoon.
Then on Monday morning, a row of bike racks was installed in the loading bay, a swift turnaround described by Irish cycling website Sticky Bottle as the “fastest anyone has ever seen Dublin City Council moving”.
— Street 66 Dublin (@st66dublin) June 12, 2023
“Last Friday I was applying for the outdoor furniture license as normal, like we did over the last few years. I applied in October and then in March. I rang the Council every week to get an update. On Friday at 3pm I was told that we were refused for the loading bay,” Conmy told Extra.ie.
“Then [yesterday] morning one of my customers was passing by and told me Dublin City Council put bike racks on the loading bay. I hadn’t been notified, we haven’t been given the chance to appeal or been told why it’s been refused.”
I love a bike rack as much as the next man, but these are poorly placed, without consultation, and, as usual, they look horrific!
Remove Bike Rack outside Street66 Reinstall outdoor area – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/0ONHcaP8aS trí @Change
— Malachy McKeever (@MalachyMcKeever) June 13, 2023
Conmy also told the website that she believes she should be “given the chance to appeal”, especially considering the rapid-fire installation of the eight bike racks comes during Pride Month, the bar’s busiest period, and questioned the need for additional bike parking facilities on the street.
“The loading bay I assume would be reinstalled as a loading bay rather than a bike rack area. Which is dangerous outside a busy bar. The delivery drivers will be completely frustrated, our delivery day is tomorrow and they’ll have to drive up a footpath to do their job,” she said.
“Coming up to Pride Month, we have massive orders coming in. I don’t understand at all why it happened. It feels a little suspicious why a bike rack was installed on a Monday morning after a permit was refused on Friday evening.
“This one of our busiest months, we have tours coming from all over the world. There are nice vibes for the next couple of weeks.
“There are 26 bike racks on the street already, it seems very strange why they added an extra eight. I’d like an explanation why this was done outside our front door and why we weren’t given any form of notice or chance to appeal.”
An online petition calling for the bike racks to be removed has already been signed by almost 4,000 people, while ‘remove bike rack’ was trending on Irish Twitter.
One Labour councillor described the council’s decision as “really not good enough”, while iconic Irish drag queen and gay rights activist Panti Bliss tweeted that “None of this adds up. Dublin City Council isn’t being upfront here. Solidarity with Street 66.”
We do not support the installation of the bike parking outside @st66dublin on Parliament Street
Aside from the obvious issues with removing outdoor seating during Pride month, this is an example of very poor planning by @DubCityCouncil on a street that should be pedestrianised https://t.co/Xy5fR7XU6t
— Dublin Cycling Campaign (@dublincycling) June 12, 2023
Notably, the move to install the bike racks has also been criticised by local cyclists, with the Dublin Cycling Campaign arguing that the loading bay was too narrow to facilitate bikes.
“We do not support the installation of the bike parking outside,” the group tweeted.
“Aside from the obvious issues with removing outdoor seating during Pride month, this is an example of very poor planning by Dublin City Council on a street that should be pedestrianised.
“These also look like a temporary installation which is confusing. The location also suggests it might be too narrow for bikes and they would stick out on the path or road.”
Call for mandatory cycling helmets from children's hospital consultant
In other news from Ireland, it’s perhaps reassuring to find out that the mandatory bike helmet debate isn’t just a culture war phenomenon confined to the UK (and Italy this week, too)…
> Call for mandatory cycling helmets from children’s hospital consultant
Hot Dutch Cycling Summer
What to do on a hot June weekend in the Netherlands? Get on your bicycle and head to the beach! @annaholligan – BBC Foreign Correspondent – perfectly captured the result of Dutch cycling infrastructure that enables easy access to Scheveningen. pic.twitter.com/Hd2gt389J0
— Dutch Cycling Embassy (@Cycling_Embassy) June 12, 2023
“On a day like this, you wouldn’t be in your car, would you?” Never were truer words spoken…
Ar-No Démare: Departing French sprinter left out of Groupama-FDJ Tour de France squad AGAIN, as Thibaut Pinot prepares for tenth and final Tour
Thibaut Pinot has been granted the fairytale ending to his career many had hoped for, with Groupama-FDJ boss Marc Madiot this afternoon naming the mercurial French climber among the five riders definitely heading to Bilbao for the start of the Tour de France in July.
The 33-year-old, who is retiring from the sport at the end of this season, will hope to keep the form he displayed during a tumultuous three weeks at the recent Giro d’Italia, where he finished fifth overall and won the mountains classification but narrowly missed out on two gilded opportunities for a farewell stage win in Italy.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Pinot will be joined by Valentin Madouas, Kevin Geniets, Tour de Suisse time trial stage winner Stefan Küng, and David Gaudu, who will be expected once again to spearhead Groupama-FDJ’s yellow jersey challenge after finishing fourth overall last year, despite a subpar performance at last week’s Critérium du Dauphiné.
The remaining three names on the start list will be announced closer to the Tour.
There will definitely be no place again, however, for sprinter Arnaud Démare, who misses out on his second consecutive Tour as Madiot favours a team capable of riding with the best on the Tour’s biggest climbs.
“Our team will be focusing on the mountains,” Madiot said in a statement today. “The objective is, of course, the general classification with David Gaudu. We’ll also allow ourselves to go on the offensive with Thibaut Pinot, Valentin Madouas, and Stefan Küng.”
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Speaking to L’Équipe at the Tour de Suisse, where he finished second yesterday to Biniam Girmay, Démare said he was informed of his omission last week and that 2023 will mark his last year with the French team with whom he turned pro eleven years ago.
“This was the second hard blow,” the 31-year-old told the newspaper. “At the Boucles de la Mayenne, [Madiot] announced that it was the end with the Groupama. Not in so many words, but I understood that it was all over. He told me: ‘We can’t keep you’. And that’s it.”
Referring to the decision to leave him out of the Tour squad, despite preparing for the race all year, Démare said: “I’m angry and disheartened because I worked for this, and I made concessions this winter knowing that I would only have one teammate with me for the sprints.
“It wasn’t a contest between Thibaut and me for a place. The three of us [with Gaudu] could have done a good job together.”
(ASO/Fabien Boukla)
Démare’s absence in France will certainly come as a welcome relief to the misfiring Gaudu, who was forced to apologise to his teammate back in January after a leaked group chat message revealed that the pair don’t talk to each other and that the 26-year-old French GC hope was vocal about his feelings concerning the sprinter’s place in Groupama’s Tour squad.
I’m not sure Gaudu is too pleased with Pinot’s Tour swansong potentially detracting from his GC bid either if I’m honest, but at least it’ll make for compelling viewing on Netflix…
“Feel free to join in”: Thomas De Gendt set to swap Tour de France for his own tour from Belgium to Costa Blanca
While Thibaut Pinot is set to make his tenth appearance at the Tour de France next month, another much-loved veteran of the peloton, Thomas De Gendt, won’t be marking his own decade of Tour starts, having ruled himself out of the Grande Boucle after a difficult, injury-plagued season.
The 36-year-old breakaway legend broke his hand in a crash at Paris-Nice in March and, after abandoning the final stage of the Dauphiné on Sunday, decided that he wasn’t in the right shape to ride the Tour, telling Lotto-Dstny manager Kurt Van de Wouwer to remove his name from the longlist for selection.
“I was not shocked by that phone call,” Van de Wouwer told Sporza. “I felt it coming. It is a logical consequence of everything Thomas has already encountered this season. We need a De Gendt in the Tour who is 100 percent and at the moment he is not.”
So, instead of riding the Tour, De Gendt will undertake his own mini tour in preparation for his next big racing target, the Vuelta.
The Belgian will spend 12 days riding from his home in Flanders all the way to the favoured pro retreat of Calpe, on the Costa Blanca. Oh, and via the mountains of Andorra, too.
De Gendt tweeted yesterday looking for volunteers to tag along with him, if you fancy an epic ride this summer. If you can keep up with cycling’s ultimate lone ranger, of course…
Any volunteers to tag along somewhere? Feel free to join in. https://t.co/1Dmw9FhXlR
— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) June 12, 2023
Tour de Suisse: Mattias Skjelmose wins the battles of the wonderkids as Remco Evenepoel struggles after attack on summit finish
Pure grit 😤 #TDS2023
📸 @SprintCycling pic.twitter.com/CLBpJbPwzJ
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) June 13, 2023
Following teenager Lenny Martinez’ breakthrough win on Mont Ventoux earlier today, this afternoon at the Tour de Suisse 22-year-old Mattias Skjelmose grasped another opportunity to strike fear into the hearts of the peloton’s older generation, outgunning Felix Gall to take the stage win and leader’s jersey on a sodden day in the Swiss mountains.
The Danish prospect, who has been consistently impressive all year, backing up early season stage wins with three top tens at April’s hilly classics, was one of only two riders, along with the Austrian Gall, who could follow the king of the young ‘uns, world champion Remco Evenepoel, when the world champion attacked with 6km to go on the slick slopes to Villars-sur-Ollon.
¡Victoria de Mattias Skjelmose! El ciclista danés del (Trek-Segafredo) consigue la victoria de la tercera etapa del Tour de Suiza, con Gall segundo, Juan Ayuso tercero y Pello Bilbao sexto. Skjelmose, además de la victoria, pasa a ser el nuevo líder de la general.😍💪👍 pic.twitter.com/q6rvSDvU2Y
— ⚡Maza⚡ (@MazaCiclismo) June 13, 2023
But despite forcing the pace following his attack, Evenepoel, taking part in his first race since Covid wiped his Giro bid, suddenly and surprisingly (and smoothly, it must be said) wilted in the final kilometres.
First Gall, then Skjelmose, took advantage of the world champion’s unexpected capitulation, the Dane proving too strong in the last few hundred metres, grabbing the stage and the leader’s jersey in the process.
To continue the youthful theme on the first mountain stage of this year’s Tour de Suisse, 20-year-old Juan Ayuso attacked the second group as Evenepoel dropped back to take third on the day, while another 20-year-old, Cian Uijtdebroeks, managed fifth.
Fourth place for @EvenepoelRemco on this hard #TourdeSuisse2023 summit finish, where the victory went to Mattias Skjelmose. pic.twitter.com/eIStnIsMev
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) June 13, 2023
And who was in fourth? Well, Remco of course – the old man (he’s 23 now, practically ancient) rallying as the gradient eased to lead his group home and show, despite a brief collapse, that there’s plenty of life in those aging legs yet.
I joke, but with cycling’s stars getting younger and younger, it’s starting to feel like the 23-year-olds are the elder statesmen these days…
Now there’s an idea…
Number plates on pedestrians foreheads?
— Harry Claireaux (@harryclax) June 13, 2023
Get that man on Good Morning Britain, first thing tomorrow!
Top road safety cop shuts down bicycle number plates talk... asks for media to focus on "primary causes of road death", not cyclists
Detective Chief Superintendent Andy Cox has joined the discussion on number plates for cyclists, saying he welcomes the media’s road danger coverage… but suggested they would be better served “focusing on the primary causes of road death” which, he added, “is not cycling and it’s not the issue of cyclist registration plates”…
I’d really welcome more road danger media coverage, especially if that focussed on the primary causes of road death. Btw, this is not cycling and it’s not the issue of cyclist registration plates. https://t.co/ngwqpMaudq
— Andy Cox (@AndyCoxDCS) June 12, 2023
A comment that sparked calls for Good Morning Britain to get in touch next time they need someone to ‘debate’ Howard Cox…
This all comes after the Partridgian heir Richard Madeley, the aforementioned Fair Fuel UK founder Cox and Timmy Mallett covered the topic in a rather rushed Good Morning Britain segment on yesterday morning’s show.
In a series of events you can probably already predict, Cox claimed… cyclists “don’t contribute anything financially to the roads”. He also hit “running riot”, running red lights and riding on pavements in a strong early anti-cycling bingo contender for this week.
So, yes, have a scroll back through yesterday’s live blog if you wish, in the meantime, if Mr Cox is correct, it seems we can all claim back that tax we’ve been paying…
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Latest Comments
@perce we all like a polite and courteous poster! Much as motorists like a polite and courteous cyclist doffing their helmet (possibly from a hedge they've obliging leapt into along, say, a leafy lane in Essex).
"attributed by experts", yeah sure, ok! Citing 8 year out of date per capita figures shows the weakness of your argument. Here's a couple of reasons I believe that the Netherlands fatality rate might be higher than the UK (independent of the crappy Dutch infrastructure), none of which you and Chrisonatrike suggested or mentioned: 1) not enough people wearing helmets in Netherlands. All sane people know that wearing a cycling helmet can potentially save lives, yet the Dutch seem to think themselves too special to wear one. Despite the fact the Netherlands has a superior privatised health system compared to our rotten, inefficient NHS, post-crash options are limited for people with severe head trauma which will inevitable lead to increased fatalities in the Netherlands. 2) Risk compensation by drivers and cyclists. Cyclists are lulled into a false sense of security thinking that segregated cycle lanes are their special infrastructure which insulate them from accidents. They don't. Then, car drivers take more risks due to increased congestion caused by the same cycling infrastructure, leading to a double-whammy of risky behaviour. 3) Cultural issues. People in the UK are renowned for their stiff upper lip, stoic, courteous behaviour. They naturally protect more vulnerable road users. I, myself, had a magnificent cycling experience earlier today on the local country lanes, waving and saying hello to the locals and cyclists alike. There really isn't a place like the UK (well, outside London anyway) that matches our hospitality and camaraderie. P.s. I'm not sure who Nigel is, I assumed you meant Nigel Farage but I can assure you I'm not him and that he has more pressing things to do than write responses on a cycling website. I hope that's helped your understanding a little, and enabled you to think a little independently rather than just suck in information that self-described "experts" want you to believe. Oh and Norway et Al are terrible comparators as hardly anyone lives there (and who'd want to to be honest? Lol!)
Yup. The UK has latterly tried add the safety back in after it was lost for vulnerable road users. (And after giving all the direct routes / valuable space over to motoring). But it's offering a modicum more safety in return for them losing a lot more convenience - so that has been reducing the "problem" also! Plus we lean heavily on "but people can be trusted to be reasonable" and "for any misbehaviour police it better". Unfortunately those are not good assumptions or choices for safety in a motornormative environment. (And road policing isn't a priority anyway). NL isn't the only place in Europe they've realised that mass motoring the old way is unsustainable (for lots of reasons). They're just the furthest on. In NL they still have some challenges because the (larger - thanks US!) car strikes back, and there are some questions about the impact of e-things. But they're *still* investing in improvements, and proportionally significantly more than the UK, even though they're already far ahead...
The Stockton Hub which I used occasionally (I don't live in Stockton) was open only during standard office hours, Mondays to Fridays, rendering it useless for families and leisure cyclists. It's a standard problem for a lot of government-funded or charity-run public services which close when many people most need them, presumably because staffing costs would rise substantially. The article also mentions cycle hubs in Redcar and Darlington which, so far as I can tell, have never existed.
Ho ho ho! No, we need to stop these idiotic cyclists completely (or limit them to velodromes, parks and maybe "rail trails") - that way there won't be any cyclist road fatalities! Simples! Meanwhile in many parts ofEurope they're finding the benefits of making it such that lots of people don't use cars for every journey - by fixing it so it's convenient and increasingly safe - despite much larger numbers of people getting around outside of cars than in the UK...
The fatality rate in the UK has fallen five years in a row during a period, starting with the Covid years, in which building of "idiotic Dutch roundabouts and segregated cycling infrastructure" has massively increased, so in fact using your own benchmark the statistics clearly show the benefits of increased cycling infrastructure. Not quite the gotcha you seem to think when viewed through non-troll lenses, Nige. The stupidity of your "argument" is further clearly illustrated by the fact that the list-topping Norway, Sweden and Denmark all have massive segregated cycling networks. The Dutch model used to demonstrate clearly the safer nature of the Dutch system, e.g. in 2018 the Netherlands had 8 fatalities per billion kms ridden compared to 21 in the UK; the primary reason for the increased fatality rates in the Netherlands has been attributed by experts to the massive uptake in ebikes (47% of new bikes sold in NL are now ebikes compared to 10% in the UK), particularly amongst the older population, nothing to do with the infrastructure.
It used to be great price this, but they played the ace marketing card and got the popularity and now...
Many thanks for posting these statistics and showing the downward trend in fatalities. One thing that stood out for me when clicking through to the government statistics page is the UK's exemplary record on this Vs other European countries, especially the much-vaunted record of The Netherlands, which actually shows twice as many fatalities as the UK per million of the population. The question that arises is therefore: why are the greens and other left-wing parties so keen to adopt an inferior and more dangerous road system when ours is obviously working well? It smacks of a need to regulate people's lives and curtail freedom. We need to stop these idiotic Dutch roundabouts and segregated cycling infrastructure, and get people sharing the road in a fair and equal manner, when the statistics show it's safer to do so. (Chart shows road fatalities per million population)
That's where the convertible aspect comes in. I've got a gravel bike but the canal I sometimes commute on has roots under the tarmac and barriers. The mtb with 'drops' is more comfortable for this and fits through the barriers. If I want to do something more technical I can put the flat bars on.
37 thoughts on “Top road safety cop shuts down bicycle number plates talk… asks for media to focus on “primary causes of road death”, not cyclists; Council slammed for replacing pub’s outdoor seating area with bike racks; Overgrown cycle lanes + more on the live blog”
I don’t like adult cyclists
I don’t like adult cyclists riding on the pavement (unless there’s a good safety/disability reason and it’s done very carefully) and I don’t do it myself, but it would be quite amusing to be challenged by Mr Cox for it, “Get off the pavement!” “I would, but I saw this bloke on telly telling me I don’t contribute anything to the roads, so I don’t feel I’m entitled.”
Or maybe “I was worried about
Or maybe “I was worried about worsening the state of the roads and creating potholes”!
I don’t pavement-cycle either BUT that doesn’t help much. People on shared-use paths have become boilingly angry with me because I “shouldn’t be cycling on the footpath”. (No – bell, friendly hello or other passing method didn’t seem to be the cause).
Given our councils have been cheap / box-ticking, creating “instant cycling infra” by sticking up blue/white signs on what otherwise look just like footpaths it’s hard to blame them. Especially when (e.g. Auriol Grey case) even those councils appear uncertain of where cycling is allowed.
With some glee this morning,
With some glee this morning, I filtered to the front of the queue at the 3 way temporary traffic lights currently creating havoc in town, using an albeit too narrow cycle lane*. At which point I gently dismounted onto the pavement and walked around the corner before getting back on the road and off on my merry way with virtually no delay to my journey.
*Actually narrower than a standard number plate in places, too keep it topical.
https://youtu.be/JmkKa_IpZT4
https://youtu.be/JmkKa_IpZT4
Mungecrundle wrote:
Ooh, an argument against bicycle number plates that might appeal to drivists: they might scratch their cars as we filter past.
No, it is our filtering that
No, it is our filtering that they want banned because they see it as us “jumping the queue “
SimoninSpalding wrote:
It’s funny how they think we should be part of the traffic “and wait our turn” if we’re stuck behind them, but then get upset and think it’s fine to close pass if they’re stuck behind us.
That picture of the cycle
That picture of the cycle lane created around the trees has got to be fake?
No one could have thought that was a good idea?
Imagine if they started building car lanes like that, it’d definitely slow them down.
No – we’d never do anything
No – we’d never do anything as dumb as that in the UK…
wcc.crankfoot.xyz/facility-of-the-month/January2016.htm
wcc.crankfoot.xyz/facility-of-the-month/April2011.htm
nniff wrote:
Coronation Road, Bristol
That car isn’t parked on the
That car isn’t parked on the double yellows, so is it okay?
HoldingOn wrote:
It’s on the pedestrian side, so should be moved to block the cyclist side instead
HoldingOn wrote:
The highway runs between the boundary of the private property on either side so technically is covered by the parking control. I watched a warden ticket someone once and was close enough to listen in. Apparently the motorist was accepting he was fully parked on the pavement and arguing that the warden couldn’t ticket him for doing so. The warden told him he was still infringing the parking controls and a ticket was being issued.
It is.
It is.
Double-yellows regulate the pavement, too. Saw a comment from I think Andy Cox. It may be in the pinned resource thread on my twitter.
Anyhoo – driving on the pavement offence. Presumably enforcible against the estate of drivers who win Darwin Awards.
Seeing that car on its roof
Seeing that car on its roof reminded me, did you see this in the Bristol Post?
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/live-a420-high-street-warmley-8516001
An entire article about “a car [which] flipped over onto its roof. Avon and Somerset Police officers were at the scene following a crash which involved multiple vehicles and happened at around 4.35pm.”.
Lots of commentary on how long the road was closed and how it impacted upon rush hour traffic flow.
No mention at all of any humans actually being involved in any of it…
brooksby wrote:
Is it my imagination, or are we seeing more vehicles just flipping upside down?
Well it’s harder for them to
Well it’s harder for them to sploot in the heat right-side up… (repeat link I know but a good one).
Perhaps that is what happened
Perhaps that is what happened here?
The drivist parks on double yellow and the sensors in the car realised, jumped it out of the way and ended up ladybirding on the pavement.
OR
It was parked on the cycle lane and those two cyclists took umbrage and flipped it out of their way? I shudder to think what they will do to that tree…
HoldingOn wrote:
It should be okay as most Bristolians like their trees and nature unless they’re Clifton residents that don’t like birds sitting in the trees and sh*tting on their cars: https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/war-wildlife-anti-bird-spikes-clifton-trees-protect-cars-droppings/
It’s the cars and statues that have to watch out
Plot twist – it was the tree
Plot twist – it was the tree that took umbrage with the car….
Perhaps none of the tyres are
Perhaps none of the tyres are on the pavement, so it’s OK? Also “I didn’t drive onto the pavement! I was airbourne at the time”.
did cyclists band together
did cyclists band together and tip it over so it wasn’t blocking the cycle lane? No sign of damage to kerb or railings suggest it wasn’t a crash.
Perhaps one of the most
Perhaps one of the most poetic pictures ever taken
I wonder what the prevalence
I wonder what the prevalence of Lyme disease is, in Wallingford and Benson?
A third of the UK public
A third of the UK public believe ‘15-minute city’ plans are a government attempt to surveil people and restrict freedoms – The Guardian
From the looks of the other questions, a third of the UK public believe any old shite.
Dammit! You beat me to it!
Dammit! You beat me to it! 😉
The numbers for ‘definitely true’ are pretty constant, so I presume that – as you say – 10-12% will believe any old rubbish. I doubt that the same person who is absolutely convinced about the great reset will then turn around and say, “But 15 minute cities are a really great idea!”.
(I note that the graph doesn’t include the other fun things from the report – 12% definitely true that Covid was a global effort to force everyone to be vaccinated whether they wanted to or not, and 9% definitely true that the Covid pandemic was a hoax, and 7% definitely true that the London bombings were a false flag operation to raise support for military action in the Middle East and 6% definitely true that the Manchester Arena attack used crisis actors).
Lawd! Some people, eh…?
https://www.kcl.ac.uk/policy-institute/assets/conspiracy-belief-among-the-uk-public.pdf
The ‘great replacement’
The ‘great replacement’ theory – does that involves pods and would we know when we’ve been replaced?
Joke all you like, then
Joke all you like, then wander down to the Comfort Inn Hotel in Westminster and try booking a room.
Roulereo wrote:
Is that where Braverman dumped a load of refugees without any communication to the local authority and without suitable accomodation?
Because freedom = being able
Because freedom = being able to drive and park anywhere, anytime.
Meanwhile these are often the
Meanwhile these are often the same people who think the Public Order Act was justified by JSO preventing people going to work, because they definitely aren’t slave sheeple..
From The Guardian, ’nuff said
From The Guardian, ’nuff said.
Same tripe as the Daily Mail just a different flavour pushed on you. Why would Bill Gates donate GBP 12m to The Guardian I wonder?
After the past few years, I’m personally not very willing to swallow that from the Government and the media.
But it’s a free country, so you can be a shill for them all you like. Get boosted for a fifth time while you’re there.
Cue ‘ah he’s a tin foil hat waffler’….
Roulereo wrote:
It’s actually a survey commissioned by the BBC and King’s College London, but I expect they are part of the woke conspiracy as well.
Well if the (tin foil) cap fits…
Andy Cox hasn’t thrown his
Andy Cox hasn’t thrown his hat in the ring until he’s gone on TV with these people and put forward his argument.
Until then, he’s no different from us
Two things, maybe he doesn’t
Two things, maybe he doesn’t want to waste his time and give them legitimacy
Maybe he needs authorisation to appear on tv.
He is though wasting his time
He is though wasting his time and giving them legitimacy… but to a much more restricted audience.
It’s hardly the dramatic impact when its a few thousand who are likely to be his supporters anyway.
With regards to authorisation – maybe he does.
But then … does he need authorisation to post what he does in his official capacity?
Concerning the bike racks,
Concerning the bike racks, outside the pub in Dublin…
” Just arrived one day took
two parking spaces for customers without notifying us first ,they do not have to tell anybody we were told.has affected business for us.”
Yes, but you’ll find that they replaced them with 10 parking spaces for customers…