“For every truck that pulls out without thinking, there is a cyclist with no helmet”: Cargo bike boss calls for cyclists to “be courteous to motorists and not fly through red lights”, claiming streets filled with “warring factions” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Cycling’s inventory woes and economic challenges continue, as Shimano reports sales are significantly down again – but is everything finally starting to head in the right direction?
> Shimano sales down 12% in 2024, but cycling components giant points to “signs of progress”
Oh no, the Halloween Strava Art is already out in force
B+ for effort for this 69-mile Leicester-based cycling ‘art’, and a C at best for execution.
If we’re honest, it looks like the kind of decades-old plastic skeleton that’s stuffed in a box in the attic, and was only brought down at Halloween because your five-year-old begged for it. Which adds to the creepy vibes, I suppose.
Looking for a new rear light that could help make ‘Sorry mate, I didn’t see you’ a thing of the past (no guarantee about, of course) this winter? Well, we’ve got just the guide for you
> Best rear bike lights 2024 — increase your day and night visibility with a bright beam at the back
Cyclist backs cyclist for Manchester United job
With Ineos currently in the midst of another huge sporting decision – first the Pidcock transfer saga, now the United gig, it’s been a busy few weeks – it was only fitting that Sky Sports happened upon a cyclist who was passing by Old Trafford this morning, and decided to seek out his views on who should be the next poor soul doomed to sit in that poisoned dugout:
‘Amorim… or if not Neil Warnock or pay the big money for Ian Holloway from Swindon.’ 🤣🤣
I still don’t know if this guy was on a wind up, but a good sport either way. @SkySportsNews #mufc 🔴 pic.twitter.com/RjptFosF4f
— Sanny Rudravajhala (@Sanny_Rudra) October 30, 2024
And it was even more fitting (and somewhat bizarre) that the cyclist chosen for this particular vox pop decided to back another lover of all things two wheels, and the current co-manager of the road.cc Premier League Cycling XI, for the vacant managerial post at Old Trafford – the one, the only Neil Warnock!
Tell Jim and Dave we’re expecting at least £10m in compensation if they decide to poach our Colin.
Though thankfully there’s another coach/cyclist who’s all of a sudden got a lot of free time on his hands this week, who could be the ideal replacement if Warnock does decide to leave road.cc Road for the bright lights of the Europa League…
“What is being built is not fit for purpose”
> NHS workers join cyclists in slamming “last-minute changes” to roadworks plan which severs popular cycling route at busy roundabout, instead adding more lanes to encourage “more and faster” motor traffic
Get this on the Christmas list immediately! Wout van Aert sponsor Ethias releases limited edition ‘Mini Wout’ cuddly toy
The Santa lists are filling up across the continent at the sight of the second-best cycling-related cuddly toy ever released… (with first spot going to the Highland cow from the Glasgow world championships, naturally.)
The unflattering badger-like hair, nose, the skinny arms and legs – it’s a masterpiece.
Hey, and at least anyone who nabs a ‘Mini Wout’ can enjoy it a good deal more than the Belgian’s old NFT range, anyway.
Remco Evenepoel aiming for yellow jersey at early Tour de France time trial in 2025
The early reviews are in for the 2025 Tour de France route, with Remco Evenepoel already publicly declaring his plan to take the yellow jersey on stage five of next year’s race, a 33km time trial in Caen.
The Olympic champion won this year’s early TT in Gevrey-Chambertin, on his way to finishing third overall and winning the white young rider’s jersey at his debut Tour, and is eyeing further success against the clock next season.
“A time trial so early in the race gives me a chance to take the yellow jersey in the first week,” Evenepoel told L’Equipe following yesterday’s route presentation.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
However, the Soudal Quick-Step leader reckons the 2025 Tour’s time trials – even the second mountainous effort against the clock in the Pyrenees – won’t have much of an impact on the GC battle, which he believes will still be shaped by the plethora of stages in the high mountains, and iconic climbs such as Mont Ventoux, Hautacam, and La Plagne.
“That won’t have much importance for the general classification because there are still a lot of mountains and stages to follow,” Evenepoel added.
“It’s a very special route, but very beautiful! The Grand Départ [in Lille] is not too far from my home and from Belgium.
“The mountain stages seem beautiful to me with a lot of mythical cols to climb.”
Wahoo confirms new ‘Elemnt Ace’ computer set to arrive on 3 December – and by judging by their new video, it’s heavily pixelated
For some more info on what may be lurking behind all those pixels, our tech team had all the admittedly blurry details last week, following a few cheeky online leaks:
> New Wahoo bike computer leaked that appears to have a built-in wind sensor
“The year is 2042 and Mark Cavendish lines up for his FINAL LAST EVER Tour de France”
It looks Cav-mania is showing no signs of slowing down.
After Jens Voigt’s claim this morning that the multiple opportunities to add to his record-breaking tally of 35 Tour de France stage wins at next year’s race could tempt Mark Cavendish out of what appears to be his imminent retirement (again), Rouleur editor Ed Pickering has come up with another possible angle for Cav ’25 – and Project 36.
(ASO/Billy Ceusters)
“It’s not so much the number of possible sprint stages as the fact that the Paris stage will be the 50th anniversary of the first time the Tour finished on the Champs-Élysées that makes me think maybe Cavendish could ride one more Tour,” Pickering wrote on Twitter.
“No better place to retire than the Champs.”
Which may be true – though I’m not sure Cavendish would sacrifice his victory lap in Nice in July for an extremely stressful afternoon, and probable defeat, on the Champs next year – but it’s fair to say others are sceptical.
“The year is 2042 and Mark Cavendish lines up for his FINAL LAST EVER Tour de France,” replied Simon Warren.
To be fair, the way things are going, I wouldn’t be surprised.
“Just let the man retire in peace”: Jens Voigt says there’s “at least a 50/50 chance” Mark Cavendish will race 2025 Tour de France, in bid to “hold off chasing stage hunter Tadej Pogačar”
Well, it looks like Mark Cavendish’s coy, noncommittal remarks at yesterday’s Tour de France route presentation have opened the floodgates for speculation about the Manx Missile’s future as a professional cyclist.
“Like everyone who has ridden the Tour de France or the Tour de France Femmes, you finish it and you think: ‘I’ll never do that again’, then a couple of days later, you miss it and you long for the buzz the year after,” the 39-year-old said on stage in Paris yesterday, sending the cycling world in yet another frenzy.
When asked what he felt about another tilt at the Tour, and a possible record-extending 36th stage win, beyond his 40th birthday next year, Cavendish cheekily replied: “We’ll see.”
While Sir Cav – who hasn’t raced since crossing the line in Nice in July – could merely be attempting to drum up interest in what will almost certainly be his last appearance as a pro at ASO’s Tour-themed crits in Singapore in November (albeit one that won’t involve any proper ‘racing’), that hasn’t stopped fans and pundits speculating that Comeback 3.0 (or is it 4.0?) could be on the cards.
Even Jens Voigt, everyone’s favourite over-the-top breakaway merchant-turned-excitable pundit, has got in on the act, pointing out that there are plenty of chances in next year’s Tour route for Cav to add to his tally of 35 stage wins.
.jpg)
“We have nine more or less flat stages until the first really tough stage [10, in the Massif Central],” the Jensie told Eurosport today.
“That does invite Mark Cavendish to go one more time, to try to win more stages and try to hold off the chasing stage hunter Tadej Pogačar!
“I see at least a 50/50 chance for that.”
Although not everyone is excited about the prospect of a 40-year-old Cavendish rocking up in Lille for an encore, after all the excitement of this year’s record-breaking Tour.
“Oh, just let the man retire in peace, FFS,” cycling social media producer Dan Deakins wrote in response to Voigt’s latest Cav call.
Hear, hear. Or more to the point: Shut up, Jens.
“Sorry Vini, the Ballon d’Or winner is Bini”
More cycling/football crossover content today, this time courtesy of Intermarché-Wanty’s ever reliable social media team:
For context, the Vini in question is Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior, who controversially boycotted football’s annual gala dinner this week after finding out he wasn’t going to win.
Hopefully our Bini doesn’t do the same if he’s snubbed for the Vélo d’Or later this year…
“GOAT saving a goat”: Demi Vollering interrupts holiday hike… to rescue a goat from a well
Alright everyone, get your GOAT puns at the ready…
In news that will likely cause some consternation among her new employers at FDJ-Suez, Demi Vollering appears to be ignoring the traditional cycling memo that the off-season is about relaxing and doing as little as possible – by spending at least part of it rescuing an actual goat from a well in Greece.
Yes, you read that night. The 2023 Tour de France Femmes winner, who on Monday confirmed her long-awaited move to the French squad from SD Worx, is currently on holiday in Turkey with her partner and manager (and by the looks of the following Instagram post, her personal videographer) Jan de Voogd.
But during a mountain hike in neighbouring Greece, the Dutch pro stumbled across a stricken goat, which appeared to be trapped inside a stone well on the mountain.
So what did Vollering – famed for her lack of caution on the bike – do? She jumped in and lifted the goat up to safety herself, of course (while De Voogd made sure to film the whole thing, for some reason).
“While we were hiking, we came across this well. Some goats jumped away, which scared me, but the well also caught my attention because there were so many flies hanging above it,” Vollering said, in captions accompanying the video.
“I was so afraid to look over and find something dead, but suddenly I heard movement. We found this young goat helpless, it looked skinny and scared.”
In the video, Vollering can be heard saying in Dutch: “Shall I help you? It’s really dirty here. He’s very weak, poor animal. This hole is f***ing disgusting”, while Jan helpfully adds: “A few others have already kicked the bucket here”.
Which is a helpful thing to say to one of the best cyclists in the world before she jumps in to help the poor animal.
“So I jumped in to get him out,” Vollering continued. “He didn’t weigh anything and was very weak. As I took him out I expected him to run away, but he fell down in an awkward position, and for a second I thought he would die.
“Luckily, he got up quickly, and ran away back to his friends. The well was very disgusting, a lot of flies, dust, and leftovers from other animals.
“We realised that we should have given him some water, so I tried to call him back. That was not a nice place to be stuck in – probably not the first time a goat was stuck in there.”
Hiking and rescuing scared animals – that’s one way to decompress after a stressful season, Demi.
Random pro cycling photos, #504
“I just smash all the balls off the table, right?”
📷AJSports pic.twitter.com/dYmsfJoQZO
— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) October 30, 2024
“Credit where credit’s due”: Autumn Budget reaction from Cycling UK
> Cycling UK lauds Rachel Reeves for recouping additional £100 million for cycling and walking in Autumn Budget, but “disappointed” to see fuel duty frozen yet again
“Some infrastructure is actually worse than nothing”: £6m active travel scheme scrapped over fears “narrow route” could put cyclists into conflict with pedestrians and “leave little room for HGVs”
Plans to create a new active travel path in Guildford have been thrown out after councillors and campaigners raised concerns that cyclists could potentially endanger pedestrians on the shared-use path, which some claimed would also create “pinch points” on the road and make it too narrow in places for lorry drivers.
The proposed protected cycling and pedestrian path on London Road, which was to be funded by Active Travel England, was also set to include improvements to the existing footways, five new bus stops and shelters, a new toucan crossing, and the creation of parallel pedestrian and cyclist crossings.
A consultation carried out last year found that half of the 995 respondents believed that the scheme would contribute to the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users, while 31 per cent disagreed.
London Road, Guildford
At a meeting of Surrey County Council last week, residents urged the local authority to “seize the opportunity” to create a greener Guildford, while local children spoke of how they have been forced off the roads, with some involved in collisions with drivers while cycling to school, Surrey World reports.
“We have to do something and this is the chance we have if we want to save the planet,” one pupil said, adding that the new cycleway would enable hundreds of children to ride their bikes to school in the area.
Meanwhile, Guildford’s Liberal Democrat MP Zoe Franklin, along with various ward councillors, argued that the take-it-or-leave-it project, though not 100 per cent perfect, was a considerable improvement on the present layout.
“This is the best scheme possible given the restraints of the route,” councillor George Potter said.
> Cyclists in Guildford breathe in more polluted air than motorists, finds study
Others, however, such as councillor Terry Newman told the meeting that data suggesting the road was dangerous was erroneous and based on “selective statistics”.
“Some infrastructure is actually worse than nothing as it promises novice cyclists some protection then abandons them when it’s most needed,” Newman said.
Fiona Davidson argued that not only was the scheme “unsafe” for pedestrians, but – despite the results of the consultation – it also lacked public support, claiming that residents told her that “it will make it less safe for most road users, including cyclists”.
“Do we really want to invest millions and take on that sort of risk?” she asked.
Yasmin Broome, a member of the Surrey Coalition of Disabled People, also told the meeting that cyclists continued to travel too fast and chaotically along London Road, and urged the local authority to “please, please keep our disabled community safe and stop these proposals”.
Confirming the scheme’s rejection, after a six to three vote in the cabinet, Surrey County Council leader Tim Oliver said: “I don’t think that this is safe. We have to be absolutely sure the new scheme is safer than what is there.”
“For every truck that pulls out without thinking, there is a cyclist with no helmet”: Cargo bike boss calls for cyclists to “be courteous to motorists and not fly through red lights”, claiming streets are filled with “warring factions”
“For every car that cuts in to a cycle path there is a bicycle sailing through a red light.”
If you read the above quote out of context, you’d probably assume it was uttered by Nick ‘Mr Loophole’ Freeman, a Telegraph columnist, or some eejit off GB News.
You probably wouldn’t have guessed it was attributed to the co-founder of an ultra-low emissions cargo bike courier company in Oxford, however.
But, in an interview with the Oxford Mail this week, Velocity Cycle Couriers’ director Jake Swinhoe claimed that the current pitiful state of the city’s roads – which he says are currently contested between “warring factions” of cyclists and drivers – could be at least partly improved by people on bikes endeavouring “to be visible, and not fly through red lights, and be courteous to motorists”.
Velocity Cycle Couriers, Oxford
“There will come a day when motorists and cyclists amble along together, happily sharing the roadways with a friendly smile and a wave to acknowledge each other as fellow travellers with equal rights,” Swinhoe told the newspaper.
“Sadly the streets of Oxford paint a far more divided picture with warring factions shaking angry fists and hurling expletives at each other.
“For every car that cuts in to a cycle path there is a bicycle sailing through a red light. For every truck that pulls out without thinking once, thinking twice, then thinking bike, there is a cyclist with no lights at night and no helmet.
“Cargo bikes are becoming more and more common on our streets and the debate goes on about unlicensed, uninsured, and irresponsible riders who don’t pay road tax and think they own the roads, but is this the case from the point of view of a professional commercial cycle courier company?”
Velocity Cycle Couriers was established in 2022 – the same year cyclist Dr Ling Felce was killed at Oxford’s notorious Plain roundabout by an unlicensed, uninsured driver of a 32-tonne tipper truck, who was under the influence of cocaine at the time – and currently works with 80 local businesses with the aim of cutting emissions and air pollution in the city.
“Our riders will be out in all weather – rain, snow, frost and high winds – but are trained to obey the rules of the road and always consider other road users,” Swinhoe continued, arguing that there are “good and bad road users”.
“If an absent-minded tourist steps into the road with their face in a mobile phone we try to swerve past, give a jaunty ring on the bell and a cheery ‘hello’, even though this can be testing.
“Velocity have been on the streets of Oxford for more than two-and-a-half years and have learned a great deal about how to get around our city and how to best get along with fellow road users.
“In that time there have been two accidents involving cargo bikes – one where a delivery van reversed into our bike and an amicable resolution of buying us a new mudguard was agreed, the other had a car shunt a stationary cargo bike, causing some damage and then speeding off before our rider knew what happened.
“Luckily this has meant us not having to trouble the extremely expensive insurance policies we have for our bikes and riders or cause any damage to other road users, pedestrians, or brick walls.
“I personally am a bike rider and a motorist – I am conscious that a car or van does a lot more damage to a bike rider than a bike to a car so try to give cyclists a safe distance and a stress-free ride when I am on four wheels.
“Though equally when on a bike I endeavour to be visible, and not fly through red lights, and be courteous to motorists.”
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Latest Comments
@Bungle_52 Thanks for the extra information, I was wondering why the report made it sound as though the trial judge had found him not guilty. That sounds very dodgy on the part of Centre Parcs' staff, someone was (as it transpired) fatally wounded and they thought there was no need to include the police on the emergency call and cleared away all the evidence? Shocking failure to follow proper procedure and highly suspicious to boot.
@Rome73 No, 28mph is correct, Class 3 ebike, legally allowed in most states without licence or insurance, a mate of mine who works in Washington DC commutes on one. Some states have age restrictions of 16 or 17 and some mandate helmets for Class 3 riders. Throttle must cut out at 20mph so pedalling is required for the top speed.
I actually got to chat with an officer (metropolitan police) just a few weeks ago about reporting near misses. He was chatty so told me loads as he used to work on the road safety unit in London. Unfortunately I didn’t make notes or record the conversation - but he may have stopped talking at that point. Anyway, no surprise, it’s all to do with resources. I.e. there are none - it’s been stripped to the bone. As we were chatting illegal e-motorbikes were zipping past. What about those? I asked. Unless they are committing another offence - like going through a red light or stealing a phone we are told to ignore them. Otherwise, in London, we would never get further than 10 meters from the station before having to return to file a report. Other ‘horror stories’ he told me were things like the RSU having 6 officers to cover the whole of London! These are the officers who check for illegal private vehicles (no tax, insurance etc) Although he did say that ANPR does a lot of checking and prosecution. But only if they can find the legal owner, I pointed out. A real officer could make an arrest.
The details of the reasons the judge gave for directing the jury that there was no case to answer are two links out from the BBC article. I tried to post the link yesterday but it's still awaiting moderation. First click on the second link in the BBC article of the 16th Feb labelled "Buggy driver cleared after judge heard from expert", then click on the link lablelled "directed jurors to find him not guilty" which is near the top of the article. A quick summary as far as I can tell: the police were not called straight away because staff didn't think they needed to be involved. When the police finally arrived the two vehicles had been cleared from the scene and it was raining heavily thus a lot of evidence was lost. PC Knight took over the case from the acting PS who started the investigation. A reconstruction was arranged but the judge felt the the camera used to record this was placed incorrectly. Parts of PC Knight's testimony were successfully challenged by the defence. A sorry story from start to finish but not entirely the fault of the police.
A capped speed of 28mph - that’s fast. Does it mean kph? In the EU it is 26 kph. I think it should be more, 30kph for example.
I only report on Avon & Somerset now, as they at least respond 90% of time, so I feel like it is worth it. I might see something outrageous in Wiltshire or TVP, but have learned it is a waste of my time. The general vibe is third party reporting is very under resourced.
Never met a 2x system I liked. Had to tolerate them because there was nothing else & mostly they're just duplicated gears. XPLR works for me, I don't race, don't do group rides, and with some practice I've widened my comfortable cadence to anywhere between 70-90, 85 being Goldilocks. I'll probably never go back to 2x. As for tyres, you can do a lot with gp5k astr. I have a set of the 35mm on Roval Terra cl III and they have been excellent, road and gravel.
My Cervelo with deep carbon wheels has been ridden on road gravel and dirt. its a bike ride it enjoy it Yes I also have a Gravel bike I ride just the same and a city bike too.
@tomlew That's one (very insignificant) positive effect of global warming - I've noticed that the busy season for bike mechanics is now longer than it used to be. Obviously, I would still prefer it if global warming wasn't happening.
Maybe Shimano should allow EVERYONE to create FREE Acct and login to lessons and database and NOT just those already employed in a shop!
60 thoughts on ““For every truck that pulls out without thinking, there is a cyclist with no helmet”: Cargo bike boss calls for cyclists to “be courteous to motorists and not fly through red lights”, claiming streets filled with “warring factions” + more on the live blog”
I think I understand Jake
I think I understand Jake Swinhoe’s basis of his viewpoint, but I think the “For every [careless] lorry driver, there is a [careless] cyclist” is perceived as, one bad road user cancels out the other!
The fundamental problem we have on UK roads is there are exceptionally too few Road Traffic Officers, so the roads are un-policed, leading to a free-for-all, anything goes situation. And successive Governments are scared to upset the motoring voters, where fining drivers for road traffic offences is now considered as a “Tax on motorists”.
The fundamental problem we
The fundamental problem we have on UK roads is there
are exceptionally too fewmany Road Traffic Officers who are determinedly hostile to cyclists and pro offending motorists, so the roads are un-policed, leading to a free-for-all, anything goes situationAnd there is so much leniency
And there is so much leniency built into the justice system for motorists e.g. the points system, limited time to issue NIP, plea bargaining so very few dangerous driving convictions, exceptional hardship pleas, rejecting evidence because the victim’s behaviour didn’t meet the required ‘standards’ etc.
Given the unlikelihood of an offender being caught there’s no justification for leniency whether they are stopped by the roadside or captured on camera.
Exactly. But try telling it
Exactly. But try telling it to the average punter (even more thoughtful folks)…
Perhaps the idea of “they’ll throw the book at you” does have use in keeping some on the straight and narrow? It is almost a myth though. Or literally a light seasoning of “exemplars” – but because so light the effects are minimal – after all we all know we’re good drivers! Or good enough, or “anyway everyone does it, I’ve seen worse, I am always careful…”
What’s the “common understanding” of the driving licence here? Is it “we tolerate ‘state interference’ with our ‘right to drive’ – but only because we have a (more or less vague) understanding that there can be some problems with driving – and those problem are drivers (always other drivers mind…)”.
Or is a driving licence / passing test and getting motor vehicle more “rite of passage” or “marker of (adult) status”?
Or possibly it’s like a club membership? e.g. “To get in you need to fulfil the entry requirements (pass a test) but once you’re in that’s it. Then as long as you pay your subs (which are extortionate, by the way!) the club has no business giving members further hassle. Admin should simply be limited to door security (no licence / MOT / tax – not coming in) and evicting the odd drunk. And politely suggesting to poor old Colonel Blimp (who’s losing his sight / marbles and has started to bump into people) that maybe it’s time to stop. Oh, and since we’re paying the corridors should be wide, the door always open, the floor shouldn’t have any holes in it and there should always be cloakroom space”.
so much leniency built into
so much leniency built into the justice system for motorists e.g. the points system, limited time to issue NIP, plea bargaining so very few dangerous driving convictions, exceptional hardship pleas, rejecting evidence because the victim’s behaviour didn’t meet the required ‘standards’
No- Lancashire Constabulary ensures that things never get that far! This is Harrison Oils of Garstang at speed this morning. These are a couple of previous offences by drivers from the same company, one of them in the same lorry
https://upride.cc/incident/b6hol_harrisonoils_uwlcross/
https://upride.cc/incident/b5hol_tanker_closepassdwlcross/
His thinking is exactly how
His thinking is exactly how the vast majority of road users think.
“My bad driving is exactly the same as a cyclist doing something bad.”
Yes, it is another example of
Yes, it is another example of false quivalence, assuming a 1:1 ratio of [perceived] offending, for starters, as well as an equivalence of consequence.
Meanwhile…
Really? If you don’t have anough time to slow down to avoid them, then you probably don’t have enough time to check over your shoulder safely before swerving into the path of a close-passing car. In short, a swerve should be a last resort, and ‘a cheery hello’ is unlikely to be on the cards in the event.
Better to be looking ahead, tuning your spider senses to the mobile-using tourist, and observing behind to move out early and possibly dust off some speed to avoid the risk in the first place.
I think I’d be ringing my
I think I’d be ringing my bell long before they stepped out if they looked in the slightest bit likely to do so.
Of course they would be wearing headphones.
So true. The roads are almost
So true. The roads are almost lawless.
Commuting and riding through London for almost 20 years, you rarely see any active policing of dangerous road users. One week day morning, a few years ago, the police were stopping people on e-scooters but that’s about it.
The police and local authorities need more resources along with a change in policy and culture to affect road users behaviour, which even in the best case scenario will take many years.
For crying out loud.
For crying out loud.
First
“There will come a day when motorists and cyclists amble along together…”
but then
““For every car that cuts in to a cycle path there is a bicycle sailing through a red light. For every truck that pulls out without thinking …”
Are there that many self driving cars and trucks out there…?
http://rc-rg.com
“wow, that car did that all by itself?”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3331869633536303/
mitsky wrote:
And bicycles.
How many HGV drivers – or car
How many HGV drivers – or car drivers, for that matter – have been KSI by a red light jumping cyclist who was wearing no helmet?
Hmmmm….how do we get clicks
Hmmmm….how do we get clicks & visibility for our business?
Quote:
For every cyclist crushed and bleeding to death on the road, for every widowed partner, for all the orphaned children, there’s a driver with a small dent in his passenger door and a six month ban…do fuck off with your idiotic equivalences, Mr.Swinhoe, there’s a good chap.
I’ve read Jake Swinhoe’s
I’ve read Jake Swinhoe’s comments several times, and I’m still not sure what point he’s making, unless it’s that all road users make mistakes, but he seems to skip over the point that drivers (not cars) kill people every day, but cyclists rarely do.
It’s great to hear that Velocity are doing well, but that doesn’t seem to be the focus of what he’s saying. Surely it would have been better to extol the virtues of zero emission transport rather than attacking other zero emission transport users for their mistakes?*
*For the avoidance of doubt, not wearing a helmet is not a mistake.
eburtthebike wrote:
I think it’s ‘we’re great – use our cargobike delivery service’.
The point he is making is
The point he is making is what many people try to do when “mediating” between cyclists and drivers.
“Look guys we all make mistakes but we are all just trying to get places, we can all do better”
And as is usually the case there is no admission that cyclists bad behaviour isn’t remotely comparible to drivers bad behaviour in frequency or danger.
For every truck driver who
For every truck driver who endangers other people’s lives, there’s a cyclist whose choice of head gear has no impact on anyone else whatsoever.
For every cyclist riding
For every cyclist riding along legally and minding their own business there are at least half a dozen drivers messing with their mobile phones
Velocity Cycle Couriers’
Velocity Cycle Couriers’ director Jake Swinhoe is a tosser! There’s a job just waiting for him in the police- then he could ignore incidents like these, just as the other officers do
https://upride.cc/incident/a15tjv_bmwm4_redlightpass/
https://upride.cc/incident/jo55chb_kiasportage_redlightpass/
In a luke-warm defence of
In a luke-warm defence of Velocity Cycle Couriers’ director Jake Swinhoe’s comments, his business is based in Oxford, and it is October. Every year, the streets of Oxford are filled with new undergrads, doing incredibly stupid things on bicycles. By mid-November, most of them have either wised-up, or been scared off the roads. His helmet zealotry, however, is utterly nonsensical.
So predictable are the
So predictable are the average comments from the mob. Here we have a guy, saying that not all cyclists are great, not all motorists are great, but it takes two to tango and all parties need to do better; with a desire for us all to use the road in harmony. The mob then attacks, rather than commending and working towards the same goal. I rode from North to South London this morning. Lots of red-light running cyclists, lots of d**khead driving. Its not about cars and bikes, its about c**ts. Don’t be one.
alexuk wrote:
I understood most of the comments as not saying that all cyclists are perfect but simply that cyclists and motorists are not equivalent (as the Highway Code recognises, IIRC).
As an example, I wrote below and asked rhetorically just how many HGV drivers – or car drivers, for that matter – have been KSI by a red light jumping cyclist who was wearing no helmet?
If a motorist behaves badly, the other people are likely to be KSI.
If a cyclist behaves badly, they themself are likely to be KSI.
alexuk wrote:
And so predictable are the usual comments from the knob.
Just in case you are not, as many suspect, a PBU and really are that stupid, Mr Swinhoe is not just issuing a plea for us all to use the roads in harmony, he is directly comparing behaviours which when performed by motorists often end in death or serious life-changing injuries and which when performed by cyclists usually end with nothing but annoyance from observers (no approval of said behaviours implied). It’s whataboutery at its very motornormative worst.
Just because pretty much everyone disagrees with you that doesn’t mean they are a mob, it just means that everyone disagrees with you.
Such poor langage. Your
Such poor langage. Your parents should have raised you better.
I can tell you vote far left. You have the sickness that anyone who dissagrees with you is a knob. Anyone who wants things to be better for everyone, not just one group, is a knob.
Anyone but you and your NPC’s are knobs.
You’re the knob kiddo. Only 7 followers on your Strava, no wonder you’re desperate for the NPC crowd support?
It’s hard to believe that you
It’s hard to believe that you’re speaking sincerely
alexuk wrote:
You actually went and searched for me on Strava, how sad. You must have been very disappointed when you found out that my account is private, presumably you were hoping for something to sneer at. Better luck next time. It’s never occurred to me to want to accrue Strava followers, why would I want that and if I did why would my account be private? My followers amount to a few riding mates and my brother-in-law, not sure why anyone else would be interested in knowing what riding I’ve been doing.
You’re following the fairly predictable troll pattern: starts off as the voice of reason, “I’m a cyclist myself but I think we should all get along” then discovers that virtually everybody disagrees with them and lo and behold, we see the true colours.
This is reminding me of that
This is reminding me of that time someone took your (Strava?) profile photo and used it as their profile pic on here. That was creepy.
KDee wrote:
How funny you should mention that, I was just reminded of it because one of their comments, complete with my picture, appears on the just-revived thread about the Gaciron rear light! A bit weird, indeed – it wasn’t even my Strava picture, they had sought out one of my charity ride videos and taken a screenshot from that. Most peculiar.
AI?
AI?
Plot twist…it’s been Mrs H
Plot twist…it’s been Mrs H all along, secretly miffed that Rendel made them ditch the car for bikes.
Near Far Away
Near Far Away
When I saw the goat photo it sure looked to me as though the goat was being lifted up in a hand!
I just watched a police car
I just watched a police car stopping a cyclist and fining her, only 1-2 hour ago! Might be the first time ever I have seen that? I guess it was for a red light.
I had the police calling me with their car’s loudspeaker once, also for a red light, made me stop before the crossing, then they just drove away…
A police car stopped someone?
LANGUAGE MATTERS
A police car stopped someone and fined them?
Was it self-driving/autonomous?
Or was it a police OFFICER that stopped and fined them?
http://rc-rg.com
“wow, that car did that all by itself?”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3331869633536303/
Flimsy plastic helmets are
Flimsy plastic helmets are well known for being able to protect cyclists from being crushed by ten+ tonne lorries. Fact.
Paul J wrote:
Rubbish! There are hundreds of “helmet saved my life” stories from people who’ve been run over by trucks.*
*May contain elements of sarcasm.
Another fereeze on fuel duty.
Another freeze on fuel duty. Damn this war on motorists!
Yup, now let’s see if there’s
Yup, now let’s see if there’s anything (useful) for active travel or that’s “we just can’t afford…”. But we can afford electric car subsidies of course. Harm minimisation (a bit) yes, but just think how much more not driving a journey benefits…
chrisonabike wrote:
Oh you starry eyed dreamer ….
So not to affect the working
So not to affect the working people…..increases in the bus fare cap to £3.
Shake wrote:
Rail fares are going up 4.6% too. I guess nobody gets the train to work any more.
“Tough Decisions”
“Tough Decisions”
https://www.statista.com/chart/24962/change-in-costs-of-uk-public-transport-and-motoring/
Can you ask Jake Swinhoe who
Can you ask Jake Swinhoe who is in the wrong:
me cycling on my side of the road or a driver on the wrong side driving straight at me and refusing to return to his side of the road.
I received verbals not only from said driver but also workmen, whose vehicles were blocking the other side of the road from me.
Can you ask Jake Swinhoe who
Can you ask Jake Swinhoe who is in the wrong
He’ll say: ‘can’t we all just get along?’
I had similar recently –
I had similar recently – driver coming towards me on wrong side of road (with a grass verge separating the two carriageways) having contravened a keep left sign, because a delivery van was blocking his carriageway.
Same for me. Parked cars
Same for me. Parked cars blocking the oncoming lane. Didn’t stop a drivist gunning towards me. I held my ground as he kept shouting for me to reverse. Then someone in a nearby house started shouting at me, then a drivist pulling out of a junction, and finally a dog walkers decided to stop and berate me. Made me more stubborn tbh. He did back up.
Motorists seem to forget that
Motorists seem to forget that their vehicles have a reversing gear whereas bicycles don’t (unless you’re riding a fixie, arguably). Shuffling slowly backwards or out of the way is a lot more hassle on a bike than it is for them to just move their gearstick.
£6m active travel scheme
£6m active travel scheme scrapped
£6m and they can’t get it right? Stone the crows, love a duck, gor blimey guv. What a turn up for the books, totally unpredictable.
It’s time that councils acknowledged the fact that if you are going to build proper Active Travel infrastructure, it is going to have to inconvenience drivers: which is only justice because if it wasn’t for the drivers we wouldn’t need the infrastructure.
The council went to the
The council went to the expense of drawing up an LCWIP which was then funded by ATE. It’s not an easy process and would have only been funded if the government appointed experts thought it a good proposal. The council then decide that, despite having no qualifications of note, scrap the scheme on the spurious grounds that they don’t think it’s safe. WTF do experts know?
Im not sure on that, Ive seen
Im not sure on that, Ive seen a glut of council proposed schemes recently that all apparently had the ATE seal of approval, and certainly their funding commitment, but are not much better than stuff we were getting 10 years ago.
Arguably worse stuff because it still seems to think painting a line on a road or putting a sign on a path is good infra, and I thought we’d broken that mould.
it has left me wondering what ATEs remit actually is, like do they actually oversee what eventually happens with these schemes or where the money goes?
Had a family visit to Oxford
Had a family visit to Oxford last week and mindful of the warnings issued by Mr Hitchens we were extremely apprehensive about walking in the city, especially to an evening meal in Jericho.
In fact no problems at all, cyclists kept to the roads and we didn’t see any RLJs.
Maybe it was an exceptional week.
As a bus driver and a long
As a bus driver and a life long cyclist, I believe that Mr Swinhoe is either a victim blaiming idiot not comprehending the fundamentals of the road safety or just a cynical business owner trying to create a kind of “we aren’t like other cyclists” PR very calculated publicity aimed at the the mindless car dependent mob and local authorities. Probably both.
Mr Swinhoe and his DRIVERS should consider wearing helmets themselves just in case they get hit by a larger vehicle like an HGV or a bus. In any case, there will be always one helmet too many.
when on a bike I endeavour to
when on a bike I endeavour to be visible, and not fly through red lights, and be courteous to motorists
That’s it! I should have been more courteous and more visible
https://upride.cc/incident/lc64tge_bmw_closepass/
https://upride.cc/incident/yn67mvj_sainsburys44tonner_closepass/
To recap: Jake Swinhoe is an Uncle Tom ‘I’m a cyclist myself’ con-artist and tosser
Yesterday a van driver close
Yesterday a van driver close passed me into oncoming traffic and then even before they’d completed the manoeuvre yanked on their breaks coming to a complete stop so they could turn right whilst I squeezed up on their left . All this while I had a red flashing light and a bright orange jersey.
Was I
1. Polite and courteous and thanked them for nearly wiping me out.
Or
2. Called them a #*#*£&@ idiot and submit my cam footage to the Police
2, two, too, to and 2 again.
2, two, too, to and 2 again.
“Though equally when on a
“Though equally when on a bike I endeavour to be visible, and not fly through red lights, and be courteous to motorists.”
Yeah that’s not gonna stop them from driving into you dude
At this rate, Cav will also
At this rate, Cav will also be outdoing that other former GOAT Frank Sinatra for comeback tours.
Mr Hoopdriver wrote:
Stage wins
I’ve had a few
And they are surely
Worth a mention?
I did
What I had to do
To make Merckx
Pay me attention…
I rode
Each charted stage
I’ve travelled most
Of France’s highways
No more
No more of this
There’ll be no replay…
First of all, trucks don’t
First of all, trucks don’t think.
Second, no helmet is going to save a cyclist from a runaway, sentient truck.