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OPINION

Grant Shapps’ stupid cycling comments are ill-judged, dangerous and fuelling more hatred towards cyclists

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Although cycling number plates and mandatory insurance make so little sense they will probably never happen, it feels like the damage has already been done

Well, it's official. The Twitter opinions of that profile with an England flag in its username, and which will likely be active for a month before being 'cancelled' for racism, has become official government policy.

With Michael Green (sorry, Grant Shapps) telling the Daily Mail that he would be making it illegal for people to ride a bike without a licence or insurance (before backtracking somewhat in a different interview) social media and the right wing press went into meltdown. Suddenly the 'U DON"T PAY RAOD TAX!!!' brigade knew that the Government had their backs, and that their illogical prejudices were right. After all, why else would the Government bother legislating it?

Well, there is a simple answer to this: populist governments need a target.

Brexit was all about targeting the 'unelected EU bureaucrats' and 'forin workers stealin ur job', but as that has now been enacted they can't use ‘them’ as a target. In the modern world you may be able to use dog whistles, but this is not the 70s. You can't target people based on their skin colour or religion (although I think some newspapers tread that line very closely). So, let's go after the people on bikes.

Cyclists have just become the latest target of the unending culture war that aims to distract from the terrible state of the country. (Economy is collapsing) RED LIGHT JUMPERS. (Waiting 40 hours for an ambulance) THEY DON'T PAY ROAD TAX. (Fuel bills rising by about £4k) CYCLING ON THE PAVEMENT! Now that unions are the most popular they've been since Thatcher and Jeremy Corbyn is out of office, what other group could they demonise?

It's all very predictable, but also so ill-judged and dangerous.

This Government policy is actually consistent with its overall governing philosophy: demonise or ignore the most vulnerable and protect the most privileged.

If a cyclist and motorist get into a collision, the Government is arguing that the damage done to both is comparable. Think about that. If I hit a car going at 20mph, which is going to come off worse? A bag of bones and blood or a solid metal object?

It's also fuelling more hatred towards cyclists, focussing not on the massive benefits of cycling but demonising those doing it. If I am car driver and I have been led to believe that cyclists are criminals or they're 'getting away with it', does that make me more or less likely to pass them safely?

What Michael Green (sorry, Corinne Stockheath… nope, sorry, Sebastian Fox… ahh, Grant Shapps) has done in a single briefing is demonise cyclists, making it more dangerous for millions of us on the road. His legacy among cyclists wasn't bad at all. He has overseen Chris Boardman being made the CEO of Active Travel England, an increase in funding for active travel and even changes to the Highway Code to make us safer. What he has done now is not only tarnish that, but within 24 hours has reversed every positive thing the Department for Transport has done.

Well done, Sebastian. Sorry, Grant…

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

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17 comments

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JimM777 | 1 year ago
0 likes

Martin73 wrote:

 I have made a FOI request to the Department of Transport for national figures of KSIs and vehicular risk to pedestrians, also broken down by cities: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield, Bristol, Oxford, Cambridge, Bath, Brighton, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Swansea, to see if this is a national issue, an urban issue, or specific to London.

Have you also asked for full details of the methodology of obtaining information so that we might actually have a meaningful idea of what the figures actually represent? I suspect not.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to JimM777 | 1 year ago
1 like

I hope he included mobility scooters. 

Quote:

Over the last five years 28 pedestrians were seriously injured as a result of collisions with mobility scooters. Another 100 individuals were slightly injured.

 

Another vehicle he wants banning I suspect. 

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chadders | 1 year ago
1 like

I chuckle when I read the Daily Snail comments section and can imagine some of the commenters foaming at the mouth whilst typing rubbish about cyclists that obviously makes them feel much better! The issue I have is the commenters who have never ridden a bike since childhood but who are suddenly experts on how people should ride when on the road.i think they forget 90% of cyclists also hold a current driving licence so can see the issue from both sides and not just through a rose tinted windscreen!

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Crider | 1 year ago
5 likes

I think this is the pendulum swinging back after the Highway Code changes. It'll be a month or so of this and most likely no effect. Part of the problem now is the motorheads who have adopted low emissions or electric vehicles and have a misguided sense of virtue and carbon neutrality. 

The issue of unsafe cyclists shouldn't be ignored, but perhaps it's more useful to invest in proficiency training and tests at schools than costly schemes aimed at punitive measures. That's my polite response dignifying an idea that doesn't deserve a second thought. 

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Hirsute | 1 year ago
6 likes

Just read someone going on about cycle Mots, loose wheelnuts, bald tyres, front number plates and lycra clad heroes.
Then they claim to have worked 15 years in the cycle industry and road professionally.

Must have retired due to a brain injury.

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giff77 replied to Hirsute | 1 year ago
5 likes

I pretty much do a leisurely 15 minute MOT every week on both my bikes. Check my brakes, tyres and lights daily. So my bikes are probably more roadworthy than a lot of cars out there  

I wonder how many motorists even check their lights and tyres at the very least when they set off on a journey be it short or long. 

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mark1a replied to Hirsute | 1 year ago
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hirsute wrote:

Just read someone going on about cycle Mots, loose wheelnuts, bald tyres, front number plates and lycra clad heroes. Then they claim to have worked 15 years in the cycle industry and road professionally. Must have retired due to a brain injury.

said delusions are here:

https://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/national/uk-today/20667244.cyclists-fo...

eyes down...

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David9694 replied to mark1a | 1 year ago
1 like

A somewhat better headline here and it's 50 comments vs 132 as I write:

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/20668732.cyclists-react-number-pl...

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Hirsute replied to mark1a | 1 year ago
1 like

I was trying to spare people from having to read that !

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Hirsute | 1 year ago
2 likes

"Cycle paths should be compulsory if available and not the choice of the cyclists, car drivers arnt allowed to drive on pavements! And shared paths should be restricted to speed limits for the safety of pedestrians. These paths should then be monitored by anpr cameras to maintain safety and keep policing down, if a camera locates a cyclist with no plates or insurance it should contact the closest police officer to stop and deal with the cyclist the same as a car driver would be."

Just think of the the revenue if this were applied to cars !

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steaders1 | 1 year ago
6 likes

Shapps like most MP's is so far out of touch with everyday life and often like most MP's speaks out of his arse

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yupiteru | 1 year ago
11 likes

The sort of media circus that Grant Shapps has attracted is completely planned and in fact rarely a week goes by without this type of distraction technique being used by people in power.

If a Government causes division amongs certain groups in society in particular 'out groups' like cyclist are, against 'in groups' like motorists, then the groups fight each other instead of directing any frustrations towards the Government and their lack of action to solve a particular societal problem.

The 'Divide and rule' policy (Latin: divide et impera) has been used for many thousands of years and is not going to stop any time soon as utopia is unlikely to ever occur.

Don't worry too much though, as the attention span of the target audience is limited and will in reality have little additional affect on the situation us cyclists find ourselves in.

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brooksby replied to yupiteru | 1 year ago
7 likes

yupiteru wrote:

The sort of media circus that Grant Shapps has attracted is completely planned and in fact rarely a week goes by without this type of distraction technique being used by people in power.

We (that is, cyclists) are now the Govt's latest dead cats.

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Awavey replied to yupiteru | 1 year ago
4 likes

Grant Shapps isnt really in power of anything at the moment, he's likely to be shuffled by the next party leader to the back benches, in fact I think it's a bit of a stretch to claim as some are this is the "governments" messaging at all, I guess it depends if you believe a cabinet ministers collective responsibility reaches back the other way so that anything they say is therefore the government saying it. Maybe lets leave that to the constitutional experts.

But really this isnt about dead cats,or distracting away from other issues, its Shapps sending a public message to his Tory party colleagues, one of whom gets to pick who sits round the next cabinet table that hes willing to distance himself from Team Boris policies that he's been closely associated with.

As the Independent also neatly surmises here as well.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/cyclists-number-plates-in...

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peted76 | 1 year ago
7 likes

Said particular troll is being so thick headed that this must surely be a parody account! Literally every single post (all 160 odd) has been trolling. They are either supporting the virtues of the government or arguing for the laughable 2021 traffic stats to be enshrined as 'normal'.  

Is there a forum law against trolling?

 

I also wonder if Gunt Shatts is getting 'paid' in some form for these shots he's firing? 

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hawkinspeter replied to peted76 | 1 year ago
5 likes

peted76 wrote:

I also wonder if Gunt Shatts is getting 'paid' in some form for these shots he's firing? 

He's just desperately trying to get a job in the upcoming regime change

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brooksby | 1 year ago
8 likes

laugh

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