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Letter in Shropshire Star
Letter: Cycle paths should be used for safety
Cyclists complain that motorists make their lives difficult when on the road. Where there is a cycle path provided they should use it as local councils spend over £1 million each year on creating and upgrading cycle paths so cyclists can ride safely.
Recently, a group of cyclists riding along the A518 from Stafford to Newport on the stretch between Gnosall and Newport, which road users know is full of bends and for most of its length has either double or single white lines restricting overtaking. This group of approximately 10-15 members decided to play chicken with motorists. Where the double white line stretch occurred they would ride either two or three abreast continually changing the outside riders.
Before riding along a main road cyclists should read the Highway Code where it states that where there is a single continuous white line or a double white line they should ride in single file. Many vehicles now have forward facing cameras which would show should there be a accident that the cyclist was to blame. They should also remember that they are not required to have insurance nor do they pay road tax which other road users have to do.
Cyclists, if you wish to stay alive and uninjured use your head when on major roads, before someone gets frustrated at your actions puts one or more of you inhospital. Use the cycle path where provided.
R Knight
Newport
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21 comments
My club often chaingang along the A518 between Houghton and Gnosall without problem and I've ridden the stretch between Newport and Gnosall 100s of times, again, without incident.
Some of the country lanes around there are far more dangerous with the yokels hurling their 4x4s about as if the own the place and the tractors quite happy to run you off the road.
There are so many errors in this letter that it comes as no surprise that this dicksplash is/was a UKIP councillor.
Yes the A518 is a busy road but cyclists have just as much right to use it as anyone else if they want to get from Gnosall to Newport or vice versa. There is no cyclepath on this stretch, it is a standard SC and not that wide. Mr Knight obviously feels he has the right to squeeze past single cyclists into oncoming traffic instead of observing the Highway Code.
The Star loves these letters because they are click-bait. Unfortunately, stuff like this just makes other ignorant people assume (wrongly) that they have some greater right to the road.
If Mr Knight wishes to threaten local road users then West Mercia Police should pop round his house before some Shropshire cyclists do.
"if you wish to stay alive and uninjured use your head when on major roads, before someone gets frustrated at your actions puts one or more of you inhospital"
So is that a threat then that someone will break the law and deliberately hurt a cyclist ?
On top of all the points raised in all previous comments to this, this ignorant twat still believes that motorists pay road tax!
And here he is
http://www.bloggers4ukip.org.uk/2009/02/telford-got-its-second-ukip-pari...
I'm wondering if there could be more than one R Knight.
Maybe...Newport has a small population of 10,000 people though. Said R Knight of Newport is a regular contributor to the Shropshire Star with most of his articles politically based either regarding the EU or the Scottish Referendum... Not that I want to point any fingers...
Very possible.
Although my logic is that R Knight of Broadway, Newport has written more than one letter to the local papers, some with an anti-EU flavour and Ray Knight of Broadway, Newport is a UKIP councillor.
My gut feeling is that they are the same person, but I could well be wrong and my logic flawed.
It looks like Ray Knight was a councillor on the Randlay and Hollinswood Parish council but is no more. http://www.hollinswoodandrandlaypc.org.uk/HollinswoodRandlayPC/councillo...
I share your gut feeling.
I can't find a 'R Knight' listed as a councillor at Telford and Wrekin at present. Which is probably a good thing.
I found this, it could be out of date though:
http://www.ukiptelfordandwrekin.org.uk/shropshire/councillors/
I grew up in Shropshire and go back and cycle there every now and then... You know those obvious roads in your local area that you cringe when you see people cycling along? The A518? Yep... one of those roads. I actually really enjoy going back and cycling there... it's as if people don't know what cyclist are and avoid just avoid them.
Phill, you are right on all counts, there are a few roads I don't venture on and the A518 is one of them.
Apart from that and of course A5 and A49, the cycling is fantastic on the whole. But don't tell anyone.
Clearly Mr R Knight needs to check rule 129 of the highway code which clearly states crossing of the white lines is acceptable for overtaking cyclists or horses.
and also rule 163 "give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car "
the only reason he wants cyclist to be single file is so he can overtake them without giving them adequate room (staying on the same side of the double white lines)
As they are probably doing closer to 20 from the letter writers comments, he can't overtake legally.
I guess
applies
fair point. he doesn't advise whether there was a long queue or just him, or whether they passed any safe places to pull in.
Actually, it appears that the writer of this letter is a UKIP councillor.
There is no point trying to make sense or reason of anything the doolally old twat has to say about anything.
True. Also, I can't help noticing that while the topic of this rant is that cyclists should use cycle paths where provided, the A518 from Gnosall doesn't actually have a cycle lane. And it only has solid white lines on those sections where overtaking would be, er, hazardous.
I do love the entertainment value of reading a good deranged rant, but I do worry sometimes about all those people who actually believe this stuff. I mean, they get to vote and drive cars and everything.
"Before riding along a main road cyclists should read the Highway Code where it states that where there is a single continuous white line or a double white line they should ride in single file."
Can someone point me in the direction of this part of the highway code?
I think
And yes I know it isn't law, but when has that mattered to the average anti cyclist?
http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2015/06/30/letter-cycle-paths-should-...