[IanMSpencer]

Tonight Countryfile has a cycling flavour, with a look at the new Greenway which I think is the HS2 funded reworking of the Kenilworth Greenway, but the main interest is the look at cycling deaths on rural roads. I am aware of two parts, one is my mate Jo Ness and a campaign she is part of “More than a cyclist” (https://www.morethanacyclist.org/) which is attempting to address the dehumanisation of cyclists. Second is an interview with the family of Tony Satterthwaite who was a local Solihull CC cyclist who got killed by a speeding Porsche driver (who avoided jail because the judge apparently considered the trauma of the teenage boy in the passenger seat but not the trauma of Tony’s family). 6.45 on Countryfile tonight, iPlayer thereafter. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0017xtw

Topic

[David9694]

This is closely followed by

This is closely followed by another fresh dose of Hell from “Avid Cyclist” in The Spectator.  

[lonpfrb]

zideriup wrote:

zideriup wrote:

brooksby wrote:

”But cyclists often show no respect for traffic laws and behave as the most entitled road users” type of rhetorical question.

Which is interesting because one driver they interviewed in the Peak District almost moans about groups of ‘them’ [cyclists] ‘being aware of the rules’ and some of ‘them’ [cyclists] tend to ‘flaunt it’.

So I guess it’s another curious case of Schroedinger’s cyclist…

Indeed.

Respect to the Buxton Cycle Club who graciously allowed a ‘soft southern shandy drinker’ to ride with them one Sunday morning. They educated me that cycling involves pedaling up hill and down dale, relentlessly. No sign of flaunting anything but great fitness and determination. I was impressed and humbled. No discernible quantum mechanics though..

[AlsoSomniloquism]

“It was the wifes car so wasn

If I remember rightly some of his defense was “It was the wifes car so wasn’t used to it”. Well don’t drive it like a tosser to impress your lad you murderer.

[IanMSpencer]

What the programme didn’t
What the programme didn’t show was it was on a fairly narrow section of road with bends just after a junction (where I broke my hip in 1999). The bend being exited is normally one I would not expect to be doing the limit on, note the SLOW on the road going the other way into the bend after the 40mph sign (which the driver demolished) which suggests that the council think that the appropriate speed is much less than the limit.

Eastcote Ln
https://maps.app.goo.gl/MdEyLVxwMiWeCdYz7

Basically the Porsche driver floored it, lost the back end and collected Tony as he flew through the hedge in true Porsche style. It was a fairly recent Porsche so he overcame the traction control or had switched it off

[Hirsute]

“Cycling in the middle of the

“Cycling in the middle of the road”

Uncorrected by the presenter.

161M to spend on active travel. Just over 5 miles of motorway.

 

59 in a 40 and killing someone should result in being banned for life.

[IanMSpencer]

It did indeed look awesome
It did indeed look awesome and it will be interesting to see how it works as the Long Itch Diner is one of our regular destinations.

[peted76]

I’ll have a watch of that

I’ll have a watch of that tonight Ian, cheers for posting. 

I believe they are talking about the Lias Line improvements which have been touted for years and secured funding a few years back, there’s a PR here about it.. if they see it through it’ll be an ‘awesome’ and much needed local route. 

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/news/2021/october/building-work-starts-on-51m-lias-line-greenway-improvement-in-warwickshire/

[zideriup]

brooksby wrote:

brooksby wrote:

”But cyclists often show no respect for traffic laws and behave as the most entitled road users” type of rhetorical question.

Which is interesting because one driver they interviewed in the Peak District almost moans about groups of ‘them’ [cyclists] ‘being aware of the rules’ and some of ‘them’ [cyclists] tend to ‘flaunt it’.

So I guess it’s another curious case of Schroedinger’s cyclist…

[Grahamd]

brooksby wrote:

“behave as the most entitled road users” type of rhetorical question.  

Would be nice if someone from the BBC actually reported that cyclists are entitled to use the road by statute and drivers only get to use it by holding a licence. 

[brooksby]

Seconded on ‘balance’.  The

Seconded on ‘balance’.  The interviewer spoke to the campaigners and the professionals, tried to show sympathy with their cause, and then immediately went off on a “But cyclists often show no respect for traffic laws and behave as the most entitled road users” type of rhetorical question.  It was very frustrating, and I wish that the campaigners had asked back about how many motorists have been killed by distracted cyclists…

I bet eburt of this parish’s head exploded while watching it! 😉

[IanMSpencer]

They fell for their old
They fell for their old balance weakness. All the drivers made negative statements about annoying cyclists who deliberately aggrevated motorists, with “I’m on camera so I will say something nice at the end” and the interviewer went with “But some cyclists are knobs,so don’t they deserve what they get?” angle. You know what motorists will hear watching it.

The footage of incidents will have viewers scraping themselves off the ceiling with the crash – nicely done

[lonpfrb]

Thanks for posting Ian. So
Thanks for posting Ian. So far as I can tell the BBC is conflicted on cycling; negative stories, yet their London offices have many C2W such that they win the London Love to Ride competition.
So it will be interesting to see what they have to say about Rural Rides. Different from Metropolitan in my experience: 3.5 years C2W in central London and 7 years in rural Kent.

[Author]

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