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Willie Rennie addresses Pedal On Parliament 2015 (picture credit Chris Hill, cropped)Scottish Lib Dem leader clocks 81mph on Strava after Pedal on Parliament
The leader of the Liberal Democrat Party in Scotland, Willie Rennie, clocked up an improbable speed of 81mph on Saturday on the ride-sharing site Strava – after forgetting to switch his GPS off as he drove home after Saturday’s Pedal on Parliament.
Mr Rennie had ridden to the event in Edinburgh with a feeder ride from Fife, where he lives, switching to his car for the journey home, reports the Daily Record.
His average speed on the ride was 11mph, but the MSP for Mid-Scotland and Fife left his Strava app running and hit 81.2mph on the M90 near Hill of Beath, breaking the speed limit of 70mph, as he drove home to Kelty, Fife.
A spokesman for his party said: “This is an app for measuring running and cycling, not cars travelling on motorways.
“Willie always tries to stick to the speed limit and does not believe he broke it on this drive, but it is always worth everyone remembering the importance of driving safely.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Rennie had addressed a crowd of around 4,000 cyclists outside the Scottish Parliament building at Holyrood.
Referring to a promise made at the event by the Scottish transport minister that the SNP would increase funding for cycling during 2015/16, he said: "My pledge is to keep Derek Mackay to live up to his pledge.
“Liberal Democrats have committed to increase spending on active travel every year.
“We need drivers to think about us as vulnerable people on the roads. Your voice is being heard in parliament and we will continue to make it a priority.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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21 comments
Like the Strava speed will be accurate!
Strava told me I did 60mph+ coming off Coldharbour a few weeks ago. Garmin Connect said 41.
He may have been speeding, he may not. Chill out, people.
Looking at some Strava segment times, I don't think Willie is the first to set a time while not on a bike!
You can be sure they checked the 20mph and 30mph zones. If there's no mention of those, he's doing pretty good.
TBH, if he topped out at 81mph on the motorway he was probably one of the slower vehicles present. I'd guess 81mph to be a pretty average motorway speed for car drivers.
That doesn't make it OK but I don't think this guy should be painted as some sort of reckless nutter.
For a second I thought he did it on his bike, now that would be something!
I hope boy races don't get the idea to start a new craze for KOMs in cars...
I have seen some Strava segments and KoM's that have left me going "Really?!?!?"
(Especially as I know some of the riders who have claimed them.)
if your a footballer, or salesman / company director you can do up to and over 100mph on that bit of road with no one complaining,
and coming back to my point, I think most drivers have forgotten that it is illegal to speed, there is a belief that there are crimes and there are crimes. Most drivers do speed, but it doesn't make it right, it is just accepted that until you are a long way over the limit no one actually cares. No one is policing the roads, no one is enforcing the rules.
Politician doing indicated 85-90 on a motorway, and no one actually cares..... wonder how fast he was going in the 30 zones he undoubtly travelled through to get to and from the motorway?
No idea. 30?
Though both are technically wrong, there's a difference in breaking the speed limit on a motorway and breaking it in a 30 that I think most people appreciate.
I love the irony of this.
I once made the same mistake, leaving on my Garmin on the way home from work and picked up a KOM on a segment on the M90. Just recently I got a notification that Willie Rennie beat this KOM by 3s. Though I have just checked and it appears I still have it. Seems his account has been closed !
WOW!!!
81.2mph, who hasn't done that on a motorway?
Are you one of the 51% of drivers who don't believe they break the law?
http://road.cc/content/news/149493-britains-roads-increasingly-lawless-t...
I'm pretty sure he was being facetious. I've only really got experience with Irish motorways, but to be honest speeding ~ 15% over in a straight line doesn't bother me hugely. It's people driving bumper to bumper, performing dangerous maneuvers around on/off ramps that are the worry. Speeding in urban environments, breaking red lights, etc. are for more dangerous, is this really a massive issue?
If you said he was going 80 mph in a 30 mph zone or through a red light, I might go and get my pitchfork.
I have not received a single point on my licence since 1983, I believe that this in itself demonstrates that I drive legally, all the time.
Not necessarily. It just means you've never been caught if you have broken he law (accidentally or otherwise).
I drive carefully, but I'm sure I have broken a few traffic rules, even if only by accident.
Sarcasm comes across badly in text, that is one of the reasons emoticons were invented to help with, this is sarcasm, right?
It's laughable that the technology to regulate and monitor speeding is so simple yet it's not applied in preference to a few expensive to maintain cameras.
> they always read high
Not always. I once borrowed a Mitsubishi which had a speedo that was absolutely on the nail.
Oh that's alright then... gps isn't accurate for cars is it?
In reality his car speedo would have been reading approx. 85 (they always read high).
more like 90 IME.
Yeah i'd say 90 too. My speedo always reads 10% high.