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Live blog: ‘make cyclists wear numbered bibs’, says former West Ham footballer, Belfast university gets a (timely?) EU award for being a cycle friendly employer, end of the road for Velothon Wales +more
All the news from the site and beyond as we start a new week
Mon, Nov 26, 2018 16:08
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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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Latest Comments
kil0ran 18 minutes ago
I was a few bikes away from the fatal collision during Ride London a few years ago, I barely avoided the victim's dog which was running loose. Definitely one of those slo-mo adrenaline fuelled moments and I was only doing about 40kph. At lead out speeds it really doesn't bear thinking about.
open_roads 21 minutes ago
@Xenophon2 "That’s a lot of batteries to keep track of, to the point that I have a dedicated charger with 3 m USB-C cable in my office, another one at home. Can’t imagine having to deal with another battery such as on the Flight Attendant." Top tip: In reality most of the SRAM stuff lasts a month or two even with pretty heavy usage. I just charge all the batteries on the last Sunday of every month and have yet to be caught out. The SRAM batteries are so cheap / small / light it's also worth keeping a spare in a saddle bag or similar.
ajuk.uk@gmail.com 53 minutes ago
@chrisonabike There does seem to be evidence that 20 mph limits work on roads that already lend themselves to such low speeds, and I do think the lack of a 25 mph limit option is an issue for some roads. Speed limits should especially not be set very low in the hope that many or most drivers will only exceed them by a set amount because, not only is it not true that many people drive like that, the opposite can happen. Instead of targeting the drivers most likely to cause harm, you're putting the prohibition onto the behaviour of more sensible drivers and forcing the police to target them. The DfT guidance used to have a paragraph calling out this presumption. The extent to which road design and conditions at the time dictate traffic speeds is too stark to ignore. I've seen urban roads with signed 40 mph limits have lower average speeds than some roads with posted 20 mph limits. And yes, that road in Gloucester has signs openly inviting drivers to go faster, and almost none of them do: the non-compliance was about 2%. Compare that to over 99% non-compliance on some roads in Wales. What I'm mainly talking about is the increasing imposition of 20 mph limits on much higher-standard main roads. That's where you see extreme levels of non-compliance. In some cases, the average speed has even been known to go up after the limit has gone down. Showing such contempt just brings speed limits into disrepute and my contention is that drivers should take speed limits seriously.
ajuk.uk@gmail.com 53 minutes ago
@chrisonabike There does seem to be evidence that 20 mph limits work on roads that already lend themselves to such low speeds, and I do think the lack of a 25 mph limit option is an issue for some roads. Speed limits should especially not be set very low in the hope that many or most drivers will only exceed them by a set amount because, not only is it not true that many people drive like that, the opposite can happen. Instead of targeting the drivers most likely to cause harm, you're putting the prohibition onto the behaviour of more sensible drivers and forcing the police to target them. The DfT guidance used to have a paragraph calling out this presumption. The extent to which road design and conditions at the time dictate traffic speeds is too stark to ignore. I've seen urban roads with signed 40 mph limits have lower average speeds than some roads with posted 20 mph limits. And yes, that road in Gloucester has signs openly inviting drivers to go faster, and almost none of them do: the non-compliance was about 2%. Compare that to over 99% non-compliance on some roads in Wales. So no, when speed limits match the road, compliance is much higher, but speeds are not. What I'm mainly talking about is the increasing imposition of 20 mph limits on much higher-standard main roads. That's where you see extreme levels of non-compliance. In some cases, the average speed has even been known to go up after the limit has gone down. Showing such contempt just brings speed limits into disrepute and my contention is that drivers should take speed limits seriously.
Rendel Harris 1 hour ago
@jaymack Yes...to an extent, and I'm happy at the moment with my twelve-year-old Dura Ace mechanical, but I must admit when I had Ultegra Di2 I did notice not so much the ease of shifting but the perfect trimming of the gears after every shift so that the chainline was always absolutely perfect and that did enhance the simple pleasure of being outside, for me anyway. At least until that day I forgot to charge the battery which died at the turnaround on an eighty-mile ride and had to ride a very lumpy forty miles home stuck in 50x14...
Rendel Harris 2 hours ago
@Daclu Trelub Well no, given that I object to the use of derogatory slurs against people with mental health issues I think I'll "bother" the person who's using derogatory slurs against people with mental health issues. Have a little think, if capable: if your mother or someone else close to you had dementia or mental health issues, would you be happy for people to be pointing at them mockingly saying, "Looks like she's a few chips short of a fish supper"? Stop it.
Daclu Trelub 2 hours ago
@Rendel Harris Go and bother somebody else with your opinion.
jaymack 2 hours ago
I'm sure electronic gears, pedals, seat posts etc. are each a modern marvel but they all seem to solve a problem I've never encountered. However I have encountered others faffing while searching for batteries, cables and even a firmware update. All of which just gets in the way of cycling's simple pleasure - being outside
Rendel Harris 2 hours ago
@Daclu Trelub Yeah...that sort of expression is OK when being jocular about someone who's a bit dense or slow on the uptake, is it really appropriate for someone who quite obviously has mental health/dementia issues?
Xenophon2 3 hours ago
I'm a bit on the fence. Currently riding a gravel bike with a Force AXS XPLR groupset, Favero assioma pro powermeter pedals, Garmin varia rear light, lupine front light, Edge 1040. That's a lot of batteries to keep track of, to the point that I have a dedicated charger with 3 m USB-C cable in my office, another one at home. Can't imagine having to deal with another battery such as on the Flight Attendant. BUT....everything's dead easy to set up, no cables to route through the frame, no cable stretch, no derailleur adjustment.....
24 thoughts on “Live blog: ‘make cyclists wear numbered bibs’, says former West Ham footballer, Belfast university gets a (timely?) EU award for being a cycle friendly employer, end of the road for Velothon Wales +more”
The most informative quote
The most informative quote from the Frank McAvennie piece: “I’m no expert on road safety”
A quick google of ‘Referee
A quick google of ‘Referee books wrong player’ quickly puts Frank’s plan to bed.
More like: Who needs
More like: Who needs Handlebars, when you’ve got 3 Hetchins?!
I’m not sure Airbus would win
I’m not sure Airbus would win an EU award for being a cycle friendly employer, a colleague was handed this when arriving on-site.
very odd given the horrendous traffic in Toulouse, you’d think they’d be encouraging more people to cycle to work.
ChancerOnABike wrote:
I’d prefer brakes on the bike rather than any of the other advice.
ChancerOnABike wrote:
McAvennie is ridiculed annually in a BBC Scotland comedy show broadcast at New Year.
The two things his character is identified as.
He was a fine footballer in his Celtic days, but not the sharpest.
Edit – This is from Wikipedia
During his playing career he reputedly enjoyed a playboy lifestyle involving drink, drugs and womanising.[14][12][52] His lifestyle was the inspiration for a parody character played by Jonathan Watson in the Scottish comedy TV programme, Only an Excuse?[12][53]
In 2000, having been cleared in court of an incident involving the supply of controlled drugs,[12][54] McAvennie found himself in severe fiancial difficulties and resorted to selling his medals to Celtic-supporting businessman Willie Haughey for a small sum; these were later returned to him in 2017.[54]
On 12 January 2009, McAvennie received a four-month suspended sentence for affray following an incident in July 2008 in which he head-butted a man in Douglas on the Isle of Man.[55]
Ideal role model to take advice from.
Quote:
But they aren’t held to the same standards at present. He’s right. At present, drivers are dealt with a great deal more leniently…
Quote:
This one really annoys me.
Bicycles and cars are not the same things, and I firmly believe the rules and regulations should reflect that (which they don’t at the moment, for the most part).
Arguing that cyclists should be held to the same standard as drivers calls on that non-existent equivalence. We often hear demands that we should be held to the same standard, or be made to obey the law in the same way, or pay the same taxes, or be subject to the same enforcement regime (cf the proposed dangerous cycling law) and yet at the same time, we are also told that we should get out of the way of faster vehicles, ride in the gutter at all times, not ride in the centre of the lane and so on, and so on.
The law in this country should recognise the differences between modes of transport and allow for different regulations where appropriate (e.g. permitting cyclists to turn left through red lights, for one example).
brooksby wrote:
It is a fundamentally stupid thing to say. In almost every aspect of life, standards are stricter for owning and operating more potentially dangerous items of equipment. Hence it is easy (in the UK) to get hold of an air pistol but nigh on impossible to own an assault rifle. Pretty much any adult can buy fireworks but very few can buy Semtex. Anyone can ride a bicycle but very few people are allowed to fly jet aircraft (and then only after long and rigorous training).
A 10-kg bicycle, propelled by human power is potentially FAR less dangerous than a two-tonne steel vehicle propelled by anything up to 200 bhp. Anyone who cannot understand the difference between the two and the accompanying operating standards is an idiot.
Good of that footballer to
Good of that footballer to come along and confirm the stereotype of footballers being as thick as two short planks!
“At the moment, they have no
“At the moment, they have no accountability — and I have a brilliant idea to change that. Cyclists need to be held to the same standards that drivers are.
So, wearing a numbered bib would allow cyclists to cause the same levels of death & destruction as drivers? Really?
So, as an example from DfT statistics, on 20mph roads 86% of cars exceed the limit, that would have to be reduced to ~15mph to make it possible for 86% of cyclists to break the limit – genius!
I bet motorists would be happy with you mr ex footballer,
and I’d love to hear your ideas on BrexitWill the bib come with
Will the bib come with electric lighting?
Good to know there are no hit and runs by any driver.
hirsute wrote:
Yep: 100 per week motorised hit & runs in London alone. Maybe cars need bibs.
Can footballers also be made
Can footballers also be made to wear bibs, so they can be clearly identified as they are generally immune from prosecution due to the services of Mr Loophole?
National Cake Day, wish I’d
National Cake Day, wish I’d known. but I did start the day with a glazed knot ring doughnut, from my local bakery. And yesterday I did manage, on my 4th attempt to make caramel shards, which I used to make The Violet Bakery’s butterscotch blondies, which are very sticky and nice.
“I don’t want it to seem like
“I don’t want it to seem like I hate all cyclists…”
Is this a newer form of “I’m not racist but…”?
He’s a footballer. His plan
He’s a footballer. His plan for numbered bibs will run into trouble as soon as he gets past 10. Maybe 20 if he takes his socks off.
Mungecrundle wrote:
12 or 24 for his type.
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
Hey! I’ve got friends from Bridgwater, you know.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Sandwich city!*
*(All in bread)
And congratulations for being one of the 5% who can spell it right.
I’m sure Frank has thought
I’m sure Frank has thought this through rigorously but surely numbered bibs would be wide open to fraud
Sadly Biggins wrote:
Yeah – I’d get bib numbered 69 (dude) and after jumping red lights, I could just turn it upside down and get away with it.
hawkinspeter wrote:
You might also get some attention from ladies who misunderstand your sign.
burtthebike wrote:
I don’t think there’ll be any misunderstanding.