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Live blog: Italian pros launch petition for road law changes in memory of Michele Scarponi, W Mids Police tell cycle safety app developer it distracts drivers ,Freeman tribunal faces further delay, Sagan calls for safer cities +more
All today’s news from the site and beyond
Tue, Feb 12, 2019 18:06
SUMMARY
12 February 2019, 18:06
Great Britain squad announced for UCI Track World Champs
TEAM ANNOUCEMENT
Check out the team for the 2019 @UCI_Track Cycling World Championships
27th Feb – 3rd March // Pruzskow, Poland
Full Story https://t.co/hkyUvGJdST pic.twitter.com/tXXHttxo8X
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) February 12, 2019
22 riders were selected in total for the championships, which will begin in just over a fortnight on Wednesday 27th February.
12 February 2019, 18:06
Mavic and Enve up for sale
Leading wheel brands Enve and Mavic are being sold by parent company Amer Sports according to a story by www.bike-eu.com.
Amer Sports is selling Enve and Mavic, acquired in 2016 and 2005 respectively, because they no longer fit the company’s “ strategy to pursue sustainable, profitable growth” with a renewed focus on soft goods. It’s also prompted by apparently poor results, with cycling division sales dropping 13% in 2018.
Got a few million spare and fancy buying your own wheel brand?
12 February 2019, 18:06
Our CORE Bike highlights
There’s nothing we like more than a good nose around a trade show. Here are some things we saw…
12 February 2019, 18:06
Italian pro riders' union launches road safety petition in memory of Michele Scarponi
Italy’s professional cyclists’ organisation, the ACCPI, has launched a petition in memory of the late Michele Scarponi that calls on the country’s government to do more to protect people riding bikes on the road.
Highlighting an increase in the number of cyclists killed in recent years on Italy’s roads, the ACCPI’s petition, which goes by the name Siamo sulla stessa strada: rendiamola sicura – We’re on the same road, let’s make it safe – is hosted on Change.org and addressed to Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
It urges the government, among other things, to introduce a minimum passing distance of 1.5 metres to the country’s highway code, which currently requires motorists only to give “adequate distance” when passing cyclists.
It also calls for psychological support measures to be introduced for victims and their relatives, increased compensation for bike riders who sustain life changing injuries as a result of a road traffic collision, and changing the country’s penal code to enable the families of cyclists who have been killed to participate fully in criminal proceedings.
The petition can be found here.
12 February 2019, 18:06
Police intervene as Cycle Safety Technologies say "responsibility rests with cyclist" if they are hit by driver and not using their app
Hello Martyn
Thanks for your comment
We confirm that cycle safety technology app Is for all road users.
If a cyclist Is not using the app but a driver Is using the app the responsibility rest with the cyclist.
All accidents that happen are look at on the evidence available.— Joseph Edet (@cyclesafetech) February 11, 2019
Our story yesterday about a smartphone app that claims to alert motorists to the presence of cyclists on the road has took another turn – West Midlands Police have urged the developer of Cycle Safety Technologies to remove the tweet above, which appears to suggest that if a cyclist is hit by an app-using motorist and they are not using it, then the responsibility rests with them to provide evidence. West Midlands Police replied: “You really need to remove that tweet, under the #RTA1988 the use of your app neither provides a defence to a potential offence nor absolves a driver of the requirement to drive to #teststandard, your app provides a potential distraction that could lead to prosecution though.”
Surrey’s Road Police Unit also replied with a whole thread, with the gist of their advice being that the responsibility rests with the driver to see cyclists on the road. For now the thread on Twitter still exists, but we’ll add screenshots where possible if it magically disappears…
Well the responsibility for seeing a cyclist lays firmly with the driver. Obviously riders need to be seen so positioning in the road, lights at night will help but it’s not the riders responsibility for the driver to see them. If a rider or driver choose to use an app then….
— RPU – Surrey Police (@SurreyRoadCops) February 12, 2019
12 February 2019, 18:06
Safe streets for cyclists and pedestrians get the coolest endorsement possible
Riding my bike in San Francisco. We need to make our cities and communities safer for cyclists and pedestrians. It’s good for ourselves and good for the planet @c40cities (Photo @Aaronbhall / @ride100percent) pic.twitter.com/VvzNOdDvqN
— Peter Sagan (@petosagan) February 11, 2019
When Peter Sagan says it, hopefully people will listen! It didn’t stop one commenter from suggesting Sagan “would be safer with hi-via (sic) and some flashing front/rear lights”; and if you click the embed below you will see plenty of people gave a piece of their mind back.
Probably would be safer with hi-via clothing and some flashing front/rear lights…. That pictures make me cringe since there’s no obvious safety equipment…
— Jason Gasparik (@JGasparik) February 11, 2019
12 February 2019, 18:06
The INRIX 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard shows cycling faster than driving in hundreds of major cities (in London you'll drive at just 7mph for your last mile)
Assuming an average cycling speed of a very casual 10mph for sake of argument, you can go faster on a bike in many world cities in the last mile of your commute according to the INRIX 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard. London came out the sixth worst city in the world for congestion, with the average mile of a London car commuter crawling along at measly 7mph, amongst the slowest in the world. In Bristol and Edinburgh it’s 8mph and in Manchester it’s 10mph. The Scorecard also calculates the average cost of congestion per driver, with Londoners losing £1,680 per year. If only there was something pedal-powered with two wheels you could use instead to claw back some of that cash…
Check out the Scorecard here to input your city’s data, how does it compare? Let us know in the comments.
12 February 2019, 18:06
Inrex Global Traffic Scorecard - tabloid comment section contributors blame cycle and bus lanes (but you knew that)
Strictly for work purposes, we took a very deep breath and delved into the cesspit that is the Daily Mail comments section on their version of the story about the INRIX 2018 Global Traffic Scorecard – and it made for some pretty depressing reading. After scrolling past the most popular comments which blamed city congestion on overpopulation and immigrants, you then get to the second-most ‘liked’ reason for bad traffic according to the DM’s mostly deranged audience… cycle lanes and public transport, which as most of us know are overwhelmingly shown to ease congestion in urban areas. We won’t link to it, but if you feel like making yourself really worked up then I’m sure you can find the article via a search engine at your peril…
12 February 2019, 18:06
Nothing ever changes...
Watching a fabulous film called A Boy, a Girl and a Bike from 1949. About a ‘bicycling’ club in Yorkshire. From this clip – nothing changes! #bike #cycling @TalkingPicsTV @UKCycleChat pic.twitter.com/Uke0xaVrJW
— Jill (@mummyjilly) February 10, 2019
This great clip from the 1949 film ‘A boy, a Girl and a Bike’ doesn’t appear to have aged a day if you just listen to the words! The film stars John McCallum, Honor Blackman and Patrick Holt and revolves around the adventures of the fictional Wakeford Wheelers cycling club, with romantic complications ensuing between the members. We’re assuming the film is now in the public domain, as you can watch the whole thing for free on YouTube here.
12 February 2019, 18:06
Hmmm...
If i drink 5 of these in 5 minutes, is it the same as an attack of 5 minutes at 500watts? pic.twitter.com/QvHFLji6km
— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) February 11, 2019
We’re going to say we’re not sure Thomas, but we can confirm it will definitely be tastier!
12 February 2019, 18:06
Richard Freeman's trial could now be delayed for several months
Freeman’s latest no-show for a medical tribunal into his alleged involvement with an order for testosterone in 2011 could lead to a several month delay, reports the BBC.
The hearing was supposed to happen last Wednesday and the General Medical Council has accused him of lying to conceal his motive, but Freeman denies wrongdoing. He previously failed to appear before a parliamentary committee investigating the Jiffy Bag controversy in 2017 citing ill-health, and in December 2018 he pulled out of a scheduled appearance at Jess Varnish’ employment tribunal.
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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.
3 Comments
Latest Comments
chrisonabike 27 minutes ago
@yodhrin I believe the fairer summary is "we don't know - but making the main point advocating a form of PPE with relatively limited protection - and to a group of likely experienced cyclists - isn't very helpful..." I've only read one of the reports but that suggested the skull removal was to alleviate pressure from major brain swelling. And a given helmet *might* be better than the standard. So I think "don't know" is fairest.
yodhrin 10 hours ago
@robgodd The poor guy himself suffered a traumatic brain injury and his skull was so badly shattered a significant portion of it had to be removed - do me a favour, have a look around cycling helmet manufacturers and see if any of them claim the foam hats they produce will protect against or even mitigate that level of injury. I'll wait if you like, but I can save us both the time and tell you what you'll find: none of them. Not a single one of them will. Because they don't, and they *can't* based on simple physics. Once the point of failure in a material is reached all(or as near as makes no odds) of the additional force beyond that necessary threshhold transfers through to the object beneath. Since bicycle helmets are rated for forces roughly equivalent to being dropped straight down from a stationary start 1.5m above a hard surface. Now, I'm not an expert in vehicle crash investigation, but I'm *fairly* sure that any impact or series of impacts powerful enough to render a quarder of your skull into gravel, put you in a weeks-long coma, give you massive amnesia, and leave you with ongoing symptoms of traumatic brain injury are a little bit, a teeny-weeny amount, a little smidgeon-widgeon more than what bike helmets are rated for. That's why none of the companies that make them claim they will help in such circumstances: because they know it would be a lie, and that unlike uninformed punters, carbrained journalists, or "medical professionals" who think wearing a helmet would save you from a broken arm(an actual scenario encountered by a mate, who's nurse at the A&E tutted and harrumphed her way through his whole treatment due to his lack of helmet despite his bonce having come through *being hit by a car* - another scenario bike helmets are worthless in - completely unscathed), the lawyers for those companies know their business and understand that if you lie in advertising you will get sued into the ground.
Mr Blackbird 11 hours ago
The Battle of Ypres April 1915. The German infantry division advanced using das Brumptstadt Fahrarden. The slow speed kept them behind the cloud of chlorine gas as it drifted towards the Commonwealth trenches. The offensive cleaved a two mile gap in the Western Front. The use of cycles was copied by the Japanese as they invaded Singapore and Burmah. By then war technology had embraced wider low pressure tyres, carbon frames and hydration gels. The German forces decided not to incorporate cycling as part of Operation Session, as bike theft in London and the South East was rife and would have caused huge casualties. Ironically superior advancement of tyre technology led to a British victory at El Alamein. This technology played a key part in the US Marines victory at Iwo Jima.
ROOTminus1 11 hours ago
The appropriate response to Google pissing on your cereal is not a fancy new sugar that removes the taste of urine. Stop using Google products where you can. Firefox browser and DuckDuckGo search engine have had noticeable upticks in market share by explicitly NOT pushing AI.
belugabob 11 hours ago
my thoughts exactly...I wonder how that approach is working, with motor vehicle drivers...🤔
Anonymousattorney 12 hours ago
I do not wish to diminish the personal tragedy, but one never hear calls for pedestrians or even hikers to wear clothing with integrated lightening rods.
chrisonabike 12 hours ago
RE Andy Burnam / Heidi Alexander - this is the best thing in many ways - set an example (even if currently it leads to lots of online name-calling). And imagine some of the political alternatives! The folks in the apparently second-placed party seem incredibly unlikely to be doing so. And even the current "new Greens" seem less interested in ... y'know, environmental things. OTOH I wish Heidi could be bolder. And I fear that like anyone ambitious enough to get to the top (exception B Johnson - well, I guess there was the Corbyn bicycle...) Burnam will be trimming his transport policy sails to fit the wind (should that be "bunker-fuel-burning engines"?)
Rendel Harris 12 hours ago
@mattsccm Bull bars aren't banned, they just have to conform to regulations so they are deformable or have plates that allow crumple give on contact, rather than rigid steel bars that can smash into pedestrians and cyclists with no give at all, catch them and drag them under the wheels. If you think that's a problem, do one. Why should who is responsible for a collision remove the responsibility of people driving a tonne of machinery on the road from having safety features to at least mitigate some of the effects of a collision?
AidanR 12 hours ago
I'd be willing to bet that's lazy use of stock photography rather than deliberate misinformation, but the result is still the same.
Backladder 12 hours ago
@smallbeer You obviously don't realise how many bulls there are wandering around Chelsea, in and out of the china shops, that he needs to protect his Range Rover from.
3 thoughts on “Live blog: Italian pros launch petition for road law changes in memory of Michele Scarponi, W Mids Police tell cycle safety app developer it distracts drivers ,Freeman tribunal faces further delay, Sagan calls for safer cities +more”
Nice response from Surrey
Nice response from Surrey police. Now if only there was a body who could enforce those who ignore it…
Thank you for not linking to
Thank you for not linking to the DM article. I would have felt duty bound to look at it.
https://twitter.com
https://twitter.com/cyclesafetech/status/1095025128893808646
Mr Edet’s going to need a new lower intestine very soon.