Live blog: Hungary stages for next year’s Giro; Land Rover dealer claim the Discovery is the “best car for cyclists” (tweet backfires); Over half of car drivers exceed 30mph limit; Lachlan Morton stocks up on Lucozade on his epic GBDURO adventure + more
SUMMARY
Over half of car drivers exceed speed limit on 30mph roads
While 87 per cent exceed the limit on 20mph roads.
In 2018:
10% of cars exceeded the speed limit on national speed limit single carriageways
52% of cars exceeded the speed limit on 30mph roads
a greater proportion of cars exceeded the speed limit on weekdays than weekendshttps://t.co/OcFfKXr3a8— APPCG (@allpartycycling) June 26, 2019
Virgin Active bans folding bikes
Super disapointed that @VirginActiveUK Moorgate have announced they have a ban on #Brompton bikes at their gyms after 4 years of attending that gym and being told i can leave it there by all staff. Sort out your policy @VirginActiveUK ! – I won’t be a member for much longer.
— Jim (@MrJimColeman) June 26, 2019
No context cycling photo of the week...
Cycling, out of context. Lachlan Morton goes shopping. pic.twitter.com/xPXPuhXDvu
— Jeremy Whittle (@jeremycwhittle) June 27, 2019
…is GBDURO leader Lachlan Morton stopping at a shop to fill up on Lucozade. He’s currently over 400km in the lead on the brutal mixed-terrain LEJOG route of nearly 2,000km in length, and with 500km to go we estimate he’ll finish some time on Saturday. Head over to the Racing Collective live tracker for updates.
TT Nationals - Watch here
DealClincher: 40% off Rapha sale
Wait, you’re not signed up to the Rapha newsletter? But you’re missing out on daily pics of moody-looking cyclists.
To be fair, the one that landed in our inbox today was all about a 40% off sale.
It’s got quite a bit of summer kit in there, so it’s well worth a little look.
“Intent prediction” driver assistance technology to be trialled in London buses
Deep learning technology predicts cyclists’ movements and sounds alert to driver.
IAM RoadSmart advocates regular driving tests
The IAM RoadSmart report referenced in the ‘intent prediction’ software story below also recommends that driver training should be a life-long continuous process.
Tony Greenidge, IAM RoadSmart business development director, said: “Perhaps we should require people to retake their test after a certain number of years? There is a growing belief that we should.
“I cannot think of another single task as difficult, complex, important or as dangerous as driving on business, where quite literally, you can perform well for just an hour of your life – during the driving test – and that’s all that’s required for the next 60 years or more. Given the rapid changes in technology, legislation and congestion this just does not seem logical.”
Land Rover dealer tweets that their car is "the best for cyclists" - backfires
BEST CARS FOR CYCLISTS IN 2019: LAND ROVER DISCOVERY! The Land Rover Discovery is one of the best cars for cyclists because it brings both space and ruggedness in abundance. Read more: https://t.co/ikH2ETHge1 #LandRover #Discovery #SUV #cycling #cyclists #BigCars #CarForCyclists pic.twitter.com/8yQ2wbRjRK
— Land Rover Thornhill (@LRThornhill) June 26, 2019
A small Land Rover dealer in Thornhill, Canada have received a mixed global response by claiming that the Land Rover Discovery is the ultimate four-wheeled companion for your bike, thanks to its ample storage space and ‘ruggedness’. The replies suggest many cyclists think otherwise…
Personally, I find it’s often the Land Rover Discovery drivers who run me off the road because they’re not aware of their obnoxious width – or simply don’t care.
— Felix Lowe (@saddleblaze) June 27, 2019
Yeah I’ve had a good few very nearly wipe me out whilst out cycling. Too big, too high & blunt at the front & many drivers seem unable to handle them safely. Not best car for this cyclist. Think again. pic.twitter.com/wjkzjNGjUe
— Arthur Findley (@ArthurFindley) June 26, 2019
Nah. I used something a good bit smaller just last Saturday to go to a cycling event. Parking was in a field too, which is probably about as far off road as the average school run Land Rover will go these days. This myth that you NEED a big car needs to stop being perpetuated. pic.twitter.com/qiw76sAZRo
— Citycycling (@urbancyclist) June 27, 2019
I don’t think I’d be able to get the pedals turning to be honest. Looks way to heavy. Have you tried an actual bicycle?
These would be an excellent choice for those looking to intimidate people on bikes and generally belch out foul air into the lungs of the masses— Faye K Nous (@FayeKNous) June 26, 2019
Alice Barnes beats sister Hannah to win national TT champs
Barnes triumphed over the 17 mile course to ensure the National TT title stays in the Barnes family for another year. The men’s elite TT is up next with the first rider off at 3:30pm.
Scottish broadcaster asks why cyclists aren’t using A9 cycle path
Turns out she genuinely wanted to know – she guessed it wasn’t in good nick.
Apparently it's #NationalSunglassesDay...
…and Liam is very happy about it. If you want to upgrade yours to mark the occasion while the sun’s out, see our bumper guide to the best sunglasses.
Near Miss of the Day 283: Fast, close pass and used a bus lane
Alejandro Valverde's still not retiring
It’s hard to imagine he ever will.
(and beyond) ‼️@alejanvalverde has signed an additional two-year contract with the Movistar Team as a rider. After that, he will remain a member of the Abarca Sports organisation at least through the end of 2024.
@PhotoGomezSport pic.twitter.com/fqi6Kk5SHY
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) June 27, 2019
The Giro’s starting in Budapest next year
The Giro will start on Saturday May 9 with a 9.5km individual time trial on the streets of Budapest. The final climb is about 1.5km at around 4%.
The second stage is 193km and suited to sprinters. It’ll start from the capital and head to Györ. Bit of a double-digit gradient kick 22km from the end, but nothing too serious.
Stage three (197km) will start in Székesfehérvár and finish in Nagykanizsa. It’s another one for sprinters.
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Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn’t especially like cake.
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Latest Comments
I'll counter that by saying the Bryton 750se I have drives me nuts at times. Inconsistantly picks up on routes created on Komoot and the app re-syncs every few seconds when trying to set up the device and sends me back to the home screen. The most infuriating one is that I turned live track on. Once. It now won't turn off and repeatedly flags up the live track is starting, and then disconnecting every few seconds whilst riding. I haven't timed it but it wouldn't suprise me if 10-20% of the time the the screen is covered with an error message. That's been about 6 weeks now. Other than that it's great :/
RE: Police launch road safety operation... by clamping down on cyclists using footbridge Meanwhile in Glasgow, Police Scotland are riding their motorbikes over the pedestrian and cyclists only bridge. https://x.com/FietserGlasgow/status/2065106152917012523?s=20
@Paul J Van Schip certainly seems a bit of a dick, but he's a European and multiple World Champion on the track, pretty sure you don't get there without having some talent in your legs.
Poor Vincent cannot get over the simple fact that given the choice people prefer dedicated cycling spaces, rather than pretending to be cars like vehicular cyclists.
What is the point of the fancy air sensor if it can't account for changing weather conditions?? If all you care about is a delayed approximation of aerodynamic watts in steady conditions, you don't need any special sensors for that. Just your speed on a decently flat course is enough to approximate rolling resistance and drivetrain losses. And the rest must be aero. If you assume a less aero body position at the same watts, your speed will drop while rolling resistance also drops, which means approximated aero watts goes up. And that's enough to demonstrate what you've shown in your testing protocol ("I sat upright and the number went up a little while later").
Your correction is accurate - it's almost always been "the (lack of) thought that (doesn't) count". "Massive" - less than a billion a year spent on active travel (trying to catch up / building a network across the entire country) Not massive - 6 billion every year (2026-2030) spent on road *maintenance* of existing "already built, goes everywhere, very convenient" road network for inactive travel Ultimately the reason "cycle infra" is *needed* is those unbelievably colossal amounts spent every year (and for more than a century now) on making mass motoring not just viable but apparently the "best choice" for most journeys. As the Dutch and others have shown, the majority of people *are* prepared to cycle and even mix with very light, slow local motor traffic *if* cycling is also made safe and convenient for the whole of their journey (including secure parking at both ends). (The history of the financial drivers of the current situation are a complex topic but note that while people complain about "crumbling roads" and underfunded motor infra - with some reason - by us continuing the fuel duty escalator freeze (for example) we're actually helping motorists pay *even less* for that activity / subsidising more of the cost of driving than ever.)
yes, but people will still object - which was my point.
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
40 thoughts on “Live blog: Hungary stages for next year’s Giro; Land Rover dealer claim the Discovery is the “best car for cyclists” (tweet backfires); Over half of car drivers exceed 30mph limit; Lachlan Morton stocks up on Lucozade on his epic GBDURO adventure + more”
Not surprised by the 30mph
Not surprised by the 30mph thing at all. The number of times I’ve had cars fixed to my bumper in 30 zones, then becoming a speck in my rear view mirror on 50 and 60mph roads.
It’s so pathetic. You’re so much more likely to hit a person or cyclist in a town, hence the speed limits, but they don’t care about that. But fast roads, where they’re more likely to hurt themselves if they crash, they suddenly get all jumpy and cautious (unless there is a cyclist on the road too).
Presumably the car drivers
Presumably the car drivers that moan about cyclists ‘not following the highway code’ are all in the 48% that don’t break the speed limit*.
Otherwise they would be complete hypocrites.
(* and equivalent stats for not using mobile phones, always indicating, etc etc)
No more astoundingly
No more astoundingly expensive new infrastructure for these scofflaws until they start learning the highway code and obeying the law.
Oh, and Robert Winston, how’s that licensing and registration argument looking right now?
So, why can’t we employ
So, why can’t we employ Kingdom (the company responsible for £80,000 in fines for people cycling in the no-cycling zones in Peterborough) to ticket the speeding drivers? As far as I can tell, most people speed because everyone else does it and there’s a very slim chance of getting caught.
If everyone going 35mph in a 30 zone gets fined, you’d soon see a change in behaviour. It’s not rocket salad you know.
Although it should be noted
Although it should be noted that inappropriate speed for the conditions is the issue.
You could be doing 30 in a 30 and that might be too fast.
All drivers should have to do
All drivers should have to do the speed awareness course, not just those (like myself) offered it when caught speeding.
My driving changed overnight. Still as Toffee writes, the number of drivers on my bumper and who have even overtaken me while I sit at 30 in a 30 astounds me.
I was once shouted at by a
I was once shouted at by a van driver for breaking the speed limit on a 20mph road in central Hackney by about 2-3 mph (not that limits apply to bikes, but anyway…) – of course, he then disappeared into the difference.
The cognitive dissonance of lots of drivers is staggering when it comes to speeding – it’s their right, not a danger…
hughsain wrote:
I think the speed limit also applys to cyclist just as stop sings and other traffic signs do. The rules of the road apply to eveyone on the road. A freind of mine got pulled over for speeding on her bike no ticket but still pulled over The cop was on a bike too. Toronto Canada.
Mybike wrote:
Not in the UK except in a few royal parks and the odd seafront shared path.
hughsain wrote:
I think the speed limit also applys to cyclist just as stop sings and other traffic signs do. The rules of the road apply to eveyone on the road. A freind of mine got pulled over for speeding on her bike no ticket but still pulled over The cop was on a bike too. Toronto Canada.
I was once shouted at by a
I was once shouted at by a van driver for breaking the speed limit on a 20mph road in central Hackney by about 2-3 mph (not that limits apply to bikes, but anyway…) – of course, he then disappeared into the distance, closely followed by the other traffic.
The cognitive dissonance of lots of drivers is staggering when it comes to speeding – it’s their right, not a danger…
But breaking the 30mph speed
But breaking the 30mph speed limit when driving is fine. It isn’t at all dangerous and, besides, all cyclists are scofflaw red light jumpers so drivers are justified.
workhard wrote:
Breaking the speed limit is not necessarily dangerous. Plenty of roads I can think of that have had speeds changed but it didn’t suddenly become dangerous overnight to continue to do 50 where the limit is now 40.
There also seems to be a difference as to where you live in the country as to a road being 30 or 40 when the makeup and layout is very similar.
hirsute wrote:
But breaking the 30mph speed limit when driving is fine. It isn’t at all dangerous and, besides, all cyclists are scofflaw red light jumpers so drivers are justified.
— hirsute Breaking the speed limit is not necessarily dangerous. Plenty of roads I can think of that have had speeds changed but it didn’t suddenly become dangerous overnight to continue to do 50 where the limit is now 40. There also seems to be a difference as to where you live in the country as to a road being 30 or 40 when the makeup and layout is very similar.— workhard
Is it possible they changed the speed limit because people kept crashing?
hirsute wrote:
But breaking the 30mph speed limit when driving is fine. It isn’t at all dangerous and, besides, all cyclists are scofflaw red light jumpers so drivers are justified.
— hirsute Breaking the speed limit is not necessarily dangerous. Plenty of roads I can think of that have had speeds changed but it didn’t suddenly become dangerous overnight to continue to do 50 where the limit is now 40. There also seems to be a difference as to where you live in the country as to a road being 30 or 40 when the makeup and layout is very similar.— workhard
True theoretically, however by definition it is dangerous because of the potential damage that it can do, even at speeds much below the limit we know that motorists can and do kill and maim with great regularity including themselves never mind innocent victims – just under 200,000 deaths or injuries annually despite all the ‘protection’ motorists have.
On top of that is the hundreds of thousands if not millions of non injury collisions EDIT – where an injury doesn’t occur due to the massively increased tech/safety provision (including making vehicles more massive and by definition more dangerous to other road users).
Even on an empty motorway we have to concentrate, make hazard perception judgements all the time.
The limits are set in the hope that this restricts the damage that
cuntsmotorists do, however history has shown us that the limits are simply inadequate/too high as despite all the armour, improved brakes, too many humans are simply shit.I doubt the figures given are a true representation in the 30mph areas and the 60/NSL speed numbers seem to me to be well out. I reckon that the 20mph figure is closer to 95%.
hirsute wrote:
Breaking the speed limit might not necessarily always be dangerous, but the one thing I took away from a speed awareness course was that wherever speed limits, signage and/or road markings get changed you can think of it in economic terms.
Budgets are always tight. Local authorities don’t decide to change the speed limit on a whim and will only go to the trouble and expense of doing so if there have been accidents on that road on a regular enough basis to flag it as a genuine safety concern. Same with markings on the road saying “SLOW” and that sort of thing. If they weren’t there before then they were only added because of a genuine danger, which unfortunately often means there’s been accidents.
So, no it didn’t suddenly become [more] dangerous overnight to continue to do 50 where the limit is now 40, but maybe it was already dangerous to do 50 there. Just remember that no one is going to spend all that money on new signage unless they absolutely have to. Made me look at these things from a different perspective.
I’d love to know what
I’d love to know what percentage break 20mph limits.
squired wrote:
That came up recently fluffykitten found this link
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-6363507/Government-study-reveals-hardly-motorists-obey-20mph-speed-limits.html
It’s above the stats tweet 87
It’s above the stats tweet 87% apparently.
80% of drivers think that
80% of drivers think that their driving skills are above average, therefore at least 30% are liars.
On a slight tangent, what are
On a slight tangent, what are cyclists’ opinions of speed limits applying to them? My average speed on most rides is around 16-18 mph, but with a tail wind or slight downhill I can easily hit 25 mph or more. Should I get to a 20 mph zone, should I slow down? On a long steep hill with a 40 mph limit, should I stay under that?
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
For cyclists a speed limit is a target!
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
I should concentrate on staying on the bike !
And don’t blow your nose.
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
My personal opinion is that, on balance, cyclists sticking to the speed limit makes more sense than not. Especially in urban areas where the speed limit is low because of high densities of other road users (sometimes behaving unpredictably) then sticking to the speed limit would seem sensible to minimise accidents.
The main counter argument would be that, compared to a person in a heavy, well-protected metal box, a cyclist is much less likely to hurt other people and far more likely to be hurt themselves in the event of an accident. So there should be a far higher degree of self-regulation and lower risk of harm to others.
A final thought: I would strongly oppose any standalone change to the law to implement speed limits for cyclists on principal: it sends the message that cyclists are the problem and need greater regulation. I don’t think the Government should waste their time adding further restrictions to cyclists – it would be much more productive if they encourage cycling and clamp down on the real dangers to society (which include dangerous driving, air pollution, and inactivity).
OnYerBike wrote:
Speed limits for cyclists could only be enforced if all bicycles were required to be fitted with approved speedometers.
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
I obey 20 mph limits, other than that most of them aren’t really an issue that I have to worry about as I’d rarely be going that fast unless it’s downhill.
20 is there for a good reason (schools etc) so I stick to it
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
Why would you ask the question? Rule 69 says cyclists must obey all traffic signs. Simple enough?
Griff500 wrote:
On a slight tangent, what are cyclists’ opinions of speed limits applying to them
— Griff500 Why would you ask the question? Rule 69 says cyclists must obey all traffic signs. Simple enough?— Daveyraveygravey
Rule 69 does not apply to irrelevant signs and the motorised speed limits have no relevance to horses, cyclists, pedestrians etc.
It’s like seeing a “dogs must be carried” sign on an escalator and then searching around for a dog to carry if you don’t have one.
hawkinspeter wrote:
The OP was not asking about 70mph signs, clearly irrelevant, he asked about a 20mph sign and a 40mph sign where he claims to exceed 40mph. If he is capable of exceeding the limit on the sign, (or in your world if he has a dog), then the sign is relevant.
Griff500 wrote:
I stand corrected, apparently the only uk speed limit applying to cyclists is in Richmond Park. I suspect however that if you were involved in an incident while exceeding the speed limit, a dim view would be taken, and the “furious cycling” clause would be imposed.
Griff500 wrote:
The current climate seems to be to apply ‘furious cycling’ even when the cyclist is travelling slower than the motorised limits (e.g. 20mph).
As mentioned elsewhere, there’s also an issue of enforcing a speed limit on cycles when they don’t have a speedometer – that could be a significant loophole.
Here in Bristol, there’s lots of 20mph speed limits around the town but I have no qualms about exceeding that when conditions are suitable (e.g. downhill, with a following wind and being towed by a team of racing squirrels). I don’t think I’m causing any particular danger to anyone else by doing so and there always seems to be drivers keen on overtaking me despite the motorised speed limit.
The bizarre thing about
The bizarre thing about speeding in 30 limits is that the local councils are in on it too, in my experience.
The speed some drivers come through our village is ridiculous, not just a bit over, but maybe 50mph plus.
Yet the parish council and the local authority claim there is not a speeding issue.
If they set a speed van up there on a regular basis, they could pay for a whole new school inside a year.
The one speed suits all types
The one speed suits all types are the worst. 40 in 30. 40 in 50.. 40 in the 60.
Either that or the probable blind. I’ve followed drivers at night crawling the unlit 60 zones, not using their full beams. Hit the 30 zone and street lights and they then leave me at 30.
I’m also some drivers tailgate not intentionally but just out of imcompetence. As some else said, move into the 60 zone and they don’t keep up.
I call Discos and Range
I call Discos and Range Rovers the ‘chariots of the gloriously self-entitled’; normally being driven like they own the place. There’s probably no more space in the back of a Disco than an estate car; a van’s got proper space for bikes. It’s the ‘polished to perfection’ Defenders being driven round town that gets me, and don’t get me on the ‘pumped up micro-car’ Evoque. Saw the boot space on that and laughed. Talk about a brand that’s lost it’s way.
I’m 110% sure that I have
I’m 110% sure that I have never before seen a Live Blog Page with so many opportunities to quote made up stats.
Did you know that 82% of all Land Rover drivers are driven by people under 5’5″ tall.
91% of drivers retaking a test after ten years would fail .
“Intent prediction” software is 95% perfect, the remaining 5% of errors can be classed as an acceptable variance.
Virgin Active’s ban on folding bikes affects 13% of London commuters.
The car speeding stats are just fine as they are.
Not in the UK Mybike, 30mph
Not in the UK Mybike, 30mph and above only apply to motorised vehicles.
20mph may be different, still have not had full explanation as they are locally defined.
So many FEW drivers-Forty
So many FEW drivers-Forty Every Where, especially older drivers. They seem to have little perception of speed and just drive at a comfortable pace. Have you ever seen an old driver checking their speedo or turning their headto observe
CXR94Di2 wrote:
Here we go again with the old road.cc stereotypes. So the answer to your question is yes, me, a 60 year old who drives a high performance sports car. Take your ageist shit elsewhere! And incidentally, insurance stats show that those of us in our second half century not only cause less accidents, but are also involved in fewer no fault accidents than young drivers, suggesting we have greater awareness, and anticipation, of risk, rather than lesser as you suggest. Unless of course you have evidence to the contrary?
Yep, I’ve had a dark grey
Yep, I’ve had a dark grey Land Rover practically run me off the road 4 times so far. Always the same prick. I’ve got his plate so if he does it again I’m going to the police with low expectations.
Over half of car drivers
Over half of car drivers exceed speed limit on 30mph roads
Is this like masturbation? 50% of men admit to it, and the other half are liars?