Road Worlds cost Harrogate Council £605K; Shimano developing GPS unit?; Cycling MUCH greener than e-scooters, says EU agency; London RLJ idiot; Towpath…motorist?!; Man arrested for cycling with stolen fridge; Cop sparks helmet row +more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"If we would design our houses with the same principles as we use to design our streets"
If we would design our houses with the same principles as we use to design our streets.
Source: unknown#CycleMOOC pic.twitter.com/T5Mff6x5bh
— Cycling Professor (@fietsprofessor) February 4, 2020
We prefer Bruno’s version…
Ok. My personal variation pic.twitter.com/cChSgaHDay
— Bruno Marche (@brunomarche) February 4, 2020
Helmet row: Twitter hits back at police officer who praised helmets for saving cyclist in collision with driver... who was allegedly reported for careless driving
Praise to all the cyclists out there who wear helmets. Saved this rider a lengthy stay in hospital! pic.twitter.com/pOLeWYdCNT
— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 1, 2020
It al began on 1st February, when PC Glen McArthur posted the photo above of a broken helmet. He said it saved the rider a “lengthy stay in hospital.”
Maybe it is safer not to assume… Driver was reported for Careless Driving.
— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 4, 2020
Since then, numerous replies have questioned the emphasis placed on the cyclist’s helmet when it’s safe to assume the collision wouldn’t have happened if it wasn’t for the action of the driver that hit them; in the last few hours PC McArthur has said that although people “don’t know the full facts”, the cyclist was indeed hit by a motorist and they have been reported for careless driving. He also said the collision happened because of “a minor error of judgement on the driver’s part.”
That didn’t save anyone’s life. Stop with the nonsense promoting helmets. They can’t even prevent concussions.
— ⚫ CyclingMikey aka Bike Gandalf (@MikeyCycling) February 2, 2020
‘Love’ the victim blaming. Hope the driver got charged for nearly killing someone.
— Gabriel (@Ezy_Ryder) February 1, 2020
So it seems that I have opened, what seems like, a huge can of worms with a tweet about the pic below.
Cyclists and other road users share the same space. How can YOU all help reduce collisions?? Sensible answers need only respond. pic.twitter.com/QXZzPgySHE— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 4, 2020
PC McArthur has since said he appears to have opened a huge can of worms, and has invited his followers to discuss the reduction of road collisions. He also said that he believes dedicated cycling highways are “the way forward”… are people being too harsh on the officer, or wa his original tweet misinformed? Let us know your thoughts as always…
Mads Pederson signs two year extension with Trek-Segafredo
The 24-year-old Dane and reigning road world champ will continue with the US team through to the end of 2022. He said: “”I want to keep winning races. I want to be more consistent and more on the top level in the classics, not just the big races but in all the races, instead of popping up occasionally. That’s my main goal right now and then, of course, to honour and show respect for the rainbow stripes.”
Davide Rebellin signs contract extension with Meridiana Kamen... at the age of 48
The ageless Italian will continue as a pro cyclist in 2020, after re-signing (that’s sign up again, not resigning) with Croatian pro continental team Meridiana Kamen for another year. Wielerflits quoted their team manager as saying: “We are very happy with the arrival of Davide.
“We know Davide well and he is an important rider for the team. He will help the young riders with his wealth of experience, but he’s also capable of performing himself .”
The expression “surfing the internet” was invented in the year Rebellin turned pro. At the time there were 26 known websites in the world.
— Daniel Friebe (@friebos) February 5, 2020
The fact above is a testament to Rebellin’s extraordinary longevity. Rebellin rode through the final steel frame to win the Tour de France (Miguel Indurain in 1994) and the current world champion Mads Pederson wasn’t born until three years after Rebellin signed his first pro contract in 1992.
He won his first and only Grand Tour stage at the Giro d’Italia way back in 1996, and also had success in one-day races and classics, winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Amstel Gold Race in 2004; although it’s unfortunate his career is blotted by doping , as he tested positive for CERA at the 2008 Olympics and was forced to hand back his silver medal from the men’s road race.
Trans Pennine Trail respond to criticisms over upkeep of their cycle network
The story of our ‘cycle network’ in two acts:
1. Horrible muddy surface, no lighting
2. Poorly maintained signage, more rocky muddy surfaceOnly navigable on certain bikes in the best weather conditions. We cannot ‘encourage’ more people to cycle with routes like this. https://t.co/bFLNrm4wtQ
— Hannah 😈 🚲 (@theeyecollector) February 4, 2020
Yesterday’s live blog ended with some harsh words regarding the Trans Pennine Trail, which numerous cyclists called out for being poorly maintained and too treacherous…
Thank you to everyone that has commented on our original post yesterday. It is great to see how passionate people are about the Trail, just like ourselves and shows that the work we do is definitely appreciated by everyone. 1/6
— Trans Pennine Trail (@TPT_National) February 5, 2020
This morning Trans Pennine Trail have replied under our post, saying: “Thank you to everyone that has commented on our original post yesterday. It is great to see how passionate people are about the Trail, just like ourselves and shows that the work we do is definitely appreciated by everyone.
“Please note this particular section has recently suffered from flooding so the surface is definitely not up to a good standard. The Trans Pennine Trail was the UKs first multi user route and is unique in the way that we cater for a number of different users on the same route (walkers,cyclists and horse riders). With this is mind when considering surfacing, we do have to ensure that the surface chosen is suitable for all users. However we do agree that the current state of the surface is not ideal for many users, including those with disabilities and we would like to reiterate again that we are aware and working frantically in the background to try and seek improvements and source funding wherever possible.
“We do have a charity the ‘Friends of the Trans Pennine Trail’ that work alongside us and are seeking new members to join for a nominal annual fee. The higher their membership, the stronger position they are in to work alongside Partners, landowners and external funders to secure upgrades and improvements to the route.
“If you do have any further concerns regarding the state of the Trail please do get in touch with us direct and we will respond to all emails individually.”
Police in Norwich go undercover on bikes to catch dangerous drivers
EDP24 report that 19 people were caught in their latest undercover close pass operation – those snared include a taxi driver, an off-duty bus driver and a lorry driver.
The officers ran cameras on their bikes to capture evidence of the offences, and then when one was committed a uniformed officer on a motorbike would flag the car down and escort them to an educational workshop on road safety. Four couldn’t be stopped, and police are considering opening separate prosecutions in these cases.
Sergeant Mark Barney of the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team said: “Cyclists can often feel vulnerable on the roads, with vehicles driving too closely to them or cutting them up.
“What was disappointing about the 19 offences we detected in Norwich was that four of them were committed by professional drivers.
“These are people that drive for a living and who therefore we would expect much better from.”
Jeff Jordan of the Norwich Cycling Campaign commented: “Drivers find it very hard to judge how much room cyclists need. If they come unwittingly too close as they pass this can be very dangerous, as it does not give the cyclist room to manoeuvre.
“You never know when something like a pothole or even a gust of strong wind will throw you off. Generally, one to one-and-a-half metres is suitable.”
Cold case: Man arrested in Australia for cycling while carrying a stolen portable fridge
The Murray Valley Standard report that police have arrested a man in Murray Bridge, South Australia after he was caught riding a bike while carrying a stolen portable fridge.
The 36-year-old suspect was spotted chilling out a bit too much on Monday night, with officers quickly establishing that the fridge matched with a power cord left dangling from a nearby car; the car’s owner was apparently unaware that he’d been had by the Murray Bridge Fridge Bandit.
The crook was frozen on the spot as he was charged with illegal interference of a motor vehicle – not to mention his haphazard and potentially dangerous bike riding – and he appeared in court yesterday.
It’s not the first case of someone spotted cycling with a refrigeration device; the still at the top of this post was captured way back in 2011 in Cambridge, and the video directly above was filmed in Brazil. For a comprehensive listicle of weird things people have carried while cycling, see this fascinating article from our archives.
“Have you ever tried to carry a computer on a bike?” Yep...
Have you ever tried to carry a computer on a bike? If you are working as a service engineer you need a car.
— Alan Billings (@StickEandBrown) February 5, 2020
Re the fridge fiasco below, we’ve recently been alerted to a Twitter thread sparked after the gentleman above said a car was imperative for carrying his computer (presumably he means a laptop). Plenty have chipped in to rebuff this claim and offer advice, including Chris Boardman himself…
A do that every day! 💻 https://t.co/sOnWOElWqQ
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) February 5, 2020
How many? pic.twitter.com/GJoszXYjlS
— Tom Dereszynski (@tomder74) February 5, 2020
One word. Panniers. Take a look at how much kit a bicycle paramedic can carry. It’s 20 years since the first ones hit the roads. pic.twitter.com/exZwPKf3UA
— DaveB (@Dave_Blogs) February 5, 2020
What's the worst parking you've seen today?
Over on the forum road.cc user Melliott has flagged up this gem, it’s hard even to know where to start with that. Got any great pics of less-than-great parking? Share them on the thread…
"In the end it caused far less damage to me than to the planet!" Trek-Segafredo's Matteo Moschetti on riding 15km with a plastic bag caught in his rear wheel
In the end it caused far less damage to me than to the planet! We, including me first of all, should be more careful to protect the Earth!🌏 https://t.co/nLsna8gwlh
— Matteo Moschetti (@moschettiteo) February 4, 2020
The 23-year-old Italian clearly wasn’t too perturbed by the plastic bags remnants caught in his wheel at Challenge Mallorca on Sunday, as he powered to a second stage victory despite harbouring the bits of bag in his rear wheel for the last 15km.
What he is bothered more by is that the plastic wastage was there in the first place, and used the scenario to highlight the damage of plastic to the environment. Chapeau Matteo, and you might as well keep on sweeping those bags up because it’s clearly not harming your performance…
Cyclescheme to offer insurance for cyclists
Cyclescheme have announced an exclusive partnership with Bikmo to cover cyclists’ new bikes and kit against theft, accidental damage and more. To mark the launch of the scheme they’re also offering 14 days free insurance, plus new and old customers will also receive exclusive pricing on full policies.
Bikmo CEO Dave George said: “The whole team at Bikmo is excited to be extending our rider-centric cycle insurance to Cyclescheme customers. With the £1,000 value cap removed, the timing could not be better as we know cyclists are more concerned about theft and damage of higher value bikes.”
Click here to find out more.
“We can't change the past, but we can always expect tomorrow to be better”: Prudhomme accepts apology from Bjarne Riis
Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme has welcomed an apology from the race’s 1996 winner and now manager of NTT cycling Bjarne Riis over his involvement in doping during his racing years. He was also once dismissive of his Tour win and said it meant nothing to him after admitting to doping throughout his career in 2007, saying the yellow jersey he won was “in a box somewhere.”
According to Ciclismo Internacional, Prudhomme told a press conference: “Riis sent me a message yesterday saying that he regretted having said once that his yellow jersey was somewhere in a cardboard box in his garage. I’d rather receive a message like this now over nothing at all.
“That he has returned to the World Tour does not depend on the ASO. We can never change the past, but we can always expect tomorrow to be better.”
Pioneer exit the bike industry, as Shimano buys the cycling arm of their business
The electronics giants will no longer be selling cycling power meters and GPS units, with Shimano stepping in to take over their existing products and apps, and overseeing the development of new assets already started by Pioneer; this includes a new ‘web service’, essentially an interface between your head unit and the web. Putting two and two together and getting about three-and-a-half, does this mean Shimano could be developing their own GPS computer? As pointed out by DC Rainmaker on his blog, Shimano already have their own power meters so we’re not sure this would be there main motive for buying out Pioneer… in any case, we’ve dropped them a line for some clarification.
Road World Championships cost Harrogate Council a total of £605,000
…which seems a pretty good investment considering the event was watched by a record 329 million people in 124 countries according to Councillor Stanley Lumley, who told the Harrogate Advertiser: “They have now seen what a wonderful and accommodating place the Harrogate district really is and this will no doubt support our visitor economy for many years to come.”
In total the money pumped into the event was £1,305,660, but the council secured income totalling £27,000 and a £673,000 boost from the Leeds City Region business rates pool. The biggest single amount went towards the fan zone, which the council contributed £200,000 towards.
Cycling still a much greener option than e-scooters, says European Environment Agency Report
The report says that despite the rise and rise of the e-scooter and ride-hailing apps in countries where they are legal (they could be legal in the UK very soon), cycling, walking and public transport still remain the best ways to improve sustainable mobility in cities.
The EEA explain: “E-scooter sharing schemes appear to attract users that would have otherwise walked or used public transport. While the use of shared e-scooters generates few direct environmental impacts, their green credentials can be questioned by the substantial negative impacts associated to their materials, their manufacturing and their frequent collection for recharging purposes.
“Similarly, studies show that ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft do little to reduce emissions or congestion and actually draw people away from public transport.“
The EEA also found that transport emissions have continued to increase across Europe, and reiterate that for short city journeys, cycling and walking “provide the greatest benefits for both human health and the environment in urban areas.”
They report also says: “Shifting to walking, cycling and public transport will be crucial if Europe is to meet its long-term sustainability goals and policy objectives under the European Green Deal proposed by the European Commission in December 2019.”
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Latest Comments
"All that's required is an to roads policing" - that's a big all... Although no doubt the "idiots just keep coming" aspect does apply: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cz9lel2wz93o "Man charged after car crashes through bowling alley" - luckily they only skittled over skittles.
Almost any change to roads and streets is accompanied by a period of heightened danger, and in the UK "look out for cyclists" will need to be learned... practically. And over the time it takes for cyclists to become a regular feature. OTOH once (if...) good designs are in and frequent enough such that drivers encounter them AND the cyclists on them regularly (another big if) I don't think they should be much more difficult than a footway to deal with. These things are all over NL - don't have the collision stats but they should. (NL isn't perfect but collecting info on the safety of designs to feed back into better designs as required is part of the "sustainable safety" philosophy - if they're really a killer I think they'd be altering these.)
I'm in the happy position of agreeing with everybody here! I've never considered a bike with a stand, yet I'm impressed by the ingenuity and adaptability of this axle. I tow a Yak Bob with a Robert Axle, employing my El Cheapo Vitus gravel bike and I just have to be very careful where I stop. Hedges are generally a dead loss, and I seek walls, telegraph poles and signposts and generally lean the widest part of the Bob against it. One very awkward task is removing the two steel pins which lock the trailer arms onto the special mounting slots on the Robert axle, and when you have one out, the sodding weight in the trailer can twist the whole caboodle and bend the Bob fitting before you can get the other out and unhitch. I doubt if a stand would help with that. You can imagine that this combo is a real pain when you have to get it over the bridge at railway stations, and it nearly resulted in Merseyrail nearly parting me and the trailer on the platform from the bike on the train. It's a long story for another time. Another axle example recently featured on here, with a 12mm front axle bearing the Herculean weight limit of a monster American front rack.
This has nothing to do with the type of bike - it's the type of behaviour that's the problem. Banning the sale of such bikes will not curtail the behaviour. They'll just find another type of vehicle and continue to drive dangerously as there's such a lack of enforcement. I'd sooner see them ban the bally. But really, all that's required is an improvement to roads policing.
The EAPC Bill is welcome, but full of holes. What's to stop an overpowered but temporarily limited e-bike being sold and subsequently delimited? This is often a trivial process.
@KiwiMike Yeah, in my over four decades of riding all over Europe I've never 'been for a ride in the countryside'. That must be it. Or, and I know this is a wild concept, you just accept that I just voiced my personal experiences and never missed a kickstand, like I wrote. Anyway, what's the big horror of laying your bike on its side for the very few occasions where there is nothing to lean your bike against?
They may have looked, but did they see?
Ds2025: where they are going wrong is that they are crushing the motorbike rather than the person sat on top of it. If they did the latter this issue would be solved in less than 24 hours.
I came this way today with the car boot sale in operation. There was a marshal at the entrance, who stopped a car turning right across the cycleway as I was approaching. So that certainly works. I think it necessary for the marshal to be there, I couldn't say if the driver would have turned if he hadn't been there but you always have to suspect the worst. Unfortunately there is no marshal at the exit, and there was certainly a car stopped across the cycleway as I was approaching it. But he pulled onto the road before I reached it, and the following car stayed off the cycleway as I went through. Ideally there should have been a marshal there too. On the whole, though, it's a really high standard piece of infrastructure. Just a pity it doesn't extend a bit further.
“absolute carnage” So right! Just look at the bodies piled up, blood running in the gutters and injured people limping away. It's a bit of a problem with a road, delaying some people for minutes at a time: it isn't carnage, let alone 'absolute carnage'. Anyone who exaggerates so ridiculously really shouldn't be allowed to comment in public, unless they want to demonstrate their idiocy to all and sundry.
26 thoughts on “Road Worlds cost Harrogate Council £605K; Shimano developing GPS unit?; Cycling MUCH greener than e-scooters, says EU agency; London RLJ idiot; Towpath…motorist?!; Man arrested for cycling with stolen fridge; Cop sparks helmet row +more on the live blog”
People in authority, like
People in authority, like policemen and doctors, are looked up to as sources of unbiased information, and therefore they have a responsibility to be accurate. At the very least PC Arthur was misleading and distracting from the cause of the collision.
It is always better to avoid collisions than to ameliorate the effects, especially when the armour provided is proven to be not effective. I hope the PC will learn from this, and won’t be repeating his error any time soon..
It’s not really the
It’s not really the policemans fault, he’s just referencing rule 59 of the highway code…..
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/rules-for-cyclists-59-to-82
The highway code needs reviewing and modifying, but that is unlikely to happen in the near future. Also, with the current government, I can’t see any changes being in cyclists favour. More likely to get the wording of rule 59 changed from “should” to “must”.
He didn’t reference a rule
He didn’t reference a rule though, he made a claim that the helmet did something and prevented a lengthy stay in hospital. What was the basis of that claim and how is he qualified to make it?
To me it comes back to that pyramid of controls shown in the twitter discussion https://twitter.com/CCSteV/status/1224842007505514498/photo/2
and that with cycling the last resort is usually promoted as the first resort.
“I’m Spartacus!”
“I’m Spartacus!”
Police are supposed to be
Police are supposed to be unbiased during an investigation, but it does sometimes seem that there is more enthusiasum for finding mitigations than fault.
This BBC programme follows the investigation into a serious collision involving four cyclists and a car.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000dp8h/the-crash-detectives-series-2-episode-1
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-49986575
There were a couple of points in the programme I found a bit (and likely unconsciously) biased:
– at 19:30 an officer praises the driver for doing well managing to straighten up the out-of-control car, until his more experienced colleague points out it’s due to the impact with the cyclist.
– at 23:20 there’s a comment about the cyclists being ‘responsible’ and this seems to be linked to the fact they were riding single file and had lights and helmets. This is despite it not being dark when the collision occurred, so all of those things are completely irrelevant.
Poor old PC McArthur.. he had
Poor old PC McArthur.. he had no idea he was prodding a wasps nest when he tweeted that pic of a smashed up helmet. I bet the poor ignorant fool just thought he was putting out some good news and a careful reminder/warning to road users.
I feel a bit sorry for him.
I feel a bit sorry for him. He clearly had no idea about the reaction he’d get. I remember Geraint Thomas getting something similar when he said he’d never ride without a helmet.
As well as being factually
As well as being factually misleading (suggesting that the helmet was effective), his safety reminder was directed at the wrong road user group.
Would he broadcast the same kind of message after a woman had been hospitalised by a violent man? Or be surprised at the reaction?
Every member of police, judiciary, politicians etc should be nagged, badgered and cajoled until they stop letting dangerous drivers off the hook with ‘token’ or slap-on-the-wrist punishments for the totally avoidable damage they cause.
Davide Rebellin still cycling
Davide Rebellin still cycling at that level just doesn’t sit right with me, just as an aging Valverde doesn’t sit right with me.
The surface of the Trans
The surface of the Trans Pennine Trail might be down to exceptional bad weather, gates that are difficult with a non-standard bike isn’t:
https://tandem-club.org.uk/forum/All?id=10934
It would be nice to have more
It would be nice to have more confidence that Norwich police would respond better to public submissions of video close passes.
On one occasion (a few years ago now) I was told they couldn’t give notice of prosecution because the incident was more than 14 days ago. I pointed out that I submitted the video on the same evening as the incident occurred and they were responding for the first time 18 days later. The reason I was given for this was, the officer who delt with video submissions was off sick.
So, no cover for sickness and holidays then.
The policeman made a comment
The policeman made a comment based on incomplete information and his own bias.
Many of those criticising him are doing the exact same thing.
It is impossible to tell from a photo of a helmet whether it prevented an injury or not.
It doesn’t matter if it’s cracked or compressed or has any other mark etc.
All we can tell is that it absorbed some energy. It is impossible to know how much.
It is impossible to know what the cyclist’s injuries would have been like without the helmet.
Those claiming it did nothing are making the exact same mistake that the policeman made.
But you have done a similar
But you have done a similar thing to what the policeman did, in that you concentrate on the helmet thing, instead of starting with the “careless” and unlawful driving by the motorist being the cause of this incident, then you can mention the protective nature of the helmet that may have lessened injury, and to the head only.
I wasn’t commenting on the
I wasn’t commenting on the accident itself.
I was commenting on the reaction to the photo of the helmet.
Which is much less important
Which is much less important than the cause of the collision. But let’s not worry about that, let’s give those poor motorists innocently going about their business a bit of a break.
Rich, the policeman said:
Rich, the policeman said:
“Cyclists and other road users share the same space. How can YOU all help reduce collisions??”
Well not helmets, they cause collisions rather than reducing them…
Nice try.
Nice try.
Rich_cb wrote:
I have to give you full marks for resilience; it doesn’t matter how many times you’re proved wrong, you just bounce back. Still wrong, but still convinced that you are right.
From the man who literally
From the man who literally refuses to read evidence that contradicts his viewpoint.
The dictionary definition of confirmation bias.
Nice try Burt.
Keep lying and I’ll keep proving you’re a liar, over and over again.
Rich_cb wrote:
Many of those criticising him are doing the exact same thing.— Rich_cbOne hugely significant difference is that we are easily ignored, anonymous voices on an internet forum while he is an officer of the law making public statements that are erroneous and misleading. He is reinforcing false ideas about driver behaviour, road safety and PPE that are then repeated over and over again.
I know which of those voices holds more weight with the general public.
I agree that the police
I agree that the police should never refer to the potential benefit of PPE without explicitly referencing the criminal behaviour that has led to the PPE being necessary.
Rich_cb wrote:
Actually it does; a cracked helmet has absorbed very little energy and given that there are thousands of these “helmet saved my life” stories with the same picture of a damaged helmet, but the death rate of cyclists does not fall despite all these stories, they can’t be true. The policeman was wrong and we should all be pointing this out every time it happens, because it removes responsibility from the causes of the problem; bad driving, poor enforcement and victim blaming.
Thanks for displaying the
Thanks for displaying the exact bias I was referencing.
You have literally no idea how much energy that helmet absorbed.
You have literally no idea whether it prevented an injury or not.
You’re just speculating from your own biased perspective.
Which is exactly what the policeman did.
Good to see you still repeating your lie about death rates though.
Pity Harrogate council hasn’t
Pity Harrogate council hasn’t made any investment in the roads. I’m basically living over there at the moment and the roads as always are beyond garbage. Passable if you’ve got an Audi q2 or tank but useless for cycling.
Quote:
Did something get missed off the live blog?
Couldn’t see RLJ either
Couldn’t see RLJ either (unless it was blocked by client software)