“Every minute I walk on the streets my life is in danger”: Peter Hitchens calls for e-bike number plates – but cyclists say “don’t be put off by illegal machines”; “Put cyclists on secondary roads,” says Ontario PM; Cat wins again + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Anyone got a felt tip marker? Toms Skujiņš swaps Lidl-Trek’s Pirelli tyres for blacked out Vittorias on way to brilliant fourth place at world championships
Setting aside Tadej Pogačar for a moment (I know, nobody puts Pogi in the corner), for most cycling fans, the standout performance from the men’s world road race championships on Sunday came courtesy of Toms Skujiņš.
The Latvian, who finished second to Pogačar at Strade Bianche earlier this year, put in a barnstorming ride on Zurich’s hilly course, mounting a ferocious chase alongside Ben Healy which, at one point during the chaos that engulfed the first half of the race’s final lap, appeared within touching distance of reeling in the slightly fading Slovenian.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
However, as the chase concertinaed, and the gap to Pogačar halted its downward descent, Skujiņš was forced to settle for fourth place on the line behind Mathieu van der Poel in the sprint – at the end of what still should be regarded as one of the rides of his career so far.
So, what was Skujiņš’ secret for his attacking, relentless ride in Zurich? Well, it could be the surreptitious tyres he was using.
Yes, our eagle-eyed YouTuber Jamie spotted that the 33-year-old wasn’t using the Pirelli tyres found on his Lidl-Trek team’s bikes, but was instead sporting a pair of tan walled Vittoria Corsas – with the logos carefully, and very cleanly, covered up with a huge black marker pen:
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Of course, riders eschewing their team’s sponsor-mandated equipment for their own favoured brands while racing for their national squad is nothing new – interestingly, Simon Yates actually opted against using Jayco-AlUla’s Vittorias for the worlds – but who knows, could Skujiņš’ storming ride at the worlds set a new trend for aero felt tip makers?
This morning, Skujiņš, who was visibly distraught by his fourth place immediately after the race, posted on Instagram about his worlds experience – though notably left out any mention of tyre choice.
“Worlds in Zurich was quite something. Still unsure about my feelings from that event, but I left it all out there and would not change a single pedal stroke I made,” the 33-year-old wrote.
“Thankful for all the cheers from Latvians on the roadside, but most of all thankful for the support from my teammates and Team Latvia staff.”
All of Pog’s rivals: ‘If only he was in slow motion during the race’
Young British star Max Poole secures first ever professional victory on Queen Stage of Tour of Langkawi
He’s been knocking on the door for quite a while now, but young British climbing talent Max Poole upgraded his run of podium places at the Vuelta a España by securing his first ever pro victory this morning, winning the Tour of Langkawi’s Queen Stage from a reduced bunch sprint.
The 21-year-old DSM-Firmenich rider, who took an impressive but ultimately frustrating three third places and one second place at the Vuelta last month, has clearly kept his sparking end-of-season form going, beating Astana’s Harold Martín López and Italian Thomas Pesenti in an 11-rider sprint at Cameron Highlands.
Poole had thinned the group out himself by attacking near the top of the final 8km climb to Brinchang, after DSM had controlled the peloton on the previous longer, 19km ascent to KG Raga. After a few riders made their way back on the short descent to the finish, the British rider launched early again to seal his first pro win.
That victory, taken on the toughest and most mountainous stage of this year’s Tour of Langkawi, has also proved enough to move Poole into the overall lead at the Malaysian stage race, five seconds clear of López.
“It was quite a straightforward day with how the parcours was, with a flat first 100 kilometres then uphill for the final 70 kilometres. It was really the only opportunity for the climbers here,” a delighted Poole said at the finish.
“I have a really good group of people around me, we made a good plan and knew that it was being about patient and waiting until the last kilometre of the climb to make the damage. When there were attacks, I just tried to stay patient until the last moment to then make the difference and then come over the top of the climb with a gap.
“We worked well together as a trio but the group from behind came back. There were a few teams with a couple of guys, so I just had to pick the right wheel and get a good run to the line. We knew the finish was slowly dragging uphill, but I got a good bit of slipstream and used it to launch early and held on to the finish. I’ve been sprinting quite well the past few months, so I had to back myself.
“I’m super happy to get my first pro win and the guys did a great job today so thanks to them as well. We’ll approach each day as it comes, and we have some nice sprint opportunities with Casper so we will also focus on them too and try and go for another win there.”
Poole’s win also marked the 20th victory of the season for his Dutch squad – which leaves DSM just three behind Tadej Pogačar on the win front for 2024…
“This was a terrible thing to do to another person, let alone to celebrate it”
> Police release “absolutely sickening” footage of cyclist deliberately rammed off bike, as men behind separate incident on pedestrian jailed
Ben Wiggins set to make European elite road racing debut, as 19-year-old called up Jayco-AlUla WorldTour squad for Cro Race
And speaking of promising young British riders… It’s been a few years, but the name Wiggins is one we’ll have to get used to seeing again on the start list of major bike races.
After riding the Tour of Britain in Team GB colours last month, 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley’s son Ben will get another early taste of elite racing this week at the Cro Race, a six-day stage race in Croatia, alongside the likes of Filippo Ganna, Fred Wright, Brandon McNulty, and Pablo Castrillo, after being called up to the Jayco-AlUla squad as a stagiaire, the traditional end-of-season trainee role for aspiring pros.
Wiggins enjoyed a successful season as a junior in 2023, including taking the overall win at the Trophée Centre Morbihan, second at the junior world time trial championships, and securing a Madison world title alongside Matthew Brennan.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
Since moving up to the U23 ranks for 2024, the 19-year-old has raced this year on the continent for Axel Merckx’s Hagens Berman Jayco squad, and finished 18th in the U23 time trial at last week’s Zurich worlds.
Earlier this year, Hagens Berman announced a new partnership with Australian WorldTour team Jayco AlUla, a relationship which has enabled Wiggins Jnr to take to the start line in Vodice today – and quite possibly provide a path to the WorldTour for the very promising teenager.
We won’t forget the name in a hurry, anyway.
Cyclocross seasons starts early! Evy Kuijpers gets forced off the road and onto the grass during some crosswind action at Binche-Chimay-Binche
#BincheChimayBinche pic.twitter.com/FDpCirOJHr
— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) October 1, 2024
That’s what they call in the business ‘a Geraint Thomas’…
Bike ban council says it wants “a safe place where people don’t worry about bicycles” and claims cyclists “fly through town centre” – but cyclists say they are being fined for dismounting and pushing their bikes
It looks like the bike ban big hitters are out in force this week.
With Worcester councillor Alan Amos’ latest anti-cycling scolding still ringing in our ears, today we’re heading back to one of the OGs of controversial cycling bans, Bedford, where opposition councillors have said that they have been “inundated with complaints” from residents who have been fined for dismounting and pushing their bikes in the town centre.
Read more: > Bike ban council says it wants “a safe place where people don’t worry about bicycles” and claims cyclists “fly through town centre” – but cyclists say they are being fined for dismounting and pushing their bikes
Cat Ferguson can’t stop winning! 18-year-old British star continues sensational run of form with second elite victory of her career at Binche-Chimay-Binche, just days after completing worlds double
Wow. Now that’s how you follow up a double rainbow jersey winning week.
After winning both the junior women’s time trial and road race at last week’s world championships in Zurich, Britain’s teenage sensation Cat Ferguson continued her unbelievable autumn, outsprinting a stellar field to take her second pro win at just her fourth race in Movistar colours – and while still a stagiaire, or trainee, to boot.
On the steady, cobbled drag to the finish in Binche, the 18-year-old – aided by teammate Emma Norsgaard’s long lead-out – launched early, just as double Tour de France stage winner Charlotte Kool suffered a mechanical problem.
While Kool managed to recover enough to take fourth, nobody could live with Ferguson’s speed and acceleration, as the British super talent comfortably beat Christina Schweinberger and Anniina Ahtosalo to underline her growing status as the sport’s most exciting prospect.
“It’s incredible, I’m here just to learn, I’m still a junior, I’m still a stagiaire and this is totally not what I expected at the front of the race so it’s really surreal,” Ferguson, who only joined the Movistar set-up at the start of September, after an all-conquering final year in the junior ranks, said at the finish.
Cat Ferguson wins! It’s her 2nd elite win and 1st after her recent world title!
Emma Norsgaard delivered her perfectly with Charlotte Kool suffering some form of mechanical late on#BincheChimayBinche pic.twitter.com/F4msbnNGED
— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) October 1, 2024
“I’m so grateful to the girls because I’m new and they are so welcoming and accommodating and they help me so much to learn.
“I hope to just continue how I’m doing now – if I can keep on the progression that I’m going on at the minute then I think I can achieve great things, but the next three years are just about adapting to the new category and learning from the girls around me.”
If she continues doing what she’s doing now – well, the peloton should be afraid, very afraid.
Does this mean the current Everesting records are null and void?
So, apparently a new study has claimed that a river is eroding rock and soil at the base of Mount Everest, pushing it upwards, and making the world’s highest mountain 15 to 50m taller than it normally would be.
Should someone tell Illi Gardner and Ronan McLaughlin?
To be fair to Illi, she’d probably be able to set a new record for what I’m going to call ‘Super Mount Everest’ by dinner time tonight…
A front light controlled by Di2? What will they think of next?
> Magicshine launches first Shimano Di2-compatible front light
Giro d’Italia winner Elisa Longo Borghini signs three-year deal with UAE Team ADQ
Just days after she finished third behind Lotte Kopecky and Chloé Dygert at the world road race championships in Zurich, Elisa Longo Borghini’s long-anticipated move to UAE Team ADQ has been confirmed.
The 32-year-old Italian champion has spent the last six seasons at Lidl-Trek, establishing herself as one of the best and most consistent riders in the world, winning Paris-Roubaix, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda, the second of her two Tour of Flanders victories, and this year’s Giro d’Italia.
(Pauline Ballet/A.S.O)
According to Daniel Benson, Longo Borghini’s long-term coach Paolo Slongo is also making the move from Lidl-Trek to UAE Team ADQ for 2025.
“I’m delighted to share the news that I’m joining UAE Team ADQ for the next three years. The team attracted me the most from the beginning because it’s an ambitious team and it aims to grow every year,” Longo Borghini said in a press release issued by UAE.
“This matches my character. I’m an ambitious person and I’m really looking forward to targeting many races with this team. I will try to defend my title at the Giro d’Italia, and try to win the Tour de France, and one of the Ardennes [classics]. As a world-class rider I’m also aiming to be a role model and inspire the community of women in the UAE towards a healthy lifestyle.”
“Sick” Arnaud De Lie stampedes to victory at Binche-Chimay-Binche ahead of Biniam Girmay
Arnaud De Lie may have claimed he was still suffering from a bout of illness before the start of the Binche-Chimay-Binche Memorial Frank Vandenbroucke one-day race today, but the Belgian champion sure has a peculiar way of showing it, launching a devastating acceleration to overhaul the early-charging Jasper Philipsen and see off Biniam Girmay for seventh win of the season.
#Replay 🎥 / #BincheChimayBinche 🍺
Victoire au sprint de 🇧🇪 Arnaud De Lie (LTD), juste devant 🇪🇷 Biniam Girmay (IWA). 🇧🇪 Milan Fretin (COF) complète le podium. pic.twitter.com/NDFfY4Bw4I— Renaud Breban (@RenaudB31) October 1, 2024
De Lie’s victory also marks the first win by a rider from Wallonia at the race since 1996, when the late Frank Vandenbroucke – memorialised in the race’s full title since 2010 – took the spoils.
Now, that’s not a bad rider for De Lie to follow in the wheel tracks of as the next big Walloon star.
Thibaut’s on the tube
So, it looks like Thibaut Pinot has arrived in London this evening, potentially to watch PSG play Arsenal in the Champions League (though he could just be on a farming business trip to buy supplies, who knows? It’s the match, isn’t it?).
So cue scenes of commuters waving flags and screaming ‘TIBOPINO’ as he makes his way down the tube to his seat. Or they’ll all be looking at their phones and not realising French cycling royalty is right there…
Major UK cycling distributor behind Orro Bikes enters administration and ‘all staff asked to leave without September pay’
All staff at UK-based cycling distributor I-ride, perhaps best known for its popular in-house bike brand Orro Bikes, have been made redundant and are still without pay for last month, sources have told road.cc, after the company entered administration.
Read more: > Major UK cycling distributor behind Orro Bikes enters administration and ‘all staff asked to leave without September pay’
“The reality is cyclists are going places”: Ontario premier slammed for “put cyclists on secondary roads” stance, amid “ineffective and dangerous” plans to block bike lane projects
I regret to inform you that, across the pond, Doug Ford is at again.
The Ontario premier, who back in 2022 rather wisely conducted a TV news interview on road safety while driving through a snowstorm, has defended his government’s push to limit the construction of cycle lanes in the Canadian province by claiming that motorists should have priority on busy city streets – and that cyclists should simply be shunted onto “secondary roads”.
> Cyclists angered by Canadian politician’s road safety interview…while driving through snowstorm
“We just want to get traffic moving … that’s what it comes down to, making sure you aren’t putting bike lanes in the middle of some of the busiest streets in the country. Put them on secondary roads,” Ford told reporters during a press conference last week, the Toronto Star reports.
Ford’s controversial plan – the upcoming legislation for which is apparently titled the ‘Reducing Gridlock and Saving You Time Act’ – would block the construction of new cycling infrastructure if its results in the loss of lanes previously reserved for cars, buses, and lorries.
The proposal, which comes in a year when six cyclists have already been killed on Toronto’s streets, has been widely condemned by political opponents and cycling campaigners in Canada.
> Police officer dishes out fines to cyclists – then crashes his SUV into one in a cycle lane
“This is politics that plays with people’s lives,” said New Democrat MPP Joel Harden. “This is putting wedge politics over real solutions.”
University of Toronto geography and planning professor Matti Siemiatycki also described the plan to limit the number of cycle lanes in Ontario as “ineffective and dangerous”, due to the increasing popularity of cycling in the province, helped in no small part by the swathe of newly installed bike lanes.
Despite Ford’s clear anti-cycling agenda, Toronto City Council recently voted in favour of adding 100 kilometres of bike lanes to major routes within the next three years, in a bid to reduce vehicle emissions and combat climate change.
However, Ford was scathing in his assessment of the claim that the new cycling infrastructure hasn’t increased congestion.
“That’s a bunch of hogwash,” the politician said, insisting the reduction of motoring lanes on University Avenue’s “hospital row” to make way for cycle lanes has made that stretch “jammed like crazy”, while claiming bike lanes in another area of the city have “disrupted all the businesses there.”
“We need to focus on transportation routes. They get people… from point A to point B,” he said.
However, in a Twitter thread, one Canadian cyclist picked apart Ford’s implication that cyclists aren’t going “from A to B”.
> “Crosswalk referee” dishes out red cards to dangerous motorists who block bike lanes and crossings
“The anti-bike crusade badly wants you to think urban cyclists are in it for exercise, and can be shunted to side streets and trails,” Matt said.
“The reality is cyclists are *going places*. Their homes and destinations are on major streets. They’re going to work, shopping, growing the economy. ‘Just cycle on a side street’ doesn’t help a nurse who cycles to work at a hospital on a major street, it doesn’t help the Uber Eats delivery get from the restaurant to your house, there needs to be an actual long connected grid of usable cycling infrastructure on real streets.
“The car lobby wants you to think ‘cyclist’ and picture a guy who drives his $3,000 trail bike on his bike rack to the park to joyride in Lycra, not an essential worker living downtown going to work on a Bike Share bike (which had 5.7 million riders last year in Toronto).
“The more protected bike lanes you build, the more people cycle instead of drive. The more people cycle, the fewer cars. Bikes take up less space than cars. Bike lanes ease traffic.”
“Every minute I walk on the streets, my life is in danger”: Peter Hitchens calls for e-bike number plates and says they are “utterly dissimilar to bicycles” – but campaigners urge cyclists “not to be put off by subset of people riding illegal machines”
After walking and wheeling charity Living Streets were accused last week of fanning the culture war flames by attempting to raise awareness of the apparent need for e-bike riders to “abide by legislation”, Peter Hitchens has now joined the never-ending number plates debate, arguing that e-scooters and e-bikes should be licensed, comparing them to cars and other motor vehicles, and describing them as “utterly dissimilar to bicycles”.
The journalist, political commentator, and commuter cyclist – who holds the distinction of penning one of the Mail’s extremely rare pro-cycling columns – made his call for e-bike licences while speaking last week at a community debate in Oxford with the catchy title ‘E-scooters/e-bikes: blessing or curse?’
> Mail on Sunday columnist examines “crazed prejudice” against cyclists
Claiming that he was nearly “knocked off the pavement” by an e-bike rider on Oxford’s Marston Road, Hitchens told the meeting, organised by the My Jericho community group, that he had been “nearly swatted by e-bikes a number of times, and not just by delivery drivers”.
“You are riding a motorcycle – it is a bicycle with a motor. It’s the same with a car,” Hitchens said of e-bikes while calling for them to be subject to the same laws as motor vehicles.
The Great Debate on the e-bike menace. This Thursday, Jericho, Oxford. pic.twitter.com/IEdV0diawZ
— Peter Hitchens (@ClarkeMicah) September 23, 2024
The controversial author argued that mopeds and motorbikes have been subject to licences and specific legislation since the 1930s, and he said he saw no reason why it should not apply to the “more modern forms of transport”, especially with the current absence of any “effective form of ID” to report dangerous or careless e-bike users.
He also claimed that he had spent a week trying and failing to obtain government figures on collisions caused by e-bike riders.
“[E-bikes] are completely and utterly dissimilar to bicycles… and if they were compelled to be licensed, and people rode them without that, then the police would have to act,” he said.
When challenged by an audience member on his anti-e-bike stance, Hitchens responded: “My views are from experience. Every minute I walk on the streets in London and in Oxford, my life and health are in danger.”
However, Hitchens’ opponent at the debate, Richard Scrase, a trustee of cycling campaign group Cyclox (from which Hitchens resigned in 2019 over his e-bike stance), said that Oxford’s residents shouldn’t be put off e-bikes by a small group of people using “illegal machines”.
During the debate, Scrase said that e-bikes were “reliable”, “cheap to run”, “fun” and “good for your health”.
“And don’t be put off by the fact that you’ve got a subset of people riding illegal machines,” he added, referring to e-bike motors illegally doctored to travel faster than the 15.5mph permitted by UK law.
“That is up to the police and the government to enact changes in legislation. Hopefully, that would reduce the amount of illegal [e-bikes and e-scooters] that are currently sold and ridden on our streets.”
Nevertheless, Scrase agreed with Hitchens that the current legislation on e-bikes has gaps and needs reviewing.
“There’s definitely a problem of liberty versus regulation, and I am not too sure where I am on that, or I tend to be on the liberty end,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Hitchens completed another line on his road.cc live blog bingo card by warning the meeting about the upcoming introduction of Lime hire bikes in Oxford, which he claimed currently “lie about” the streets of London.
Last month, following a crash involving an e-bike rider which seriously injured a cyclist on an Oxford cycle path, Hitchens claimed that the continued use of e-bikes in the city could usher in the “wild west” and argued that “people will die – children will be killed”.
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Same here. I have a helmet with built in front and rear lights and have a red light clipped onto my bag plus lights attached to my bike front and rear but still have drivers putting me in danger. My commute is about two miles and I normally have around four incidents a week where I have to brake hard or take other evasive action to avoid being hit by distracted drivers. A big percentage of these are drivers coming on to roundabouts when I am already on them.
Glasgow's South City Way sounds great, does it not? As a user from before and after I wholeheartedly welcome the construction of the segregated route, but so much of the detailed construction is poor, if not unsafe. I provide a link to a presentation I made when construction was half complete (a personal view) and the construction errors remain outstanding to this day: crossed by high speed flared road junctions, poor colour differentiation, car door zone risks and so on. And yet cyclists come because they feel safe. It's a complex subject but IMHO the feeling of safety (or lack of) is a critical component. https://drive.proton.me/urls/B67AK44G90#CFueBGjscoWr
I can only conclude that you haven't been into a city in the last few years. Food delivery riders in particular are riding overpowered "eBikes" that are basically mopeds ... powered only via the throttle without pedalling at significantly more than 15mph. Problem is they look like normal bikes/ebikes and not like mopeds so that is what people describe them as. My reading of the article is that it is those vehicles that are being talked about here.
I have the Trace and Tracer, which have essentially the same design, albeit smaller and less powerful. The controls are a little complicated but only because there are loads of options. In reality, once you've chosen your level of brightness, you'll only cycle through 1 or 2 options and it's dead simple. The lights are rock solid, bright, with good runtimes. The only thing I find annoying is charging them - if your fingers are slightly wet or greasy, getting the rubber out of the way of the charging port is a pain in the arse.
Dance and padel is all very well, but when is Strava going to let me record my gardening?
You can use it to check whether it's raining.
If it's dusk, i.e. post-sunset, then the cyclists should have lights on and thus the colour of their top is irrelevant. If you want to complain about cyclists not having lights when it's mandatory then by all means do but their top has nothing to do with it.
All of my Exposure lights with a button allow cycling through the modes with a short press. I have five of those; it would be odd if Exposure didn’t allow this functionality with the Boost 3. I also have two Exposure Burners if I remember correctly: they are rear lights for joysticks that clip on and are powered through the joystick charging port. They don’t have a button. None of my Exposure lights have failed. I looked at the Boost 3 review photos but none showed the button, so far as I could tell. I also have Moon lights. Good experience generally. One did fail, possibly because it was so thin it used to fall through the holes in my helmet onto the ground. Also, the UI and charge indicators vary for my Moon lights. Perhaps the latest ones are more consistent. My worst lights ever were from See.Sense.
Steve really doesnt like exposure products does he? Boost and Strada marked down for being too complicated. While the Zenith and Six Pack reviewed by his colleagues give them rave reviews (as most exposure products have on road.cc), the Zenith even touted as 'even more intuitive to use' with the same controls.
They are more interested in dog shit. https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/people/lancaster-police-launch-search-for-person-who-sprayed-dog-faeces-with-pink-paint-5605519
24 thoughts on ““Every minute I walk on the streets my life is in danger”: Peter Hitchens calls for e-bike number plates – but cyclists say “don’t be put off by illegal machines”; “Put cyclists on secondary roads,” says Ontario PM; Cat wins again + more on the live blog”
Quote:
Have they been claiming they’re paved with gold?
You’re out of date – that was
You’re out of date – that was under a former mayor (Dick Whittington and his pet
newtcat). The current bikes just fib that it’s safe to cycle everywhere on the world-beating infra, including through the RBKC.Maybe they also have IDs that
Maybe they also have IDs that lie, like the original Lundinium hire velocipeds? Everybody (motorists) know that only motor vehicle number plates count, even if they’re disguised, missing or cloned.
Polly Filler article in The
Polly Filler article in The Guardian – What I learned when I fell off a Lime bike
(not much)
That really is filler.
That really is filler. Amazing that people get paid for this.
The Graudnia has some very
The Graudnia has some very good articles and a huge of amount of less good pieces. There was a review of a book about the deranged owner of twitter or whatever its called a few days ago, which was very well written indeed.
Fell off how? User error?
Fell off how? User error?
Trying to vape and ride, by
Trying to vape and ride, by the sounds of it.
Didn’t she realise that
Didn’t she realise that vaping and riding at 52 mph could end badly !
Like apparently much of the
Like apparently much of the public, Peter Hitchens seems to be conflating legal EAPCs with electric motorbikes, calling both “ebikes”.
If he’s seeing machines that are “utterly dissimilar to bicycles”, then they almost certainly are electric motorbikes, and are already considered motor vehicles and required by law to be registered, insured, the driver licenced etc.
Whilst I believe there is a legal escooter trial in Oxford, again I suspect many of the machines he is seeing are not part of that legal trial, and are alredy classed in law as motor vehicles requiring registration etc. in order to be legal.
So I don’t see that there are any obvious “gaps” in the legislation – but potentially there is a gap in enforcement.
I would probably like to see more enforcement – if nothing else, if the police took unlawful use of electric motorbikes seriously, then the message might start to get across that they are different to legal EAPCs, and help alleviate some of the anti-cycling rhetoric that abounds at the moment.
On the other hand, I would also like to see more enforcement of motoring offences in general – despite the public perception, the biggest danger on the road remains cars and other “normal” motor vehicles, the drivers of which routinely break the law.
I’d agree that it’s mostly an
I’d agree that it’s mostly an issue of enforcement. But there is a potential gap in legislation in that it’s not illegal to import and sell escooters and overpowered ebikes, and I think you could make a good argument that it should be.
TBF, having been on a few
TBF, having been on a few nights out in the centre of Oxford, it is just like the wild west with illegal electric motorbikes flying around in all directions at a hell of a rate, both on and off pavements and through pedestrianised areas. The average person might be forgiven for not being able to differentiate between an illegal and a legal ebike but a journo and the police should be able to. Even I can spot them at 50 paces, if a fast food delivery rider is going uphill at 30mph without pedalling, it’s probably illegal.
bobbinogs wrote:
It’s even simpler than that
quiff wrote:
It’s even simpler than that— bobbinogs
Actually even more simple than that…
Rendel Harris wrote:
Except (as usual, legal exceptions) isn’t it also a little more complicated? Isn’t it something like this applies to bikes bought from 2016 or later BUT you can have still one which works as a “walking assist” without pedalling on any bike up to 6km/h (3.7 mph?
…but yeah, in the vast majority of cases “I know it when I see it”. Though I’m most bothered by the clearly “electric motorbike” > 15.5mph ones.
Yes this isn’t a particularly well-defined line to quibble over but again, I know them when I see them. The majority of the “legit” takeaway delivery people in Edinburgh aren’t on them. Though I’d also be delighted if the goverment were to look at that new developement with a very critical eye – particularly the
rule-exploiting risk-and-nuisance outsourcing low public benefitinnovative companies providing flexible work opportunities with very few employees…your reminder that Peter
your reminder that Peter Hitchens is so deranged and dismissive of facts that he thinks heroin isn’t actually addictive. And so full of bloviating posh-boy confidence that he wrote a book arguing this point.
One for pedant’s corner:
One for pedant’s corner:
Everest is getting taller with that erosion, not higher. Everesting is climbing the height of Everest above sea level, not climbing from its base to its peak. So Everest away!
(It is also getting higher with tectonic movement, but only marginally in recent years.)
The erosion is apparently
The erosion is apparently (according to the study) contributing to it getting higher, to the tune of a couple of mm a year, because the loss of mass allows the whole area to rise faster. Whether it’s actually making it taller seems debatable, depending on what you count as the bottom of it.
Hitchens responded: “My views
Hitchens responded: “My views are from experience. Every minute I walk on the streets in London and in Oxford, my life and health are in danger.”
these people are simply ridiculous.
What’s he say about dogs?
What’s he say about dogs? Lots of people are frightened by them. Every day they injure people and there have been deaths.
chrisonabike wrote:
In fact (disclaimer, I adore dogs) there were 16 people killed by dogs in the UK in 2023, eight times more than those killed in collisions with cyclists.
All the dogs I know walk
All the dogs I know walk responsibly * – it’s just the irresponsible dogs we need to tackle. Every day I see them running wild all over the place. What about frail old people and children? Plus some owners don’t pick up their poo. And that is why they should be banned in public places / dog owners should be required to have dog licences / insurance (we’ve already covered numberplates with chips, kind of) …
* Well… mostly
He’s right isn’t he. How many
He’s right isn’t he. How many people die each year as a result of beathing in pollution from cars.
Peter Hitchens “[E-bikes] are
Peter Hitchens “[E-bikes] are completely and utterly dissimilar to bicycles……”
Oh dear Peter, is this what happens when you take the DM’s shilling? All sense, accuracy and proportion go out of the window in favour of mob-stirring rhetoric to keep your place on the wildly inaccurate and misinformed DM, which is only interested in fomenting dissent.
Whilst the DM may be the worst or one of the worst, the msm is hardly impartial on cycling in general, and only seems to mention ebikes when they perceive a problem to write a sensational headline about. I can’t recall a single article espousing the benefits of ebikes, despite the fact of their increasing popularity for obvious reasons, even if those reasons are invisible to the msm. Why can’t they see the bleedin’ obvious? Answers on a postcard to DM, BBC, ITV, etc, etc.
“Every minute I walk on the streets, my life is in danger”
You’re right there Peter, but almost entirely from drivers.