Anger over police tweet on barrier to stop “swarms” of cyclists; Councillor says pop-up infra section makes cycling less safe; Santander Cycles unveil expansion; Cardiff is ‘UK bike theft capital’; NYPD cops beating cyclist + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Trek promise 1,000 diversity hires and community investment in answer to Black Lives Matter backlash
It may be me but your plan doesn’t seem to address the thing that has come up most in the last week; the use of your bikes as weapons by violent police officers pic.twitter.com/aGQKzEyxn5
— Jon (@joninsocal) June 9, 2020
While Trek are still receiving criticism for not directly addressing their relationship with US police departments – as videos of officers appearing to use their bikes as weapons have circulated on social media – the bike brand insist they want to “do much more to work towards racial equity” and have detailed a plan to “address systemic racism”. This includes creating 1,000 cycling industry jobs for people of colour, giving staff paid time off to do community work and opening bike shops in deprived areas – full story to follow shortly.
Thousands of Black Lives Matter protestors on bikes take to the streets of New York; but scenes of police brutality still emerge
Happening NOW in Manhattan, NY. Cyclists for #BlackLivesMatter heading from Union Square chanting, “What do we want? JUSTICE! When do we want it? NOW!” pic.twitter.com/iwwGQPWBH3
— Peter Morley (@morethanmySLE) June 8, 2020
✊🏽 Activism on Wheels
🚲 Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
🗣 No Justice, No Peace
🐶 Watch for the Shih Tzu#BlackLivesMattter #BreonnaTaylor #GeorgeFloyd #brooklynprotest pic.twitter.com/wyuWgS0xNi— Sharon Panelo is being-in-place (@hellopanelo) June 9, 2020
Swathes of activists rode towards Union Square in New York last night to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement; but disturbing footage has emerged of a cyclist being beaten at another cycle protest on Sunday, who was reportedly just riding slowly to separate protestors from a line of police officers.
Look at how NYPD officers attacked a cyclist during the George Floyd biking protest today in Brooklyn. This is excessive force! 😡 #ReformThePolice #DefundThePolice pic.twitter.com/f9vZ6eMUR3
— Madam Auntie Kamala Harris for VP! (@flywithkamala) June 9, 2020
Pierce McCaffrey told Streetsblog that he was riding in front of an NYPD van as protestors rode up Nassau Street at 7:40 p.m, when four officers jumped out of the van and threw him to the ground.
McCaffrey said: “They started tackling me to the ground, punched me, put my hands behind my back, handcuffed me and threw me into the car.
“I was biking with the bike protest and there was a procession of cops at the back. I kind of cut in front of one, and was biking pretty slow and they sirened at me, but I didn’t move.
Another cyclist reported to be named Mike Hassell can be heard shouting for McCaffrey not to resist, and he backed up his account of events: “They were literally just pissed off because he was going slow. There was blood — they hit his head on the ground. It was such a vicious attack.”
Oxbridge will be quicker getting back to work due to greater levels of cycling, according to new data analysis
The analysis of ONS data from Cambridge-based property consultants Bidwells suggested that commuters are likely to return to work much quicker in Oxford and Cambridge due to better cycling infrastructure and a higher percentage of cyclists; a lower reliance on public transport allows commuters to return to work safer, essentially.
Bidwells’ research director Sue Foxley commented: “Clearly, there will still be challenges to avoid additional car journeys which present particular challenges in such historic and popular cities. However, the existing cycling infrastructure in Oxford and Cambridge provides the locations with a head start in getting back to work.”
The data has been broken down further, finding that those who work in the Science and Technology sector in the two cities will be at the greatest advantage – a huge 83% of S&T workers in Oxford were found to commute by bike, and 59% in Cambridge. Bidwells say this is partly “cultural”, but also to do with greater cycling provisions in the academic science parks around the Oxbridge university campuses.
The percentage of Oxbridge cycle commuters is also far higher in than the measly UK average, with Bidwells saying: “Just 2% of commute journeys, on average, are undertaken by bike based on the Q4 2019 data analysed, but some locations already perform considerably better. These include several cycle to work schemes in Oxford and Cambridge, where a cycling ethos has combined with supportive infrastructure investment and bike-friendly policies to underpin the success of some locations ahead of others.”
Cardiff is UK bike theft capital, according to new MoneySupermarket research
The comparison site have compiled a list of the top 10 bike theft hotspots in the UK, with Cardiff coming out on ‘top’ with 183 thefts per 100,000 residents; a total of 573 thefts were reported between December 2019 and April 2020 in the city. Southampton came in second with 146 thefts per 100,000, followed by Nottingham, Reading and Bristol. Interestingly London didn’t make the list, with ‘only’ 73 thefts per 100k people.
Cambridge residents may be surprised to see their city omitted from the top 10; as we’ve previously reported that theft was so prevalent in previous years, organised criminals were travelling up from London to take advantage of ‘easy pickings’. It’s also worth noting that a large number of bike thefts are thought to go unreported or cases are closed by police with no suspects; a 2018 Birmingham Mail analysis of bike thefts found that police closed 96.7% of reports without turning up a suspect in 2017.
Of course MoneySuperMarket suggest that as cycling booms and with thieves looking to capitalise, it would be wise to use their website to find a good deal to insure your pride and joy, commenting: “Cycling is experiencing another major boost in popularity which looks set to continue once lockdown restrictions are eased – particularly because more Brits are likely to use bicycles for commuting.
“With bicycle use increasing so too does the risk of theft. With the average bike costing £480, a stolen uninsured bike is a big blow to the wallet that will leave many without their preferred means of getting to work once lockdown is over.
“Don’t assume that your bike is covered under your home insurance policy. Some insurers will only cover it if it is stored in your home – or secured in an outbuilding like a shed. If your bike is stolen from outside your property, it’s also possible your policy might not pay out. So definitely check with your policy provider to understand what it covers and what it doesn’t.”
Be like Kevin, not Name and Address Supplied
We’re rather taken by a refreshingly sensible letter from Kevin Hunter published in the Dorset Echo; in which he has written in to dispel some anti-cycling myths trotted out by a reader who didn’t even “have the courage to publish their name and address” according to Mr Hunter:
“Name and Address Supplied noted that every day of the week motorists are confronted by cyclists. I would like to know what is inferred by confrontation”, he writes.
“Name and Address Supplied needs to chill out! Name and Address Supplied also says that the motorist is paying for the cyclists’ place on the highway. I would like to remind him or her that I along with many other cyclists also own a car. This means that when cyclists are on the road he or she will have more room to confront them safe in the knowledge that they may actually be making a fair contribution to the chancellor.
“The most glaring error in my view in their letter is the apparent ignorance as to why the government and local authorities are providing more facilities for safe cycling. Many cyclists are nervous of confrontation with motorists like Name and Address Supplied. This is why in these so worrying times more people are being encouraged to cycle in order that it keeps people off public transport allowing those on the buses and trains to self distance more easily.
“I hope Name and Address Supplied will reflect on their comments and perhaps show a little more patience towards those who may be trying to do the right thing.”
Transport for London unveil plans to expand Santander Cycles following 'unprecedented demand'
London’s foremost bike hire scheme – which we’re not going to refer to by the name of a former Mayor any more by popular demand – is set to expand as TfL look to capitalise on the huge increases in cycling since the start of the lockdown.
They say that 1.12 million hires were made in the month of May – by far the most on record – and to answer the demand 14 new docking stations and over 1,700 new bikes wil be introduced by the end of the year. They’re also continuing with their free hire scheme for NHS staff and carers, which has been used for 30,000 journeys so far.
TfL say the expansion will support the Mayor Sadiq Khan’s Streetspace programme, which they claim will be “the biggest ever rapid transformation of the capital’s streets.”
Eight of the new docking stations will be installed by the end of summer, with four located on the Cycleway 4 route. The 1,700 extra bikes is the biggest single increase since 2003, and takes the total number of Santander hire bikes in London over 14,000.
Sadiq Khan commented: “I’m determined that our city’s recovery from coronavirus will be clean, green and sustainable and enabling more Londoners to cycle is absolutely central to this.
“I’m delighted by the unprecedented demand for cycling over the past few months. We’ve seen three times the number of people cycling in some parts of our city compared to before the crisis, huge demand for our free cycle hire scheme for NHS staff and carers, and multiple Santander Cycles records being broken. By adding new docking stations, cycle hire hubs and bikes we are making it even more convenient to take to two wheels.”
Tory councillor claims London pop-up pavement extension has actually made cycling more dangerous
It would appear, unless @SuttonCouncil or @Cllr_m_abellan can advise otherwise, that the areas of carriageway on Throwley Way (pictured) and on St Nicholas Way (coned off during the last 24 hours or so for improved social distancing), are not intended to be cycled in. ^CM https://t.co/HnUR8DGQtx
— Get Sutton Cycling (@cyclinginsutton) June 2, 2020
Neil Garrett, a Conservative councillor for the Belmont ward in the London Borough of Sutton, claims that cone markings to temporarily widen a pavement to improve social distancing is putting cyclists in danger.
Mr Garrett claims that section of road on St Nicholas Way – which runs past Sutton Council’s headquarters – has caused safety concerns because it is now reduced to just one lane for cars and cycles rather than two as it was previously. As mentioned in the photos above shared on Twitter last week, further up the street some drivers had also decided to park inside the coned off section anyway.
Councillor Garrett told MyLondon: “It has reduced a two-lane road where motorists can easily get by cyclists, to a one-lane road where they can’t.
“I always feel very nervous as a cyclist when I am put into conflict with motor traffic. I know it is a 30mph road but we all know it is a common area for speeding.
“It makes it frankly quite an unpleasant place to cycle and the fact that it is the road that goes directly past the council offices is quite ironic.”
The council’s deputy leader Councillor Manuel Abellan accepted the scheme had caused some problems for cyclists, and suggested that changes are on the way:
“Of the first nine measures that have been announced some of them are for walking – which we want to make sure are in place before businesses open. There are a couple aimed at cycling but our priority is around social distancing for pedestrians in town centres.
“Even though those measures were aimed at pedestrians, we are working out how we can make some tweaks to make them safer for cyclists. I completely accept that those measures were not good for cycling so hopefully you will see some changes in the next few days that will be an upgrade.”
When you've got so much to do, but you just wanna take the pooch for a spin...
So many words to write when all I want to do is cruise round Manchester with the most suave pup.
🐕🚴♥️ pic.twitter.com/TwxhFJIcbQ
— Harriet L-S (@harrielspencer) June 10, 2020
Star-studded lineup including Bradley Wiggins joining Zwift ride tomorrow evening
.@SirWiggo, @f_cancellara, Victor Campanaerts and @RealStephens. Join all four tomorrow at 18hrs on @GoZwift and Instagram for the Le Col By Wiggins Social Spin. Ride with legends for the launch the latest Le Col By Wiggins Collection.
Join today – https://t.co/ODEjw3TloZ pic.twitter.com/Ec9kyGteiN
— Le Col (@LeColUK) June 10, 2020
Sir Wiggo, Victor Campanaerts, Fabian Cancellara and Matt Stephens will be participating in the ‘social spin’ tomorrow at 6pm to mark the launch of Le Col’s latest collection – more details here.
Breaking: Isle of Man could become first country in Europe to make helmets compulsory for cyclists
The Isle of Man could become the first country in Europe to make cycling helmets compulsory, after MHKs gave their backing. https://t.co/baS5P7qIsw pic.twitter.com/NXjjCvghdd
— Isle of Man Newspapers (@iomnewspapers) June 10, 2020
The proposed amendment to the Island’s Road Traffic Legislation Bill has faced opposition from Isle of Man government backbenchers; but the bill has been passed through its clause stage and third reading and now will be heading to the Legislative Council – full story to follow.
Police in Birmingham suburb accused of discrimination after a pedestrian barrier was installed to stop "swarms" of cyclists
Following issues with Anti-Social cyclists on Orton Avenue & Plantsbrook Road, Sutton Coldfield the cut through the cyclists use to make a quick getaway has had a pedestrian barrier installed to make life a little more difficult for the swarms to get through #Teamwork #GoodNews pic.twitter.com/km8DRhhBQO
— Sutton Coldfield Police (@Sutton_WMP) June 10, 2020
People are reacting angrily to a tweet from Sutton Coldfield Police, who posted to say that a barrier has been installed on a path to stop “anti-social cyclists” riding down a cut-through, that they say “swarms” of cyclists are using to make a “quick getaway”.
By all means curb anti-social behaviour but please try to use less divisive and inflammatory language.
Also, if introducing barriers like that you should perhaps consider and consult all user groups rather than focus on a small minority causing a problem?
— LukeB_MTB (@LukeB_MTB) June 10, 2020
Would you consider installing barriers or other options to tackle anti-social driving on roads too, as I imagine some idiots speeding around is a bit more of a hazard than this….
— Mark Skrzypczyk (@bassjunkieuk) June 10, 2020
Dreadful things which impede on responsible users – especially those using wheelchairs, mobility scooters or those pushing buggies. How about putting barriers like this on the roads to stop anti-social and dangerous driving? You wouldn’t dare! But happy to piss off others.
— Toby Edwards (@IsSaddleThereIs) June 10, 2020
An angry backlash has now ensued, with many objecting to the alleged inflammatory language, and questioning if the extra barrier could discriminate against those with mobility issues. Although the barrier looks to be just about wide enough for a drop bar cyclist to get through, it appears that a cargo bike, pushchair or wheelchair could face difficulty.
Sutton Coldfield Police are yet to respond.
10 June 2020, 08:50
Trek fall short of stopping the supply of bikes to police forces in the US
Trek rejects calls to stop supplying US police forces, says “bikes can play positive role”
Brand instead outlines diversity programme including creating “1,000 cycling industry jobs for people of colour”
10 June 2020, 08:50
The blingy new aero extensions are the brainchild of elite cyclist and aerodynamicist Dan Bigham
WattShop release "aero optimised" Anemoi Aero TT Handlebar Extension System
“Aerodynamically optimised to provide a clean flow transition from the extension to your forearm”
10 June 2020, 08:50
10 June 2020, 08:50
A total revamp for Halfords' budget bike range
Halfords launches 26 Carrera bikes with 28mm tyres and disc brakes for all road models
Road, urban and leisure bikes focus on saddle comfort and puncture protection
10 June 2020, 08:50
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Latest Comments
@Smoggysteve: Just buy the red version. It's faster—everyone knows that!
"An updated Tarmac SL9 " wow, already 2 days after the release of the Tarmac SL9, that's really specialized!
The root cause isn't just training, it's lack of empathy with cyclists. The solution of course is to get more people cycling so they know how it feels to be overtaken with a 30cm gap, or they remember to check for cyclists when somebody waves them out into slow moving traffic.
@AidanR I found the same until I started driving a White VW Transporter!
I take a different view. 'Vehicular cycling' gets you modal share of 2%, whereas proper joined-up cycle facilities can result in 30%+. Most infrastructure projects are to provide for utility cycling - short trips in town - not leisure cycling in the countryside. The original designs for Harrogate Station Gateway (funded 2019) were excellent. Since then North Yorkshire Council has (a) failed to build anything at all and (b) diluted the cycling elements of the scheme to the point that they are disappointing and do not provide a useful route.
I don't drive often, and I assumed that drivers around us were pulling out on me when I'm cycling for exactly the reasons you cite. But then I hired a car and, lo and behold, drivers still did this. It turns out it has everything to do with them being crap and aggressive, and not much to do with what it is they're pulling out in front of (except possibly lorries!).
I wonder if it's a location thing? I live in Canterbury and, apart from the odd close pass, I find the vast majority of drivers are actually very considerate. In fact it's a common occurrence for someone coming the other way to stop and pull in if we're both on a narrow lane. I do the same if there's a wide bit close to me, or someone's been stuck behind me for a little while, and I almost invariably get a 'thank you' wave or flash of the hazard lights.
On one occasion when we went to watch the Tour on a cobbled stage, one of the sponsors in the publicity caravan was a chain of retirement homes. My wife is somewhat younger than me; the lady leaning out of the open-top car took one look at us and made absolutely sure she actually passed one of the fridge magnets to her rather than throwing one on the ground as usual. We still laugh about it. Well, my wife does!
@mctrials23 I wasn't thinking of identifying poor driving, which is obviously tricky without supplementary evidence, but given the huge amount of incidents that involve excessive speed GPS for keeping people to the speed limit is perfectly valid; even if there were issues with identifying the exact speed at any point, if it can be measured (as you can) that somebody has gone from point A to point B, a mile apart, on a 20 mph road in two minutes instead of three then get the fine and points in the post. Remove excessive speed and you remove the cause of numerous injury and fatality incidents.
43 thoughts on “Anger over police tweet on barrier to stop “swarms” of cyclists; Councillor says pop-up infra section makes cycling less safe; Santander Cycles unveil expansion; Cardiff is ‘UK bike theft capital’; NYPD cops beating cyclist + more on the live blog”
I’m not clear how you use a
I’m not clear how you use a bike as a weapon.
As a defence against dogs sure !
There was a time when disc
There was a time when disc brake rotors were considered to be spinning discs of death. Maybe the bicycle can be thrown ninja star stylee?
Maybe you just pick it up and hit people with it, which is what several clips appear to show.
I think bike chains went
I think bike chains went through a phase of being used as weapons too. Check out old 70s and 80s gang films (The Outsiders, etc).
Usually motorcycle chains.
Usually motorcycle chains. Although, having been clobbered with a 5-speed chain in an inter-school dust-up c.1982 there’s not much difference. Probably more whip on an 11-speed, but less weight.
Like this ?
Like this ?
Like a shield. In an
Like a shield. In an attacking manner. Probably a tactic from cycle cop training. Bet those pedals hurt!
Just seems a bit clumsy and
Just seems a bit clumsy and easy to dodge.
How long could you hold one up for ?
I think the ease of dodging
I think the ease of dodging is reduced when the protesters are in large crowds, which the police may also have deliberately ‘kettled’ (ie forced into a small space). There are many reports of police in the US inflicting violence, whether beatings or spraying of chemicals, into crowds that they’ve rendered immobile and constricted in this way. Some of the video footage shows bicycle police pounding people with their bicycles. The unfortunate victims don’t seem to have much opportunity to get out of the way.
I’ve seen a few clips but not
I’ve seen a few clips but not of bikes being used to pound or otherwise hit people.
I do have to remind myself that it is really a foreign country despite the various cultural imports we have. I can’t imagine trying to interact with law enforcement over there.
Yeah! Reading made the top 5.
Yeah! Reading made the top 5. GO READING!
Not surprised given the giant
Not surprised given the giant honey pots that are the universities and the not-fit-for purpose installation (lying CCTV signs) on the north side of Reading Station.
Anyone seen this story in the
Anyone seen this story in the Grauniad yet?
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/jun/10/its-hard-to-find-a-fix-for-my-faulty-folding-bicycle
That photo is TERRIBLE
That photo is TERRIBLE publicity. It’s like the word POLICE has been airbrushed out and replaced with TREK.
TREK = POLICE = BRUTALITY
Does Trek not realise this?
Interesting statement in this
Interesting statement in this article on e-Scooter legalisation – are they perhaps referring to speed pedelecs?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48106617
Or are we about to see legalising e-Scooters being used to update legislation on registration and insurance for all eBikes?
Are e-scooters legal on the
Are e-scooters legal on the roads or not?
I see so many of them on roads and footways. Followed a bloke on one over the Clifton Suspension Bridge last night.
No
No
Currently, you can buy one but you can’t ride it on a UK public road, cycle lane or pavement. Anyone who does is committing an offence.
The only place an e-scooter can be used is on private land, with the permission of the landowner.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48106617
(as posted earlier in fact)
The whole article seems a bit
The whole article seems a bit confused.
“Government wants to regulate them like e-bikes”. OK
“You won’t be able to ride them on the roads”. O…K… so, not like e-bikes then?
Doesn’t say where you will be able to ride them:
Quote:
I have had more success by pointing out that road users who choose bikes or electric cars pay the same amount of road tax. The end.
Yes, I call it road tax (it is simpler to speak your critic’s language).
Gotta love the IoM thinking.
Gotta love the IoM thinking.
De-resticted speed limits and hosting the most dangerous annual motorsports event in the wold.
A road accident rate that is double the rest of the UK.
Quick…..gotta do something about these bloody cyclists!!!
The Sutton Coldfield police
The Sutton Coldfield police comments are crass, just like the design of the barrier. It will force cyclists and pedestrians together, making collisions more likely, and the barrier itself could inflict injury on anyone falling on it. It is quite clearly designed to be anti-cyclist, witness the extension over the grass to stop them bypassing it. This must have cost thousands and is a complete waste of money; don’t they have austerity there?
I do hope local cyclists are taking the council and the police to task over this. We had the same thing on the Bristol-Bath path many years ago, when the council installed chicanes to slow down cyclists, and they too forced cyclists and pedestrians together, increasing the risk of collision. The council didn’t consult anyone, and we managed to get them removed, and I took them to the ombudsman and won.
A swarm of lotuses !
A swarm of lotuses !
Partly depends on why they
Partly depends on why they feel they need them. If the locals are complaining about gatherings of scrotes acting antisocially then they need to do something. The fact that they are on bikes and use that as a quick getaway when the Police turn up then the locals may feel that’s justified and are prepared to put up with the obvious compromise to a few
mikepridmorewood wrote:
How will those barriers prevent scrotes gathering? They are more likely to use them as perches to sit on while they gather.
If you know the area, this is
If you know the area, this is a little cut through from quite a nice residential area to an industrial area. At the far side of that is a rather deprived area built on the airbase that most Spitfires flew out of after production. I would not ride my bike through there…. Strava heatmap says that it’s not regularly used by Strava users either
If you know the area, this is
AJAX
Trek diversity / blacks
Trek diversity / blacks hiring. Doing so won’t appease any who think the Police have misused their Trek bikes.
Just hire the best person for the job if they want the business to do well.
Nothing will appease this
Nothing will appease this left-wing mob. Its not about racism its about power.
yes disproportionate power
yes disproportionate power held by a paramilitary force
Right now the best people for
Right now the best people for the job would be people of colour.
Possibly some lawyers with experience in brand damage.
I swear, everytime I visit
I swear, everytime I visit this site, it becomes more and more left-wing bat5h1t crazy!
They’re Boris Bikes, we call them Boris Bikes, they’re known as Boris Bikes. Do the words BORIS BIKES really fill you with such dred, that you need to make a point of refering to them as something else? its quite pathetic, and symtomatic of social-media-society, where all you care about is pandering to your fellow addictees, all in the name of the holy virtue signal! Children, time to grow up! honestly.
I remember when this site was about bikes and provided journalism on the topic, and not just another left-wing-in-disguise lamestream news site.
…BORIS BIKE!
You can call them whatever
You can call them whatever you like, but the article is factually correct.
They were announced under his
They were announced under his predecessor Red Ken Livingston.
Who did precisely nothing to
Who did precisely nothing to actually deliver the scheme.
alexuk wrote:
Try putting a bit more water with it.
What did you edit here after
What did you edit here after the replies?
It’s a Santander Bike.
It’s a Santander Bike.
Chill out.
alexuk wrote:
So … it’s left wing mob mentality to call something by its proper, official name is it? Guess I missed that memo.
So… You don’t think the
So… You don’t think the decision by road.cc to change from using the commonly used name to the official name of the corporate sponsor is in any way politically motivated?
This site is becoming increasingly politicised with one or two of the journalists seemingly determined to make a political point every time they write an article.
It’s getting a bit tiresome to be honest.
I just think at some point
I just think at some point you have to move things forward so they make sense to everyone. I do find myself using the term ‘baker day’ and then realise that most people won’t have a clue about what I mean.
I just think it is less confusing, although I’m not really fussed about what other people call them.
But doesn’t everybody call
But doesn’t everybody call them Boris Bikes?
Everybody I know in London does, it seems a pretty ubiquitous term.
Changing the name everytime the sponsor changes is surely more confusing?
I seriously doubt that the motivation was clarity.
Rich_cb wrote:
No.
I am not sure that it is the journalists who are tiresome.
Individual and friends
Individual and friends protesting police brutality deliberately obstruct police and is surprised by their brutality lol
Hopefully the cops knocked some sense into him.
Ok bootlicker
Ok bootlicker