Man fined £563 for cycling through car parks; Backlash over “selfish” time trial riders in local news article; Wandsworth Council suspend LTN trials; Ben Foster’s post-football cycling goals; Primal x Sustrans Climate Change jersey + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Tour de France stage 13: not one for the sprinters
When the sprinters look at today’s stage profile… 😟 pic.twitter.com/FI4T6V4LVP
— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) September 11, 2020
Things are heading skywards as the riders head towards Puy Mary today… will all the sprinters make the cut-off?
England goalkeeper Ben Foster says he wants to be a cyclist when he retires from football
The Watford ‘keeper is already known as a keen cyclist, and now admits that he wants to take things up a notch when he finally hangs up his gloves.
Foster told The Guardian: “I want to be a cyclist after football. I will give the next two seasons my full, undivided attention and then there are so many things I want to do on my bike on the bucket list, all of these lovely climbs.
“The Alps, all of the famous ones – the Vuelta, the Giro – even some of the mad ones. They have a race in America called Dirty Kanza, which is proper grotty – gravel bike, dirty, camping in bushes. It will be absolutely class; I can’t wait.”
We’re not sure if Foster means that his target is to actually race the Vuelta and Giro one day or to just take on some of the famous routes; and while 20-year-old Remco Evenepoel has made the transition from football to cycling successfully, Foster will be 39 in two years, so it would appear to be beyond him. Either way, his cycling ambitions seem pretty lofty.
Foster also takes issue with being pigeonholed as a footballer, seeing himself as more of a dad and cycling fan rather than ‘just’ a professional footballer: “If you ask me who I am, I would say I’m a father, a husband, I love cycling, I play football for a living, blah, blah, blah”, continued Foster.
“But the problem comes when straightaway people say: ‘I’m a professional footballer.’ Come on, mate. You’re not – you’re a human being first. But that comes with age. And that’s the thing you need to get into people’s heads, that they are people first. People see them as this commodity, this footballer, but they are a person first and foremost.”
How to win a Tour de France stage? It's all about the helmet straps
Marc Hirschi realised his ‘error’, and what do you know… he went and won stage 12! If you weren’t aware, one of the golden rules of bike snobbery is that helmet straps have to be underneath the arms of your sunglasses. Of course in reality, it really doesn’t matter one jot.
It's 22 years since the "Race of Disgrace"
The 1998 Tour de France was dubbed ‘The Race of Disgrace’ due to the Festina doping scandal. @friebos returned to the scene in Gare de Corrèze where the infamous scandal became clear. pic.twitter.com/6vP8EjgDZK
— ITV Cycling (@itvcycling) September 10, 2020
Daniel Friebe returns to the spot where the Festina Affair unravelled, and the very cafe where Richard Virenque and co were given their marching orders from the 1998 Tour de France.
Danny MacAskill's VR Experience looks suitably terrifying
We’ve just been made aware of this collaboration between MacAskill and the RIDE OUT Bicycle Store in Amsterdam, offering a “word first” virtual reality experience. Fancy a go?
London Cycling Campaign answer questions on active travel and pop-up cycling schemes on Reddit 'ask us anything' session
We are the London Cycling Campaign – ask us anything! from r/londoncycling
Why are cyclists more serious in London? Does ULEZ reduce car use? What should you do about cars blocking cycle lanes? London Cycling Campaign have tried to answer these questions and more in their Reddit Q+A, which you can find in the link above – they’ve stopped taking questions now, but there are some interesting takeaways in the replies.
Low Traffic Neighbourhood rows: Waltham Forest councillor says borough is being "reprioritised in favour of people"
In recent weeks, we’ve seen growing hostility towards schemes that close roads to rat-running through-traffic; most notably in London, where protestors are gathering almost weekly in Islington to argue for the return of through-traffic, and a Facebook group called OneWandsworth with almost 4,000 members has popped up to challenge LTN schemes in the Borough. A vocal minority were also reported to have vandalised planters and poured oil on the road to harm cyclists in Ealing.
As Transport Xtra reports, opponents say that stopping through-traffic will hurt businesses, and others simply believe those who need to use cars shouldn’t have their journey times increased. Some are also claiming that emergency services are struggling to get vehicles through streets with planters on them.
Speaking at the Low Traffic Neighbourhoods webinar, Councillor Clive Loakes, Waltham Forest’s deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, defended LTN schemes fervently, denying that they harm business and saying that overall car journeys need to be reduced.
“Opponents of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods want you to believe that if you can’t get in your car and go the exact same route that you have been driving for the past 20 years then civilisation is going to collapse, shops will close, businesses will fail”, said Loakes.
“In reality that does not happen and there is no proof – in Waltham Forest, in London, in the UK, across the globe! – that it happens.
“We have seen an improvement in bus times on these roads too, so it is not just a case of ‘oh, you have dumped all this extra traffic on these main roads’. It is about, first, reducing short-based car journeys and sole-occupancy car journeys, which was something like 60% of all the journeys in Waltham Forest. Then it is about how you address other traffic that still needs to come into Waltham Forest and how you move that traffic through more effectively and efficiently.”
In 2016, it was reported that the Mini Holland scheme in Walthamstow Village had resulted in a 50% drop in overall volume of traffic, and no collisions were reported. Loakes also says that car ownership in the area has now dropped to around 50% of households, and as low as 40% in some wards.
He added: “The vast majority of the time the car just sits there, parked up, costing money. Actually, you can join a car club and use a car when you need it for particular trips. This is a more efficient and effective way of accessing vehicle ownership and, of course, if you don’t own one yourself you are more inclined to walk and cycle and use other modes of transport to get around.”
The National Cycle Network is 25, and Sustrans are making a celebratory video to mark the occasion
A quarter of a century ago, Sustrans were awarded a grant from the Millennium Commission to build a national network of walking and cycling routes… and millions of journeys later the rest is history, as they say.
To celebrate, Sustrans are creating a video to showcase “all the different journeys that make the Network so special” and are inviting the public to take part – more info here.
Bauke Mollema abandons following stage 13 crash
Einde Tour voor Bauke Mollema. De renner van Trek valt in de 13de etappe en lijkt zijn pols gebroken te hebben.
— NOS Sport (@NOSsport) September 11, 2020
The Dutchman has been forced out of the Tour following the crash with 86km to go. Trek-Segafredo haven’t confirmed his injuries, but it’s believed he has a broken wrist.
Tour de France stage 13: will Max Schachmann hold on?
🇫🇷 #TDF2020
15 km to go. Go @MaxSchachmann !!! pic.twitter.com/w1g6tlUu5T
— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) September 11, 2020
The Bora-Hansgrohe man has 41 seconds on Daniel Martínez of EF Pro Cycling, with another climb to go in the last 12km.
Backlash over local news article that says angry drivers branded A50 time trial riders "selfish"
A road.cc reader has got in touch to accuse Derbyshire Live of “sensationalist reporting”, after an article posted today claims that angry drivers have branded time trial riders “selfish”.
The 100 mile time trial in question took place on Saturday 5th September, and although the article refer to “drivers” in the plural and says that “many motorists have said they felt unsafe”, all quotes are from one 22-year-old driver who took issue with the event.
Georgina Wager said: “I work in health and safety and I believe there is a high risk of injury when carrying out this event.
“One of the first questions has to be ‘is it really necessary?’. If the answer to that is ‘no’, you can remove all risk by not carrying it out.
“No matter how careful drivers are, accidents can happen. At the weekend, multiple cyclists were doing time laps on a dual carriageway.
“I understand it is not illegal to cycle on a dual carriageway; however, that does not make it sensible. To those carrying out these time things – this is not a safe place to do so.
“Any time trial where you focus on speed as a priority (on a busy dual carriageway) is not safe, especially when you have no mirrors and have your head looking at nothing but the road. Next time, speak with the authorities and have roads closed, or even hire out the cycle area at Loughborough University.
“I really think it’s selfish. If a driver, regardless of fault, went into a cyclist because a cyclist wasn’t visible or was a split second too late braking on a 70mph road, it could ruin many people’s lives in a blink of an eye. Legal or not, engage your brains.”
The article states that it is believed the cyclists were taking part in “a 25-mile route”, when it was in fact the Burton and District 100 mile time trial organised by South Pennine Road Club.
On Facebook, one commenter criticised the article for “stirring up anger and aggression” while another noted that time trials have been an institution on British roads for decades; however, some claimed that the road is notorious for being dangerous for cyclists and drivers.
road.cc have reported on two fatal incidents involving time trial riders on the A50 in Derbyshire – in 2012, lorry driver Michael Bray pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving after killing 47-year-old Karl Austin the previous year. In 2017, 72-year-old John Stewart was killed while taking part in his club’s 10 mile time trial on the A50 after being hit by John Barnes. Barnes was speeding and had been on his phone for 30 minutes before the collision, and was jailed for three years for causing death by dangerous driving.
Primal and Sustrans launch Climate Change jersey
The apparel brand and keepers of the National Cycle Network have teamed up for a jersey, wind vest and cycling cap to “highlight the climate emergency in a bid to get more of us to move by bicycle.” The striped design was created by Professor Ed Hawkins of Reading University, with each coloured stripe reflecting a year in temperature across the globe from 1850-2019 (they get progressively redder as our climate has worsened considerably in recent years, of course).
Primal are donating £5 from every jersey and wind vest sold and £2.50 for each cap, which will go towards causes that encourage people to cycle. The collection is available to buy now on Primal’s website.
Max Schachmann is caught
He’s been caught! They’re now 3 in the lead: 🇩🇪 @MaxSchachmann, 🇨🇴 @danifmartinez96 & 🇩🇪 @lennardkaemna
Ils sont désormais 3 en tête : 🇩🇪 @MaxSchachmann, 🇨🇴 @danifmartinez96 & 🇩🇪 @lennardkaemna #TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/KelJ5Bgptm
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 11, 2020
It’s Martinez, Schachmann and Kämna, but Martinez looks more comfortable than the Bora-Hansgrohe pair.
Martinez wins Tour de France stage 13
🏆 🇨🇴 @danifmartinez96 is the king of the Puy Mary!
🏆 🇨🇴 @danifmartinez96, roi du Puy Mary !#TDF2020 #TDFunited pic.twitter.com/rglTq6AJTu
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 11, 2020
The EF Pro Cycling man has claimed his first Tour de France stage victory, with Primož Roglič putting considerable time into Egan Bernal and fellow Slovenian Tadej Pogačar in the GC race – full report to follow.
“It is clear that the LTNs are not delivering the benefits we want to see": Low Traffic Neighbourhood schemes suspended in Wandsworth
Newsflash: Wandsworth Council is to suspend its Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) trials following a high level review https://t.co/t4tMQe4QEj
— Wandsworth Council (@wandbc) September 11, 2020
The council in the London Borough has faced a backlash from some locals, and it looks like they’ve bowed to pressure.
Councillor John Locker said: “We have monitored the traffic flows and listened to feedback from residents and businesses. We have also spoken to our partners including local hospitals and key services to hear the impact on them.
“It is clear that the LTNs are not delivering the benefits we want to see. In fact it looks like the combination of changes in areas like Tooting, where TfL are making changes to the main high road, are unfortunately having the opposite effect. That is why we have taken the difficult decision to pause and re-think about how we can achieve our objective of delivering healthier, safer streets.”
He added: “We all want to do what is right environmentally, whilst maintaining people’s ability to travel and making sure town centres and high streets function properly. It’s important that we listen to what people are saying so that we get this right.”
This is a terrible step backwards. Who on earth makes a decision to make it more dangerous for kids to cycle to school?
— Andy Casterton (@whatwedidinrio) September 11, 2020
LTN is not a solution for “greener” borough or less cars on road. It only slows down traffic flow. That’s all it does.
— Zorlu (@1Zorlu2) September 11, 2020
If you think that will magically solve the traffic problems you’re deluded….
— Mark Skrzypczyk (@bassjunkieuk) September 11, 2020
Some are not happy with the announcement, while others have welcomed the U-turn.
Man fined more than £500 for cycling through Hemel Hemstead car parks
A cyclist found guilty of breaching Hemel Hempstead’s town centre Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) has been fined a total of £563 for cycling through two car parks.
Jamie Thomas was originally issued a £75 fixed penalty for breach of the order, after police witnessed him cycling through the Marlowes and the Water Gardens Car Parks back in January. No payment was made, so Mr Thomas was ordered to pay a fine of £220, a £32 victim surcharge and costs of £311 at St Albans Magistrates Court.
Hemel Today report that council enforcement officers assisted by the Dacorum Safer Neighbourhoods Team regularly patrol looking for people who may be breaching the order, and have issued 43 warnings and 13 fixed penalty notices since the PSPO came in last summer.
Councillor Julie Banks commented: “This prosecution sends a clear message that breaching the town centre PSPO will not be tolerated and that enforcement action will be taken where necessary.”
We understand that no car park users were harmed as a result of Mr Thomas’ actions…
US cyclist who was sued by driver who hit him for damaging car takes case to 'The People's Court' TV Show
Remember that Rochester cyclist who got hit by a car and then sued by the driver? His case on “The People’s Court” airs today.https://t.co/qRpZ0Ja17S
— CITY (@roccitynews) September 10, 2020
As if this story couldn’t get any more ‘only in America’, it turns out that the case of a cyclist who was sued by the driver who knocked him over has taken the matter to a TV show to be resolved.
We first heard about this bizarre episode back in February, when it emerged that Jovonte Cook had filed a $700 claim against Bryan Agnello for damage to his vehicle… the only issue here being that Cook had knocked Agnello off his bike as he cycled home in Rochester, New York, leaving him with minor injuries but a completely mangled bike.
Agnello claimed Cook hit him as he slowed down to make a left-hand turn, but Cook claimed that Agnello was riding his bike “at about 60mph” and “came out of nowhere and splashed on my front windshield”. Agnello added: “If I could go 60 mph I wouldn’t be here, I’d be in the Olympics.”
After Mr Agnello counter-sued for $2,500, the case was eventually heard on American TV show The People’s Court to resolve it once and for all, and was broadcasted last night. The reality TV show featuring Judge Marilyn Milian says it “dispenses justice and provides legal insight in the courtroom” to viewers, and involves real cases.
We’ve contacted Mr Agnello for more details as the episode isn’t available online yet, and will hopefully reveal the outcome over the weekend.
11 September 2020, 08:51
What you can do, but can't really do according to Tour de France etiquette...
The unwritten rules of the Tour de France - what are they and how are they enforced?
You've got your rules, and then you've got your 'unofficial' rules that actually determine how the race plays out...
11 September 2020, 08:51
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Latest Comments
@bensynnock to be fair, there does seem to be a marshall shown in the picture.
@Rendel Harris Going down the hill was usually Ok ish, it was coming back up that was the problem, especially at night. Near the top it narrowed with hedges on a low wall, not somewhere you would chose to ride on your own in the dark. Best time was race days when it is all stationary!
As the Danish government has pointed out nobody can afford to ignore active travel. The extra funding for defence will come from reduced motor traffic road maintenance requirements but Streeting knows that if he has done some "proper" research. (Proper implies reading and understanding research papers produced by transport specialists not watching a couple of YouTube videos and the opinions of the Dog & Duck clientele).
The problem with testing is it would be trivial to have someone, perhaps an ex-Volkswagen engineer, create a "test mode" which could be easily engaged, and stealthy.
@MaxiMinimalist Be who you are. Absolutely. Provided you don’t annoy the rest of mankind by blathering on a load of bigoted old shite regarding what people choose to call themselves and how they choose to identify when it doesn't affect you in the slightest.
If you stab someone and they die that's murder, if you stab someone and a doctor saves them that's attempted murder. If you create a hazard and kill someone that's manslaughter, if you create a hazard and a doctor saves them that's fly tipping.
Courts have the power to impose a driving ban for a non-driving offence, although I don't think it's used very often. Sentencing Act 2020 - https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2020/17/group/THIRD/part/8/chapter/1/enacted
@momove You beat me to it.
Haven't you just contradicted yourself? As I understand it (not greatly...) the problem is exactly that some (few) want to be themselves absolutely (including pronouns etc.) and "mankind" (including yourself it seems) won't have it because it's "annoying"? Actually I think a number of those people wouldn't mind being left to be themselves quietly and eg. just not be harassed or worst... because some of *man*kind (much of the abuse and almost all the violence... ) sees this as far more than "annoying". (Though not all want tacit toleration - and there does seem to be irreconcilable conflict on eg. "who is a woman") Anyway - the law's in now. There shall generally be male spaces for males, female spaces for females, and those who choose (or were given?) a gender divergent from sex "should be accommodated".
I wish we had a duty to be a "fit and proper person" to have a valid driving license in the UK. If you're specifically using a vehicle to commit a crime you couldn't carry out otherwise it should be an instant ban and you should have to prove you've turned your life around before you get your license back.
56 thoughts on “Man fined £563 for cycling through car parks; Backlash over “selfish” time trial riders in local news article; Wandsworth Council suspend LTN trials; Ben Foster’s post-football cycling goals; Primal x Sustrans Climate Change jersey + more on the live blog”
Is it just me, or is the bit
Is it just me, or is the bit about the “Primal + Sustrans launch Climate Change jersey” missing?
The helmet strap / glasses
The helmet strap / glasses thing matters a great deal – but the rules people have it the wrong way round. If you wear glasses outside the straps and then take your helmet off first, the fasteners will catch on the glasses and they’ll fall off. Inside the straps, you can take either off first with no problems.
And glasses (especially prescription) tend to be more expensive and fragile than helmets.
Aren’t you supposed to take
Aren’t you supposed to take off your glasses first and slide them cooly into the vents of your helmet before then taking your helmet off?.
In my world the specs (we
In my world the specs (we aren’t talking cool sunglasses here) then fall out of the helmet and break, rendering the ride home from the cafe a bit of a surprise-fest as things waft into a sort of focus when within 5 metres.
The Velominati have it wrong?
The Velominati have it wrong? That sounds like heresy, my friend. You’re not a heretic, are you?
Captain Badger wrote:
Purge!
Am I safe then, as a witch?
Am I safe then, as a witch?
TheBillder wrote:
Depends on whether you float or not.
After seeing the trailer, I’m stoked to see Dune. Lots of good actors and you won’t believe how much weight Christian Bale put on to play the sand-worm.
I’m looking forward to seeing
I’m looking forward to seeing the Beast Rabban jumping into a sandworm’s mouth, stabbing about a bit, and then cutting his way out. Possibly accompanied by some seventies tunes from ELO…
(he played someone in Guardians of the Galaxy, didn’t he?)
brooksby wrote:
More relevantly, he played a replicant in Blade Runner 2049 which was also directed by Denis Villeneuve and the trailer for Dune looked to have very similar cinematography (definite plus in my book).
The cinematography in Arrival
The cinematography in Arrival was great as well, especially the alien craft reveal scene with it hovering and the mist coming off the mountains.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
I forgot that he did that one. I really enjoyed it, but then I’m a huge Ted Chiang fan so I was chuffed to see a film version especially as most of his writing doesn’t lend itself to being filmed at all.
I concur. We can be heretics
I concur. We can be heretics together; Heretics of Dune.
I was always disappointed
I was always disappointed that there was never a directors cut of the David Lynch movie.
Long and mad it would have been.
RE: Ben Foster – he may not
RE: Ben Foster – he may not reach the dizzy heights of the Tours but its not unfeasible for him to be competing in Masters events and the like with a lot of pro-level sponsored kit.
I know of a celebrity Chef who did exactly that. (Not Ramsay’s freebies if you were wondering)
Secret_squirrel wrote:
Who is that? I know a top chef (but not really celebrity) who cycled the routes of all three Grand Tours a day ahead of the races three years ago. (Hayden Groves.)
Alan Murchison. I only knew
Alan Murchison. I only knew because I spoke to the manager at his former restaurant at the time he left with a kit deal from Specialized I believe (dont quote me – long time ago).
But a google suggests he’s been combining Chef’ing and Cycling for quite a while… He now works for British Cycling apparently.
Pretty sure I’ve already seen
Pretty sure I’ve already seen Ben Foster winning the Tour de France, but he was pretty mean to people.
“London Cyclists are more
“London Cyclists are more serious” ?!
Why do I feel it’ll all happen in London in the near future, but I won’t see it anywhere else in my lifetime?
It’s just the way it goes in
It’s just the way it goes in this country. First it’ll happen in London then it’ll roll out across the rest of the country. There is no reason why we can’t have a cityscape like in Amsterdam developed over the next 20 years.
visionset wrote:
Ask your local MP/Councillor.
London cycle lanes are 99% peicemeal and highly comprimised/bodged for the most part…though there are better than they used to be (for stretches…not so good in a city the sheer size of London). Manchester looks like they are doing great things – with Boardman in charge you know it’ll get done right. Look to there not London tbh
EddyBerckx wrote:
Oh I do, don’t worry. And my comment is not just about the powers who be and the implementation, it is also the punters who seem to think nowhere else exists.
You’ve uses a picture from
You’ve used a tweet from Tirreno in the story about the Tour stage. There are clues – mainly that it’s Ackermann in the picture (riding Tirreno) and Bora have put #tirrenoadriatico in the tweet…
“some noted that the road is
“some noted that the road is notorious for being dangerous for cyclists and drivers. “
How exactly is the road “dangerous” ? Does it lie in wait before springing alive, wielding dual shotguns and baying for the blood of innocent cylists and drivers?
Or is it perhaps the idiots driving on it while using phones, fiddling with the radio and posting shite on facebook who are perhaps dangerous.
Thats a pretty niave
Thats a pretty niave statement and you know it. It goes without saying that roads can be poorly designed for all sorts of reasons and therefore dangerous to 1 or more sets of users.
And yet I’ve never seen a
And yet I’ve never seen a road hurt anyone – unless it has an accomplice in the shape of a motorised vehicle driver……
People make roads dangerous.
People make roads dangerous. If people slowed down and paid attention any road can be safe (OK, I’ll concede that roads liable to rock-falls, earthquake, tsunami and hordes of killer rabbits may not be “safe” but there’s not many of those about).
So called “dangerous” roads may have features that require a driver or rider to be more cautious, slow down, and/or modify their normal driving behaviour. Trouble is, some motorists are simply unwilling to do so. Look at the case reported yestreday where the old chestnut of “sun in my eyes” was wheeled out as yet another vulnerable road user was killed. Does the sunlight and trees make the road “dangerous”? Not if users of the road slow down and take responsibility for the 2+ tons of metal they’re piloting.
Trouble is, while the courts are prepared to allow people to blame the infrastructure or foreseeable natural events (like low sun in Autumn) for their lack of care then others are going to continue to die on our roads.
No – you ride/drive to the
No – you ride/drive to the conditions – or not at all if say it’s Porlock Hill in snow/ ice.
Re: time trial on A road:
Re: time trial on A road:
Geogina Wager thinks that “Any time trial where you focus on speed as a priority (on a busy dual carriageway) is not safe, especially when…have your head looking at nothing but the road“
Should cyclists (or other road users) be looking elsewhere whilst using a busy carriageway? The hedge? The sky? As a health and safety worker, does she really think that will help?…
She clearly isn’t a H&S
She clearly isn’t a H&S worker. First in the hierarchy is remove the hazard – eg the cars…..
I wonder if Georgina wager
I wonder if Georgina wager posts on here under a certain username?
Cyclists are selfish for
Cyclists are selfish for ruining the driver’s day by getting themselves killed by the driver? Couldn’t make it up!
Sriracha wrote:
Actually, I think that’s a common line I’ve seen used before (not least for suicides on the train network).
“Yes, I know you’re dead, but think about the poor bloke who ran over you!”
As I started reading the Ben
As I started reading the Ben Foster heading my brain auto-completed it:
“England goalkeeper Ben Foster says he wants to be a cyclist when he
retires from footballgrows up”There, isn’t that better? 🙂
She reckon she works in H and
She reckon she works in H and S, and basically seems to think that all risk should be eliminated in life by only doing essential things. I wonder what the purpose of her journey was, was it essential, are we ba k in full lockdown already
Erm – fined for ‘riding
Erm – fined for ‘riding through a CAR PARK’???
Surely that story came from
Surely that story came from the Southend news network ? It can’t actually be true ?
This is the area for the
This is the area for the order. Some of the area marked seems to be public roads that allow cars and other vehicles but bikes and skateboards are forbidden.
https://www.dacorum.gov.uk/docs/default-source/licensing-documents/policies/pspo-(town-centre)-2019.pdf?sfvrsn=2d490a9e_2
brooksby wrote:
Horrible, stupid and pointless, but I’m not surprised. There are several car parks in Bristol which have “no cycling” rules; the BRI and Rolls-Royce at Filton for instance.
I am slightly astonished that the magistrates didn’t question the logic of banning cycling where it is legal to drive or ride a motorcycle though; grounds for an appeal?
there is a section of
there is a section of Hampstead Heath that is shared use and then it reaches a steep incline towards Kenwood House and it’s ‘no cycling’ . When it’s a quiet winter evening i sometimes keep peddling albeit at about 5mph as the hill is steep. I was once ‘apprehended’ by police in a marked BMW 4×4. ~I explained that it was winter, no one was around, i was cycling uphill so is it really a problem? ‘yes, because it’s dangerous to other park users’ They replied.
But driving in a 4×4 on a path is not? Who is likely to cause more harm, me cycling up a hill or you driving down it in a 4×4? At that point they threatened me with a £250 fine. So i walked up the hill with not a single person to be seen whilst they drove off.
Georgina Wager said: “I work
Georgina Wager said: “I work in health and safety and I believe there is a high risk of injury when carrying out this event.
“One of the first questions has to be ‘is it really necessary?’. If the answer to that is ‘no’, you can remove all risk by not carrying it out.
I wonder if she thinks it would be a good idea to apply that logic to every car journey….
Driver allegedly said that
Driver allegedly said that none of the cyclists used a red light. CTT regulation 14i says otherwise.
“One of the first questions has to be ‘is it really necessary? If the answer to that is ‘no’, you can remove all risk by not carrying it out.”. Was your journey really necessary? Does that mean people should not have fun because it might be dangerous?
Classic victim blaming too, emphasising the risks that cyclists face when riding on a roads, as though cars aren’t the biggest single risk.
Edit: I also doubt that the organisers have been contacted. Details are released about the organisers, including phone numbers and addresses. Not hard to contact.
wilbo666 wrote:
Cars and HGVs also provide by far the biggest benefit of all road transport classes, cars do ~85% of all passenger miles and HGVs move 66% of all tonne miles of freight.
Like it or not our economy runs on road vehicles and there is no short to medium term alternative. We are not going to shift 161.5 billion tonne/km by cargo cycles.
https://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/assets.eti.co.uk/legacyUploads/2016/02/Scope-for-reduction-in-transport-CO2-emissions-by-modal-shift-ETI-Comms.pdf
If we were to do a cost benefit study I think it would be unlikely that we would find that the best use of the A50 was a time trial race course or even for that matter a simple cycle track.
That bikes are allowed on national speed limit dual carriageway roads is bit of grandfather rights. Those roads are pretty much exclusively designed for motor vehicle usage, they are rarely useful for getting anywhere on a bike.
Defending the rights to time trial in inappropriate places wastes political capital/energy that should be spent on proper relevant cycling infrastructure mini or maxi Amsterdam’s.
Incidentally the Dutch would also think you are crazy to cycle on an NSL dual carriageway and it fact it is against the law to cycle on Autoweg.
They also provide the
They also provide the greatest harm in terms of pollution and road violence…..
Captain Badger wrote:
Motorised road transport also underpins modern society and first world living standards including every bike, cycle path and the incomes to pay for them.
There isn’t a major rich nation anywhere in the world where cars and HGVs aren’t heavily utilised and the dominant method of transport. All the worlds “cyclng utopias” have the same or even higher levels of car usage than the UK.
There is plenty to do in terms of mitigating the negatives of car use particulary on the built environment but wishing away cars will not be practical or popular until something better is availible and in most circumstances that won’t be a bike.
massive4x4 wrote:
not sure how much of of a “benefit” it is that people do journeys that could be undertaken on foot or by bike with a car.
wycombewheeler wrote:
Given that the article was talking about the A50 part of the national strategic road network I’d suggest that the majority of journeys on it are not replacable with walking or cycling.
Hence my point around not wasting energy or political capital on the barely defencible and focusing it on creating infrastructure to allow more journeys to be carried out on foot or on a bike.
Popped round earlier, but you
Popped round earlier, but you weren’t at home.
Whats the matter, too many
Whats the matter, too many reasonable points justified by actual statistics?
Because obviously we should remove cars from the national strategic road network to cater for a niche sporting activity.
Whilst there is more than a
Whilst there is more than a whiff of bullshit in Ms Wagers opinions, this stretch of the A50 is very close to my home, I travel on it at various hours literally every day. There’s not a chance in a million years that I would ever consider cycling on that stretch of road regardless of whether it was run under the correct rules.
The riders involved are far, far braver than I am.
That’s not meant to justify the article or comments in it, anything but, but there are three seperate roundabouts on that route where the conflict between the riders and motorists could be amplified
maybe so I wouldnt ride on
maybe so I wouldnt ride on the A12, A140 or the Acle straight either, unless I could absolutely not avoid it to get somewhere else, but none of those roads though are actually dangerous to ride on, its the way the motorists use them that make them so
plus I thought the health & safety mantra was you removed the thing that was the most likely to cause danger first, so Ms Wager should be campaigning to remove vehicles from the roads, not the cyclists.
“No matter how careful
“No matter how careful drivers are, accidents can happen.”
Well this is quite patently false, a complete contradiction. Accidents are a direct result of carelessness, I would expect a health and safety worker to know this basic information
With regard to time trialling
With regard to time trialling I have to say that in my opinion public roads should be for getting from A to B as safely as possible not as quickly as possible. This should apply to all road users. If you want to race close the road off or use a track. I am sure no one would wish condone roads being used for races by drivers or motorcyclists.
I have recently been experiencing close passes by other cyclists. Firstly they should be 2m away from me and secondly they should be aware that I may vere off my line to avoid a pothole. The consequences of a collision are likely to be much less than a car but I’m getting on a bit and I’m pretty sure it would hurt. We need to remember that we share the road with others and should act accordingly.
Having said that it is not an excuse for motorists to drive in a dangerous manner around cyclists just as cyclists should not cycle in a dangerous manner on shared use paths, even if the pedestrians are running while their hearing and concentration is impaired by listening to their devices.
You are Socraticycless/Boo
You are Socraticycless/Boo and ICMFP.
Regarding the car park
Regarding the car park business, how did they find or catch him to fine? Was he already know to the car park nazis? What was he doing there?
Rick_Rude wrote:
With any luck, he’s given a false name and address and they are chasing a mirage.