Latest Telegraph column claims AI traffic lights prioritising “small, angry minority” over drivers will make “entitled cyclists even more insufferable”; Tadej Pogačar doesn’t want five Tours de France, but five monuments (+ Vuelta) + more on the live blog

I’m not really one to take joy in saying ‘Told you so,’ but hey, told you so…

Last week, we reported on our blog about the new smart, AI-powered sensors being tested in a set of traffic lights in Solihull meant to prioritise cyclists over drivers, with Ryan specifically asking y’all “don’t tell the Telegraph”. But as fate would have it, someone did tell the Telegraph, and here we are, with another comment/infernal diatribe about the “small, angry minority”, otherwise known as cyclists.

> Psst… Don’t tell the Telegraph: New AI-powered sensor technology being tested on key cycle route in Solihull to give cyclists “smoother, uninterrupted journey” through traffic lights and “greater priority” over motorists

Let’s not beat around the bush, as the writer gets straight into his angst and desperations about the ‘war on motorists’ straight away, lamenting that his brand new car “slams on the brakes when it spots a 30mph sign” on roads — I mean, as one would expect the driver to do so, anyway? “It’s obvious that drivers are given a hard time, even by their own cars,” Clive Aslet, author of the piece, writes.

“Solihull’s innovation is bound to cause upset among the many motorists who already think that Lycra-wearing speed merchants rule the roost,” he adds. “They’re not gracious about their favoured status, either. Expect a torrent of foul-mouthed abuse if you innocently chance to get in their way.

“Don’t think I’m anti-bicycle. I used to ride one myself and loved it. The hobby only abruptly ceased when the last of my vehicles was stolen from outside my house, despite the fact that it had only cost me £10.

“I only occasionally return to the joy of the activity, so rich in memories of childhood, when cautiously pedalling a TfL hireling to St Bartholomew’s the Great – God, I hope, will protect me from the manifest dangers of crossing London by this means, most of which come from two-wheeled, fast-moving urban warriors in helmets who have little patience with a Womble like me.”

I see, getting a few boxes ticked there right out the gate.

> Press regulator rules Telegraph breached Editors' Code with inaccurate claim cyclists hit 52mph chasing London Strava segments

But then Aslet harkens back to his chief bother, the final straw in the “war on motorists”, the implementation of the AI-traffic lights. The sensors, developed by VivaCity, have been installed by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) and Solihull Council at a toucan crossing near Blythe Valley, and they are able to detect cyclists 20 to 30 metres away, with the early detection enabling the traffic signals to go green quicker, “giving cyclists a smoother, uninterrupted journey on their bikes”.

Aslet, a writer on British architecture and life and a Visiting Professor at the University of Cambridge, says that he’s fine with “civic acts” such as reducing traffic and carbon emissions as long as they benefit a wider community. But by his own admission, “cycling is by necessity a niche mode of transportation.”

“The vast majority of people intending to travel outside of highly urbanised areas rely on their cars. Privileging a small minority of hobbyists at the expense of everyone else seems to be a prime example of the finger-wagging war on motorists waged across Britain by council and transport officials,” he adds.

But it seems that the memo from TfWM about the traffic lights being a part of a trial to accurately detect the sort of user approaching the crossing at varying speeds, and a part of a broader effort to promote active travel by offering them priority over motorists, seems to have been lost by the writer, who instead paints a picture as the AI will make the traffic lights transform into evil, death machines, stomping and crushing every car that comes by and banishing their users to a dystopian wasteland.

> Greater Manchester to roll out ‘smart’ junctions prioritising cyclists and pedestrians

He ends the column with a subtle call to arms: “The unfairness of preferring one group over another is riling. More transparency, please, or feelings will over-boil.”

So if I get it right, he’s agitated about the “unfairness of preferring one group over another” and asking for “more transparency”… Seems like we’re in agreement then!

A new road safety survey has found that 70 per cent of Londoners believe more Low Traffic Neighbourhoods or liveable streets schemes should be introduced in the capital, while 60 per cent think that all roads throughout the city should have a 20mph speed limit.

Meanwhile, over half of the London residents surveyed agreed that local councils prefer improving infrastructure for motorists over increasing safety for cyclists, pedestrians, and other road users, while 88 per cent feel that cycle lanes should be compulsory when one is available.

> Over half of Londoners think councils prefer improving roads for drivers over safety of cyclists and pedestrians, as majority call for more Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and 20mph limits, new study finds

A police officer in Ireland escaped prosecution after he allegedly committed a “dangerous” overtake on a cyclist while off duty, before flashing his badge and speaking to the cyclist in what was described as a “discourteous and threatening manner”.

However, the officer was later given a temporary reduction in their pay after being found to have breached the Garda Síochána’s disciplinary rules for “discourtesy, abuse of authority, and discreditable conduct”.

> Off-duty police officer filmed “dangerously” overtaking Irish cyclist, before flashing badge and “threatening” them, escapes prosecution but docked pay for “abuse of authority”

Edoardo Affini, the 28-year-old formidable and punchy Visma-Lease a Bike rider has served as a loyal domestique within an all-conquering team, often even overshadowed in his domestique duties by last year’s Vuelta winner Sepp Kuss — but the Tour of Britain and Tour of Norway stage winner is finally getting his flowers.

The Italian pipped time trial maestro Stefan Küng in yesterday’s European time trial championships by nine seconds in a stellar ride to claim a prestigious title, and a touching message from his team caught the eye of cycling fans yesterday.

Visma-Lease a Bike wrote on Twitter: “POV: You are an ever-loyal teammate who always puts others first. For years, you have dedicated yourself to time trials. You came close often, but it’s always just short. Until that one moment on that one day: today. Shortly after an intense Vuelta a España, which you describe as your toughest grand tour ever, you crowned yourself European Time Trial Champion.

“If anyone deserves this title, it’s you, Edo. You fought for it today with every fiber of your being. And we grant you this title with all the love in the world. Proud of you!”

🇪🇺 #EuroRoad24

𝐏𝐎𝐕: You are an ever-loyal teammate who always puts others first. For years, you have dedicated yourself to time trials. You came close often, but it’s always just short. Until that one moment on that one day: today. Shortly after an intense Vuelta a España,… pic.twitter.com/WUZ69Pgu9W

— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) September 11, 2024

Affini, who looked stunned when Küng crossed the finish line, all but confirming his victory, said: “I don’t know what to say. It is an amazing feeling. It has been a really long time without a victory. I won my last race when I was in my first year as a professional. I think I have always been there, always doing my job.

“Today I just started without any pressure. The last three weeks has been a really hard Vuelta for me. I think it has been the hardest grand tour that I did so far, working for the team and giving a try also in the two TTs of the Vuelta.”

In the women’s competition, world champion Lotte Kopecky delivered another strong blow to the rest of the competition, finishing a whopping 43 seconds ahead of triple world TT champion Ellen van Dijk, just ahead of the UCI World Championships in Zürich where she’ll be hoping to defend her rainbow jersey.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Lotte Kopecky (@lottekopecky)

After becoming the European champion, Kopecky said: “I am really happy with it. It is the first European jersey in a road discipline and to win it in our own country, Belgium, is really nice.

“It was nice that there were two intermediate points, so you could really know how you are compared to your opponents. At the first one we were pretty much close to each other, but the second one I gained a lot of time on Elle. From that moment on I knew that I was doing really well.”

Here's an interesting infrastructure titbit from Vaughan, Ontario in Canada, featuring direction and wayfinding signage on the kerbs. While some seemed to absolutely love it social media, there were a few naysayers who raised issue with the placement and raised safety concerns.

"I'm a cyclist, and not only do I not have problems reading street signs, but the last thing anyone on a bike should be doing is staring downwards at the kerb as they come to an intersection/crosswalk. That seems like an accident waiting to happen," wrote Davey Crockpot.

Curbside cyclist-oriented wayfinding (Vaughan Metropolitan Centre). pic.twitter.com/ohjXxxoBIP

— Jason Thorne (@JasonThorne_RPP) September 10, 2024

Are these a neat, clutter-free solution or could this cause confusion and ultimately, accidents? What do you think about these signs and would you like to see them in the UK? Let us know in the comments...