Do lower speed limits make you feel safer?; Cycling Mikey claims texting motorist assaulted him; Plant with the Pidcocks; Dowsett’s new deal; Wacky bike sculptures; Westminster weirdness; Memorial for Devon’s ‘Mr Cycling’ + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Is it Friday yet?
Anyone else’s Thursday morning feel like this? Just me?
This particular photo, taken at last week’s Irish cyclo-cross championships, in many ways encapsulates the beautiful brutality of existence – that harsh, relentless but ultimately evocative give-and-take between man, machine and nature.
Or maybe it just tells us that cyclo-cross is really hard…
Cycling Mikey claims he was assaulted by texting motorist
Mike van Erp, better known by his online alter ego Cycling Mikey, has established himself over the past few years as the king of London’s helmet camera users.
Motivated by his experience as a teenager when his father was killed by a drunk driver, he has reported close to 1,000 law-breaking motorists to the police since 2006 and has proven a particular thorn in the side of those intent on using their phone while driving.
Mikey’s camera has even picked up a few famous scalps along the way, including ex-boxer Chris Eubank, film maker Guy Ritchie and footballer Frank Lampard (coming to a court near you soon).
However, last night it seems one driver – filmed while sending a WhatsApp behind the wheel – took exception to the two-wheeled videographer’s methods:
Wow just had a phone driver assault me. I’m fine, broken bits on the Brompton and cuts and scrapes on my legs that I’ve noticed so far. Tried to steal the camera. Called 999 and made a report. He was a huge bloke.
— CyclingMikey tired of road crime. 🇪🇺🇳🇱🇿🇼 (@MikeyCycling) January 12, 2022
Luckily no damage was done to Mike’s camera, so hopefully the enraged driver will have his day in court.
And one of my very smart friends has found out who he is already. I'm not going to contact him, and I'm not going to share details. Sorry. I'd much rather the justice system dealt with him and he didn't get off anything because of such contact.
— CyclingMikey tired of road crime. 🇪🇺🇳🇱🇿🇼 (@MikeyCycling) January 12, 2022
Plant with the Pidcocks
Remember ages ago I promised to get 1,000 trees planted? I’ve done 250. Anyone want to help my family plant 500 more. I won’t be there as I’m on training camp.
From 10am, 16th Jan, Cyclopark, Gravesend.
Email: sharper50@hotmail.co.uk if you’d like to help out. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/dQPcOObAy7— Tom Pidcock (@Tompid) January 12, 2022
He may be used to pulling up trees when he’s racing, but off the bike Tom Pidcock has pledged to plant them.
Way back in October 2019 (remember then? That’s about four lifetimes ago…), Pidcock raised £4,000 by selling off his old kit.
He planned to use the money to plant as many trees as possible in a bid to offset his carbon emissions accrued during the racing season.
In December 2019 his mum and girlfriend planted 250 trees at the cyclo-park in Gravesend. Tom was told by his coach, however, that he couldn’t help out with the planting due to the threat of injury. Typical cyclists, eh? Maybe some of you could use that excuse when you’re asked to bring the tree down from the attic next Christmas…
Anyway, Pidcock announced yesterday that his family would be planting 500 more trees at the cyclo-park this Sunday, and called for volunteers to help out. So if you’re near Gravesend and free at the weekend, you can do your bit to nudge pro cycling’s environmental impact in the right direction.
Unfortunately Tom won’t be there – he has the small matter of an Ineos training camp on this week. Anything to get out of some work…
Do lower speed limits make you feel safer on the roads?
Last month Shetland Islands Council initiated a trial lowering the speed limits of roads south of the island’s only town Lerwick by 10mph.
The aim of the trial, which is to last 18 months and will see a number of roads reduced from a 60mph limit to 50mph, is to assess the impact lower speed limits have on the use of active travel.
The council’s environment and transport committee chairman Ryan Thompson said that “only then will be see if these reductions have made any significant difference.
“Shetland has seen a substantial increase in active travel during the Covid pandemic, so it would be wrong not to do everything we can to encourage this.”
However, Lerwick Community Council chairman Jim Anderson told a meeting this week that he was not convinced that lowering the speed limit would encourage people to walk or cycle more.
Anderson also said that new cycling infrastructure was impractical unless “a lot of money was stumped up”, a stance which was criticised by a fellow councillor as “depressingly unambitious.”
What do you think? Do lower speed limits actually make you feel safer when cycling on the roads?
Alex Dowsett agrees new long-term deal...
Did a thing
Bought a ring
Just enough bling
Chanel liked it pic.twitter.com/KKsfps2Z9f— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) January 12, 2022
Congrats Alex and Chanel!
Old bike parts = art?
A new sculpture, crafted with reclaimed bike parts, has been installed outside Camden Town Station.
The massive artwork, named ‘Bi-High-Cycle’ for some reason, was designed by Bristol-based mechanical sculpture expert Jason Lane and launched by insurance firm Direct Line to highlight the 1,100 bike thefts which take place across the UK every day.
The installation includes broken parts from 45 different bikes, which incidentally is the same number of bikes stolen on average every hour across the country.
I quite like it. Not sure I would have it in my living room, but it’s better than most of the stuff you see on Etsy…
More active travel routes on the way
Good news! Councillors in Caerphilly and Chichester have backed plans for new active travel routes in their respective areas.
In Caerphilly, there are plans to install 135 miles of walking and cycling routes throughout the county borough. The proposals will be funded by the Welsh government and followed in-depth consultations with local schools, charities and community groups.
A six-mile walking and cycling path along the A259 between Chichester and Emsworth has also been approved by Chichester District Council.
While a majority of those consulted supported the proposals, local cycling groups worried that the new shared-use paths – which will be segregated from traffic on part of the route only – will not help reduce speeds on the road or encourage people to ride their bikes.
Alaphilippe to start season at Tour de la Provence
Australian national championships, new kits, riders announcing their schedules… the 2022 road season is nearly here folks! All we need is a quick blast of ‘Wheels in Motion’ and we’re good to go (controversial opinion klaxon – that theme tune is probably the thing I’ve missed most about the Tour Down Under’s Covid-forced hiatus… ducks for cover).
It seems that Julian Alaphilippe is nearly ready for the new season as well. The world champion announced today that he would begin his second year in the rainbow stripes at the Tour de la Provence, which kicks off on 10 February.
The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider also debuted at the four-day stage race last year, and was his usual frisky, flamboyant self on the way to second place behind Colombian Iván Sosa, then riding for Ineos.
Alaphilippe will then head to Italy to race Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Sanremo, before tackling April’s Ardennes classics, where he will be hoping to finally break his duck at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The world champion has finished in the top five of La Doyenne four times in his career so far, and will be hoping to improve on last year’s runners up spot behind Tadej Pogačar.
“Liège–Bastogne–Liège will be the biggest goal in the first part of the year”, said the French fan favourite. “It is a race I love and hopefully I will be up there again, fighting for victory.”
“Wait to be escorted”… eh?
…that’s a new one. pic.twitter.com/fZEDE8RlqM
— Finlay Knops-Mckim 🚲 (@FinKnopsMckim) January 13, 2022
The only time I’ve ever seen anyone escorted with their bikes was outside the pub after the annual Christmas club run…
Do lower speed limits mean safer roads? Reader’s reaction
I asked earlier if lowering the speed limit on certain roads would make you feel safer on your bike. Here is a selection of your comments:
Lower speed limits won’t help at all. Drivers ignore existing ones. Just the other day my daughter said that she had a man raise a middle finger to her to express his dissatisfaction that she had crossed the road too close in front of him. He was doing 45-50mph according to her, and she misjudged his speed as it is a 30 limit.
She is 15 years old, crossing the road outside her village school.
People like him don’t just need a ban, they need a punch in the face.
Do (most) motorists take any notice of lowered speed limits? Fairly recently the road through my (urban) village had the speed limit cut from 30 to 20. When I drive along it at 20 I am always tailgated; when I ride through at 20 or a little over, I am invariably (and, given the traffic lights, pointlessly) overtaken.
The only situation I see people sticking to a reduced speed limit is on the motorway, in an average speed check roadworks section.
Possibly one of the biggest impacts of smart motorways could be the collisions prevented by the years of heavily enforced speed limits whilst they’re being constructed!
We’re confusing “ignore” with “obey”. The majority of motorists won’t obey a speed limit but they do take notice of it as one of the factors that decides their speed. Just as they might cruise at 80 on the motorway (when they think there are no cameras etc), so they’ll drive at around 40 in an urban 30 limit – and around 30 in a 20 limit. They also take cues from other things, of course, one of the biggest of which is other drivers.
Speed limits by themselves aren’t really the determining factor that make you feel safer. I often feel safer on some (note not all) 60mph roads more than I would on a 30mph road, because it’s about volume of traffic, traffic mix and how that traffic interacts with you.
Yep, what makes me feel safer are careful drivers. You can still have a scary pass at 40mph.
Reducing the speed limit moves the odds more towards serious injury rather than death. Beneficial, but hardly encouraging.
Omicron: more positive cases than an Italian Pro Conti team...
Overheard in the pressroom:
“This omicron wave is like the 1998 Tour de France — everyone is positive”— Andrew Hood (@EuroHoody) January 13, 2022
Over 200 cyclists gather to honour the memory of Devon’s ‘Mr Cycling’
Over 200 cyclists from all over the south of England descended on the Torbay Velopark in Paignton yesterday to pay their respects to one of Devon’s most-beloved cycling figures, Ken Robertson.
Members of Mid-Devon CC rode behind his hearse as it completed two laps of the velopark, the creation of which owed much to Ken’s life-long passion for the sport.
Ken suffered a heart attack while on a ride with clubmates just before Christmas. He was 85.
Involved in the sport for over 70 years, Ken organised Mid-Devon’s Dartmoor Classic sportive since its foundation in 2007. He was also the tenth longest-serving member of the national committee of the Road Time Trials Council, a position he held between 1981 and 2001. Fittingly, a time trial in Ken’s memory was held on 27 December.
Ken continued to clock big miles on his bike well into his eighties, riding over 200 miles a week, and to celebrate his 84th birthday last year he rode 84 miles for charity.
His funeral service was reserved for family and close friends only, but was broadcast live for those gathered at the Queens Hotel in Paignton.
More nonsense at Westminster
There have been plenty of serious, potent questions asked this week in the House of Commons. This query from the Conservative MP for Bosworth Luke Evans, however, is not one of them:
PQ from @drlukeevans
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage cyclists to use (a) high visibility clothing in the dark, (b) cycle helmets, (c) bicycle bells and (d) other safety precautions when out on the road.https://t.co/5FE4SSglEF
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) January 13, 2022
Needless to say, Evans’ question has went down on Twitter about as well as a Downing Street “work meeting” at the height of lockdown:
This isn’t about being concerned about the safety of people cycling.
It’s just anti-cycling nonsense which just raises the barriers of riding a bicycle and suppress demand.
How does a bicycle bell improve the safety of someone? https://t.co/irpRm3HaqK— Real Gaz on a proper bike #fbpe (@gazza_d) January 13, 2022
Tell me you don’t understand the causes of road danger without telling me you don’t understand the causes of road danger https://t.co/YkiPp0dx4h
— Stuart Johnson (@stuartj0hnson) January 13, 2022
@drlukeevans what is the purpose of this please?
More suitable use of time and effort would be to push for safer INFRASTRUCTURE where cycle & vulnerable road users, as well as pedestrians, are protected from dangerous drivers… https://t.co/YMz6QsxCWs— Rob Callender🏳️🌈🤘💚 (@london_rocklad) January 13, 2022
Focusing on these measures puts people off cycling.
It pushes safety responsibility towards the cyclists, and away from the drivers who hit them.
True concern for cyclist safety means advocating for proper segregated infrastructure. https://t.co/2rwYgeHx9L
— Guy Schofield (@DrGuySchofield) January 13, 2022
And finally, this cracker from road.cc’s own Simon MacMichael:
You’d think that the MP for Bosworth, of all places, would be aware that helmets offer only limited protection #RichardIII
— Simon MacMichael (@simonmacmichael) January 13, 2022
Replying to Dr Evans’ question, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Transport Wendy Norton said:
“Rule 59 of The Highway Code already says that cyclists should wear a cycle helmet which conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and securely fastened. It also recommends they should wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing to help other road users see them in daylight and poor light, as well as reflective clothing and/or accessories in the dark. Rule 66 says that cyclists should use their bell when necessary to signal to other road users that they are nearby.
“Changes to The Highway Code are due to come into effect later this month which will clarify and strengthen this advice.
“The Department has established a working group of key organisations to ensure that these changes are disseminated as widely as possible and understood by all road users. Our well-established THINK! campaign will ensure that as many road users as possible are aware when the changes come into effect, and will also highlight the importance of cyclists following the strengthened advice.”
Maybe they should just stick to organising more work meetings…
Throwback Thursday (is that still a thing?) - I need a Mars bar...
That’s it for today folks – I’ll see you all tomorrow for the last blog of the week (hurrah!).
While we’ve had our fill today of useless speed limits, angry texting drivers, and pointless parliamentarians, here’s something light to kick off your Thursday evening.
Following yesterday’s news that Prendas Ciclismo will restock its retro jersey collection, I decided to take a look back at our ‘Full Kit Ranker’, a poll held by road.cc in 2020 to decide the greatest pro cycling kit of all time.
I was shocked – shocked I tell you – to discover that this little beauty (worn with distinction and style by Roger de Vlaeminck and in replica form by yours truly, with ever so slightly less distinction and style) wasn’t even included on the final shortlist of 16 kits, robbing us of an Undertones reference or two in the process.
The 2004 US Postal kit did, however, make the cut. Postal, really? A travesty. Now who can I have a word with?
13 January 2022, 09:34
13 January 2022, 09:34
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Latest Comments
"~15% of the riding time that I’m forced to use the road(because the infrastructure for cycling is insufficient or nonexistent) " Amsterdam?
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.
108 thoughts on “Do lower speed limits make you feel safer?; Cycling Mikey claims texting motorist assaulted him; Plant with the Pidcocks; Dowsett’s new deal; Wacky bike sculptures; Westminster weirdness; Memorial for Devon’s ‘Mr Cycling’ + more on the live blog”
So not just 6 points on his
So not just 6 points on his license but now assualt and battery. Lovely people motorists sometimes. Just a shame that people reporting crimes have to get close now because “Road Safety Expert” lawyers argued that using a phone to watch a movie or loads of other reasons to hold and use them now wasn’t a legally chargeable offence.
Still that loophole can be closed very soon and mikey can film lawbreakers from a safer distance again.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
I personally think we should avoid using “us vs them” language. I’m a motorist when I choose / need to use a car for my journey; and this thug might ride a bike sometimes.
Just a thought. It’s people in general that are sometimes scumbags, independent of their chosen of mode of transport.
No I shouldn’t need to use an
No I shouldn’t need to use an us v them language. You are correct that some people are twats whatever mode of transport they have. But from my view and with some of the videos on here, when someone is in a motor vehicle they can be angrier and act more irresponsibly.
Troon wrote:
Some of my best friends are motorists, but there does seem to be a minority of drivers that have a complete personality change when behind the wheel. I think it’s a combination of them expanding their personal space to encompass the car (which makes sense as it helps to judge gaps if you consider the vehicle as an extension of yourself) and viewing the world through a pane of glass which seems to separate the driver and the outside world (much like how internet commenters can write nasty things that they wouldn’t say in person).
hawkinspeter wrote:
Exactly. The change in some people when they get behind the wheel of a car can be frightening.
A few years ago, I had a discussion with a former friend that knew I cycled which went a little something like this :-
Me “did you know that you did a really close pass on me the other day when I was out on the bike”
Friend “oh was that you? If I knew it was you I would have gave you more room”
Me “really? how about you give all cyclists a bit more room?”
Friend “But they are only cyclists”
After which the discussion went sideways and safe to say that particular person hasn’t learned their lesson and which is why they fall into the former friend category.
Glad Cycling Mikey’s OK, and
Glad Cycling Mikey’s OK, and let’s hope justice is done (although I’m not holding my breath). The really depressing thing is I don’t think anyone is going to be suprised that this happened.
The savvy driver has realised
The savvy driver has realised that if he escalates the offence to common assault the police will probably ignore the driving offence and he’ll get away with a fine and no points. Clever.
Keep fighting the good fight Mikey!
FTFY:
FTFY:
CM does a lot for all of us
CM does a lot for all of us on 2 wheels in terms of boosting safety and raising awareness. I’m glad he’s ok. I hope his attacker gets a suitable sentence.
OnYerBike wrote:
I was thinking this, and wasn’t sure how to express it whilst being clear that the fault and blame lies squarely at the door of the thug who did it.
Maybe I just have…..
According to his tweets he seems in fine fettle and undeterred. Also bags of support and an offer of a free wheel service I see.
I feel for Mikey. People are
I feel for Mikey. People are becoming entrenched in their illegal behaviour. It is becoming endemic. Even (in more news from these lowlands) the Dutch authorities are starting to twink on to the fact that distracted driving is now a nearly primary cause in increasing road injuries generally. Its truly shocking.
In my vein of brutal suggestions for penalties, I now advocate just seizing (temorarily or permanently) the vehicles that these phuckers use to break the law. A 200 pound fine won’t do much to discourage phone use at the wheel, but losing access to your Range Rover Sport HSE for 3 months just might…
Seizing the phone might
Seizing the phone might affect them more…
Seize both! And b$#%h slaps!
Seize both! And b$#%h slaps!
Seemed inevitable that this
Seemed inevitable that this would happen. Just surprised it has taken so long.
Hopefully a bit more than nfa from the police. No doubt the motorist felt threatened and we should show empathy to him.
You mean we should “see his
You mean we should “see his side”? If only a quasi governmental body had paid a fortune to an advertising agency to come up with such a well thought out campaign…
Hope the persons on here who
Hope the persons on here who have previously said they wish Chris Eubank had assaulted Mikey are proud of themselves today.
Blatant trolling. You know
Blatant trolling. You know the answer and are not interested in it, you just want to provoke a reaction!
Well the reaction has
Well the reaction has appeared. I doubt Rendel caused it though.
I won’t be engaging with it. It is a pretty poor effort today. Must try harder would be the comment on his report card.
Sniffer wrote:
Wiser than me – my only excuse is I’m having a coffee-and-biscuits day of it.
Shame the mods won’t do
Shame the mods won’t do anything about his outrageous claims after being banned user from before, but seems he is getting very close to it again. Still predicted that the less engagement, the more it will go closer to bannings.
Cycling Mikey should be put
Cycling Mikey should be put on a salary by the Met – he consistently does a lot more to proactively improve road safety than the other tens of thousands of police in London.
open_roads wrote:
If we had a Cycling Mikey in the West Midlands it would be all of a week before WMP tried to prosecute him as a deterrent from reporting crimes. Lazy, corrupt and incompetent.
Hopefully the new law this
Hopefully the new law this year on in-car phone use will make Mikey’s job easier. Just an image of the person holding the phone will be enough to prosecute. No need for him to get so close and capture the screen use to prove it was being used for communicating.
Exactly. I expect the type of
Exactly. I expect the type of usage Lampard was doing will be the loophole exploitaion
someone who never normally denies their client has done the crimeroad safety expert uses. That or a stop start motor means the engine wasn’t running.None of us is perfect, but
None of us is perfect, but planting some trees isn’t enough to offset taking Ineos’s shilling.
https://www.clientearth.org
https://www.clientearth.org/projects/the-greenwashing-files/ineos/
Speed limits by themselves
Speed limits by themselves arent really the determining factor that make you feel safer. I often feel safer on some (note not all) 60mph roads more than I would on a 30mph road, because it’s about volume of traffic, traffic mix and how that traffic interacts with you.
And width of road.
And width of road.
Yep, what makes me feel safer
Yep, what makes me feel safer are careful drivers. You can still have a scary pass at 40mph.
Reducing the speed limit moves the odds more towards serious injury rather than death. Beneficial, but hardly encouraging.
Driving to the conditions is
Driving to the conditions is a big factor to me. A close pass in the wet is a lot scarier than in the dry and more common. Ironically, in some cases I suspect, a driver may be more nervous of crossing the white line when visibilty is reduced and the road is wet.
Regardless, I would reduce speeds across the board as a tool in tackling climate change.
Do (most) motorists take any
Do (most) motorists take any notice of lowered speed limits. Fairly recently the road through my (urban) village had the speed limit cut from 30 to 20. When I drive along it at 20 I am always tailgated; when I ride through at 20 or a little over, I am invariably (and, given the traffic lights, pointlessly) overtaken.
The only situations I see
The only situation I see people sticking to a reduced speed limit is on the motorway, in an average speed check roadworks section.
Possibly one of the biggest impacts of smart motorways could be the collisions prevented by the years of heavily enforced speed limits whilst they’re being constructed!
HoarseMann wrote:
True! But I’ve noticed that average limits with cameras on non-motorway roads get flouted so often. Do the cameras even work, I often wonder? Most of the roads leading out from Coventry city centre are changing from 40mph to 30mph limited with cameras but it always seems that people on the left lane stick to the limit, while people on the right lane proceed on at 10-15mph above.
Steve K wrote:
This is and always has been the issue with 20 mph roads, that the vast majority of drivers will consistently ignore the speed limit.
But it always surprises me the fact that, as you said, a motorist will (for the most part) not overtake another motorist who is travelling at 20 in a 20 zone, but won’t hesitate to overtake a cyclist who is doing the same or greater speed.
The single most annoying part is that for the most part the 20mph speed limits aroudn where I live have a mix of severity of speed bumps, so inevitably when I am cycling I get overtaken by the cars over some speed bumps…. but 50 yards down the road when they come to the black rubber tank traps…. the same car slows down to 5 – 10 mph for every speed bump holding me up…. but MGIF
We’re confusing “ignore” with
We’re confusing “ignore” with “obey”. The majority of motorists won’t obey a speed limit but they do take notice of it as one of the factors that decides their speed. Just as they might cruise at 80 on the motorway (when they think there are no cameras etc), so they’ll drive at around 40 in an urban 30 limit – and around 30 in a 20 limit. They also take cues from other things, of course, one of the biggest of which is other drivers.
Agree! Not just binaries /
Agree! Not just binaries / categories like “law-abiding citizens”, “careful drivers” vs. “killer motorists” – it’s humans! All the spectrum and people can switch behaviours. I’m happy that most people are of good intent – but that doesn’t mean that the rules or looking out for others on the road will (always) be top of their priorities.
I think statistically it is
I think statistically it is around 86% ignore the speed limit for a 20 Zone and around 56% for a 30 !
This got me thinking that
This got me thinking that there was a government campaign years ago, “It’s 30 for a reason”. I ended up on the DfT Think! web pages and it will surprise no-one here to learn that the last campaign about ensuring the safety of cyclists was in 2015 , which was helpfully titled Cycle Safety Tips, which would immediately ensure that most drivers would assume it was aimed at cyclists, even though pretty much all the content was aimed at drivers.
Had a “conversation” with a
Had a “conversation” with a driver last week because he objected to me riding in primary and then shaking my head when he overtook me on a speed bump. I advised him about Rule 153 and its lack of ambiguity, to which he replied “rule 153 of what?”.
IanMK wrote:
I’ll admit to my ignorance of that one.
I get overtaken on the traffic cushion things on the Clifton side of the Suspension Bridge every single morning
For the record “Traffic
For the record “Traffic-calming measures. On some roads there are features such as road humps, chicanes and narrowings which are intended to slow you down. When you approach these features reduce your speed. Allow cyclists and motorcyclists room to pass through them. Maintain a reduced speed along the whole of the stretch of road within the calming measures. Give way to oncoming road users if directed to do so by signs. You should not overtake other moving road users while in these areas.”
Thanks, Ian (tbh I googled it
Thanks, Ian (tbh I googled it after you referenced it) 🙂
I assumed you had Brooksby,
I assumed you had Brooksby, but I thought I might as well share for the benefit of the thread.
(No subject)
IanMK wrote:
Might be the same guy I had a “discourse” with the other week. Tried to pass me into a (very) blind bend but was thwarted by a vehicle coming the other way just as he got his bonnet alongside me. Then immediately afterwards tried to overtake again around a more gentle bend, though this time one liberally sprinkled with parked cars thereby making the manoeuvre just as foolhardy, ultimately similarly abandoned due to traaaactor coming the other way.
I didn’t react to the first one (was trying to remain zen you see) just called him a &%£~!!!# £%£^$er in my head. However, at the second attempt I glanced across then gave a little shake of my head (to myself more than anything, not a massive gesticulation at any event) – but still didn’t say a word. Anyway, once the road was clear he came alongside, slowed down & opened the passenger window – he was absolutely apoplectic (red faced, bug eyed & veins popping) with my crime. “How DARE you shake your head at me you f******* little **** You shouldn’t be on the road, blah blah, in the middle of the road blah blah, holding me up blah blah road tax, blah blah run you over next time”.
MotoristsPeople are f*cking idiots. At least the proportion that go from normal human being to reckless deranged entitled lunatic the moment they get behind the wheel.Clem Fandango wrote:
Clearly that motorist has been reading about the butterfly effect, and was concerned that your shaking your head might cause a typhoon to destroy the Philippines – they were clearly just being a caring human being 😉
To be fair, a tree had fallen
To be fair, a tree had fallen down across one of my favourite local MTB trails the next day…….coincidence? I’ll be more careful next time.
I didn’t have a conversation
I didn’t have a conversation as such but had similar riding primary concerns with a driver on Sunday at these lights (now with extra road works narrowing them and the road across the way further). It consisted of him beeping at me for being stopped at there when lights changed as he approached to him still beeping even though I was up to 22mph and me being almost to the bumper of the car in front.
Are the roadworks to fully
Are the roadworks to fully resurface, or just some utilities work to add to the patchwork of potholes?
Not resurfacing natch. The
Not resurfacing natch. The area I have come from is where lots of work is being done for Commonwealth games, general change of massive junction and also adding sprinter buses along the route. The latter means changes to roads and bus stops all along the route.
For this junction they have added temp lights which matched the signalling of the old lights and doing somehing long the corners of the roads / on the pavements.
IanMK wrote:
Understandably confused as any fule know the velominati only have 95 rules.
wycombewheeler wrote:
…and that sitch ain’t one.
Rule 153 of “Shit Cyclists
Rule 153 of “Shit Cyclists Make Up”
IanMK wrote:
yes pretty sure it used to say “vehicle”, but it changed to “road user”
I’m impressed you find they
I’m impressed you find they slow down for them, most motorists around here dont bother, the amount of times I’ve been overtaken just before one only for the car to take off literally as it hits the speed bump at near 30mph.
20 limits dont work without enforcement & they never get enforced.
Steve K wrote:
The MGIF is strong in those 20mph zones
Twice in the past year I have
Twice in the past year I have been the subject of road rage because I was driving at 30mph in a 30 mph area.
The second time ended with a dangerous overtake around the wrong side of a roundabout and resulted in me buying a dash cam.
Ah, those wacky EVs…
Ah, those wacky EVs…
https://usa.streetsblog.org/2022/01/12/why-tesla-can-program-its-cars-to-break-road-safety-laws/
This is appalling. In the
This is appalling. In the video testing the “assertive mode” it passes a cyclist at 50mph, with another cyclist oncoming thus achieving two NMOTD-worthy incidents at one attempt.
Lower speed limits won’t help
Lower speed limits won’t help at all. Drivers ignore existing ones. Just the other day my daughter said that she had a man raise a middle finger to her to express his disatisfaction that she had crossed the road too close in front of him. He was doing 45-50mph according to her, and she misjudged his speed as it is a 30 limit.
She is 15 years old, crossing the road outside her village school.
People like him don’t just need a ban, they need a punch in the face.
I got tailgated by my
I got tailgated by my neighbour in her SUV this morning as I left for work, before she managed to overtake me at speed on a zebra crossing…
If you ask Garage-san he
If you ask Garage-san he might be able to pass you the contact details of a suitable “hit” man he’s suggested employing before. Although confusingly his latest post suggests he doesn’t see said fist-artist as a menacing figure at all but more a put-upon entertainer or sleb…
There is a lot of casual
There is a lot of casual conversation here about an incident for which we’ve only heard one side of the story, and which at this stage is an allegation. As far as the story goes, we don’t know what police involvement has taken place regarding Cycling Mikey.
What I would like clarification on is the allegation that a “huge bloke” caused this incident. As far as I’m aware, Mikey has never targetted “huge blokes” in the past, preferring other demographics to drive traffic to his YouTube channel. Why the sudden change of target (with pretty obvious consequences)?
That said, if there is truth to what he has alleged, I wish him a speedy recovery. I hope he uses this opportunity to re-evaluate his one-man crusade against people using their phones in stationary traffic, which I believe creates more issues for cyclists (which I’ve stated before) than solves.
The police should take action against law-breaking road users, not individuals, and in my view he should have been advised as such by the police rather than encouraged.
Garage at Large wrote:
My turn to make a fool of myself so others don’t bother today. Were you hoping for legal evidence of him dobbing in Tyson Fury, Eric Pickles, Giant Haystacks or Jeff Capes? In the article they mention a middleweight boxer (and a tough one at that), a martial artist (arrested for assualt) and a footballer – ah – he must be the wuss!
Garage at Large wrote:
My apologies – I missed the point you were making. Yes. That’s what I like about road.cc, a place where bards, brainboxes and blaggards can all ramble as they feel, freed from the rigid strictures of social media (?) and emboldened to creatively address the pressing topics of this age.
Have you had a busy morning,
Have you had a busy morning, Nige? Took you long enough to appear on here… 😉
.
.
Garage at Large wrote:
Chris Eubank?
Personally I would not do what Mikey does precisely because of the risk of assault, and I’m pretty bolshy. The man is brave and should be commended.
Mikey was drawn to Chris
Mikey was drawn to Chris Eubank because he was driving a Rolls Royce convertible – “woo hoo YouTube hits!”.
Additionally Mr Eubank’s reputation preceeds him: as always with “Simply the Best”, Chris was every ounce the well-spoken and attired gentleman who the British public know and love. It’s a such a shame that Mikey took advantage of Chris’s politeness and courtesy to harangue him, causing him to lose concentration at the traffic lights.
It’s such a shame that Mikey – who sports a Zimbabwe and Dutch flag on his Twitter profile – chose to behave in that way to one of our best-loved sportsmen.
Do you honestly believe your
Nige, do you honestly believe your own drivel?
You wrote ‘believe’ – I think
You wrote ‘believe’ – I think you probably meant ‘read’?
Garage at Large wrote:
Again making stuff up…. try actually watching the video. Mikey said “nice car mate” and was about to cycle past Chris Eubank until he spotted the phone in his hand….
And did you forget about the time Chris Eubank was fined £250 and got six points on his licence when he lost control of his car and killed a worker in a building site?
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/boxer-fined-for-careless-driving-in-fatal-crash-1540977.html
Perhaps that will refresh your memory.
I watched the Chris Eubank
I watched the Chris Eubank clip very carefully.
Mikey, high on the prospect of getting a few hits for his minor YouTube channel, made a wild and untrue claim that Chris Eubank was doing something illegal by holding a phone in his hand (no such offence).
“Triple vaxxed and flu jabbed” Mikey then bragged about catching out Guy Ritchie, and made out he didn’t know who Chris Eubank was (so why talk about catching celebrities?).
Eubank was distracted by these unbelievable and frankly ridiculous claims and ran a red light. Rather than hold his hands up and admit his behaviour has been distracting, Mikey instead claimed Chris had run the red light because he’d incidentally had a phone in his hand a few seconds earlier.
The end.
Garage at Large wrote:
“Triple vaxxed and flu jabbed” Mikey then bragged about catching out Guy Ritchie, and made out he didn’t know who Chris Eubank was (so why talk about catching celebrities?).
Eubank was distracted by these unbelievable and frankly ridiculous claims and ran a red light. Rather than hold his hands up and admit his behaviour has been distracting, Mikey instead claimed Chris had run the red light because he’d incidentally had a phone in his hand a few seconds earlier.
The end.— Garage at Large
See the edit to your post to add in “Triple vaxxed and flu Jabbed” just reinforces the point that I shouldn’t have engaged with you delusions.
And before you lie and say that you never edited your post….. some proof attached.
I’m just giving background to
I’m just giving background to allow readers to form an opinion – it’s his profile, I’m not making it up:
Garage at Large wrote:
The whole reference to your delusions was the fact that you asserted, without proof that
Which was speculation on your part.
Much like the fact that you knew the traffic lights the other day were broken and that the woman in the video had PTSD from the verbal altercation with a cyclist.
You seem to have a habit of mixing up your opinion with facts….
He *was* drawn to the Rolls
He *was* drawn to the Rolls Royce though – the first thing he says in the clip is “nice car mate”. It isn’t speculation if it’s recorded fact, is it? Coupled with his brag about Guy Ritchie a few seconds later, it’s trivial to see what going on in his mind.
You can also hear the palpable hurt in Mikey’s voice when legend pugilist Eubank hasn’t heard about Guy Ritchie, instead referring to an incident with another camera-laden cyclist and David Beckham.
Garage at Large wrote:
Again your opinion is not fact.
Was he drawn to the Rolls Royce? Yes to compliment the car
Was he drawn to the Rolls Royce because he was wanting you tube hits? That is only your opinion, stated as if it was fact.
Let state the facts –
Whether you like it or not there is no proof that the reason Mikey was drawn to the Rolls Royce because he thought about Youtube hits. You have made the assumption that Mikey interacted with Chris Eubank solely on the basis that Mikey thought “that’s a nice car it must be a celebrity” AND “they are driving an expensive car so they must be on their mobile phone”.
Without the assumption that the driver of a nice car is automatcially doing something wrong your entire argument falls down….. because without the wrongdoing Mikey wouldn’t put the video on his youtube channel.
But please give me the PROOF to justify your full statement (not just the fact that he was drawn to the car) that “Mikey was drawn to Chris Eubank because he was driving a Rolls Royce convertible – “woo hoo YouTube hits!”…. otherwise I stand by my claim that you are confusing your opinion with fact.
Garage at Large always runs
Garage at Large always runs away when found out…
joe9090 wrote:
Yes indeed. He repeatedly gets caught out making things up and as soon as you challenge him on it he will not respond. He will then move on to his next fabrication/controversial point to try and deflect away from the fact that he is little more than a deluded serial liar.
TriTaxMan wrote:
Well, I suppose it works for our prime minister…
At last, another one of your
At last, another one of your entertaining comedy monologues, I have been missing them!
Garage at Large wrote:
If only.
Tri, he is baiting you,
Tri, he is baiting you, follow your own advice from earlier. I find type out your reply, then cancel it helps.
Garage at Large wrote:
Amongst your many flaws the inability to make points pertinent to the conversation can be added. So please elucidate on this point. And as a bonus if you reply I might even deign to look at it and engage.
Garage at Large wrote:
The Chris Eubank who once killed a man because he liked to drive his car too fast? The Chris Eubank who once stole and crashed a lorry because he didn’t like where it was parked? Yes, he sounds like just the kinda guy who knows how to stay in control of his emotions.
It’s a shame that your man crush couldn’t follow the law. Again.
Best loved sportsmen is a bit
Best loved sportsmen is a bit of stretch! Eccentric-yes. Flamboyant – yes. I wouldn’t drop him in best loved. If he was that loved he would have picked up SPOTY but he hasn’t.
Garage at Large wrote:
Lol, what the hell? Of all the lies you post this has to be one of the strangest, given that you know very well that people he’s ‘targeted’ in the past include a world champion boxer.
I’m not going to repeat some
I’m not going to repeat some of the vile claims Boo has made about Cycling Mikey in the past, but it is related to those.
Does “wait to be escorted”
Does “wait to be escorted” mean that you’ll be escorted through the pedestrians’ chicane or does it mean that a man with a red flag willl walk in front of you along the road?
I’d be expecting the mariachi
I’d be expecting the mariachi band from Extra Slice.
brooksby wrote:
You wait until some spotty toerag driving a pimped XR3 whilst checking SnapsApp crashes into you
I see crippledbiker posted in
I see crippledbiker posted in that twitter piece
£1300 please – ker-ching !!
So do all pedestrians have to
So do all pedestrians have to be escorted through the Road Works, or only ones pushing something with wheels?
What is really depressing
What is really depressing about speed limits is when you talk to your Highways department and their measure of successful compliance is 80% of the drivers not exceeding the speed limit by more than 10%.
Yes, a speed limit where 1 in 5 drivers could get points on their licence is fine by highways standards.
Being a reformed 10%er myself, it really is so much easier driving at or below the speed limit, and contrary to popular opinion, cars behind are normally quite happy to fall in line. I can’t think of a time recently where a driver has tried to intimidate me when I’ve been driving at the limit, even in the outside lane of a motorway (though I would always be obviously “making progress”).
As every the Ranty Highwayman
As every the Ranty Highwayman has thoughtful, UK-specific (because we just have to be special) and positive practical goodness here:
https://therantyhighwayman.blogspot.com/2021/07/speed-differential.html
https://therantyhighwayman.blogspot.com/2021/05/designing-for-lower-speeds.html
Wendy Norton wrote:
Carefully avoiding causing Mr Evans’ head to explode by letting him know that the empahsis is more on the ‘clarify’ (removing the ‘should’ from the bit about light/reflective clothing, and making it clearer that the bit about helmets is around your choice to mitigate your own risk) and less on the ‘strengthen’ (changing the bell from ‘recommended’ to a ‘should’).
I always get angry when
I always get angry when people tell me that I ‘should’ be wearing hi viz. I thought a most important thing for drivers was the quality of their sight. Do they want us to wear hi viz so they dont need to concentrate as much behind the wheel? Surely it is paramount that when behind the wheel, they are concentrating and actually ‘looking’ where they are going?
biker phil wrote:
I’d never considered it in that way before, but that actually makes so much more sense.
What is it about this new
What is it about this new year that makes parliamentarians everywhere go off the rocker? Have they fallen on their heads somehow and should be made to wear helmets?
marmotte27 wrote:
With politics I feel it should be voters who’re wearing the tinfoil hats for protection. Better – something wipe-clean to deflect the bullshit from their craniums.
You can just never tell when or where the good idea fairy * will strike – while there are some regular leftfield thinkers (hello Dr. Winston) it seems no particular collective is immune – including cyclists.
* We’re talking mandating adult cycling helmets here.
If people drive like twats.
If people drive like twats. Dropping the speed limit wont make them drive any less like a twat. They’ll still be driving like a twat, but slower.
Its not really addressing the issue of road safety head on. All it will do is add more fuel to the fire, stir up even more animosity and piss everyone off even more — even the people who do cycle and own a car.
RoubaixCube wrote:
Agreeing with the general point but au contraire – I think you’ll find that dropping the speed limit won’t make twats drive slower either. And mix even a small percentage of twats into a population of normal human drivers and I suspect they’ll bring up the speed of some of those others too.
As alluded to in the Ranty Highwayman blog links I smeared over another post here today, the whole concept of setting signed speed limits is something from the parallel universe we entered when we switched to mass motoring generations back. Here’s another pinch o’ the same snuff as a tonic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bglWCuCMSWc
Luke Evans MP, or Dr Luke
Luke Evans MP, or Dr Luke Evans, a GP, who thinks that hi-viz, helmets, bells and other safety precautions work, instead of addressing the actual problem; but then he’s a tory, so facts aren’t his strong point.
I wonder if he’s asked his Dr’s organisation, the BMA, to review the decision they took at the Stalin show trial of a debate, to demand compulsory helmets? Probably not, tories aren’t exactly in favour of democracy.
Just off to the booze shop for the next work meeting.
eburtthebike wrote:
Enjoying the news, eburtthebike?
chrisonatrike wrote:
Somewhat; has he gone yet?
Ignore that Nigel Fromage bot
Ignore that Nigel Fromage bot. It’s everywhere, all over the comments. Don’t reply to it. Or just one person reply to it – pointing out how thick it is – and then we all uptick that person.
Looking at the Mars Flandria
Looking at the Mars Flandria jersey it appears that you had to be an ex Belgian national champion to be on the team.