Footage of cyclist hit on roundabout leads to ‘debate’ on social media; Cancellara keeps Paris-Roubaix cobbles in sauna; XR planning pop-up cycle lane smash-and-grab; Manchester bike lanes removed?; Londoners filmed on packed buses + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Don't be this guy", say Avon and Somerset Police as close pass shocker is captured on camera
Don’t be this guy! Luckily everyone ok.
❌No view: No overtake
❌Give cyclists room: At least 1.5m
❌Don’t overtake on double whites unless bike 10mph or less!
Motorist will be receiving a reminder of the Highway Code in the post… 👨⚖️#TST #DCSamDonati #operationclosepass pic.twitter.com/MQ4if3oFrm— ASPolice Road Safety (RPU) (@ASPRoadSafety) May 12, 2020
The south west police force posted this to remind drivers of their responsibilities when passing cyclists… perhaps a hefty fine and points would be nice to go along with that ‘reminder’ in the post though?
Exercise rules change in England: what will you be doing with your 'unlimited exercise'?
From today, people in England can now spend more time outdoors to:
🍎 go for picnics
🚴♀️ exercise more than once a day
🏞️ drive to outdoor open spaces
You should always follow strict social distancing guidelines. Read more 👉 https://t.co/LBBe9Gyu8V pic.twitter.com/yhlfkUJerR
— Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Govt (@mhclg) May 13, 2020
The new guidelines now allow you to ride with one person from outside your household… will that change anything for you? Read our Q+A on what’s changed for cyclists to make sure you’re up to speed.
Anger over government's mixed messaging as Londoners filmed head back to work on packed buses
Buses in London are packed with passengers this morning, despite the govt asking people to avoid public transport if possible when the #coronavirus lockdown eased.
Follow live as England gets back to work: https://t.co/HxzgZFnXnJ pic.twitter.com/pjTNBlg8ib
— SkyNews (@SkyNews) May 13, 2020
While the government have advised those returning to work to cycle and walk where possible, as Grant Shapps put it yesterday, many people were seen piling onto buses and tubes in the capital this morning… but with large portions of London and other cities in the UK still badly lacking cycling infrastructure, and the message to return to work perhaps overriding the part about commuting safely, it’s been argued that many don’t have a choice.
What did they expect the workers to do ? Been told to go to work , if public transport is their only option then this was obvious
Not all low paid workers can afford cars or to buy a new bike— Lord M (@mintymabel) May 13, 2020
How about public transport meets demand?! lockdown was relaxed but services haven’t increased. If I don’t go to work I don’t get paid. Instead of playing @BorisJohnson game of blame the plebs why don’t you ask @TfL when they’re going to increase services
— Jennifer Lehane (@jenlehane) May 13, 2020
Road space allocation is biased against pedestrians and cyclists. Time to address that. It is a perfect time to do so given less vehicles on the road and will minimise future disruption
— Kamil Sk (@Kamilsk) May 12, 2020
The government telling people to work, people have to commute and loads of people don’t drive. This is not an option. But Sky News make it sound like they are ignoring the government.
Very sinister terminology in this article pointing the finger at people who have no choice.
— Bossk – Team Wong (@lemonsneaky) May 13, 2020
If the government are serious about the public avoiding public transport as they return to work, arguably they need to do better.
Basso release ‘Reflect’ edition of the Diamante SV
Jack really liked Basso’s Diamante SV frameset when he reviewed it and the Italian brand has just announced a new opal white colour “in an effort to add light and allow reflection in what is undoubtedly a dark period.”
Basso has created the paint scheme to match “the pseudo-chromatic optical effect” of the opal gemstone. Basso says that “the internal structure of both the mineral and the Basso developed paint technique diffract light, creating a ‘play-of-colour’ that discretely shows the entire spectrum of coloured light, depending on the angle of reflection. Such a resemblance to the precious mineral comes from not only the Basso developed paint but also the technique with which is applied.
To create this colour, Basso used “five separate layers of different paints and different application techniques coated with a specifically developed transparent layer that protects the integrity of the colour while not inhibiting the light’s diffraction.”
If you like shiny things too, head to basso.com
Extinction Rebellion set to make their own pop-up cycle lanes this weekend, saying government's plans don't go far enough
Let’s #ReclaimTheStreets from toxic traffic #NoGoingBack
“#ExtinctionRebellion campaigners will set about creating scores of pop-up bike lanes & walking routes in towns & cities across the UK this weekend”https://t.co/CvQ9lW2eZv
— Extinction Rebellion UK 🌍 (@XRebellionUK) May 13, 2020
Armed with chalk, spray paint and even toilet plungers to separate out cycle lanes (we’ve heard this one before), the climate activists say they will take to the streets to make their own bike lanes and extra space for pedestrians this weekend to bring about the “radical change” that is needed.
XR’s Caspar Hughes told I News: “We need to be highlighting to local authorities which are doing nothing that they have just got weeks now to prepare city and town centres to make it safe for people to get out and [remain] physically distanced.
“We need to highlight the depth of the problem. Virtually every town and street with any public facility – whether that is a shop or a pub or a library – will need to be changed to allow people to walk and physically distance safely.”
It’s unclear how local authorities plan to respond if the action goes ahead, but a spokesperson for London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan said that their Streetspace plan is already working on making the streets safer for cyclists, and that “any unofficial action could jeopardise this and put people in danger.”
Cars in pop-up cycle lanes: it didn't take long
Here he is AGAIN, @MPSStamfordHill
I think it’s time this repeat offender had his badly wrapped bummer impounded.#bikelane #noparking #bmw #badwrap #cs1 pic.twitter.com/Gv6sJMX5e1
— Maximus von Radfahren (@CultOfCyclists) May 13, 2020
Hopefully the driver of this vehicle is dealt with accordingly.
Transport for Greater Manchester accused of removing cycle lanes
Why are you removing bike lanes then? pic.twitter.com/9TzAz50riE
— Bike Riding Adam (@AdsCondron) May 13, 2020
As TfGM announced that bike journeys have increased by 42%, numerous images on social media have surfaced of cycle lanes that appear to be getting removed
— Dionne Kitching (@dionnekitching) May 13, 2020
It’s unclear who gave instructions for road blocks to be placed in the lanes, as TfGM replied to the tweet above saying they will raise the issue, and have asked for the locations of where the removals appear to be happening.
Bristol latest city to announce major cycling and walking improvements
There’s some really exciting news coming from @BristolCouncil and @MarvinJRees today – big plans to make #walking and #cycling safer in #Bristol. Well done Bristol!https://t.co/INqqD31IpT #SpaceToMove @sustrans
— Sustrans South West (@SustransSW) May 13, 2020
Bristol 24/7 report that mayor Marvin Rees will today announce plans to ‘radically alter’ travel in the city, with new cycle lanes installed on numerous busy city centre roads, including the usually traffic-choked Stokes Croft. Cycling improvements will also be coming to Lewins Mead, the Clifton Triangle, Marlborough Street and Park Row, with numerous other areas getting widened pavements.
Sustrans’ Jon Usher told Bristol 24/7: “We’re delighted to see a comprehensive package of measures being brought forward. The council has worked swiftly in challenging circumstances to ensure people can continue to get around safely on foot and by bike as restrictions are lifted.
“These interventions are essential to help people access work and local shops safely, kick-starting our economic recovery. We congratulate the council for these actions that will help people to leave the car at home.”
It's official: Zwift doesn't count
I mean, they’re fun and all but… pic.twitter.com/QLH5ni0NDJ
— Lockdown Cycling Snob (@thecyclingsnob) May 12, 2020
Wise words from Her Majesty.
Fabian Cancellara reveals that he keeps his three Paris-Roubaix cobbles... in his sauna
“Normally, in the sauna, I’m not with clothing but at the moment, it is off”@f_cancellara tells @AmandaDCNN about the unique place he displays his three Paris-Roubaix trophies.
👉 https://t.co/w55ETy2Jy2 pic.twitter.com/rNM4AhLzPb
— CNN Sport (@cnnsport) May 12, 2020
Spartacus told CNN Sport that he keeps the cobblestone ‘trophies’ he won for Paris-Roubaix victories in 2006, 2010 and 2013 in his sauna. What with them being cobblestones of course there’s no chance of them melting, and he explained further:
“It’s different from all the others because it’s flat and these cobbles are not easy, they are really rough and that’s maybe why they are in the sauna, because there’s a lot of sweat in those races.”
Cancellara also said that he does believe bike racing can go ahead without fans if COVID-19 means that is necessary to restart the season:
“When a sports athlete is in his tunnel of concentration, sometimes he doesn’t even see or hear fans because he is so in the mode of concentration that energy is only for that.
“And if you go to the podium and there are no fans, of course it looks strange but everyone knows the situation.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg heads back to work
Jacob Rees Mogg follows Grant Shapps’ advice by cycling to work. pic.twitter.com/kKg9cEWLUO
— Parody Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson_MP) May 13, 2020
SRAM introduces wide-range gearing for Force eTap AXS groupset
Chris Froome heads back out for a ride
Super happy to be out on the road again 😁☀️ #cycling #ridingsolo pic.twitter.com/4Zueqo95xE
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) May 12, 2020
Monaco-based Froome has decided to venture out again now that the France and the Principality have relaxed their lockdown to allow outdoor exercise. Will he be going for a fifth Tour on the 29th August as is scheduled in the UCI’s calendar? We won’t hold our breath…
Footage of cyclist hit by a van on roundabout emerges... and some people actually think it's the cyclist's fault
It’s worrying enough that the driver who hit the cyclist has a licence, but some of the comments about it on social media make for rather worrying reading…
This also prompted a tabloid newspaper to publish an article online with “who is in the wrong?” in the headline; but it’s perhaps a relief that amongst the 800-plus comments on that article, the large majority identify that the driver of the van was clearly at fault.
If you know of anyone who is unsure if they need to give way on a roundabout or not, please direct them towards this section of The Highway Code.
13 May 2020, 07:02
13 May 2020, 07:02
Both new pieces are designed for warm-weather urban riding
Rapha adds to Commuter collection with new Lightweight Jacket and Reflective T-Shirt
Breathability is the focus, with warm weather urban riding in mind
13 May 2020, 07:02
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Latest Comments
"wider pavements" Motorists never complain about wider pavements, do they? smh
trying to sell an expensive product to do an unnecessary thing......cleaning a chain of factory lubricant, fine.....between waxing completely unnecessary...misleading product name, jumping on waxing now its gone more mainstream
Twenty-two quid? Thank heavens it also cleans based lubricants!
@froze "Really better wheels are only really necessary if you’re doing some sort of competition riding, otherwise who cares if you save a few watts?" It's also helped me re-kindle a bit of joy and expectation in outdoor riding - my local rides were getting stale, and I was Zwifting more often than going out; new wheels has given me a new reason to go out and ride my loops... a new bike would do the same, but cost a lot more! "The more important thing for just daily riding is whether the wheels can hold up to pounding on the streets, hitting potholes, cracked streets, surviving long rides on chip and seal etc, which is why I don’t have any race type of wheels." I chose the "all-road" variety for just this reason; along with no maximum weight limit - I'm a little over 100kg plus cheap (ie, relatively heavy) bike. Race wheels they are not. Noticeably better than the alloy ones that came on my bike? Yes. "People who don’t race need to use some common sense and not try to impress some wealthy lawyer or engineer riding buddy, save your money and pay off debts instead…I know, that’s not fun, but it is wise." No mortgage, no credit card balance, savings growing, pension up-to-date, car bought/owned outright, phone bought/owned outright, etc etc And I pretty much always ride on my own - the only person who sees my bike regularly is my wife and she cares less than zero about it! A good idea to find out about your audience before dispensing advice ;) I do try to avoid buying unnamed Chinese stuff though, for absolutely all the reasons you've listed, plus environmental concerns and worker H&S/rights/etc concerns, too.
You get seal where you are? You don't know you're born!
The Right to Roam campaign aims to secure rights in England and Wales that Scotland has taken for granted for decades (and most of Scandinavia for millennia). The campaign is focused on access by foot rather than bike, but the Enclosure Acts are indeed villains of history.
I have problems with buying Chinese made products, one is they have no recourse if you have a warranty issue, or the wheel fails and you get seriously injured due to product failure you have no rights to sue for personal injury or property damage. A lot of stuff they make are Western brand wheels that they make after hours and slap on a generic name, so they are a stolen product and stolen engineering, call it stolen intellectual property and patents, but while Western companies know this is happening, they are powerless to stop it. Then there are political concerns which I won't go into but if people stop and think they should know what I'm talking about. As far as buying expensive wheels for a cheap bike will depend on if in the near future there are plans to buy a better bike, if not, then don't buy better wheels. Really better wheels are only really necessary if you're doing some sort of competition riding, otherwise who cares if you save a few watts? The more important thing for just daily riding is whether the wheels can hold up to pounding on the streets, hitting potholes, cracked streets, surviving long rides on chip and seal etc, which is why I don't have any race type of wheels. Even professionals don't use their high-end racing wheels, or bikes for their training rides! For the common person most bikes come with wheels that are designed to hold up to street riding for a long time. People who don't race need to use some common sense and not try to impress some wealthy lawyer or engineer riding buddy, save your money and pay off debts instead...I know, that's not fun, but it is wise.
Woah. Deja deja vu.
Woah! Deja vu.
Just imagine how much great hiking and mountain-biking there would be if we hadn't had the Enclosure Acts! (Not to mention grazing, coppicing etc.)
60 thoughts on “Footage of cyclist hit on roundabout leads to ‘debate’ on social media; Cancellara keeps Paris-Roubaix cobbles in sauna; XR planning pop-up cycle lane smash-and-grab; Manchester bike lanes removed?; Londoners filmed on packed buses + more on the live blog”
How about Avon & Somerset
How about Avon & Somerset Police require a driver awareness course and put points on their licence?
lesterama wrote:
I have to admit I also was rather concerned at their reaction to wilful dangerous driving, the mildest of mild slaps on the wrist; a reminder about the HC in the post. I would have thought a Notice of Intended Prosecution was far more fitting for an incident which so easily could have been a fatality.
But driver awareness courses
But driver awareness courses are all suspended during the lockdown due to social distancing rules, and a NIP which results in points can goto magistrates court for the case to be heard,which are in backlog due to majority being shutdown & social distancing rules and chances of being held within the 6months prosecution time limit are slim.
Which is why the guidance is currently at best only send a letter
Awavey wrote:
So quite literally a ‘Get Out of Jail Free’ card?
I assume the paperwork is too
I assume the paperwork is too much hassle if it not going to court.
But then again, how many NIPs can there be if everyone is at home and not traveling much ?
Speed awareness courses have
Speed awareness courses have gone online during the pandemic and Operation Snaps are still working; traffic police are busier than usual and all the tickets handed out, or footage submitted are being processed as usual. No idea why A&Somerset gave a free pass on that one.
Awavey wrote:
OK, so it won’t be instant or even quick justice, but that is no reason to continue to allow dangerous driving with no sanction. The wheels of justice grind slow, but they don’t stop. If that driver isn’t taken off the road they are going to kill someone, so society needs to take action, not just say it’s too hard.
Where is this guidance that sending a letter is an appropriate response to dangerous driving and who issued it?
the CPS/NPCC issued an
the CPS/NPCC issued an updated charging protocol in response to the Covid19 situation end of March, which advised the police to take careful consideration of what new offences were fed into the system. Road traffic offences,outside of fatalities/dangerous driving, were categorised in the lowest level, with a reminder to take into account statutory time limits as a consideration.
now police forces could interpret that how they liked of course, which brings a random element into it, but the Times highlighted only a few days after the guidance was published Essex Police had already started to write letters instead of prosecute for low level traffic offences like speeding https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/speeding-drivers-let-off-by-overstretched-police-0zg0xrtk5
theyve since I believe stated that dont do that for speeding now, but whether that extends to close passing cyclists or examples like the video, i dont know, but examples of NIPS for this kind of stuff have been thin on the ground lately it feels.
and fwiw given how the police always insist you dont post video footage online/share on social media it case it harms a prosecution, theyll have broken their own guidance if they did send a NIP instead.
Awavey wrote:
How about they stick the points on the licence summarily, and if the tosser objects then they can join the back of the triage queue at the magistrates to have it overturned, if indeed.
I actually read the tweet as
I actually read the tweet as being sarcastic – they’ll be getting a “little reminder” sort of thing.
Morgoth985 wrote:
Me too. The judge emoji and elipsys made me think they were hinting at an NIP.
I read an article in the
I read an article in the Grauniad this morning.
Govt spokesperson saying on the one hand “Everyone who can should go back to work” and then saying “But if too many people start using public transport then we’ll have to lock everything down again!”.
Left hand / right hand – strangers in the night…
FWIW I dont see that as
FWIW I dont see that as contradictory advice, we want people to get back to work,but we dont want overcrowding on public transport as a result.
But then I dont really see that it’s the governments job to spoon feed me on how I should commute to work,I can kind of work out for myself avoiding busy bus routes and times is probably a good idea at the moment,or that if I can walk or cycle instead, I free up space for those that most need to use public transport
And I can buy a brand new BSO which might not be pretty, or fast,or the latest tech,but it will do the job for less than half the price of the cancelled summer beach holiday week in Europe none of us will be going on now.
Maybe its time actually people need to be better at this stuff rather than rely on goverment diktat all the time.
simply “buying bikes” is not
simply “buying bikes” is not an option for many who use bus services in normal times, let alone when may of these workers would have been put on 80% of their wages for the last 6 weeks or so and ignoring the fact the used bike market is rapidly increasing in price as people reach out for them.
if the government want some of the lowest paid in our country, to go back to work and put their health at risk to provide services/ goods for people or their boss still working at home, support in doing this safely is the least they can expect.
if the government is paying an office worker 80% of their salary, rightfully on furlough for 3, they can pay a service worker a grant of £2-400 for a bike if they’re expecting them to go back to work.
buying bikes doesnt have to
buying bikes doesnt have to be the option for the many though, we arent magically going to turn into a nation of cyclists overnight and we shouldnt expect it to happen like that.
We only need to start with the people who HAVE the money to buy a bike to swap modes of transport, and you can pick up BSOs cheap enough & plenty of workplaces are signed up to the bike to work scheme that the government enables, to free up the space on the public transport for the have nots, so they can travel safely, they dont even have to be the people who use public transport to begin with, if they drove cars before and swapped to bikes, there would be more space on the roads for extra buses to run to cater for the extra social distancing requirements.
someone very famous once said “Ask not what your country can do for you,ask what you can do for your country” so which path are we going to choose ?
“I dont really see that it’s
“I dont really see that it’s the governments job to spoon feed me”
Seriously? I’m all for ‘Great British common sense’ being the icing on the cake of a set of workable rules. But should common sense to be the whole cake?
This is life and death. There’s overcrowding on London buses and tube trains today, and people will die as a result.
What percentage of workers
What percentage of workers actually commute by public transport?
IIRC it’s about 15%.
So it’s perfectly possible for the vast majority of workers to return to their previous commutes.
Yet again it’s a media red herring.
you’re looking at percentage
you’re looking at percentage of overall employees taking PT, while not factoring the reduced capacity.
PT capacity at full service is 10% due to social distancing, you would have to have 10% of the workforce active to match that
if 85% of people work in the service industry out of the 100% employed, we can just take the 15% of that demand away and pretend all non service is still shut, we can asses 15% of the 100% is furloughed, let’s take them away from demand and pretend none of them are service workers, and lets slice that in half as some might be WFH, lots of businesses will still be closed.
35% of that workforce demand still exists, but you only have 10% of the PT capacity.
Roughly 15% of workers
Roughly 15% of workers commute by public transport.
If we assume 10% capacity then 1.5% of workers will be able to continue using public transport. Staggering start and end times could increase that further. Say 2.5%.
That leaves 12.5% of workers unable to get to work.
Remove those able to work from home, those whose jobs have not restarted and those who can use alternative modes and you’re significantly below 10%, possibly below 5%.
If 90-95% of workers are able to resume commuting then it’s really not unreasonable to ask people to return to work.
Rich_cb wrote:
Most people live in cities and in the bigger cities (london was mentioned above) public transport makes up the biggest share, certainly in the centre (only in the suburbs does this change).
EddyBerckx wrote:
There is a huge difference in modal share between London and England as a whole.
This tweet explains it clearly at the same time as highlighting the deliberate misrepresentation by someone who works for The Mail On Sunday:
I wonder if he recognises that being ex-public school and the Deputy Political Editor at the Mail means that he himself is one of the “metropolitan liberal elite” that he is deriding so plainly. What a complete tosser.
Well done Liverpool.
Well done Liverpool.
In North Yorkshire we’re getting a load of waffle from the county council…’we don’t yet know if there’s going to be a bidding process for the emergency funding bla bla bla’.
The good councils are just getting on with it.
Quote:
I think this is one that ought to be emphasized more.
(Driving, recently, along a 40mph section of road with double white lines, being tailgated by all the other motorists who thought I should be overtaking the roadie tooling along at over 20mph…)
and…
I’m sorry, but is that a joke??
As a son of the city, I’m
As a son of the city, I’m pleased Liverpool are taking steps to increase cycling. But read between the lines and I’m still disapointed.
The lanes are described as ‘temporary’ and the default position is still to drive “…strong alternatives if they don’t want to use public transport and don’t have access to a car.”
It’s a few steps in the right direction, but this is no panacea and doesn’t go as far as it needs to imo.
In the England there wasn’t
In the England there wasn’t any restriction placed on the amount of exercise you could take, nor duration. It was advised that you should exercise only once up to an hour, but not in the legislation, therefore not enforceable.
jigr69 wrote:
Actually, I do wonder. The test was always what is “reasonable”, so I guess we are at the mercy of the man on the Clapham omnibus. By colouring this man’s understanding of what is “reasonable”, through constant propaganda and ‘official’ advice, I guess they have moved the needle one way and the other.
Sriracha wrote:
The test is what is reasonable, but it then goes on to define certain things, including exercise, that are explicitly considered reasonable. There could be a test of whether it was ‘reasonable’ to claim that you were doing exercise (e.g. you weren’t just using “going for a walk” as cover for ‘getting drunk in the park with your friends’), but as long as you are doing exercise, whether the man on the Clapham omnibus considers the amount of exercise you’re doing ‘reasonable’ is immaterial.
Regardless of the fact that
Regardless of the fact that there was never a hard limit on exercise in England up to now, I suspect that the change from ‘exercise once a day’ to ‘exercise as much as you like’ will mean that most of the public returns to their usual no-exercise-at-all level.
jollygoodvelo wrote:
Or:
There is always an excuse:
There is always an excuse:
Not everyone can afford a bike!
I need to carry tools!
I have to drive 90 miles to work!
Some people are disabled!
How about rather than moaning about the guidence by highlighting the tiny number of edge cases people start addressing those who are just lazy/selfish/ignorant and start addressing the real things stopping people cycling:
Poor Driving
Rubbish infrastruture
Lack of secure cycle parking
Restrictions on taking bikes on trains
Barriers on car parks that stop you carrying a bike to a park and ride
Peoples stupid made up personal highway code they have in their heads.
Lord! Remember Extinction
Lord! Remember Extinction Rebellion? I wondered what had happened to them… 😉
Extinction Rebellion is the
Extinction Rebellion is the child of Reclaim the Streets.
WRT the BMWankPanzer parked
WRT the BMWankPanzer parked in the cycle lane – its not a pop-up lane its the CS1 in London.
I assumed it was being driven
I assumed it was being driven !
Well done Liverpool, good
Well done Liverpool, good luck with it.
And as for the unfortunates on the bus, I doubt if the choice was between the Rolls, the Jag or an overcrowded method of public transport.
I find it amusing that TfGM
I find it amusing that TfGM have asked for the location of those cycle lane blockages. It is literally right outside their own office! (front of Manchester Piccadilly Station / back of TfGM offices).
That BMW in the bike lane
That BMW in the bike lane looks like Photoshop to me…
For those of you wondering
For those of you wondering which tabloid asked who’s fault the collision was, it was the Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8311279/Moment-cyclist-left-sprawling-floor-crashing-van-wrong.html#newcomment
Fortunately, most of the respondents agree that it was the driver at fault.
I have no self respect either
I have no self respect either and also tracked it down to the DM.
Ye Gods! I’d sooner share the road with the van driver in the clip than with some of the DM mouthbreathers who quite clearly have no understanding of how roundabouts work or that drivers have any responsibility for the safety of other road users.
I can’t bring myself to
I can’t bring myself to follow the link. I assume those who thought it wasn’t the driver’s fault felt it was just an accident.
hirsute wrote:
You’re too charitable by far. Many thought it was actively the cyclist’s fault, no mere accident. The cyclist cut across the van, and didn’t indicate, etc.
Sriracha wrote:
I agree, and would rewrite the headline as:
“Footage of cyclist hit by a van on roundabout emerges… and some people actually want to think it’s the cyclist’s fault”
It suits their world view, helped by the Mail et al treating cyclists as an out-group, that the cyclist must be at fault. This is regardless of any supposed facts stated by others. It’s an article of faith.
I watched the video with the
I watched the video with the sound off, but in what world was this anything other than the fault of the van driver?? If they’d been looking properly before pulling out onto the roundabout then there would have been no collision. Except that there was, so they weren’t.
The DM is definitely stirring
The DM is definitely stirring things up by saying social media is divided – overwhelmingly the van driver is seen to be at fault. Of course there are still a significant minority who think the cyclist was at fault – maybe clips like this need to be in the driving theory test with the wrong answer leading to an instant fail.
For me the peach was:
“The cyclist [i]came out of nowhere[/i] and cut right across the van, cyclist fault. No indication by the cyclist either.”
Not sure if that was sarcasm – worrying!
Did we need to ask?
Did we need to ask?
When I collided with a car on
When I collided with a car on a roundabout the driver told me it was my fault as I could see he was coming on! I’d managed to turn and we collided side on and my pedal had sliced his door panel. Me and the bike were fine so I cycled off leaving him raving about my lack of foresight.
It’s worrying how many people
It’s worrying how many people are out there driving in the UK who genuinely don’t appear to understand how you are supposed to use a roundabout…
On the subject of the van and
On the subject of the van and bike accident, although legally the van driver got it wrong, there is a possible excuse for what looks at first to be another dozy moton not paying attention, and flattening a vulnerable road user. There’s a phenomenon known as constant bearing, reducing range blindness. Essentially the angle of approach, and relative speeds of the van and bike, means that the bike appears as a stationary object in the field of vision, of the van driver. The human brain does something peculiar in such a situation. In order to not use more energy than necessary, the brain starts to ‘target acquire’ and actually ignores seemingly, or actually stationary objects. The eyes look, the brain sees. It’s quite possible, that the van driver really didn’t see the cyclist first nor last, and the collision was a huge shock. It’s a case of the oft repeated “where the hell did he appear from”. It works both ways, I’ve ridden in front of vehicles I didn’t see, for the same reason. I’ve never had a big off, because of it though, and it’s never caused me to hit, or be hit by a driver.
All sounds very clever. I’m
All sounds very clever. I’m not that clever so I’ll stick with total moron drove straight onto a roundabout without stopping and hit a cyclist wearing a fluorescent orange jacket, if that’s OK.
In this instance, the
In this instance, the approach speed was rather rapid considering the vehicle filming was overtaken, so even if the case, the situation was created by the poor approach.
Constant bearing? So let’s
Constant bearing? So let’s take the case of a constant bearing of 12 o’clock from the van, incoming. You’re saying that it would be difficult for the van driver to notice a car heading at him straight between the eyes, head on? Or does this only work for bikes?
https://beyondthekerb.org.uk
brooksby wrote:
Thanks, great link, explains the geometry well. Interestingly, if you read far enough, it suggests a roundabout could be one solution to the constant bearing problem.
Another solution, it suggests, would be for the driver to look properly.
From the comments:
From the comments:
Er, no – the problem is that far too many people think that that would be a problem.
For the Daily Mail of course
For the Daily Mail of course it would have been the cyclist fault, how dare he get in the way of an important motorist, and delay their urgent journey.
And they were obviously not following the advice to “Be Aware”
The people on the bus, would it really have been easy or even possible to secure a bicycle between Sunday, and Monday, I mean Wednesday morning? Sorry, bit confused. Or get one they managed to dig up fixed, bike shops being very busy at the moment, and spares almost impossible to source. Or get a big enough lock, this being Laaandan…
I popped into Goring train station as part of my slightly longer and further ride today (nice to see some other roads, different woods and fields) and the trains from and to London were deserted. The ones stopping that I could see into, I could count the people on one hand. I left at about 5ish and the car park was completely empty. Didn’t seem to me that the car parking commuters of Goring were being made to go into work.
Boris’s hobby crafting once
Boris’s hobby crafting once more
And what’s more the van
And what’s more the van driver was busy on the phone at the time of the collision – speaking to his next customer. So the cyclist delayed a worker from ‘getting Britain moving again’ The traitor.
One of the issues in London
One of the issues in London (and likely elsewhere) is cycle parking. There is a severe lack of parking for cycles both residential and at destination. This is the biggest impediment to cycling (after perceived ‘danger’) Local authorities need to be resourced so they can install more secure cycle parking. It is impossible to drive to work in central London (no parking, congestion charge, CPZ) But it is almost as difficult to cycle – because unless the place of work provides secure parking there are limited places to leave a cycle. Theft and vandalism of course are a huge issue with cycles locked on the street. So whilst there is all this positive talk of extra bike lanes and increased modal share there is no discussion about where these bikes will be ‘parked’ in the long term.
100%. E-bikes have been the
100%. Unless you can park the bike it can never be used for more than leisure.
E-bikes have been the answer for many venturing back onto a bike after years of sloth. But these things are expensive. I see people using them for leisure rides and feeling virtuous, but risk parking them outside the supermarket and have the paintwork scratched, or worse? That anxiety is real.
I can only guess at how much goes into car parking when a supermarket is on the drawing board, and I’ll bet that a tiny fraction of a percent of that goes into cycle parking. Lidl just weld some wheel benders to the trolley cages – that’s it.
I seem to remember a plan to
I seem to remember a plan to turn a bloody big Crossrail-related hole in Finsbury Park into cycle parking. Refused I think because it would attract cyclists.
With thinking like that, the golden age is a long way away.