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London cyclists warned to be careful... because of all the car fumes; Barrister asked if he was wearing a helmet - after being hit by a motorist; Viaduct reopens for cyclists and walkers; Is cycling linked to your education? + more on the live blog

Thank Coppi it’s Friday! Ryan Mallon is here to ease you into the weekend with the last live blog of the week
Fri, Jan 14, 2022 09:55
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London cyclists warned to be careful... because of all the car fumes; Barrister asked if he was wearing a helmet - after being hit by a motorist; Viaduct reopens for cyclists and walkers; Is cycling linked to your education? + more on the live blogCS5 cyclists (screenshot via London Cycles video Twitter)
14 January 2022, 17:50
Heading into the weekend like…

That’s it for the week folks! Thanks for keeping me company on the blog.

I don’t know about you, but I’m away for a lie-down. I was on the receiving end of a heavy tackle at five-a-sides last night, and my ribs have been sore ever since.

If only I’d been wearing my helmet…

14 January 2022, 17:06
Nextbike Cardiff (screenshot via BBC News report)
Ovo Bikes return to Cardiff after two month break due to thefts and vandalism

The Ovo bike hire scheme was reintroduced to Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan yesterday, two months after the scheme was suspended due to a high number of thefts and vandalism.

Before the suspension of the scheme in November, 300 Ovo bikes had been stolen and 260 vandalised. It was the first time operator Nextbike had been forced to withdraw its services in the UK.

Nextbike’s Krysia Solheim told Wales Online: “It’s a relief to be back on the streets of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. We know our customers have missed having access to the Ovo Bikes schemes.

"Bike share is a fantastic, affordable, and healthy way to move around our towns and cities – not to mention the fact that it’s one of the best ways of reducing harmful transport emissions.”

Let’s just hope it goes better this time…

14 January 2022, 17:10
14 January 2022, 16:55
CPA threatens to sue The Cyclists’ Alliance over ‘fake news’ prize money concerns

The pro season hasn’t even started in earnest yet and there’s already been some serious inter-organisational conflict (remember the ASO-UCI wars of the mid-noughties and mid-2010s? Surely another one of those is scheduled soon…).

This time, the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA to you and me) has threatened to sue The Cyclists’ Alliance (TCA) for what it described as defamation and false information after the TCA published concerns surrounding the administration of prize money on the women’s side of the sport.

Often criticised for its cosy relationship with the UCI, the CPA is the officially recognised riders’ representative organisation. Headed on the men’s side by Gianni Bugno, a women’s branch was finally set up in 2017.

While the CPA Women is made up of national riders’ associations, the TCA on the other hand operates a ‘one rider, one vote’ system. Also established in 2017 by ex-pro Iris Slappendel, the TCA has been praised for its close work with riders concerning contracts, retirement, career advice and education, and is viewed by many as the ‘true union’ for women’s cycling.

Surely, I hear you cry, the two organisations would work together to secure the continuing development of the women’s sport? Ah, but not so fast. It’s Friday afternoon so I’ll spare you the details, but this month the UCI’s Centralised Prize Money Management system (operating on the men’s side since 2017) was introduced for women. In this system, deductions are taken from prize money at races to pay for costs including doping controls, retirement funds and the development of national riders’ associations.

This week the TCA released a statement, claiming that the riders – who the TCA says the prize money “belongs to” – were not consulted about the scheme. The statement asked a series of pertinent questions about the new system and called for an independent third party to be involved, preventing a monopoly over the administration of cycling’s prize money.

The CPA has since responded in a confrontational press release, accusing the TCA “of defaming the CPA and manipulating the riders.”

“The TCA not only appears to be ill-informed but manifests superficiality in its communications,” the statement read. “The riders are enthusiastic about how CPM works. With this transparent system no prize money is lost and riders are paid faster. Alessandra Cappellotto and CPA Women are doing important work in partnership with the UCI and other stakeholders to ensure that the gap between women and men is gradually reduced.”

The accusatory and hostile tone of the CPA’s response has been widely criticised throughout the sport. TCA representative and world time trial champion Ellen van Dijk tweeted the following:

It is clear that both organisations are committed to growing women’s cycling, probably the most important issue in the sport right now. Disputes like this only do the opposite.

14 January 2022, 15:56
14 January 2022, 15:41
Sherlock Holmes and the case of the not-so-genius bike thief

Well that’s one way to get caught stealing a bike…

14 January 2022, 15:24
Cycling UK shares new Cyclists’ Defence Fund video as it aims to reinstate popular bike lane

This morning the bike charity Cycling UK shared a new fundraising video for their Cyclists’ Defence Fund (CDF). The CDF helps fight legal cases involving individual cyclists and cycling in general, especially those which could set important safety-related precedents.

The film includes examples of some of the cases fought using the CDF in the past, as well as Cycling UK’s current legal challenge against West Sussex County Council’s decision to remove a popular cycle lane on the Old Shoreham Road, used by children to get to school.

Cycling UK’s Sam Jones told road.cc that through this challenge, which was made possible by donations to the CDF, they hope to “set a precedent and make other councils take note before doing similar.”

Today’s fundraising call, Jones says, is “about helping us to prepare for tomorrow’s battles.” You can donate to the Cyclists’ Defence Fund on Cycling UK’s website. 

14 January 2022, 14:31
National Champs kits done right

There’s been a lot of talk over the silly season about poorly designed national champions’ jerseys (looking at you, UAE). So it’s refreshing when you come across one that ticks all the boxes, courtesy of Finnish champion Joonas Henttala and Team Novo Nordisk.

14 January 2022, 13:27
Tussling with the Tinker Man

Following Cycling Mikey’s alleged altercation with a texting motorist, covered yesterday on the blog, more London cyclists have come forward with reports of their own run-ins with phone-wielding drivers:

Nathan’s story led another Twitter user to recall one particularly harrowing experience on the same road with a certain maverick Italian football manager:

Going by the location, I assume this incident took place when Ranieri was in charge of Chelsea. Maybe the Tinker Man was too busy contemplating whether he should drop Damien Duff or not… Or perhaps he was texting his No. 8 to get him a coffee?

14 January 2022, 12:58
BoC Cards
“Roses are red, violets are blue, forget Valentines, I want Di2…”

Great news - we’re exactly one month away from the stupidest day of the year!

But have no fear, as you can make the guilt-infested capitalist showpiece that is Valentine’s Day slightly more palatable with these rather brilliant ‘honest’ cycling-themed cards from Band of Climbers. 

Although if you were really being honest with yourself, you would just go on your planned spin anyway and leave all of the unnecessary obligation to Hallmark. Have I made it clear how much I dislike Valentine’s Day?

14 January 2022, 12:25
Canyon Cycle to work scheme 2
Are university graduates more likely to cycle to work?

A newly published study in the Journal of Transport Geography has claimed that people with a university degree are far more likely to cycle for transportation than other city dwellers. 

The research, undertaken by Dr Ansgar Hudde at the University of Cologne, examined the socio-economic status of people who cycle to work, analysing over 800,000 journeys by 55,000 people between 1996 and 2018.

He found that, irrespective of age, gender and even location, individuals with college degrees were 50% more likely to ride bikes.

Dr Hudde’s study builds on earlier research which has shown that people choose their transport method based on travel time, cost, and its symbolic value – in essence, how others will perceive it.

Traditionally, this has been linked to motorists who buy large, expensive cars to signal their socio-economic standing - I'm sure we've all heard the old 'cyclist saving up to buy a car' joke - while also (perhaps unconsciously) pointing out that they don’t care that much about the environment.

“With the bicycle, it’s exactly the opposite,” Hudde claims.

“People with higher educational qualifications usually do not run the risk of being perceived as poor or professionally unsuccessful, even if they are on the road with an inexpensive bike. Rather, they can gain status by cycling.”

Riding a bike, according to the study, can also mark out an individual as “modern, health-conscious, and environmentally aware. In contrast, people with a lower level of education might be more likely to use an expensive car as a status symbol to show that they have ‘made it.’”

The growth in bike usage, Hudde argues, is therefore linked to rising education levels.

However, he believes that more should be done to encourage a wider demographic to cycle, and that the increase in cycling infrastructure in cities could actually exacerbate social inequality.

“We need targeted policies that reach those who stand aside from the current bike boom: people outside the bigger cities and with less education.”

So what do you think? Is bike riding as a mode of transport a status symbol intrinsically linked to your education? 

14 January 2022, 11:29
14 January 2022, 11:22
Bennerley Viaduct (image credit - World Monuments Fund)
“Iron Giant” reopens for cyclists and walkers

A Victorian viaduct, derelict for over half a century, has been reopened for cyclists and walkers.

Bennerley Viaduct originally opened in 1877 and runs between Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. It was closed due to railway cuts in 1968.

Despite several attempts by British Rail to demolish the “Iron Giant” – the only UK structure on the 2020 World Monuments Watch list – repairs to the viaduct have been under way since 1986. 

While there were initial concerns over what the bridge would be used for, it was finally decided that a cycling and walking route would be installed.

The newly revamped Bennerley Viaduct was officially reopened yesterday, with Andy Savage from the Railway Heritage Trust the first person to cycle across it.

14 January 2022, 10:35
“Were you wearing a helmet?”

Yesterday on the live blog we featured another example of the kind of standard-fare, pointless cycling safety question posited by backbench MPs with the sole aim of shifting the onus of road safety on to the most vulnerable users. 

Now, as the last week, or month, or years have shown, politicians may not feel that their opinions, attitudes, or indeed their actions have any real-life consequences. But judging by the experiences of barrister Martin Porter this week, after he was knocked off his bike by a motorist, some perceptions of cycling safety appear to align with those of the Honourable Member for Bosworth.

On Sunday Porter, who used to blog under the moniker ‘The Cycling Lawyer’, was hit by a motorist who was turning right and claimed the sun was in his eyes. Porter suffered two broken ribs and damage to his teeth.

What followed was a series of incidents which seem to underline the place of cycling and cyclists when it comes to road safety.

According to Porter, the police told his wife it was “an unfortunate accident”, and every clinician and dentist treating him inquired whether he was wearing a helmet.

Most tellingly, when Porter informed the hospital physiotherapist that he had broken his ribs before while out cycling, she apparently replied “and the moral is?” Blimey.

Of course, this is an isolated incident and certainly cannot be said to reflect general public opinion. But it does once again highlight the level of miscalculation in Transport for London’s controversial ‘See Their Side’ advert. Empathy, eh?

14 January 2022, 09:48
London traffic jam (licensed CC BY 2.0 by Garry Knight on Flickr)
Cyclists told to avoid London today… because of all the vehicle pollution

Londoners have been advised to avoid strenuous physical activity in the city today due to extremely high levels of pollution.

According to the government’s forecast pollution levels will reach band 10 on the Air Quality Index, the highest level on the scale.

A combination of light winds and an intense area of high pressure currently covering western Europe has resulted in a lack of air movement across the city, which means emissions from motor vehicles and other pollutants will linger in the air for longer and won’t be as easily blown away.

Older people and those with heart or lung problems have been warned not to undertake strenuous physical activity, while even healthy people should “reduce physical exertion, particularly outdoors, especially if you experience symptoms such as a cough or sore throat”.

So who will suffer the most from these extremely high levels of pollution caused by massive car congestion? That’s right, cyclists.

Cycling commentator and writer Ned Boulting summed up the paradox at the heart of the government’s advice:

In effect, the government’s advice seems to boil down to: “Maybe best not to cycle into work today because of all the car fumes. Could you drive instead?”

The Guardian’s Peter Walker had another solution:

This week London’s mayor Sadiq Khan said car use in the city had almost returned to pre-pandemic levels and that “if we do not double down on our efforts to deliver a greener, more sustainable future, we will replace one public health crisis with another – caused by filthy air and gridlocked roads.”

Simon Birkett, Founder and Director of Clean Air in London, was even more blunt: "Londoners are literally stewing in their own juice with our own fumes trapped in still air for days. It is a stark reminder of how much we need to reduce building emissions as well as traffic emissions. Please do not burn wood on Friday!"

Ryan Mallon

After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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147 comments

Avatar
joe9090 replied to peted76 | 2 years ago
6 likes

I hear that the more luxury newer vehicles, the six cylinder turbo diesel monster trucks, have better air filters in them for reducing the effects of polluted air in the cabin.

This is clearly the answer to this problem, we need more chelsea tractors on the roads to mitigate the poor air quality. 

Avatar
peted76 replied to joe9090 | 2 years ago
4 likes

joe9090 wrote:

I hear that the more luxury newer vehicles, the six cylinder turbo diesel monster trucks, have better air filters in them for reducing the effects of polluted air in the cabin.

This is clearly the answer to this problem, we need more chelsea tractors on the roads to mitigate the poor air quality. 

Now we're talking.. we need bigger air filters!

Solving problems that matter to people like me, one day at a time.  You're welcome.

Kind regards

Nigels Garage.

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wycombewheeler replied to peted76 | 2 years ago
0 likes

peted76 wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Exactly.  If the problem is that the weather system isn't dispersing the pollution caused by motor vehicles, then surely as well as telling non-motorists to avoid physical activity they should be telling motorists not to drive.

No No No. you've clearly misread the room. If the problem is the weather, then we need to change the weather. That way we can all drive more cars and not have to be bothered about a bit of smog hanging about.

Yours sincerley

Nigel's Garrage. 

I thought it was chaning the weather (through global warming) that led to more of these days where air is no adequately changed within cities.

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wycombewheeler replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
8 likes

Introduce legilslation that the use of all private veicles should be banned when air pollution within the area rises above a certain threshold.

Some means of signalling may be required, or we could put the onus on car users to check each and every day before they drive the air quality is OK.

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hawkinspeter replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
5 likes

wycombewheeler wrote:

Introduce legilslation that the use of all private veicles should be banned when air pollution within the area rises above a certain threshold.

Some means of signalling may be required, or we could put the onus on car users to check each and every day before they drive the air quality is OK.

I love that idea.

I'd extend it to include professional drivers as well - no deliveries via trucks on smoggy days, so that cargo bikes get a clear advantage. Of course, rich people will just buy an electric vehicle instead, so it'll make poor people's lives harder (which is the effect of most laws as far as I can see).

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marmotte27 replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
1 like

hawkinspeter wrote:

I love that idea.

I'd extend it to include professional drivers as well - no deliveries via trucks on smoggy days, so that cargo bikes get a clear advantage. Of course, rich people will just buy an electric vehicle instead, so it'll make poor people's lives harder (which is the effect of most laws as far as I can see).

Electric vehicles emit fine particles as well, so could also be banned on such days.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to marmotte27 | 2 years ago
1 like

marmotte27 wrote:

Electric vehicles emit fine particles as well, so could also be banned on such days.

That's not a problem for me.

Let's just hope that would apply to electric cars and not electric cargo bikes or e-scooters.

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marmotte27 replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
2 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

That's not a problem for me.

Let's just hope that would apply to electric cars and not electric cargo bikes or e-scooters.

I mean such a ban as a positive, in light of your comment on social inequality. Bikes do emit particulates, but the quantities are negligible in comparison to cars, due once again to the enormous difference in weight and speed.

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Secret_squirrel replied to marmotte27 | 2 years ago
2 likes

marmotte27 wrote:

Electric vehicles emit fine particles as well, so could also be banned on such days.

Unlikely.  Those volumes are dwarfed by the emissions from fuel.  Think about it.  How often do you change your brake pads and tyres, and even then only a tiny bit of the volume is worn.  Compare that to the volume of fuel converted into fumes.

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marmotte27 replied to Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
5 likes

M

Secret_squirrel wrote:

Unlikely.  Those volumes are dwarfed by the emissions from fuel.  Think about it.  How often do you change your brake pads and tyres, and even then only a tiny bit of the volume is worn.  Compare that to the volume of fuel converted into fumes.

60% of PM2.5  come from tyres, brakes and road surface, with PM10 it's 70%.

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peted76 replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
3 likes

I'd back that.

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Awavey replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
0 likes

Technically it is, or it's more the weather makes it far more noticeable or doesnt disperse the pollution as much as normal that they are talking about & even low levels of pollution can be impacted by that.

FWIW I've not seen if London broke its yearly pollution targets yet this year already, it's often by the 1st week of Jan.

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brooksby replied to Awavey | 2 years ago
10 likes

I googled and found something called iqair.com

That says that PM2.5 concentration in London air is currently 6.3 times above the WHO annual air quality guideline value.

However, being in Bristol I put that in and it says that PM2.5 concentration in Bristol air is currently 9.5 times above the WHO annual air quality guideline value.

The worst in England is King's Lynn, at 12.4 times above.

But for some reason only London is reported in the news...

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
5 likes

Always the case isn't it. A few years ago when flash flood were happening around the country, barely any real coverage until London got a bit wet. 

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SimoninSpalding replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
7 likes

The thing with air quality here in the fens (the smog was noticeable this morning) is that we don't generate our own pollution, depending on the position of the weather system it is either from conurbations in SE England of from the near continent. This is the thanks we get for growing all the Brussels sprouts for Christmas.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to SimoninSpalding | 2 years ago
7 likes

SimoninSpalding wrote:

This is the thanks we get for growing all the Brussels sprouts for Christmas.

Before you get on your high horse I think an extensive study should be undertaken to investigate how much of the pollution we are all suffering is in fact produced by people who have eaten the Brussels sprouts you grow, methane is a serious greenhouse gas…

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Jem PT | 2 years ago
14 likes

One benefit of the first lockdown (quite possibly the only benefit?) was the ability to cycle in London in clean and quiet air. The difference really was remarkable.

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Captain Badger replied to Jem PT | 2 years ago
15 likes

Jem PT wrote:

One benefit of the first lockdown (quite possibly the only benefit?) was the ability to cycle in London in clean and quiet air. The difference really was remarkable.

It wasn't just in London. I noticed the difference in leafy Hertfordshire. not only the cleaner air, and how pleasant walking & cycling was without 1t+projectiles hurtling around, but the noise. A cacophony of birdsong that is usually drowned by the roar of vehicles.

Avatar
Daveyraveygravey replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
5 likes

Captain Badger wrote:

Jem PT wrote:

One benefit of the first lockdown (quite possibly the only benefit?) was the ability to cycle in London in clean and quiet air. The difference really was remarkable.

It wasn't just in London. I noticed the difference in leafy Hertfordshire. not only the cleaner air, and how pleasant walking & cycling was without 1t+projectiles hurtling around, but the noise. A cacophony of birdsong that is usually drowned by the roar of vehicles.

 

1t vehicles?  Is this a petrolhead nirvana, where cars are actually lightweight?!   I've just Googled the average weight of a new car, and in 2020 it was 1885 kg!!!

Avatar
Captain Badger | 2 years ago
16 likes

The Authorities wrote:

Cyclists told to avoid London today… because of all the vehicle pollution

Please can we get the pollution particles to wear hiviz so that we can easily avoid them? It's even worse at night, where most of them don't even have lights.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
14 likes

Captain Badger wrote:

The Authorities wrote:

Cyclists told to avoid London today… because of all the vehicle pollution

Please can we get the pollution particles to wear hiviz so that we can easily avoid them? It's even worse at night, where most of them don't even have lights.

Can't we just paint some pollution lanes for them to stay in?

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
1 like

mdavidford wrote:

Captain Badger wrote:

The Authorities wrote:

Cyclists told to avoid London today… because of all the vehicle pollution

Please can we get the pollution particles to wear hiviz so that we can easily avoid them? It's even worse at night, where most of them don't even have lights.

Can't we just paint some pollution lanes for them to stay in?

But they're full of parked cars...

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
1 like

You mean like the Covid advice to "stay alert"?

Avatar
brooksby replied to chrisonabike | 2 years ago
4 likes

chrisonatrike wrote:

You mean like the Covid advice to "stay alert"?

You mean you can't see free floating particles of virus?  Shame on you!

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
1 like

brooksby wrote:

chrisonatrike wrote:

You mean like the Covid advice to "stay alert"?

You mean you can't see free floating particles of virus?  Shame on you!

It's easier, I'd likely only have to notice floating microsopic liquid drops but I'm not very perceptive these days.

Avatar
GMBasix replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
9 likes

Captain Badger wrote:

The Authorities wrote:

Cyclists told to avoid London today… because of all the vehicle pollution

Please can we get the pollution particles to wear hiviz so that we can easily avoid them? It's even worse at night, where most of them don't even have lights.

You can't avoid them: most of them are floating a billion abreast like they own the air.

Avatar
brooksby replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
4 likes

GMBasix wrote:

Captain Badger wrote:

The Authorities wrote:

Cyclists told to avoid London today… because of all the vehicle pollution

Please can we get the pollution particles to wear hiviz so that we can easily avoid them? It's even worse at night, where most of them don't even have lights.

You can't avoid them: most of them are floating a billion abreast like they own the air.

Oh, very good! laugh

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