“Blame cyclists for stoking the flames of the road culture war”: Telegraph columnist writes; Tour de France concerns as Covid positives rock Tour de Suisse (Pidcock and race leader Vlasov OUT)… but stage six goes ahead + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Tour de France concerns as Covid positives rock Tour de Suisse
Two weeks today the Tour de France will get underway with a short time trial in Copenhagen. However, as the GC hopefuls, team players racing for selection, and fast men find their form over in Switzerland, that c word seems to be spreading through the peloton.
Yesterday, Adam Yates and the entire Jumbo-Visma squad left the race following positive tests. This morning, four riders from EF Education-EasyPost and two each from UAE Team Emirates and Alpecin-Fenix have joined the list…
This is the start of an extremely bad day.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) June 17, 2022
Team boss Vaughters broke the news on Twitter…
We have decided to give the option of starting to the remaining two riders, with the consent of our medical staff. Along with our support staff, these riders have no symptoms and multiple negative tests during this Tour de Suisse. However we will continue testing twice per day.
— Jonathan Vaughters (@Vaughters) June 17, 2022
UAE Team Emirates have lost Marc Hirschi and Mikkel Bjerg, while two non-positive teammates, Joel Suter and Vegard Stake Laengen, have abandoned as a precaution.
“Unfortunately, like many other teams we have also had a surge in Covid-19 cases,” the team’s medical director said. “Our affected riders have been fully assessed, and are currently mildly symptomatic.
“The riders sharing a room with the positive cases are deemed high-risk contacts, so in the interest of rider, team and community health, we decided it is best that they also be withdrawn. It’s a pity but the reality is that the virus is still with us as a society and we are monitoring our athletes regularly to be as careful as we can.”
Alpecin-Fenix then, within the last 20 minutes, announced their team would leave the race too and that a “statement by the race organisation will follow later this morning”.
In the interest of the health of all riders and staff at the @tds, leaving the race is considered the most sensible decision by the team management and medical staff. This decision was taken in consultation with the management of the Tour de Suisse. 2/3
— Alpecin-Fenix Cycling Team (@AlpecinFenix) June 17, 2022
The triple-header of abandons left some fans worried about the potential impact on the Tour de France…
More Covid cases in Tour de Suisse, now with UAE & EF. Ironically today’s stage goes to Visp and rides past one of the factories that makes the Moderna vaccine. Infection rates aren’t high across Europe but are rising, increasing probability of more disruption in Tour de France
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) June 17, 2022
Yeah we might want to cancel the tour de Suisse at this point
— Idris (@Idthesheep) June 17, 2022
Bahrain Victorious and Israel - Premier Tech riders also out of Tour de Suisse after Covid positives
The positive tests keep on coming…
The team will continue to monitor all other riders and staff and act in accordance with team protocol, and with respect for the peloton (2/2). #TourdeSuisse2022
— Israel – Premier Tech / Israel Cycling Academy (@IsraelPremTech) June 17, 2022
🏥 Sadly, we withdraw from @tds following notification of several COVID-19 positive results among our team members, in agreement with the race organizers and with the health of our riders and staff as our priority.#Tourdesuisse2022
🔗 https://t.co/qZqWYxXheI pic.twitter.com/eg9QnMcZud
— Team Bahrain Victorious (@BHRVictorious) June 17, 2022
Bahrain Victorious statement
Bahrain Victorious will not start stage 6 at the Tour de Suisse due to a positive Covid-19 test this morning. The medical team conducted rapid antigenic tests on all riders and staff this morning after an isolated case of Covid symptoms for one of the riders. Since then, the two riders who abandoned the race ahead of stage 5 after gastrointestinal issues also returned positive Covid-19 tests this morning. Following the advice of our management, medical team and the race organisers, the team will withdraw from the race.
A statement by the Tour de Suisse Management will be published before the start of today’s stage 6.
Canyon has made just 250 units of this ‘Fast Fruit’ Aeroad
Yep. Just 250 bikes have been painted up in this orange, purple and mint colour scheme and it is available in one build only. That’s going to make it a rather rare sight and the chances of two turning up for the same club ride are slim.
The Aeroad CF SLX 8 Disc LTD gets a SRAM Force eTap groupset, DT Swiss carbon wheels and Continental GP5000 TL tyres. This little lot will set you back £6,149 and weighs a claimed 7.94kg.
If you want one, you’re going to have to be very quick. To be honest, they’re probably already sold out…
Race leader Aleksandr Vlasov OUT amid calls to cancel race
Unfortunately, @ale_vlasov and @AntonPalzer will not start the Tour de Suisse today, due to their positive Covid tests during routine testing.
— BORA – hansgrohe (@BORAhansgrohe) June 17, 2022
Race leader Aleksandr Vlasov, and teammate Anton Palzer, are both out of Tour de Suisse due to Covid positives, while Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl announced Louis Vervaeke is out too…
Unfortunately, @LouisVervaeke is out of the #TourdeSuisse2022 due to a positive test for Covid-19.
Wishing Louis a speedy recovery!
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/RffLpfsHNW
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) June 17, 2022
When will it end? Not yet…
Unfortunately @glbrambilla won’t start today’s stage at #TourdeSuisse2022 after feeling unwell during the night.
Feel better soon Brambi 😘
📸 @sprintcycling pic.twitter.com/aWnELeIr8f
— Trek-Segafredo (@TrekSegafredo) June 17, 2022
No word if Brambilla has Covid, but I make that 10 of the 22 teams (Movistar withdrew Alex Aranburu due to heatstroke) at the race who have lost riders (or their whole team) since yesterday. Any point in continuing the race?
Might as well cancel #TourdeSuisse2022 to be honest.
— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) June 17, 2022
Today’s start at Tour de Suisse: pic.twitter.com/OCjdgTcAxC
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) June 17, 2022
Tom Pidcock tests positive for Covid
In line with team and UCI protocols @TomPid has this morning withdrawn from #TourdeSuisse after experiencing mild symptoms and returning a positive lateral flow test pic.twitter.com/HUbZLtKLpb
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) June 17, 2022
Apologies if you couldn’t care less about racing…but this is never ending…
Ineos Grenadiers’ multi-disciplinarian is the next to leave Tour de Suisse having tested positive for Covid. Yesterday, team leader Adam Yates left due to the same reason, casting doubts on the team’s Tour de France plans. A statement by the race organisation is expected later this morning. Surely this can’t continue? Can it?
"Everyone has the willies": FDJ sports director says peloton nervous of Covid with Tour de France two weeks away
Speaking to French outlet Ouest France, Groupama FDJ sports director Philipe Mauduit gave an insight into the mood in the bunch at Tour de Suisse, saying “everyone has the willies”.
“For the moment, we cross our fingers because it falls hard next to us but we are not affected. This Friday morning, we feel it even more than yesterday and it was already impressive. It feels like coming back in February-March. Since yesterday, we have seen the return of masks everywhere,” he said.
“We are not considering that [pulling riders from the race]. Because honestly, if they go back, they’re on a plane, but who says they won’t catch it on the plane? It can happen at any time, you have to accept it, but be more careful…”
And the sports director wants tougher Covid measures at the Tour: “We were amazed at not having any bubbles, the end of the masks, the return to life before… But is it really serious when we see what’s going on? We must go back, reapply a strict bubble. It would be irresponsible not to. It’s nobody’s fault, that’s how it is. A bubble is not magic, but it at least limits contamination. “
From 153 to 95...
Locarno 🤩
What a nice venue for a stage-start;@PrimeoEnergie @IntermarcheWG pic.twitter.com/i0xws2EWsf— Tour de Suisse (@tds) June 17, 2022
Tour de Suisse stage six WILL GO AHEAD…just with significantly less riders than yesterday…credit to ProCyclingStats for the list…
Here’s what race organiser Oliver Senn had to say this morning: “The situation is not ideal, it is very sad that the Covid is spreading in the race and in the teams. But all the teams still in the race have agreed to restart, there is no other decision on today’s stage.”
Timmy Mallett making us all a little jealous
This adventure takes me to brilliant places #roundbritain pic.twitter.com/I33cblA2i7
— Timmy Mallett (@TimmyMallett) June 16, 2022
"Blame cyclists for stoking the flames of the road culture war": Telegraph columnist writes
I guess being a venomous twat sells papers. pic.twitter.com/2bUCRt2Pp6
— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) June 17, 2022
What a week, eh…
On Monday, we reported how Channel 4, Scotland Tonight and a couple of written publications had reignited the cycling licences ‘debate’. On Tuesday, we shared some of your reaction to said article, including several opinions expressed that it seems cycling is an easy target for certain media outlets experiencing a slow news day.
Just as we thought we were melting away into the weekend in a 30-degree slumber, the Daily Telegraph chucked a bucket of ice cold water over us…
Brace yourselves for Rowan Pelling’s Friday offering: ‘Blame cyclists for stoking the flames of the road culture war’ because apparently “the self-appointed sheriffs of Britain’s highways and cycle lanes, with their Twitter feeds full of GoPro footage, are simply infuriating”…
Seemingly inspired by the media meltdown following Near Miss of the Day 784, a clip she said her own “expert judgement” to was “lucky devil — that’s three times the space bus drivers give you in Cambridge”.
Followed by the surprisingly common admission (considering the content of this, and similar pieces): “I spend half my life on two wheels, so I’m mustard-keen on motorists giving bikes safe passage” and yet…”I loathe the self-important, bluging-calved, Lycra-clad, road-hogging behaviour of Serious Cyclists on their 10-grand-racers — mowing down pedestrians and yelling obscenities at Nissan Micras”.
Elsewhere on the cycling hit list: Richmond Park, speeding, Strava PBs and those who film their rides.
GoPro-wielding cyclists must, Pelling claims, be the “type of person who enjoyed lockdown because they could dob in their neighbour for going out twice in one day”.
What follows is an exhaustive list of anti-cyclist bingo classics: riding the wrong way up one-way streets, making stressed-out mums perform emergency stops, pavement riding, red-light jumping…”but still I don’t pull out my iPhone to get a second-year physics student sent down”…
It’s not the first time we’ve seen columns like this popping up in the national press…not even the first time this month, in fact…
> Highway Code changes criticised in bizarre “I’m a cyclist, but…” Spectator article
Back when the Highway Code was (even more of) a hot topic, the Daily Mail published an “error-strewn” Richard Littlejohn column attacking cyclists…
Even Britain’s Got Talent got in on the act…
It’s exhausting…
Rubbish idea
Can’t collect rubbish on a cycle. pic.twitter.com/sqYwgQwjJE
— CycleGaz™ (@cyclegaz) June 17, 2022
Breakaway win for Nico Denz on stage six of Tour de Suisse
Nico Denz (Team DSM) wins Stage 6 of the Tour de Suisse pic.twitter.com/bliYPv3KWr
— the Inner Ring (@inrng) June 17, 2022
After this morning’s drama, the teams agreed to race stage six of Tour de Suisse, and after 177.5km in the sweltering heat it all came down to a photo finish. Nico Denz got the nod ahead of Clément Champoussin, while José Herrada and Quinn Simmons were third and fourth respectively.
In the GC group, no change as Jakub Fuglsang, who took the race lead from Covid positive Aleksandr Vlasov this morning, still leads by one second from Geraint Thomas. Sergio Higuita is third, while one of EF Education-EasyPost’s two remaining riders Neilson Powless is fourth.
Racing round-up: Tadej Pogačar wins...but ain't happy with his tyres + Quick Step fight back
Elsewhere in the world of racing today, Tadej Pogačar won the third stage of his home race — Tour of Slovenia — reversing the 1-2 from the opening stage, with teammate Rafał Majka second. It wasn’t all plain sailing though…
💀@CyclingGraphs pic.twitter.com/EZZ5Rc2ci4
— Patrick Broe (@LanterneRougeYT) June 17, 2022
Pogacar has lost complete faith in his tyres in wet descent in Tour of Slovenia. He locked up in earlier corner and slipping constantly despite going as slow as possible . He or Majka Shouted “fuck these tyres” in hairpin just now
— Patrick Broe (@LanterneRougeYT) June 17, 2022
In Belgium, Yves Lampaert hit back for Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl, winning the TT. Mads Pedersen was second and maintains a handy ten-second lead over the Belgian ahead of the weekend’s final two stages. Tim Wellens is third at 24 seconds…
Where'd everybody go?
Turning up to the start this morning 👀 pic.twitter.com/jnaSGhdHNP
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) June 17, 2022
17 June 2022, 08:14
17 June 2022, 08:14
17 June 2022, 08:14
17 June 2022, 08:14
17 June 2022, 08:14
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Latest Comments
I have cycled in many countries and found the Spanish to be the most considerate road users to cyclists, whatever their laws say.
If I'm reading this article correctly, this new law only applies to cyclists under 16 years old. Is that correct ? If so, then it makes perfect sense.
@mitsky I used to get a good 70-80% of my reports resulting in more than a warning letter I'm afraid these statistics are based on a highly unreliable police source: them saying they have 'sent a NIP'. You're not alone - Cycling Mikey is also now quoting 'NIPs sent' as evidence the police took real action. The infamous and essentially useless Met outcome spreadsheet only claims to provide 'intended outcome', and the reason they refuse to provide the actual outcomes is that they don't want victims to know how few of these punishments result in any penalty at all. There's a reason I'm still, 4 1/2 years after the event, battling Lancashire Constabulary and their assistants at the Information Commissioner for information about what they actually did about this: ttps://upride.cc/incident/4148vz_travellerschoicecoach_closepass/ The reason is that they did either nothing at all, or sent out the worthless advice letter. I'm now using the routinely ignored Victim's Code, and there has been no progress for years.
Cycling looks a lot safer per mile or per hour if you can remove from the statistics all the people riding on the wrong side of the road at night with no lights after a few drinks. Driving also looks a lot safer if you can remove the same sort of people from the statistics.
@Paul J Spanish police seem to be relatively lenient when the only potential harm from a dangerous behaviour could happen to yourself. What you're describing might be similar to how they react to crossing the street while there's a red light. While (AFAIK) technically it's illegal, usually nobody will bother you - unless something happens. In fact, I've even seen police officers doing that!
@KentRider how did you get Kent Police to request the video? ...how did you find out the consequences for the drivers? Very important questions! The last thing the police want is indisputable evidence, and their most valuable and most often wielded weapons are refusal to respond to reports and refusal to look at evidence- often disguised as 'we're so busy, we don't have the time'. Police inaction has far-reaching consequences: the NW Traffic Commissioner is supposed to supervise Lancashire Stagecoach and other bus companies, but as far as he's concerned if there was no police action, there was no problem and he follows the 'head in the sand' solution. Police officers really are the main enemies of cyclists. ttps://upride.cc/incident/sk19evw_stagecoach42_closepass/ ttps://upride.cc/incident/4148vz_travellerschoicecoach_closepass/
@wtjs I appreciate You've faced a depressingly unco-operative police force. The Met police, untill recently, were relatively good at taking action. I used to get a good 70-80% of my reports resulting in more than a warning letter. But now that they are getting more reports than they can cope with the hit rate is about 10% if not less.
@I love my bike An answer to the increasing number of EVs and the drivers also doing this with their plates is for someone smarter than me. Which is pretty much everyone. But I'm thinking that in the future, when an EV owner goes shopping and parks in the car park, the CCTV can catch the vehicle if it is illegal and call security and the staff can refuse to serve them. I'm also thinking larger shopping centres might offer free charging to customers so again, this can be denied for any dodgy plates.
@mitsky I've got ghost plates on my bikes. Actually, I think we all have! It saves the time, cost & effort of having actual ones ; ) I wonder how 'I'm a cyclist' motorists counter that? (Do EVs that charge at home miss out on surveillance?)
Spanish bullfighters: always wear a crash helmet.
44 thoughts on ““Blame cyclists for stoking the flames of the road culture war”: Telegraph columnist writes; Tour de France concerns as Covid positives rock Tour de Suisse (Pidcock and race leader Vlasov OUT)… but stage six goes ahead + more on the live blog”
I see Rowan Pelling at the
I see Rowan Pelling at the Telegraph is stretching to new lows in cyclist bashing.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2022/06/16/blame-cyclists-stoking-flames-road-culture-war/
if you don’t pay for the Telegraph have a look on twitter here
https://twitter.com/AdamBronkhorst/status/1537673769472380929
FFS
FFS
Not going to benefit them by clicking on the link & I’m not a Twitterist (Twitterer? Twittist? Tw*t?)….anyway – Is it safe to assume that my bingo card will be largely complete? I bet there’s a “lycra-clad” in there nice & early?
At least they’re only reaching the existing frothing gammon audience.
Clem Fandango wrote:
First paragraph is lamenting Wayne Humphreys fine from Go-Pro footage.
Second paragraph “I spend half my life on two wheels, so I’m mustard-keen on motorists giving bikes safe passage. Equally I loathe the self important, bulging calved, Lycra-clad, road-hogging behaviour of Serious Cylists on their 10-grand racers mowing down pedestrians and yelling obscenities at Nissan Micra’s”
Pretty much a full house in that paragraph alone but as you go on you get “Mamils”, Strava Segment chasers, wrong way up one way streets, forcing cars to perform emergency stops, mounting pavements, red light jumping, and Cambridge is apparently “like Gotham City at its most Lawless”, GoPro Vigilantes, Hipster on a penny farthing, “two wheels good, four wheels bad”
Brilliant. The “as a cyclist
Brilliant. The “as a cyclist myself” method in full effect.
In fairness I often shout obscenities whilst out riding (either to work, to the shops or in my personal time role as bulging calved-lycra clad-road warrior vigilante-public enemy-menace) – I can’t help it, it’s a reflex reaction to my life being put in danger for no real reason. I do tend to shout at the drivist rather than the car though….seems rather unfair to single the vehicle out.
Bloody “journalists”……
And to top it off…. they
And to top it off…. they have published a puff piece about a poor motorist whose ‘rare’ car was taken on a joy ride by a car wash employee who crashed it when they swerved to avoid a mouse.
And also a piece about how cyclists don’t want more cycle lanes they want potholes fixed.
Note how they give sympathy where the victim is a motorist, but criticism of cyclists when they are the victim
Just punctuate it with “F**
Just punctuate it with “F***ing tourettes” occasionally and that’ll confuse the ignorant.
That’s not journalism. It’s
That’s not journalism. It’s an attempt to incite hatred, and worse, and should therefore be subject to a police investigation. We all know that won’t happen.
Surreyrider wrote:
I’m sure they can and will hide behind the “opinion piece” defence. Despite the increasing level of harm they are exposing vulnerable road users to.
It’s not opinion. It’s
It’s not opinion. It’s incitement. Nothing more, nothing less. Like a lot of ‘stories’ and ‘opinion pieces’ in the national media.
I can think of a thousand
I can think of a thousand words to describe that journalist – none of them pretty, most of them foul. But I’ll stick with one: ignorant.
She should stick to editting
She should stick to editting sex mags.
You can click on the twitter
You can click on the twitter linkand read the whole article.
My advice…don’t bother, unless you need reminding how unmitigatedly nasty and stupid some people can be.
If you’re suffering from dangerously low blood pressure, it may be of some short lived benefit.
I never understand how the
I never understand how the Telegraph doesnt attract more criticism (maybe it’s the paywall) for its persistent anti cycling stance. They seem editorially opposed to LTNs (just search for LTN on their site to get a flavour of their articles) and commission these style of opinion pieces regularly. They dont even pretend to balance it with that 2 bad 1 good story pattern anymore.
If it were papers like the Sun or the Mail publishing stuff like this, I’d imagine it would get far more attention, maybe if cycling twitter has finally noticed it can be challenged more.
Still can always rely on Express readers to cheer you up in the morning, sorry I mean totally depress you https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1626699/drivers-blast-cyclists-police-website-video-highway-code
Torygraph is just a less
Torygraph is just a less popular, more extreme comic than the Daily Fail, if you can believe. Don’t think anyone other than it’s readers gives it any credence. Anti EU, pro Boris, anti cycling, pro Diana comic. Unfortunately my father reads it, and he turned into a right prick since he started, and to think, he was a Goiniad reader when I was growing up
Yes it’s less popular than
Yes it’s less popular than the Mail,most newspapers are, but its last reported circulation figures were double that of the Grauniad, and I dont see anyone saying just ignore what the Grauniad prints because no one reads it, plus the Telegraph claim to have 740,000 paying subscribers. Combined that puts them close to on par with the Mails actual circulation numbers.
They probably do some cooking
They probably do some cooking of the books there with the figures. They all do. And even if correct their subscribers represent just over 1% of the population.
I don’t get why you guys even
I don’t get why you guys even read that stuff. You know what you’re going to find.
for me, its just I like to
for me, its just I like to know what motivates peoples attitudes on the road towards cyclists, theres a famous Sun Tzu quote about it.
TriTaxMan wrote:
Wowzers that’s some bitter and bias bollocks right there!
Seems the moton lobby groups are on fire at the moment!
I’ve just read the twitter
I’ve just read the twitter screenshots.
Does Ms Pelling know that dooring someone like that is an offence and can cause serious injury or death? It’s not as funny as she seems to think…
She’s a pious culture warrior
She’s a pious culture warrior, or something. Of course she doesn’t (care).
I was thinking another word
I was thinking another word beginning ‘cu’ …but it ended differently
RE Fast Fruit aeroad:
RE Fast Fruit aeroad:
But that’s why I want one in the first place.
Must be some strong immunity
Must be some strong immunity around in France – between them, the five French teams have only lost Davide Villella, and that was a mid-stage abandon, so presumably likely not Covid-related.
My observations on Cambridge
My observations on Cambridge during a visit last August was that despite the students not being there, the volume of cycling was astounding. This was as a means of transport rather than recreation. I saw a fair bit of red light running but equally was impressed at the level of safe, responsible riding. We took our Bromptons and had a great time exploring the city and local area. I did think that overall drivers were more considerate there than at home in Kent, possibly because they see and deal with more cyclists. I was impressed with the amount of cycling infrastructure and how enjoyable it made it. One alarming aspect was the number of ebike food delivery drivers who seemed to whizz along with out ever pedalling and were totally reckless on the road and footway. Be interested in any locals views and how things change when students are there?
It sounds like the Telegraph
It sounds like the Telegraph is a part of of the Murdochracy, which in Australia owns about 70-80% of the news media – print and video. Extreme views are the norm. They have taken a pizzling recently because as a nation we voted out their poster boys from government. It was the most corrupt, lying, incompetent, self serving bunch of scum that we’ve had in my 70+ years. They wear the same clothes as Boris.
dabba wrote:
Not owned by Murdoch, but by the ‘Barclay Twins’ (albeit only one remains alive). Multi-billionaire Tory tax-dodgers, so essentially the same thing…plus ca change…
dabba wrote:
That would be why they look so crumpled – no time to wash/iron them, between hand-overs
Never mind the so-called
Never mind the so-called “culture war” – can drivers just stop killing so many cyclists please?
Nothing but a vacuous, ego
Nothing but a vacuous, ego-driven, look-how-well-read-I-am-peasants piece by another ‘Journalist’ who wasn’t hugged enough by her Mum.
Pathetic.
Is it just me, or was anybody
Is it just me, or was anybody else bombarded with adverts for dashcams – whilst reading the complaints about “those cyclists, with their GoPros”?
Ironic…
belugabob wrote:
I don’t know why the gutter press have got their knickers in such a bunch about GoPro’s….. when it was clear that the footage in question was shot on a Cycliq.
And I can use my Garmin Virb with impunity also….. because I’m not one of those cyclists with their GoPro’s
Oh jeez that Aeroad is sex on
Oh jeez that Aeroad is sex on 2 wheels! More colour schemes like that in the peloton please!
Never thought about getting a
Never thought about getting a camera (ChiliTech not GoPro) until a motorcyclist deliberately rammed me off the road. Had another assault dropped by the police despite being witnessed by an off-duty officer because there wasn’t footage.
I gave up the main stream
I gave up the main stream media years ago (being more than content with QI reruns and HIGNFY on Dave) – and have never joined Twitter.
I am so happy to exist in a world of complete bliss by being ignorant about the hate that is seemingly being openly spread on the mainstream media and social media about the pasttime that I enjoy (and technically killed me for a while).
I have no point to this post, other than to say that I ignore the shit on TV, papers and Twitter and because of that, I’m happier.
Quote:
Parser error.
Philipe Mauduit wrote:
I’m struggling to keep up.
Is this transphobic?
England really needs to adopt
England really needs to adopt the so-called “Idaho stop” on a national level because:
A.) It lessens the severity of injuries to cyclists hit by motor vehicles.
B.) It would put an end to all that whining about cyclists running red lights.
“In 1982, Idaho implemented a statutory rule that allows bicyclists to treat stop signs as yields and red lights as stop signs, using discretion when passing through intersections….It reported a 15-percent decrease in bicyclist injuries in the year following the law’s adoption, and no long-term change (Meggs, 2010).” https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/57149/dot_57149_DS1.pdf
The pushback against adoption of the law in other U.S. states has been that the safety increase has not been “proven” to be universal, but the fact of the matter is that there have been no discernible increases in Idaho bicycle fatalities since ’82 which makes the law, in the worst, case neutral.
If neutral, the only benefits would be a slight increase in the efficiency of travel by bicycle with the elimination of unnecessary stops and a total end to the incessant whining from motorists. Both of which sound like pluses.
Motorists whine that cyclists
Motorists whine that cyclists don’t pay a tax that nobody has paid for almost a century, and believe that filtering and riding two abreast are illegal. Unfortunately, I doubt changing the law to let cyclists go through red lights would stop the whining.
Thanks for sharing that
Thanks for sharing that information. I’m not sure where you get the idea that enacting the Idaho Stop results in a reduction in the rates of injuries or the severity of injuries though. The paper you reference says on page 25 that “quantifying the impact of the presence of the law is impossible with the current data”. I would very much like to understand the causal relationship between cycling through stop signs and red lights and the reduction of rates and/or severity of cyclist injuries. Please share if you have any more info, thank you.
GoPro-wielding cyclists must,
GoPro-wielding cyclists must, Pelling claims, be the “type of person who enjoyed lockdown because they could dob in their neighbour for going out twice in one day”.
Enjoyed lockdown?
I only enjoyed the empty roads as I was working as usual keeping the country running while most of the white collar middle class like her relaxed at home.
She most likely sat at home
She most likely sat at home writing comment contributing very little.
Gets off killing a young lad
Gets off killing a young lad because they needed a piss.
https://www.expressandstar.com/news/crime/2022/06/17/motorist-who-made-a-right-turn-across-the-path-of-teen-rider-avoids-jail/
Any comment Rowan ?
You could have re-arranged
You could have re-arranged the headline about Rowan into “Telegraph stokes culture war”.
Since all the culture wars in this country are stoked by the right wing gutter press.