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news
“This is how you challenge motonormativity”: Cyclists applaud mayor’s *chef’s kiss* response in shutting down “very silly” road tax question; Gordon Ramsay’s Cycling Nightmares: Recipe for a never-ending bike helmet debate? + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
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Mayor Bruno Marchand (top left), Cyclist in London (image: Simon MacMichael), 17 June 2024, 08:03
“This is how you challenge motonormativity”: Cyclists applaud Canadian mayor’s *chef’s kiss* response in shutting down “very silly” road tax question
How to challenge motonormativity — and stop the spread of misinformation with facts and humour at the same time? Well you’ve got me hook, line and sinker there!
Honestly, what better way to start your week than watching a politician who knows their stuff (I know, that should be the bare minimum right?) and has the time for, erm, pardon my French but, absolutely no bulls***?
Well, thankfully, Quebec City’s mayor Bruno Marchand has checked all those boxes and in doing so, completely shut down the false narrative that cyclists do not pay road tax and thus don’t deserve as much right to the roads as motorists do — a parallel that we have seen play over time and time again here in the UK as well.
this is absolutely glorious - mayor of quebec city slaps down a very silly question from a journalist about taxing cyclists pic.twitter.com/NoIKdVaBQ9
— Eachann Gillies (@f0rmat) June 15, 2024
Only a few months ago, a petition on the UK Government and Parliament website demanding that cyclists “display registration, pay road tax and have insurance” came to a sorry end, amassing a grand total of 353 signatures during its 180-day lifespan. That's less than two per day... or, as someone in the road.cc office suggested, probably about one signature for every similar petition on the government website at any one time…
But back to Quebec, and cyclists are going gaga over this clip of a journalist asking mayor Marchand about the council’s plans for a “voluntary tax for cyclists in the summer” and a “mandatory tax for cyclists in the winter”, pointing out, with an air of smug arrogance that would end up being quite short-lived, that it costs 6 per cent of the total snow removal budget to remove the snow from the bike paths, and “the contribution of cyclists is, in fact, zero, or close enough”.
Marchand interjects, asking: “And what is the contribution of the motorists… for snow removal?”, to which the interviewer says: “That’s not actually my question…”
He replies: “No no no no… I am told that it’s unfair because cyclists don’t pay for snow removal on the bike paths in winter and motorists, how do they pay for snow removal?”
The interviews says: “With the municipal taxes you collect Mr Mayor…”
“So cyclists don’t pay municipal taxes?” retorts Marchand. “It’s interesting, because I remember I looked at all the city regulations and I don’t remember reading ‘Cyclists are exempt from paying municipal taxes when they receive their tax account’.
“I don’t remember seeing that, but maybe Mr Patrick Paquette saw a line I didn’t see… No, but I don’t know! Because I could assume he looked meticulously at every line of regulation and said: ‘I see the flaw, cyclists in Quebec city, especially during the winter, don’t pay municipal taxes!’
“‘So when they get their tax account, they go to the bank and say, ‘Look I don’t need to pay taxes!’ I don’t remember seeing that.”
“Now my point is to say, and you understand very well through proof of contradiction, cyclists and motorists pay for snow removal. Pedestrians pay for snow removal. How? With their taxes to the council.”
This is definitely worth watching. The kind of fearless push-back to the “we should tax cyclists” false narrative (spoiler: we do tax people on bikes, even through they actually save us public money) that we need a lot more of. https://t.co/nDEtTJvPjv
— Brent Toderian (@BrentToderian) June 15, 2024
Can we get a round of applause for Mr Marchand, everyone?!
This is a brilliant example of how to challenge motonormitiviy @ianwalker
— Biking the Borderlands (@borderlandsbike) June 15, 2024
This is hilarious, especially when the questioner tries to brush off the argument comparing cyclists to drivers.
— Patrick OByrne (@PatrickJSOByrne) June 15, 2024
And let's not forget, how this false narrative can even prove to be dangerous, and even life-threatening for many...
The truck driver who almost killed me the other day let me know that I have no “right” to be on roads because I don’t pay for them. That was his response to almost ending me.
— Tamara Krawchenko 🇺🇦 (@T_Krawchenko) June 16, 2024
Nevertheless, this goes down as another own goal for everyone arguing the same here in the UK, where road tax was abolished in 1937, with current drivers only paying Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), depending on the vehicle's carbon dioxide emissions, with owners of low-emission vehicles (Band A) such as electric vehicles paying nothing.
And finally, this exchange adds Marchand to the line of eloquent, intelligent and simply brilliant Canadian mayors, alongside another Québécois legend, Montreal’s mayor Valérie Plante, who has led the charge in developing a fantastic cycling network in her city and even called on other politicians to “do the right thing” in a CNN interview last year, as well as Toronto’s Olivia Chow, who is a passionate cyclist (she doesn’t even have a driving licence!) and arrived “like a true queen” to her swearing ceremony on a bike leading hundreds of other cyclists rallying behind her.
> "It exists, and it's beautiful!": Cyclists rave about Montreal’s "incredible" cycling network
Only if we could get some of them over here…
17 June 2024, 10:55
Gordon Ramsay’s Cycling Nightmares: Recipe for a never-ending bike helmet debate?
In case you missed it, the foul-mouthed chef, with whom at some point in your life you were probably obsessed with if you hold any sort of interest in the world of culinary arts like me (before coming across the likes of other masters such as Joël Robuchon or Anthony Bourdain), was involved in a cycling crash which was followed by him asking all other cyclists wear helmets, which was inevitably followed by, yes, you guessed it: the eternal helmet debate.
“Honestly, you’ve got to wear a helmet,” the 57-year-old, who’s also a keen cyclist himself, said. “I don’t care how short the journey is, I don’t care the fact that these helmets cost money, but they’re crucial. Even with the kids, [on] a short journey, they’ve got to wear a helmet.
“Now I’m lucky to be standing here. I’m in pain, it’s been a brutal week. I’m sort of getting through but I cannot tell you the importance of wearing a helmet… Please, please please please, wear a helmet because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here now.”
While details on Gordon’s crash are mysteriously slim — the only little bits of info we have are that he was riding his Specialized Roubaix with a helmet in Connecticut, USA — unlike Dan Walker’s crash last year, cyclists have once again been divided by the question of helmets, with some against personal protection being dictated by others and recognising that the most danger posed to cyclists comes from other road users in metal boxes (who incidentally don’t wear any helmets), others have pointed out that any sort of safety is safety.
So here’s a collection of reaction from Gordon Ramsay’s whole-hearted backing of the helmet, starting with some road.cc comments…
Bigfoz: “I've had 2 incidents where a helemt has saved me from significant injury or potential fatality. I have an agreement with my wife: I will wear a helmet when I ride, and if anyone takes me out she will deploy every means she has to ensure that person is held accountable. Seems fair. I also want to know that any resulting legal settlement will not be reduced because some *sshole judge decides I wasn;t kitted out safely enough. But I still would not want to see helmets mandated - I rode a bike for 30+ years from the age of 5 without a helmet and without issue all over the world. It's only since returning to the UK and experiencing "the best drivers in the world" that I’ve had recourse to consider a helmet…”
IanMK: “Ramsay gives no details about the crash. It would be interesting to know how he got a bruise like that. He surely hit something.
We are both Mamils of a similar age (probably where the similarity ends) . I've come down a few times. On Ice, on mud, in the rain. Always by myself. Given the type of cycling I do (speed, roads, conditions etc) my personal risk assessment is that I should wear a helmet. I would not presume to tell someone that uses a Dutch style bike to pop down the high street to pick up some bread (or anyone else for that matter) that they should do the same. Ramsay has forgotten that not all cyclists are the same.”
uberdemocrat: “Well, you didn't really expect him to call for a ban on drivers who exhibit uncontrolled rage, or for restricting overpowered and oversized cars, did you? He's exactly the sort of person you'd expect to push helmets as the (singular) solution, and think he has fixed road safety, due to his enormous sway over his millions of followers. A knighthood is surely on its way…”
Sriracha: “The helmet debate gets so heated because people are trying, perhaps without realising, to square the circle. There appear to be two opposing sides (hence all the heat) with only one right answer to the one argument; to wear or not to wear a helmet. Whereas in fact there are two distinct and mutually compatible arguments.
One concerns the individual. I choose to wear a helmet because, all other things being equal, it will arguably improve my chances in a collision. All other things being equal.
The second argument concerns public policy, which is precisely about questioning all those other things being equal. The things which mean I would be wise to wear a helmet in the first place.
The answer to the public policy debate should not be confused with the individual's choice.”
Aside from the obvious benefits of a cycling helmet (in the event of..) it’s a personal choice, for many.
I’m curious to know, his own skill level of riding a bike, and what exactly led up to this accident.— Bicycles Italia Vintage (@BicyclesItalia) June 17, 2024
I do wear a helmet, but from a risk management point of view PPE should be the last line of defence. Govt need to do more to promote awareness amongst drivers of their responsibilities toward vulnerable road users & modify infrastructure to make active travel inherently safer.
— Dave (@rdaved) June 16, 2024
17 June 2024, 16:19
Cheeky Visma-Lease a Bike's squad update for Tour de France? (SPOILER: It features Vingegaard and Van Aert)
The cure to bit of a slow news day? Silly reading of innocent pictures of cyclists, I tell you! (We cycling fans are no better than teenage girls, are we...)
But it seems that a photograph posted by Matteo Jorgenson, who's enjoyed a cracker of a season leading up to Le Tour with his new team, winning the general classification at Paris-Nice, then providing a sliver of brightness for the team by winning the Dwars door Vlaanderen, and coming too close to comfort for Primož Roglič at the Criterium du Dauphiné by finishing second, just eight seconds off the top spot, has given us enough resources to put our tinfoil hats on.
We already knew that Wout van Aert and defending champion of the maillot jaune Jonas Vingegaard had been training in the French Alps, both recovering from serious injuries sustained at the Dwars door Vlaanderen and Itzulia Basque Tour respectively, with big clouds of doubts hanging over both of their selections for the Tour.
Vingegaard has already been snubbed for the Paris Olympics by the Danish national team, and Van Aert's dreams of winning the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix had to wait one more year (as his age-old rival Mathieu van der Poel took victory at both the cobbled classics, setting new standards in the process).
Postcard from Tignes. 🏞
📸 @MatteoJorg pic.twitter.com/5Vdf5zagWc
— Team Visma | Lease a Bike (@vismaleaseabike) June 16, 2024
But it looks like the duo have managed to win the race against time to be in their best shapes, or at least that's the conjectures we are deriving from Jorgenson's picture, which shows them joined by the American rider, along with Jan Tratnik, Christophe Laporte and Tiesj Benoot at Tignes after another long day of training in the Alps that included dirt roads and 5,100 metres of vertical climbing.
17 June 2024, 15:31
"If I took a bicycle, put two extra wheels on it and an engine, and a gearbox and a steering wheel. Would you still say I was a cyclist?"
This latest kerfuffle from Twitter is brought to you courtesy of Merseyside Police's Roads Policing Unit, writing: "The rider of this pedal cycle was fed up of cycling so decided to strap a 50cc engine to his bike. The rider didn't have a licence or any insurance and he tested positive for Cannabis on a @DrugWipeUK. He was arrested and the bike seized & disposed of."
The rider of this pedal cycle was fed up of cycling so decided to strap a 50cc engine to his bike. The rider didn't have a licence or any insurance and he tested positive for Cannabis on a @DrugWipeUK. He was arrested and the bike seized & disposed of. @DriveInsured pic.twitter.com/no43fJTA0g
— Roads Policing Unit (@MerPolTraffic) June 16, 2024
Let me guess what the roads policing unit must've thought, something along the lines of... "If it has two wheels, it's a bicycle?" Cue the comments from cyclists...
If I took a bicycle, put two extra wheels on it and an engine, and a gearbox and a steering wheel. Would you still say I was a cyclist?
— AZB (@azb2019) June 16, 2024
Lucky that is a bike and not a baby cow or it would have been well messed up
— paulHCostello (@PaulHCostello1) June 16, 2024
17 June 2024, 14:56
Dutch government and neurologists call on cyclists to wear helmets – but cyclists’ union says “too much emphasis” on helmets discourages cycling and “has an air of victim blaming”
(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 licenced by MarkA:Flickr)
The Dutch Cyclists’ Union has admitted that it may be a “wise decision” to wear a bike helmet on a voluntary basis, but urged against placing too much emphasis on helmet use – which the group argued can actually discourage cycling and instil a victim blaming culture in the famously cycling-friendly nation – after local authorities, the government, and neurologists urged people in the Netherlands to don a helmet when travelling around by bike.
Next month, the Netherlands’ transport ministry will introduce new guidelines on voluntary helmet use, after provinces such as Utrecht ran a campaign(link is external) in May offering a €25 discount on helmet purchases.
Gelderland, meanwhile, is currently in the midst of its own campaign which attempts to raise awareness of helmet use(link is external) and promote “behaviour change” in elderly cyclists, with people over 60 accounting for almost half of all seriously injured cyclists in the Netherlands.
17 June 2024, 14:53
17 June 2024, 14:26
Best use of SRAM rear mech?
Behold, a freshly brewed cup of AXS powered Nespresso... Just don't bring any of that near me please.
17 June 2024, 13:31
Maybe the Dutch don't always get it right? Tales of a "very unpleasant bike parking ramp" from Amsterdam...
Long time since I've been back to #Foodhallen (A'dam) but this was a very unpleasant surprise at the bike parking ramp. I couldn't use it, even with my folding bike.
Luckily a friendly bystander pointed me to a lift that was large enough for a bike.
Won't be back, though. pic.twitter.com/AAfxlGXsEc
— bostonian in nederland (parodie) (@walking_boston) June 17, 2024
Yes, we all love and adore some Dutch cycling infrastructure over here, but as is everyone, they are sometimes guilty of a fault or two as well — as proved by this image posted by the Twitter account 'bostonian in nederland (parodie)', which supposedly shows a bike parking ramp (I only see a ramp, because how am I supposed to park there), and was described as "very unpleasant".
"Long time since I've been back to #Foodhallen (A'dam) but this was a very unpleasant surprise at the bike parking ramp. I couldn't use it, even with my folding bike," they wrote. "Luckily a friendly bystander pointed me to a lift that was large enough for a bike. Won't be back, though."
As they concluded, if anyone wanted overpriced food & inaccessible bike parking, they should be here in the UK perhaps.
Overpriced food & inaccessible bike parking? If I wanted that I'd go back to the UK. 🤬
— bostonian in nederland (parodie) (@walking_boston) June 17, 2024
17 June 2024, 12:23
Drivers “surprised and happy” to see horses on the road – but “frustrated, angry, and anxious” when overtaking cyclists, new road rage study finds
Motorists are most likely to experience feelings of surprise or happiness when encountering and having to overtake horses and horse riders on the road – but anger, frustration, and anxiety when faced with the same situation involving a cyclist, a new study examining the role of mindfulness when passing vulnerable road users has found.
The research, carried out on behalf of the British Horse Society, also found that 80 per cent of drivers agree that motorists are held up by cyclists when in a rush, while seven out of ten drivers surveyed agreed that cyclists are unpredictable, can appear from nowhere, and don’t obey road rules.
17 June 2024, 12:13
Former British road and time trial champion Alice Wood to retire at the end of 2024 season
After nine years of professional cycling, former British champion Alice Wood née Barnes has announced that she will retire at the end of the 2024 season.
Wood came to the fore at the 2017 BeNe Ladies Tour, when she outclassed master sprinter Marianne Vos on the opening stage, before going on to win the national road race and time trial championships two years later.
Sharing the news, the Human Powered Health rider said: "At the end of 2024, I will be ending my professional racing career. I feel grateful that I have been able to do my hobby as my job for so many years. I've raced my bike since I was 8 years old, where I was never very good but kept turning up for the love of the sport and the people I met. Step by step, I kept progressing to a point where cycling became my profession, which I could never have imagined would be possible all those years before.
"They say find a job you love and you will never work a day in your life and I have to say for the most part that is true. It is one of the hardest and easiest jobs at the same time. I feel very grateful that even with a couple of crashes I have had a pretty simple career and even though I still love what I do I am excited for new challenges and feel the time is right for me to stop pinning on race numbers.
She added: "I still am very passionate about the sport, so I won't be hanging my bike up for good. Just not pinning a number on anymore."
17 June 2024, 11:59
Bring your dog to the peloton day at Tour de Suisse, featuring Adam Yates' cute little friend Zoe
💛 @AdamYates7 & his Dog Zoe 🐻❄️. pic.twitter.com/OBl2Y6VTJj
— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) June 16, 2024
17 June 2024, 10:40
Is 2024 the year when indoor cycling isn't just for winter? The case for hitting the turbo trainer year-round
17 June 2024, 10:03
Some interesting time trial choices at the Tour de Suisse as Adam Yates and João Almeida finish one-two in the GC after four back-to-back top two finishes
Road bike, TT helmet, disc wheels, no bar tape... everything was on the cards at the mountain time trial at stage 8 of the Tour de Suisse yesterday!
The race was eventually won by UAE Team Emirates' João Almeida, but his teammate Adam Yates did just enough to hold him off, finishing second with nine seconds down on the clock, but still with a 22-second lead in the general classification. It marked the fourth, yes, fourth back-to-back one-two finish for the pair, having done the three-peat in glorious fashion, crossing the line side-by-side on stage 7 previously as well.
17 June 2024, 09:17
Ahem, it's Sir Cav now! Your weekend roundup with some cheeky super tuck riding position, Gordon Ramsay's horrifying bruise, Wiggo's miseries, and more
Wouldn't it be funny if Sir Mark Cavendish showed up at the Grand Départ in shining armour? I mean, he is a knight now...
Alright, I'll apologise profusely for that, but I'm sure you haven't missed this weekend's biggest story of the 39-year-old Manx Missile being awarded a knighthood for his unprecedented achievements as road cycling's greatest ever sprinter at the King's birthday honours.
Meanwhile, there was also an upgrade from MBE to CBE for Chris Boardman, who was this time recognised specifically for his work as commissioner of Active Travel England.
And then there was the fiesty shot taken at the UCI by a 20-year-old Norwegian pro cyclist who demanded an apology from the governing body of cycling following his ban from the Tour of Slovenia for deploying the 'super tuck' position.
Anything else I missed? Oh, a celebrity chef looks like he's got himself into some good ol' debate. Meanwhile, Sir Bradley Wiggins' miseries continued, following the five-time Olympic champion and 2012 Tour de France winner's bankruptcy...
Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.
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45 comments
Not just a taxation hole, but a highway hole too. Electric and Hybrid vehicles are heavy and electric motors make maximum torque from rest meaning subject the tarmac surface to much greater wear.
They should pay more VED not zero for the correct nudge of Emissions & Space & Wear..
Not just a taxation hole, but a highway hole too. Electric and Hybrid vehicles are heavy and electric motors make maximum torque from rest meaning subject the tarmac surface to much greater wear.
They should pay more VED not zero for the correct nudge of Emissions & Space & Wear..
Nope. Car axel weight is irrelevant. EV's are only 25% heavier (max).
Buses and Lorries do all the damage.
There is no evidence that Torque has an impact on potholes.
Electric cars under a certain weight/battery size etc that make them actually more environmentally freindly and less damaging than petrol cars should be encouraged. The current trend of it being a tax loophole to make gigantic wankpanzers even wankier and even panzerier needs to be shut down immediately. Tesla investors think its worth paying Elon muskrat 56 billion a year, they have plenty of money to spare to pay a reasonable amount of tax.
Is there such a thing as a more environmentally friendly electric car? I thought that due to the batteries the weight of the vehicle causes more damage and creates more particulates. Tbh I haven't looked into this too much. I reckon those tiny electric vehicles will be pretty light though and ideal for short trips.
Flat? Do yourself a favour and get yourself a mini-fridge.
Electric cars under a certain weight/battery size etc that make them actually more environmentally freindly and less damaging than petrol cars should be encouraged. The current trend of it being a tax loophole to make gigantic wankpanzers even wankier and even panzerier needs to be shut down immediately. Tesla investors think its worth paying Elon muskrat 56 billion a year, they have plenty of money to spare to pay a reasonable amount of tax.
is a panzerier a place where you can buy your panzer?
Hunt said there will be ved on electric cars from 1 April 25. Whether that gets enacted is anyone's guess. Make a charge based on annual mileage gathered from MOT data and mass.
no government can constrain the actions of future governments and it seems less than likely that Jeremy Hunt will be chancellor in 2025. So i'm going to guess it will not be enacted.
Hunt said there will be ved on electric cars from 1 April 25. Whether that gets enacted is anyone's guess. Make a charge based on annual mileage gathered from MOT data and mass.
IMO that will get done.
More revenue is required, and that one - like the frozen-until-2028 tax thresholds - can be squarely identified as " We have to follow Tory Plans, because they wrecked the finances".
What's not to like for Mr Starmer?
The wildcard imo is how much he will get spare from reducing interest rates on national debt.
Both will be delivering whatever they deliver with perfect timing for the new Government. Sunk's sense of mistiming is exquisite.
Please don't tell motorists who have a victim complex that they are being victimised. They already think that anything that isn't entirely focussed on driving is victimising them. They already think that drivers and cars are second class citizens despite basically every decision made in the past god knows how long being for their benefit.
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