Cycling lawyer’s tongue-in-cheek post suggesting cars should be high-vis goes viral; “Even decent(ish) cycle infrastructure can’t protect you fully from lazy, inattentive driving”; Timmy Mallett’s cycle travels; Alpe d’Huez rumours + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Silent majority" want better cycling and walking infrastructure, campaigner argues
We’re kicking off today’s live blog with some cycle lane chat…
Over in Colchester there’s a conversation happening about cycle lane usage, with Colchester Cycling Campaign chair Stuart Johnson making the case for why the figures — obtained through a Freedom of Information request that show cycle lane usage on one popular route dropped by 44 per cent compared with three years ago — aren’t actually that bad.
In short, Johnson told the Daily Gazette and Essex County Standard, the baseline figure being used comes from a time when cycling levels were especially high — July 2020, when “people were furloughed, a lot of people were working from home, and traffic on the roads was mostly down, so people felt safer cycling on roads than they do now”.
“There happened to be good weather in the lockdown in the spring and summer, and the roads were so much quieter,” he added. “Unfortunately, what’s happened is that the amount of traffic has picked up again, so we are not surprised that the current numbers of cyclists are lower than they were in July 2020.”
Back then (the month of July 2020) there were an average of 478 users per day, however examining and comparing with a 479-day period between May 2022 and August 2023, usage fell to an average of 265 cyclists per day.
Again, Johnson defended the numbers: “Towards the end of August there were 300 cycling trips per day – we think that’s very encouraging because the routes at the moment don’t join up properly. The next thing is the need to make the lane permanent and make sure it joins up areas like Mile End and the hospital through the city centre.
“When people do actual surveys, like on YouGov, 77 per cent of people support measures to support cycling and walking. There’s a silent majority of people wanting to make our streets safer.”
You’ll get no arguments from us there…
In fact, research from YouGov in November 2020 found that the public overestimates opposition to new bike lanes by 50 per cent. In short, when asked about whether they support schemes to encourage people to cycle or walk, only a fifth (19 per cent) opposed them and a tenth strongly opposed them (10 per cent).
But what about 15-minute cities?
Forget the conspiracy theories, 15 minute neighbourhoods are popular in Britain.
Here’s what amenities do Britons want within a 15 min walk from their home
Bus stop: 90%
Post box: 87%
Pharmacy: 85%
GP surgery: 83%
Park: 81%More in chart 👇https://t.co/9sHKzqhD1I pic.twitter.com/ZnlWS4nedS
— YouGov (@YouGov) March 6, 2023
Check out the Project D, the coolest bike you'll see this week
> Check out the Project D, the coolest bike you’ll see this week
"Today it feels like an epic celebration of my year. I am so ridiculously proud of this": Timmy Mallett cycle tours the Scottish Hebrides... and gives us all travel envy
Timmy Mallett is living the dream…
Way to make us all feel jealous. Currently enjoying the Western Isles by bike, and stopping to paint the landscapes, the presenter and broadcaster is one of my favourite Strava follows. I mean just look at all those envy-inducing photos. He offers a daily report too…
“Cycling over 50 miles is tough on any day. Today it feels like an epic celebration of my year. I am so ridiculously proud of this….
“With the sun shining, the Isle of Lewis is at its finest in nine degrees and no wind. I made the effort to make the most of the day. Discipline is not a word I associate with Mallett. I’m far too in the moment.
“Today I left Elaine and Scott at the hotel and only stopped three times in the first mile along stunning Loch Erisort, and barely a dozen or so times before reaching Callanish standing stones 20 miles across the burnt sienna peat bogs and heather of North Lewis. Framed by the mountains of Harris this route undulates with rich brown tones and an eternal vista.
“Deep blue lochs and secret pools intersperse the sheep and occasional village.”
"Join us to demand action": Cycling protest following two cyclists killed in collisions in London borough
> Hackney cyclists to protest following two deaths in borough in recent weeks
Wiggle Chain Reaction owner woes continue following "unjustified" withdrawal of €150m funding commitment by parent company
Alpe d'Huez summit finish touted for 2024 Tour de France Femmes finale
[ASO/Thomas Maheux]
Next year’s Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift, the third edition of the race, is expected to be decided by an Alpe d’Huez summit finish. That’s the belief of Dauphiné Libéré who suggest that the men’s race will also include some headline Alpine stages, including one to Valloire over the Col du Galibier, and a final-week trip to Isola 2000 via the 2860m Cime de la Bonette.
[ASO/Charly Lopez]
If correct, the report would signal the Tour de France Femmes’ first trip to the Alps, having made its Pyrenean debut this year. Both routes will be officially unveiled a week today in Paris, but stage seven is expected to be a summit finish at Le Grand-Bornand before the Alpe d’Huez finale a day later.
The race will leave Rotterdam as the Dutch city hosts the Tour de France Femmes’ first overseas Grand Départ and will include three stages in the Netherlands, the nation of both previous winners Annemiek van Vleuten and Demi Vollering, before returning to French soil on stage four.
"Going back is not realistic": Councillor stresses "need to change" as Oxford LTNs made permanent – but angry residents say "we can't get on bikes"
"Even decent(ish) cycle infrastructure can't protect you fully from lazy, inattentive driving"
The words of Twitter, sorry X user, Alan who shared this video…
Even decent(ish) cycle infrastructure cannot protect you fully from crap, lazy, and inattentive driving. pic.twitter.com/M8e7AQI2TQ
— Alan Gordon (@agordonsalive) October 17, 2023
Now, I’ll leave the semantic discussion about what qualifies for the “decent(ish) cycle infrastructure” tag to you lot in the comments section (I’m sure this one would rank pretty poorly over in the Netherlands). But I’ve got to admit the ‘near miss’ wasn’t even in the top two things I was expecting to happen there.
As the video began I was too confident we were going to get a last-minute door opening, but no. Then I was certain it was going to be the driver turning left across Alan’s path… wrong again, well, half right I guess.
The left turn into no-look U-turn plot twist certainly wasn’t on my radar (and that’s even when knowing for sure that something dodgy was going to happen in the 31-second window), so think about how he felt…
Give me the protected kerbside lane any day of the week. Way more likely to get doored on the driver side and crushed to death by cars accelerating hard behind you on this stretch. https://t.co/cfUMMWuTWV
— Alan Gordon (@agordonsalive) October 18, 2023
Not particularly fun either way to be fair…
New surface laid at Shrewsbury Sports Village cycle track, scene of Tom Pidcock winning a national cyclocross title before falling into disrepair
The Shropshire Star reports that the cycle track at Shrewsbury Sports Village is to be repaired. Two weeks ago we reported that the facility, the scene of a national cyclocross victory for Tom Pidcock, had been described as “in ruins” with a cracking surface and “brambles shooting out of everywhere”.
The works follow reports that 32 people had to be treated after falling off their bikes at events earlier this year.
“It is unfortunate that the surface has cracked due to the quality of the ground beneath, and we expect the new asphalt will provide a solution to that problem by flexing rather than cracking,” councillor Robert Macey said.
Trackside trees are also to be cut back in an attempt to reduce the number of leaves which fall on the track, in turn making things even more dangerous.
UCI president hails Scottish World Championships as "unprecedented success"
Zac Williams/SWpix.com
The UCI’s president, David Lappartient, has spoken of his satisfaction with the first combined World Championships, the so-called ‘mega worlds’, where all cycling disciplines’ annual championships were rolled into one Scottish celebratory festival.
Calling the event an “unprecedented success”, Lappartient pointed to the TV figures as proof and suggested “disciplines that do not normally benefit from such a high level of TV and media coverage” will thrive thanks to the “increased exposure”.
Pauline Ballet/SWpix.com
The UCI released a press release stating the championships had attracted 11.9 million viewers in the UK, 18.2 million in France, and 15.5 million in Italy.
“The TV figures show that the public massively followed the UCI Cycling World Championships competitions and that events and disciplines that do not normally benefit from such a high level of TV and media coverage benefited greatly from the increased exposure that will boost their popularity and development at international level,” Lappartient said.
“The event saw around 8,000 athletes (elite and amateur) from 132 countries take part in the various disciplines on the programme.
“The first edition of the UCI Cycling World Championships was an unprecedented success.”
"Hare-brained" segregated bike path will "prioritise a small handful of cyclists over thousands of commuters" and increase collisions, councillors claim
Unlikely transfer news: Eden Hazard edition
Eden Hazard begins his new career with Intermarché-Circus-Wanty 🤩
The football superstar chose our CUBE Litening to start his post-football adventures 🚴
Welcome to the family Eden! pic.twitter.com/hIShndld3g
— Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (@IntermarcheCW) October 18, 2023
Cycling lawyer's tongue-in-cheek post suggesting cars should be high-vis goes viral
A bit more on this from yesterday’s live blog…
And a new tongue-in-cheek ‘advert’ from The Biking Lawyer, a Canada-based “personal injury lawyer for cyclists”, who imagined how those all too familiar campaigns placing responsibility on the most vulnerable to ‘protect’ themselves from road danger through personal protective equipment/clothing might look if the shoe were on the other foot.
We’re asking elected officials, police & all those responsible for road safety to reimagine their messaging. Focus on the giant elephant in the room (dangerous drivers) & less on victimizing vulnerable road users – special mention to @RichmondRCMP. https://t.co/0pCqD14Xuo pic.twitter.com/Cs5TT1KuJs
— The Biking Lawyer (Dave Shellnutt) (@TheBikingLawyer) October 17, 2023
For examples of said campaigns, see:
> Police ask pedestrians to wear hi-vis following spate of road deaths in Scotland
> Met Police denies operation issuing hi-vis to cyclists was ‘victim-blaming’
> Police accused of “victim-blaming” for advice to cyclists after two riders injured by drivers
And with the nights drawing in, I’m sure those won’t be the last…
Anyway, back to the advert which has been widely shared on Twitter and Facebook, being seen more than 130,000 times on the former and attracting 1,800 comments on the latter. Honestly, I wouldn’t bother going through them, unless you particularly enjoy seeing things go over people’s heads…
More on the live blog tomorrow, same place, same time…
18 October 2023, 08:18
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Basso Diamante Disc Ultegra Di2
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Latest Comments
I'm sure Scribe will be chuffed to bits referencing a pair of 3 year old wheels, another problem with hunts is you just never know what the prices are with the stupid sales it puts me off
Ards and North Down Cycling Campaign earlier this week held an event with local police encouraging drivers to leave a safe passing distance of 1.5m when overtaking cyclists This will achieve nothing whatsoever, because the drivers and the discouraged potential cyclists all know that the police postscript to the pretend encouragement is: 'but if you choose not to, don't worry because we have no intention of even thinking about enforcing the 1.5m distance, just like all the other UK police forces, and it doesn't matter if it's only 10% of that. Try not to hit them unless you have to get them out of the way, but if you do, scarper and you'll probably get away with it. If you've been drinking, just say you had a few drinks after you got home to calm your nerves after hitting what you thought was a fridge or a sack of potatoes, if they show up at your door.
Sadly, I feel that the reaction to this will be the same as the many multiple shootings that the US endures, every year - shock, tears and platitudes, swiftly returning to the status quo (untill the next time)
@Velo-drone I did not submit reports of either of the two heinous close passes I experienced with my daughter while on holiday there in half term But you could show them to us! I sent one to upRide today: it's the silver Kuga above, and will likely be viewable in a couple of days, and the long holdup on here can be sidestepped by simply omitting the 'h' from the https at the beginning of the link. It's all very easy to do. Other hosting sites are available.
@matthewn5 On which - I've not been there (and I've heard from a couple of cyclists online who say that they *are* good...) but I suspect the following blog post (from 2012 - As Easy As Riding A Bike) nails it: "They built it, and they didn’t come – the lesson of Milton Keynes" Verdict: the place was designed (1) for very convenient driving (not surprising - aspirational driving was the thing at the time, they had a blank canvas etc). (2) While the designer genuinely tried to provide for cyclists that comes across as "we need to get the cyclists off the roads because we fixed it for the cars to move fast". As is common (across the decades) in the UK it's nominal safety from motor vehicles but at major cost to convenience. Not to mention lack of social safety. FWIW there's also videos online by Alexei Sayle of him cycling around giant car parks there...
@mitsky Doesn't matter ..... Insurance / No insurance, License / No license These types will drive anyway!
@VIPcyclist Agree regarding cycle lanes, but the article is referring to cycle _tracks_ in Milton Keynes, which if I remember rightly are segregated but also don't run next to roads, so they're often quiet, dimly lit and secluded.
First, the actual change from issuing a bunch of "warning letters" to basically taking no action on anything is more or less no change to be honest. There is no evidence that sending a warning letter does anything. Not all forces even keep a record of warning letters. I'm aware of no actual empirical study of outcomes from sending a warning letter. Its main purpose therefore can only be to say that something has been done, rather than to actually improve road safety outcomes, because nobody cares enough to check if it achieves any outcome. It's the equivalent of finding a bike thief, and popping in a note through the door saying "please don't do that", and considering it an effective response. The apparent discrepancy between the NPCC position given early in the article, and the judgment later on that the Derbyshire policy "appears in line with the guidance" muddies the water considerably. There is a gaping lack of clarity over what police forces can and can't (or will and won't) do under the NPCC guidance. The suggestion for cyclists to provide speed measurements is silly - most cyclists don't have that capability, or won't be using it on e.g commuting rides. It's not clear why the speed of the cyclist is particularly relevant in any case? The Highway Code guidance relating to passing cyclists refers only to the speed of the motor vehicle. Saying you'll only take action in "exceptional circumstances" but not giving any indication what those circumstances might be is tantamount to saying "don't bother reporting, because it's 99% likely to be a complete waste of your and our time and we're not going to tell you how you might assess whether your case might be in the 1%" So, unsurprisingly the Derbyshire Police policy does seem to have at least one clear impact. I did not submit reports of either of the two heinous close passes I experienced with my daughter while on holiday there in half term. Why would I? Why would anyone? And why would it be a surprise that some drivers in Derbyshire choose to drive as if they have a free rein to endanger cyclists lives without fear of any consequence - because in fact they do. The notion that "forensic analysis" is needed to determine if a close pass is actionable or not is nonsensical. I would say laughable, but it's not really a laughing matter. It is not necessary to determine if the car is 140cm vs 151cm away. It is generally perfectly obvious whether the car is less than a car's width away, or more than a car's width away. That's sufficient to make a reasonable judgement on whether the driving could be considered careless or not - bearing in mind that the vast majority of actioned cases would be easily visually identifiable as substantially below that distance.
@Pub bike 10,000 men find out a year they’ve got prostate cancer too late. We need to get those numbers down. There’s no screening unfortunately in the UK There's no blanket overall prostate cancer screening because the experts in the UK National Screening Committee have decided that it would do more harm than good. It's not because of cost, it's because the PSA test is not that good. There are big trials in progress to improve testing. When it comes down to PSA testing of specific groups, such as those with a genuine family history, the risk-benefit balance may well be different. I suspect thar Sir Chris has had at least tacit approval of his "just google ‘prostate cancer UK risk checker’ and there’s three questions, it takes you 30 seconds and that will help you assess your individual risk. If you’re high risk, go to your GP and ask for a PSA, a blood test" advice so it's probably reasonable. I am 74 and have never taken a PSA test. I have no family history I know about. 'Better to be safe than sorry' is bad advice when it comes to prostate cancer screening.
35 thoughts on “Cycling lawyer’s tongue-in-cheek post suggesting cars should be high-vis goes viral; “Even decent(ish) cycle infrastructure can’t protect you fully from lazy, inattentive driving”; Timmy Mallett’s cycle travels; Alpe d’Huez rumours + more on the live blog”
https://www.chroniclelive.co
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/work-set-start-north-tyneside-27920184
https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/coastal-cycle-lane-north-tyneside-27928463
Tinfoil hats at the ready for the comments….
The one way section mentioned in the first article has alternative roads to get around it and the ‘disastrous rake lane scheme’ in the second didn’t actually take any roadpsace away from cars or change lane allocations (I asume he’s actually talking about the rounabout to the north which is problematic as drivers don’t actually pay attention to the zebras). And the southbound Rake Lane cycle track is now gone for a shared use path currently under construction as they’re building houses opposite the hospital and have taken the roadspace for a larger rbt for access.
“Coun Lewis Bartoli said: “If
“Coun Lewis Bartoli said: “If the disastrous cycle scheme at Rake Lane has taught us anything, it is that prioritising a small handful of cyclists over thousands of commuters causes nothing but disruption and congestion and increases in accidents.”
Had similar comments against the proposed schemes where I live. They don’t seem to realise the ‘small handful of cyclists’ is due to the lack of safe cycling infrastructure!
The county council had produced some very good proposals, fully adhering to LTN 1/20, and funded by the Active Travel England central budget. Yet our town council threw the whole lot out, with no constructive feedback, because two residents turned up to the meeting and said it might affect parking.
I’m hoping the town council don’t actually have as much of a say in this scheme as they think.
Here in Bristol there are
Here in Bristol there are local councillors complaining about changes proposed to be made to a large main link road from the M5 motorway into the city centre.
The Portway is 50 mph speed limit on most of its length, with a permanent bus lane coming into the city (so, eastbound) and with a footway/cycle path on the other side (so, westbound). There is one lane for motor traffic eastbound, and – for much of the way – two lanes westbound.
The council is proposing to remove one of the westbound lanes so as to create a new bus lane and to widen the shared-use path but you’d think they wanted to mandate kitten-i-cide, the way people are talking…
And one of the big arguments used: Nobody uses that cycle path anyway so why should we give them more space?
Missing the point that if the path was wider, and there were more bus lanes, then maybe more people might think they didn’t need to drive into the city and add to the mile or more traffic queues along there during ‘rush hour’…
We get the same in the local
We get the same in the local paper here in Southampton. I only read it to argue with people about cycling.
The best one is when they talk about some kind of road user who can’t get by without their vehicle, such as somebody who is disabled or a tradesman who needs to carry tools in a van. Fair enough, but if the people who didn’t fall into those categories didn’t drive journeys that they could walk or cycle then those who have no choice would be able to get around much easier.
bensynnock wrote:
– Who must have a motor vehicle?
“A motor racer”.
– Mind you, we already have cycle races…
“OK, a taxi driver”.
– Lots of places have cycle taxis (or just city / transit hub cycle hire schemes).
“OK, an ambulance driver.”
– Cycle paramedics in the UK already and then there are these contraptions.
“You’re just taking some ridiculous edge cases to make an argument!”
– And what are you doing?
I don’t think there are many who’re suggesting a zero motor vehicle future. However pretty much any idea of changing how our streets and roads work (a little) is seen as being equally ridiculous or impractical. Even reclaiming a couple of parking spaces…
It’s difficult to understand the actual costs of our motoring. Those are diffuse, or initially appear tangential, or are deferred – like climate change, pollution, health consequences of reduced mobility, suppression of other transport modes etc.
Most people don’t have time or inclination to understand how stuff works – they just get on with it. So (like road deaths) we just say “it must be that way, because it is that way”.
Media and indeed politicians aren’t keen to try to change that lack of understanding. People aren’t interested in the details, why rock the boat? However I suspect that some are very happy this remains misunderstood!
And the Sunrise cycleway as
And the Sunrise cycleway as locals have christened it was popular when the temporary scheme was in.
And the proposed scheme is also popular.
It’s rubbish at the minute as a lot of the route is footways just defined as shared use.
“a six-week public consultation conducted by the local authority, starting in October 2021, recorded that out of more than 11,000 comments made, 6,965 were in favour. The consultation also recorded that 68% of the 1,500 respondents believed they would travel more sustainably if the scheme was permanently implemented.”
The sunrise cycleway was
The sunrise cycleway was great. It was a crying shame it wasn’t implemented permanenetly. The road along the sea front is a required route for no-one bar residents. Commuters, deliveries, anyone can use the A193 about 150m to the west that is more direct and faster to get from Tynemouth to Whitley! it just isn’t as pretty…. which seems to be conveniently forgotten by all the nay sayers.
OOH the comments are
OOH the comments are fantastic(ally bad).
hutchdaddy wrote:
I thought this was comedy gold!
“I would ban all cycles, motorcycles and anything else other than with 4 wheels and seatbelts. safety first. why should car drivers have to suffer the stress and irritation of this nonsense of sharing their roads with lesser means of transport paying no tax, no insurance, nada, zilch, nothing ? Seriously, under health and safety rules how on earth are these two wheeled deathtraps even be allowed ? its pure lunacy. ban them. problem solved. I dont want to live in some third world cycling commune.”
Douglas Adams would have been happy to have written that…. although I guess he would have added a two headed traffic warden to the mix.
A couple of weeks back I had
A couple of weeks back I had the misfortune to drive across Colchester at rush hour to get a Windscreen repair ( a long story of changed appointments and available places to get it done) and it seems like a place that is crying out for decent cycling infra. When I came back around 10.30 the place was pretty much clear and I get the feeling most of it is locals shuffling from one part of Colchester to another part ??
I did enjoy the Colchester Magic roundabout……!
Reasons you can’t cycle in
Reasons you can’t cycle in Colchester
Hills, wind, rain, too far, too much to carry, everyone wants to drive.
Yes, let’s all drive as that will make everything work smoothly. Just don’t bother with around North Station or the roads around the centre at rush hour as you will be held up by all the cyclists in their packs (a swarm of lotuses (sic)).
even in a car I do my best to
even in a car I do my best to avoid the magic roundabout, it must be an experience on a bicycle.
Station way is a very busy section of road in Colchester, gridlocked in rush hour/school run time, feels hostile even as a pedestrian,its just a short stretch of bollards thats only on one side of the road, that then dumps you back on to another busy roundabout, its not connected to anything that gives you confidence to be able to cycle a safe route.
Im not remotely surprised it doesnt get used alot.
There is a convoluted route
There is a convoluted route to get from A to B via shared paths and crossings and subways.
This is another route from A
This is another route from A to B I was told to take to help the drivist overlords.
Via various shared pathways by an NSL over a crossing and then uphill.
I normally walk it North
I normally walk it North Station Road, past the Victoria Inn, that would be the way I’d try to cycle it too, dodging the deliveroos & scooterists.
But the roads around the station are just full of traffic cones & diversions for road maintenence which is making it far worse currently, you look at it and just think I don’t want to cycle through that.
It sums it up at Northern gateway there’s that cycle track facility, yet no protected cycle route to get to it even nearby, let alone from the station.
You can go up mile end road,
You can go up mile end road, through the bus gate, then boxted road to just past cuckoo farm studios where you can pick up a shared path that turns into some sort of service road to come in at the back of the complex.
Less confident folk would walk to the bottom of mile end road and boxted road is quiet but not protected, although has a shared pathway partly along it.
Dorset council gets nil stars
Dorset council gets nil stars. Six years after a school was promised safe routes the school, it’s children and their parents are still waiting…
http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/23860110.campaign-get-safe-route-dorchesters-damers-school/
Why is it always GP surgeries
Why is it always GP surgeries and post boxes?
The things people drive to twice a year, or drive past every day they want within 15 minutes but the things they drive to every day (schools and supermarkets), “no thanks”.
Ending car dependancy isn’t going to happen with this sort of survey result guiding policy.
Because if you are unwell
Because if you are unwell enough to need to see the GP, you shouldn’t be driving.
I agree that shops for groceries need to be higher on people’s priorities
Plenty of reasons to go to
Plenty of reasons to go to the GP that have no effect on driving.
Hirsute wrote:
Or, indeed, on cycling – but see the responses when one car parking space was replaced with parking for 12 bikes.
There has been outrage in my
There has been outrage in my local paper because 6 parking spaces are being removed to put in a segregated bike lane. Apparently the local cafe is going to go out of business because people won’t park round the corner and walk 20m.
It’s a really busy road that is often congested and one of only four routes across the Itchen river here in Southampton, with at least 2 miles to the next closest crossing, which is again a very busy road with no cycle infrastructure.
Post boxes because the only
Post boxes because the only people still using them are too old to drive.
I suspect that most post
I suspect that most post boxes are already within a 15 minute walk as most were put in place before the majority of the population had access to a motor vehicle.
… but possibly when they
… but possibly when they had access to bicycles, and used them?
espressodan wrote:
Maybe. I’ve been struck recently looking at a lot of the protests about “LTNs” and “down with this cycle path” kind that lots of the people are older (and often not in good health).
I suspect this is “who has the time” but also what is salient to people. And we are an ageing population.
So I’m not sure that many people younger than me are mad about post boxes and even less about GPs. But as we age (and also have the time / inclination to fill in surveys / write to our MP / newspaper) these things start to become a point of note. Pretty sure my parents generation have got them mapped!
Luckily despite the “it never used to be like this”, “I’ve driven all my life” and “one of those cyclists came whizzing right by me!” responses this may bring this is also an opportunity. Here’s what we could be winning:
https://www.aarpinternational.org/the-journal/past-editions/the-senior-cycle
https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/5/elderly-people-cant-cycle
chrisonatrike wrote:
Maybe. I’ve been struck recently looking at a lot of the protests about “LTNs” and “down with this cycle path” kind that lots of the people are older (and often not in good health).
I suspect this is “who has the time” but also what is salient to people. And we are an ageing population.
So I’m not sure that many people younger than me are mad about post boxes and even less about GPs. But as we age (and also have the time / inclination to fill in surveys / write to our MP / newspaper) these things start to become a point of note. Pretty sure my parents generation have got them mapped!
Luckily despite the “it never used to be like this”, “I’ve driven all my life” and “one of those cyclists came whizzing right by me!” responses this may bring this is also an opportunity. Here’s what we could be winning:
https://www.aarpinternational.org/the-journal/past-editions/the-senior-cycle
https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/5/elderly-people-cant-cycle— espressodan
or even (from the 2023 masters track world championships)
GOLD MEDALLISTS
Men’s 45/54 Team Pursuit: IDD Expert (Fra) (Ludovic Montourcy, Jerome Pruvost, Frederic Authouart, Frederic Coste)
Men’s 40/44 Points: Chris Kerkdijk, Ned
Men’s 65/69 Individual Pursuit: Steve Cronshaw, Gbr
Men’s 70/74 Individual Pursuit: Kent Bostick, USA
Men’s 75-79 Individual Pursuit: Colin Claxton, NZL
***Men’s 80+ Individual Pursuit: Walter Fowler, Gbr***
Women’s 44/49 Sprint: Sonja Moi, Norway
Women’s 50/54 Sprint: Julie Cooper, Gbr
Women’s 55-59 Sprint: Debbie Capewell, Gbr
Women’s Sprint 60-64: Julie Barnett, AUS
Women’s 65-69 Sprint: Beverley Anderson, AUS
Women’s 80+ Sprint: Bonnie Woodbury, USA
Women’s 40/44 Sprint: Kristy Howels, Gbr
Women’s 35/39 Sprint: Zuzana Rychnovska, Cze
Several riders are currently pushing for an 85+ category as they are no longer competetive in 80+ so who exactly is too old to ride a bike?
Backladder wrote:
At aged 74, I seem to be an outlier in the “general fitness” age group, as are a number of cyclist aquaintances in the 65 -85 age category. The vast majority of folk at these ages are decrepit.
There’s nothing genetically special about me or my generally fit cycling acquaintances. The difference is down to lifestyle, in which significant and regular physical activity is a fundamental. Some of my generally fit cycling aquaintances follow standard modern diets with too much sugar, salt and UPF. Two have articial hips and one has an artificial knees, probably from work-related damage. Yet they’re still fit, well and able.
The point is that modern lifestyles generally promote physical laziness and addiction to associated pastimes, travel modes and other daily modes that could (and should) be more physically demanding. We didn’t evolve sitting in chairs in front of a TV or a steering wheel.
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In the 1950s, Harold Macmillan told the Blighters that they’d never had it so good, meaning there were lots of “comforts and conveniences” to be bought in the shops. He was thinking of junkfud, TV and car, probably. It turns out that this “good” is in practice a serious “bad”. It just took a few decades for us to discover this.
The evidence is now rife: decrepid people but preserved by modern medicine; a seriously degraded environment getting so bad that it’ll overwhelm all those apparent “comforts and conveniences”. Health provision that’s more like a very expensive repair service for knackered jalopies than a means to stay healthy.
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All the more reason to eschew the car, the TV and the junkfud. All the more reason to encourage, nay insist, that walking and cycling replace the evil car.
Some hope.
Well, you’ve currently got to
Well, you’ve currently got to die from something*…
Best do the more active things now, you can always watch TV and eat dribbly food later.
* I dont think most would be satisfied with living on as a cell culture.
chrisonatrike wrote:
Speak for yourself – I plan to live forever: so far, so good….
HoldingOn wrote:
Well, perhaps not forever but I do plan to live long enough (and stay fit enough to enjoy it) at least until I’ve been retired longer than I worked (spit). One likes to get full benefit from the pension scheme, see?
15 more years to go ……
If that Pukin (or any other crazed denizen of Planet Mordor) ruins my cunning plan with their ordinance, I’ll be very cross! But I suppose we might all be dead of weather quite soon ….. .
I realised my life had taken
I realised my life had taken a weird turn, when I caught myself aspiring to be Timmy Mallett….
Ha,ha. I read this and
Ha,ha. I read this and thought exactly the same. What a great life!
That’s not a decent(ish) bit
That’s not a decent(ish) bit of cycling infrstructure, its a murder strip. One opened passenger door and …. SPLAT. One very close pass (as opposed to the ordinary and invited close-passes from every driver going past you or that you go past) at the wrong moment and …… SPLAT.
My grammar is failing me here
My grammar is failing me here, but what or who did the falling into disrepair?
“New surface laid at Shrewsbury Sports Village cycle track, scene of Tom Pidcock winning a national cyclocross title before falling into disrepair”