“Car brain strikes again”: Motorist blocking shared cycle + pedestrian path tells cyclist to “get on the road”; ‘Vote Flights, Not Bikes’ says Ryanair; GB News “war on motorists” fiction; GCN explains website closure on YouTube + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Sadiq Khan waging “war on motorists” – by stopping them driving in cycle lanes, says GB News
Ah, there must be an election coming up – London’s cycle lanes are back in the news (or at least some sections of it, anyway).
And after Conservative candidate Susan Hall claimed “virtue signalling” bikes lanes were causing “havoc” and gridlock for motorists, and pledged to review cycling infrastructure in the capital, during her doomed London mayoral campaign in the spring, it seems Sadiq Khan’s cycling policies are under attack once more as we approach July’s general election.
That’s because GB News – that bastion of reliable, balanced reporting – has claimed that London’s Labour mayor is currently waging a “war on motorists” by… errr, just checking my notes here… preventing them from driving in cycle lanes.
Yes, that’s right.
“Motorists have been warned they could face hefty fines if they cross into the cycle lane while travelling in London,” a recent GB News story says, before noting that the potential £160 penalties for causing danger to the capital’s cyclists were introduced in 2022 (way to keep up to speed with the latest news, fellas).
“TfL added that the enforcement powers aim to protect designated space for cyclists and make the capital’s roads ‘more attractive’ for people to cycle on,” GB News added.
“However, many drivers have been unhappy with the changes with some flagging how it’s another ‘war on motorists’ and attempt to ‘unfairly’ fine them.”
Ah yes, that terribly unfair ‘war on motorists’, in which you can’t drive your two-tonne piece of metal on a lane packed with vulnerable road users. Shocking stuff!
Although I suppose G Beebies is simply following the Conservative government’s lead and taking the side of those poor drivers “caught out” by pesky, freedom-stifling traffic measures such as bike lanes, bus lanes, and no-entry signs…
“If cars aren’t allowed, you aren’t allowed”: We take a deep dive into one of the UK’s most controversial cycling bans
In case you were watching Turkey v Georgia and missed it last night…
> Cyclists riding through town centre threatened with £1,000 fines and told they “don’t pay road tax” as “cowboy” wardens accused of “running amok” – but council orders staff to stop fining cyclists
It’s that time of the years, folks – It’s national road champs season!
Yes, that’s right – it’s that lovely week of the year when some of the finest bike riders on the planet descend on a tent pitched at the side of a rural road to decide who’ll be wearing a nice stripey jersey (or skinsuit) for the next 12 months.
And in Catterick, North Yorkshire, some British national time trial medals have already been handed out (whatever happened to a good old evening TT?), with Visma-Lease a Bike’s in-form Anna Henderson – and her Giro flying saucer helmet – taking the elite women’s title with a storming 46.07 ride over the 30km course.
Anna Henderson is the 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Championships elite women’s time-trial champion, and retains her 2021 title!
Off the back of a brilliant Tour of Britain Women’s she continues her good form on the road with a win in Catterick 🙌#NatRoadChamps |… https://t.co/gvDODBADw8 pic.twitter.com/Ap8ZFMERQz
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) June 19, 2024
Henderson saw off Movistar’s Claire Steels by 33 seconds to take the second national time trial championships off her career, while Elinor Barker finished in third, 1.02 down and 33 seconds ahead of Pfeiffer Georgi.
Meanwhile, DSM-Firmenich’s Josie Nelson won the U23 title earlier this morning, comfortably beating Maddie Leach and Flora Perkins to secure the first British national champs jersey of the week.
And we’re off…
A straight stretch of road, the Yorkshire countryside, and a time trial – Now that’s what I call cycling
This year’s Tour de France may be starting in the birthplace of the Renaissance and finishing by the warm waters of the French Riviera, taking in some epic gravel roads and mountain passes in-between…
But this – this is proper cycling:
A Yorkshire panorama 😍
God’s own country 🤍#NatRoadChamps https://t.co/vBnnpiy9u6 pic.twitter.com/vj4kitXO6Y
— British Cycling (@BritishCycling) June 19, 2024
Beautiful.
“It seems like it’s spreading from one shop to the next. It’s like an epidemic. But the police don’t give a damn, do they?”
A cycle shop owner has criticised the police’s “abject apathy” towards bike theft after thieves attempted to break into his store for the second time in a year, on the same night two other bike shops and a private dwelling were targeted by a gang of criminals across Sussex, with at least 17 bikes and other items stolen during the series of raids.
Read more: > Bike shop owner slams police’s “abject apathy” after three shops and private residence broken into in one night during bike theft spree
“Utter rubbish Froomey, sad times”: Cycling fans baffled as Chris Froome advertises digital wallet on Strava with cringe “Cyclists, we’re minimalists” spiel
He may hate disc brakes and having to keep up with pro cycling’s new very fast generation, but there’s one thing we know Chris Froome is a big fan of, and that’s an all-in-one digital wallet.
And how do we know that odd piece of a trivia about the four-time Tour de France winner?
Because he told us all about it on Strava, of course.
In a post on the ride-sharing platform last night – somewhat at odds with Strava’s usual array of show-off long-distance rides and fear-inducing climbing times – Froome announced his partnership with British tech company Curve, which apparently he has been a long-time investor in, fronting the brand’s latest campaign for its digital wallet and ‘financial wearables’.
“Cyclists, we’re minimalists,” Froome definitely, definitely wrote himself on Strava last night. “We want to keep everything as streamlined and as light as possible, especially when we go out on the bikes
“Having Curve is a no brainer for me. My whole wallet in one card makes life so much easier. I can link it to any wearable device – my phone, watch, or even a ring – it’s a game changer. The best wallet you never have to carry.”
And the response to the Israel-Premier Tech’s foray into digital wallet advertising?
“Drivel. Don’t care about wallets.”
“Utter rubbish Froomey, sad times.”
“This ain’t Instagram, Chris.”
Setting aside the cringe factor, we’ve contacted Strava to see what they think about one of cycling’s most recognisable names using their platform to flog some tech company’s latest invention…
Cofidis rider Kirstie van Haaften reveals she is set to undergo brain surgery
Cofidis rider Kirstie van Haaften, who raced the Tour of Britain Women two weeks ago, will undergo brain surgery on Monday, the 25-year-old revealed in a social media post this week.
Van Haaften, who joined Cofidis this year after two years racing for Parkhotel Valkenburg, where her best result was third at last year’s GP Yvonne Reynders, has struggled for form this year with a string of DNFs in the spring classics, despite finishing Paris-Roubaix and the Amstel Gold Race.
And, after “going to and from hospitals” all season, she confirmed this week that she is set to undergo brain surgery, but didn’t disclose any details about her condition.
“Some days are just a bit harder than others. Dealing with a lot of personal stress since the start of this season, I have not performed the way I had hoped,” Van Haaften wrote on Instagram.
“Going to and from hospitals there has been a decision made that I will need to have brain surgery. With a positive mind set I will undergo this surgery next Monday.
Grateful for all the support I feel and have received from family, friends, and my whole team! I hope to be back soon.”
“We give our full support to Kirstie Van Haaften who will soon undergo brain surgery,” her Cofidis team also posted on social media. “We also hope to see you again soon on the roads Kirstie!”
GCN confirms “great news” that brand is “independent again” and documentaries will return, as website closes down – but no live racing coverage
A week after the news first trickled out that the Global Cycling Network (better known simply as GCN) has been sold back to its founder and CEO by Warner Bros. Discovery, the sale has finally been publicly acknowledged on GCN’s YouTube channel, where hosts Daniel Lloyd and Simon Richardson described the development – which will see the return of the GCN’s documentaries but also hastened the end of the brand’s website, leading to multiple redundancies – as “exciting”.
Last Wednesday, Warner Bros. Discovery confirmed to us that it had sold the company back to founder Simon Wear and CEO Mia Walter, but that it would retain a minority stake in Play Sports Network to work with “leadership on the long-term development of the business”.
In September, it was reported that Warner Bros. Discovery was looking for a buyer for Play Sports Network, after streaming service GCN+ was shut amid a “changing media industry landscape” – which in fact meant that the parent company was simply wanting to consolidate its live cycling coverage output as part of its Discovery+ service, leaving no place for the dedicated cycling streaming platform.
> GCN sold back to founder by Warner Brothers Discovery, website to close
And yesterday, as part of GCN’s weekly show, Lloyd and Richardson confirmed that GCN and Warners Bros. Discovery have “headed their separate ways”, in “great news” that will mean the brand will continue under its new/old ownership solely as a YouTube-focused operation.
That “regained independence” also means that GCN+’s documentaries – which disappeared into the ether when the app was shut last year – are set to return (both old and unfinished ones) and will be available to view for customers on a YouTube membership basis.
“We know that many of you are still mourning the loss of the GCN+ films and documentaries that we made. In the very near future, they will be coming. The reason why is even more exciting than that,” Richardson said in the video.
“With our regained independence, we are liberated to get back to basics. Get creative, have fun, and explore other avenues,” added Lloyd.
> What’s the best way to watch live cycling following the closure of GCN+?
However, the hosts were at pains to point out – despite the optimistic hopes of viewers last week – that live racing coverage will not return to GCN, with the rights retained by Discovery.
Despite Lloyd and Richardson branding the developments “exciting”, they also confirmed that GCN’s website, which launched last year but ceased operations last week in the midst of several job losses, will close permanently.
“The web team did an amazing job, quickly turning it into one of the biggest cycling websites,” Richardson said. “It’s a blow to lose the website, but it’s a bigger blow to lose some incredibly passionate colleagues.”
“To reiterate, what you have always known GCN for, the videos, is not going anywhere,” Lloyd concluded.”
Cyclist says he’s been “failed” after attorney’s office claims “not enough evidence” to prosecute pick-up truck driver who crashed into Arizona group ride, killing two
A new video has emerged showing the pick-up truck driver who drove into a group of 20 cyclists in Phoenix, Arizona, leaving two dead and 11 injured, sobbing on the phone with his partner, while call records have also showed that he didn’t ring 911 after the horrifying crash.
Meanwhile, a cyclist who survived the incident has claimed that the attorney’s office has failed them by claiming that there is “not enough evidence” to prosecute the motorist, while also accusing the driver of using Snapchat on his phone at the time of the crash.
Read more: > Cyclist says he’s been “failed” after attorney’s office claims “not enough evidence” to prosecute pick-up truck driver who crashed into Arizona group ride, killing two
EF Education-Cannondale star Veronica Ewers to take a break from cycling for the rest of the 2024 season for physical and mental health reasons, after suffering from energy deficiency
After Kirstie van Haaften’s announcement that she is set to undergo brain surgery on Monday, another member of the women’s peloton, Veronica Ewers, has decided to take a break from racing and training for the remainder of the season, in a bid to “reset” and improve her physical and mental health.
29-year-old American stage racer Ewers, who has a ninth on GC at the Tour de France and a fourth place overall at the Giro d’Italia to her name, joined the new EF Education-Cannondale team at the start of this year (from its now defunct namesake squad), but revealed today that she entered 2024 suffering from RED-S [relative energy deficiency in sport].
After battling on through the start of this season – and even finishing 14th in today’s US national road championships – Ewers said in a statement that her drop in performances was negatively impacting her mental health, leading to today’s decision to take time off completely from the bike, even in a training capacity, to allow her to physically and mentally reset and refresh.
(A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)
“I’m recovering from RED-S and it was pretty clear at the end of last year, coming into this year, that I was suffering from it,” she said in an interview published by her EF team, who will continue to support her as she takes a break from the sport.
“I had gotten a stress fracture in my heel, which prompted the team to have me get a DEXA scan and get some blood testing done, which showed that my bone density was quite poor, and my oestrogen levels were pretty much non-existent. I was experiencing all of the symptoms of RED-S.
“So going into this year, when I joined the new team, we really focused on me getting healthier. At the beginning of this year, the team said, ‘We’re going to try and get you to a healthy place. That might mean that performance takes a hit, but we’ll make some adaptations at the beginning of this year, and then hopefully it’ll come around mid-season.’
“And so my training changed because my body needed to heal and recover in certain ways. This then impacted my performance, which then had a domino effect on my mental health even more than I’ve already struggled with in the past. So at this point, I think there are still some physical blocks happening when it comes to performance, but I also think the mental side is a big part.
“Physically, my oestrogen levels and hormones are still not where they need to be. So this break was a suggestion from the team as a way to just have a full reset, physically and mentally, to try and recover properly with time off of training and racing. I’ll be taking time completely off the bike for quite some time, and then going from there.”
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
She continued: “It’s going to be hard. I’ve been training or practicing sports pretty competitively since I was 10 or 11. So this is a very new experience for me, and it’s very scary. It sounds kind of ridiculous for this to be scary, but it’s jumping into the unknown.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be like to be out of fitness and to have to come out of that. Will I be stronger than I was before? Once I am able to get in shape again, what kind of rider will I be afterwards? It’s a lot of not knowing, which is something I’m not always great at dealing with.”
Josh Tarling – who else? – secures second consecutive elite British time trial title with storming Yorkshire ride
Yep, it’s him again.
The Ineos time trialling sensation Josh Tarling made it back-to-back wins at the British championships – and continued his fine preparation for the Olympics this summer – with another impressive ride on the 30km course around Catterick, North Yorkshire.
The 20-year-old European champion added yet another jersey to his collection by beating young Astana rider Max Walker and Israel-Premier Tech pro Ethan Vernon by 1.13 and 1.24 respectively on the lumpy 30km course.
I suspect we may start getting used to the sight of Tarling in a British champion’s skinsuit for the next decade or so – when he isn’t wearing a European or even rainbow equivalent, that is…
‘Ow much?
> Fizik introduces 3D-printed saddle service, with prices starting at £459
I think I’ll stick to my old, non-3D-printed, slightly decaying one, thanks…
“Gordon Ramsay is right – I’m astounded by reckless cyclists”: Independent columnist offers up head scratching take on helmetgate
Just when you thought the national press had exhausted every conceivable angle related to Gordon Ramsay’s latest bike spill, up pops Independent columnist Sadhbh O’Sullivan – who somehow managed to use the foul-mouthed chef’s plea for people to wear helmets while cycling as the jumping-off point for an extended rant about “reckless” cyclists in London, hopping on the pavement, weaving through cars, being belligerent, and errr… wearing “enormous headphones”.
In her column, titled ‘Gordon Ramsay is right – I’m astounded by reckless cyclists without helmets’ (not sure that was the point he was making, but okay), O’Sullivan starts by stating: “I started cycling to work recently” – ah I’ll stop you right there, new ‘keen’ cyclist. Oh, alright then, go on…
“In many ways I love it – I get to enjoy the weather, I avoid the unbearable crowding of public transport, and my Santander membership works out far cheaper than the tube.
“I’d been worried about sharing the road with cars, but so far, it seems my fears were somewhat unfounded – because it’s the other cyclists that terrify me.”
Hmmm… She continues:
On any given day riding through London, I see cyclists hopping between the crowded pavement and busy road to get past traffic; weaving through cars and actually riding down the wrong side of the road for long spans of time; suddenly changing direction without indicating. And of course, hardly any helmets.
So unusually, I find myself applauding chef Gordon Ramsay, who has appealed to cyclists to wear a helmet, following a bad accident on his bike that saw him hospitalised.
“It’s as though some cyclists, in their effort to take up adequate space, have chosen to pretend that roads aren’t dangerous,” she continues, with another head scratching comment. “Not only do many opt out of wearing a helmet, they instead wear enormous headphones, and thus don’t hear others coming up behind them…
“I understand clinging to the idea we shouldn’t have to rely on helmets and people should make space for us – the best-case scenario is for our roads to be safe enough that hardly anyone wears a helmet and head injuries remain low, just like in Amsterdam and in Denmark.
“When paired with the fact you have to be assertive to cycle in a city, riding like a nutter makes sense. But cycling recklessly, helmetless, is not going to help anyone in the short term.”
> Why is Dan Walker’s claim that a bike helmet saved his life so controversial?
And finally…
“When walking my dog recently we passed some primary school children, decked out in helmets and hi-vis vests, practising their own cycling proficiency,” she concludes.
“Their teacher stood to the side, teaching them to stick to the side of the road all while pedalling steadily before coming to an indicated stop. They were all far more respectful of the road than some of the riders I see on my daily commute. Clearly, the cycling public should sign up for a refresher course.”
With that comment about “sticking to the side of the road”, I reckon O’Sullivan could do with her own Highway Code refresher course…
“Y’all are unhinged. WTF”: Matteo Jorgenson delivers hilarious response to media speculation that Jonas Vingegaard will work as a domestique for him at the Tour de France
He may be enjoying the season of his life, with wins at Paris-Nice and Dwars door Vlaanderen and a close second place behind Primož Roglič at the Dauphiné under his belt, but it’s clear that American star Matteo Jorgenson is under no illusions when it comes to his place in the Visma-Lease a Bike stage racing pecking order.
After Dutch cycling site WielerFlits published an opinion piece today speculating that double Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard – whose recovery from that horrific crash at the Tour of the Basque Country is still uncertain – could prove a “worthy” domestique for Jorgenson on the roads of France in July, the baffled 24-year-old delivered the most American response ever on X:
Y’all are unhinged wtf 🤣🤣🤣 https://t.co/xgL6kJe9Sc
— Matteo Jorgenson (@MatteoJorg) June 19, 2024
Of course, this is Visma after all – for whom Vingegaard finished second at the 2021 Tour after going into it as a domestique for Roglič – and stranger things have happened in grand tours.
Just as Wiggins and Froome about the 2011 Vuelta…
Cyclist fined £220 for riding through red light forcing mum with pushchair to stop mid-crossing to avoid collision
Ryanair says “Vote Flights, Not Bikes”, as budget airline launches blistering online attack against Irish Green Party’s departing leader’s cycling policies, telling him to “get on your bike”
Jumps before pushed in gen election??
Failed Green Minister quits:
• Dublin World’s 2nd slowest city for drivers
• Europe’s only traffic capped airport
• Green party fails Irish TourismVote #flightsnotbikes 🤪😜 pic.twitter.com/29zrNRwD2p
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) June 18, 2024
You shouldn’t expect Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary to provide you with any leg room, or to let your child sit next to you on a three-hour flight without an additional charge, but you can expect him to launch a series of scathing – and characteristically petty – digs at a politician trying to improve the safety of cyclists.
Yesterday, the leader of Ireland’s Green Party, Eamon Ryan – who also serves as the coalition government’s minister for transport and environment and climate minister – announced he is stepping down from the position, after his party lost both of their MEP seats at the recent European elections.
And with Ryan’s spell as transport minister leading to a passenger cap at Dublin Airport in a bid to ease traffic in the area, how did ‘budget but we’ll take your money in other ways’ airline Ryanair respond to the Green Party leader’s resignation?
By telling him to get on his bike, predictably – and launching a ‘Flights, not Bikes’ social media campaign.
We would offer free seats for failed green ministers… but we’re capped at Dublin Airport… so get on your bike 🚲🤯🤡@EamonRyan pic.twitter.com/kG5j3SwNlN
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) June 18, 2024
“We would offer free seats for failed Green ministers… but we’re capped at Dublin Airport… so get on your bike,” Ryanair’s social media account tweeted following Ryan’s resignation, which included a reference to the “relentless” social media attacks faced by the politician during his tenure, which he says even “included vile statements about my recently deceased father”.
Not that it deterred Ryanair yesterday, however.
“Jumps before pushed in gen[eral] election??” another post, featuring Ryan riding a bike, said. “Failed Green Minister quits: Dublin World’s second slowest city for drivers; Europe’s only traffic capped airport; Green party fails Irish Tourism.”
And it kept on going like that, with Ryanair even coming up with their own cardboard sign:
Vote #FlightsNotBikes pic.twitter.com/Ky1cPyMtcE
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) June 18, 2024
Despite Ryan’s occasionally misguided remarks about “irresponsible” cyclists, it’s safe to say Ireland’s cycling community isn’t too impressed with Ryanair’s latest odd social media stunt.
“Such a petty, juvenile company,” wrote Irish cycling journalist Shane Stokes.
“Pathetic,” added Paul.
“Whatever you have to say about Eamon Ryan and the Greens, the man is a decent human being. Whether or not you agree with his policies, he always carried himself with dignity, which is more than you can say for the Ryanair marketing team,” wrote another X user.
And to think, cyclists already have to put up with ‘war on drivers’ nonsense – now we have to listen to people complaining that there’s a ‘war on pilots’ and billionaire airline CEOs taking advantage of struggling families whose backpack was an inch too large…
“Hypocrisy personified”: Readers respond to “You should be on the road” cycle lane-blocking driver
Lib Dem councillor Adrian Chapmanlaw’s rather tetchy encounter with a motorist blocking a shared-use cycle route – and then telling the cyclist he “should be on the road” – has provoked quite a bit of discussion in the comments section.
“I get that about once a month on my commute,” said brooksby. “In one case, by someone whose car was parked on top of the big painted bicycle logo on the path.”
“Driving and parking on the pavement is now normalised behaviour,” added Mr Anderson.
Meanwhile, one YouTuber’s comment that respect on the road “works both ways” and that cyclists failing to use bike lanes is “large factor as to why so many car drivers think cyclists are entitled c**ts” prompted the following response from LeadenSkies:
Yes, it does work both ways. If you want me to consider using any provided cycle path then:
a) Don’t treat it as your own private parking space.
b) Treat it as a proper lane on the road, don’t expect the cyclist to give way at every pinch point, junction and driveway.
c) Protect me where I need protecting, don’t file roundabouts and large junctions in the too difficult pile and just end the cycle lane dumping me into moving traffic with no warning.
“Exactly,” agreed Clem Fandango. “And if we’re all down with it ‘working both ways’ and pavement/cycle lane parking and therefore non-use of advisory cycle lanes being cool, then perhaps we could all STFU about this ‘war on motorists’ and stop considering cyclists to be entitled c**ts (at least no more entitled that drivists seem to be).”
“Hypocrisy personified: illegal, inconsiderate, massively entitled drivers calling cyclists entitled,” added Eburtthebike.
And finally, in trying to think of a solution to all this bike lane parking and hypocrisy, levestane decided to evoke classic Cannondale-era Peter Sagan:
Not that we’d condone mimicking the former world champion when you spot a motorist blocking the cycle lane, of course…
“Car brain strikes again”: Motorist parked blocking shared cycle and pedestrian path tells cyclist to “get on the road”
Anyone who frequently cycles anywhere that has decent cycling infrastructure (you lucky sods) will be all too well acquainted with the car driver’s favourite traditional chanting ritual: ‘Use the bloody cycle lane!’
And while the reasons for not using your area’s cycling infrastructure may be myriad and diverse – the live blog doesn’t have its own ‘Why don’t cyclists use the cycle lane?’ series for nothing – sometimes, sometimes you will choose to ignore nearby road and ride on the nice, protected cycle lane next to it… and still be berated by motorists.
I call it Schrödinger’s Cyclist.
Anyway, that’s what happened recently to Bournemouth Liberal Democrat councillor and cycling YouTuber Adrian Chapmanlaw who, while riding his bike on a shared-use path, was told to “get on the road” by a motorist, who – wait for it – had parked his car on the path, almost completely blocking it.
I think we may be dealing with a bad case of irony deficiency here, readers.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Councillor Chapmanlaw can be seen cycling last week along a path clearly and frequently marked (makes a change, eh?) as a route for both cyclists and pedestrians, before encountering a vehicle perched on the path, forcing him to slow down.
“Apparently blocking a path is better than blocking a road,” Chapmanlaw notes in the video.
As he passes the car its driver, in rather timely fashion, appears, prompting the councillor to remark: “You can’t park there dude, there’s a road you can park on”.
The response?
“Then you should be on the road, anyway!”
That piece of advice didn’t go down too well with Adrian, who shouted back – amid a flurry of obscenities flying in the opposite direction – “It’s a shared path! Look at the f***ing signs. F***’s sake!”
“Apparently I should be on the road, not the shared path,” BCP councillor Chapmanlaw noted in the video’s captions.
“He keeps shouting something about being on the road – what this has to do with him parking on the shared path, I have no idea!
“I wish people would make their minds up – do they want us on the cycle lanes or the road?”
After confirming that he’d reported the driver to Operation Snap for obstructing the highway, Chapmanlaw added: “Car brain strikes again. When you are confronted by a cyclist who asks you nicely not to park on the shared path and use the road instead, the answer should be ‘oh yeah sorry’ not GET ON THE ROAD!!!!”
In the comments under the video, let’s just say opinion was a touch divided over the incident (it is the internet after all).
“The amount of times this happens is insane,” wrote Mark. “Way too many selfish entitled people who think it is okay to park where they like with zero regard for anyone else.”
Meanwhile, another local cyclist Gaz said he had his own contradictory experiences on the same stretch of road Adrian was riding.
“Once I had a lady with her kids shout at me ‘get on the road!’ Coming up the hill the other way, I had a driver gesture at me to get ON the shared path, until I caught him up where your video starts, where he told me I should be on the path and I told him my speed was incompatible with pedestrians,” he said.
Of course, not everyone seemed to grasp the point of the video – with some seeming to think that the cyclist was “entitled” for being slightly annoyed that a motorist (who’s not entitled, apparently) just decided to block a path designated for pedestrians and cyclists.
“Another aggressive cyclist giving cyclists a bad name. Just ride around the car,” said Simon.
“I live in Cambridge (I’m a cyclist, motorcyclist and van/car driver) and regularly get held up in the van/car by cyclists choosing to ride in the road rather than on the very extensive and expensive cycle paths provided,” another user said.
“It works both ways. Also, yes I know you don’t legally have to use a cycle path but it’s a large factor as to why so many car drivers think cyclists are entitled c**ts.”
To which Adrian replied: “I don’t see what any of this has to do with a driver blocking a shared path.”
Nor do I, Adrian, nor do I…
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Latest Comments
What an absolute dipshit that man is.
Feels like you're greeting an old friend there... Pretty sure that people driving motor vehicles often think that most others are "in the way" and that is generally the case for *different* transport modes "sharing space". No need to believe that infra will usher that in *! Indeed Calton Reid's work on the 1930s UK cycle path project (see britishcycletracks dot com) documents that the suspicions of cycle groups of the time eg. the Cycle Touring Club were correct - the planners *did* want cyclists off the roads! Of course the failure was not in providing cyclists with an alternative and trying to move them there but in letting the drivers of motor vehicles take the roads and streets over. Between heavy promotion / accommodation for drivers and the resulting unpleasant and dangerous conditions that resulted from so many humans driving, most people ditched the bike. Interesting to see where vehicular cycling folks fall: are they absolutist ("my right to ride on motorways")? Do they believe in "accidents" (or maybe the cyclists who die weren't ... skillful enough)? What do they think of all the others not riding - do they (apparently) not care ("I'm alright Jack"), do they think they're just weak / lazy, is it due to "dangerisation of a perfectly safe activity" (and if so why do many of them think that tiny active travel organisations manage to achieve this propaganda feat) etc.? * Aside what must be billions spent over the years on pro-driving lobbying, advertising etc. there's all that ancient human psychological kit of "us and them" and "detecting cheaters". Plus the fact that while cycling may have partly replaced horse riding the car has taken on its prestige / rank-marking function.
@ianking Riding back from a trip to Spain through France, it was noticeable that the amount of bad driving near us cyclists increased the farther north we got, and the cars had Brit plates.
@jackcycles On a very busy NSL A road with heavy coach and HGV traffic it makes perfect sense to provide cyclists with a separate carriageway. It's not saying cyclists don't belong on the road, it's saying here's a great way that everyone can enjoy cycling this route safely, even if they're a child or elderly person who can't manage above 10mph. I can't stand this posturing, usually from fit young racers who do feel safe on such a road, saying that separate cycling infra isn't necessary. On this sort of road even if every single driver is highly skilled and obeys the law and the Highway Code to the letter cycling would still be a highly unpleasant and somewhat dangerous experience, especially for the aforementioned young or elderly riders, riders lacking in confidence, small riders easily blown around by turbulence etc. Everyone involved, from Chris Boardman down to local cyclists, seems delighted with it; the idea that having a cycleway here isn't better for all concerned is what's "ludicrous and false".
@chrisonabike I could call it mamilism and get cheap bikes and lycra ;-)
As long as cars crossing the cycleway have to wait for bikes to pass rather than vice-versa,.I don't see a problem.
"This cycleway isn’t just a piece of infrastructure, it’s an invitation to thousands of people to leave the car at home and travel in a way that’s better for them and better for their community." Er no, a cycleway *is* just a piece of infrastructure. The idea that you need a dedicated cycleway in order to ride a bike is ludicrous and false, and gives succour to those who think that cyclists don't belong on a road.
I only get punishment passes when Im riding close to the gutter usually when there's a painted farcility!
I reckon you should go for some patriarchal system - you might grow to like it and I reckon it would be popular with lots of men who seem to feel hard-done by. Perhaps you could institute a holy sacrament which would allow you to circumvent local drugs legislation, or at least get some tax exemptions (coffee?). Anyway - we all love a good protected-characteristic-fight - today misogyny versus religious discrimination!
@This Wreckage I never realised it wasn't misogyny if it was based on religion, I wonder what else I will be able to get away with once I found my own religion!
59 thoughts on ““Car brain strikes again”: Motorist blocking shared cycle + pedestrian path tells cyclist to “get on the road”; ‘Vote Flights, Not Bikes’ says Ryanair; GB News “war on motorists” fiction; GCN explains website closure on YouTube + more on the live blog”
You can remonstrate with
You can remonstrate with people without resorting so quickly to aggressive language.
Somehow I expected more restraint from a councillor, Adrian Chapmanlaw.
Personally, if I was facing an election I wouldn’t be letting myself down posting this.
bikeman01 wrote:
Nah, “fuck off” was the appropriate response. Should have chucked “twat” in as well.
S13SFC wrote:
I wouldn’t think of becoming a councillor if I was you.
I’d vote for him
I’d vote for Adrian
a1white wrote:
Strikes me as the sort of person who isnt going to be very effective in getting things done.
road.cc wrote:
Presumably having flown there, thus neatly getting around the prohibition on driving on the footway.
mdavidford wrote:
Presumably having flown there, thus neatly getting around the prohibition on driving on the footway.— road.cc
maybe it was rolled sideways onto the path, so we can help them out by rolling them sideways back onto the road
mdavidford wrote:
Presumably having flown there, thus neatly getting around the prohibition on driving on the footway.— road.cc
What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen
swallowcar?On “Car brain strikes again”
On “Car brain strikes again” – I get that about once a month on my commute. In one case, by someone whose car was parked on top of the big painted bicycle logo on the path.
Last weekend there was some
Last weekend there was some sort of summer fete in Shepperton. The road out to Chertsey has a cycle lane on both sides (it’s a fairly busy one with a 50mph speed limit that is rarely observed). Cars parked in the cycle lanes on both sides of the road for getting on for half a mile. Nobody did anything about it. They never do here. Same happens on Sundays on the Portsmouth Road into Kingston.
Time to commute on the old
Time to commute on the old heavy steel frame (for reduced nickability and resistance training) with bolted axles (security against theft) and the sharpest, angriest flat pedals you can get (for grip as you have constantly hop between cycle path and roadway at the whims of our drivist overlords and masters) and claim the sun was in your eyes as you nearly-miss the bumper, bonnet, wing mirror, door panels, a window or two, and the rear quarter panel.
Flights not bikes – well, I
Flights not bikes – well, I would fly to town but that would likely involve me cycling to the airport first. So it would still involve a bike, apart from taking me a lot longer.
Mind parking a large passenger jet in Sainsbury’s car park* would apparently save me from ripping up the tarmac there by the huge pressures exerted by my bike tyres.
Presumably “troll marketing” is on the increase.
* I checked – the carparks at Craigleith definitely have space for couple of airliners.
chrisonabike wrote:
Wouldn’t a cargo plane be more appropriate to the job?
mdavidford wrote:
trying to stick to a diet, so no
wycombewheeler wrote:
So am I
Went off with a shopping list
Went off with a shopping list, returned with a listing ship.
mdavidford wrote:
In effect, even passenger jets are cargo planes, as one of the reasons they charge so much for excess baggage is that it reduces their capacity to take on commercial cargo
Is this the appropriate
Is this the appropriate response?
“It works both ways. Also,
“It works both ways. Also, yes I know you don’t legally have to use a cycle path but it’s a large factor as to why so many car drivers think cyclists are entitled c**ts.”
Yes, it does work both ways. If you want me to consider using any provided cycle path then
a) Don’t treat it as your own private parking space.
b) Treat it as a proper lane on the road, don’t expect the cyclist to give way at every pinch point, junction and driveway.
c) Protect me where I need protecting, don’t file roundabouts and large junctions in the too difficult pile and just end the cycle lane dumping me into moving traffic with no warning.
Exactly. And – if we’re all
Exactly. And – if we’re all down with it “working both ways” and pavement/cycle lane parking and therefore non use of advisory cycle lanes being cool, then perhaps we could all STFU about this “war on motorists” and stop considering cyclists to be entitled c*nts (at least no more entitled that drivists seem to be).
Driving and parking on the
Driving and parking on the pavement is now normalized behaviour.
Remind me when it wasn’t?
Remind me when it wasn’t?
Following over 45 years as a
Following over 45 years as a road cyclist and 40 years as a driver, it is only in the last fews years I have started witnessing drivers, driving on the pavement. And I am not referring to a driving just a few metres!
Well… people have been
Well… people have been *doing* it all the time (most common instance is “couple of wheels on the pavement to show consideration to the other drivers”).
Where I stay I can’t say I actually see the driving as it’s happening so much. OTOH perhaps I do and just discount all the delivery drivers? Will keep an eye out…
With regards to driving on
With regards to driving on the pavement, I have seen a few examples on Youtube, there have been some news items on this channel, and I assumed these were exceptional, isolated incidents.
But in the last few years, I have started witnessing this behaviour first hand. In one instance, on a road where parked cars restricted the width, a driver decided to overtake another by driving on the footpath at 30mph. I was walking on this footpath and the driver aborted this manoeuvre, when he realized I wasn’t going to jump at the way.
When I am walking, I now use an Insta GO 3, because of this.
Mr Anderson wrote:
Visit South Africa and watch the minibus taxi drivers ….
I’d say it’s worse now than
I’d say it’s worse now than in the past
Delivery drivers are probably
Delivery drivers are probably prime offenders when it comes to driving onto the pavement whilst they make a delivery, and there’s obviously far more of them than there used to be.
I would also suggest that the total number of cars continues to increase, and (especially in urban areas) the amount of space available for them does not. This means more people feel they “need” to park on the pavement (and by “need” I of course mean a) not obstruct motor vehicle traffic from flowing freely in both directions and b) not have to walk more than 10m from parking space to destination).
So I would probably agree it is more common than it used to be, but would suggest this is not due to any kind of moral degradation or reduction in enforcement, but just the result of the increased volume of vehicles.
Definitely a reduction in
Definitely a reduction in driving standards of which pavement vehicular abandonment is just one example. It is endemic near me, especially outside all the local takeaways, despite there being a car park less than 50m away. Another example is those willing to drive on the wrong side of the road or the pavement to skip a queue because they are too important to wait. Plenty of other examples that I see day in day out.
Maybe the answer is to carry
Maybe the answer is to carry a roll of stickers and a pen and whenever you see a vehicle that is illegally parked put a sticker in the middle of the windscreen with “illegally parked” or your choice of witty comment written on it
Pub bike wrote:
But you’d spend so much time doing that, you’d never get to your destination…
brooksby wrote:
Ready made stickers are available to speed up the operation https://yplac.co.uk/
A wee bit of that I believe
A wee bit of that I believe is what is the correct design of new estates. Narrower less car dominated roads with parking out of site in car barns etc. To try and encourage folk to walk or cycle and not think about the car for those local trips. We need an attitude shift though to go in hand with that :-/
Full house there! Red route,
Full house there! Red route, totally blocking the pavement for pedestrians let alone wheelchair users and the visually impaired. I don’t usually condone criminal damage but I think in that case my keys in my pocket may have unavoidably scraped right down the side of that as I squeezed by.
I’ve started seeing adverts
I’ve started seeing adverts on my socials to the effect of “would you mind awfully considering maybe not parking entirely on the pavement”
With regards to pavement
With regards to pavement parking by motorists … has anyone called the Tyre Extinguishers?
Or maybe leave a note on the windshield saying
“Due to your idiotic lazy parking, one or more of your tyres has been partially deflated.”
The time taken by them to check all 4 tyres should negate the time saved by parking there.
Outside of London it is not
Outside of London it is not illegal to park on the pavement.
Ah, you’ll be in England or (
Ah, you’ll be in England or (?Wales?, NI?) then?
As any fule kno it’s the driving there that counts, but in practice this is pretty much (sometimes formally) decriminalised – but wait:
Transport (Scotland) Act 2019
To be fair – I’m unclear on whether you’d call this “illegal” but it formally puts a lot of “bad parking” in the category of the “standard” parking offenses. Following much foot dragging (I think the law was finally over the line in 2023…) Edinburgh Council has decided that it will now do so (albeit in the spotty fashion existing parking and traffic rules are enforced):
https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/newparkingrules
neilmck wrote:
In London they have made it explicit. Outside of London, they (naively) assumed it was so blindingly obvious that you weren’t supposed to drive or park on the pavement that now it seems there isn’t an explicit law about it.
At the very least parking inboard of yellow lines has got to be illegal, right?
It seems to me to need some kind of mobile phone / Kim Briggs campaign clarification.
That’s the general UK
That’s the general UK tendency – circumscribe what you can’t do then everything else is fine.
That’s not a bad way to go about things … except when it comes to mass motoring. Then we end up with the visual noise of paint and signs everywhere and endless quibbles (paint had faded, I was only hovering over it, sign wasn’t placed according to bikeshedding legal rules etc.).
Other countries – noting that people don’t read stuff at the best of times and even less when they’re
on their mobiledriving past at speed – go the opposite way here (in part). So “you can only park in marked areas. No markings? No parking”.Now the streets look neater, and fewer people are bumping into signs (taking up space on the footway but not for pedestrians).
mmm, news item, Micheal O
mmm, news item, Micheal O’Leary talks shite. Nope, nothing new about that.
Heh, I’m in the Motorists
Heh, I’m in the Motorists Faceboook Group in that area, for the LOLs.
I look forward to this being posted
.
With regards to pavement
With regards to pavement parking by motorists … has anyone called the Tyre Extinguishers?
Or maybe leave a note on the windshield saying
“Due to your idiotic lazy parking, one or more of your tyres has been partially deflated.”
The time taken by them to check all 4 tyres should negate the time saved by parking there.
Quote:
Actually, I prefer to have a well-stocked saddlebag or pannier. YMMV.
road.cc wrote:
Embrace, infect, extinguish.
Ah, good spot! That’s half an
Ah, good spot! That’s half an hour in the naughty corner for me, then… Surprised you didn’t notice the superfluous quotation mark at the end of the GCN story, which I’ve deliberately left in for the pedants.
Hypocrisy personified:
Hypocrisy personified: illegal, inconsiderate, massively entitled drivers calling cyclists entitled.
NYC buses get cameras to
NYC buses get cameras to enforce bad parking by car drivers:
https://new.mta.info/press-release/mta-announces-bus-lane-camera-enforcement-expanded-include-new-violations
When will this be used in the UK?
road.cc wrote:
You know what would prevent all that head scratching…
“hardly any helmets” (in that
“hardly any helmets” (in that Indepenent “cycling” story)? Really? Where the flip is she commuting? On my commutes to & from London I’d say a non-helmet wearer is by far the exception.
And riding down “the wrong side of the road for long spans of time”…..? Sure, great story.
To be fair, some extremely
To be fair, some extremely inexperienced cyclists do ride on the wrond side of the road thinking the advice is similar to pedestrians on roads with no path where they should walk facing the traffic. Its another example of car brain thinking bikes aren’t vehicles and shouldn’t be used on the road.
I notice that all the people
I notice that all the people ordering cyclists to wear helmets never wear a helmet themselves when travelling in a car or as a pedestrian – about a thousand people a year are killed falling downstairs in the UK and motorists never crash and are never injured or killed, there again perhaps that is not such a good idea. When motorists were made to wear seat belts they killed 40% more cyclists a year – motorists felt safer so drove more dangerously, the government knew this would happen, they told us that it was OK to kill 40% more cyclists a year because there was a net gain in lives saved.
Clearly Sadhbh O’Sullivan had
Clearly Sadhbh O’Sullivan had seen how many clicks the Gordon Ramsay story was getting and decided to hop on the bandwagon as it rolled by. No substance, just more froth than a 100 times whipped cappucino.
Cyclists should take a
Cyclists should take a refresher course she says. I don’t think many drivers will have taken a refresher course since passing their test. She’s silly.
perce wrote:
— perceHow polite.
Oh heaven knows it’s a
Oh heaven knows it’s a failing I must admit. I sometimes smile at people I’d rather kick in the eye.
perce wrote:
Ah well, as long as you’re happy in the haze of a drunken hour…
If you thought, good leather
If you thought good leather saddles, that 3D-mold themselves to your behind, were expensive…
I regularly ride “down the
I regularly ride “down the wrong side of the road for long spans of time” in London, traffic jams tend to be unidirectional on many roads (they switch round between morning and evening rush hour) so often one can overtake for two or three hundred yards with a clear lane. It’s called overtaking, Sadbdh, it’s safe, legal and is even enshrined in Highway Code Rule 163: “Cyclists may pass slower moving or stationary traffic on their right or left”.