Immigration checks on delivery cyclists condemned by shadow minister who accuses police of “racial profiling”; Town to dump 20mph speed limit…because most motorists ignore it; Dowsett abandons; Anti-cyclist bingo; Pro pay rise + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Triple Superbike world champion fractures vertebrae in cycling crash with another rider
Three-time Superbike World Championship winner Troy Bayliss fractured a vertebrae and suffered spinal damage in a cycling crash with another rider near his Gold Coast home. Reports suggest Bayliss collided with another cyclist who moved out from between two parked cars. The triple world champion has no recollection of the incident and was taken to hospital in a stable condition and has since returned home.
“I’m okay and I’m home,” Bayliss said. “The crash means I won’t be riding a motorcycle until I regain full movement in my arms and hands. I really just wanted to let everyone know what’s happened, that I’m OK and that I’ll be back in leathers as soon as I can.
“It’s been an intense weekend for me and my family, but luckily I’m okay and I will recover. My doctors have been really positive, but there’s no firm indication of how long it will be until I can regain enough control to get back on a bike – maybe a few months, maybe longer; it just depends on how the recovery goes once the bones heal up.”
Bayliss is considered a legend in the moto racing world having won three Superbike World Championships between 2001 and 2008 for Ducati as well as crossing over to Moto GP to win a race in 2006. The Australian’s 52 Superbike wins put him third in the all-time win rankings.
"The most considerate bike path I've ever seen"
Wow! The most considerate cycle path I’ve ever seen, smooth and gently snakes up a hill. Up it first time in on a fully loaded touring bike without any dramas. National cycle network route 78 in the Caledonia Way, heading south from Duror. Well done @sustrans! pic.twitter.com/RnEmZT2ljD
— Ian Muirhead FRAS (@ian_muirhead) May 18, 2021
Just look at those hairpins…
Giro stage 11 round-up: All the best photos from a stunning day out in Tuscany
🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🚴♂️🛵🛵🚗🛵🚗🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️ Grrrrrravel!!!#Giro pic.twitter.com/AJhdBplURt
— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) May 19, 2021
As with Strade Bianche the white roads of Tuscany always make for some incredible TV pictures and photographs. Here are some of the best we have seen knocking about this morning…
😍 There is a bit of Strade Bianche in today’s Giro stage, from Perugia to Montalcino, the Brunello di Montalcino Wine Stage. What a show! And the Giro will resume from Siena tomorrow!@giroditalia #StradeBianche #Giro pic.twitter.com/kfHPWo1mEu
— Strade Bianche (@StradeBianche) May 19, 2021
Mind-boggling how stunning Tuscany is sometimes pic.twitter.com/vhk4WRZv7z
— Brian Nygaard (@nygaardbn) May 19, 2021
We asked you yesterday for your opinion on gravel stages at Grand Tours…and it turned out to be as unanimous a poll as we have ever done on the blog…87 per cent of you are all in for gravel…
That’s more one-sided than our polls for noisy freehubs, AG2R Citroën’s kit and Nigel Farage…hear that, race organisers? We want more.
US cycling champion killed by driver drifting into bike lane
We are saddened to hear about the tragic loss of Gwen Inglis. The Masters Road Race National Champion was hit by a driver on her training ride Sunday morning and later passed away at the hospital. We are sending our thoughts to Gwen’s family during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/5elhU027Iu
— USA Cycling (@usacycling) May 17, 2021
US national champion, Gwen Inglis, was struck and killed by a driver while training in Denver on Sunday. Inglis, the reigning road race champion in the 45-49 age group, was hit by the driver who drifted into the bike lane where she was riding alongside her husband. Local news reports say the driver of the Nissan Sedan, Ryan Scott Montoya, admitted to drinking and using marijuana the night before. He has since been charged with DUI vehicular homicide.
The Bicycle Racing Association of Colorado released this statement mourning Gwen:
Colorado cycling lost one of their best yesterday. There are few words that can express the feeling of loss for any of our cycling community, and Gwen was a particularly special person. She was a multiple National and State Champion on the bike and very well known across the cycling community in Colorado. Even more impressive was her character off the bike. Knowing Gwen, you would immediately be aware of her strongest qualities. She consistently brought joy into all her relationships, and she openly accepted everyone.
Town to dump 20mph speed limit...because most motorists ignore it
A 20mph speed limit in the Fife town of Markinch is to be scrapped because drivers do not obey it. Council officers say by changing the limit to 30mph it will “align the mandatory limit to drivers’ perception.” The Courier reports 85 per cent of drivers ignore the 20mph signs on the B9130 in Markinch, with most travelling around 30mph.
Labour councillor Altany Craik was disappointed by the move and said it may encourage drivers to decide what speed they want to drive on other roads. “Basically, we’re saying we should make it 30 because drivers can’t stick to 20,” he explained. “We need to be careful of the impact this will have. Drivers are determined to speed on this road. Drivers themselves have decided it should be 30.
“I’m not sure that’s the best way of determining what the speed limit should be. The impact of having this kind of justification for a change means all over Fife we’ll be encouraging people to say we don’t like that 20, 30 or 40 and start making a case for it. We need to be careful we’re not making a rod for our own back.”
The 20mph limit has been in place since 2016, when a new housing development was built. However, transportation officer Dhusjan Sivaratnam believes that despite measures being taken to encourage compliance, drivers are just not interested.
“The persistent lack of compliance with the speed limit and the results of the speed surveys clearly indicate that drivers perceive 30mph to be the appropriate limit on this stretch of road,” he said.
“The replacement of the 20mph zone with a 30mph limit would align the mandatory limit with drivers’ perception. The road is quite wide and that might be a factor in why people are speeding. We could even put more speed cushions there and they’ll still speed.”
UCI welcomes growth of women's WorldTeams' salaries and budgets and attributes success to introduction of minimum salary
A year after the creation of @UCI_WWT teams, we’re very pleased to see that both salaries and budgets have significantly increased.
There is still work to be done but the UCI’s reform of professional women’s cycling, set out in the Agenda 2022 is showing its positive impact!
— David Lappartient (@DLappartient) May 20, 2021
The UCI has welcomed the latest figures showing that the average salary of riders at UCI Women’s WorldTeams and the average budget of teams at the level both increased between 2020 and 2021. Attributing the increase to the introduction of a minimum salary for women’s WorldTeam riders in 2020, the UCI explained how an EY Lausanne study shows the average salary is up 25 per cent from 2020 to 2021.
The same study also showed the average budget of UCI Women’s WorldTeams had increased by 22 per cent during the same time frame. Last year’s minimum salary for riders at the top level of women’s cycling was €15,000, rising to €20,000 this year. In 2022, it will rise to€27,500 before matching the minimum salary for riders of men’s UCI ProTeams (one below WorldTour level) at €32,100 in 2023.
“There is still work to be done to strengthen the sector and continue to develop it, but the creation of the UCI Women’s WorldTeams, four years after the creation of the UCI Women’s WorldTour, is a central element for the growth of women’s cycling,” UCI President David Lappartient said. “The rise in UCI Women’s WorldTeams salaries and budgets shows that the reform of professional women’s road cycling is having a positive impact on women riders and their teams.”
"Cycling is not worth the risk": Dan Martin not prepared to take any risks on gravel stage
Dan Martin distanced the day after Ireland’s failure to make it to the Eurovision final. Dark times.
— Orla Chennaoui (@SportsOrla) May 19, 2021
This is the other side of gravel stages at Grand Tours…they are great for us watching but less so for some of the riders involved. Dan Martin lost six minutes to Egan Bernal and told GCN after the stage he did not think making the front group was worth the risk. “I told my wife this morning that I won’t crash, so for me personally cycling is not worth the risk,” the Irishman explained.
“I had guys crashing all around me on the first section [of gravel] so I just did my own pace, I nearly came back but my licence is road cycling so it’s not my thing. Fair play to the guys who are at the front, but I just didn’t want to take the risk today and that’s it.
“The cycling fan in me thinks this is a beautiful stage but it was on an unpredictable road surface and I don’t have much experience on that particular terrain. No excuses just didn’t feel like taking the risks. Personally, I was a bit too relaxed. Everyone was battling for positions; I got a few pushes and lost my head for a while.”
Martin dropped ten places to 18th on GC ahead of stage 12 this afternoon. After a big battle to make the break, 14 riders are now up the road with a three minute advantage. Among them are George Bennett, Gianluca Brambilla, Diego Ulissi and king of the mountains Geoffrey Bouchard.
"I'd rather be silent than say what I think": Trouble at Deceuninck Quick-Step as a disillusioned João Almeida keeps quiet on stage 11 disappointment
Another quick bit of reaction from yesterday’s Giro stage. All is not well with João Almeida at Deceuninck-Quick-Step. The Portuguese who came into the race as a joint leader with Remco Evenepoel was visibly annoyed at having to wait for his faltering teammate yesterday. After the stage he told A Bola “I’d rather be silent than say what I think”.
“I felt good and with good feelings, I had the chance to beat myself with the best, but I had to follow orders from the support car to wait for Remco. Do I feel disappointed? I’d rather be silent than say what I think. Every day I am learning and today I learned a lot, in a fantastic stage where I could go far. Cycling is a collective sport and the sporting directors are the ones who are in charge.” Ouch.
It's time for everyone's favourite...anti-cyclist bingo
Coming to you this week from the comments under this post on West Yorkshire Police’s Facebook page…it’s anti-cyclist bingo…
Thanks to Anthony Wood we very nearly almost cracked it in one…his comment read: “what about the rules about riding on the pavement, riding without lights, riding more than two abreast, if they are enforcing one rule, then do the others as well.”
Unlucky, Anthony, just a couple short of the full house. Let’s see if anyone can help him out…
Alexandra Sutcliffe should win an anti-cyclist bingo prize for this humdinger: “I don’t need education on how to pass them but they sometimes need education on how to use their bikes on roads too. After all drivers pay a lot of money to drive but pushbikes pay absolutely nothing.”
One final comment from Jennie Goddard: “Can you not educate cyclists who insist on going in groups and taking up entire road when they should be in single file and the ones that swerve in and out from the kerb.”
For our dose of common sense, we’re going over to Sally McGregor: “Here’s a thing… Let’s just imagine each road user is a mate or a family member going about their business. They aren’t a target to have a pop at.”
Alex Dowsett abandons Giro d'Italia due to stomach problems
Also Alex Dowsett quits the race.
The stage winner in the #Giro of last year has stomach problems and unfortunately is our second rider this stage forced to abandon. pic.twitter.com/wNDJTXph7c
— Israel Start-Up Nation / Israel Cycling Academy (@TeamIsraelSUN) May 20, 2021
Alex Dowsett is out of the Giro due to ongoing stomach problems. His teammate, Alessandro De Marchi, is also out. The climber who wore the maglia rosa during the opening week of the race suffered a nasty fall earlier today and was taken away in an ambulance. Italian broadcaster Rai reports De Marchi never lost consciousness but has chest trauma and a probable broken collarbone.
MAAP donating 10,000 trees to make up for Flow Pro Jersey typo
After MAAP’s latest release of Women’s Flow Pro Jerseys was mistakenly printed with ‘Women’s Flow Pro Jereseys’, the clothing brand came up with a nice way to make amends. Now, I’m sure plenty of customers would not have noticed or cared too much about the typo but MAAP wanted to hold its hands up…
So rather than keeping quiet or silently cancelling orders and chucking the ‘jereseys’ in the bin, they decided to be up front, have a laugh at the misfortune and donate money for 10,000 trees to be planted instead. It is a symbolic gesture to prove the brand’s commitment to sustainability…rather than landfilling the mistake, something good has come out of it.
Karma Police...
Oh we did have one police intervention this morning on Vanburgh Hill Greenwich – I chatted to 2 officers in a police car in the traffic queue but they said road safety not a priority – nothing they could do – too stretched – went on their way ..and then this happened … pic.twitter.com/pjiEmgHTJx
— Kate Middleton (@KateM45) May 20, 2021
Immigration checks on delivery cyclists condemned by shadow minister who accuses police of "racial profiling"
Doesn’t add up.
Police say it was ‘a road safety policing operation’.
Home Office say it was in relation to ‘suspected immigration offences’.I’m all for public safety. I’m not in favour of profiling low-paid gig economy workers to appease Priti Patel.https://t.co/JTFsY8JZPY
— Dr Rosena Allin-Khan 💙 (@DrRosena) May 20, 2021
Shadow minister Rosena Allin-Khan accused police of “racial profiling” after pictures emerged of officers carrying out immigration checks on delivery cyclists in London. The shadow minister for mental health said the checks could amount to “indirect discrimination” due to the disproportionate impact on ethnic minority groups.
Dr Allin-Khan Spoke out about the checks which saw officials targeting cyclists in Tooting, stopping 48 bikes and seizing two. At this stage it is not yet clear how many of the 48 were cyclists and how many were moped or motorcycle drivers, however the Independent reports that three were reported for criminal offences and two arrested for immigration offences.
The MP tweeted: “This looks like racial profiling and I am concerned that under the Equalities Act 2010, this may amount to indirect discrimination due to its disproportionate impact on ethnic minority groups. If it’s not unlawful, then it’s definitely immoral and I cannot defend it.
“I’ve requested a meeting with the police to explain their actions and would encourage them to focus their time on fighting crime – not targeting people at work.”
Despite the photo appearing to show a cycle courier being stopped, a spokesperson for the MET claimed its checks were being carried out due to reports of dangerous driving from moped riders. It was also claimed the immigration enforcement was a separate operation.
The Met spokesperson said: “Following community concerns about dangerous and anti-social driving of mopeds, officers carried out a road safety policing operation in Tooting on Tuesday, 18 May.
“This was not a Covid compliance operation but one of engagement and high visibility.
“Officers from the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing Command stopped a number of motorcycles to check driving licences, insurance documents and to ensure the roadworthiness of the vehicles.
“Where appropriate, advice regarding road safety was given.
“The objective of the operation was in response to community concerns about the dangerous and anti-social driving of mopeds.
“Immigration enforcement officers were also at the location carrying out their own intelligence lead operation, separate from the focus of RTPC officers.”
Italian pride as Andrea Vendrame wins stage 12 of the Giro d'Italia and Vincenzo Nibali steals some seconds
Finalmente @AndreaVendra! Dopo una serie infinita di sfighe e piazzamenti si toglie la soddisfazione più bella vincendo al @giroditalia.
1️⃣ 🇮🇹 #Vendrame @AG2RCITROENTEAM
2️⃣ 🇦🇺 #Hamilton
3️⃣ 🇮🇹 #Brambilla#Giro #Giro104 #GiroDItalia #GiroDItalia2021 #EurosportCICLISMO #20maggio pic.twitter.com/XsrZiDVLhc— Andrea Pecchia (@andrea_pecchia) May 20, 2021
Andrea Vendrame won the Italians their second stage of the Giro d’Italia, outsprinting Chris Hamilton from the breakaway in Bagno di Romagna. Riding for a French team, Vendrame got a maiden win at his home Grand Tour after attacking on the final climb and taking a select group including George Bennett and Gianluca Brambilla to the final.
After Bennett and Brambilla messed about, the other two snuck up the road and contested the stage. Vendrame, who was seventh on the sprint stage won by Peter Sagan on Monday, easily outkicked his Aussie breakaway companion. Brambilla took third, althought the commissaires might take a dim view of his sprint which appeared to impede Bennett.
Ten minutes behind, on the descent, Vincenzo Nibali shot away from the peloton. Hot-headed Gianni Moscon tried to follow but ended up on the deck after sliding out on a tight bend. Nibali pushed on…seven seconds for his efforts may not seem like a fair result…
Tomorrow promises to be possibly the easiest stage of the entire three weeks. Not so much as a speed bump on the parcours for the peloton to worry about on their 198km cruise to Verona.
Help for Heroes launches recumbent cycle jersey
Developed with the help of David Rose, a former RAF engineer, this recumbent cycle jersey from Help for Heroes is designed specifically for the needs of recumbent riders. With a fit suited to the cycling position, it has a higher cut at the back while being lower at the front and features two front pockets.
David suffered several injuries during his time in the RAF which mean he is partially paralysed in his right arm and hand due to nerve damage. “We have addressed everything that is wrong with a standard cycling jersey for
recumbent cycling,” David explained. “This means I now have a place for my phone, snacks, keys, and all manner of items, whilst remaining comfortable with far-improved moisture control. For me, it’s a game changer.”
The jersey is priced at £40 and has been helping David train for the upcoming Heroes Ride 200 where riders have been asked to ride 200 miles between 1-30 June to raise funds to support veterans and their families.
20 May 2021, 08:00
20 May 2021, 08:00
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
54 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
So ' Priority of Road Users' and 1.5 metre clearance at 30mph has been been reduced to 'sharing'? NCN route 2 here in South Hams is an absolute scream with white vans, tractors and total idiots who refuse,or are totally incapable,to reverse on high Devon banked lanes ...means you have to get off and pedal back to a passing place....could be at that all day...so I don't bother...
@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
Obree had some actual talent in his legs though, in addition to his bike/aero engineering talent.
Малко като опит за доказване е излязло... Никой няма нужда от толкова голям въртящ момент и мощност на шосеен велосипед с тънки гуми, които дори трудно ще предават тази мощност върху пътя. А ако има и ограничение от 25 км/час е още по-безмислено.
Not sure how informative that is. I imagine for all most of us know it could be Europe's only 'volumetric modular building'. 🤷♂️
Yes, but they're copying the adults of today...
Indeed - but alas I think this is an effective argument for very few folks indeed. As for push-back, what else could we expect *? I think there are ways of selling this but we're far more likely to see headlines about the problems, while the successes are relegated to footnotes, because at that point it just works and there's nothing to see... * Given that this time there aren't politicians being persuaded to overlook thousands of deaths and the demolition of property by the billions from the motoring trades (and the excitement of being able to drive out with the bright things for a party at a roadhouse). Nor are we as tolerant of "accidents". (And noting that publicity about the cases of a handful of people killed by cyclists continues to reach the media; deaths related to motor vehicles not so much).
That rather ignores that the children of today are the adults of tomorrow.
@belugabob Arguably it's easier this way - we don't actually need to do anything to the streets except stop drivers driving down every scrap of tarmac. Where I live, a few well-placed bollards would make walking/cycling/scooting the quicker option and safer, while maintaining 100% vehicular access - just not allowing through routes in every direction.
54 thoughts on “Immigration checks on delivery cyclists condemned by shadow minister who accuses police of “racial profiling”; Town to dump 20mph speed limit…because most motorists ignore it; Dowsett abandons; Anti-cyclist bingo; Pro pay rise + more on the live blog”
The reigning US road race
The reigning US road race champion (Women 45-49 years) was killed in a cycling lane in Colorado. RIP Gwen Inglis. The driver admits to alcohol and drug use so he will likely be one of the exceedingly few drivers who face jail time for killing a vulnerable road user in the US. Probably worth a live blog mention or a story, road.cc
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/may/19/gwen-inglis-cyclist-dies-fatally-struck-colorado
https://www.outsideonline.com/2423771/cycling-deaths-us-culture-wars
That’s a compelling and
That’s a compelling and frankly depressing article in the US Magazine Outside. This paragraph was particularly stark:
“Of course, our cultural infrastructure is distinctive in other ways, too. For one thing, it venerates the big over the small, the heavy over the light, the powerful over the weak, the fast over the slow, the easy over the hard. In matters of transportation, it also venerates the car over absolutely everything else. That’s why, despite laws in every state giving cyclists equal claim to the road, many of us drive as if cyclists are merely annoying interlopers for whom no driver should ever have to modify behavior.”
It’s not so different here to be fair.
The Outside article makes
The Outside article makes some good points. I was recently taken out by a car, again – I had absolutely no chance. The driver’s being charged with Due Care, but that’s it as far as I know. The fact that I am not grieviously injured is down to exceptional good fortune – a ‘miraculous escape’ to quote the discharging A&E doctor. But it struck me that cars are so dangerous that they have NCAP safety ratings, airbags, ABS, seatbelts, anti-burst doors, safety cages, self-dial the emergency services and heaven knows what else. Now, some of the NCAP stuff relates to pedestrians, but in the main a pedestrian or cyclist is on their own, protected by a helmet that might as well be made out of puff pastry fro all the good it does if a car hits you.
If you are in control (perhaps not) of a device that is so inherently dangerous that it must by law be fitted with all this safety equipment to protect the occupants, then surely it is reasonable that a failure by the operator to safeguard vulnerable third parties should be punishable by more than 3 points and £100. A crane operator who swings a load into someone and injures them is going to have the HSE all over them and their employer – why should the same standards not apply to all operators of dangerous machinery?
I cannot comprehend what it
I cannot comprehend what it is like to see your wife killed in an instant whilst out cycling together. Utterly tragic, RIP Gwen and condolences to her husband.
What I took from that article
What I took from that article is the charge of vehicular homicide; why don’t we have the same or similar charge in the UK? Never mind causing death by dangerous driving (on the very few occasions it is charged) “vehicular homicide” rather concentrates the mind on what is important, that some people kill others with a car because they just don’t care about the safety of others.
As we know from the recent press release about the use of “accident, collision and crash” words matter.
Having that charge in the law
Having that charge in the law books, available to prosecutors and police, is one thing. But, as the Outside article points out and as I see so many times on this site, applying the available charges to negligent and dangerous behavior behind the wheel is another. It’s a culture thing, and here in the US ours is a car culture more than anything. I’m hoping that starts to change before I’m out of my riding years, but I’m not optimistic. And as a new Dad I feel I can’t trust drivers nor white lines on the road, so it’s mostly gravel and Zwift for me. I so miss riding in Europe.
The mind really does boggle
The mind really does boggle at the comments made by transportation officer Dhusjan Sivaratnam. By his logic motorways should have at least an 80mph speed limit because most motorists will drive at 80mph.
Notwithstanding that they quote 85% of drivers ignore the 20mph limit in Markinch….. am I not right in thinking that the DfT did a survey which shows that about 85% of drivers ignore 20mph limits pretty much across the board. Does that mean they should just get rid of all 20mph limits across the country?
Surely adding an average
Surely adding an average speed camera to the mix would help with speeding drivers?
I live on a 20mph road and the number of drivers that speed, despite speed humps, is ridiculous. This is a fully residential road, with cars parked on the road on both sides, but wide enough for cars to pass in both directions.
I found myself throwing a
I found myself throwing a loaded dog waste bag at a car that was doing, I would estimate, 60-70mph through our village a while ago.
Oddly satisfying, though I couldn’t possibly recommend it.
PRSboy wrote:
I think you’ll find that “a dog waste bag failed to negotiate the village road and was in collision with a car travelling briskly through the village. The dog (8) was unhurt.”
re “Town to dump 20mph speed
re “Town to dump 20mph speed limit”
Quite right. And it’s about time we used the opportunity to get rid of other anachronistic “laws”. A whopping hundred percent of shoplifters, muggers, and killers ignore theft, assault and murder laws. We should remove them forthwith, thereby cleaning up the crime statistics and reducing the prison population in one fell swoop
Captain Badger wrote:
Maybe we should do this with a trial first. Like one day a year without those pesky laws? We could call it something catchy, like “The Purge”.
They’ll be making films about this soon…Oh…
Re the 20mph story, it’s not
Re the 20mph story, it’s not just Fife, across the Forth a similar situation. https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/transport/linlithgow-drivers-are-ignoring-temporary-20mph-signs-3230748
A Survey shows the 20 limit being ignored, time for action by Police you might think. No and I can’t believe the comment “But the range of speeds are not much above what would be tolerated in the 30mph zone,” Oh that alright then.
What on earth are we paying the police and council officials for?
Safety wrote:
Councillors I agree,I’m sure they could come up with a means to make 20mph limits work there.
The police,well then you go down the rabbit hole of them stating 20mph limits arent always legally enforceable, due to incorrect signage placement, the accuracy of their measuring equipment and ability to use it on such roads,and how they are meant to be self enforcing via traffic calming measures (see councillors point above), signage like a limit with “20s plenty” often put in around schools have no legal basis at all. Consequently the police have very little intention of doing much about them or enforcing speed limits on them, there are exceptions,but they are exceptions not the norm.
This example in Markinch looks to be of the incorrect signage placement variety,with minimal traffic calming and we are back to the councillors again.
The new Scottish Road Safety
The new Scottish Road Safety Framework document that’s in draft just now includes a big push to improved safety, and perception of safety, required to help towards meeting the active travel targets. It will be interesting to see if guidance on setting speed limits changes from the current approach.
Safety wrote:
Partly for another £10,000 to change the signage again according to the local newspaper.
Latest DfT data shows that
Latest DfT data shows that 30mph speed limits are largely ignored by drivers so why not ditch them as well.
“The latest data shows that 63% of cars exceeded the speed limit on 30mph roads during Q2 (April to June) 2020, compared to 56% during the same period in 2019.”
https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/car-industry-news/2020/12/01/dft-report-highlights-speeding-increase-during-lockdown
Whilst transportation officer Dhusjan Sivaratnam believes that drivers are “not interested” in speed limits I wonder if they asked any pedestrians or cyclists if they were “interested”.
Was watching a Police
Was watching a Police-Interceptor-Traffic-Cops-Speed type show the other night, and Our Policeman had stopped some bloke speeding in a 40 limit area.
He pulled the bloke over, sat him down and told him he was stopping him for speeding.
The bloke seemed genuinely confused and asked why he was being stopped when he was barely over the limit.
Our Policeman explained that he hd been driving at 65mph (IIRC) in a 40mph speed limit, so more than 50% over the limit.
The bloke asked how he was supposed to know how fast he was driving…
brooksby wrote:
To me displaying that level of incompetence should be revocation of licence pending retraining and testing
You need a license to revoke
You need a license to revoke in the first place ?
The bloke asked how he was
The bloke asked how he was supposed to know how fast he was driving…
This story illustrates why we’re doing so badly over close-passing. We moan on and on here, but nothing changes because of the police refusal to regard ‘close passing without blood on the road’ as a proper offence. We hear of very few proper penalties for close-passing- ‘words of advice’ and the joke course do not count! I have been harassing Lancashire Constabulary for years and my very first ‘successful’ case is due for court hearing in about 3 weeks. I am psychologically prepared for some extreme leniency despite the driver declining the opportunity to accept a penalty 18 months ago, and I am expecting the police will not try very hard although I hope I’m wrong. Maybe, the offender will use the ‘how am I supposed to know how far I was from the cyclist?’ dodge. I have refrained from including the picture yet again, but the Passat was very close- for those saddened by the omission, I will include it in some post or other reporting Court Case 1.
This was how drink driving
This was how drink driving used to be handled. As long as the driver hadn’t hit anyone or anything, there was no victim. right?
“Just drive home carefully, sir, and use a taxi next time.”
It seems like Dhusjan
It seems like Dhusjan Sivaratnam is a waste of space and should be fired with immediate effect. He’s the transportation officer and has a duty first and foremost to the residents of his area, not to make life easy for speeding passers-by.
Absolutely furious about this and I live hundreds of miles away, and its the resident in me – not the cyclist.
Sounds like we need to change
Sounds like we need to change how speeding fines are collected and how the money is distributed.
Out-source the ANPR speeding cameras to private companies and/or interested parties with a small percentage of fines gathered to be used for installation/upkeep/profit etc. That way a concerned community could club together to raise a few hundred quid, install some cameras, sit back and watch the money rolling in until the motorists actually realise they can just reduce their speed.
Exactly, councils can make up
Exactly, councils can make up their own rules about cycling in town centres and enforce them with fines but not dangerous speeding drivers?
My gut feel is that many
My gut feel is that many motorists drive at what they consider to be an “acceptable” margin above the speed limit. Raising the limit from 20mph to 30mph will therefore increase the average speed along that road. I’d be interested to know if that’s how it works out.
AidanR wrote:
From what I can remember of the research I read some time ago, you are right. In this case, drivers slow to 30mph because of the 20 limit, and if the limit is raised to 30, they’ll drive closer to 40.
It’s disappointing that the council cave in rather than enforce properly. I wonder if they have a transport plan with a massive section about encouraging active travel by restricting vehicle speeds?
Exactly. There are plenty of
Exactly. There are plenty of ways to signal a 20 zone better without putting in speed cushions: a small cobbled zone, visual cues, narrowing the road.
lesterama wrote:
of course narrowing of the road penalises cyclists, no filtering when traffic is slow and disgruntled drivers unable to pass when the road is clear. We can’t all ride at 20mph, and I would rather cyclists were not employed by highways designers as traffic calming measures.
How about a segregated cycle
How about a segregated cycle lane? The main carriageway is narrowed AND safer cyclists 🙂
lesterama wrote:
…a stinger, or caltrops…
brooksby wrote:
seems a bit extreme…
Captain Badger wrote:
Oh, I don’t know…
“Labour councillor Altany
“Labour councillor Altany Craik was disappointed by the move and said it may encourage drivers to decide what speed they want to drive on other roads. “Basically, we’re saying we should make it 30 because drivers can’t stick to 20,””
So why not put a speed camera on said road to enforce the speed limit?
Will these councillors be raising the speed limit to 40 soon because cars are now travelling over 30?
This whole thing is nonsensical.
Apparently psychopaths are
Apparently psychopaths are not influenced by the illegality of murder. Therefore I propose that we legalise murder for all diagnosed psychopaths.
RE the 20mph story – I really
RE the 20mph story – I really think the council officers have shot themselves in the foot by saying they are changing it BECAUSE no one obeys it. If they’d simply said they’d reviewed the speed limits and decided 30mph would be more appropriate for that stretch of road, I don’t think anyone would have batted an eyelid.
I’ve had a look around on google streetview (the exact road segment in question is mapped in the linked Courier article) and I could have sympathy with that approach.
It wouldn’t be my preferred approach – it certainly looks to me like tricks have been missed throughout the development of the new housing estate to build-in active travel (I bet you most resident drive the 0.8 miles into town to go to the Co-op) – but given the road as it is, a 30mph limit would seem to be in line with how speed limits are set more generally. Indeed, I’m sure we can all think of plenty of other streets which would be more deserving of a 20mph limit but aren’t.
On the cycling bingo story:
On the cycling bingo story:
“drivers pay a lot of money to drive but pushbikes pay absolutely nothing.”
Hmm – I think somebody missed a memo about cyclists/motorists and bicycles/cars…
Quote:
…made by one Mrs P. Patel.
I was under the impression that the police can’t just start stopping people in the street and checking their immigration status.
How would you prove your immigration status if you were stopped on the street, anyway?
brooksby wrote:
The Home office has a database of citizens, called the “Home Office Central Command Unit”. Link below.
https://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/immigration-status-checks-by-police-are-just-one-of-many-tools-used-by-police-to-apprehend-foreign-national-offenders
“The most considerate bike
“The most considerate bike path I’ve ever seen”
Yes, of all sentient cycling infrastructure, this path is clearly the most thoughtful.
“Over a 90 minute period on
“Over a 90 minute period on Tuesday afternoon, they stopped 48 bikes. Two were seized after the owners were found to have no insurance, while three riders were reported for criminal offences and two were arrested for immigration offences.”
“Discriminatory” or not, that’s a successful operation. 7 out of 48 is a ridiculously high amount and shows that more of these operations should be carried out across the country. The companies hiring these people need to face some sanction or criminal charges too it seems.
The shadow minister needs to
The shadow minister needs to give her head a wobble. The police did not target immigrants, they targeted a business service.
My local bike shop has a greasy takeaway on the same row, the police should target places such as this too, they all deliver the food in clapped out old cars with wings taped on, broken lights etc. I have absolutely no doubt that none will have business insurance, judging by the standard of driving I wouldnt be surprised if some don’t have a license. One driver came onto the parking area and hit my friends shop front once, he carried on regardless, parked up and when challenged, he didn’t understand as he couldn’t speak english. This is a huge problem which needs sorting, regardless of the ethnicity of the drivers, it is their choice to go into that industry, the police need to target that industry to get uninsured, dangerous drivers off the road. The next cyclist to be killed could quite well be hit by one of these morons.
I stopped out side M&S in the
I stopped out side M&S in the high st and noticed a 53 plate in the taxi rank. A taxi driver was remonstrating with the driver (a food delivery one) who then played the racist card. So I told the driver that the issue was him parking in the taxi rank not his nationality. A quick dvla check showed the ved was overdue by 6+ month. What’s the betting he had no insurance either?
I would guess that 90% plus
I would guess that 90% plus who deliver for Deliveroo, Just Eat etc do not have business insurance. A neighbour lives on takeouts, the state of some of the vehicles which turn up is mind boggling. I had a rant at one who turned up just as i was going out. I was opening my gates and he parked right across my gates. He refused to move, telling me he would only be a few minutes. He didn’t appear to understand that he was causing an obstruction, and refused to move, becoming quite agitated and threatening.
Lots of the (increasing
Lots of the (increasing number of) moped deliveries around here (not far from Tooting) are done on machines with altered/defective exhaust silencers. They’re still slow so the deafening racket lingers longer and verges on the physically painful.
Noise pollution is increasingly linked with serious health harm, and these arseholes are among the worst sources.
Duncann wrote:
It was only a few months ago the police were talking about car washes being filled with illegal immigrants and encouraging modern slavery. I have to wonder if there’s any investigations going on there too.
The police and immigration
The police and immigration officers used to raid one of the nearby car washes. Last time, they pulled onto the car park, a dozen sponges were thrown on the ground as many people sprinted for the boundary wall and leaped over into the woodland. Plod has never bothered to return. The sheer scale of illegal immigrants working at car washes and takeaways is mind boggling, that is from a police officer.
I cannot believe they cannot have a targeted attack on the takeaway delivery drivers, almost all will have no business insurance, most of the cars I have seen being used for deliveries look like they should be in the scrapyard, and the standard of driving and parking is beyond abysmal.
“The replacement of the 20mph
“The replacement of the 20mph zone with a 30mph limit would align the mandatory limit with drivers’ perception. The road is quite wide and that might be a factor in why people are speeding. We could even put more speed cushions there and they’ll still speed.”
This is malpractice. He even has the solution trying to jump out at him in this quote. The road is too wide. Narrow it. This costs very little (maybe just paint) and potentially creates lots of future savings, as it can be repaved narrower when it’s due for maintenance. Of course, bike lanes would be nice too.
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2020/7/24/understanding-the-85th-percentile-speed
The best way to address
The best way to address chromic speeding is to remove the privilege of holding a license. It is a privilege, not a right, and one which can be removed as easily as it is granted.
“However, transportation
“However, transportation officer Dhusjan Sivaratnam believes that despite measures being taken to encourage compliance, drivers are just not interested.”
Well maybe these drivers need the sort of encouragement that comes from their wallets. If they already do then maybe the size of the donations isnt high enough and they need to be “Encouraged” to donate more.
I mean what do you do when the guy you shake down for lunch money doesnt pay up? You take him around the corner and beat him with the stick harder. Except in this case the drivers are beating themselves but not paying up.
In the Karma Police in
In the Karma Police in Greenwich, what offense has the car driving on the wrong side actually committed? If there is no one approaching and the lines don’t prevent overtaking as long as it safe what offense will the Police charge the driver with?
But it isn’t a safe overtake
But it isn’t a safe overtake because they can’t see that their path is clear for the whole manoeuvre. Besides which, this is not even “overtaking” in the generally understood sense – this is driving on the wrong side of the road.
Hate the phrase ‘wrong side
Hate the phrase ‘wrong side of the road’. I argued once that more space could be given to me if driver used the other side. But he was adament that ‘that was the wrong side of the road’.
Love the recumbent cycling
Love the recumbent cycling jersey… my wife rides a bent trike, and has struggled to find technical clothing suitable. This looks just the job, and supports a good cause too….
Oh! They dont make a female version……of any of their cycling kit….. oh, well, back to the drawing board.