“That’s how this idiot wastes our money”: Bike companies face backlash over ULEZ offers; Luke Rowe “f***ing gutted” to miss out on Vuelta; James Corden’s shoddy bike parking; Thomas Gloag hit by motorist; More useless bike racks + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Up-and-coming British pro Thomas Gloag injured after being hit by motorist during training ride
After a stellar, almost whirlwind start to life as a pro, promising young British rider Thomas Gloag’s end-of-season has unfortunately been derailed thanks to a collision with a motorist while out training this week.
The Jumbo-Visma rider was struck by the driver during a training ride, suffering a knee injury, the Dutch team announced in a short statement this morning. The injuries sustained in the crash required Gloag to undergo surgery, and he will “now focus on his recovery and next season”.
> Belgian pro cyclist placed in coma undergoes spinal surgery after training crash
The collision with the motorist brings an abrupt and untimely end to a promising first year in the pro peloton for Gloag, who only started racing late into his teenage years.
The 21-year-old from East Dulwich turned pro with Jumbo-Visma this year after impressing as a stagiaire for the Dutch outfit last autumn. He immediately proved his worth at the highest level, taking sixth overall and second a stage of the Volta a La Comunitat Valenciana, before taking another top ten on Jebel Jais, the key summit finish of the UAE Tour, finishing on the same time as Remco Evenepoel and Adam Yates.
Riding on the wheel of team leader Roglič at his first ever Giro (Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
After another encouraging top ten on a summit finish at the Tour de Romandie – which helped secure him 11th overall – Gloag was drafted in as a last-minute replacement for the Giro d’Italia after injury and illness struck Jumbo-Visma’s squad just before the Corsa Rosa. And Gloag didn’t disappoint on his surprise maiden grand tour either, helping Primož Roglič in the mountains on his way to a last-gasp victory over Geraint Thomas.
After his mammoth lap of Italy, the youngster returned to action at last month’s Clásica San Sebastián, but now appears set to miss the rest of the season. Rest up, Thomas!
Edinburgh: “Our cycle parking facilities are useless”… Brighton: “Hold my extremely light, easily unscrewed bike rack”
It turns out that Edinburgh isn’t the only place where cyclists have spotted some, ahem, clear issues with their cycle parking facilities.
Brighton’s bike racks also appear to match the ‘can be easily removed’ brief seemingly favoured by councils recently…
See also:”Why do these bloody cyclists insist on locking their bikes to the cast iron and concreted in prom railings not the hollow tubed, bolted down, Sheffield stands provided?” https://t.co/JKFxP9oQia
— LukeB_MTB @mastodon.social (@LukeB_MTB) August 22, 2023
As Luke put it in the replies: “Why do these bloody cyclists insist on locking their bikes to the cast iron and concreted-in prom railings, and not the hollow tubed, bolted down Sheffield stands provided?”
Why indeed…
Lidl-Trek keep it coming with the weird T-shirt announcements
I’m not going to lie, Lidl-Trek’s obsession with horrible, Photoshopped T-shirt-based transfer announcements has kept me going through the post-worlds malaise…
And it’s safe to say their social media team is showing no signs of slowing down with their Vuelta line-up news:
We selected our eight riders for @lavuelta and all they got was this lousy T-shirt! pic.twitter.com/rksV9q3BZU
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) August 22, 2023
Though I feel like Julien Bernard’s image will haunt my dreams tonight…
🇫🇷 @JulienBernard17 pic.twitter.com/IaArQbAbro
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) August 22, 2023
Lotto Dstny sports director Allan Davis fired after inappropriate messages to women
Following his removal from Lotto Dstny’s Tour de France staff when the reports of unwanted messages and photos came to light, Davis was reportedly let go by the Belgian team on 10th August, three days after another woman wrote to both Lotto Dstny and the UCI with further allegations of inappropriate online behaviour by the retired Australian sprinter, a source told road.cc.
Read more: > Lotto Dstny sports director Allan Davis fired after inappropriate messages to women
And the newest ambassador for Lime Bikes is… Oh, dear God: Everyone’s favourite celebrity James Corden receives telling off for leaving hire bike outside restaurant
The Lime cycle hire scheme has come in for criticism in recent months, after residents in the west London borough of Hounslow claimed that the ubiquitous green and white e-bikes were “deliberately” being left in “dangerous places”, and that it was only a matter of time before “somebody gets killed”.
So, in a PR coup that I’m sure will delight the company’s execs, everyone’s favourite celebrity James Corden found himself this week receiving a ticking off from the door man of a Mayfair restaurant, after the universally loved and not at all widely ridiculed comedian and actor parked one of the Lime bikes on the pavement outside the fancy establishment.
James Corden had a rather awkward moment on his London outing… https://t.co/IFF0sSXQs0
— Metro Entertainment (@Metro_Ents) August 21, 2023
According to the Mirror, the doorman – who was “having none of it”, apparently – picked the bike up and handed it back to the Gavin and Stacey star, who rode off looking for a “more suitable” place to park the hire bike.
But, the newspaper noted, he “remained in high spirits”. Which I’m sure we’re all relieved to hear.
His shoddy Lime parking isn’t the first time, remarkably, that Corden has made headlines while riding a hire bike in London.
Last July, the host of the Late Late Show (the American version, not the Irish one where Stephen Roche was asked about doping back in the early 90s, I’m reliably informed) was left “fuming” after a cyclist “darted across the road” and knocked him off his Santander Cycles hire bike.
Moment James Corden rages at cyclist who sent star flying from his bike pic.twitter.com/F0SjG4y9r4
— The Sun (@TheSun) July 19, 2022
Corden has also long been a strong advocate for cycling and improved cycling infrastructure, even dedicating a segment of his show back in 2015 to criticise opponents of bike lanes in a Californian city.
Corden joked that Coronado was in “crisis” and “being ravaged… by bike lanes”. Following a short video piece which told viewers that in Coronado 70 percent of school students walk or cycle to school, Corden sarcastically commented: “What a truly horrifying place to live”.
“It looks like utopia, but there are actually people who have a problem with the number of bike lanes […] it’s ridiculous. Who are these people? Who could possibly have a problem with bike lanes? Well, it’s the same people who always have a problem — rich, old, white ladies…”
Well, I suppose you can’t choose the people who are on your side, can you?
And on the subject of James Corden…
I couldn’t possibly include a live blog story about ol’ Smithy without referring to one of my favourite ever tweets (or Xs, whatever) from back last year, when everyone was regaling us with their very true experiences of the much-maligned comedy actor:
I used to be on a bike team with James Corden. One day on the bus he got out a huge bag of EPO powder and started doing lines off the 1994 Tour de France roadbook, yelling about the “Milo Joan!” in a French accent, then punched a swannie. He is now banned from cycling for life.
— tom owen (@tomowencc) October 18, 2022
Classic Corden.
No Vuelta this year, but at least Rowe’s GCN poster boy status remains intact
Love your work 😍 https://t.co/Msoar50TEK
— Luke Rowe (@LukeRowe1990) August 22, 2023
“The presumption of innocence simply doesn’t exist here”: Toon Aerts flips the UCI “a big and heartfelt middle finger” after doping ban
Belgian cyclocross star Toon Aerts, who earlier this week received a two-year doping ban after testing positive for the testosterone-boosting drug Letrozole, has launched a scathing critique of the UCI’s handling of his case, including sending the governing body a “big and heartfelt middle finger”.
The 29-year-old, a leading figure on the cyclocross circuit for much of the past decade, failed an out-of-competition test for Letrozole in January 2022, a week and half before he finished sixth at the cyclocross world championships in Fayeteville, Arkansas, won by Tom Pidcock.
On Friday, after a lengthy investigation, the UCI suspended him for two years, backdated to February 2022 (meaning he will miss the coming ‘cross season), and stripped him of any results obtained between 19 January and 5 February 2022.
> Toon Aerts set to receive two-year ban for positive anti-doping test
The substance Aerts tested positive for, Letrozole, is primarily used to block oestrogen during the treatment of breast cancer, but can be used in a sporting context to help boost the production of testosterone. It is regarded by the UCI as a specified substance, meaning it does not come with an automatic provisional suspension, though Aerts decided to suspend himself while he prepared his defence.
Despite claiming that he was a victim of contamination through a food supplement, the UCI ruled that “after a thorough examination of the case, including several expert reports submitted by the Belgian rider, the Tribunal considered that Toon Aerts had failed to establish how the prohibited substance entered his body.”
In a statement released last night, Aerts lambasted the governing body and its treatment of “flesh-and-blood people”.
Final statement (English) pic.twitter.com/qxn7LnJgry
— Aerts Toon (@ToAerts) August 21, 2023
“1.5 years I had to wait for this final verdict,” he said. “I may have typed in the word Letrozole on Google 5,000 times during this period… hoping to find the missing piece of the puzzle. But we didn’t find it. Now where on earth did it come from? I still don’t know exactly how this got into my body. But I can’t blame myself. I threw thousands of euros at it, visited several universities, had several reports written by experts… and in the meantime I just kept running, cycling, and teaching.
“Never was I invited by the UCI or given the chance to speak to anyone physically. Everything was via email or registered mail. We were always bound by tight deadlines to reply within a few days, which often included holidays. But on the other hand, we always had to wait weeks, sometimes months, before we could receive anything back.
“Waiting, waiting, waiting… I think they sometimes forget that riders are also just flesh-and-blood people.”
(Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com)
He continued: “It has also become clear to me over the past few months that the ‘presumption of innocence’ simply doesn’t exist here. I thought this was a basic right… We tried to explain everything we knew ourselves as transparently as possible and to substantiate it scientifically. This showed with 100 percent certainty that I am not a conscious doping user. You then at least hope for common sense from the people on the other side… But there just isn’t any. The legal framework is sacred.
“I never took doping and ever even considered it. After a year and a half in a legal tug-of-war, now portrayed as a cheater. Along with my entire family and surrounds suddenly labelled losers. It hurts and it doesn’t feel right.
“Well here UCI, a bit and heartfelt middle finger! You could have made us the happiest people on earth… But who is Toon Aerts in the big circus of cycling?”
Aerts concluded by referencing the case of fellow Belgian rider Shari Bossuyt, who also tested positive for Letrozole in June, and who is currently suspended by her Canyon-Sram team as the investigation into her case continues. Like Aerts, the 22-year-old claims she is a victim of contamination.
“I only hope my case rings a bell with everyone,” he wrote, “because I am holding my heart for riders and athletes who may go through exactly the same thing. My heart is bleeding for Shari who is in the same situation.”
Aerts also confirmed he will “definitely be back” racing when his suspension ends on 16 February next year.
Lotto Dstny confirms Allan Davis departure
Statement
Lotto Dstny and Allan Davis part ways, read more on our website:https://t.co/jwpR81ufzR
— Lotto Dstny (@lotto_dstny) August 22, 2023
Lotto Dstny have confirmed that Allan Davis – the Australian sprinter-turned-sports director accused of sending numerous women unwanted messages and images online – has been let go by the Belgian team, after reports of his current employment status spread throughout the cycling world this morning.
Lotto Dstny said in a statement:
Allan Davis is no longer employed at Lotto Dstny. The collaboration with the Australian sports director was recently terminated.
Just before the Tour de France, Davis was hit by a personal affair. The team decided not to take him to the Tour to keep the peace, but did start an internal investigation into accusations regarding transgressive behaviour.
“Without going into details, it has been decided to stop the collaboration with Allan,” says CEO Stephane Heulot. “Lotto Dstny has its own values and standards which we apply in our daily work and in the team. We have a line that we do not deviate from and we require our employees to adhere to it. We prioritise the well-being and integrity of our team and a further collaboration was therefore impossible.”
In the meantime, the other sports directors are taking over Allan Davis’ duties and a solution is being sought for next season.
Neither the team nor its employees will make any further comments on this statement.
Ah, the old ‘hit by a personal affair’ chestnut. Just like being struck by a wayward golf ball, isn’t it?
Read more: > Lotto Dstny sports director Allan Davis fired after sending “inappropriate” messages to women
“Stoking cyclist hate will get him more publicity”
> CyclingMikey hits back at Mr Loophole’s latest attack on “snitch society” camera cyclists
Ah, damn it! I promised I wouldn’t mention The Lawyer Who Must Not Be Named on today’s blog… But there’s always tomorrow, right? Now, what’s Jeremy Vine up to?
What, more riders?! Lidl-Trek establishes development team
Introducing Lidl-Trek’s brand-new development team 👋
Meet the first eight riders to be announced to the program👇
— Lidl-Trek (@LidlTrek) August 22, 2023
Just when you thought Lidl-Trek couldn’t possibly announce the signing of yet another rider for 2024, the US-based team goes and unveils eight – eight! – new signings, as part of the squad’s new development programme for young riders.
Yep, as the Lidl revolution of the longstanding Trek setup continues at pace, the new development team – earmarked by the supermarket chain as one of its biggest priorities when it came on board – aims to “ring in some of the most promising young riders in the world and raise them under a patient, guiding hand at second- and third-tier events”.
The team will be managed by the team’s former Basque rider Markel Irizar, and among its eight original riders includes Irish prospect Liam O’Brien, Belgian Axandre Van Petegem (the son of Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix winner Peter), and European elimination champion Tim Torn Teutenberg, the son of former pro Lars, nephew of Flanders winner Ina-Yoko, and brother of Ceratizit rider Lea Lin.
So, they’re not short of pedigree, anyway…
Cyclist closes down one motorway lane after being spotted on M60 between Bolton and Bury
It feels like ages since a cyclist was spotted riding on a motorway, but that sensible streak came to an end last week, when a foolhardy rider was seen on the M60 between Bolton and Bury, causing one lane to temporarily close.
The cyclist was seen riding between the junctions of Clifton Interchange and Whitefield Interchange on August 15, the Bolton News reports.
He was soon accompanied off the motorway by a National Highways traffic officer, with one lane closed to ensure his safety. The traffic officer then spent some time advising the man about the Highway Code.
A spokesperson for National Highways said: “Safety remains our priority at National Highways and we would like to remind people to familiarise themselves with the law to ensure they keep themselves safe.”
Bike hangars look like “pigsties” and are “discriminatory to the disabled”, disgruntled residents claim
Another day, another complaint about bike hangars…
“I’ve gone all in for this Vuelta, and I didn’t make the cut”: Luke Rowe “pretty f***ing gutted” to miss out on Vuelta selection
Luke Rowe has revealed that he’s “pretty f***ing gutted” to not be shepherding fellow Welshman and podcast co-host Geraint Thomas around Spain for the next few weeks, after missing out on selection for the Ineos Grenadiers’ Vuelta a España, which starts on Saturday in Barcelona.
Thomas will instead attempt to avenge his last-gasp Giro d’Italia defeat at the hands of Primož Roglič in the company of Egan Bernal, Filippo Ganna, Thymen Arensman, Laurens De Plus, Jonathan Castroviejo, Omar Fraile, and Kim Heiduk.
Rowe’s snub means that the 33-year-old will miss out on riding a grand tour during a season for the first time since 2012, his neo-pro year at the then-Team Sky.
Since then, the Welsh road captain has been a key component of five Tour de France wins for the British team, including compatriot Thomas’ victory in 2018 (2023 also marked the first time since 2014 that Rowe wasn’t selected for the Tour).
Speaking to co-host Thomas on their Watts Occurring podcast, Rowe was typically forthcoming about his feelings concerning the team’s decision to snub him for the Vuelta, a race he says he’d been targeting for four months – a preparation process that even prompted him to recently shave his head (marginal gains, innit?).
Typical honesty from Luke on this week’s pod as he reveals why he won’t be joining G at the Vuelta pic.twitter.com/zBgcqU8HRK
— Watts Occurring (@Watts_Occurring) August 21, 2023
“I’ll tell you what’s not occurring – me joining you on a lap of Spain, mate,” he told Thomas on the podcast.
“I’ve gone all in for this Vuelta, and I didn’t make the cut. If I’m honest, I’m pretty f***ing gutted, actually. For the last four months, it’s been all towards this. I’ve raced, done some nice races, I’ve trained really well, and all the signs were pointing in the right direction.
“But maybe it’s a bit my naivety, really, that I thought I was more in the door than I really was.”
He continued: “When they called me, your first reaction is, ‘Oh for f***’s sake’, and a bit of anger. I just said to [my wife] Cath, ‘I’m going to go to the fridge and open a bottle of wine and I’m going to drink it’ – well, with her, I wasn’t going to drink the whole thing. Then I’m going to go out on the town, and I’m going to send it. I got home in the early hours of the morning, had a hangover day, and the next afternoon, I was like, ‘Right that’s it now. That’s done. Get on with it now.’”
“You have setbacks in life and in sport, don’t you? I think what you have to remember is, it’s a bike race. Let’s keep things in context. But that being said, a career is full of highs and lows. You can be going really well, looking forward to great things, and then the next moment told you can’t do those great things and you can’t go on that mission.
“Deep down, it’s pretty gutting, and it does hurt not to make the cut. But, you know, they’ve got eight great blokes there.”
“That’s how this idiot wastes our money”: Bike companies face backlash over ULEZ offers
With the expansion of London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) set to come into force this time next week, a number of cycle companies have already begun to capitalise on the new regulations by offering those with non-compliant vehicles special offers on their bikes – a marketing campaign that hasn’t gone down well with motorists who believe that the scheme is simply a way to force them out of their cars.
Folding bike brand Brompton are one of the companies who have responded to the ULEZ expansion by partnering with Transport for London to offer people living within the zone 10 percent off one of their C Line models as part of mayor Sadiq Khan’s scrappage scheme.
Meanwhile, Dutch bike subscription company Swapfiets are running a special one-off introductory discount on their e-bikes, which the brand says will offer “savvy and sustainable Londoners the chance to bypass the new £12.50 daily ULEZ charge and cruise into work on an e-bike instead”.
However, the offers haven’t gone down well with some living in the soon-to-be-expanded ULEZ zone.
“Khan is contributing 10 percent of the cost of a Brompton to anybody who lives in the extended ULEZ zone,” wrote one Londoner on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “These bikes range between £1,400 and £3,500. That’s how this idiot wastes our money.”
“That won’t help Arthur and Ethel much with their weekly shop,” agreed Mark.
“How many cyclists do you see around here, other than the Lycra weekend hobby cyclists? Hardly any,” another said. “Point is Khan doesn’t understand that and is prepared to spend our money on unlimited Brompton discounts.”
> Whose ULEZ is it anyway? Political chicanery as clean air zone set to expand to outer London
What do you think? Are Brompton and Swapfiets’ offers an example of some savvy marketing? Will offers like these incentivise those impacted by ULEZ to ditch four wheels for two?
Or are these companies barking up the wrong tree? Have those Londoners open to cycling around the city already made the switch? And does this kind of messaging only add fuel to the fire of the shouty few who think it’s all a big conspiracy to change their way of life?
Let us know in the comments…
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43 Comments
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Latest Comments
(reply to Backladder as ability to reply to more than the fourth reply seems to have been removed) I really hope that's tongue in cheek, because if it isn't it's just ludicrous. I have never noticed the slightest discrepancy between wind noise when riding with a helmet and when riding without so it must be minimal at best. I've read quite a lot of debate about helmets, here and elsewhere, and you're the first person I've ever seen suggesting that people wearing helmets might crash because of wind noise.
You’re making a big assumption there that “anonymous person posting on the internet” is in the UK.
Its nice that they have these little things called kilometres for all the show offs to ride large numbers of, but in the UK road signs use miles and speed limits are in miles per hour so come back when you are using big boy units!
I don't know of any research into that question but from my own experience a helmet interferes with my awareness of traffic around me, the noise from the wind in the helmet is louder than the sound of modern quiet cars and other cyclists so perhaps your urban commuters are crashing because they can't hear other traffic around them?
My father undertook post mortems and attended coronors inquests until his retirement and early death. He saw the riders who died in accidents. He built up decades of observed experience. He made us wear a helmet.
I'm glad I had my trousers on. If I hadn't I might have been arrested.
Who was responsible for organising the prizes on Bullseye? Tonight's star prize was a luxury fitted kitchen. How are you supposed to split that between two contestants? Absolutely ridiculous.
Oh sir! sir! Johnnys riding his bike without a helmet, he’s going to die when he falls off!, Yes what a silly boy he is ! Anyway jump in the car we’re going to be late for school and I hope no one gets in my way especially bleeding cyclists!! I wonder if AI will see what fools we are..
It's more about the nomex suit, car helmet and five point harnesses (with HANS), but "reply" ain't what it used to be...
'Gotten' ? The word is 'become', as in, I have become sick of seeing 'gotten'.
43 thoughts on ““That’s how this idiot wastes our money”: Bike companies face backlash over ULEZ offers; Luke Rowe “f***ing gutted” to miss out on Vuelta; James Corden’s shoddy bike parking; Thomas Gloag hit by motorist; More useless bike racks + more on the live blog”
Sunak’s LTN review could
Sunak’s LTN review could threaten not just recent schemes but traffic calming and quiet streets measures that have been in place thirty years or more:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/aug/20/review-of-low-traffic-neighbourhoods-risks-creating-rat-runs-say-campaigners
I reckon they should rip out
I reckon they should rip out those cul-de-sacs. They’re clearly stopping traffic flowing freely though our residential neighbourhoods and that’ll stop ambulances getting through. Plus the old or poor are disproportionately affected by having to drive further than they might to get to vital services (the corner shop) or social support (the bookies).
In addition they force more traffic onto main roads, increasing pollution.
And those quiet leafy streets (possibly in Essex)? Apparently women don’t feel safe on them, so we need to get more traffic going down them.
Railway lines too. TrAiNS
Railway lines too. TrAiNS aRE WokE!!
I mean have you ever watched a railway line for any length of time? – EMPTY most of the time. It’s the wokerati that keep demanding alternative measures in their “war” on drivers & yet they don’t use the trains that I PaY fOr!! AND there was no consultashyun about putting them in.
Rip out the train lines & replace them with roads!!
It was considered in 1957 and
It was considered in 1957 and in the 1980’s…
https://www.londonreconnections.com/2014/near-terminal-case-saving-marylebone-rail-road-conversion/
Clem Fandango wrote:
Good point – there have literally been several times when I’ve got to a level crossing before a train did but had to wait just because they put barriers down and give priority to the train? You can’t have an ambulance, police car or a fire engine on a railway you know!
And another thing – the train comes nowhere near my house.
Actually you can have a fire
Actually you can have a fire engine on a railway:
muhasib wrote:
Fake news! You’ll be saying you can get an ambulance there next!
chrisonatrike wrote:
Yes, trains are less common than cars so they should have to stop and press a “beg button” then wait for a green light at every level crossing!
Clem Fandango wrote:
That Dokter Beecham and the badbugger Marples-the-lorry already dun it.
chrisonatrike wrote:
Absolutely, apparantly some of them have been in place since the 1960’s, just think how many people have died because emergency vehicles couldn’t get to them in the last 60 years!
It’s not about ripping out
It’s not about ripping out the cul-de-sac, more about knocking down the house on the end, and maybe the one behind it so a multi lane highway can be put in, with plenty of parking, so that it may now be used as a “fast” rat run…
ktache wrote:
Also:
Also:
https://robertweetman.wordpress.com/2020/04/16/where-is-the-best-place-for-congestion/
Firstly, a disclaimer I live
Firstly, a disclaimer I live on a modal street built in the mid 90s. I’d like it to stay that way.
Secondly, I am not suggest that any changes to our street layout should not be reviewed and any potential unforseen negative consequences of changes ignored.
However, nobody should be fooled by Sunak’s rhetoric. He’s simply kicking the ball down the road presumably until after the next election. He’s failed to establish a review panel or to detail the criteria for which the success or failure of such schemes can be established. I am convinced that any such review will identify the benefits of LTNs to polution, health, climate etc etc which will outweigh the small inconveniance to a minority of drivers. So what happens then? Wellidf Sunak does get re-elected, then like many similar reviews before it the Tories will simply find another way to stall any meaningful progress. All of this while our planet continues to burn.
The simple fact that experts may have already come to some conclusions on the benefits of many LTNs and that more empirical evidence will only underline this will only outrage the climate change denyers.
The Alt Right playbook:
The Alt Right playbook:
*Evidence that its happening is presented
“Its not happening”
*More compelling evidence that it is happening is presented
“Its not happening”
*Irrefutable proof that it is happening is presented
“Its not happening”
*Evidence so clear that it is happening is presented that to deny it would mark you as a lunatic
“Ok, its happening but there is nothing we can do about it”
*Evidence that we can do something about it is presented
“Well now its too late to do something about it and its somehow someone else’s fault”
Patrick9-32 wrote:
Real life example, here in south west Scotland multiple windfarm planning applications were objected to on the basis that it would destroy tourism in the area as they are a “blot on the landscape” These objections were dismissed continually until recently when the message became ” the landscape has already been ruined with windfarns so one more won’t matter.
Before anyone says “but windfarms are green” yes they are to an extent but they’re not what we need, we need nuclear and governments of all colours have been failing us on this for decades!
Backladder wrote:
Well the ol’ onshore wind was for a long time a good way to grab subsidies… Nuclear is pretty hard to get “done” by governments, plants are always “controversial” and they take ages to get going. They’re also getting much more expensive.
Currently we’re kind of on “predict and provide” with energy. What would be to our advantage – or our descendents’ advantage would be to use much less, more efficiently. (If only we could avoid trying to keep up with the Joneses – probably humanly impossible!) And – given the UK has hills, lots of coast and (currently) has a temperate climate – get some more of the more dependable renewables and some storage (offshore wind, pumped hydro).
We (as in the government –
We (as in the government – devolved or national) should have invested far more in to getting Pelamis to work efficiently.
But … its hard for a politician to point at a half submerged tube that’s quietly going its thing in the waves, than at a 60m, gleaming white tower with 30m long spinning blades.
Far better to point at the blot on the landscape and say “behold, what I have done, I’ve made a better world for everyone” … wins more votes.
And there is great irony in standing with your back to Torness Nuclear Power Station (generates enough for about 5m homes) and looking at a wind farm …
IanMK wrote:
Don’t worry, nothing will actually happen before the next GE so unless the british people are daft enough to elect another tory government you’re safe…on second thoughts worry, worry a lot!
I don’t feel that ‘I’m not
I don’t feel that ‘I’m not going to lie’ adds much value to speech or writing.
I’m not gonna lie, you are
I’m not gonna lie, you are probably right for written text. It definitely serves a purpose in speech though where it conveys that you either regret what you are going to say (giving an answer someone doesn’t want to hear) or it is something that is usually out of character. For instance, when you agree with someone on an online forum when you are usually a curmudgeon you might say “I am not gonna lie, you are probably right…” 😉
It’s an expression that
It’s an expression that annoys me because I am 100 years old, and people have started (over-) using it in the last 50 years*.
*timings are approximate
Gavin & Stacy vibe I think
Gavin & Stacy vibe I think
HarrogateSpa wrote:
“the shouty few who think it
“the shouty few who think it’s all a big conspiracy to change their way of life?”
To be fair to them, that’s exactly what it is. People need to be driving less, and driving less-dirty vehicles when they do, and disincentivising socially-negative behaviour is one of the bog-standard jobs of government.
We tax cigarettes heavily and restrict where they can be used, because they kill people. This isn’t vastly different, we’re just not as far along the path of making (ICE, privately-owned) cars as socially-unacceptable yet.
“How dare they force me to
“How dare they force me to switch to a horseless carriage”, says an irate equestrian a hundred years ago, when the London County Council started removing water troughs, in a blatant CONSPIRACY to rid the streets of horse dung. “That won’t help Arthur and Ethel much with their weekly shop”, agreed a hansom cab driver.
Brauchsel wrote:
The omission lies in not acknowledging that along with “change!” may come an improvement in their way of life [1] [2] [3].
However sometimes there is a kind of “tragedy of the commons” – because people can drive we all have to bear the costs. The motor car is possibly worse than cigarettes in that respect – more harmful to bystanders than users.
Yep, and from my dimly
Yep, and from my dimly-remembered economics studies the tragedy of the commons was an example of negative externalities: a way of eliminating those was to put a price on them and make those causing them pay it. You’d think the loudly-rightwing types who decry ULEZ would be in favour of some standard market economics being applied to a problem.
Conspiracy suggests some
Conspiracy suggests some level of secrecy, the reality is that the government plan to get you out of your car is published on the DfT website.
“Khan is contributing 10
“Khan is contributing 10 percent of the cost of a Brompton to anybody who lives in the extended ULEZ zone,” wrote one Londoner
Hahaha. Am I allowed to use this quote to stereotype ALL Londoners?
Wait ’til Londoners find out about Cycle to Work. Where actual money is removed from the public purse to pay for bikes that may cost even more and give the purchaser an even larger discount.
Dear Householder
Dear Householder
as you know, Big Cycle has won allthe arguments and the planned programme of private motor vehicle removal from homes is now underway.
For collection purposes have been grouped as follows:
Phase 1 – Stuipid Unnecessary Vehicles over 3.0l that never go off road and whose average trip is less than 15 miles.
Phase 2 – medium-sized cars that are moderately twatty due to modifications or usage pattern
(etc)
as you own a Category 1 vehicle, a home visit has been booked for 20 September between 10:04 and 11:04.
Please ensure the vehicle and keys are present at the property and that the V5 document is available. The collection crew will be in uniform and will present authorised credentials.
there have been reports of vigilante cyclists attempting to make unauthorised collections so call this number if there is any doubt about a caller’s identity.
when the vehicle has been collected you may cancel its insurance and VED – the collection crew will leave you with the real ent section of the V5 so you can confirm that you are no longer the registered keeper.
You are eligible for a 30% discount at your local cycle store on a replacement e bike or cargo bike on production of this letter. A discount code for on line purchases is set out below.
thank you for helping the environment,
Big Cycle
Didn’t expect to discover my
Didn’t expect to discover my genre of erotic literature on this site
I’ll tuck it inside your copy
I’ll tuck it inside your copy of Cycling Plus if it helps. There’s a pair of socks free with next month’s edition.
Don’t threaten me with a good
Don’t threaten me with a good time!
Regarding tHE laWER who
Regarding tHE laWER who cannot be named.. can we all just refer to him as ‘ankles‘ from now on pleeeeease? Y’know.. because he’s lower than a cnut.
Isn’t it odd: a relatively
Isn’t it odd: a relatively minor subsidy for a bicycle is criticised, but a much larger one to buy another car is praised.
We live in strange times, and they aren’t getting any better.
“The old world is dying, and
“The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters.”
RE ULEZ expansion – I am not
RE ULEZ expansion – I am not a supporter, why? If the mayor Khan is not misleading us, then 90% of vehicles travelling in this zone already comply, therefore, the ULEZ will only have a marginal effect. Plus, in a short space of time, these older vehicles will be scrapped anyway.
Air quality in London would be better improved by widespread, proactive enforcement of the speed limits. Stopping drivers racing around urban/suburban roads at near motorway speeds will have a much more significant improvement in exhaust emissions.
Additionally, with widespread adherence to the legal speed limits, Councils could then remove much of the road humps and speed cushions they have installed, which are known to have significantly increased air pollution, in comparison with free moving traffic.
But OHHHHH! Policing the speed limit is a “WAR ON MOTORISTS”. Fineing offenders is a “TAX ON MOTORISTS”.
Just a thought…….
Stopping drivers racing
Stopping drivers racing around urban/suburban roads at near motorway speeds will have a much more significant improvement in exhaust emissions.
Councils could then remove much of the road humps and speed cushions they have installed, which are known to have significantly increased air pollution, in comparison with free moving traffic.
Are these statements based on evidence? They seem a bit iffy to me.
Yes.
Yes.
A study published about 10 years ago concluded there is a significant increase in air pollution caused by road humps and speed cushions.
Many newspapers then ran the headline “Councils to rip out speed ramps..” following publication.
A few years ago, at my instigation, my local Police and Council commissioned a speed survey in my road (30mph residential suburban road in London). I received the data from that survey.
The Headline finding of that data is as follows:
[Note: ACPO guidelines suggest motorists exceeding 35mph in a 30mph limit should receive a FPN]
If two speed cameras were erected in my road, one for each direction of traffic flow, then according to the data, these cameras would generate a total of £1/4 million in speeding fines……..
Not in one year….
not in one month…..
nor in one week, but in
a single day!!!!!!!
The speed detectors recorded 2,500 vehicles exceeding the ACPO guidelines on average every day.
Some of those vehicles exceeded 60mph
dozens per day exceeded 50mph.
But the stretch of road surveyed was only a few hundred metres long.
So these vehicles were accelerating up to 40-50-60mph then braking to a stand still by the end of the road.
That is a lot of excessive exhaust emmissions
Does that answer your question?
Quote:
Except none of our money is going into it, TfL have just partnered with a range of bicycle manufacturers and other alternative transport providers who are offering discounts to people in the ULEZ zones; the discounts are coming out of the companies’ profits, TfL are simply giving them free promotion.
Eventful commutes today. One
Eventful commutes today. Saw one bike on pedestrian crash (red light for cyclist) one bike on bike crash, and had a hairy moment when I had to come to a halt in the middle of the busy Embankment / Blackfriars cycle junction when I realised my shoe lace was loose and had wrapped itself around the pedal axle!
Private Eye #1605 wrote: