“I’ll stop when they stop!”: Public-spirited cyclist’s mission to remove convenient items covering car number plates; Get the bike song to Christmas No.1; Reaction to 2024 Tour’s Italian Grand Départ + more on the live blog

56 thoughts on ““I’ll stop when they stop!”: Public-spirited cyclist’s mission to remove convenient items covering car number plates; Get the bike song to Christmas No.1; Reaction to 2024 Tour’s Italian Grand Départ + more on the live blog”

1. I read an article about that

   I read an article about that guy on StreetsblogNYC – he removed a piece of plastic that just happened to be blocking part of a number plate, and the owner turned up and phoned the police on him (criminal damage).  Despite explaining what he had done (no damage, just being helpful) the police arrested him and prosecuted him, and it got all the way to the day before his day in court for the NY district attorney office to decide that it wasn’t in the public interest to put him in court…

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   • I’ve seen plenty of evidence

     I’ve seen plenty of evidence that NYC governence is pretty corrupt, just look at how Louis Rossman’s business has essentially been chased out of the city on jumped up fines just to fill the local government’s coffers. The police department don’t seem much better so it doesn’t surprise me they’d treat this good samaritan with disdain.

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     • Boopop wrote:

       I’ve seen plenty of evidence that NYC governence is pretty corrupt, just look at how Louis Rossman’s business has essentially been chased out of the city on jumped up fines just to fill the local government’s coffers. The police department don’t seem much better so it doesn’t surprise me they’d treat this good samaritan with disdain.

       — Boopop

       Makes me wonder if the police tend to cover their own personal number plates, that they are more inclined to take action against someone rectifying an offence, than the person comitting the offence.

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       • If you ever read Streetsblog,

         If you ever read Streetsblog, that’s taken as kind of first principles.  They (appear to) have a lot of trouble with city employees misusing ‘parking placards’ that seem to act like our blue badges (park pretty much anywhere) and blocking off plate numbers, and parking on footways, etc etc etc etc…

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     • Boopop wrote:

       I’ve seen plenty of evidence that NYC governence is pretty corrupt

       — Boopop

       The NYPD union gives officers “get out of jail free” passes for family and friends

        

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   • brooksby wrote:

     I read an article about that guy on StreetsblogNYC – he removed a piece of plastic that just happened to be blocking part of a number plate, and the owner turned up and phoned the police on him (criminal damage).  Despite explaining what he had done (no damage, just being helpful) the police arrested him and prosecuted him, and it got all the way to the day before his day in court for the NY district attorney office to decide that it wasn’t in the public interest to put him in court…

     — brooksby

     This is actually depressing.  It shows just how far car culture has gone when someone trying to stop people breaking the law (almost) gets taken to court.

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     • I think that the general

       I think that the general consensus was that the driver was a friend or relation of someone in the local NYPD precinct…

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     • It shows just how far car

       It shows just how far car culture has gone when someone trying to stop people breaking the law (almost) gets taken to court

       Hope Lancashire Constabulary doesn’t hear of this dodge, or I’ll be receiving summonses by the van-load for maliciously reporting ‘absence of MOT’

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       • If you do maybe top motoring

         If you do maybe top motoring lawyer and road safety campaigner Nick Freeman will represent you pro bono?

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2. You see this crap all the
   You see this crap all the time, it would be so simple to bust they people i just can’t understand why they don’t jump on it.

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3. I’ve done this too, removing
   I’ve done this too, removing a conveniently placed bit of tape from the number plate of a BMW SUV driven by a complete tool who likes to park outside our house.

   The car is of course not taxed or insured. They got clamped for it a few months ago, and took an angle grinder to the clamp and carried on with impunity.

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   • Sounds like they’re worried
     Sounds like they’re worried about their privacy. You could help out by covering their windscreen with tape to preserve their anonymity.

     Sadly this might not stop them driving…

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     • With the Streetsblog story,

       With the Streetsblog story, IIRC the person who actually called the NYPD on the bloke removing the illegal covering from their number plate remains officially anonymous to this very day…  Not suspicious at all.

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       • No idea what the NYC police
         No idea what the NYC police are for but the little I’ve read suggests that hassling cyclists and finding excuses for motorists who kill cyclists and pedestrians are definitely on their to-do lists.

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         • chrisonatrike wrote:

           No idea what the NYC police are for but the little I’ve read suggests that hassling cyclists and finding excuses for motorists who kill cyclists and pedestrians are definitely on their to-do lists.

           — chrisonatrike

           NYPD is/was the biggest gang in USA according to some documentaries.

     • chrisonatrike wrote:

       Sounds like they’re worried about their privacy. You could help out by covering their windscreen with tape to preserve their anonymity. Sadly this might not stop them driving…

       — chrisonatrike

       You’re right, as shown every time it snows and they drive around looking through a tiny hole they have cleared.

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   • My street is an LTN. Lots of

     My street is an LTN. Lots of people cover up their vehicle number plates and drive past the camera, then stop by my house to remove the bags or whatever they’ve used. Some forget about the covers and drive away. I’ve not seen any parked vehicles with covered up plates though.

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   • it would be a shame if one of

     it would be a shame if one of his tyres lost all its air  

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     • I value the windows of my
       I value the windows of my house.

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4. Interesting opening TDF stage

   Interesting opening TDF stage… GC contenders are going to have to show their hands early.

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   • I see they aren’t planning to

     I see they aren’t planning to recognise Mario Cippollini’s contribution to the tour by having a week of flat stages at the start.

     In some ways he contributed to the TdF we have today by taking a fine everyday he was in yellow because he wore matching shorts, not the team issue or black which were the only permitted options at the time.

     Of course he is a convicted criminal now, but that hardly makes him unique…

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     • But when that Saeco train got

       But when that Saeco train got going it was a joy to behold.

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5. In what world is returning a
   In what world is returning a car to a roadworthy condition considered ‘criminal mischief’ or vandalism? What sort of backwards moron would think that?

   If it is, you’d have to haul in pretty much all car repair/maintenance companies. Kwik-fit would be safe though.

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   • It’s “touch my motor I swear
     It’s “touch my motor I swear I’ll do time ?” isn’t it?

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     • chrisonatrike wrote:

       It’s “touch my motor I swear I’ll do time ?” isn’t it?

       — chrisonatrike

       But it’s fixing your broken number plate, so I don’t really get that mentality.

       I was once pulled over by the police for a broken front number plate (it was fine when I left barely 2 minutes earlier), was my parents’ car but I had to get the number plate fixed an prove it at an MOT station within 7 days.

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6. Will the Saudi’s be

   Will the Saudi’s be sponsoring the women’s team as well as the men’s team? Could be interesting….

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   • Apparently so ?…

     Apparently so ?…

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     • Have we seen the redesigned

       Have we seen the redesigned kit for the women’s team yet?

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     • The women’s team the women’s

       The women’s team just won’t actually be allowed to ride solo bikes: they’ll have to ride tandems with a male relative as stoker… 😉

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       • brooksby wrote:

         The women’s team just won’t actually be allowed to ride solo bikes: they’ll have to ride tandems with a male relative as stoker… 😉

         — brooksby

         Ha! As if they’d let a woman steer! You’ll be suggesting that they let women decide where to go next!

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         • The Taliban tandem?
           The Taliban tandem?

   • I’m sure that the women’s
     I’m sure that the women’s team are already planning their training camp in the region, so that they too can encourage young women in the local community to take up an active lifestyle.

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7.  I see rail prices will go up

    I see rail prices will go up 5.9%

   What is the betting that fuel duty will be frozen again ?

    

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   • hirsute wrote:

      I see rail prices will go up 5.9%

     What is the betting that fuel duty will be frozen again ?

     — hirsute

     Of course it will.  Fuel duty is a tax on hardworking drivers, while rail passengers are clearly idle spongers.

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     • eburtthebike wrote:

       Fuel duty is a tax on hardworking drivers, while rail passengers are clearly idle spongers.

       — eburtthebikeTrain passengers, like bus passengers, don’t have much choice, so are an easy target.

       They are also unlikely to do a go-slow / blockade along main roads or other similarly obstructive demonstration (nd those who do that won’t be arrested and put in prison, unlike peaceful JSO road-sitters, they will instead get a round of applause* and a further 5p off a litre of fuel). Look how the gaps widen as the profits grow:

       https://www.racfoundation.org/data/cost-of-transport-index

       * not to be confused with the doorstep clapping for NHS and other key workers during the pandemic, keenly embraced by hypocritical, selfish Tory voters who gleefully put the current bunch of c**ts back in government; the latter’s scornful attitude to those same workers alongside penniless immigrants and environmental protestors says all you need to know about them.

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   • I was prepared for over 9%,

     I was prepared for over 9%, should have been around 13%.

     But of course if it were the rail workers would have put in a perfectly legitimate claim for the 9+% or 13ish%, as is they will demand 5.9%.

     They have delayed the announcement for many months.

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     • ktache wrote:

       I was prepared for over 9%, should have been around 13%.

       But of course if it were the rail workers would have put in a perfectly legitimate claim for the 9+% or 13ish%, as is they will demand 5.9%.

       They have delayed the announcement for many months.

       — ktache

       Indeed. If only they applied the same formula to public sector salaries as they do for rail fares, the NHS wouldn’t be on strike.

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       • ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:

         Indeed. If only they applied the same formula to public sector salaries as they do for rail fares, the NHS wouldn’t be on strike.

         — ShutTheFrontDawes

         Rail fair rises benefit the most important members of society, shareholders.

         Nurse pay rises only benefit nurses and we all know they offer nothing of consequence to society.

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         • NOtotheEU wrote:

           Nurse pay rises only benefit nurses and we all know they offer nothing of consequence to society.

           — NOtotheEU

           Except when they do offer something of consequence (e.g. COVID), at which point, you can pay them in claps and the odd poster stating “thank you NHS”. That oughta do it 😉

           Still, we’re so much better off now that we have left the EU and the poorly paid migrants no longer want to come or stay because they have no security. The poorly paid workers can be British. Awesome.

         • ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:

           Nurse pay rises only benefit nurses and we all know they offer nothing of consequence to society.

           — ShutTheFrontDawes Except when they do offer something of consequence (e.g. COVID), at which point, you can pay them in claps and the odd poster stating “thank you NHS”. That oughta do it 😉 Still, we’re so much better off now that we have left the EU and the poorly paid migrants no longer want to come or stay because they have no security. The poorly paid workers can be British. Awesome.— NOtotheEU

           What is the current exchange rate between hand-claps and the pound, anyway?

         • Not sure. People say that
           Not sure. People say that claps don’t put food on the table, but I paid in claps for bread once. I was stood at the till clapping for a LONG time before they asked me to leave.

8. Tesla behind eight-vehicle

   Tesla behind eight-vehicle crash was in ‘full self-driving’ mode, says driver

   https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/22/tesla-crash-full-self-driving-mode-san-francisco

   Hmm… 

   After the San Francisco accident, the driver told police the FSD software malfunctioned.

   The police report said the vehicle was traveling at 55mph when it shifted lane but braked abruptly, slowing the car to about 20mph. That led to another vehicle hitting the Tesla and a chain reaction of crashes, according to Reuters.

   However, police were unable to determine if the software was in operation or that the driver’s account was accurate. The report was made public after a records request.

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   • So technically he was in
     So technically he was in front.

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     • IanMSpencer wrote:

       So technically he was in front.

       — IanMSpencer

       If by “technically” you mean “actually”. The Tesla or its driver may have been responsible for the first collision, if insufficient space was left for the following vehicle – but the rest of the pileup is on the other six drivers.

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       • Oh, I meant to write what I
         Oh, I meant to write what I wrote – sarcastic humour that using “actually” might not convey.

         Following cars to blame? Not necessarily. With a rapid lane change and braking the 2 second rule doesn’t apply and it is quite likely that cars ricochet across lanes, so it is quite possible that all the following involved cars are blameless. Just watch a typical bad drivers video on YouTube and you can see quite often vehicles get caught up in accidents where they have little option to evade a collision. That being said, a depressing number of American drivers seem to think that the driver’s seat is the ideal place for coffee and donuts. I was amazed by how many broken vehicles littered the hard shoulder after a heavy rain shower in Dallas when I was there some years ago.

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   • brooksby wrote:

     Tesla behind eight-vehicle crash was in ‘full self-driving’ mode, says driver

     https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/dec/22/tesla-crash-full-self-driving-mode-san-francisco

     Hmm… 

     — brooksby

     How can they carry on selling it as “full self-driving” when it needs to be chaperoned by a driver that has to take over when the Tesla does something dumb/dangerous?

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     • Probably because Elon Musk is

       Probably because Elon Musk is a snake-oil salesman who regularly gets away with lying to the public (and his investors). He has been telling all and sundry his cars could drive on autopilot since he launched them. In 2018, he announced you should buy a tesla because you could use it as an auto-taxi whilst you were at home / in the office. 

       So of course his fanbois will use it like that. 

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       • AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

         Probably because Elon Musk is a snake-oil salesman who regularly gets away with lying to the public (and his investors). He has been telling all and sundry his cars could drive on autopilot since he launched them. In 2018, he announced you should buy a tesla because you could use it as an auto-taxi whilst you were at home / in the office. 

         So of course his fanbois will use it like that. 

         — AlsoSomniloquism

         I would expect consumer protection laws to have caught up with Tesla by now. It’s quite astonishing that the system is allowed to be used on public roads when it’s clearly not reliable.

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         • The unreliable bit is the
           The unreliable bit is the loose nut behind the wheel

         • I’m surprised that nobody has

           I’m surprised that nobody has picked up on the bit of the story tucked in quietly at the end: the police have been unable to determine whether the software had been running or if the driver was telling the truth. So, whilst I would normally be front of the queue for pitchfork and a flaming torch (especially in connection with Teslas) this one might (might!) be a case of a driver finding a new excuse as to why it wasn’t their fault…

         • brooksby wrote:

           I’m surprised that nobody has picked up on the bit of the story tucked in quietly at the end: the police have been unable to determine whether the software had been running or if the driver was telling the truth. So, whilst I would normally be front of the queue for pitchfork and a flaming torch (especially in connection with Teslas) this one might (might!) be a case of a driver finding a new excuse as to why it wasn’t their fault…

           — brooksby

           The system should have recorded details in the lead up to the collision, so it should be clear. However, Tesla don’t seem to be very honest about their safety record and there’s some debate about the timing of when the FSD turns control over to the driver in the event of a collision. If Tesla claim that FSD wasn’t active (because it turned off a fraction of a second earlier), then is it fair to say that the driver caused it or the FSD?

           Edit: appropriate link https://www.motortrend.com/news/nhtsa-tesla-autopilot-investigation-shutoff-crash/

         • It is now a requirement of

           It is now a requirement of the system that you keep your hands on the wheel. But guess what happens if you take your hands off? It switches off leaving nobody in control.

           I have read road tests in the UK where the autonomous lane change system has been criticised for being inconsistent and unpredictable. A lot of other cars have similar features that seem to work much better, almost as if they had been properly developed and tested.

         • There is probably a clue that
           There is probably a clue that Tesla keeps labelling updates as “beta”.

           Google does that a lot with its releases, but if search has a wobbly it is generally not life threatening (unless you are a Russian conscript trying to find out how to load the AK-47 you were given as they unloaded at the front line).

         • IanMSpencer wrote:

           There is probably a clue that Tesla keeps labelling updates as “beta”. Google does that a lot with its releases, but if search has a wobbly it is generally not life threatening (unless you are a Russian conscript trying to find out how to load the AK-47 you were given as they unloaded at the front line).

           — IanMSpencer

           Beta releases don’t seem appropriate to public roads in my opinion unless they’re restricted to particular areas or speed limits (e.g. testing at 20mph would seem reasonable if there’s no issues found in closed road testing).

9. So will the Giro start in

   So will the Giro start in France?

   The Vuelta start in Finland?

   The Tour de Yorkshire commence in Lancashire…?

   Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling!

   Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes…

   The dead rising from the grave!

   Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… MASS HYSTERIA!

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10. Cyclist mugged in St Anne’s

    Cyclist mugged in St Anne’s by men with machete in terrifying attack

    https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/cyclist-mugged-st-annes-men-7960036

    The incident happened at around 4.50pm on Tuesday, December 20. A man was riding his bicycle along the riverside path behind the Co-op store on Wyatts View in St Annes [Bristol], when a masked man stepped out in front of him, grabbed the handlebars and demanded the bike.

    …

    “Detectives are keen to hear from anyone who was on the path at around that time, especially two other dog walkers, both men, who left before officers arrived. They are also keen to hear from anyone who has dashcam, doorbell or helmet camera footage which could help, or also anyone who has found or seen the stolen yellow Carrera Vengeance bicycle or black Apple iPhone 13,” she added.

    “If you have any information which could help, please call 101 and give the reference 5222303422. Alternatively contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100 per cent anonymously by calling 0800 555 111, or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information,”

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