Volunteer speed monitors call out “group of cyclists at 44 mph” in “speed track” 30mph zone (that doesn’t apply to cyclists); Reaction to Labour shadow transport secretary’s “disappointing” cycling comments; Froome’s dodgy bike + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Reaction to Labour shadow transport secretary's "disappointing" cycling comments
Asked if she’s a cyclist, Louise Haigh replied: “God no, have you been to Sheffield?”
Concern as shadow transport secretary comments on plans for active travel, says Rishi Sunak “demeaned himself” by saying the Labour Party would pursue a war on motoristshttps://t.co/vKmYjLR56n pic.twitter.com/t2D3wEDbr7
— road.cc (@roadcc) November 21, 2023
A bit of reaction to this from last night…
In short, this was Labour shadow transport secretary Louise Haigh replying to a question about if she cycles by saying: “God no, have you been to Sheffield?” She then said Rishi Sunak “demeaned himself” by suggesting Labour would pursue a war on motorists, argued 20 mph speed limits and LTNs should be decided by local people, and said there would be no Whitehall diktat under a Labour government to cycle or walk more.
The implication is of course that Sheffield is too hilly to cycle in, something the Steel City’s road.cc community was keen to refute…
There are lots of us #Sheffield #cyclists who would be more than happy to take her on a bike ride – we’ve already had @olivercoppard and @Ed_Clancy with us….. what do you say @LouHaigh ?
— CyclingInASkirt (@CyclingInASkirt) November 21, 2023
If she’s in Sheffield there are plenty of us she could come out for a cycle with
— Steve Hunt (@cyc1one1000) November 21, 2023
Sheffield has an amazing cycling community.
— JamesT (@Love_Not_Money) November 21, 2023
Looked like this last time I was there 🙌 (admittedly, Dom Whiting was in town) pic.twitter.com/pjsXwlyuNi
— Hotel Bastardos (@philbarrowcloug) November 21, 2023
Christopher Day: “I’m disappointed by this, as she has said a lot of good stuff about public transport.”
Boopop: “I’ll wait for the manifestos to turn up but this isn’t looking good.”
Chris Froome's dodgy bike
No, not that one that’s apparently well off…
Just some questionable Strava ‘art’…
Not so dodgy bikes
Huge exclusive: cycling website has lots of bike-related content. Definitely better bikes than Chris Froome’s Strava drawings, that’s for sure…
> REVIEW: Cube Litening Aero C:68X Pro 2023
> Remembering the Trek Madone 9 Series road bike: a bit odd… but very cool
> Best kids bikes 2024 — from beginner-friendly balance bikes to junior sized road bikes
Oh, and if you’re lucky you might find some here too…
S-no-w cycling today
Tourmalet at 1800m altitude today, no cycling we think😛 https://t.co/m2tZojGHBS
— MyCols app (@mycolsapp) November 21, 2023
Makes eight degrees and dry look quite pleasant…
"I didn't want to be a traitor": Jan Ullrich talks doping and personal suffering ahead of release of documentary into his life
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The 1997 Tour de France winner Jan Ullrich has spoken to German magazine Stern ahead of the release of a documentary about his life and career, which is called ‘Der Gejate’ (The Hunted) and will air on Amazon Prime in Germany from November 28.
Addressing many aspects of his troubled post-cycling life, Ullrich explained how the two-year process of the documentary helped his recovery, the 49-year-old struggling with drinking, drug abuse and the law since the breakdown of his marriage.
“The mix of whiskey and cocaine made my heart colder. It brings up all the evil qualities in you. It turns you into a monster in a very short time,” he said. “If you no longer have a heart, you are no longer human… I’m hungry for life again. I want to see my children grow up.”
Commenting on his doping past, Ullrich said it was all part of a wider attitude that not cheating would be “like going to a gunfight armed only with a knife” and that “if you wanted to keep up, you had to take part”.
“In 2006 I wasn’t able to talk because I didn’t want to be a traitor,” he said. “I didn’t want to come out with half truths and certainly not with the whole truth. The lawyers told me ‘either you go out and tear everything down, or you don’t say anything at all’. I decided on the second recommendation at the time. Because tearing everything down would also have meant that I’m dragging a lot of people down with me into the abyss.
“From today’s perspective, I should have spoken. It would have been very hard for a brief moment, but after that life would have been easier.”
Will Tom Pidcock win The Great British Bake Off?
You know you’re a cycling fan when… you can’t watch Bake Off without wondering if anyone else has noticed Tom Pidcock’s (questionable) doppelgänger storming into the final…
I’ll let you try to work who’s Pidcock and who’s Matty, 28, a PE teacher from Peterborough (and now Bake Off finalist)…
Residents brand walking and cycling path extension an "unforgivable waste of money" – when "the NHS is in need and families are going hungry"
Comment of the day
How to increase your cycling motivation in winter — essential tips to keep your spirits up on the bike when the temps drop
Cycling UK: "This Autumn Statement was said to benefit business and employees but has done nothing to give those people sustainable transport opportunities, whether they're taking public transport, cycling or walking"
Cycling UK has released a statement from director of external affairs Sarah McMonagle reacting to the Autumn Statement from Chancellor Jeremy Hunt…
The Chancellor claimed he wanted to give people more opportunities, boost the economy and help the workforce. A surefire way of doing that would have been to increase funding for walking and cycling to give people more transport choices, which he failed to do.
Every pound invested in cycling and walking makes our streets safer, more pleasant places and more profitable with a return on investment of nearly six pounds.
This Autumn Statement was said to benefit business and employees but has done nothing to give those people sustainable transport opportunities, whether they’re taking public transport, cycling or walking.
The latest statement comes a month and a half since Cycling UK accused the Conservatives of an “ill-fated attempt to win” votes with pro-motoring policies “undermining” active travel success.
Jonas Vingegaard reveals he has missed anti-doping test on his record, insists "I don't take anything, and I don't think that the rest of the peloton does either"
[A.S.O Pauline Ballet]
Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard has vowed to “make sure” he never misses an anti-doping test again after revealing that he has a missed test on his record. His excuse? Speaking to Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, Vingegaard said his phone was in the kitchen when the doping inspectors came, but his doorbell was not working so he missed them.
The leading Grand Tour rider of his generation did not disclose when the missed test occured, but stressed he has been tested in the region of 60 to 70 times this year, another test being undertaken two days after his missed one.
“I had left my mobile phone in the kitchen, and then our doorbell didn’t work. They tried to call me, and it was clear that it was impossible to answer,” Vingegaard said. “Of course, it’s not cool. But then they came two days later. You get tested there, but of course, it’s not great to have a missed test hanging over you. It’s definitely something I think about afterwards to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
[Luis Angel Gomez/ASO]
Avoiding the well-trodden path of the ‘I’ve never tested positive defence’, Vingegaard said it’s a “good thing to be tested all the time”, but that at the same time the negatives “ring hollow because 20 years ago they were tested too”.
“Somehow riders can still cheat, so I don’t want to just say – as they did in the old days – that I am the rider who is tested the most. I don’t test positive. They did something back then, and people will definitely believe that riders will do it again,” he said. “I don’t take anything, and I don’t think that the rest of the peloton does either.”
Those comments were of course followed by questions about Michel Hessmann, the Dane’s Jumbo-Visma teammate who is facing an anti-doping ban after testing positive for a diuretic this summer.
[Alex Broadway/SWpix.com]
“I don’t know how it got into his body,” Vingegaard said. “But I think every cyclist’s biggest fear is that you get it through some food or something you eat, and that way test positive without your intention has been cheating, but you still get it into your body.”
Talking more widely about public suspicion, he added: “I think it is a shame that we are suffering from what happened 20-30 years ago. I don’t want to hide it, but because it has happened, I still think it’s important to talk about the past. Because if you just sweep it under the carpet, then it’s clear that people might still not care if everyone cheats.
“If you talk about it, there’s a better chance that you won’t cheat, I think. Maybe it’s a way to prevent it from happening in the future. I don’t take anything, and I don’t think that the rest of the peloton does either. Since I can win the Tour de France twice without taking anything, I also believe that everyone else doesn’t take anything either.”
Cyclists fear heavy fines for drinking from water bottles if "draconian" careless cycling laws are introduced in Queensland
Local knowledge + your thoughts on the community speed watch group calling out cyclists for high speeds in 30 zone
Interesting stuff in the comments section this morning, more than a few of you suggesting points along the lines of just because you can doesn’t mean you should…
bob zmyuncle: “Crossroads with limited visibility from both sides. Pub with outside seating. Pub goers and hikers wandering across road. 44mph is just death wish stuff. Like any group of people, the group labelled cyclists contains a percentage of idiots.”
AidanR: “I get that it’s a fun descent and that technically speed limits don’t apply to cyclists, but going through a village at 44mph in a 30mph zone is a dick move.”
RobD: “While doing 44 in a 30 zone through a village is stupid, regardless of whether it’s legal or not, should it not be more concerning that seven per cent of the drivers were speeding, including one doing twice the speed limit? These are the ones who were still speeding despite likely spotting the high vis wearing volunteers and either hadn’t slowed down enough, or didn’t bother to.
“The fact that the comment regarding most drivers noticing and dropping their speed seems to be just an accepted thing is also worrying, as if most of the drivers will only drive anywhere near the speed limit when there’s a risk of being caught.
But you know, war on motorists etc.”
We’ve got some local knowledge thanks to Colin McC too…
“I use this road regularly although often turning at the offset crossroads beyond the pub in the picture. I think it’s significant that cars exceed the speed limit regularly both here and when the limit is 50 on the eastern and western sections (up and down the hill) either side of the 30 section at the crossroads. Vehicles also regularly close pass cyclists (I get a close pass almost every time I use the road.)”
Volunteer speed monitors call out "group of cyclists at 44 mph" in "speed track" 30mph zone (that doesn't apply to cyclists)
Here’s a story in the Sheffield local press this week…
A community speed group, made up of Liberal Democrat councillors and volunteers, has spoken out about a notoriously fast “speed track” 30mph road through the village of Ringinglow, which residents have said it is “just a matter of time” until there is a collision on.
The group clocked 190 drivers, 13 of which were speeding, with one doing 60mph, their details to be passed on to the police. However, one member of the Southwest Local Area Committee scheme has also spoken about cyclists riding “well in excess” of the 30mph limit.
“As you’d expect the majority of motorists noticed the hi-vis jackets and dropped their speed accordingly, but we still clocked someone doing 60mph and a group of cyclists at 44 mph,” councillor Barbara Masters said. “Its purpose is education not entrapment. It involves training, as you would expect, and volunteers must comply with regulations.”
A (yet to be found) “lively discussion on a local Facebook group” ensued, according to The Star, with some pointing out speed limits do not apply to cyclists, while others apparently said riding past the pub at high speeds would be a danger “not least to themselves”.
From some Strava segment digging the village appears to come at the base of a long, straight descent, and heading east probably means a fairly hefty tailwind on some days.
We’ll try to find the “lively” community group discussion, but shades of this classic…
As established there, there are no speed limits for cyclists in the UK — except where local byelaws apply, such as in some parks. The Highway Code sets out speed limits for vehicles, but does not include bicycles, meaning — byelaw-restricted areas such as some promenades, paths or parks aside — cyclists cannot be fined for speeding.
Instead however, cyclists can be charged with dangerous cycling, under the 1988 Road Traffic Act Section 28, which states an offence is committed if “the way they ride falls far below what would be expected of a competent and careful cyclist” and it “would be obvious to a competent and careful cyclist that riding in that way would be dangerous”, with “dangerous” referring to “danger either of injury to any person or of serious damage to property”.
The charge of ‘wanton and furious cycling’ can also be applied if an injury is caused in the case of a collision.
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Latest Comments
Cry me a river architect guy
Hookless is still a bad idea. I agree that it should be safe when all guidelines are adhered to, but that is not always going to happen in the real world. I've had several clients come to my workshop with bikes that they've bought 2nd hand and have no idea what I mean when I ask about their hookless rims. Just yesterday I someone with a Scott bike with Zipp 303 S hookless wheels; he'd been pumping his tubed tires up to 90-100 psi on them, because that's what he's always done. I had to educate him and he's now going to be using his new 30mm tires at 60-65 psi and checking that his pump is somewhat calibrated. Why do brands like Zipp continuing to put people in dangerous situations that are totally unnecessary?
I can't think of anywhere I have seen cyclists getting more space than pedestrians unless we count the fact that twats in cars like to park blocking pavements as a matter of course around me. I would also suggest that if you want people to travel around an area effectively instead of using a car, cycling is the best way to do it. I wouldn't walk 2-3 miles to get somewhere but I would happily cycle it because it would take me about 1/4 of the time or less.
There is basically no cycling infrastructure in Edinburgh that is not either a shared footpath or shared with motor vehicles. Cyclists are subservient in both cases. On shared use paths this is by legislation and common sense. On the road it is because most cycle lanes in residential areas are parking spaces, bus lanes have busses in them and the lanes segregated by wands peppered with give ways to cars every few feet. And people still park in them. Pretty much the only exception is that side of the extremely wide path through the meadows, for a few hundred yards. The total width of the paved region is probably wide enough to land a light aircraft, there is absolutely no restriction to pedestrians and pedestrians completely ignore the cycle markings on one side anyway. Given the colossal amount of space given over to motor vehicles in the city, which are predominantly single occupancy, and the fact it is illegal to cycle on all of the pavements dedicated formpedestrians, I going to put this guy's comments in the "idiotic" category.
I believe the Miners Pension Fund has proved a nice little earner for Government coffers, generating a huge surplus and that Government has been pocketing half of it. This payment that you apparently resent so much is a partial settlement of that unfairness!
Mr Fraser would seem a perfect paraphrase of the old cartoon about the millionaire with a thousand cookies telling the working man with one cookie to watch out or the immigrants will steal his cookie...incidentally, in this age of obesity I often see pedestrians far wider than me and the bike, not to mention people with pushchairs twice as wide or more, they don't feel guilty about the amount of space they're taking from me, or so I surmise from the way they wander into the bike lane whenever it suits them...
Motor-heads are the champions of false equivalence.
10 years in prison for killing a cyclist should be the minimum sentence. The objective is to raise awareness and remind motorists they must remain vigilant at all times when behind the wheel. Drivers who harm people and/or damage properties shall be sent to retest. No excuses. No exceptions.
@wtjs No remorse from the 84 year old driver though. " He fully accepts responsibility and places no blame on the cyclist whatsoever". Which seems to imply he'd like to blame the cyclist if he could.
Hookless and yet still ‘just 1585’ grams. No and no . The only thing ‘industry leading’ is their marketing team that convinces folk to part with their money for this product.
57 thoughts on “Volunteer speed monitors call out “group of cyclists at 44 mph” in “speed track” 30mph zone (that doesn’t apply to cyclists); Reaction to Labour shadow transport secretary’s “disappointing” cycling comments; Froome’s dodgy bike + more on the live blog”
I’m so glad the vigilantes
I’m so glad the vigilantes have caught cyclists committing the most heinous of crimes, exercising. Next time they get their camera out they should point it at all the murderous cars that speed every day. Alternatively they could stand in front of a car going 30 and a bike going 45 and tell me which one hurt more.
Yes, cars are worse,
Yes, cars are worse, everybody here knows that.
But let’s not use that as an excuse for misbehaviour from cyclists, like riding irresponibly fast in inapropriate places. If anything, let’s hold each other to high standards. Any cyclist behaving like a d*ckhead is bad for us all.
Sredlums wrote:
Whilst I agree with your general point about excusing misbehaviour, I disagree with your collective responsibility bit.
We don’t want to hold up cyclists as being a perfect, virtuous group, but instead we want all the most aggressive, selfish and foolish people to get out of cars and onto bikes. Even getting them onto e-bikes/e-motorbikes would reduce the damage they can do.
The ultimate goal would be to have only the most caring, considerate people driving and everyone else can be arseholes on two wheels where at least they’ll hurt themselves when they misjudge things.
Myself and a few friends were
Myself and a few friends were shouted at for doing 24 through a village ( 30mph zone) ,a ridiculous high speed apparently …I wonder how many cars were sticking to under 30?
I would suggest that the
I would suggest that the argument is that not getting hit by anything going 44mph would be better…
Personally when I am driving or cycling, I go at a speed that allows me to stop and avoid unforeseen obstacles when I am likely to be caught unawares. It doesn’t matter that the speed limit is 60 on our pokey country lanes, I think most people would agree that anything over 20-30 is suicide at times on them.
I can understand the ridiculousness of calling out cyclists going too fast when drivers in much more dangerous vehicles weren’t giving top billing with their speeding.
Well … not that I would be
Well … not that I would be doing 45 on my “lighter” bike in this kind of environment. (Or indeed anywhere not equipped with serious hills.) But … just self-interest, 45mph coming off a bike is plenty enough to trash you. And you’d be hitting someone with about the energy of a very large-calibre bullet – only you plus bike is heavier.
So I suspect “but cars are worse” – while true – is less of a great argument here.
I get that it’s a fun descent
I get that it’s a fun descent and that technically speed limits don’t apply to cyclists, but going through a village at 44mph in a 30mph zone is a dick move.
AidanR wrote:
It’s not even a fun descent (straight rather than twisty) but I’m more surprised that they only found 13 out of 190 drivers exceeding the speed limit, must have been a slow day!
The group clocked 190 drivers
The group clocked 190 drivers, 13 of which were speeding, with one doing 60mph, their details to be passed on to the police
Usually, I would be certain that these ‘details’ would be immediately consigned to the bin with some stuff about offences having to be witnessed by officers. This is near ‘Sheffield NW NPT’ team area, so I’m only fairly sure.
While doing 44 in a 30 zone
While doing 44 in a 30 zone through a village is stupid, regardless of whether it’s legal or not, should it not be more concerning that 7% of the drivers were speeding, including one doing twice the speed limit? These are the ones who were still speeding despite likely spotting the high vis wearing volunteers and either hadn’t slowed down enough, or didn’t bother to.
The fact that the comment regarding most drivers noticing and dropping their speed seems to be just an accepted thing is also worrying, as if most of the drivers will only drive anywhere near the speed limit when there’s a risk of being caught.
But you know, war on motorists etc
Not that I’d want to give
Not that I’d want to give anyone an excuse for doing silly speeds through a village, but does anyone even know if these hand held speedguns are reliably tested for use on bikes?
I was wondering the same
I was wondering the same thing. From maps/strava I can believe it would be easy to exceed 30mph, but 60mph?? According to Strava the all-time record for that segment (“Ringinglow descent 3”) had an average speed of 41.6mph and a recorded maximum of 49.9mph. If you filter to This Week, the fastest time had an average speed 27.3mph and maximum of 42.3mph.
I’m yet to see convincing evidence either way, but I have heard it suggested that speed guns can be fooled by the fact that certain parts of the bike (e.g. the top of the wheel) are moving at twice the actual speed of the bicycle, not to mention various other moving parts (pedals, legs etc.) which could confuse readings.
From maps/strava I can
From maps/strava I can believe it would be easy to exceed 30mph, but 60mph??
Reading the article shows that the 60 mph was a motorised vehicle
You’re right; misread that
You’re right; misread that bit.
Exactly, one of the issues
Exactly, one of the issues with speedwatch is that the equipment is not regularly calibrated and therefore it’s difficult to use as evidence. In this case are they even calibrated for cyclists? What are they reflecting off?
My commute has one of those
My commute has one of those speed detector things where you get a frowny face if you are exceeding the speed limit and a smily face if you’re below it.
If there aren’t any cars around, I can set it off so it must be able to detect me riding a bike?
(It gets moved around a lot – when it was in the village, with a 20mph limit, I was so proud to get a frowny face)
brooksby wrote:
I’m very envious of this achievement.There’s one on my way to work. I tried all summer to set it off. Even when my Garmin said 31 it would flash up 29. ?
I have to say I also tried throwing my head forward at what I hoped was the opportune moment, in a lunge for the line sort of way. No difference.
….what do you mean I need to get out more?
brooksby wrote:
“He got the frowny face” isnt enough evidence to support a speeding conviction in the courts tho…only a calibrated speed gun or camera is. We have Mr Loophole and his ilk to thank for that.
Motoring law is a ludicrous mixture of the overly precise (speeding) and the woefully imprecise (careless and dangerous, wanton and the rest).
Hence certain dumb rozzers thinking reaching for your camera/phone whilst on a bike is a crime.
I think the radar picks up
I think the radar picks up bikes reasonably well. There’s a few where I used to live where it was a kudo to trip. Another set would flash your speed. I tripped this once and the motorist who caught up at the lights commented on my speed with some awe. I just smugly smiled and said I know.
exilegareth wrote:
Indeed – I used to pass some of those guys fairly regularly when I commuted & they would always yell out my speed as I went past – rarely matched my (admitted almost certainly incorrect) speedo reading
44mph through a village that
44mph through a village that is a 30mph zone, even if it is on a lovely straight stretch, is a pretty dickhead move TBF.
I use this road regularly
I use this road regularly although often turning at the offset crossroads beyond the pub in the picture. I think it’s significant that cars exceed the speed limit regularly both here and when the limit is 50 on the eastern and western sections (up and down the hill) either side of the 30 section at the crossroads. Vehicles also regularly close pass cyclists (I get a close pass almost every time I use the road.).
Crossroads with limited
Crossroads with limited visibilty from both sides. Pub with outside seating. Pub goers and hikers wandering across road.
44mph is just death wish stuff.
Like any group of people, the group labelled cyclists contains a percentage of idiots.
bob zmyuncle wrote:
I’d hope that those pub goers and hikers do check the road – Tufty Club style – before crossing?
They probably do, but it’s
They probably do, but it’s quite easy to be surprised by a vehicle travelling much faster than is usual. We tend to see what we expect to see, and generally a bike isn’t doing 40+mph so we don’t expect to see that.
But of course, the cars going faster and with orders of magnitude more kinetic energy are the bigger problem so that’s where the enforcement should be focussed.
Maybe Haigh meant they couldn
Maybe Haigh meant they couldn’t keep up with the 44mph cyclists in Sheffield?
Only Strava Wankers would do
Only Strava Wankers would do 44 through a 30.
Strava seems superfluous in
Strava seems superfluous in that comment?
If those hoons want speed
If those hoons want speed limits to be changed to apply to people riding cycles, that’s the way to go about it…
mattw wrote:
How about we apply the speed limits to the drivers first?
… and enforce them.
… and enforce them.
For a cyclist to equal the
For a cyclist to equal the killing force of an average car travelling at 44mph, the cyclist would need to be travelling at 440mph. Even if the cyclist fell out of a plane they would not create as much energy as the car. Having said that, riding through a village, past a pub forecourt and a junction at 44mph is a bit moronic IMO because if you had to stop in hurry you are very likely to leave a nasty stain in your shorts if not a bloody mess in the road.
Muddy Ford wrote:
It’s reasonable to expect that the cyclists are well aware that any mistake will cause them a lot of pain (and expensive repairs), so I’d guess that there’s clear sight lines and that the danger is being exaggerated. When cycling fast (or so I’ve been told), you usually get decent warning if a pedestrian starts to cross the road as you can move to the center of the road to avoid them or have enough warning to slow down enough. However, that does rely on not having lots of traffic around, but then if there’s lots of traffic then pedestrians aren’t going to be just stepping into the road (well, maybe once).
There aren’t clear sight
There aren’t clear sight lines on this bit of road. There’s a crossroads where it’s impossible to see what’s coming down as you pull out. Cars routinely speed here and it’s nasty for all road users.
MagsL wrote:
Okay, that does sound reckless by the cyclists then.
MagsL wrote:
As usual it is only impossible to see if you don’t look!
Muddy Ford wrote:
Doesn’t make a lot of odds to the child that’s run out into the road though, does it? It’s pretty much one will kill you, the other will really, really kill you.
Rendel Harris wrote:
The difference being you dont often encounter bikes travelling at 44mph let alone 440mph
What Israel Premier-Tech
What Israel Premier-Tech thought they were getting versus what they actually got…
Well someone had stitched him
Well someone had stitched him up with a stem that was a centimetre out and smuggled disc brakes on to the bike – it was the best he could do…
This is an actual
This is an actual illustration of Chris’s current bike fit.
I’m not condoning anyone who
I’m not condoning anyone who cycles dangerously and puts others at risk.
If someone chooses to cycle at that speed and risk their own safety, that is up to them.
My own questions:
Q1: How often do we hear about cyclists doing anything like this?
Answer: exceptionaly few times.
Q2: If a group of politicians and volunteers were to do the same (speed monitoring, let alone looking for RLJing etc) anywhere else in the country… at how many of those places would they find a significant number of drivers doing something dangerous/illegal?
Answer: almost all of them.
The fact that this has made the news is because of it’s rarity.
Hah, Froome finished drawing
Hah, Froome finished drawing his bike right beside where I used to work many, many moons ago as a fresh faced video game writer
I don’t think I’ve ever
I don’t think I’ve ever reached 44mph on my bike.
Edit – actually, a quick check on my first Ride London on strava and I did reach 47.7mph.
Op-ed in the Grauniad:
Op-ed in the Grauniad:
Britain’s addiction to cars is built on a financial house of cards
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2023/nov/22/car-culture-car-industry-consumers-debt
brooksby wrote:
It sounds like a financial version of “kick the can down the road” and relies on an expanding market to operate. At some point it all inevitably collapses and as with any financial crisis, the public gets to foot the bill.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Wouldn’t we have seen that already though? PCP’s have been around for at least 25 years.
I think it’s the scale,
I think it’s the scale, change in manufacturer model to push risk to the consumer. Then there is now car ‘poverty’ where people are finding themselves locked in to details but unable to get out.
Hirsute wrote:
I think that there is a mistake in assuming that the biggest risk is passed onto the consumer. Its the finance houses and car manufacturers with “arms length” financing arms who are going to be f*cked when the house of cards comes crashing down.
Secret_squirrel wrote:
I think that there is a mistake in assuming that the biggest risk is passed onto the consumer. Its the finance houses and car manufacturers with “arms length” financing arms who are going to be f*cked when the house of cards comes crashing down.— Hirsute
It will affect the consumer if the effect of collapsing finance houses and car manufacturers with “arms length” financing arms is to start bringing down the banks…
brooksby wrote:
“Too big to fail” and ultimately the taxpayer ending up picking up the bill AND extra for clearing up the mess, you mean?
chrisonatrike wrote:
That’s the chap! 😉
Gimpl wrote:
Depends on how long the market can keep expanding i.e. how much money people are prepared to spend on cars as status symbols. Presumably the big media push for car-shaped EVs is playing into this and providing another reason for people to keep buying cars.
A further version of it would
A further version of it would be the infra. Not sure about the UK but that is apparently the case in the US. This is the major thesis of the founder of the US Strongtowns movement.
(Here’s a version of that as relayed via notjustbikes).
I’m a little cynical of the
I’m a little cynical of the speeding group of cyclists claim. I can occasionally hit 44mph with a negative gradient and a tailwind. But I sure as hell won’t be doing it in a ‘group’ through a village, with crossroads and roadside hazards. A well drilled professional or A-group club ride bunch might travel at these speeds together, but these are quite a rare occurrence to coincide with a volunteer speed watch. Sounds like a bit of biased exaggeration if you ask me. Either that or they inadvertently recorded the car MGIFing.
And just down the road they
And just down the road they were riding 4 abreast at 12 mph, “holding up” traffic for several miles.
Hmm. Just to be clear
Hmm. Just to be clear Ringinglow Road is amazing as you come out of the Peaks. At the end of a long hard day of riding you get an epic straight newly resurfaced road on a steady downhill with no scary gradients.
The only thing to fear is cars pulling out from side roads.
As evidenced here https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/politics/protesters-set-to-block-road-to-demand-safety-measures-following-death-of-sheffield-cyclist-adrian-lane-4064902
So I always slow down approaching the built up section – but I shouldn’t have to.
My current setup gets speed wobbles above 42mph but I could easily imagine with a tailwind and a pro chain set you could hit 44 easily. And Legally