“It’s now a giant car park”: Cyclist passes over 500 cars in 20 minutes at Cheddar Gorge as landmark “overrun” by drivers; “Clearly a motorist”: Cyclist close passed by fellow cyclist; Tadej Pogačar destroys Flèche Wallonne rivals + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“There was no reason for that sort of aggression level”
An 11-year-old cyclist was injured during a club race in New Zealand after occupants of a passing vehicle threw bottles at a group of riders, one of which hit the boy and caused him to crash.
Read more: > 11-year-old cyclist injured after car occupants throw bottles at New Zealand club race
“Never stop celebrating”: Sunglasses brand 100% promises to pay 100% of Giulio Ciccone’s fine for throwing his shades after Tour of the Alps win
Just in case you were up all night fretting about Giulio Ciccone’s bank account after the UCI slapped the Italian star with a 250 Swiss francs fine for bringing back his famous shades toss celebration at the Tour of the Alps this week, you can now finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Because 100%, Lidl-Trek’s eyewear partner and the manufacturer of the sunglasses Ciccone launched into the crowd after winning Monday’s opening stage of the Tour of the Alps in San Lorenzo Dorsino, have vowed to stump up the cash for the fine themselves, telling the Italian to “never stop celebrating”.
Throwing his glasses into the crowd has been the former Tour de France King of the Mountains’ trademark victory celebration for the past six years – so it was no surprise when Ciccone responded to his first win in almost two years on Monday by winging his shades over the barriers (and letting out a roar of delight for good measure).
However, the killjoys at the UCI responded to the 30-year-old’s cathartic release across the line (steady on, Eddy Planckaert) by handing Ciccone his first ever fine for a gesture he’s made at least eight times during his career.
The jury report after the race said the three-time Giro stage winner had been guilty of “disposing of other objects (sunglasses) in a careless manner in the finish”, fining him 250 Swiss Francs and docking him 15 UCI points, just five less than the total he received for the victory.
Before yesterday’s stage, Ciccone said: “I hadn’t thought about it. It’s… I don’t want to say ridiculous, but it’s hard to say because the rules change every year. My mistake was not studying the rules, but now I know. I’m not going to continue doing it.”
However, facing the prospect of Ciccone hanging up his trademark celebration for good, and eyeing some good ol’ PR points, 100% posted last night that they would step up to pay the Lidl-Trek rider’s fine.
“This one’s on us, Lidl-Trek,” the sunglasses brand said. “Never stop celebrating, Giulio.”
Ah, that’s nice. But it turns out not everyone was impressed with 100%’s gesture.
“Bullshit!” cried Wesley on Instagram.
“We all work to receive money. Spend it on a new pair of 100% glasses and then people like this just throw it away like it’s nothing.
“A bad and sad sign to the youth, too! Not happy with this and thinking twice the next time I want to buy 100% glasses.”
Well, I suppose you can’t please everybody…
SD Worx confirms seven-time Mur de Huy conqueror Anna van der Breggen won’t start Flèche Wallonne after early DNF at Amstel Gold – but team says they hope Dutch star will be fit for Liège-Bastogne-Liège
After a promising start to her comeback season, which saw her finish second at Strade Bianche behind former protégé Demi Vollering, Anna van der Breggen’s return to the spring classics where she was once so dominant hasn’t gone quite to plan.
The 35-year-old, in her first season back in the peloton after three years away, was forced to step off the bike early during the early stages of Sunday’s Amstel Gold Race due to illness.
Van der Breggen, seemingly knowing she was below par, worked on the front for her teammates at the start of the Dutch classic, as SD Worx blew the race to bits and teed up Mischa Bredewold for a surprise solo win, but was unable to continue.
Van der Breggen wins her fourth Flèche Wallonne in 2018 (A.S.O./Thomas Maheux)
Speaking at the finish on Sunday, SD Worx-Protime DS Danny Stam told Belgian media that “Anna is not fit” after suffering through Brabantse Pijl two days previously, finishing 48th.
“She didn’t feel well on Friday in the Brabantse Pijl and on Saturday she also complained of a headache and sore throat,” Stam said.
“She started anyway in the hope of getting through it, but that soon turned out to be vain hope. She did some work for the team and then stepped down, partly as a precaution.
“Performing optimally will be difficult, but let’s not panic. Anna may have caught a bad cold. That could last two to three days, but hopefully she will get better sooner. I don’t see it as something to worry about yet.”
But despite Stam’s optimism, it appears that Van der Breggen hasn’t been able to recover sufficiently in time for today’s Flèche Wallonne, a race she won seven times in succession between 2015 and 2021, with SD Worx confirming that she won’t take on the Mur de Huy this afternoon.
However, the Dutch team is still not ruling out the possibility of a return at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, which Van der Breggen won in 2017, as part of an Ardennes triple, and 2018.
Anna van der Breggen wont start in today’s Flèche Wallonne. She’s not completely recovered & therefore as a precaution won’t race today,” SD Worx posted this morning.
“The hope is Anna will be fit again for Liège-Bastogne-Liège.”
The Remco fans are out in force at Flèche Wallonne
Go, Remco!
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep.bsky.social) April 23, 2025 at 11:08 AM
Are we set for another Pogi vs Remco vs Skjelmose showdown this afternoon, this time on the savage slopes of the Mur de Huy and its annual two minutes of carnage?
Judge orders Ontario premier Doug Ford to pause plans to rip out cycle lanes in Toronto until decision is made on whether removal is unconstitutional and violates cyclists’ rights
Across the pond in Canada, after months of controversy and protests, Ontario premier Doug Ford has been ordered to pause his plans to rip up several cycle lanes in Toronto – which he described last year as “absolute insanity” – until a judge can decide whether their removal is unconstitutional.
Late last year, Ford and his Progressive Conservative government engaged in a relentless anti-cycle lane crusade, pledging to limit the construction of bike lanes in Ontario and rip out some recently installed ones, claiming that motorists should have priority on busy city streets – and that cyclists should simply be shunted onto “secondary roads”.
Ford’s proposals – which have been criticised by both cyclists and local officials as an act of government overreach – would block the construction of new cycling infrastructure if its results in the loss of lanes previously reserved for cars, buses, and lorries, and force cities and towns to prove that any new cycle lanes would not increase congestion, while also ripping out three of Toronto’s recently installed bike lanes and 19km of active travel infrastructure in total in the city.
In November, despite vehement opposition from Toronto councillors, the businessman and politician finally passed his controversial cycle lane bill, which could also create legal protections for the province if cyclists are hurt or killed on streets where the current infrastructure will be removed, a decision described by rival parties as “heartbreaking”.
However, in a rare recent victory for Toronto’s cyclists, on Tuesday at Ontario Superior Court, Justice Paul Schabas granted an injunction requested by the cycling campaign group Cycle Toronto to protect the bike lanes on Bloor Street, Yonge Street, and University Avenue.
The judge concluded that preventing the governing from ripping up the infrastructure would give the courts enough time to decide if Ford’s new law was constitutional.
“It is likely that the bike lanes are more easily removed than rebuilt or restored. There is evidence that their removal will have little or no impact on the professed objectives of the legislation as stated by the minister of transportation,” Schabas said in his injunction ruling referring to the Ford government’s claims that scrapping Toronto’s cycle lanes would ease congestion.
As part of their legal challenge, Cycle Toronto said removing the infrastructure would put cyclists lives at risk and increase the number of collisions and deaths on the city’s roads, arguing that the decision to rip up cycle lane was arbitrary and would have no impact on congestion.
Justice Schabas added that the legal challenge raised “important and complex constitutional issues” and said he had not yet formed a “final view on the matter”.
Responding to the decision, a spokesperson for Ford’s government said it would comply with the court’s ruling, but insisted it hoped to begin removing the cycle lanes “as soon as possible”.
“We were elected with a clear mandate to get people out of traffic by restoring driving lanes to keep some of our busiest roads moving,” the spokesperson said.
“We will continue with the design work necessary to begin removals as soon as possible, should the decision uphold the legislation.”
Déjà vu in the Ardennes
Round two of Ardennes Week, Flèche Wallonne, is underway, and it’s a cold, wet, and fast one in Belgium as we prepare for – in my eyes anyway – two of the best minutes of the cycling season on the Mur de Huy (alright, alright, I know the rest of the race is usually a snore fest, but I still like it. Okay?).
And look who’s keep tracking of each other in the peloton:
"The smartest, toughest 360° camera ever made”?
> Insta360 unveils new flagship X5 action camera that records your rides in 8k clarity
Ice-cold Margo Frigo secures first ever career victory with epic 70km solo ride at the Tour of the Alps
While all eyes may be on Belgium this afternoon, there was still plenty of mountainous racing action taking place along Italy’s border with Austria, where Marco Frigo put in the ride of his life to take his first ever professional victory on stage three of the Tour of the Alps.
The 25-year-old Israel-Premier Tech climber, who’s finished second and third in stages of the Vuelta and Giro respectively in recent years, attacked clear of the breakaway with around 70km to go on the Passo Furcia.
Despite a concerted chase on the final climb of the Monte Versciaco, the lead Frigo had built in the valley proved sufficient, as he plummeted down into Innichen 19 seconds clear of the GC favourites, led home by Jai Hindley and the Italian’s teammate Derek Gee.
Yesterday’s stage winner Michael Storer finishes safely in the pack to retain his 41-second overall lead, while stage one victor – and glasses launcher – Giulio Ciccone’s fourth place saw him vault ahead of Paul Seixas into second, with final two relentlessly tough stages still to come.
Amstel Gold winner Mattias Skjelmose in pain after hitting the deck in grisly conditions at Flèche Wallonne
After his sensational win at Amstel Gold on Sunday, outsprinting Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel, Mattias Skjelmose’s Ardennes Week appears to have suddenly gone up in smoke, following a painful looking crash at Flèche Wallonne.
With around 40km to go, and just before the penultimate ascent of the Mur de Huy, Skjelmose – positioned near the very front of the peloton – slid out on a slick corner in grisly conditions, as several other riders, including some of his Lidl-Trek teammates and a Soudal Quick-Step rider, also crashed.
While Skjelmose bounced up quickly and got back on his bike, surrounded by his Lidl-Trek domestiques, the Dane looked to be in serious discomfort, with it appearing extremely unlikely that he’ll make his way back to a bunch currently being driven on by Evenepoel’s Soudal Quick-Step team.
Meanwhile, Skjelmose’s Lidl-Trek co-leader, the multi-disciplined Thibau Nys, now appears isolated as most of the team dropped back to help the Amstel Gold winner.
‘Waiting on the rest of the Sunday club ride in December’ vibes
Quick, someone stick the kettle on and get Tom some Yorkshire Tea, the man’s freezing!
Hold on, what was that, Jeremy?
Everyone’s favourite broadcaster/camera cyclist is loving chatting about cycling on podcasts lately, isn’t he?
> Jeremy Vine claims angry drivers are “not getting enough sex” and have “small di*k energy”
“I listened to my sports directors for a change!” Puck Pieterse storms to first ever classics victory at debut Flèche Wallonne, outduelling Demi Vollering with perfectly timed sprint after epic battle on Mur de Huy
After over a year of relentlessly knocking at the door, Puck Pieterse’s big classics moment has finally arrived.
The 22-year-old multidisciplinary sensation, a prolific winner on the mountain bike and in the cyclocross field, has also proven to be one of the most consistent one-day riders on the planet.
The Dutch star’s brief, week-long sojourn into road racing in 2023 saw her finish a remarkable fifth at Strade Bianche, before her first proper spring campaign last year featured two podiums, seven top tens, and lowest finishing position of 13th.
After her breakthrough Tour de France stage win and young rider’s jersey success last August, Pieterse has been just as consistent this year, finishing top ten in every race she’s entered and taking third at Sunday’s Amstel Gold.
So it was only a matter of time before she turned that consistency into a classics victory.
And timing was key this afternoon on the Mur de Huy where, on her sports directors’ advice, Pieterse – making her Flèche Wallonne debut – played it cool as Juliette Labous set an infernal place for her FDJ-Suez leader Demi Vollering.
As 2023 winner Vollering ramped up the pace after Labous pulled off, effectively killing off eventual third place Elisa Longo Borghini’s chances, Pieterse – unlike her rules be damned counterpart Tadej Pogačar – sat tight, biding her time before bursting clear with 150m to go to open what will almost certainly prove a very healthy classics account.
“It took everything, but I’m really happy to get the victory today,” the Fenix-Deceuninck rider said at the finish, reflecting on her perfectly executed ascent of the Mur de Huy.
“The race started quite easily, there were some small accelerations on the climbs, but we were always in control with the team. In the lead-out to the climbs, I was always in second position, the team gave everything. So I thought now I really have to finish it off to give them something back!
“I’m just super happy to get it. I think I did everything right during the race, and I attacked where everyone says you have to attack – so I listened to my sports directors for a change!”
Extraterrestrial Tadej Pogačar blows away rivals with stunning early attack on Mur de Huy to take easy Flèche Wallonne win – with biggest winning margin of group sprint era
Just when you start to think that maybe, just maybe Tadej Pogačar is fallible, or even human, the world champion goes and does something to prove that, in fact, he really is from another planet.
On the savage slopes of the Mur de Huy, with 500m to go at Flèche Wallonne, the Slovenian superstar launched perhaps the single most devastating attack cycling has seen for years, an impossibly early. unfathomably ferocious acceleration that blew all his rivals away and redefined, once again, what the 26-year-old is capable of on a bike.
That bewildering rocket launcher-style move not only secured Pogačar his second career victory at the Belgian classic, righting the wrongs of his Amstel Gold upset, but it also saw him break yet another record – at ten seconds, the Slovenian’s winning margin we’ve ever seen at Flèche Wallonne when a group has entered the Mur de Huy together.
Out of this world, indeed.
The much-maligned middle sibling of the inaccurately titled Ardennes Week, Flèche Wallonne – unfortunately – largely sticks to the same, tried and tested script every year, 200km of conservative racing, followed by a slow-motion bunch sprint up the final climb of the Mur.
Men’s cycling, increasingly, looks to be following its own script: When he starts a bike race, Tadej Pogačar usually wins.
However, the seismic shock of Amstel Gold, when Pogačar attacked and, for once, failed to win, and the grisly conditions faced by the riders on the roads of Wallonia this afternoon promised, tantalisingly, to upend both narratives.
Alas, it wasn’t to be. A sizeable group, if not an entire peloton, came to the bottom of the Mur de Huy and Tadej Pogačar won. Easily. But while the world champion wasn’t exactly ripping up scripts this afternoon, he did at least make some notable alterations with a bright pink highlighter pen.
There were no 50km attacks this time – instead, Pogačar sent UAE teammate Jan Christen, the man of the match, to the front to set a searing pace on the penultimate climb of the Cherave.
On the descent – where Mattias Skjelmose’s afternoon and possibly Ardennes campaign ended early – the three-time Tour winner eschewed the ‘hide in the wheels’ approach favoured by most Flèche winners and hit the front, Remco Evenepoel in tow, briefly dragging away a small group that also contained Brandon McNulty, Ben Healy, and eventual second place Kévin Vauquelin.
On the Mur, Christen was back at work, putting everyone in the red. Healy, lacking the explosivity required to wait, hit the front with 500 long metres to go, a lifetime in Mur de Huy terms. Pogačar, seemingly irked by the Irishman’s half wheeling, then launched.
And he really did launch. Resolutely seated, secure yet snarling, the Slovenian’s wheels almost lifting off the ground, his bike barely making it around a 17 per cent bend such was his speed, a staggering, unthinkable gap opened in the blink of an eye. Healy, Evenepoel, Pidcock, who timed his effort well to take third, all blown away in the miserable Belgian wind.
We’ve never seen anything like it – a phrase we’ve said quite a few times in recent years when it comes to Pogačar, but it still rings true. The distance from the finish of his attack – a complete no-go for every single other winner of Flèche over the past 20 years – the almost imperceptible ease of his attack, barely a flicker in his body as he rips through the pedals, brutally juxtaposed with the devastation inflicted behind him.
Dirty face, puffy eyes, and pink glasses nonchalantly dangling from his jersey, he cruised the last 100 metres and still – with a ten second gap to Vauquelin – secured the biggest winning margin ever seen in a Mur de Huy group ‘sprint’.
The era of marginal gains is well and truly dead. We’re now living in an epoch of maximal destruction. Tadej Pogačar is, quite simply, out of this world.
“Clearly a motorist when he’s not riding a bike”: Cyclist riding in cycle lane on empty road close passed… by fellow cyclist
Over the years on road.cc, we’ve published a whopping 924 editions of our beloved, not-at-all controversial Near Miss of the Day series, featuring a staggering array of close passes, dodgy MGIF manoeuvres, distracted driving, and hair-raising overtakes.
But it’s fair to say – though I haven’t gone through them all to check – very few, if any, of those 924 near misses were committed by people on bikes.
So, we decided to kick off the Wednesday live blog with something novel… Near Miss of the Day: The Cyclist on Cyclist Edition.
And our first instalment of NMotDCoC comes courtesy of south London cyclist John during his morning ride through Mitcham Common, Merton, on Saturday:
“Leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds”
“Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in”
Clearly a motorist when he’s not riding a bike. pic.twitter.com/peHobyNy75
— 4 Chords No Net (@4ChordsNoNet) April 22, 2025
While riding in the painted bike lane on Cedars Avenue, another tri-bar-sporting cyclist (no slant against tri-bars of course, just an observation – before you all jump in the comments) decided to nip in front of John, alarmingly close to his front wheel.
Posting the clip on Twitter, John quoted the Highway Code, which advises drivers when overtaking cyclists to “leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph” and to “move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in”.
“I get used to car drivers close passing me and cutting in, it goes with the territory, but you don’t expect it from a fellow cyclist,” John told road.cc. “I’ve had a few close passes in commuter traffic, but not on a near empty road like that.
“He’s clearly a motorist when he’s not riding a bike.”
It’s been quite the week on the live blog for Merton so far, after yesterday’s edition reported that a few of the borough’s residents are “furious” the council has taken away some of their car parking spaces to make way for hire bike spots, with one local branding it, rather originally, as a “war on cars”.
But while kicking up a fuss about Lime bikes seems to be all the rage these days, despite that novelty close pass in Mitcham Common I just can’t see ‘cyclist on cyclist’ close passes taking off in the same way in Merton.
But you never know…
“How can this be a pleasant day out for anyone?”
Matt Kelland, the cyclist who encountered over 500 cars in just 20 minutes while riding through Cheddar Gorge on Easter Sunday, says the iconic natural landmark has been “completely and utterly overrun by cars”.
“I was just enjoying a nice Sunday ride in the sunshine, but found it was utter gridlock when I got to Cheddar,” Matt, who posted his unusual counting exercise on YouTube, told road.cc today.
What a lovely view… Not sure you’ll find this image on the tourism sites
“I find it weird that a site of special scientific interest has been so completely and utterly overrun by cars, and it literally stinks of petrol fumes and burnt rubber. How can this be a pleasant day out for anyone?
“That said, most drivers did seem pretty patient and careful around me, and the one driver who tooted at me (#502) looked a bit sheepish when I overtook him at the next jam!”
“The place has become a giant car park”: Cyclist slams “complete and total car-nage” after passing over 500 cars in 20 minutes at Cheddar Gorge on Easter Sunday – year on from drivers claiming “people will be run over by bikes”
Last April, you may remember, we reported that the tantalising prospect of traffic-free days at Cheddar Gorge took a step closer to becoming a reality – after a consultation saw more than 80 per cent of respondents express support for the idea that closing the road to motor traffic (albeit just once a month) would make the site more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-vehicular visitors.
According to the consultation, 71 per cent of respondents said they wanted to see a traffic-free day implemented at the iconic Somerset limestone gorge on one Sunday each month (compared to just 17 per cent who were not in favour of any road closure), with the Mendip Hills National Landscape Team describing the widespread support for the initiative as “exciting”.
However, unsurprisingly, despite the results of the consultation, social media was up in arms at the prospect of a day without cars at Cheddar Gorge.
One Facebook user described the poll as “less fair than Putin’s election”, while another complained that people riding bikes in the area would make it more dangerous.
“Leaving it open to pushbikes is a ridiculous idea,” wrote Chris Maunders.
“To be honest they are more dangerous than the cars because you cannot hear them and they come down that Gorge [at] over 30 miles an hour. People will be run over by bikes all over the place.”
So far, much to the relief of Facebook Chris and his mates, there has been little movement on implementing this traffic-free day a month at Cheddar Gorge over the past year.
And, judging by the scenes at the landmark on Easter Sunday, motorists are taking every chance they can get to clog up the Mendip Hills with exhaust fumes.
Local cyclist Matt Kelland shared the above video with road.cc documenting his ride through Cheddar Gorge on Sunday – which saw him encounter a staggering 517 (yes, 517) motor vehicles in the space of just 20 minutes.
“I passed over 500 cars in 20 minutes! It was crazy,” Matt told road.cc.
“The place has become a giant car park. Complete and total car-nage.”
But, but, but… the pushbikes!
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I often wonder why they don't wear cooling arm sleeves and cooling hats under their helmets. At a guess it's probably something to do with 'the rules', as this is road racing. Headsweats caps and similar make a big difference to how hot you get and you avoid getting your head sunburnt through the gaps in your helmet.
It's good going to keep the Vanquish price at £485, especially if you can still get a discount through Cycling UK or British Cycling, or maybe a cashback site (I've seen 10% via Complete Savings before). Shame Halfords didn't change the cassette as road.cc suggested in their review last year though.
Plenty of distinguishing features to identify the place including "Dubai, UAE" right at the top of that Insta post. And using a mobile phone while driving is illegal in Dubai and across the UAE.
The Guardian isn’t a source of scientific data It's a much better source than climate change denying nutters!
Given that he is holding his hand on the steering wheel while controls on the central panel, including the driving mode selector, are illuminated, it is highly doubtful that the car is parked with the engine off.
This is over-simplistic and false. The Guardian isn't a source of scientific data.
Seeing as his car is probably a gold wrapped Hummer or G Wagon, it would appear that his taste mechanisms have been out of action for some time.
At the very top of the hierarchy would be separation of cyclists and motor vehicles, or reduction of car journeys. Safety features fitted to cars, while better than PPE, could fail or be override.
Yeah, the updated site isn't exactly an improvement.
54 thoughts on ““It’s now a giant car park”: Cyclist passes over 500 cars in 20 minutes at Cheddar Gorge as landmark “overrun” by drivers; “Clearly a motorist”: Cyclist close passed by fellow cyclist; Tadej Pogačar destroys Flèche Wallonne rivals + more on the live blog”
I hate those so-called bike
I hate those so-called bike lanes; they encourage motorists to close-pass because in the motorists mind, somehow paint means its safe and they no longer have to adhere to the 1.5 metre gap! hate’em!
And this one is “advisory” so
And this one is “advisory” so literally means nothing.
Get ’em replaced with separate cycle paths where the separation / buffer is built in. They’ve already acknowledged that the speed / number of motorists there is not suitable for mixing with cyclists…
That doesn’t help with close-passing cyclists though!
chrisonabike wrote:
ftfy
Until the poor motorist
Until the poor motorist unable to control their wankpanzer hits said BOLLARDS and campaigns to have them removed as a road hazard.
#irony
chrisonabike wrote:
Cedars Ave is basically a shortcut to save motorists 1km. Closing it to motorists should cause little or no consequence. If it’s a busy route, then using the longer way round will save a right turn across traffic at one end or the other, so it should actually be safer for the precious darlings!
Then remove the cycle lanes on Cedars Ave, and the probability is the close pass won’t happen.
Hadn’t checked on the map …
Hadn’t checked on the map … but you’re quite right. Looks like a prime candidate for “remove motor access” (only exception perhaps park maintenance / emergency vehicles?)
For all those who say “but we can’t possibly afford to create a whole new network for cycling” … when you look, in many places in the UK there are in fact lots of opportunities like this. Roads / streets where we could be removing through traffic via “filtering” – because e.g. what is a residential street is used as just another convenient route by some drivers. Or removing lanes – perhaps making a road / street one-way (looks like this already happened here?) Or simply re-allocating the space to active travel (because there are “main road” alternatives already).
Yep. 100%. Its nuts. I get
Yep. 100%. Its nuts. I get far worse passes whenever I am in a bike lane than when I am just on the road. I would happily see every cycle lane like this removed completely.
mctrials23 wrote:
The close passes from motorists when you’re riding in a lane like that one are – I’d wager – because the motorist thinks, “Well, so long as I don’t go in their lane then I’m fine!”.
I think that they don’t think the five foot rule applies, because you’re in a separate lane.
Of course, the same people will happily park in one because it’s dashed lines so it’s only advisory…
mctrials23 wrote:
This has actually been proven scientifically using real-world experiments.
https://road.cc/content/news/259204-painted-cycle-lanes-result-closer-passes-motorists-finds-study
That’s not science
That’s not science
stonojnr wrote:
Seems like science to me – performing an experiment, recording the measurements and then seeing if the results are significant in a repeatable manner.
It may not be the best experiment in the world (e.g. not enough data collected etc), but that doesn’t mean that it’s not science.
Did those performing it wear
Did those performing it wear white coats? That’s science!
EDIT: apart from if it’s cheese tasting.
chrisonabike wrote:
Ermine in springtime? I’ll
Ermine in springtime? I’ll not cast a (white) clout yet then.
the nature of science is it
the nature of science is it cant be used to prove something, because it cannot show an absolute or a certainty, only maths and logic are capable of providing proof.
so we cant claim the study scientifically proved anything, it simply gathered an amount of evidence to support the theory they came up with
it might be a theory you or others agree with, but the result is not scientific proof.
stonojnr wrote:
Science (n): The systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence obtained.
The linked study started with a theory, experimented with a selected population, observed the results and compared the theory against the evidence. Obviously no bubbling test tubes were involved, but it’s still science.
My impression is the ones who
My impression is the ones who close pass you like that, would do it anyway regardless, they seem to struggle with the concept of leaving space full stop, and will often drive half in the lane once they passed you, and have done presumably following you, hence the closeness of the pass.
There are still roads I feel safer on with them, than without, though they’re case by case basis as some are just badly routed.
Yep.
Yep.
Looks like a bad attempt at a Dutch design…
(If too narrow, remove center line and put in FULL width optional cycle lanes – if drivers need to pass each other they can enter the cycle lane, but it clearly marks the 2m a rider should be allowed)
I’ve stopped cycling along
I’ve stopped cycling along the A28 road from Sturry into Canterbury for just that reason, which is a shame as the descent into Fordwich is lovely (albeit closed for roadworks at the moment anyway). The bike lane is narrow, has drains and, until recently, was very overgrown so I tended to cycle right on the white line. I would get the odd w4nker shouting at me to move over, but rarely any bad close passes (I’m OK with 3 feet if traffic isn’t too fast even though it’s less than the HC requires), however I got several if I stayed in the lane after the vegetation was cut back. Including a bus that was barely a foot from me on one occasion that I reported to the police, who duly sent the company (not even the driver) the usual warning letter, which I’m sure had them all quaking in their boots. Driving along there, waiting for a clear space to safely and legally pass a kid in school uniform, I’ve even had horns blown at me by those behind.
So, sadly, I’ve been essentially chased off the road even though the council probably think they’ve done well by putting in a bike lane on both sides of the road.
Argh! An advisory cycle lane
Argh! An advisory cycle lane – total waste of paint!
On that road with apparently a 40mph limit and a fair bit of traffic (including buses and trucks) any kind of cycle lane would effectively be a waste of paint. Needs separate infra (there seems to be a narrow and uninviting footway…)
Even if all drivers were saints most people people aren’t going to use this because it just won’t feel safe or pleasant, “take the lane” or no. Not because “it’s too far” or “people don’t want to travel” or “but we have weather” either.
Looking at the map the alternatives look like a) train (would appear to be good but “services”?) b) bus (also “services”) c) an unpaved trail to the south (bit further and flooding?), possibly an unpaved footpath along the railway for a bit (says Google) or a significant diversion to the north which still involves an A-road.
Barring perhaps the public transport I doubt any of those remotely compares with the convenience of driving, even allowing time to park.
Coming from Stourmouth I now
Coming from Stourmouth I now continue on to the A257 by the golf course and come in that way. It’s still an A road and reasonably busy, but less so and much wider than the A28. It also has the ‘advantage’ of 2 sets of roadworks coming into town so you just ride past anyone who’s just overtaken you. Twice! Then it drops down St Martin’s Hill and there’s a speed camera at the bottom so no-one tries to overtake you, after which it becomes a 20mph zone with, invariably, a queue of traffic that you can just ride past, before getting to a half-decent cycleable short cut (with BOLLARDS to please TLO!) and a toucan crossing on part of the A28. In the 20mph zone the council recently put in a wide, dedicated bright red cycle path on both sides of the road which is elevated from the road, and were actually brave enough to remove several parking spaces to do so. Lovely, except it’s short (less than 200m), stops well before Christchurch University, though practically all the buildings are listed so making more space would mean closing the road to motor vehicles altogether, adding to congestion on Broad Street (part of the ‘ring road’), and goes past the UNESCO listed St Augustine’s Abbey so is invariably filled with peds, mostly tourists, gawping through the railings as they are too tight to give English Heritage any money! So a nice idea, but a bit crap still, unfortunately.
As an added bonus the A257 is about to be closed to motor traffic for a few months while they put in infrastructure for the new housing estates, so should be lovely and quiet for summer cruising. During the consultation period for the new cycle paths I did recommend they continue them up St Martin’s Hill as far as the large new estates; sadly this was ignored.
Jakrayan wrote:
Another peeve of mine…
Apparently we have to build houses *. BUT … do these houses have requirements for a) public transport connectivity (maybe… but unlikely to be “better than we have now”) b) active travel (sometimes – in the form of “shared use pavements”) c) requirements for secure cycle storage space?
(I think there are some requirements in Edinburgh for the latter but the current development doesn’t seem to have it – perhaps “planning applied for before then”?)
Further – do they connect to (improved) active travel networks (almost always – nope) OR are they likely to increase demand for driving, car dependency or congestion? (It’s the second option).
(Note that in more thoughtful places the active travel infra often goes in at the same time as the new roads to allow site access).
* In Edinburgh the city had apparently decided “we don’t have enough” long before Labour’s plans. Still not sure what for e.g. where is the emploment demand for thousands of new workers?
I guess it’s “council want to sell some land for income” and/or perhaps “council hope that through ‘growth’ will come greater prosperity” – very arguable without already having new businesses seeking lots of labour (not seeing that). Or perhaps just be “everyone else is growing and we don’t want to be left behind”?
What I do know is unless the world has suddenly changed it’s unlikely to improve things much for those at the bottom of the pile. Which is normally a reason that gets trotted out (“better housing for those ten to a room”). I also worry that we’re just setting a trap for ourselves a couple of decades in the future (perhaps slightly like the US).
The new housing estate is on
The new housing estate is on former MOD land, so can’t blame the council to be fair, plus it’s off what is ostensibly an A road, so it also has decent access. So could be worse. However, there is no direct link to cycling routes in the city, so could definitely be improved. It’s only a mile or so from the top of the High Street, so a missed opportunity – Canterbury is a small city after all. Don’t live there, so can’t comment on public transport, though I see more buses in other areas, albeit the occasional one overtakes me (safely) going up St Martin’s Hill.
Hand on heart I do think, as a keen leisure cyclists, I’m lucky to live here as, with a few exceptions like the bus I posted earlier, the vast majority of drivers here are actually quite careful. Pulling in and giving way on narrow lanes is the norm, or thanking me if I do the same. However, one bad ‘un can spoil an otherwise nice rise. Or, obviously, worse.
Some of the worse close
Some of the worse close passes I’ve had have been from fellow cyclists … especially those in group rides.
Yeah people feel entitled to
Yeah people feel entitled to do the things they are used to doing, being on a bicycle doesn’t give someone immunity from that.
It doesn’t take long for “riding fast is ok if I don’t endanger someone” to become “how dare they not expect me to close pass them them at top speed without warning?!”
the worst are those who cut
the worst are those who cut in front of you, just missing your front wheel, and then slow down. Had one do this to me, on a cycle path, the other day when it was raining (and they didn’t have mudguards). Thanks, yes I really wanted a face full of your tyre spray.
I don’t know I’d still rate
I don’t know I’d still rate being nearly squashed by a 44ton HGV as my worst close pass.
Though i do wish alot of other cyclists would give more room, but there’s an aero gain for them from doing it which is why folks with TT bars, or group riders, are the most likely culprits.
AHH yes.
AHH yes.
Getting abused by a random club ride for ‘being in the way’ and ‘slowing for no reason’…
(Having just dropped a chain, so having no option but to roll to a stop; also group I was supposed to be with were turning right, so without the mechanical I would have been moving away from the kerb and braking for the turn…)
Quote:
As luck would have it, picture from yesterday of a Limeist who passed within about 30cm and immediately cut in front as I laboured up White Lodge Hill in Richmond Park – on a closed road with absolutely nothing in sight ahead. Hope he enjoyed the feeling of superiority skinning a quinquagenarian on a hill by using an electric motor gave him!
I have given up ebikes for the time being but when I had a “stealth” e-roadbike I always made a point of giving human-power-only riders plenty of room when overtaking and indeed on hills I would often give them a friendly “Don’t worry mate, you’re not slow, I’ve got a motor.” Certainly didn’t act as if I was putting one over on them, as I’m afraid too many Limeists seem to enjoy doing.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Did you ever get a response like “Don’t worry mate, you’re not fast, I’ve got bronchitis, a couple of stents and a wooden leg”?
chrisonabike wrote:
I’ve been accused of being on
I’ve been accused of being an e-biker when I’m not on one, including by one gentleman who called out “cheater! cheater!” after I passed him (with plenty of room of course.)
I’m not fast, but I can go more than 12 MPH on the flat, which is all he was managing.
It probably didn’t help that an Alfine internal gear hub looks a bit like a hub motor.
I’d just respond “Serval
I’d just respond “Serval yourself!” (I avoid “Margay!” after a misunderstanding).
Know what you mean about queries around “odd looking” bikes though. I have put a few people right on my “electric” commuter (with hub gear and dynamo) which is only electricity generating. And that my recumbent (with a tail box or bag) was in fact mainly fuelled by cake.
Yes, I also have a front hub
Yes, I also have a front hub generator on the bike I was riding that day, as I do on three of my five bikes. And it was powering the light, because I never turn it off on that one.
I have some concern that my
I have some concern that my Rohloff may be mistaken for a hub motor if the ebike ban on trains is expanded from that there London…
Rendel Harris wrote:
I suspect most Limeists couldn’t care less that they’re overtaking acoustic bikes – they’re usually so engrossed in their phone at the time, I doubt they even notice. I do feel the slight though. One of my favourite pasttimes is repeatedly overtaking the RLJing ones.
What’s all this ‘fellow
What’s all this ‘fellow cyclist’ BS? It plays into the trope that all people on bikes are homogenous and therefore should be treated as acting in unison.
I’ve just discovered that it
I’ve just discovered that it it not St George’s day today because you can’t have a saint’s day in the week before and after easter. It is on 28th April.
Next odd one is 29th April 2030.
Hirsute wrote:
Someone needs to tell all those people who put England flags up from lamp-posts etc on my route into the office…
like the PM you mean ?
like the PM you mean ?
While there is never a
While there is never a justification for a close pass — especially without an “on your right”, I noticed that the drainage grates narrowed the lane by about a third. (You cyclist can have the cr** part of the road — but don’t you dare take any of mine!)
I’m so glad Cheddar Gorge
I’m so glad Cheddar Gorge wasn’t like that when I climbed it, which was on a Sunday, but not Easter Sunday. I really don’t recall it being particularly busy with cars. Loads of other cyclists, though.
Some double counting there, like the lovely red NA MX-5 at 1:09 and 2:17, but still, wow!
The congestion seems to be
The congestion seems to be mostly due to inconsiderate parking or narrow bits in the town where traffic couldn’t flow two ways simultaneously. Beyond that, most of what he counts seems to be parked off the road. Not such a big deal IMO. Still, I’d love to see the Gorge closed to motor traffic occasionally though (although more for walking and general serenity – it probably wouldn’t be great for cycling, esp. downhill, with lots of peds on the road!)
cyclist who encountered over
cyclist who encountered over 500 cars in just 20 minutes while riding through Cheddar Gorge on Easter Sunday
On balance, I’m pleased to say there was also an Ultra-Mega-jam all around Lancaster around 7pm on Sunday, even though I had expected light Easter Sunday traffic on my way back from the Lakes. I cruised past about 2 miles of them, almost stationary, although I had to be vigilant as I was towing the trailer. It was all due to an M6 incident and closure- not holiday traffic.
That Matt Kelland was quick
That Matt Kelland was quick up Cheddar Gorge!
What do you mean the film was sped up?!?!
It’s not on Strava, so it
It’s not on Strava, so it never happened!
“Ontario premier Doug Ford
“Ontario premier Doug Ford has been ordered to pause his plans to rip up several cycle lanes in Toronto – which he described last year as “absolute insanity”
Well, he got that right, ripping out the cycle lanes is absolute insanity.
“….Ford and his Progressive Conservative government…..”
Progressive Conservative? Oxymoron, surely?
I sincerely hope that Matt
I sincerely hope that Matt Kelland took down all the registrations of those 500+ cars and has written to each and every owner, apologising for causing the gridlock with his bicycle.
I drove to cheddar gorge
I drove to cheddar gorge twice about 20 years ago. I apologise retrospectively. In my defence I did stop and spend some money there, taking in the caves and walking up Jacob’s ladder .
Compendium comment:
Compendium comment:
Cheddar Gorde – a nauseating watch (both the traffic volume and the motion sickness). “a consultation saw more than 80 per cent of respondents express support for the idea that closing the road to motor traffic (albeit just once a month) would make the site more accessible for pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-vehicular visitors. According to the consultation, 71 per cent of respondents said they wanted to see a traffic-free day implemented.“
Are those numbers wrong, or are those two separate questions, and the missing 9% of respondents agreed a car free day would make the gorge more accessible, but just don’t give a s***?!
Tadej – descriptors like ‘extraterrestrial’, ‘out of this world’ and ‘from another planet’ have historic connotations of doping. Was their use intentional?
Close pass cyclists – see the Embankment cycle lane (although there at least there is often the ‘excuse’ that the other lane is seldom empty enough to give a lot of space).
quiff wrote:
Quite probably the latter and not too surprising – after all if I were asked a question like “Would removing all LTNs and cycle lanes make life easier for London’s motorists?” I would answer yes, if I were asked “Should all London’s LTNs and cycle lanes be removed?” I would answer no.
Cheddar Gorge on a weekend is
Cheddar Gorge on a weekend is truly horrible. Zombie peds, chavs with big exhausts and dodgy MOTs, w*nkpanzers – vile. But there’s some truly lovely climbs nearby. Or go on a weekday, should be less disgusting then.
As for hitting 30 mph down Cheddar, only if it’s very quite and you’re very, very brave – those bends are pretty tight and the run-offs are a little…cliffy
Quite easy to approach 30mph
Quite easy to approach 30mph up the top near Black Rock, though I’d accept that arguably that isn’t really part of the gorge. Lower down I entirely agree, I wouldn’t dream of trying to descend at that speed unless conditions were absolutely perfect and the road was completely closed, no peds or motors – even then the chance of encountering one of the wild goats as you come round a corner would lead to caution.
I haven’t been there for about five years, weekdays out of holiday times are pretty good in my past experience as long as you avoid rush hour when it seems pretty popular with commuters.
I m just glad I was able to
I m just glad I was able to cycle to these places in 70s x 80s when it was reasonably quiet