“No Urška, no Pogi”: Tadej Pogačar pulls out of Paris Olympics due to “being too tired” – as fans blame shock Urška Žigart omission for Tour de France winner’s absence; “Cyclists are now being protected to a ridiculous extent” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
It’s all about the bike (and the special, celebratory Tour jersey colour scheme)
> The history-making bikes of the 2024 Tour de France: check out these special yellow, green, polka dot and white bikes
If only all motor traffic looked like this…
In case you missed this over on Instagram during the weekend, here’s a snippet of the Tour de France’s famous publicity caravan in all its fuel-burning, fruit and veg-shaped glory on the Col de Braus:
Surely this could be the future, one of smiling drivers in funny vehicles driving very slowly while respecting cyclists and ensuring everyone has a good time? (Although, I’m sure I spotted a few ‘distracted’ drivers in the caravan, too…)
In any case, here’s our haul from the Tour’s daily tat, sweets, swag, and washing powder sample parade:
Unfortunately, while we did get hold of a jazzy leopard-print sleep mask, we missed out on some of the most coveted of the Tour’s roadside projectiles, including the very cool FDJ tricolour caps and the Skoda green bucket hats.
Maybe I wasn’t dancing hard enough…
Endurance enthusiast and road.cc reviewer Matt Page, however, came away with quite the bounty the following day in Nice:
Not jealous, not jealous at all…
Welsh Cycling renamed Beicio Cymru as part of “exciting new chapter” that reflects “deep-rooted commitment to promoting cycling across Wales”
Just when you thought we had gone a few years without a cycling organisation undergoing a rebranding process, Welsh Cycling has announced this morning that it is formally changing its name to Beicio Cymru, a switch to Welsh that the body says will mark “the beginning of an exciting new chapter for us” and a “significant milestone in our journey”.
“This transformation is more than just a name change,” Beicio Cymru says. “It symbolises that in all we do moving forward, we will inspire, empower and act with integrity for our cycling community.
“Our new name, Beicio Cymru, reflects our deep-rooted commitment to promoting cycling across Wales, celebrating our heritage, and fostering a strong, inclusive community.”
As well as the name change and a jazzy new website, Beicio Cymru also unveiled its 2024-2030 strategy.
This includes “empowering a cycling culture” in Wales, implementing effective governance, and “elevating” the cycling experience in the country by aiming to “provide a quality and accessible talent pathway to develop athletes and coaches to transition into world class elite performers (in focused disciplines and in partnership with British Cycling).”
The strategy also hopes to “excite a new generation of riders” and “develop and provide inclusive, equitable, and accessible cycling opportunities to encourage the long term participation of young people in the sport, making cycling a skill for life.”
“Our vision is geared towards showing our people and the world that Wales is truly made for bikes, not only through its unique landscapes but by the support and infrastructure that enables all participants to grow and develop within cycling,” Beicio Cymru says.
Bournemouth school pupils first in UK to trial “VR immersive cycle training” – as Bikeability says new tech has the “potential to change lives”
Virtual reality cycle training has the “potential to change lives”, Bikeability says, after a group of secondary school pupils in Bournemouth became the first in the UK to trial the indoor, tablet-based, “immersive” bike safety session.
The ‘Group-Based VR Immersive Cycle Training Project’ was created by Dr Dan Bishop, a Senior Lecturer at Brunel University, in collaboration with the Bikeability Trust, and was first trialled last week by year seven students at the Bourne Academy.
Each student at the session was given a tablet to experience a 360-degree view of different road-based cycling scenarios, as Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole Council’s Bikeability instructors provided information about “observation, communication, position, and priorities”.
“This exciting project is the culmination of years of trialling and refinement, with significant input from the Trust’s development team, Bikeability instructors, children and their parents,” Dr Bishop said.
“This unique blend of academic and real-world riding expertise has led to the development of a rigorous and practical training protocol that has the potential to change lives.”
“Instructors can use the instructor manual, which summarises the 24 ‘group rides’, together with their knowledge of those rides, to tailor their training in a way that maximises young riders’ confidence and competence for riding independently on roads. Our intention is that this will lead to more children and young people cycling to school and signing up for advanced Bikeability training.”
Eleanor, a student who took part in the trial, said: “It made me feel like I was actually riding a bike down certain roads. I learnt a lot about which way to look, as well as things like major and minor roads.”
“Going forward, we want to deliver the immersive training to as many schools as possible to help embed the skills needed by students to make them more confident, experienced cyclists,” BCP Council Bikeability Instructor Graham Hurst added.
“This will help the school encourage more children to travel more safely and actively to school.”
The council’s Bikeability team says it is aiming to train 1,000 students using the immersive scheme before the end of March 2025, in support of the local authority’s aim to get 50 per cent of journeys walked, wheeled, or taken by public transport within the Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole area by 2030.
One grand tour ends, the countdown to the next one begins
⏳25 days to go until #LaVuelta24 😍
⏳¡Quedan 25 días para #LaVuelta24 !😍 pic.twitter.com/ovI1zvziJ6
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) July 23, 2024
Alright, alright, just let me get over my Tour sunburn first…
Dot watchers, assemble! Robin Gemperle storms to early lead at Transcontinental, averaging 31kph for first 1,100km
The Tour de France may be over, but don’t fear – the real epic bike race taking place in Europe has only just begun.
The tenth edition of the Transcontinental, the mammoth self-supported, non-stop race from one side of Europe to the other, got underway in Roubaix two days ago, where some of the world’s finest ultra-distance riders set out on a 4,000km journey across the continent to Istanbul.
And it’s safe to say the early leaders are flying. Robin Gemperle, who chose a northern route from Roubaix through the Netherlands while most opted to head south through Luxembourg, is the leading dot on TCR’s website, covering his first 1,130km in an astonishing average moving speed of 30.7kph (and an all-in average pace of 26.6kph, including a five-hour rest).
Later today, Gemperle and his fellow pace setters will hit the mandatory route set out by the organisers before their first checkpoint in Slovenia.
Who knows, maybe Pogi will join them for the rest of the ride to Turkey? Or maybe not…
Cyclist paint fake ‘free parking’ signs on pavements and cycle lanes to protest illegal parking by motorists… only for irony-deficient drivers to use them
Just when you thought drivers couldn’t baffle you more…
> Cycling campaigners paint fake “free parking” signs on pavement to protest against “anti-social” illegal parking in Dublin… but drivers continue to park over painted signs
EF Education-EasyPost release video celebrating Richard Carapaz’s polka dot triumph (featuring two background shots of your resident live blogger)
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened. 🥹 RaceTV is taking a break now, but fear not, we’ll be back for the Tour de France Femmes! 🩷
Watch the last episode of #RaceTV from the 2024 Tour. Out now 🦅https://t.co/RACFCe5qkR#efprocycling #tdf2024 pic.twitter.com/iUNWBzPIov
— EF Pro Cycling (@EFprocycling) July 23, 2024
And no, I’m not telling you when I appear…
‘So did you remember to bring the machine for pressing the team logos onto the leaders’ jerseys? What, again? Alright, I’ll find a pen somewhere…’
She’s strong and amazing and I am in awe and love this for her and also pink is SO her colour but I can’t get over the logo being painted on with sharpie (yet again) 😭🩷 https://t.co/79gRfvRqX1 pic.twitter.com/xCNBkXXFJi
— Emma Bianchi 🍉 (@cyclartist) July 21, 2024
Mark Cavendish set to ride two post-Tour crits in the Netherlands after “likely” final race
If you’re still feeling down after watching Mark Cavendish cross a finish line of a bike race for quite probably the final time in his illustrious career, I have some good news for you (if you live in the Netherlands or have some free time on your hands this week, that is).
Because the Manx Missile, fresh from leaving the Tour de France at the top after his record-breaking 35th stage win, is set to take part in two Dutch post-Tour criteriums, the traditional exhibition ‘races’ that populate the weeks after the Tour and act as a nice little additional earner for riders who impressed on the roads of France in July.
And tomorrow Cavendish will be thrilling some local fans in Chaam before riding in Heerlen on Friday evening, the crits’ organisers announced today.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
“This is great for us and for the spectators who will soon come to Heerlen. With special thanks to Jos van de Mortel. Without him, the deal with Cavendish would never have been successful,” organiser Chris Tiekstra said, thanking Parkhotel Valkenburg owner Van de Mortel for helping sort Cavendish’s fee.
“Cavendish won the sprint on 3 July and thus reached a legendary number of 35 Tour victories. But he also won 17 stages in the Giro d’Italia and three in the Tour of Spain. A true cycling great who also competed in Heerlen in 2008.”
Cav will be joined in Heerlen by his Astana teammate Cees Bol and DSM’s breakout Tour rider Frank van den Broek.
Now I wonder how much the ferry across would be…?
Active Travel repairs, Belfast style
Hi @deptinfra,
It has been months since road works on Upper Arthur St were completed…any chance we could get the bollards returned to the cycle lane? pic.twitter.com/S3MXE4bFSb
— North Belfast Cycle Campaign (@NBCycleCampaign) July 23, 2024
Ah, Northern Ireland here, living up to its hard-earned reputation for care and precision when it comes to cycling infrastructure.
I can hear the conversation now: ‘Reckon we need to stick the bollards back on the cycle lane? Sure, the half-covered one strip of green paint does the job, doesn’t it? Let’s go get lunch…’
Independent columnist downgrades speed of “Lyrca-clad red-light jumpers” from 52mph to 40mph
Ah, the good old Independent, opting for the slightly more moderate anti-cycling take and less obviously wrong speed guess than their more furious colleagues over at the Telegraph…
> Independent columnist downgrades speed of “Lyrca-clad red-light jumpers” from 52mph to 40mph
“In the past, cyclists have always cycled on the road with the traffic and now they are being protected to a ridiculous extent”: South Shields resident hits out at “dangerous” layout of new widened footpath and cycleway which “gives priority to cyclists”
An elderly South Shields resident has criticised what she describes as the “dangerous” new layout of a recently widened footway and cycle lane, which she claims has “given priority to the cyclists” by placing the pedestrian part of the infrastructure next to the road.
The new cycleway on the Coast Road in South Shields was funded by a £2 million Active Travel grant and involved widening both the footpath and bike lane to increase safety for people cycling and walking in the area.
However, 80-year-old Linda Sharpe, who walks her dog along the route, has called on South Tyneside Council to explain why pedestrians have been placed between the road and the bike lane.
“I’m 80-years-old and my mobility isn’t wonderful, but I do walk along there with my dog quite a lot and a couple of times I’ve nearly tripped over the raised ridge which separates the cycleway from the pedestrian path so that is a concern,” Linda told the Shields Gazette.
“The main concern is the fact that the cyclists are now on the safer side of path rather than pedestrians – I don’t know why they’ve given priority to the cyclists.
“In the past, cyclists have always cycled on the road with the traffic and now, they are being protected to a ridiculous extent.”
She continued: “I’ve seen people walking in the cycle lane and to be honest, that is where I feel safest rather than next to the road.
“But there’s a lot of people who walk with dogs and children along there, it could be potentially very dangerous if they are next to the road, the layout of this path isn’t good.”
Responding to Linda’s complaints, South Tyneside Council explained that the cycle lane was placed away from the road due to a number of safety issues, including the prospect of drivers and passengers opening the doors of parked cars in the path of cyclists.
The council also noted that, in the previous layout, cyclists would otherwise have to ride through an area where pedestrians would wait to cross the road, and that pedestrians using bus stops and shelters had to cross the cycle lane to get from the shelter to the kerb.
“By moving cyclists to the rear of the path, it allows for the relocation of bus stops to be closer to the road and reduced the risk of conflict with cyclists when boarding or alighting a bus,” the council said.
“Work is currently underway to improve the walking and cycling routes along the Coast Road,” the local authority added.
“This route forms part of the National Cycle Network and was designed under previous design guidance which is now outdated. The cycleway is being brought up to standard.
“The improvements involve widening the pedestrian footpath and cycleway, with cyclists moved further away from the road. A buffer strip is also being created between traffic and pedestrians to make the route safer for all.”
“No Urška, no Pogi”: Tadej Pogačar pulls out of Paris Olympics due to “being too tired” – as fans blame shock Urška Žigart omission for Tour de France winner’s absence
The official line from the Slovenian camp may be that Tadej Pogačar – fresh from completing the first Giro-Tour double in 26 years while barely opening his mouth or breaking a sweat – has chosen to skip next week’s Olympic road events in Paris due to “fatigue”.
But over on Cycling Twitter, the blame for the now three-time Tour winner’s absence from Games has been laid squarely on the shoulders of Slovenia’s cycling officials, following their controversial decision earlier this month to omit Urška Žigart, the country’s top-ranked female rider (who just so happens to be Pogačar’s fiancée, in case you weren’t aware), from their road race and time trial squads.
(ASO/Charly Lopez)
Last night, the Slovenia Olympic team confirmed that Pogačar – who was notably coy about his participation in Paris after sealing his Tour win in Nice on Sunday – has withdrawn from this year’s Olympics, where he was due to compete in the road race on 3 August, due to the accumulated fatigue of winning Strade Bianche, the Volta a Catalunya (plus three stages), Liège-Bastogne-Liège, the Giro d’Italia (plus six stages), and the Tour de France (and another six stages) during one of the most remarkably dominant seasons cycling has ever seen.
The 25-year-old’s UAE Team Emirates colleague Doman Novak will replace him in the road race, where he will be joined by Matej Mohorič and Luka Mezgec.
(ASO/Billy Ceusters)
“The men’s cycling team selector unveils the names of the cyclists that will compete in this year’s Olympic Games in Paris,” the team said on social media last night.
“Unfortunately, Tadej Pogačar will not be among them, who cancelled his performance due to being too tired. He will be replaced by national team colleague Domen Novak. We wish Domen all the best and success.
“Once again, congratulations to the Tour de France winner for his third victory in the world’s most prestigious cycling race, and we hope he rests well and prepares for his next races.”
While tiredness – and the fact that the punchy, Van der Poel-style Paris course doesn’t exactly suit Pogačar (who is targeting cycling’s Triple Crown at the very hilly worlds course in Zurich in September – is certainly understandable, many have pointed to his fiancée Žigart’s omission from Slovenia’s Olympic squad as the real motivating factor behind the Tour winner’s decision to rest up at home.
(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)
The current Slovenian road and time trial champion, Jayco–AlUla rider Žigart was informed earlier this month that she would not be part of her country’s two-woman squad for the Games. Addressing the shock decision on Instagram, Pogačar said he had “no words” and was “so gutted” that the “double national champion and the best WorldTour rider in Slovenia was not selected for the Olympic Games”.
And two weeks later, coincidentally or otherwise, he was out.
“No Urška, no Pogi,” Mihai Simon wrote on Twitter/X after the news was confirmed. “It’s not a route for him indeed, but I think the main reason for skipping it is because his partner, Urška Žigart, was snubbed.
“The Slovenian Federation played with fire and got burned. In the end, smart decision by Tadej, the chances for medals in Paris (too flat routes) were not very high. He can now rest a bit together with Urška and then focus on World Champs and Lombardia.”
“That’s the last time they don’t select her,” added Freddie Evans.
(A.S.O./Charly Lopez)
And that sentiment was shared by plenty of Slovenian fans under the Olympic team’s posts.
“Whoever selected the women’s team needs to be fired immediately,” said one Pogi fan.
“Play stupid games, win stupid prizes!” added another.
“Of course he won’t go alone, if they left Urška out so badly,” said Darja. “He is a principled man and he will not tolerate such injustice. If both selectors were at least a little smart, they would talk a little about the composition of the teams. But if they are council f***s, they would wipe themselves with their nose for a medal.”
“He is riding a bike for himself, not the corrupt Slovenian Olympic committee,” add another Slovenian fan.
Of course, plenty on social media jumped to other conclusions as to why the best bike rider in the world would choose to skip the Olympics, but the lawyers said I can’t quote those on the live blog…
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Latest Comments
The cyclist here needs to look into Section 142 of the Magistrates' Court Act 1980, firstly because there was no offence, and secondly because it appears that the police mislead the Court. "A magistrates’ court may vary or rescind a sentence or other order imposed or made by it when dealing with an offender if it appears to the court to be in the interests of justice to do so;] and it is hereby declared that this power extends to replacing a sentence or order which for any reason appears to be invalid by another which the court has power to impose or make." https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/43/section/142
I wonder how well advised the cyclist was in Court? And in this case would cycling legal insurance cover the cost of a specialist solicitor?
@quiff I would expect the police had not been trained with the change, perhaps.
@courteousdriver The Highway Code does not differentiate between cars and bikes in this instance, it says that when overtaking parked cars you must give way to oncoming traffic. It's not for you to decide whether or not they have sufficient space in your opinion, you should not drive in the oncoming traffic lane if there is any oncoming traffic, full stop. Not a difficult rule to understand and one that one would have thought a self-named courteousdriver would have no trouble obeying.
@mctrials23 It seems to me that the car moved closer to the kerb on his side of the road, and the cyclist was able to proceed entirely within his own lane - both at very slow speed. So there is no ground for an offence. The concerning point is that the copper thinks that the same "gap" should apply to the different types of vehicle. That's peak carbrain.
Peripheral to your point, but parking facing oncoming traffic is advised against at all times, but only an offence at night, I think?
@mac f 1896 If you look closely at the video you will see that the cyclist remains entirely in his own lane on his side of the white lines as he passes the oncoming vehicle, which also stays entirely within its lane. There is therefore no need for either road user to give way to the other and as they are both travelling at low speeds there is no danger to themselves or to any other road users. I would love to see a transcript of the magistrates' court proceedings as prima facie there is no justification in law for the guilty finding or for the penalty imposed.
@perce pedantry but I think Séamus Ennis would be scunnered with that ... had he not been Irish... (Uilleann pipes are bagpipes of course, though personally I'd much rather those - or small pipes - than the GHB)
@quiff I think you are probably right here - but - is that _really_ being inconsiderate to the oncoming driver? Looking again at the video, the oncoming driver appears to be over the centre line when approaching the parked vehicle and just seems to be straightening the bend a little, so you would expect them to be moving towards the kerb anyway. As driving interactions go, it's about as benign as it gets. I expect the magistrate has never ridden a bicycle, but I also wonder if they've ever driven a car?!
Thanks - I only had a quick peek on Streetview and I'm glad it works for locals, but it looked like "you say 'shared used facility', I say 'same old not-over-generous footway now with the odd blue sign". We don't need cycle paths absolutely everywhere, but looking at the size of the road, where it goes and runs though I would be thinking more like this (minus parked cars): https://maps.app.goo.gl/gswbQefKzc47nEJm8 Or... declare it an urban freeway and get rid of the junctions and houses next to it! Maximum flow...
41 thoughts on ““No Urška, no Pogi”: Tadej Pogačar pulls out of Paris Olympics due to “being too tired” – as fans blame shock Urška Žigart omission for Tour de France winner’s absence; “Cyclists are now being protected to a ridiculous extent” + more on the live blog”
I posted this on one of the
I posted this on one of the Grimsby PSPO stories, but I’ll put it here too (my emphasis):
FFS. Are there any actual
FFS. Are there any actual stats on the nature and types of this “anti-social” behaviour?
Or is this random residents and councillors just screaming wont somebody think of the children?
Would be great to see this
Would be great to see this happening everywhere for motorists too.
That is a really random list
That is a really random list of things to get annoyed about.
I wonder how long until they have to add “vandalising the speakers playing the patronising, repetitive messages” to it?
Using a bicycle to climb
Using a bicycle to climb buildings while drunk in order to vandalise the speakers.
Have to admit, I wondered
Have to admit, I wondered what the council’s policy was on noise pollution…
That it aint rock and roll
That it aint rock and roll
SimoninSpalding wrote:
I am not a number.
eburtthebike wrote:
Be seeing you!
Be seeing you!
In other news – we appear to
In other news – portents have appeared that have reached the End Times. Either that or Sauron has been breeding a race of squirrels and ferrets.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c4ng67q25y3o
Next to some Orcas too.
Next to some Orcas too.
It is not very inclusive.
It is not very inclusive. What about cyclists with hearing difficulties? How will they get the message? I would have expected better from a local authority. Have they not heard of equality impact assessments?
Some non-lawyer-bothering
Some non-lawyer-bothering wild speculation about Pogačar skipping the Olympics – maybe he’s having a little rethink about not riding the Vuelta…
I hope so.
I hope so.
He said he has his eyes on
He said he has his eyes on the World Champs. So I think he’s skipping the Vuelta to peak for WC.
That’s what he said. That was
That’s what he said. That was before he had two in the bag, though.
>“This transformation is more
>“This transformation is more than just a name change,” Beicio Cymru says. “It symbolises that in all we do moving forward, we will inspire, empower and act with integrity for our cycling community.”
Er … What?
I think, to be fair to them,
I think, to be fair to them, they’re talking about the new strategy there, rather than the name change. Although it does beg the question – what were they doing before, if not all that stuff?
“Our previous strategy of discouraging, dismissing, and lying to people didn’t seem to be working…”
Yup. It’s another version of
Yup. It’s another version of the principle of nonsensical inversion (IIRC coined by Simon Hoggart). Take a soundbite from some press release / political utterance and reverse the sense. If that sounds completely stupid, the original phrase was probably just a platitude.
Still it’s absolutely normal to effectively emphasise that you’re going to cover the basics, and somehow this is a) totally novel and b) going to make all the difference.
Each student at the session
Each student at the session was given a tablet to experience a 360-degree view of different road-based cycling scenarios
I wonder if this includes the likely scenario of being close-passed from behind by a b*****d in a BMW or Audi, submitting a good quality video and having it NFA’d by the police because ‘there is no legal limit to how close a vehicle must pass and it’s not possible to tell how close the vehicle came or how fast the driver was travelling so there’s nothing we can do’ followed by a load of lying drivel about how ‘we appreciate this is not the result you want’ etc.? That would be telling them how it’s going to be!
It should also include the
It should also include the ‘immersive’ sound of a rattly diesel engine revving impatiently close behind and of course, the loud beep.
Rome73 wrote:
“Friendly toot” surely?
If you have never made it to
If you have never made it to a continental crit in August I do recommend! I was lucky enough to be on holiday near Quillan in South-west France last year and had a lovely afternoon with a couple of beers watching locals pretend to race Peter Sagan before he left them for dead in the last half lap.
Safe to say the juniors race before the main event was definitely not a procession with real aggression, elbows and crashes (nobody badly injured – just some road rash).
Apparently our work filter
Apparently our work filter considers dots to be ‘Suspicious Content’.
[‘Timesucking Content’ I could understand…]
So the extent of Ms Sharpe’s
So the extent of Ms Sharpe’s argument is that cyclists should be endangered, not her?
OnYerBike wrote:
I would counter that, no pedestrian has been seriously injured by a dooring incident. The biggest risk is not cars leaving the carriageway onto the pavement/cyclelane.
Pretty sure like so many UK
Pretty sure like so many UK infra “bright ideas” this one’s a turkey, if not a dog.
Short – if the problem is dooring, the problem is you’re allowing car parking too close to the cyclists / pedestrians.
I haven’t checked whatever terrible mess they’ve started from / nonsense they’re trying to join up though…
I am aware that some of the Manchester stuff (some Cyclops junction designs) makes a virtue of swapping positions of cycle infra and footway right at the junction. I’m a bit hazy but IIRC the idea is that pedestrians need to cross the cycle path in any case and this somehow facilitates shorter distances for pedestrians to cross (?). Not entirely convinced but I guess we’ll see eventually – if many get built…
On my commute I have cycle
On my commute I have cycle paths on both sides. The conclusion I have come to is that no matter where you put the cycle path the pedestrians will walk on it.
neilmck wrote:
Are those cycle paths a distinct colour from the pedestrian paths?
Well yes. And people still
Well yes. And people still walked on the roads like they always had after cars became a thing. Until there were sufficient drivers going fast enough that it felt unpleasant and unsafe. And bad experiences of getting abuse off said drivers were a common trope. And people – well, often children – not returning home…
I’m not campaigning for more cyclist close-passes on people walking in cycle infra! Just noting that a) in the UK the number of people walking vastly outnumber those cycling / using mobility scooters etc. b) our beloved authorities are still often lumping cyclists and pedestrians together in the same space because “our streets are too narrow” – once we’ve allowed for a couple of ample lanes, maybe parking on both sides that is…
“So the extent of Ms Sharpe’s
“So the extent of Ms Sharpe’s argument is that cyclists should be endangered, not her?”
If it were, it would be a quite reasonable argument. Any danger is due the speed of the cyclists. So it’s the cyclists who should bear that danger.
john_smith wrote:
FTFY
I use the new cycleway along
I use the new cycleway along the south shields coast at least once a week. The reworked layout is much better and safer for all and I applaud south Tyneside council for it
Dooring has always been a serious risk with the old layout which has been there for a long time. and cars park up and doors just get flung open.
Moving the quicker cyclists away from the parking is a sensible design choice. Pedestrians don’t suffer the same risk as they’re much slower.
The design also allows the cycleway to go behind bus stops which again is safer.
The centre divider is no higher than a strip if fresh road paint and is bevelled so there is no sharp edges to trip over.
Mrs Sharpe claims it is dangerous having tht pedestrian side next to the road. That’s like almost every other road and footway in the country.
She’s just upset that she can’t walk next to the grass so fido can be emptied and have a good sniff..
Full sugar orangina and an
Full sugar orangina and an asterix comic, nice…
Woh! Cyclist convicted of
Woh! Cyclist convicted of murdering driver who hit bike.
Ahmed Chakile Gonladieu, 25, stabbed Alexandros Josephs, 29, through his open car window in Ladywell, south-east London, on 10 May 2023.
Why is the murderer’s mode of
Why is the murderer’s mode of transport relevant?
I wondering if the media would use the same language if the murderer was using a motor vehicle.
“Driver convicted of murdering driver …”
If not, presumably it is discrimination.
mitsky wrote:
Well, if, for example, someone driving a car shot someone it would be described as a drive-by shooting, so the mode of transport would be explicit.
It’s relevant because 9 times
It’s relevant because 9 times out of 10 when there’s a confrontation between a motorist and a cyclist it’s the latter who comes off worse–as it was in this case. Until it wasn’t.
“Going forward, we want to
“Going forward, we want to deliver the immersive training to as many schools as possible to help embed the skills needed by students to make them more confident, experienced cyclists,”
All well and good, but in my experience, it isn’t the cyclists that need the training, it’s the drivers, so how about getting them to use the immersive cycling experience to find out what it’s like on a bike and modify their behaviour accordingly. Since it’s almost impossible to get drivers to ride a bike, this project could be a useful way for drivers to find out what it feels like to be close passed, left hooked, looking-but-not-seeing etc, etc.
we want to deliver the
we want to deliver the immersive training to as many schools as possible to help embed the skills needed by students to make them more confident, experienced cyclists
Looking at this again, it’s even worse than I thought- no doubt technically impressive, but entirely the solution to the wrong problem. The assumption is essentially ‘blame the victim’: when cyclists are KSI’d it’s their own fault and they must be trained to avoid ‘accidents’.