YouTube ranter rips into cyclists during bizarre cancel bike lanes video; Reaction to TfL road safety shocker; Dan Bigham “seven watts” off Hour Record; DnB by bike: Cop edition; BMX skills; Not Black Friday; But cyclists + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Reaction to TfL's "outrageously poor" road safety video
If you haven’t already seen it Transport for London’s ‘See their side’ road safety ad is well worth a watch…but be warned, you almost certainly won’t like what you see…
It’s been a day since the video dropped and the criticism, disbelief and outrage continues to roll in. Not least from Robert Wright, the Financial Times’ social policy correspondent who slammed it “quite extraordinarily, outrageously poor”.
This is quite extraordinarily, outrageously poor, @TfL. It’s absolutely at the heart of the problem that drivers think their being scared by nearly killing someone is on the same moral plain as being scared by nearly being killed. https://t.co/frsJUPJ6YO
— Robert Wright (@RKWinvisibleman) November 25, 2021
He continued his dismantling of the clip…”Let’s be perfectly clear. There’s no moral obligation on me to calm myself and be nice if someone’s come close to killing me. I have no responsibility to ask if a driver who’s close-passed me and come that close is OK.
> Transport for London slammed for “victim-blaming” road safety ad (+ video)
“This nonsense has real-world consequences. Drivers nod and go, ‘Yes, cyclists should be nicer’. They drive just as badly then also get cross we’re upset about it. This advert will make London’s roads more dangerous. It should never be shown again. TfL should never commission another advert from VCCP if they think this appropriate. Adverts should address squarely the people who cause the danger —invulnerable people in high-powered boxes.
“The ‘Are you alright?’ question reminds me of when a negligent driver knocked me off my bike in February 2009. I told him I was calling the police. He said, ‘But I’ll lose my job’. I said, ‘You have to understand you’ve just knocked me off my bicycle into the street. My sympathy is limited’.
“TfL and VCCP presumably think I should have seen it from his point of view. He needn’t have worried. He faced zero real consequences that I know of.” That noise at the end was a mic hitting the floor…
Others shared screenshots of their complaints to the Advertising Standards Agency. Another reply added: “I won’t be watching this with the sound on as I suspect my blood would boil and escape as steam through my ears.”
We’ll round-up some of your plentiful reaction too in a bit…
Wales or Monaco? Geraint Thomas takes in the views...
That’s more like it #denbigh pic.twitter.com/Lp6D3VvxHN
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) November 26, 2021
Is G back home in Wales or still in Monaco? Hard to say from the clear blue skies and inviting seaside vistas. The hashtag suggests Wales, but with views like that you could quite easily be pootling along the French Riviera. On Wednesday he was still in Monaco, sharing pics of a pastry-filled cafe stop with Michael Valgren, Wout Poels and Luke Rowe. We’re assuming that was Monaco…maybe he’s taken the lads to the homeland for some winter miles?
> Geraint Thomas has bike stolen on coffee stop – but gets it back later the same day
Get your votes in…Wales or Monaco?
Red Bull BMX ridiculousness: Bas Keep doesn't stay rubber side down...
Some people are good at controlling a bike, aren’t they? Bas Keep-s on delivering the goods and has released the follow up to his 2017 urban BMX adventure Walls…it’s creatively named More Walls and will have you questioning what’s possible on two wheels.
“You don’t need to travel far to discover amazing riding spots in this country – obviously travel has been restricted anyway, but MORE WALLS is about showcasing these spots around the UK,” the super talented trickster explained.
> Video: Amazing skills as BMX ace Bas Keep rides down walls
In the edit, Bas visits locations around Birmingham, Northampton, and Brighton, including car parks, abandoned factories and busy roads, making doing silly things on your bike look all too easy…
Are world leaders "delusional" when it comes to active travel? Listen to the latest road.cc Podcast...
The road.cc Podcast is back for another episode…
On the dozenth episode… why was cycling and walking not even on the main agenda at COP26? Carlton Reid talks to Simon about the recent UN climate summit.
You can listen here if you need a distraction to get you through Friday…
But cyclists...
A driver has already destroyed the cycle parking frame on Knight’s Hill installed days ago right next to where hundreds of Julians primary children walk every day pic.twitter.com/Ys4SvK4DWU
— Ed Davie (@EdDavie) November 25, 2021
Must be retaliation for that time a cyclist not wearing hi-vis or a helmet took out an entire car park while jumping a red light on the pavement.
Dan Bigham: I only need seven extra watts to beat the Hour Record
British Hour Record holder Dan Bigham is committed to giving the world record another shot next year, and he told Cycling Weekly he is only seven watts off breaking it. Bigham’s first attempt wouldn’t have counted, even if he’d surpassed Victor Campenaerts’ distance, as he rides for Continental team Ribble-Weldtite and is therefore not automatically in the the UCI testing pool.
> Dan Bigham breaks Sir Bradley Wiggins’ British Hour Record
However, using the success in Switzerland, Bigham has attracted new sponsors and is keen to give the outright distance a crack in 2022. “I’m not naïve enough to think that I’m better than Filippo Ganna, so whenever he says he’s going for it, that’s my deadline for my own attempt,” Bigham told Cycling Weekly.
“In power terms, I only need seven extra watts. I can put seven watts more in, or save seven watts with better drag, improved aerodynamics and efficiency. Or I could do three-and-a-half watts each. How I split those seven watts doesn’t matter. I have an idea where I can make those gains, but it’s not easy.
“I have a few things that I couldn’t access or couldn’t do in the last time frame. A bit more training, six to nine months of progression, a few little tweaks here and there, and I’ll get closer to it.”
No Black Friday here...
We’ve closed for Black Friday as we’re not comfortable with what it represents, instead, we’re going on a bike ride for coffee and cake. #BoycottBlackFriday #BlackFriday #islabikes pic.twitter.com/pnpn180Wbn
— Islabikes (@Islabikes) November 26, 2021
If you do want all the Black Friday materialism head over to our special live blog dedicated to finding you the best deals…
"Like a teacher telling a bully and victim to stop fighting": Reaction to TfL's road safety shocker
A complete failure of perspective from @tfl and @VCCP https://t.co/i5glWjdmcO
— Cycle Advocacy Network – South East England (@CANSEEngland) November 25, 2021
As promised it’s time for some of your thoughts on TfL’s road safety disasterpiece…and there were more than a few to choose from. Let’s start here…
Like a teacher telling a bully and their victim to “stop fighting”
— that’s Bumpo money (@angryaboutbikes) November 25, 2021
Over on Facebook, Kevin Blackburn commented: “One (the driver) has a little fright, the other (cyclist) is nearly killed – how is this equivalent?”
George Charalambides said: “What the ad-maker fails to understand, is the difference between a cyclist’s natural fight or flight response caused by the huge amounts of adrenaline released when they’re about to be hit by a 1.5 tonne car, vs the nuisance anger of a protected car driver. We all know that most drivers are not concerned about the well being of cyclists as they perceive them as obstacles to their path, just like other vehicles, not as vulnerable fellow citizens, around which extra care is warranted.” Agree?
joe9090 had a go at summarising…”Hey shouty cyclists, stop shouting at us drivers, don’t you see we are sorry we didn’t see you? There was sun and shit and I was trying to drink my Costa while quickly checking Whatsapp! Have a heart you bastards!”
> Transport for London slammed for “victim-blaming” road safety ad (+ video)
Quiff commented: “I agree that this video deliberately obfuscates the incident itself to focus on how the protagonists deal with the aftermath. That’s all well and good, but in order to have a meaningful impact on road safety, we can’t just be nicer to each other after near misses, we need to ‘see their side’ in order to avoid incidents arising in the first place. E.g. by thinking ‘if I was that cyclist, how much space would I want to be given’. However, there is still the false equivalence point, and this looks uncomfortably out of step with the upcoming Highway Code changes to introduce a hierarchy of responsibility.”
Not all the replies were completely against the message however…
MattieKempy said: “Hmmm. A bit of both. Shouting at a driver who has just nearly killed you is an entirely understandable reaction, but I’ve had the most profitable conversations with almost-killers when I’ve been calm, polite and dispassionate. So I see both sides of the coin.”
Drum & Bass On The Bike ft. the Old Bill
Even the Blackpool police got involved (on bikes of course!) although they didn’t seem too happy…
Skip to 11:50 if you want to see that particular interaction…but Dom Whiting gave us the lowdown of how it went…
Policeman: CONTROL YOUR CROWD
Dom Whiting: SORRY WHAT?!
A tactical right turn and a cheeky turn of pace left ‘PC turn it down’ back at the rear of the peloton…
Places we'd rather be...pro cyclist edition
A pleasure pushing the pedals again⛰☀️🤩 pic.twitter.com/xsn5UmkFxU
— Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig (@CUttrupLudwig) November 25, 2021
The weather’s going to be a bit too wintery for our liking this weekend. That s word has even been mentioned…
No such problems for two of the big name pros of the women’s WorldTour: Annemiek van Vleuten and Cecilie Uttrup Ludwig, who are off making their first preparations for 2022. As I look out my window at the grey skies and rain being blown sideways, I know where I’d rather be…
Now if only a pro team were willing to jet us all off to Gran Canaria…
Recharged the batteries at Gran Canaria! One of my favorite winter destinations with bike and I had the best company I could wish for. I still walk longer distances with crutches but I can ride my bike with the help of a special soft saddle. pic.twitter.com/vh6mVagPpk
— Annemiek van Vleuten (@AvVleuten) November 26, 2021
Ah well, I’m sure Sunday morning won’t be too bad. Let me take a quick look at that weather forecast…ah, feels like -3 and 24mph gusts from the north west. Fantastic.
How TfL's ad could have looked?
One quick edit and Tom Flood made this alternative to ‘See their side’…an improvement? Tom commented on the original ad saying it had missed the point completely, “Once again we are asking the prey to be empathetic towards their predator.”
“I am 100% behind finding commonalities and working to reach across the aisle to move forward, but this constant framing of a shared responsibility is a key part of the problem and what we’ve already been doing for far too long.
“If the goal is to save lives then there might be some uncomfortable moments for the driver (who takes the lives) but hopefully there can be alliances. But far too often the actual goal is to avoid making the driver uncomfortable which of course compromises the saving lives part.”
And here we are…
Quick edit. pic.twitter.com/IjwaWpCmOy
— Tom Flood (@tomflood1) November 26, 2021
"Road safety messaging that misses the target": Cycling UK reaction to TfL 'See their side' advert
Cycling UK has released an in-depth address in response to Transport for London’s heavily criticised ‘See their side’ road safety advert. The full response is well worth a read and can be viewed here…
But for a taster, here’s what Cycling UK’s head of campaigns and advocacy, Duncan Dollimore had to say…
The Highway Code will soon introduce a hierarchy of responsibility, but this and other changes need to be communicated, and we’re still seeing road safety films with fudged ‘share the road’ messaging that doesn’t reflect the changes coming in.
I’m a huge supporter of TfL’s Vision Zero ambition to eradicate deaths and serious injuries from London’s roads, and I haven’t taken any pleasure in criticising this film, but if the new Code is going to lead to a cultural change on our roads, and improvement in road safety, the messaging in road safety awareness materials needs to be based on better research around who presents the greatest risk, and better targeted.
The lead responsibility for communicating the changes to The Code of course rests with the government, and the Department for Transport’s THINK team. I hope they’ve set aside sufficient budget, over a significant period of time, and are honest about the implications of the changes rather than fudge them in generic ‘share the road’ messaging.
After all, the changes to The Code have legal implications the day they come in, so the public are entitled to expect that the messaging is accurate, even of they don’t like it, rather than watered down to please everyone.
All Blacks trio take on 24-hour cycling distance challenge to raise money for bowel cancer prevention
All Blacks captain Sam Whitelock, head trainer Nic Gill and assistant coach Brad Mooar are making the most of their enforced isolation on return from touring Europe during the autumn internationals. The trio are midway through a 24-hour cycling distance challenge to raise money for bowel cancer prevention in memory of former team logistics manager Kevin “Chalky” Carr who died from pancreatic cancer in 2018.
Gill told Stuff NZ they want to beat the current record of 755km cycled in 24 hours. At the halfway point they had ridden 425km, well on track to beat the world record. We’ll see if they break the record later this evening…
YouTube ranter rips into cyclists during bizarre cancelling bike lanes speech
You may have seen our latest story about the Dorset bike lane causing a stir amongst motorists for being “too wide”. Former BBC radio presenter turned YouTube ranter and Katie Hopkins support act, (tickets still available for the Blackpool shows if you really want to give your family a Christmas to forget) Alex Belfield, also saw the news and took a break from spouting about just about every other issue in Britain to give his self-proclaimed ‘Voice of Reason’…
> Row over Dorset cycle lane that drivers claim is “too wide”
Strap yourselves in for this one…during his three-and-a-half minute video, Belfield says, “I have come to the conclusion as there are now roads that are basically for cyclists, with one little lane for cars in the middle, it is simply too dangerous now for cyclists and e-scooterists. We must ban them for their own safety.
In the rest of the rant which Laurence Fox might have been proud of, Belfield came to the questionable conclusion that, “To save the planet and them it is best that they go.”
Apparently cyclists’ “Supercilious nature is out of control, they’re now demanding that we rip up roads and put in 10ft f****** cycle lanes…who signed this off? We’ve lost our minds. The cycle lanes are now bigger than the road lanes. You’ve got two wheels. We are this big with our diesels. We need more room or you’re going to be in danger.”
All a bit ridiculous until you realise Belfield’s channel has 350,000 subscribers…
26 November 2021, 08:58
26 November 2021, 08:58
26 November 2021, 08:58
26 November 2021, 08:58
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
49 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
@Smoggysteve Its the unfortunate nature of a sport where you can have 2 riders competing for the same place and one of them can coast whilst the other one absolutely buries themselves and the coaster wins. I think its a case of spiting your opposition. I won't work if you won't work.
@mctrials23 Reminds me of Del Toro's attitude towards the Giro last year. He lost the race because he cared more about stopping Carapaz. It doesn't mattter how talented a rider is, if their attitude is all wrong they won't succeed
"Police action warning letter sent to the company, didn’t even identify the driver despite the video clearly showing registration and route number plus the time of the incident... I now no longer bothering reporting these, as what’s the point of wasting 20 minutes filling in the website form when they don’t even ask to see the video – no Operation Snap in Kent." I'm confused - does this mean that these two got warning letters based just on a written complaint from (presumably the two) of you, without police viewing the footage? I would like / not like to see the front facing footage from your wife - I've only had that once, but the experience of thinking "**** that was close", and then realising there's a trailer coming too is terrifying. I hope the second, sensible bus driver gave the first one some words of advice when they got to the depot, that was ridiculous.
@mitsky As Dept Supt Andy Cos said a while ago: reporting dangerous drivers help uncover other serious crimes Unfortunately, the rest of the UK police don't agree with him and regard the people who report offences as the real problem on UK roads ttps://upride.cc/incident/pk05opm_freelander_closepass/
The Range Rover driver is either purely an arrogant twat who doesn’t give a shite about any other road user or he is just totally incompetent when it comes to not having the comfort of following a vehicle at their desired speed. The timings of the overtakes, what I’m assuming is down hill, and the risk to the cyclists and the oncoming motorists is shocking. Arrogance or incompetence, either way it would be safer if they weren’t on the roads.
"Thousands of illegal ghost plates on cars revealed by new cameras" 1) Presumably a good use of drones would be to follow a driver of a vehicle with illegal plates when spotted on the ANPR cameras. 2) As I've said many times before: The government should put in a law saying petrol stations need to have their CCTV linked to DVLA and police databases. The payer of the fuel can have their card tagged so the police can trace them with their face on CCTV. Or they can be refused service if they are wanted. 3) Given there is only one reason to have cloned/ghost plates, the sentencing and prosecutions for suppliers must be high to deter them. We have the technology. We just don't have the political will to put it in to place. "Not a week goes by where we don't see an example of someone on cloned plates involved in serious and organised crime," As Dept Supt Andy Cos said a while ago: reporting dangerous drivers help uncover other serious crimes. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq9860162dj2o
@Smoggysteve Perhaps we need to treat drivers like the toddlers so many of them are. If they think that bike lanes remove the requirement for 1.5m then lets play along. Every bike lane must be at least 2m wide so that they can be sure that when they aren't in the bike lane they are 1.5m from cyclists.
@Rendel Harris one of cyclings little mysteries isn't it. So many teams/riders would rather lose and not help each other than risk being accused of losing "because" they helped each other. Its like being scared to try because your scared of failing. Makes no sense but its rife in everyday life as well.
@bikeclips Last week, I was almost thrown out of a meeting because I was swearing under my breath while I read the 'Lydney Cycle Improvements' document, which includes such gems as: "The Lydney Cycleway improvement scheme was completed in spring 2020 and has improved access and increased connectivity by creating a pleasant, safe and accessible network of pathways around Lydney....." The 'improvements' are almost entirely narrow, on-road bike lanes on narrow roads, where two cars cannot pass without going into the bike lanes. They don't increase connectivity, they aren't pleasant, or safe or particularly accessible, but hey, why quibble over irrelevant details? "The scheme was developed with the aim of promoting cycle usage and reducing car journeys within Lydney." Since 2020, car journeys have increased but cycle journeys haven't. Have a guess how much it cost. Go on, have a guess. £1,000,000. Entirely wasted.
@bikeclips When you see how narrow that cycle 'lane' is to begin with its ridiculous councils think they are satisfactory. But as the clip moves along, how many puddles, patches of debris etc has narrowed that path? And when you have a large vehicle inches away from you, where are you supposed to go? It also , in both clips, shows how other drivers can get by safely if you just have some patience. The driver of the Fiat at the start was waiting to pass for a while but they were safe and probably only held up for around a minute. Why do people feel so ready to take risky overtakes just to save literally minutes?
49 thoughts on “YouTube ranter rips into cyclists during bizarre cancel bike lanes video; Reaction to TfL road safety shocker; Dan Bigham “seven watts” off Hour Record; DnB by bike: Cop edition; BMX skills; Not Black Friday; But cyclists + more on the live blog”
Re G, a Welsh friend posted
Re G, a Welsh friend posted these pictures from Swansea last Tuesday on Facebook this week, so…
And here are a couple of
And here’a picture of Swansea from five years ago today (after I’d spent the previous three days cycling there from South London). It was a stunning day, sadly to be ruined later as Palace somehow contrived to lose 5-4 having been 4-3 up in the 89th minute.
South Wales > Monaco
Oh, and who needs your super
Oh, and who needs your super yachts.
I am fortunate that I get to
I am fortunate that I get to cycle commute along there, and concur that “on its day” the Swansea sea front can rival many a far flung Mediterranean or even a tropical location…
On the day in question five
On the day in question five years ago, I was only due to cycle the couple of miles from my B&B to the Liberty Stadium (having spent the previous three days getting to Swansea, and going to be spending the next three getting home). But it was such a beautiful day a couldn’t resist a round the bay to the Mumbles in the morning.
It’s a pointless ad. The only
It’s a pointless ad. The only thing that causes angry cyclists is terrible driving.
Actually, you should get 3 points and a £100 fine if your driving causes a normallly mild mannered cyclist to become angry. That would be a better ad.
HoarseMann wrote:
I’d like to see one where some poor drivers are being harrassed by cyclists using cameras. It could focus on an ordinary driver that’s performing close passes, MGIF overtakes, left-hooks etc and then have the threatened cyclist catch up with them at the next set of lights, point at their camera and state “You’ve been caught on camera” (or something snappier) and then the next scene would be the distraught driver sat at home watching and waiting until a letter drops through their letterbox.
Maybe make a series of them and throw in the occasional one where the driver decides to not overtake and is then faced with the same cyclist at the next set of lights, but the cyclist taps on the window and makes a comment about maybe supporting the same football team and the two have a quick good-natured chat.
Have you considered a career
Have you considered a career in advertising? 😀
brooksby wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATa2hsBl0Qg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t2yK7RkOgk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBky-kmQReM
Well it always seems that
Well it always seems that Cycling Mikey is very calm when speaking to drivers. It just seems to the the latter who are very irate with him, even before the camera bit.
Part of me thinks it was
Part of me thinks it was scoped by TFL to an ad agency as a ‘why are cyclists so angry, let’s show we can all get along on the road’, but made by people who arent cyclists so dont understand why you get angry when someone does nearly kill you.
Absolutely. I’ve never been
Absolutely. I’ve never been riled by a driver that has passed me safely, even those that shout abuse. The level of my ire is directly proportional to the danger I feel they’ve put me under. If they’ve been stupid, but not really scared me, it’s a hands up, “what you doing?”, if they’ve nearly killed me I go bat shit crazy. If I put myself in their shoes, I’d have to think “what have I done wrong? I didn’t kill them, bloody cyclists, should have been on the cycle path, road tax, insurance, hi-viz, c**t”
I just had some bloke lean on
I just had some bloke lean on the horn, then do a punishment pass, then brake after to berate me all because I refused to cycle in the door zone.
Obviously I should have empathised that he is a very important man, on a very important journey, doing an very important job.
At least my journey (if I can call it that, as it was A to A) ended with white van man holding back before the crossroads, so I gave him a thumbs up.
hirsute wrote:
meanwhile once he has stored his property on the public highway and gets out, he would complain at the cylist riding into his door for not being careful.
I always assume that drivers
I always assume that drivers who pass me in an unsafe way are extremely important, probably a surgeon rushing to perform life-saving surgery. Admittedly it is odd that they drive vans advertising hot tub companies, builders etc or aging hatchbacks with lowered supension, noisy exhausts and peeling blackout film on the windows…
SimoninSpalding wrote:
If they are extremely important, they have two ways of ensuring their safety as they peogress around the metropolis. They can either glide along in the Bentley, flanked by whistle-blowing outriders ensuring their protection, or they adopt a camouflage so as not to be identified by the ne’er-do-wells on their prolecycles. It does seem odd that their disguise has not been more widely revealed before now.
Re. Tfl ad.
Re. Tfl ad.
May be they could add the alternative version where the cyclist is calm followed by the woman sitting in court getting three points and a fine.
Bungle_52 wrote:
Wouldn’t be very realistic though….
Bungle_52 wrote:
Yeah but, it’s meant to be realistic…
As Denbeigh isn’t costal and
As Denbeigh isn’t costal and G has built up a series of comedy social media posts by tagging Welsh place names onto glamerous cycling pictures I think it safe to assume this follws that trend and it isn’t Denbeigh. To anyone who might have been to these places in wales, the posts are funnier as lets say they are rarely as glamerous…
Although very occasionally to
Although very occasionally to keep you on your toes, there are some actual Welsh ones:
Wales
Wales
Hold your horses, there is a
Hold your horses, there is a bit of coastal Denbighshire, roughly between Prestatyn and Rhyl. However, it’s as flat as a pancake, so Geriant is definitely taking poetic license.
Owd Big ‘Ead wrote:
True but the screenshot of Geraint Thomas’s post shows he mentioned Penarth, which is near Cardiff and nowhere near Denbighshire.
Not only is Denbigh some distance from the Liverpool Bay and there are far too many leaves on the trees in his tweet for it to be anywhere near Wales at the moment.
Simon E wrote:
Two different posts. Owd Big ‘Ead is talking about the one mentioned in the live blog itself, in which G tags ‘denbigh’, not the one in Pete’s comment, which mentions Penarth.
It’s definitely Monaco _ I
It’s definitely Monaco _ I know the area. Just look at the vegetation and hills. Also if you zoom in you can see a hotel / residence with an outdoor pool. Something you wouldn’t bother with in Wales as it would only be usable 1 week a year (in a good year)
“Reaction to TfL’s
“Reaction to TfL’s “outrageously poor” road safety video”
…is not a very balanced or objective title, is it?!
anke wrote:
But it’s reporting the reaction, which has been generally (as far as I can see) critical and the phrase is in inverted comments because it is a quote.
You should develop some
You should develop some empathy then you may understand why people reacted that way.
Not a very balanced or
Not a very balanced or objective ad.
“Balanced and objective” does not necessarily mean giving every perspective equal weight and merit. In fact, it often means the opposite.
anke wrote:
Outrageously poor – two words. Road safety – two words.
Perfectly balanced.
Unlike the frothing lunatic who tried to kill me yesterday morning with a 6 inch close pass on a single track road; then stood on the brakes to turn into a drive, then decided to drive at me instead, and then stop and get out, frothing and ranting, all before 8am. Seemingly my 25mph wasn’t enough for her 20 yards before her turn-off, and I had the temerity to tell her that ‘That was really poor driving’. Mouth on her as foul as a southern water sewage outflow., and a general demeanour to match
Over the past few weeks I’ve
Over the past few weeks I’ve been wondering if Nige has been right all along, TfL certainly agree with him and even the Beatles taught us that “all you need is love”.
The other day whilst out cycling I accidently struck the mirror of a passing motorist with my elbow. I caught his eye, smiled and waved whilst mouthing my apology. He suddenly hit his breaks and pulled over. This is more like it I thought, we’re going to have some friendly banter about how we can all live in harmony just. To my surprise he leapt out of the car and started ranting about how I had deliberately hit his wing mirror and how I shouldn’t be cycling in the middle of the road.
Unperturbed, and addressing him in my most apologetic and humble voice, I said “I’m so sorry that you feel my presence on the road is a threat to the paintwork of your car, that was not my intention when I set out to get some exercise this morning. It’s obvious that you dearly love your overly large, fossil fuel consuming, planet destroying chosen mode of transport in the same way as I love my bicycle. Additionally, despite being a cyclist I do actually have people that love me and they would miss me if I wasn’t around.
He stood there open mouthed going very red in the face (I thought it was probably embarrassment for his actions). I decided that this was the opportunity to press on “I would also like to bring some other minor points to your attention. Firstly, I wasn’t riding in the middle of the road I was cycling in the middle of the lane, secondly if you had given me the recommended 1.5m clearance I would have been nowhere near your car and finally, and I would have thought a man of your stature would know all about cars, I couldn’t possibly have hit your wing mirror because your car has door mirrors.
At that point he seemed to explode and started using language that I thoroughly disapprove of. As I happily cycled off, with him still ranting about entitlement, road tax and vermin I thought to myself – I think they may all be wrong.
IanMK wrote:
If I could upvote you more than once, I would
It’s a great story and I’d
It’s a great story and I’d love to be so quick-witted and cool in such a situation. I’m impressed! But I’m not sure if the guy’s attitude towards cyclists will improve (or at least not get worse) as a result…
anke wrote:
Road Safety is not really anything to do with his attitude towards cyslists. It is everything to do with his ability to navigate 2t of metal competantly and safely around our road network.
I have an analogy for you that I think you might like (not).
It has been revealed over the past couple of weeks that out illustrious leader Boris Johnson is an incompetent liar that may well be suffering from mental health issues. Some of his own party have been very disrespectful, talking about him behind his back, saying nasty things to the press about him and even writing letters in private saying that they don’t think he’s competent.
The pressure being applied to him by these voices will almost certainly not improve his decision making & leadership ability. However, if those voices remained silent would he become a more competent leader with his mental health issues cured, well unfortunately not. So the best thing to do is not let him run the country anymore or at least until he proves that he can do the job competently.
IanMK wrote:
I totally agree – but how can you transfer this insight to millions of poor drivers — or which steps would you take about them?
IanMK wrote:
I so want this to be true….
Captain Badger wrote:
You know it to be true, even if it is fictional.
Don’t let the truth get in the way of a good story 🙂
Quote:
Time to recycle (thanks AtWarWithTheMotorist)! “That cycle parking frame destroyed by a driver needed more empathy”.
Alex Belfield, what a
Alex Belfield, what a complete knob. Has he spelt his name wrong? Surely there should be ‘end’ in his surname?
Read the full Cycling UK
Read the full Cycling UK response to the TfL video,if only just to realise the government announced this week they will be introducing all the proposed changes to the HC from the consultation…including new rules to tackle dangerous overtaking and ‘close passes’ with a recommended minimum distance
did I miss that being mentioned on the live blogs this week ?
Don’t think it was covered,
Don’t think it was covered, but it’s what I was getting at in the comment quoted above: “[the TfL video] looks uncomfortably out of step with the upcoming Highway Code changes to introduce a hierarchy of responsibility”
sorry, I just automatically
sorry, I just automatically assumed you were talking about it in that style we use with that oft delayed review of sentences for driving thing
I didnt think for an instant the government had actually gone and announced something, certainly not this past week
including new rules to tackle
including new rules to tackle dangerous overtaking and ‘close passes’ with a recommended minimum distance
This appears to be a dangerously optimistic interpretation of what will change following the introduction of these ‘new rules’. What will change is nothing- the police forces who already do prosecute for close passing, such as Sheffield NW NPT and the famous Inspector Kevin Smith and occasional ally Dame Sarah Storey, will continue to do so. The forces who couldn’t care less about cyclists, among which everyone knows I am about to include, yet again, Lancashire- who have never prosecuted anyone for close-passing- will continue to refuse to prosecute no matter how bad the offence. The excuse is always the same: there is no such offence as close passing so we can’t do anything. They will just continue to completely ignore perfect video evidence of passing like this below, relying on the fact that when the cyclist is killed or seriously injured any camera evidence will be destroyed, so they can simply rely on the statement of the driver that the cyclist suddenly shot out in front of him and he didn’t stand a chance, tick the box for ‘insufficient evidence’ and get back to the station in time for tea.
well we wait to see how any
well we wait to see how any police force react to any such guidance published in an updated highway code, but its far harder for the examples youve posted to be ignored when you can demonstrate clear breaches of guidance issued & approved by parliament.
or this
or this
I’ve heard of Alex Belfield
I’ve heard of Alex Belfield but I’ve seen him or heard him speak before.
Is that REALLY him being serious?
Are you SURE it’s not a parody?
“All a bit ridiculous until
“All a bit ridiculous until you realise Belfield’s channel has 350,000 subscribers…”
I’m hoping 349,000 of those are laughing at him, not with him. Such unrelenting drivel is worthy of Farrage himself.