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BBC under fire for reporting three children 'hit by car'; Cav back on the track; Want to train as a bike mechanic?; Bid for a slice of signed G memorabilia; Ned Boulting joins cycle path news fan club; Philip Hindes retires + more on the live blog

It's Thursday and Dan Alexander is in the hot seat for all your live blog needs...
28 October 2021, 15:21
This lane fights climate change
28 October 2021, 14:44
Barnsley to get 'Dutch-style' roundabout
Transport Research Laboratory Dutch Roundabout

Dan Jarvis, the Labour MP for Barnsley Central, who is also South Yorkshire's mayor, confirmed that his town would be getting an "innovative Dutch-style roundabout". Speaking after yesterday's budget, Jarvis said: "Barnsley and South Yorkshire needs and deserves a world-class transport network. That’s why I’ve fought hard to secure the transformative investment we need.

"Passengers in Barnsley and South Yorkshire will benefit from faster bus services, upgraded shelters and stops, better rail stations and a massive expansion in high-quality walking and cycle routes - including the creation of an innovative Dutch-style roundabout for Barnsley town centre."

Councillor Chris Lamb, a cabinet spokesperson environment and transport thanked cycle forum members for their support and collaboration and promised to seek the views of Barnsley cyclists on design and location.

28 October 2021, 13:27
Urban space is complex...but the maths is relatively simple...

Having spent all yesterday thinking I had no issue with e-scooters using bike racks I found one at my (now full) favourite bike parking spot, forcing me the extreme inconvenience of walking 20 metres to the next one. Unacceptable... 

28 October 2021, 13:05
Brit watch: Matthew Holmes extends WorldTour stay with Lotto-Soudal

Yesterday we brought you the news that James Shaw had earned another shot at the WorldTour and has signed for EF Education-Nippo. Well today we've got more good news for fans of British racing. Matthew Holmes is staying with Lotto-Soudal for another year, having signed a contract extension until the end of 2022.

Holmes got his breakthrough win at the Tour Down Under last year, when coronavirus was just a headline from a far away land. Since then he's finished third on a stage of the Giro, and sixth at a stage of the Vuelta this year. Holmes says a Grand Tour stage win is his big ambition for next season.

"It feels really nice to go into my third year with Lotto Soudal. I can’t wait for next year. After two seasons of getting to know everyone and making friends, Lotto Soudal really feels like ‘my’ team," he said.

"Maybe this year has not fully gone to plan, but I still won a WorldTour race during my first pro contract. It’s an achievement which I’m still really proud of. On a couple of occasions, I’ve also been close to a Grand Tour stage win, which really gave me confidence to go and try to win one next year. In my head, I know it’s doable."

28 October 2021, 13:03
BBC's headline goes global...
28 October 2021, 11:26
Your regular dose of pleasant Paris pedalling pictures

Paris' cycling transformation is another live blog favourite.

According to a new plan, the city is to become a 100 per cent 'cycling city' within the next four years. The Plan Velo: Act 2 says the French capital will increase the number of protected cycleways and bike parking spaces in the city as the next stage of the existing $174 million cycling plan.

> Paris pop-up bike lanes will be made permanent

New research earlier this year found that new cyclists account for almost six in ten users of pop-up cycle lanes in Paris. The lanes were first installed in response to public transport strikes, but were kept and expanded during the pandemic. Mayor Anne Hidalgo centred much of her successful re-election campaign on reducing car dependency and fighting climate change.

28 October 2021, 10:56
Mark Cavendish to make track cycling return at Six Days of Ghent next month
sir-bradley-williams-and-mark-cavendish-win-madison-2016-track-worlds-copyright-swpix.com-britishcycling.org_.uk_

Mark Cavendish could be forgiven for taking it easy this winter, putting his feet up after a triumphant return to the top of the sport. Instead, he's off to Belgium next month to return to the track scene at the Gent Six Day. He'll be teaming up with Deceuninck-Quick-Step teammate Iljo Keisse during the competition from November 16-21.

He'll be up against his super teammate and reigning Olympic and world madison champion Michael Mørkøv, who pairs up with Lasse Norman Hansen. It'll be Cav's first time at the race since winning it alongside Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2016.

28 October 2021, 09:51
Ned Boulting joins Dutch news from the cycle path's fan club
28 October 2021, 09:36
New stuff from Chrome Industries... just in time for those dark winter nights
2021 Chrome Industries cycling cap

With the clocks switching back on Sunday and the days shortening, it’s certainly time to start thinking about what you’re going to wear once the sun drops down.

Chrome Industries has just launched its new Night Series collection with a fully reflective jacket, merino socks and some cap choices.

The Wind Cobra 2.0 Reflective Jacket (£137) is Chrome’s lightweight windproof and water-resistant layer with 360 degree Hi-Viz reflectivity for visibility in low light conditions. “This shell was made to transcend through all four seasons, day or night, making it ideal for whatever the city streets bring your way,” says the apparel brand. 

Chrome’s new merino crew-length socks feature a wide reflective stripe on the rear upper. The brand also has its new Cycling cap (£26) and 5 Panel Hat (£26) that are built from 360 degree reflective material; the former has a elastic band back, while the latter has an adjustable fit with a buckle closure. 

2021 Chrome Industries merino socks

 

28 October 2021, 09:12
Bid for a slice of signed G memorabilia
Geraint Thomas - via Ineos Grenadiers

SportInspired has a charity auction where one deep-pocketed cycling fan will walk away with Geraint Thomas' signed name card from his Tokyo Olympics time trial. The card was displayed on the support car while G battled his way to 12th place, carrying the knocks and bruises from a fall in the road race four days earlier.

 I said you'll need deep pockets for a reason, the current bid is £1,000...but it's all for a great cause (and would look great on your wall). All proceeds raised will go towards funding SportInspired's free sports programmes for children living in poverty. If you're interested you can get more details here...

Yesterday, we reported the news that Thomas is close to signing a new contract with Ineos Grenadiers despite "tough" negotiations. The Welshman is also doing his bit, giving back to the next generation by setting up the Geraint Thomas Cycling Trust, a charity that will financially support children wanting to start cycling. 

28 October 2021, 08:57
Want to train as a bike mechanic? New government-backed bike mechanic apprenticeship scheme launches in the UK
Bike mechanic (via Government-backed apprenticeship scheme press release)

Buzzbike's Bike Lab Academy is hoping to fill the demand for bike mechanics during the bike boom by training up talented school leavers who might otherwise find it difficult to find employment. The academy is backed by the government's apprenticeship scheme and trains up new mechanics on all the skills required to service and maintain bikes.

Places for 2021 are full, but applications for next year's January intake are open now. After 18 months of training, apprentices leave with an externally-assessed and internationally-recognised level 3 Cytech accreditation as well as real-world workshop experience. The Bike Lab apprentices are also paid an hourly wage, enabling them to earn as they learn.

Should they wish, Bike Lab Academy graduates will also be able to remain within the company after graduation.

Bike mechanic (via Government-backed apprenticeship scheme press release)

Ede Harrison, Head Bike Professor said: “Our aim with this programme is to not only provide our Bike Lab apprentices with the practical skills for a successful career as a mechanic but also helps to build confidence in themselves and their abilities — a foundation that will serve them far beyond the world of work."

28 October 2021, 08:46
Great Britain track star Philip Hindes retires
Hindes, Kenny and Hoy on London 2012 podium (copyright Britishcycling.org.uk)

Two-time Olympic gold medallist Philip Hindes has announced his retirement after 11 years racing on the track. Hindes won gold at London 2012 and Rio 2016 as part of the GB team sprint line-up, alongside riders such as Sir Chris Hoy, Jason Kenny and Callum Skinner.

Having represented Germany at youth level, Hindes switched allegiance in 2010 and went on to win one world championship, two Commonwealth Games medals and nine world cup medals, all in the team sprint.

In a statement released by British Cycling, Hindes reflected on his career, "Being a member of the Great Britain Cycling Team for so long has been incredible, and I have really lived and loved my career. My career highlights have to be my Olympic gold medals from London 2012 and Rio 2016, but also I’ve met some of my best friends on the team, and in cycling in general, so this has been the best bit of my cycling career.

"I will now be putting my dedication and drive into a new chapter of my life, starting a new career, and seeing where it takes me.

"I’d like to thank British Cycling for their support over the years and all the people that helped me on my journey, I owe a lot to them, and I can't thank them enough. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved. I think there’s plenty more to come from the men’s sprint team, and I’ll be cheering them on all the way to Paris 2024."

28 October 2021, 07:29
BBC under fire for reporting woman and three children 'hit by car' in South Lanarkshire

People are questioning the BBC's reporting of an incident in South Lanarkshire this morning after the news outlet shared a story headlined: 'Woman and three children hit by car in South Lanarkshire'. A mother in her 20s and three children were struck by a driver in Carluke, shortly after 3pm yesterday. The Scottish Ambulance Service dispatched 10 crews to the scene and all four were taken to hospital in Glasgow, no details about their condition have been released.

The BBC has been criticised for referring to a 'car' and not a driver. The recently compiled road collision reporting guidelines, aimed at informing UK media on how to report on road traffic collisions, suggests always referring to a driver, not their vehicle.

At the time the guidelines were published, Professor Rachel Aldred explained its importance: "The research tells us that language matters, as it helps shape how we see and treat others. So for instance referring to drivers rather than only their vehicles helps remind us that behind every vehicle – be it a car, an HGV, a cycle or a motorcycle – is a person making decisions that affect the safety of others."

Steve Maloret responded to the story, making the point: "Imagine saying someone was 'shot by a gun' or 'stabbed by a knife'."

Simon Warren added: "Never anyone behind the wheel."

It wasn't just the BBC either. Sky News, The Independent, The Sun and Evening Standard all referred to the woman and children being hit or struck by a car, not a driver.

Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.

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55 comments

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FrankH | 2 years ago
1 like

I'm struggling to understand the problem.

Yesterday's story was about a cyclist being kicked by a car driver. The driver got out of his car and kicked the cyclist.

Today's story is about people objecting to a report of a woman being hit by a car. We don't have ubiquitous autonomous vehicles yet so any rational person would assume that the car was being driven by somebody. Some people think it should have been reported as the woman being hit by a car driver but if you look at yesterday's story you'll see that that would imply the driver getting out of the car and hitting her,

"Woman Hit By Car" is a valid headline. We know the car was driven by somebody, any other way of reporting it risks confusing the reader. Or is that the point?

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stomec replied to FrankH | 2 years ago
2 likes

FrankH wrote:

I'm struggling to understand the problem.

Yesterday's story was about a cyclist being kicked by a car driver. The driver got out of his car and kicked the cyclist.

Today's story is about people objecting to a report of a woman being hit by a car. We don't have ubiquitous autonomous vehicles yet so any rational person would assume that the car was being driven by somebody. Some people think it should have been reported as the woman being hit by a car driver but if you look at yesterday's story you'll see that that would imply the driver getting out of the car and hitting her,

"Woman Hit By Car" is a valid headline. We know the car was driven by somebody, any other way of reporting it risks confusing the reader. Or is that the point?

 
I think this is best described in terms of in- and out- group thinking. Most journalists and the general public will think fo themselves as "drivers" but not "cyclists". Cyclists are the out group, and therefore to be looked down upon, insulted, despised etc. 

We therefore see headlines for the general public like "pedestrian hit by cyclist" because the out group of cyclists are to be hated but "pedestrian hit by car" because people see themselves as drivers and do not want to imagine themselves as capable of making the same error. 
 

Note that pedestrian hit by cyclist contains all of the same semantic errors as hit by driver but it is commonly used with no apparent cognitive dissonance because of the out group effect. 
 

Personally I would prefer "pedestrian hit by car/bicycle driven/ridden by unknown driver/cyclist (or appropriate details such as man/woman etc)" to avoid confusion, attribute agency appropriately and ensure consistency as technology progresses. This is so that ultimately we can accurately report "pedestrian hit by car driving autonomously with no human on board " in 10 years time...

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stomec replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
1 like

I heard this story on the radio and was pleasantly surprised by the positive coverage as well.  He does say he still uses the van for boilers and radiators but is obviously making a very positive change. 

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anke | 2 years ago
0 likes

Let me ask a question: 

Clearly, most of us would like less CARS on the roads - and we'd all agree that CARS are dangerous. Yet, we do not seem to like the headline "car hits cyclist" - as it might blame the CAR rather than the HUMAN driving it. (I was even told off for writing about "car driving" yesterday on road.cc).

Is this not the wrong way round? CARS encourage humans to act in aggressive and dangerous ways (and cause all sorts of problems) - but we seem to try to almost absolve the CARS here? Is this not a little similar to the NRA's (US) claim that "guns don't kill - people kill"...?

So, should we not welcome the BBCs wording rather than condemn it? 

(Nigel, you must enjoy this discussion: watching the mess created unfold from a position where you're neither affected nor responsible for doing anything about it...  3

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chrisonabike replied to anke | 2 years ago
7 likes

Just to remind ourselves why we're here again: "those injured are a mother in her 20s and three children, the eldest of whom is seven."

Now I don't know for sure that they didn't all run out in front of the car from behind a bush. Nothing says that she didn't grab the children and dive under the car with them. Or that there was a driver in the car at all, or that the driver was conscious, or hadn't suddenly been stricken blind, or was not in the throes of a terrible personal crisis.

But I do know that every time this happens it seems to be reported as either:

"Car hits people. Can you believe it? So sad..."

Or on the rarer occasion:

"Monster kills our little angels!"

We won't reduce the occurrence of these incidents - which is what interests me - by absolving people ("unblemished record"...) of their responsibility. Nor highlighting a few villains ("drugs...3 times over the limit") and thereby putting the rest of us fallible drivers in the "good, just unlucky" camp.

Going beyond the reporting issue - we need both engineering to reduce the danger and better oversight of driving. There should be both a decent chance of detection and meaningful sanctions. Ideally on a "stop you for minor things before we have a major incident" basis. Regular "refreshers" for your licence wouldn't hurt either!

Maybe the government could consider looking at a different model when they get round to their review...

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jh2727 replied to anke | 2 years ago
3 likes

anke wrote:

Let me ask a question: 

Clearly, most of us would like less CARS on the roads

I'm not overly fussed either way - if anything, more cars = more congestion, which makes tends to make cycling safer.

anke wrote:

- and we'd all agree that CARS are dangerous. Yet, we do not seem to like the headline "car hits cyclist" - as it might blame the CAR rather than the HUMAN driving it.

Cars are not inherently dangerous, it is possible drive a car in an almost perfectly safe manner. This is part of the problem - we teach our child 'be careful of the cars' - and then act surprised when they grow up, start driving, and aren't careful of the children.

anke wrote:

Is this not the wrong way round? CARS encourage humans to act in aggressive and dangerous ways (and cause all sorts of problems) - but we seem to try to almost absolve the CARS here? Is this not a little similar to the NRA's (US) claim that "guns don't kill - people kill"...?

Cars don't encourage anyone to act in an aggressive or dangerous way. It is an attitude that unsafe driving is acceptable, an attitude that is perpetuated (or at least, not challenged), partly by language in articles such as this one on the BBC, which leads to unsafe driving continuing unabated.

I can't decide if your whole post is meant to tongue in cheek - so appologies if I have mis-understood.

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Gkam84 | 2 years ago
2 likes

18 months to get a level 3 Cytech?? They really are grinding out your time with them to maximise government money and low wages that apprentices get, currently £4.30. You can walk out of school into a job at Tesco for at least £10 an hour. If you want to be a bike mechanic, there are much better ways. 

Here is a breakdown of everything to get Cytech 3, plus some extras.

Theory One - online - £150
Tech One - 2 days - £375
Tech Two - 10 days - £1250
Wheel Building - 2 days- £375
Tech Three - 6 days - £1250
E-Bike - 3 days - £850
Hydraulics - 2 days - £450
Suspension - 2 days - £450

27 days - £5,150

Spread it over your own time and not be tied into an 18-month apprenticeship on low wages.

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Geoff Ingram replied to Gkam84 | 2 years ago
0 likes

So 6 months at Tesco makes 5000 extra to pay for 5 week course and sabes almost a year. Though surely the times you mention (days) would be for people already with some basic skills. Whatever, 18 months is astonishing

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Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
2 likes

Road.cc reaches new heights! Thirty plus comments on the meaning of 'struck by' and how the phrase can be improved.

Tomorrow - discussions re. how many angels can fit on to the head of a pin, or perhaps on the bolt of a stem?

Looking forward to it!

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mdavidford replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
1 like

Flintshire Boy wrote:

Road.cc reaches new heights!

It's got a way to go yet - nobody liked my Latin joke the other day...

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TheBillder replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
1 like
mdavidford wrote:

Flintshire Boy wrote:

Road.cc reaches new heights!

It's got a way to go yet - nobody liked my Latin joke the other day...

I might have liked it if I could spot it. Only 40 years since I was hilariously upgrading a textbook to "The Shorter Eating Primer" but I cannot see any Latin, joke or otherwise, there. Can you explain, using only first declension nouns and avoiding subjunctives?

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mdavidford replied to TheBillder | 2 years ago
0 likes

But a joke's not funny once you explain it.

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captain_slog replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
4 likes

Latin is celebrated for its precision. I'm sure the ancient Roman media never confused chariot and charioteer when reporting crashes on the notorious Colosseum contraflow.

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Sriracha | 2 years ago
3 likes

It needs some thought on how to phrase it. "Hit by a driver" might suggest the victim was in the passenger seat, etc. Perhaps we can offer constructive suggestions which describe the situation accurately without giving agency to the car? I'll start with "the victims were runover by a motorists".

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newtonuk replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
10 likes

Using the context as outlined in the article, it should be 'shot WITH a gun' or 'stabbed WITH a knife', therefore 'run over by a motorist with their car' might be appropriate.

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Captain Badger replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
14 likes

Sriracha wrote:

It needs some thought on how to phrase it. "Hit by a driver" might suggest the victim was in the passenger seat, etc. Perhaps we can offer constructive suggestions which describe the situation accurately without giving agency to the car? I'll start with "the victims were runover by a motorists".

We seem to have no problem stating that someone "was shot by a gunman", or "attacked by an assailant armed with a knife". 

"A driver has hit 3 children whilst driving a car/lorry/weapon-of-your-choice. "

The only reason that we find it sounds odd, is that we rarely hear of human involvement - that's probably what jars, and is also the reason to change the culture - I believe this has been trialled successfully in other countries

Mind you, the UK isn't Holland, as I'm frequently informed......

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chrisonabike replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
6 likes

Sounds like you're serving up some poorly reconstituted English there. Let's have a proper meaty raw slice of "shot by a terrorist",  "driven into by a motorist" or "Crushed with a truck by Tescos employee"!

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stomec replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
9 likes

Nigel Garage wrote:

Captain Badger wrote:

We seem to have no problem stating that someone "was shot by a gunman", or "attacked by an assailant armed with a knife". 

"A driver has hit 3 children with whilst driving a car/lorry/weapon-of-your-choice. "

The only reason that we find it sounds odd, is that we rarely hear of human involvement - that's probably what jars, and is also the reason to change the culture - I believe this has been trialled successfully in other countries

Mind you, the UK isn't Holland......

Let me help you out, as Mungecuddles below has already given you a clue. The reason the phrase "shot by a gunman" works is because of the verb "shoot". Imagine if there was no verb "shoot" in the English language, and you had to reconstitute the phrase using the verb "hit". Would you say:

  • someone was "hit by a gunman" or
  • someone was "hit by a bullet"?

That's the issue here.

The issue however is that no news report ever would simply report 3 children were hit by bullets whilst walking to school.  There would be a discussion about who was carrying and firing the gun.  There are however many, many reports of people being hit hy a car with no discussion about the agency of the driver.  

Likewise as has been mentioned, pedestrians are always hit by cyclists not bicycles which are even less likely to be freely travelling at speed unassisted than cars- for example of the double standards see the BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-56320121

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IanMK replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
4 likes

I don't think it needs to change that much. "the victims were hit by a motorist".

 

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Sriracha replied to IanMK | 2 years ago
4 likes

I do actually think Nigel has a point about the verb. Stab implies a knife or sharp instrument, shot implies a gun, whereas hit is more vague about the implement.

In a recent NMOTD the victim was hit by motorist, but not the car. The motorist got out of his car and and hit the cyclist, using his foot.

Which is why I suggested runover, since that implies a vehicle, whilst allowing for the agency to be placed with the driver. "Driven into" would also work, as per christonabike.

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Captain Badger replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
7 likes

Sriracha wrote:

I do actually think Nigel has a point....

A quiet lie down until you feel normal should sort that

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chrisonabike replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
2 likes

Sriracha wrote:

I do actually think Nigel has a point about the verb. Stab implies a knife or sharp instrument, shot implies a gun, whereas hit is more vague about the implement. In a recent NMOTD the victim was hit by motorist, but not the car. The motorist got out of his car and and hit the cyclist, using his foot. Which is why I suggested runover, since that implies a vehicle, whilst allowing for the agency to be placed with the driver. "Driven into" would also work, as per christonabike.

Thanks for the upgrade! I know the reasons for reluctance to change the language are both "legal concern" (often spurious but I'm no expert) and also "but that's the way we say it". However that's my point about ideology. Different publications / writers constantly phrase in particular ways, with more or less conscious intent. Words have ways with us and while simply changing the verbiage doesn't magically change the culture it is never "neutral". (You can use a "neutral tone" but you've done that for some reason.)

There's seldom just a single meaning for a word or phrase - just look in a dictionary.

Finally in stories we are always interested in agency e.g. whodunnit. Whether "they are legally responsible" or not. So not "people were hit by fast-moving fragments of metal" but "a bomb exploded and injured..." and we then invariably go on with whether this was dropped by a state actor, private enterprise ("suspected terrorist") or was just an old one someone had found down a hole. (Thanks to Nigel for his reductio ad absurdam on that).

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IanMK replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
0 likes

I did wonder about this. I think someone argued that at the time of the attack he was in fact a pedestrian, from a legal point of view. (Although I do identify myself as a cyclist all the time 😊) the media will not identify somebody by their activity when they are not doing said activity.
To use Nige's analogy you won't see the headline 'man attacked by golfer whilst shopping in Tesco's'. He may well be a golfer, he may in fact be coming back from the golf course but it's extremely unlikely that has any bearing on the story.

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BarryC666 replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
4 likes

'Driven into' perhaps?

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hawkinspeter replied to BarryC666 | 2 years ago
2 likes

BarryC666 wrote:

'Driven into' perhaps?

That's the clearest and easiest way to get the information across.

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mdavidford | 2 years ago
1 like

The weird thing is that the BBC tweet has the phrase in inverted commas - kind of implying that they know it's wrong, but have chosen to use it anyway, and at the same time are attempting to disavow that choice.

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Captain Badger replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
4 likes

mdavidford wrote:

The weird thing is that the BBC tweet has the phrase in inverted commas - kind of implying that they know it's wrong, but have chosen to use it anyway, and at the same time are attempting to disavow that choice.

Perhaps they're trying to use the HIGNFY "allegedly" trick. They're probably wisely trying to avoid getting sued by the car, or marginalizing the 2t lump of iron community

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Ride On replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
1 like

The BBC were probably quoting a police or ambulance press release, perhaps that's where the problem lies.

In my brief stint in an ambulance control room many years ago traffic collisions were often referred to in short hand as 'car v ped', '4 veh rtc' or 'lorry v bike'. No mention of drivers or riders.

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mdavidford replied to Ride On | 2 years ago
1 like

Ride On wrote:

The BBC were probably quoting a police or ambulance press release, perhaps that's where the problem lies.

It's in 'scare quotes', though, rather than double-quotes, which they'd normally use when quoting someone. And if they're quoting anyone, it appears to be... their own report, where the phrase appears unquoted.

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Ride On replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
0 likes

Maybe not quoting a press release then.

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