‘Mr Loophole’ lawyer is back with another anti-cycling rant; MotoGP pro Aleix Espargaró shares brutal 300km ride on Strava; BTP Cheshire slammed for cycle safety pics; Burst pipe turns cycle lane into ‘log flume’ + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Weekend catch-up
Been singing in the rain all weekend? Here’s what you missed…
Fire service called out for DIY e-bike fire
Cyclist chases after runaway dog as it dodges Mexico City traffic
Man arrested following Camden assault on cyclist
French probe into mechanical doping shelved after no evidence found
Black teen on charity ride ‘grabbed from bike’ by Met police officer
Government tells councils to show more ambition with cycling plans
Near Miss of the Day 431: High speed close pass by driver of Polish-registered lorry
Police report 71% rise in speeding during lockdown
The most shocking figures obtained by PA news agency come from the Metropolitan Police – the UK’s largest police force – who recorded 3,282 Traffic Offence Reports in April compared to 1,922 during April 2019. Amongst these some frighteningly high speeds were recorded across London, including one driver caught doing 163mph on a 70mph road, and another at 110mph on a 30mph road.
Derbyshire and Kent police forces also recorded 41% and 53% rises respectively, although the majority of forces did see an overall decrease, thought to be due to the considerable drop in driver numbers.
A number of drivers trying to take advantage of the quieter roads were caught out, with Dept Supt Andy Cox telling the BBC: “Early on, for some people driving at extreme speeds, they would be really surprised to see us there.
“They would actually come out and say ‘we thought you’d be busy dealing with Covid’. Maybe some people (tried to take) advantage because congestion was less and thought they’d get away with it.”
Back in April, we reported that cyclist fatalities since the UK lockdown began on 23 March were running at more than double the average for the time of year, with Cycling UK’s Duncan Dollimore noting that they had received regular reports of “people driving way too fast”; we speculated that speeding drivers could be a factor in the spike, although there are numerous other potential factors at play, such as the increased number of cyclists on the roads as cycling’s popularity grew during the lockdown.
Islabikes cease Facebook advertising in support of Stop Hate for Profit campaign
The Ludlow-based kids bike brand Islabikes say that they stopped all paid activity on Facebook in November 2019, because “Facebook’s values were incompatible with their own.” This is in support of the Stop Hate for Profit campaign.
Founder Isla Rowntree said in a statement: “We owe it to our children to support an environment where they are safe, on and offline. Just as we need safer cycling infrastructure, we need safe spaces online for children too.”
Islabikes say they will encourage other businesses to join the campaign to stop all advertising on Facebook-owned platforms such as Instagram for the month of July, and ideally “until the social media behemoth take meaningful action.”
Cycle lanes among best value projects for tackling climate change, say Green Alliance
In their ‘Blueprint for a Resilient Economy’ report published today, the think tank say that an extra £14 billion a year is needed to tackle climate change, and that cycle lanes are among the ‘best value’ low carbon projects. Cycle lanes and retrofitting buildings were given a score of 20, while electric ferries and battery factories scored 19. Road building score just 10; in fact Green Alliance say that the government has actually spent £9 billion on projects that increase carbon emissions in the past three years.
Boardman calls for cargo bike exemption as government considers compulsory online delivery fee to cut pollution
This is an excellent point. Next-day cargo bike deliveries exempt from extra charges, incentivises the industry to invest in clean, local delivery as it gives them a competitive advantage. https://t.co/CbinVP31ah
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) June 29, 2020
The Times report that the government’s scientific advisers have recommended a mandatory charge for online deliveries – similar to the successful plastic bag charge – to “encourage more sustainable behaviour” amid a rise in delivery vans on UK roads. The report from the Department for Transport also noted that a culture of free next-day deliveries had lead to “unnecessary over-ordering”, including some customers taking advantage of free returns with some larger online retailers.
Deliveries by e-cargo bike are in their infancy in the UK, but Chris Boardman notes that this could be a big opportunity for retailers to “invest in clean, local delivery as it gives them a competitive advantage.”
One of the most notable examples of e-cargo delivery successes are Pedal Me of London, who say they’re ready to step in to provide more sustainable deliveries for larger companies to replace the increasing number of polluting vans on Britain’s roads.
Ride Your Socks Off! with us on Zwift tonight
Planning some Zwifting tonight? This evening at 7pm (BST) it’s the next in our regular Ride Your Socks Off! series. Join us to win road.cc socks!
This week it’s a C ride, so a bit quicker, and it’s the NY KOM After Party route. That means it’s fairly flat for the most part, then we’ll give away some socks and everyone has to turn themselves inside out up the last climb. It’s everyone for themselves at that point 🙂
Anne Hidalgo re-elected as Mayor of Paris
Félicitations to @Anne_Hidalgo and her re-election as Mayor of Paris! We think your mission to boost pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is simply “super!” #paris #hidalgo pic.twitter.com/HkaIVvmQOK
— ONO (@ono_motion) June 29, 2020
Campaigning largely on her mission to improve cycling and walking infrastructure, Socialist Party politician Hidalgo swept to victory by polling just under half of all votes cast. Hidalgo’s vision for Paris includes a cycle path on every street in the city, removing 60% of on-street car parking and ensuring all residents are within a 15 minute walk of local amenities.
British Transport Police Cheshire take Twitter kicking for bizarre North American cycle safety post
Learn ways to stay safe when out cycling with todays #DailyActivity & don’t forget to add a splash of colour to the posters #ConnectingUsTogether @CheshireSSYP@ActiveTravelCre @SoTCityCouncil @CheshireEast @StaffsPolice @cheshirepolice @PoliceCrewe @bikeregister @StaffsUniPolice pic.twitter.com/6ckWMzPJey
— BTP Cheshire (@BTPCheshire) June 27, 2020
Made even more strange by the fact that BTP Cheshire are responsible for policing railways, the post includes two images that appear to be copied from a cycling safety group based in either the US or Canada, judging from the language used. The first advises cyclists to always wear a helmet “even if you are only going a few blocks”, and the second says that cyclists should “get off (your) bike and walk it across busy corners.”
Seems to be aimed at:
a) Children and,
b) AmericansRules, procedures and laws are different between UK and US so there could be better options available.
— Roads Policing Unit (RPU) – Surrey Police – UK (@SurreyRoadCops) June 28, 2020
Stick to your stated remit then, as you seem to know little about cycling.
“BTP Cheshire@BTPCheshire
We’re the local team for policing railways in Cheshire & North Staffs area.”— Peter Smith (@Pinarello_Pete) June 27, 2020
Delete this tweet. Yours, a Bikeability instructor. pic.twitter.com/uXJoKPD5bS
— FastOrFarCoaching (@FastOrFar) June 27, 2020
This is pitiful nonsense which also goes against the National Standard of Cycle Training advice that Bikeability Instructors, like myself, give to trainee riders.
This is not in your remit or useful.
— Dom the Tea Drinker 🏴☠️🇪🇺🏴🇭🇰 (@Tdr1nka) June 28, 2020
Neither of these recommendations are legally required or even advisable in the UK according to numerous people who have replied, including Surrey’s Road Policing Unit and Bikeability instructors.
Was BTP Cheshire’s account hacked by a misinformed cycle safety advocate from overseas at the weekend? They’ve yet to provide an explanation or remove the offending tweet and are still receiving negative replies, but we’ll keep an eye out for updates nevertheless…
MotoGP pro Aleix Espargaró shares details of monster 300km (push)bike ride
Esto seria un buen APOCALIPSIS no @Eganbernal ?? 😅🤙 pic.twitter.com/BXsCzgfOr7
— Aleix Espargaró (@AleixEspargaro) June 28, 2020
We were sceptical when the Spaniard first tagged Egan Bernal into the Twitter post above, wondering if the 300km (186 mile) ride completed at an average speed of 32.3km/h (over 20mph) was in some way motorbike-assisted… but after doing some snooping on Espargaró’s Strava account, it appears very likely that the brutal ride was genuine and pedal-assisted.
The Strava upload (accompanied by a sweary caption in Spanish) and picture on his Instagram account seem to suggest it was a group ride, with Espargaró averaging 225 watts over the nine hours and 21 minutes he was in the saddle. Will we see the 30-year-old switching from motor to pedal cycle racing in the future? On this evidence, it’s certainly a possibility.
London cycle lane temporarily turned into a log flume due to burst main
Due to extensive flooding and burst main in the basement of the old hospital, there maybe disruption to the roads in Whitechapel. There maybe disruption to water supply but NOT at the moment. We will keep you updated with any information. pic.twitter.com/SYJdCcbGwJ
— Tower Hamlets Police (gov.uk/coronavirus) (@MPSTowerHam) June 29, 2020
And according to a couple of the replies to this tweet from Tower Hamlets Police, there may be more than just water down where the burst pipe came from. Time to swap your bike for a canoe on CS2 until this is fixed by the looks of things…
Transport for Greater Manchester say new bike hire scheme has moved a step closer as they search for a service provider
The new £10 million scheme set to launch in spring 2021 will see a fleet of 1,500 docked hire bikes hit the streets of Manchester, and TfGM say they are now looking for a company to run it. This will replace Mobike (above) who pulled out of Manchester in 2018 citing high levels of theft and vandalism.
Greater Manchester’s Cycling and Walking Commissioner Chris Boardman commented: “A third of households across Greater Manchester don’t have access to a car and almost 75% don’t have access to a bicycle, limiting their travel options. GM bike hire will make bikes more accessible and convenient and deliver a viable travel option by providing public bikes within 500 metres of 100,000 households.
“This isn’t just about bikes, it’s about a holistic approach to sustainable transport which is exactly what the Mayor’s ‘Our Network’ plan aims to deliver, tying together public transport and active travel options to make a better place for everyone to live.”
US bike brand Ocoee to rebrand due to name's connotations with 1920's race riots
The President of the American Bicycle Group, who owns Ocoee, has said that there was an immediate need to “erase any unknowing or accidental connotation by the brand of racial inequality” after learning about the little known 1920 Ocoee Election Day Riots, in which African Americans were murdered by a mob after a black citizen attempted to vote at a polling station.
Peter Hurley said in a statement: “Over the past few days, I’ve become aware of a horrible event associated with our brand name. With fair warning, I invite you to read about it here.
“As our team here in Tennessee grows, it’s simply not tenable to set a path forward that builds on the legacy of this event, so we’re going to do what we always do: lead with integrity.”
American Bicycle Group are deciding on a new name, and also plan to get in touch with Ocoee bike owners to swap out the decals for free.
Manchester says thanks to cyclists for "saving a seat on buses and trams for those who need them"
Thanks @OneTrafford and @OfficialTfGM pic.twitter.com/RyLHTJdiOT
— Deborah (@UrmstonDeb) June 29, 2020
That’s the kind of message we can get behind.
Edinburgh and Glasgow residents can take advantage of free bike hire to encourage cycling as lockdown eases
From today onwards, free 30 minute cycle trips will be available on over 1,300 bikes across Scotland’s two biggest cities to encourage cycling as the lockdown is eased. The scheme is being led by the CoMoUK charity, in partnership with Glasgow City Council, Transport for Edinburgh and bike-share operators nextbike and Serco, report Air Quality News.
Cabinet Secretary for Transport Michael Matheson commented: “We’ve seen increased rates of cycling and increased use of our public hire bicycle schemes across the lockdown period and this offer will help maintain this shift in travel behaviour at a critical time in our COVID-19 response.
“By offering free 30-minute trips, in conjunction with temporary infrastructure in Glasgow and Edinburgh, we can greatly incentivise more sustainable everyday journeys in Phases 2 and 3 of the Scottish Government route map.”
Lawyer nicknamed 'Mr Loophole' is back with another anti-cycling rant, this time in Cheshire Life Magazine
The car-free roads of lockdown were a gift to cyclists. Many people ride their bikes in a safe and responsible way. But, as I write in @cheshirelife, unfortunately there were some who proved to be a danger to pedestrians as they cycled at top speed along empty roads. #cycling pic.twitter.com/RDRxvKXqj2
— Nick Freeman (@TheMrLoophole) June 28, 2020
Nick Freeman – nicknamed ‘Mr Loophole’ for his history of getting clients such as David Beckham and Jeremy Clarkson off the hook for motoring offences – is once again trotting out his calls for cyclists to wear high-vis jackets “stamped with a registration number” and hold compulsory insurance, this time in a magazine about rural life in Cheshire. It’s safe to say it didn’t go down very well on social media…
Oh, do put a sock in it. And @cheshirelife – what on earth are you doing giving print space to this tedious self-publicist, whose entire career is based on making the roads *more* dangerous for everyone?
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) June 28, 2020
@cheshirelife Shame on you for publishing this dribble, will never buy your magazine again. What about all those cars speeding through are roads/lanes, that is ok?
— mberryphotography (@martin_berry) June 28, 2020
David Beckham 76 in a 50
Frank Lampard 86 in a 50
Joe Cole 105mphYou got them + others off lightly. Cyclists though, very dangerous
— ChrisMT09 (@NI_Cyclist) June 28, 2020
In the article, Nutsford resident Freeman claims he was out on a walk with a friend’s young son, when the boy was almost hit by a cyclist. He says this “was no isolated incident”, and suggests that his high-vis registration tabard and insurance idea would solve the problem so cyclists can be identified (because of course, 100% of drivers are licenced and insured, Mr Freeman). His tweet describing cyclists as doing “top speed” has also caused confusion, and Freeman is yet to clarify his comments. Cheshire Life are yet to comment and have today shared the article again, saying that it “caused quite the stir over the weekend.”
Over the years, Freeman has made repeated claims for cyclists and pedestrians to wear high-vis, while continuing to defend law-breaking and even killer motorists. In 2014, Freeman argued that his client Simon Martins – who ran over and killed rabbi Hyman Steinberg in Salford back in 2012 – may have avoided the collision if Mr Steinberg was wearing reflective clothing. He’s also said that cyclists should be forced to use designated cycle lanes, and in 2015 urged motorists to “fight back” against cyclists using headcams to film dangerous driving.
Boardman praises Tory councillor's "sensational contribution" after he labels UK's first Cyclops junction "stupid"
Our minimum design standard: ‘must be usable by a competent 12yr old’ the only way to ensure ‘non-cyclists’ will use it. Nowhere is this more important than at junctions. This Cyclops junction, a UK first, is one of more than 20 going in to deliver that 👏👇@mancitycouncil pic.twitter.com/l8F9iHoDyU
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) June 29, 2020
Sensational contribution Max, good luck with the political career 👍 https://t.co/6h0ENoAHn1
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) June 29, 2020
Councillor Max Woodvine – a candidate for the Oldham & Saddleworth Conservatives – simply described the UK’s first Cycleops junction as “stupid” with no further explanation. Mr Boardman wasn’t exactly impressed with the remark, and wished Councillor Woodvine good luck with his political career.
Cycleops junctions are designed to provide an orbital cycle route to separate cyclists from general traffic, reducing the chances of collisions and conflicts such as ‘left hooks’. The one above is the first of 20 that will be built in the UK soon.
29 June 2020, 08:22
29 June 2020, 08:22
Our April Fool's joke actually came true!
Virtual Tour de France and Etape du Tour on Zwift next month (+ video)
Our April Fool story turned out to be bang on the money
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The defence may well have argued that, and the magistrate may have accepted it, but that's not what the law says. It says that you have only driven without reasonable consideration for others if someone is inconvenienced. But the offence is committed if you drive without due care and attention, OR without reasonable consideration for other person. You have done the first if the driving falls below what would be expected of a careful and competent driver, regardless of whether anyone was inconvenienced. And CPS guidance specifically cites driving too close to another vehicle as an example.
Some years ago (before there was a cycle lane) I used to commute on Sidmouth St. But only because I worked on the London Road campus, from anywhere else there are better alternatives. As a cycle route it runs from between two busy roads, neither of which are exactly cycle friendly. So it's hardly surprising that no cyclists use it.
The officer's comments unfortunately reflect the reality of UK law. While the Highway Code guidance indeed refers to 1.5m, that is not anywhere in the law. And the criteria in law for proving a charge of careless driving does in fact rest on whether the rider is being "inconvenienced", as the discovered several years ago when the Met prosecuted a taxi driver who nearly hit me when cutting into my lane from the left near Marylebone. The prosecution lawyer was a barely competent newbie who fumbled over his words. The court computer was barely capable of playing the video footage, which kept freezing and crashing. The cabbie had an highly assertive defence lawyer who immediately seized on this point, and argued to the magistraite that I clearly hadn't been "inconvenienced" because I had not stopped or swerved, and had carried on my journey. Never mind that didn't have time to do either of those things, or that I was centimetres from being hit - the magistraite acquitted him on those grounds. That is unfortunately the outrageous reality of actually prosecuting a close pass incident. I know it's popular to blame the police and the CPS for not prosecuting enough close passes ... but the fact is the law is inadequate, and if the driver has a good lawyer then they can likely get off most close pass prosecutions.
Let's not forget the protruding "side" mirror...
HTML rules are clearly only partially implemented
please can we have the ability to use bold and italics for emphasis back as well?
As a Reading resident and cyclist, I can say I cannot think of a single occasion when I have seen a cyclist using the Sidmouth St cycle lane, nor can I think of any reason I'd use it myself. It doesn't connect to any other useful cycle routes. I don't rejoice that some of it is going back to motor traffic but I can see why the council is proposing to do that. Reading could really do with a cycleway to cross the town centre west to east and east to west but I'm not holding my breath on that.
Giant are one of the most trustworthy brands out there when it comes to manufacturing components given that they actually own their own production facilities. None of that matters though when it comes to road hookless, I and most other people won't touch it with a barge pole. We're surely at a stage now where it's toxic amongst consumers and it's only a matter of time before the UCI ban it for racing.
Filling the road with one person per car is using the road space more efficiently, amazing, I never realised that.
I bought a Giant Defy recently and immediately sold off the hookless wheels at a pretty big loss and won't ever do that again. I'm not buying hookless for road ever. Giant in particular has very short list of what tires they test with their rims so it's way too restrictive even if I was going to ride hookless wheels. Which I won't. Very short sighted by Giant.
31 thoughts on “‘Mr Loophole’ lawyer is back with another anti-cycling rant; MotoGP pro Aleix Espargaró shares brutal 300km ride on Strava; BTP Cheshire slammed for cycle safety pics; Burst pipe turns cycle lane into ‘log flume’ + more on the live blog”
On the one hand, I like the
On the one hand, I like the idea of increasing the cost of online deliveries as it’s now often cheaper to order stuff from other countries than it is to buy from the high street.
However, slapping a tax on deliveries doesn’t sound like the best way of achieving less pollution as it’ll be messy to deal with all the different ways that things can be delivered. Surely it’d be a lot easier to just steadily increase fuel tax and let businesses decide whether it’s cheaper to employ bike deliveries or van deliveries. We already have the tax infrastructure on fuel, so it’d be a doddle to roll out. Of course, this would also have a big effect on logistics as it’d become more expensive to shift stuff around on lorries.
I agree with most of what you
I agree with most of what you say, introducing extra kinds of tax always has costs associated as well, whereas increasing the rate of an existing tax doesn’t. The only thing I would disagree with is the “steady increase in fuel Tax”, I believe that steady increases has a minimal effect as folk simply accept small increases and get used to them, whereas significant increases make them sit back and think.
They treid to reduce tobacco usage from the 70s onwards this way and it had no effect as folk always found the money, but in the early part of this century they had larger increases along with other social pressures which finally had an effect. We can see the same thing being done in Scotland with minimum alcohol pricing, having little or no effect and it will only have an effect if they doubled the price overnight (please don’t do that)
It’s not entirely analogous
It’s not entirely analogous to tobacco though. In that case the consumer only had one choice – pay the tax, or don’t buy the product. In this case, they have the option of buying it offline. As the costs of delivery increase, the less tenable it gets for online retailers to sell at the same price as offline, so they’ll either start introducing delivery charges anyway, or building it into the price, making offline more competitive.
My question would be, are offline purchases really (from an environmental perspective) more desirable, given that the default choice of transport to those retail sites is very often the car. It may not be ideal to have a delivery van doing a run of 50 or 60 parcel drops when a cargobike could do it, but isn’t it still better than 50 or 60 car trips to the retail park?
Yeah, the reason for a steady
Yeah, the reason for a steady increase is to give businesses time to adapt and to not overly penalise small businesses that don’t have many resources.
At least with businesses, you can hope that they make more rational decisions than smokers or drinkers, and if they don’t then there’s room for a rival that does adapt to a low-emission future.
EK Spinner wrote:
I understand where you are coming from, but I wouldn’t be too dismissive of Scotland’s minimum alcohol pricing. While hardly the panacea for Scotland’s troubles with drink, it would appear to have moved us in a better direction.
https://www.alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk/media/440012/mup-evaluation-evidence-may-2020.pdf
This. Plus congestion
This. Plus congestion charging / motor traffic free zones.
One problem with just exempting cargobike deliveries is it doesn’t make any allowance for encouraging hybrid models – i.e. freighting in bulk to local distribution centres, then using bikes, etc. to do the ‘last (ten) mile(s)’.
Generally I’d subscribe to
Generally I’d subscribe to the idea that things should be charged at what they cost, otherwise the market fails to take account of them. Hence water meters, etc. So I’d rather see delivery broken out of the product price and separately charged at what it costs than being rolled up (aka “free”).
As to delivery vans, I’m sure they are more efficient than each item being sourced individually from the high street, probably by car.
That’s the problem at the
That’s the problem at the moment – pollution isn’t charged back to the people/companies making it and so society ends up bearing the hidden costs. I’d also like to see a kind of ‘road tax’ that is charged relative to the weight of the laden vehicles (or the fourth power of weight which would be more accurate) to offset the cost of repairing roads. That would definitely hit logistics companies hard though, so there’s a good chance that everything would get more expensive.
Putting the tax on fuel should automatically favour the more efficient form of transport, whether that be delivery vans or cars etc.
The additional benefit of the
The additional benefit of the tax on fuel vs the tax on deliveries is that the tax on fuel will penalise amount of pollution regardless of the means of getting the product to the consumers home – i.e. it would reward local e-bike deliveries (a lot of local suppliers near me are doing this since the started of Covid), it would give some advantage to a hybrid model using a mix of electric and fuel and would hit hardest “all fuel” models, whether that is driving to the shops or delivering from the shop.
Then, if a van doing 60 drops is more efficient than 60 trips to the shop, that model should win out, if the 60 trips to the shops is more efficient that would win out. Now this of course doesn’t account for the time costs for different means of transport and the cost/ value someone might place on going shop (whether as a chore or a means of entertainment) but then again neither will a flat tax on deliveries.
We’ve has that exact model in
We’ve has that exact model in place for the last decade, it’s called the “fuel tax escalator”.
Unfortunately the Tories have decided not to escalate it once during their reign.
Being in the last mile logistics industry I can see exactly where Boardman is coming from and where the problems will increase going forward. While next day is achievable by van as the number of parcels delivered is still high per vehicle the problem now is that the latest business model is delivery within the hour, where hulking diesel vans are far less efficient than cargo bikes.
However, until the consumer picks up the bill for their profligacy and pays closer to the full cost vans will always be the go to answer. The last mile (more like 5 in reality) is the highest cost in the courier providers chain, so they sub-contract it out, to an army of self employed contractors. Why choose a cargo-bike to service the end delivery at £6k up front when you can lease a Mercedes Sprinter for approx £10/day?
Luckily, a few cargo-bike retailers are now offering lease options for bikes too, so there is an option to choose bike over van, but the industry as a whole is very slow to adopt new ideas. I should know, I’ve been in it, running bicycle based deliveries for over 20 years now and have seen very little change in that time.
The only way it will change is if the national carriers can see a cost saving, that’s all they are bothered about, but even then the purchasing price of cargo-bikes is put onto the sub-contractor. DHL, TNT etc aren’t going to invest in the bikes themselves apart from a bit of greenwash PR to make themselves appear to be tackling the problems of pollution that blights our towns and cities.
I had a long chat with a
I had a long chat with a logistics bloke in London at the weekend. He told me that the main problem in logistics was hiring staff because the profits / margins were so low. The self employed driver (who is employed on the Uber model) is earning very little once the van, insurance, petrol etc is accounted for. (His argument was that the congestion charge should be scrapped and petrol tax scrapped – i disagreed of course) The big companies – DHL, Hermes, UPS force prices down (Obvioulsy) and if you ever wondered why parcels go missing or are left on the doorstep for anyone to steal, is that the big companies factor loss into their business plan. It’s cheaper to have hundreds of items go ‘missing’ than it is to take them back to the depot or find a neighbour who will take and sign for the package. That’s also why they all drive like c***s = time is money. (As if we didn’t know)
I’ve ordered stuff for
I’ve ordered stuff for delivery during lockdown as it was on the only way the business could operate. I could not shop in the lbs either, as it they decided not to open. so more online purchases.
Surely it is better to have one van doing multiple stops than it is for mutiple vehicles to do one stop?
I think the trick is for the
I think the trick is for the van to b making the larger delivery, not individual parcels, so a distributer delivering a bulk order to a retail outlet is probably best, but our demands for instant next day delivery for everything make this harder.
The worst has got to be individual purchases in seperate Jiffy bags coming from China. I will admit to having made that mistake on Amazon a couple of times
I’ll happily confess to
I’ll happily confess to ordering a huge amount of stuff online, and it does annoy me slightly that all the deliveries come in a massive diesel engined Transit or Sprinter. Diesel engines are actually really good for some things – long distance constant load like a motorway cruise for example – but there’s no good reason that an electric cargo bike or small electric van couldn’t be used for the stop start local dropoff run. The parcel distribution hub is five miles from here, Amazon similar, there’s no way they’re doing more than 250-300 miles per load of boxes. Why has no-one invented a standardised slot-in battery pack for vans yet, they could have them charging at the depot while the van is out and turn it around in the time it takes to stack the back with more boxes.
jollygoodvelo wrote:
I regularly cycle past my local sorting office on a morning and get overtaken by a stream of delivery vans, all making local stop start deliveries and probably not covering more than 200 miles in a day. There’s is no reason on earth why they should be all electric vehicles. The savings in fuel and maintenance cost would huge even if they don’t give a toss about the planet!
Buying stuff is never going
Buying stuff is never going to end in an satisfactory way. Buy it in the high street – people drive to town, lorries and vans drive into town to stock the shops. Buy it offline, more vans in residential areas. Don’t buy in the high street – “the high street is dead”. Buy in the high street “oh the congestion”.
The BT Police have exactly
The BT Police have exactly the same remit as other Police Forces except they also have juristication on the Railways which other forces don’t. Doesn’t excuse the stupid post though!
Road safety is NOT a game!
Road safety is NOT a game!
hawkinspeter wrote:
The Tufty Club! Takes me back…
Must ask, in squirrel vs. shark, who prevailed?
Probably depends on whether
Probably depends on whether it’s a red or grey squirrel.
Red squirrels are smaller, but more agile so they’d probably just settle for teasing the shark. Grey squirrels have been known to attack and kill sharks, but they don’t do it for food, just to have a bit of a laugh.
Quote:
Fixed it!
As a former MotoGP worker, I
As a former MotoGP worker, I can confirm that pretty much every rider is a monster on their pushbikes, as well as their motorbikes.
Aleix is particularly keen, but so is Cal Crutchlow, who regularly trains with Cavendish, and Marc Marquez, who has a banging paintjob on his Specialized Venge.
If TfGM have acquired the
If TfGM have acquired the fleet and other assets, done all the design, planning and costing, etc., have it all ready to go, and literally just need people to run it, why can’t they just create a company to do it?
If they haven’t done all that and are expecting the managing company to, how can they know how much it’ll cost and what service it will offer?
I’m sorry, but has Mr
I’m sorry, but has Mr Loophole even seen any of the figures quoted by police forces all around the country about the incredibly dangerous speeds that motorists have been doing while taking advantage of the lockdown-emptied roads? I’m not whatabouting, but I think there’s this really big log in his eye which he needs to consider before he checks for motes in other peoples’ eyes…
The thing I hate about this
The thing I hate about this story is its just some third-rate local lifestyle magazine trying to court publicity by airing a controversial commentary. The problem is that it is confirming in the eyes of the three people that read Cheshire Life or whatever its called that lycra-wearing cyclists are a menace who should be punished.
Re the Mr Loophole story, I
Re the Mr Loophole story, I propose that lawyers who get wealthy speeding motorists off offences be clearly marked with hi-viz and a registration number, so that they can be easily identified by families who’ve lost loved ones through speed-related injuries.
How dare Freeman comment on road safety…
PRSboy wrote:
I’m intrigued; if a cyclist
I’m intrigued; if a cyclist is nearly mown down by a car it’s because the cyclist wasn’t wearing hi-viz, and if a pedestrian is nearly mown down by a cyclist, it’s because the cyclist wasn’t wearing hi-viz.
As someone who cycles in
As someone who cycles in Cheshire every weekend, and have done for some years, I’ve never witnessed anything like the incident described by Mr Freeman. If the incident he describes did happen, and I’m doubtful it did, it certainly would be an isolated event. During lockdown, I’ve witnessed some of the most wreckless and dangerous driving I’ve ever seen, including drivers endangering young children. I welcome every new person taking to the Cheshire roads, by Bike or on foot, and over the past two months, it’s been heartening to see so many people making something of the Cheshire countryside. Mr Freeman, I imagine to his distress, shares his borough with a number of World Champion and Olympic Gold medal cyclists, many of who can be seen cycling the Cheshire lanes each weekend. The irony of his prejudiced piece in Cheshire Life, is it sat adjacent a piece by another regular CL contributor Louise Minchin, a BBC presenter and triathlete, and I’d guess keen cyclist. Also in the same issue an interview with Phillip Hindes, a team GB Olympic gold medal cyclist. Hindes stands head and shoulders above Freeman, a man who specialises in keeping dangerous drivers on our roads. I for one am really struggling to believe Freeman is telling the truth about his lockdown incident.
Note to Road cc. It is
Note to Road cc. It is actually Knutsford, not Nutsford. Doh! And in the same article, a story about how speeding has risen by 71% in lockdown. But it’s the pesky road lice cyclists that are the real danger, isn’t it?
Nick Freeman, AKA Fuckwit
Did CB consider the
Did CB consider the possibility that Max Woodvine’s tweet was self-referential? Or is it too much to hope that a tory has any ability to examine themselves? Still, nice of him to reinforce the stereotype of ignorance, selfishness and crassness that we’ve come to expect from the tories.