Dominic Cummings’ wife accused of hypocrisy over anti-LTN ‘war on cars’ Spectator column; Parents of man killed in hit-and-run call for change; Every pub on June 21; ‘Road tax’ whinging; Bike theft victim’s happy ending + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Police surprise boy with new bike after his was stolen
#GOODNEWS | A 15-year-old boy has received a new bike thanks to the generosity of a police officer and a local bike shop owner after his previous one was stolen.
💙 #CommunitySpirit
🚲 #HelpingThoseInNeedFull story ➡️ https://t.co/oXB4imrwJP pic.twitter.com/iN8EI9As50
— Dudley Police (@DudleyPolice) March 3, 2021
Top work by Dudley Police and a local bike shop to gift a 15-year-old with a replacement bike after his previous one was stolen. PC Andy Peters went out of his way to find a bike being kept at Brierley Hill police station that had been recovered, donated or seized, and got it fixed up ready for Daniel to use. Cycles4U owner Steve Jones carried out all the work for free and they surprised Daniel with the gift at the bike shop last week.
The 15-year-old took up cycling last year, during the pandemic, to keep fit and had the idea of cycling to local football stadiums. However, he had his bike stolen by a man who approached him in Buffery Park which made him anxious about going out. Officers say the negative impact the incident had on the teenager made them keen to help him out.
PC Peters said: “From what I have seen, Daniel is a caring and hard-working boy who has had his confidence knocked by what happened to him. I was determined to help in some way and show them that despite the negative situation, something positive can come out of it. Dudley is an amazing town with some truly wonderful people and I cannot thank Steve enough for rallying to help. We also used money raised by officers and staff to purchase Daniel new lights and a bike lock to keep him safe when he’s back out touring the stadiums.”
Well, that’s a nice story to start Thursday with…
Tour of Poland scraps dangerous finish where Fabio Jakobsen crashed
The Tour of Poland organisers have scrapped the finish in Katowice where Fabio Jakobsen crashed last year. Riders and fans criticised the race organisers and the UCI for allowing the fast downhill sprint, where speeds often exceed 80km/h. Feltet.dk reports that the organisers have listened to the criticism and won’t return to that particular finish again. In the crash on the opening stage of last year’s race, Jakobsen was nudged into the barriers by fellow Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen. The Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider was left in a medically-induced coma with extensive injuries and has not raced since.
The incident also led to questions being asked about the standard of barriers at the event, with the UCI bringing forward plans during the off-season to standardise race barriers.
Traffic cops confirming riding two abreast is legal and safe leads to 'road tax' whinging
Cycling 2 abreast is perfectly legal, and safer for everyone involved. See why here: https://t.co/0nzJAot044#DalkeithRP have charged a driver with dangerous driving after a cyclist was injured in a collision in #EastLothian at the weekend.#Rule66#SaferRoadsForAll pic.twitter.com/xLHQyoO9By
— Road Policing Scotland (@polscotrpu) March 3, 2021
Road Policing Scotland took to Twitter to explain to motorists that cycling two abreast is both legal and safer for everyone involved. They linked a video featuring Chris Boardman which explains how riding single file can often make it harder for drivers to pass. Single file means a longer line of cyclists for a driver to overtake. If you’re on this site you probably don’t need me to explain that…
However, not everyone saw the point of the educational video and instead took the opportunity to give the tired road tax comments another outing…
if they get to hog all the road maybe they should pay road tax. They certainly seem to think they own the roads, as well as shared cycle and pedestrian footpaths for that matter.
— Woody (@PrestwickMainSt) March 3, 2021
Charge them ROAD TAX THEN !!
— Wullie Mckenzie (@wullie_mckenzie) March 3, 2021
At least there was a small peloton of people waiting to respond…
— Callum Alvey (@_CallumEdward) March 3, 2021
And their vehicle excise duty based on their current level of emission would be what then, Einstein?
— Andrew Buss (@ambuss) March 3, 2021
Let us know your e-bike stories
We’ve got a new series on our sister site e-bike tips taking a closer look at the people and businesses that have made the switch to using electric vehicles. First up is Farr Out Deliveries in Edinburgh who offer a worker-owned e-cargo bike service, and set up their business during the first lockdown last spring aiming to provide a genuine, sustainable alternative to deliveries made by van. Check it out and let us know your own tales…Has your business switched to electric vehicles? Has your e-bike cut out your need for a car? Have you used N+1 to add an e-bike to your own two-wheeled collection?
Body Rocket now available to pre-order
Want wind tunnel accurate data without the wind tunnel? Body Rocket’s system offers cyclists real-time drag measurements via a three-part sensor that hopes to bring aerodynamic measurement to the masses. It’s now available to pre-order, for more details check out our in-depth look at why it could be the next big technology game-changer to hit the world of cycling…
Parents of a man killed when hit by a driver who fled the scene call for a change to the definition of 'death by dangerous driving'
A Hit & Run driver left my son Ryan dead in the road.He hid for 36hrs & only got charged with failing to stop & report, receiving suspended sentence. #RyansLaw with mean, STOP, DIAL 999, RENDER AID until help arrives or face 10yr min sentence.Pls sign & RT pic.twitter.com/x1dmPz63IH pic.twitter.com/1nWj78DOiE
— Helen Saltern (@SalternHelen) March 3, 2021
A couple from Cornwall told Cornwall Live of their hope that the law for hit-and-run offenders can be changed to mean an automatic custodial sentence which cannot be suspended. Helen and Mark Saltern’s son Ryan was killed while making his way to a party after being hit by Wayne Shilling on the B3267, who then fled the scene. The BBC reports that in court Shilling claimed he had not realised he had hit anyone, despite the collision puncturing his car’s radiator. The court also heard that the driver had been drinking.
Shilling pleaded guilty to failing to report an accident and received a four-month jail sentence, suspended for a year. He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months, given an evening curfew for four months and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £207 and prosecution costs. Helen and Mark said they were devastated by the outcome but it was expected due to the options available to the magistrates. They are campaigning to change the law to give hit-and-run offenders custodial sentences which cannot be suspended.
“Our justice system is failing in many ways. At present if you hit, and kill someone and are found to be over the limit you could face 14 years in prison. However, if you hit and kill someone but carry on, wait long enough to be free of drink or drugs then the maximum you face is 6 months. How does this deter people from behaving in such a cowardly, selfish manner? The sentence given today is a mockery of justice and has to be changed,” the couple said in a statement.
The Ryan’s Law petition has 7,000 signatures and can be viewed here…
Every pub on June 21st...
If you are having a rough day, this video of Rigoberto Uran singing and dancing might cheer you up. pic.twitter.com/u4zqmBS0wP
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) March 2, 2021
Miguel Ángel López considered walking away from the sport due to the pressure and sacrifices required to be a team leader
Movistar’s new signing Miguel Ángel López says considered his future in cycling because of the stress and pressure that comes with being a leader of a team at the highest level of the sport. López is yet to make his debut for his new team and hasn’t raced since his crash during the opening time trial of the Giro d’Italia last year. He said he had sympathy for a rider like Tom Dumoulin, who has taken an indefinite break from competition.
López told El Tiempo he could empathise with Dumoulin’s situation. “Cycling is complicated and you start to think like Tom Dumoulin,” he said. “To be honest, I have thought about leaving it and taking a step aside, because there are complex situations. The pressure, the sacrifice, the fatigue, the injuries are complicated. When you are a leader you are responsible for an entire team, but there are moments of despair and sometimes you think with hot blood. It is important to be well surrounded. Your family puts you back on the ground.”
The Colombian is expected to return to the startline at Itzulia Basque County next month, before a mountainous path back to the Tour de France, where he won a memorable stage last year (pictured above). The 27-year-old will race the Tour of the Alps and Tour de Romandie before the Tour and will likely take in a second Grand Tour of the year at the Vuelta in August.
Some Thursday weirdness...
Y así 🤷♂️ “Ma-i-a hi, Ma-i-a hu…” 🎶🎶🎶🎶. ¿Is this clip an @OutOfCycling video? #DragosteaDinTei #Cycling pic.twitter.com/9pibxY3x7w
— iker gallastegi (@ikguallas) March 4, 2021
Tokyo Olympics can still be a success without fans, says Sir Chris Hoy
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Sir Chris Hoy believes the Toky Olympics can still be a success even without the huge crowds that normally flock to events. The six-time gold medallist told Sky Sports that athletes will want to make the most of the opportunity, regardless of how many fans are there.
“There’s no question it’s going to be the same experience without crowds but ultimately in the heat of the moment, they’ll just be focused on their own performance and just the opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games. Having spoken to a few of the cyclists, they’re just committing 100 per cent as if it was going ahead and it was business as usual and that’s all you can do.
“You can’t have even the slightest thought that it might not take place or that training might be for nothing or it’s a wasted effort. They won’t be thinking that.”
In January, Team GB’s preparations were criticised after British Cycling hosted a 90-rider track meet at Manchester Velodrome.
Dominic Cummings' wife accused of hypocrisy over Spectator column slamming 'war on cars' and LTNs
It appears just enough time has elapsed for Mary Wakefield to talk about “essential” car journeys again.
(Mary Wakefield is, if you didn’t know, married to Dominic Cummings). This piece is clearly a pop at the PM with cycling as collateral damage. pic.twitter.com/Qk4j3DrYhs
— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) March 4, 2021
You may remember not so long ago Dominic Cummings was fielding questions about why, in the middle of a pandemic and national lockdown, he’d driven to the other end of the country with his wife, Mary Wakefield. Bicycle Mayor of Coventry, Adam Tranter has suggested that just enough time has elapsed for The Spectator journalist and wife of the PM’s former Chief Adviser, to talk about essential car journeys again…
Mary Wakefield’s column this morning slams “the war on cars”, saying LTNs aren’t fair and disadvantage the less well off, while also being “terrific if you want to get on with selling cocaine.” Jon Burke was quick to point out that Wakefield lives in an LTN that has been in place since 1974.
The column comes just two days after research into recently installed low traffic neighbourhoods in London showed the schemes aren’t implemented primarily in wealthier areas. In fact, according to the Census and other data, people living in the most deprived areas of Greater London were found to be nearly three times more likely to live in a new LTN than residents of the capital’s least deprived areas.
From The Spectator:
‘The war on cars is backfiring’
Includes several interesting viewpoints including:
“…London simply isn’t suited to cycling.”https://t.co/mzoqwaWymE
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) March 4, 2021
4 March 2021, 09:00
4 March 2021, 09:00
4 March 2021, 09:00
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Latest Comments
I have seen a few of these ‘robot cars’ in London and haven’t felt intimidated or worried, yet. (Things may feel different when there are thousands of them on the road) Whenever I am near an Uber or Black cab I’m cautious as they u-turn, pull over, block cycle infrastructure at will and without signalling. The uber drivers are always looking at their phones and the cabbies are always frothing at the mouth about immigrants or the EU or sunnink. So at least the Robot Cars won’t be listening to Talk Radio and getting wound up.
having seen and been regularly around these cars in London whilst riding, the issue is their erratic behaviour, particularly on narrow, i.e. normal uk roads - its is exactly the sudden swerving or unexpected stop/freeze that is the problem for all other road users...human drives will mostly hold their line as you move past on inside or outside, these shift out of the way suddenly, over reacting to normal positioning.
@Mr Blackbird It's quite a skill.
@Terry Hutt good point, although while doing testing without a helmet I broke my shoulder and have suffered various other contusions. So I suggest the control should not be "no helmet" as in my experience that adds the confounding variable of your other limbs and appendages as (for some) instinct will mean you sacrifice them to protect your head...
@mdavidford or the highly skilled cycle football / radball players...
@No Reply dunno about childish, but I haven't heard that one since the 90s. Can't say I miss it.
Bit harsh on the BMXers.
@No Reply Er, nope - there are no age restrictions on the site. As previously noted, though, if it were restricted to adults, your choice of language would seem to mark you out as someone who shouldn't be on it.
@Mr Blackbird This is an adult forum. If adults are getting so worked up over the term bum chum, then they need to get a grip. People have a right to be offended, people have a right to offend. But if someone finds offence in something, it doesn’t mean its offensive. It means they are offended. Two different things. I am as free to offend as you are to feel offended. Freedom of speech. Do you want to silence freedom of speech? Or just silence things you don’t like?
@No Reply You obviously have a lot of knowledge of cyclo cross and make a valid point, but why detract from your comment by using a phrase that is probably offensive to the majority of readers?
23 thoughts on “Dominic Cummings’ wife accused of hypocrisy over anti-LTN ‘war on cars’ Spectator column; Parents of man killed in hit-and-run call for change; Every pub on June 21; ‘Road tax’ whinging; Bike theft victim’s happy ending + more on the live blog”
Quote:
… so it’s all downhill from here (and not in a good way).
I’m not a Twitterer, but I do
I’m not a Twitterer, but I do like this reply to the bozo triggered by cyclists two abreast. The picture is ace:
https://twitter.com/Gar10B/status/1367196757940125703?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1367196757940125703%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps3A2F2Ftwitter.com2FGar10B2Fstatus2F1367196757940125703widget%3DTweet
I’ve never entirely
I’ve never entirely understood how someone sitting on their own in an SUV, with a phone and a wallet and no luggage, feels that they have a leg to stand on in complaining about “cyclists taking up the road”…
It’s quite good, but to be
It’s quite good, but to be honest, my main takeaway is the question of why this person’s sitting on the steering wheel.
Man pushed over Portway
Man pushed over Portway railings onto river bank in apparent cycle rage attack
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/man-pushed-over-portway-railings-5070248
I’m sure Mary Wakefield is
I’m sure Mary Wakefield is absolutely the best person to lecture us all on the benefits of a motor-centric society.
She runs through all the
She runs through all the reasons cycling is so shite and downright risky in London, which [i]by her own account[/i] all stem from too many cars, and concludes that the solution is more cars!
Add in the old tropes about how people can only patronise local shops and restaurants if they travel by car, not by bicycle (because, what?), and that the poor, disabled and elderly are disenfranchised by cycling. Oh yes, and guess what, she’s a cyclist too y’know.
I miss crippledbiker
I miss crippledbiker
I guess it’s more difficult
I guess it’s more difficult to cycle all the way to Barnard Castle to test one’s eyesight…
brooksby wrote:
Well, not so much from Durham it isn’t.
Sriracha wrote:
I guess it’s more difficult to cycle all the way to Barnard Castle to test one’s eyesight…
— Sriracha Well, not so much from Durham it isn’t.— brooksby
True.
But I meant Cummings and Wakefield travelling up to their family estates in the North by tandem or some such…
Quote:
It’s OK folks, Mary has the solution to this one too. More cars. That ought to sort out the lack of secure bike facilities.
“What do bankers care about a
“What do bankers care about a £15 a day congestion charge? But for a small business struggling to survive after lockdown, for the disabled and for the car-dependent elderly, it’s a bitter blow.“
She’s aware that blue badge holders are exempt from the congestion charge, right?
If I’ve understood her plea
I guess not!
And if I’ve understood her plea on behalf of “small businesses struggling to survive after lockdown”, she believes the congestion charge is to reduce numbers of people rather than of cars – unless her plea is for owners of struggling car-wash businesses? Or maybe she believes people only carry their wallet when they travel by car?
Sriracha wrote:
The size of my wallet is why I need a 4×4….
Only drivers would
Only drivers would spontaneously break their journey and enter a shop on a whim, because parking outside High Street shops is so easy.
wycombewheeler wrote:
Which means they probably weren’t concentrating on the road
OnYerBike wrote:
Of course she is. She’s just a lying hack who only mentions poor elderly and disabled when it suits her agenda.
Re Ryans Law. I’ve just
Re Ryans Law. I’ve just signed the petition.
Ditto – it’s absurd that
Ditto – it’s absurd that drivers could face lesser charges for not stopping and giving assistance.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Me too, and I posted it on fb; please consider doing the same everyone.
Once you’ve hit someone,
Once you’ve hit someone, saying you thought they were just a bin bag, sack of potatoes, or whatever, or claiming you never even noticed at all, should be an aggravating factor that brings down a harsher sentence. It’s saying, in effect, that right up to the point of impact you had no idea of what you were doing. And yet, much like politicians using the “I don’t remember” defence, it works as a universal cop out.
Agreed. Many years ago I had
Agreed. Many years ago I had the unpleasant experience to hit a cat at 60 on a dual carraigeway. The sound and feel still haunts me. How anyone can mistake a person for a bag is beyond me. Its just an excuse and should be treated as one.