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"As a cyclist..." anti-LTN talkRadio rant; Bus driver pulls in on Jeremy Vine...but apparently it's the cyclist's fault; Peloton van blocks bike lane; Dowsett's Hour Record disappointment; Bike hangars, Valverde's final season + more on the live blog

It's Thursday live blog time and Dan Alexander is here, ready to take you one step closer to the weekend...

SUMMARY

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04 November 2021, 16:34
"As a cyclist..." anti-LTN talkRadio rant

"As a cyclist..." is normally a red flag when the context is a talkRadio phone-in.

Of course we could all be jumping to conclusions, but this cyclist was particularly against low traffic neighbourhoods, so much so they felt the need to call into Ian Collins' early afternoon show, ready to unload...

Maybe we're reading too much into it, but "I… I’m personally a cyclist, er, I cycle most places, however… however…" sounds like an undercover cop trying to infiltrate an organised crime-loving peloton.

With that out the way, the caller named Ediz gets to the main reason for his call, "There is an agenda to push away congestion and pollution onto others for longer hours, freeing up these, sort of, gated communities to say 'look how wonderful, look what we've done, we've reduced congestion and pollution in here'."

Ediz didn't face much scrutiny from Collins who nodded his head throughout, jumping in with regular points of agreement. The caller then went on to say families living on the borders of LTNs are "suffering more pollution, more congestion for longer hours. How is that good for the climate?", before suggesting councils strategically collect traffic-counting data during school holidays for more favourable lower readings.

A government survey from last November found that 8 out of 10 people support measures to reduce motor traffic, while seperate research at the same time found majority support for the capital's LTNs. Weeks later, traffic counter readings in Hackney showed that the borough's LTNs had not caused a rise in traffic on nearby main roads. While, research from March showed that low traffic neighbourhoods in London are not mainly introduced in more affluent areas.

04 November 2021, 17:03
Sure he can win the Tour...but could he do it during a cold, wet, windy rush hour in Elston?

Tweet of the day right there...come on Pog, show us what you've got...

04 November 2021, 15:35
The road.cc forum thread with all the best/worst driving fails

Cheers to OnYerBike for pointing me in the direction of one of our forum threads, titled 'Car crashes into building - please post your local news stories'. It was inspired by the Audis in houses website (yes, I'll be procrastinating the next 15 minutes over there) and it has turned into a thread of shocking, frightening, hilarious and downright bizarre photos of drivers' crashed vehicles in strange places. 

It saves me chucking 'but cyclists...' posts on here every day. Maybe we can save that honour for the best ones...

04 November 2021, 14:59
We heard from the moaning masses...but what did you make of that Jeremy Vine video?

Reaction time...we heard from the people blaming Jeremy Vine for virtually anything and everything earlier, now it's time for your thoughts and comments. For some reason I reckon they might be quite different...

On Facebook, John Edmund Gangy said: "Bus [driver] clearly at fault here. Real easy to slow down a bit and let the cyclist through."

George Ong agreed: "I am in Vine's camp! How could this be right? It is about time motor vehicles drivers treat cyclists as equal road users."

Giles Green commented: "How on earth that could be considered as the cyclists fault is beyond me, who would even come up with that conclusion? Bad driving, bad anticipation by the bus driver."

Graham Black continued the trend: "Bus [driver] is definitely in the wrong here, this is no different to a vehicle overtaking a cyclist then immediately turning left. But I suppose many drivers think that's ok too."

In fact, almost all our readers agreed Jeremy Vine was absolutely not in the wrong, we did get one reply suggesting Vine had made the situation "far worse than it needed to be"...strap yourselves in, it's a long one...

"My no doubt unpopular take on the Vine video was he made his position far worse than it needed to be, by riding into that vanishing gap like he did. Basically if I'm riding that lane, and you can debate for sure whether the bus driver is being considerate of Vine for overtaking and stopping, but we dont know if the bus was already planning to stop or someone pressed the stop button part way through as they passed each other, the bus [driver] can't slam on the brakes. 

"All you can then do as a cyclist in that situation is deal with the hand you are being dealt, and as soon as that indicator is on, I know what the bus is going to do, cheers bus driver thanks a bundle, not going on my Christmas card list, but I don't carry on riding as if the bus is going to bail out of what its doing at the last second, I dont want to be trapped on the inside of a bus, I'm going to quick shoulder check behind the bus, maybe apply a bit of brake though I think just easing off pedalling would create enough speed difference to drop in behind the bus and shift around it's right hand side and it's all done in seconds with no aggro at all and we carry on our merry ways."

Anymore thoughts?

04 November 2021, 14:13
Parliament to debate tougher sentences for hit and run drivers who cause death
Houses of Parliament (CC licensed by Rajan Manickavasagam:Flickr)

MPs are to debate tougher sentences for hit and run drivers who cause death after a petition reached 104,324 signatures. The debate will be held on 15 November 2021 and will question if the maximum penalty for failure to stop after an incident should be increased. Currently the maximum penalty is points and a six-month custodial sentence. Causing death by careless/dangerous driving is between 5 -14 years.

The government's official response to the petition is: "It is wholly irresponsible for drivers to fail to stop and report an incident. However, the offence of failing to stop should not be used to punish an offender for a serious, but not proven, offence."

The debate will be available to watch online on the UK Parliament YouTube channel...

04 November 2021, 14:05
Oh the irony...Peloton-shaped bike lane blockage

04 November 2021, 12:27
Cardiff cyclists left waiting more than a year for bike hangars

Cyclists in Cardiff have been left waiting more than a year for a promised trial of bike hangars. Wales Online reports Cardiff Council announced the trial in October 2020, but more than a year later, no hangars have been installed. The trial was promised following a petition from Cardiff Cycle City, which gained more than 500 signatures. 

A spokesman for Cardiff Cycle City said: "It’s great the council are getting on with building new protected cycle tracks, but lack of infrastructure isn’t the only thing that prevents people from cycling.

"Many people live in terraced houses, flats, or houses of multiple occupation, that have no space for storing bikes, while the roadside space outside their house is filled with parked cars. We think it’s only fair to offer some of this space to people to store their bikes by installing cycle hangars, which make more efficient use of the kerbside as six bikes can be stored in the same space as half a car.

"If the council is serious about the climate emergency, and its ambition of getting people to switch from driving to cycling short journeys, then it is essential that cycle hangars are installed quickly and in large numbers."

Yesterday, Portsmouth City Council announced they had approved an extension to the city's bike hangar scheme.

04 November 2021, 11:39
There's life in the old dog yet...Alejandro Valverde confirms he'll continue racing in 2022 for 21st season as a pro

2022 will be Alejandro Valverde's last dance as a professional cyclist. After 21 years in the pro peloton, spanning back to the 2002 season, next year will be his final one. In that time he's won the World Championship road race, four Liège–Bastogne–Liège, five Flèche Wallonne, the Vuelta, 17 Grand Tour stages and just about every hilly race in between.

The 41-year-old announced the news via a video shared on his team's Twitter, backing up his previous quotes saying it's "with absolute certainty" 2022 will be his final year. The most recent campaign has been quiet by the Spaniard's exceptional standards, only winning three races. Valverde came close to winning a fifth stage of the Tour de France but was bested by Sepp Kuss on the stage finishing in Andorra.

04 November 2021, 11:33
Ominous...
Jeremy Vine trending

And it's got nothing to do with that bus video...

04 November 2021, 10:50
ProBikeKit launches Movember Cycling Club in fight for men's health — ride 150 miles this month for a chance to win £500 gift voucher

 

Movember Cycling Club

ProBikeKit and Movember have come together to unite the cycling industry this November, all in the name of raising funds and awareness for men's health. They've created the Movember Cycling Club (MCC) and will be hosting a number of activities and fundraising events throughout the month, including the 150 #MilesForMo Strava Cycling Challenge, an online silent auction and a limited edition merchandise collection including Little James Arnold prints.

More than 80,000 people have already joined the 150 #MilesForMo challenge, with ProBikeKit donating £1 to Movember for each participant who rides 150 miles this month. Completing the challenge will also earn you a ProBikeKit discount code and chance of winning a £500 gift voucher.

04 November 2021, 10:45
But cyclists...

Yesterday, I jokingly threatened to make this a regular feature. If pics like this keep rolling in, I'll have no choice.

First, we had the HGV being pulled out of Bristol harbour, then yesterday it was the BMW perched on a Tesco bollard...

Today, it's a Jaguar driver seeking a bit of extra elevation...if only that bollard was wearing hi-vis...

04 November 2021, 10:40
Yes, I am making sure my niece WILL be a cyclist...

Can I point you in the direction of one of our buyer's guides, Laura? 

04 November 2021, 10:08
Brooks adds a splash of colour to its Cambium saddle
2021 Open House Brooks Cambium

Ooo what’s that, some anodised blue on a Brooks saddle? The new limited edition 2021 Open House version of Brooks’ Cambium saddle features the bicycle saddle manufacturer’s rivets in anodised blue to match the components of Chris King’s seasonal range and this is contrasted against an anthracite-coloured, vulcanised-rubber saddle surface. It’s a bold look.

2021 Open House Brooks Cambium

Available in both the C17 Carved and the slimmer C15 Carved shapes, these Brooks saddles are designed to be the ideal adventure companion thanks to its all-weather performance. Reviewer John described the ‘hammock’ saddle design as “supremely comfortable” and now you can get this all-day comfort to paired up perfectly with Chris King components.

04 November 2021, 09:29
"The biggest failure would have been to have never tried": Alex Dowsett reacts to Hour Record attempt

Alex Dowsett ultimately came up short in his bid to reclaim the Hour Record, despite adding 1.618km to his previous best. The 33-year-old hit the 54.555km mark by the end of the hour and his JustGiving page, raising money for The Haemophilia Society, has raised more than £31,000 at the time of writing.

> Alex Dowsett reveals his hour record bike for tomorrow’s attempt

Despite not breaking Victor Campenaerts' record of 55.089km, Dowsett said the event had achieved its biggest goal – raising awareness of haemophilia.

"The biggest failure today would have been to have never tried and that’s the message I want to send out," the Brit said afterwards. "I spent my childhood being told what I couldn’t do. My mum, my dad, and I, we knew what we couldn’t do – football, rugby, boxing – so we set about finding what we could do. We turned a negative into an absolute positive and I’ve been able to carve a massive career out of adversity.

"That should be the message. Life can throw you a bad hand at times but it’s what you make of it. It’s how you deal with it. That’s as far as I can go and I’m proud of that and the distance that I managed to cover today but the most important point today was the awareness that we’ve brought to haemophilia."

04 November 2021, 08:36
Bus driver pulls in on Jeremy Vine...but apparently it's the cyclist's fault

We shared this video on yesterday's live blog, but since then the reaction has blown up...mainly with people feeling they've found fault with Jeremy Vine, and not the bus driver cutting him up...

So what happened? Vine was cycling in the cycle lane, the bus driver approached from behind...overtook the cyclist, started indicating and immediately pulled into the stop, forcing Vine to brake and go around. The alternative? The driver waited a few seconds, waited for Vine to pass the bus lane, checked nothing else was coming and then pulled into the bus stop a couple of seconds later than in the real scenario. Is it ridiculous to think that's fairly uncontroversial? Apparently so...

The broadcaster has been inundated with replies from people blaming him for the incident and defending the bus driver. Exhibit A:

And another...

And one more... 

Vine said he was particularly shocked by the driver's response to his use of the horn, explaining: "Not even a waved apology. I can forgive anything when there's an apology."

So in summary, in the replies, we had: cyclists shouldn't expect a non-stop commute, he indicated and you should have slowed down, why should the bus driver wait for a cyclist, both at fault, you should be aware of your surroundings, I would have slowed down quicker, the bus driver shouldn't hold up traffic to wait, cyclists should give way at the end of cycle lanes, you seem to be actively manufacturing these situations to make good videos. 

I'll let Graeme King have the final say: 

Thoughts?

Dan is the road.cc news editor and has spent the past four years writing stories and features, as well as (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. Having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for the Non-League Paper, Dan joined road.cc in 2020. Come the weekend you'll find him labouring up a hill, probably with a mouth full of jelly babies, or making a bonk-induced trip to a south of England petrol station... in search of more jelly babies.

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168 comments

Avatar
Awavey replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
2 likes

welcome to the club  1 I dont think you are wrong on this, people seem to lose the fact that you can express an honest opinion and its just your opinion that people are free to disagree with, as long as they debate respectfully with you, but there seems a competition to want to browbeat people into agreement all the time and unfortunately nuance and the subtlety of these things is lost as you get cast as either in the for or against camp, whereas most things are way more complex than that.

Avatar
Hirsute replied to Awavey | 2 years ago
2 likes

I don't recall people being anything other than polite to you.

The browbeating is normally with those with a clear history and MO or a recently joined poster who is being ' a bit controversial' .

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Awavey replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
0 likes

I was certainly subjected to some direct & personal abuse earlier in the year by some individuals, which amounted to telling me to just leave,go away and take my opinions elsewhere,but not in so many words if you follow.

I dont know if those individuals accounts were then banned as they obviously broke the rules on swearing, but they were mostly infrequent contributors anyway so it's harder to tell. But I was more disappointed those posts then received several likes,so others certainly agreed with the sentiments even if they didnt post the words themselves.

And sometimes it feels like theres a mass pile on to be more argumentative than to debate, and some of it feels personal directed really at the person and not what the individual actually had said.

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Hirsute replied to Awavey | 2 years ago
3 likes

Sorry to read that. I usually remember stuff like that.

Pile ons occur for the 2 main reason given previously.

There is very little moderation, so it is a form of 'self moderation'. As I have said before other places have a flag button and you can give reasons why the post has broken rules. If we had that here, posters would get 2 or 3 warnings then a perma or they would decide to tone down their posts before getting a ban.

2 or 3 posters in here would not survive a week on somewhere like AVforums.

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sapperadam replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
7 likes

Let's put you in a different scenario then.  You're doing 65 in your car on the motorway, another car comes alongside you going 68, then indicates and moves in just in front of you to pull over at the junction, slowing down enough that you are forced to slow down and go around, but it's OK because the other driver has indicated.  That's OK then is it?  Or would it be better for the other car to slow down, pull in behind you and pull off without  any interaction with you?  And before you say "but that's different...", it really isn't.  The only difference is the road and the speeds, the interaction is identical.  

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to sapperadam | 2 years ago
2 likes

sapperadam wrote:

Let's put you in a different scenario then.  You're doing 65 in your car on the motorway, another car comes alongside you going 68, then indicates and moves in just in front of you to pull over at the junction, slowing down enough that you are forced to slow down and go around, but it's OK because the other driver has indicated.  That's OK then is it?  Or would it be better for the other car to slow down, pull in behind you and pull off without  any interaction with you?  And before you say "but that's different...", it really isn't.  The only difference is the road and the speeds, the interaction is identical.  

it is different because in this case the bus was NOT in front of Jeremy when it started moving in. So the analgy you make is more favourable to the overtaking driver, and still everyone would agree it isn't right.

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rjfrussell replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
4 likes

I think your analysis of the facts is simply wrong.

The indicator is already on by 19secs on the clip, at the very latest, at which point the bus is still alongside and overtaking, not clear ahead.

So the bus is indicating to cut in in front of the cycle while in the act of overtaking.

that can't be allowed, surely?

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Captain Badger | 2 years ago
7 likes

In fairness, many of the comments have JV's back

By the way, did I mention my 3000th post yesterday?

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hawkinspeter replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
9 likes

Captain Badger wrote:

In fairness, many of the comments have JVs back

By the way, did I mention my 3000th post yesterday?

Did you have a little party?

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
2 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

....

Did you have a little party?

A quiet private affair.

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hawkinspeter replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
3 likes

Captain Badger wrote:

A quiet private affair.

As the bishop said to the actress

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Captain Badger replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
2 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

Captain Badger wrote:

A quiet private affair.

As the bishop said to the actress

That's my story and I'm sticking to it....

Avatar
squidgy replied to Captain Badger | 2 years ago
7 likes

If you replace the bike with a car and imagine a similar situation of a vehicle overtaking just to immediately pull in and stop in front , would that be acceptable? I think most would say it is not.

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nniff replied to squidgy | 2 years ago
18 likes

squidgy wrote:

If you replace the bike with a car and imagine a similar situation of a vehicle overtaking just to immediately pull in and stop in front , would that be acceptable? I think most would say it is not.

The acid test is 'Would you have done that to a police motorbike?'

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to squidgy | 2 years ago
1 like

squidgy wrote:

If you replace the bike with a car and imagine a similar situation of a vehicle overtaking just to immediately pull in and stop in front , would that be acceptable? I think most would say it is not.

Indeed

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iandusud replied to squidgy | 2 years ago
6 likes

squidgy wrote:

If you replace the bike with a car and imagine a similar situation of a vehicle overtaking just to immediately pull in and stop in front , would that be acceptable? I think most would say it is not.

But it wasn't a car it was bike, so it's alright. Why can't you see that? (tongue firmly in cheek).

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Jetmans Dad replied to iandusud | 2 years ago
1 like

iandusud wrote:

But it wasn't a car it was bike, so it's alright. Why can't you see that? (tongue firmly in cheek).

That is, essentially, what some of the commenters on the Twitter thread are saying, but without their tongue being in their cheek. They do genuinely seem to believe that because the cycle lane has ended (or at least is not marked at that point) and there is a bus stop, that the bicycle is required to give way to the bus in those circumstances. 

Thus ignoring the whole Highway Code inconvenience of not coming into conflict with other road users and not cutting in on vehicles on your left. 

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to Jetmans Dad | 2 years ago
1 like

Jetmans Dad wrote:

iandusud wrote:

But it wasn't a car it was bike, so it's alright. Why can't you see that? (tongue firmly in cheek).

That is, essentially, what some of the commenters on the Twitter thread are saying, but without their tongue being in their cheek. They do genuinely seem to believe that because the cycle lane has ended (or at least is not marked at that point) and there is a bus stop, that the bicycle is required to give way to the bus in those circumstances. 

Thus ignoring the whole Highway Code inconvenience of not coming into conflict with other road users and not cutting in on vehicles on your left. 

I'm not sure of the exact law on this but suspect you're right - that we have some magic where the cycle lane winks out of existence for the length of the bus stop. In my opinion the root causes of the problem here are:

  • Poor infrastructure - this is a "protected" lane of the "do it at minimum extra cost and certainly without actually doing any digging" kind. Essentially self-contradictory (e.g. if needed it shouldn't be intermittent).
    TBH I consider ways of "fixing" these a waste of cash over just doing these properly.
  • The "wavy markings" rule before pedestrian crossings just adds to the issues here. (Aside - the rules around those are peculiar and could do with a review).
  • Lack of understanding by drivers of the "cycle lane is another lane".  This one is marked as a "mandatory cycle lane" so it definitely is. Maybe some refresher courses for drivers to keep them up-to-date would be a good idea...?

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