Drivers blast “genius” cyclists for ignoring bike lane – but locals describe it as “not fit for purpose”; Is this the narrowest cycle lane in the world?; Mark Cavendish, The Movie: Coming soon; Councillor’s Lycra lobby tweet slated + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Howard Cox’s bad active travel takes, part 498
All road users would prefer our badly pot holed dangerous third world roads to be made safer. That’s where the money needs spending. Virtue signalling to a fit young minority from an anti driver government seems to the priority again. @mrpotholeuk https://t.co/SOei8Wwwtz
— Howard Cox (@HowardCCox) February 6, 2023
It seems that the Fair Fuel UK founder’s latest dubious response to the government’s newest round of active travel funding – which, as the likes of Ned Boulting noted in the replies, is only a drop in the ocean compared to the money spent on other driver-centric initiatives – has gone down well on Twitter:
For context, this is less than 1% of what is annually spent on local and national roads. https://t.co/tQqqLWzwAb
— Ned Boulting (@nedboulting) February 6, 2023
£200m is £4 per head. The government has spent £1.4bn on a single roundabout, that’s £28 per head. This is risible
— Dave McCraw (@david_mccraw) February 6, 2023
As a driver we are getting £2+ billion spend to cross under 400m of the River Thames at Silvertown / Greenwich that only motorised vehicles are allowed to use.
I guess we could swap funds.— @lxtwin@mastodonapp.uk, Just in case (@lxtwin) February 6, 2023
Everyone benefits from better walking and cycling routes, Howard, not just young people and women.
Including drivers when they’re not driving.
Not every great new policy has to be opposed with whataboutery.
Celebrate this one, even if most of us want to see much more spent.
— jon shaw (@jonathanlshaw) February 6, 2023
Mark Cavendish, The Movie: Coming soon to a streaming service near you
It’s safe to say that we’re in a golden era of fly-on-the-wall cycling documentaries. Movistar’s The Least Expected Day series (otherwise known as the greatest slapstick sitcom of all time) is now in its third, bonkers season, while Jumbo-Visma and Soudal-Quick Step all have similar docuseries coming on Amazon Prime.
And that’s before we even get to the big one – Netflix’s as-yet-untitled Tour de France show, which promises, just like its producers managed with Formula 1, to bring a whole new audience to the sport.
As someone who grew up hoping that the snooker would end early so we could catch the last 15km of that day’s Giro stage on Eurosport, and when classic racing docs like A Sunday in Hell felt like ghosts from a bygone era, rather than actual physical tapes, it can all feel a bit surreal.
> Netflix Tour de France documentary could take sport “to next level” says Patrick Lefevere
So, adding to that already heady mix of seemingly access-all-areas cycling programmes comes the Mark Cavendish Movie, currently in production and set to air on Netflix.
The news of a Cavendish doc, which we presume will focus on his quest to stand alone as the Tour’s greatest stage winner (along with his turbulent search for a team this winter and the aftermath of the violent robbery at his home and subsequent trial), was revealed by sports writer Matt Dickinson in a lengthy interview with the Manx Missile in the Times.
In the interview, Dickinson asks Cavendish if he believes that the first scene of his forthcoming Netflix documentary will feature him winning his 35th Tour stage.
“The goal is winning. Not one particular win, it’s winning,” Cavendish replied. “The Tour de France is what I’ve always set my career around, and from outside I’m well aware [what people will say]. We are at that point I can stand alone [from Merckx].
“Another win at the Tour is everything to people but, for me, it’s not one win, it’s two or three, whatever I can do.
“For me it is quite simple. I can continue riding my bike, I can continue winning, so why not do it? I love it. I love racing. It’s changed. The racing is not as enjoyable but I still love it.”
While Dickinson confirmed that a Cavendish doc is on the way – sending cycling fans scrambling to plan their now-packed TV watching schedule – the interview didn’t mention if the film currently has a title.
So here’s my suggestions: “Mark Cavendish and the Astana Redemption”, “A Manxman in Paris”, “Weekend at Vino’s”… and, if it had focused on Cav’s 2022 season, “Mark Cavendish’s July Off”.
I’ll leave the rest of the suggestions to you…
‘Look Wout, another cool NFT you can flog’
Another NFT opportunity then.
— José Been (@JoseBeenTV) February 7, 2023
Harsh, but fair…
> Wout van Aert is selling his three biggest wins – as NFT digital assets
New specially designed cycleway gritter to be trialled in Hertfordshire
While most of this morning’s blog has focused on the clear safety and quality issues associated with some cycle lanes, we’re not going to turn our attentions to an altogether more positive bike lane-related development in Hertfordshire.
Hertfordshire County Council announced this week that a new gritter, specially designed for cycle paths, is being trialled as part of the new cycling and pedestrian improvement works in Welwyn Garden City’s town centre.
According to the council, the vehicle sprays the cycle path with a brine solution, rather than rock salt, as this is the preferred product for treating cycleways. The town’s Hunter Bridge cycleway has been added to the year’s gritting schedule on a trial basis, to allow the council to monitor how best to keep the area’s cycle lanes open and safe during the winter.
The gritter trial comes in just as improvements to Welwyn Garden City’s active travel network enter their next phase – works to Hunters Bridge have just been completed, while a permanent two-way cycle route has been installed on Bridge Road, with other improvements, such as dedicated spaces for cycling and the introduction of a town centre 20mph limit, set to be introduced in the autumn.
“These developments to the town centre in Welwyn Garden City will significantly improve the cycling and walking infrastructure for local residents and visitors and I’m delighted that the works are progressing well,” says Hertfordshire County Council’s executive member for highways and transport Phil Bibby.
“I’m also pleased that we’re trialling a new gritter which will ensure that cycle paths will be safer to use when we experience colder weather.
“Our Corporate Plan sets out the vision for a cleaner, greener, healthier Hertfordshire. Providing safe and easy ways for people to walk and travel by bike is key to making this become a reality.”
Jacopo Guarnieri: Cycling’s biggest hipster?
My favourite pro cyclist strikes again:
Just bought a cassette player.
I feel the nirvana coming closer.— Jacopo Guarnieri (@jacopoguarnieri) February 6, 2023
However, the other member of Lotto Dstny who can actually remember buying tapes, Thomas De Gendt, doesn’t reckon the Italian’s old school ways will catch on with the team’s young Spotify merchants like Arnaud De Lie…
All the young guys in the team don’t know what that is. They imagine you bought some kind of player for your 11-36 shimano cassette.
— Thomas De Gendt (@DeGendtThomas) February 6, 2023
Councillor accused of “othering and dehumanising” cyclists after “overly sensitive lycra lobby” tweet
Another week, another local councillor engaging in a spot of anti-cycling bingo…
This time, it was the turn of Liam Billington, a Conservative councillor for the Stalybridge South ward in Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, who decided – for some strange reason – to spend his Sunday morning on Twitter, lambasting what he colourfully described as the “overly sensitive lycra lobby that throw tantrums if you don’t worship at the altar of ‘active travel’.”
Being a councillor you get representations from different groups. Nothing compares to the overly sensitive lycra lobby that throw tantrums if you don’t worship at the altar of “active travel”.
— Cllr. Liam Billington 🇬🇧🇺🇦 (@liambillington) February 5, 2023
Cheers for that Liam.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Billington’s tweet – which prompted accusations of othering, stereotyping, and dehumanising cyclists, as well as trivialising calls for increased road safety – attracted such a barrage of criticism that the councillor was forced to deactivate the replies:
Active travel barely exists in Tameside. Their ‘tantrums’ are probably out of desperation for safety. If you built a network of quality protected cycle lanes, which should be basic infrastructure like pavements & roads. You would probably never hear from people who ride bikes.
— James Stafford (@Jamesdestafford) February 6, 2023
Are you able to articulate a sentence without othering and dehumanising people you don’t agree with?
— PhoneKills (@phonekills) February 6, 2023
Yet another councillor stereotyping ‘cyclists’. Sigh.
— Leicestershire Loves Cycling (@LeicsCountyBike) February 6, 2023
Lycra has nothing to do with active travel. Lazy stereotyping is often the fallback of the bigot.
— Macc Active Traveller (@lkchdschh) February 6, 2023
stop trivializing people’s safety
— OB Cycler (@ob_cycler) February 6, 2023
Lycra? We’re just people who use bikes to get to work, school and see friends. pic.twitter.com/CvYjQhKBPI
— Harry Gray (@HarryHamishGray) February 6, 2023
You’re basically accusing people who don’t want to die on the roads of being overly sensitive. It’s this kind of thinking that’s led to children no longer being able to travel anywhere without a 4×4.
— Tom Jeffs (@tom_a_jeffs) February 6, 2023
Is that what the kids call being ratioed?
‘Ah, but can you do it on a cold February morning?’
Wait until a cold February morning…
CS4 you beauty pic.twitter.com/mT2co8O2Im— Rory McCarron (@CyclingLawLDN) February 7, 2023
Can rim brakes make a comeback? Join the healthy(ish) debate over on the forum
On the forum: Is the move to disc brakes on road bikes here to stay, or will bike brands who have discontinued rim brakes from their range start to offer them again in the future? Join the healthy(ish) discussion… https://t.co/OWMBjNwJvo #cycling pic.twitter.com/fTiCaUVGed
— road.cc (@roadcc) February 7, 2023
The never-ending brake discussion continues…
“It’s about as Scottish as Braveheart!” The reviews are in for Zwift’s new Scotland world
Ahead of this month’s UCI Cycling Esports World Championships (more on that on an upcoming podcast), and in homage to the upcoming Glasgow-centric mega worlds taking place in August, last week Zwift launched its brand-new Scotland world.
The new tartan-themed virtual indoor cycling world includes five routes, three of which will be used for the Esports worlds – the Rolling Highlands, City and the Sgurr [rocky peak to all you anglicisers], Glasgow Crit Circuit, Loch Loop, and the Muckle Yin – and includes plenty of classically Scottish castles, fens, lochs, and beinns.
However, as Glasgow-based Suvi pointed out in her Tech of the Week update from the weekend, the world is not supposed to be a factually accurate representation of Scotland – instead it is simply inspired by “Glasgow and Scottish landscapes”. So, if you’re tootling along on Zwift and start wondering how the Giant’s Causeway ended up in Edinburgh, that’s why.
Am I in Co. Antrim?
While the world is currently only open for events and races until early March, the reviews have started flooding in – and, surprise, most of them revolve around the extent to which the routes can be described as “Scottish”.
“Having just completed all the roads in the new Zwift world, I have to say it’s about as Scottish as Braveheart!” says Keith, a member of the Zwift Rider Facebook group.
“I wish Zwift had called it something else, because it’s a great course, and the two decent climbs are fantastic. But sticking a few castles, random Glasgow landmarks, deer, Highland cows, and even Nessie(!) doesn’t make it Scottish!”
Lars was rather more enthused, however, writing: “Scotland is great! I did all the Scotland route yesterday including Glasgow. Though I have never been to Glasgow, I did live a couple of years as a child in Scotland near Edinburgh. And it felt good to come home.
“I love the hills – not mountains – and therefore a great variation in up/down as you travel around. The open grassy landscape is nice and nostalgic to ride in. Really good.”
Nobody has mentioned yet whether it feels as cold riding Zwift’s version of Scotland as it does in real life…
Rein Taaramäe mentors and gifts equipment to local riders while on training camp in Rwanda
Rein Taaramäe is a great cyclist, and even greater person 🫶
He completed 21 days of training camp in Rwanda, gifting 23kg of equipment to the local riders, trained with them and learned from them 🇷🇼 pic.twitter.com/BYbTi9DnB2
— Intermarché-Circus-Wanty (@IntermarcheCW) February 7, 2023
As well as kitting out local riders head-to-toe in Intermarché-Circus-Wanty gear, the 35-year-old Estonian spent his three weeks in Rwanda sharing his experiences as a veteran of the peloton and a three-time grand tour stage winner, and offering advice to his training companions on how to improve as a cyclist.
“I think he’s the right person to do it. He has had his ups and downs during the career and he has learned and experienced a lot,” his wife Hanna said on Twitter.
Say it ain’t so, Campagnolo…
Is @campagnolosrl really about to ditch its distinctive thumb lever on new wireless groupset? It looks like you’re going to get two shift levers behind the brake lever, and small shift buttons on the inner face of shifter body too https://t.co/oS6DSOykgJ #cycling pic.twitter.com/UBH1hVelQL
— road.cc (@roadcc) February 7, 2023
Are you for or against the apparent demise of the Campag thumb lever?
> Is Campagnolo about to ditch thumb lever on wireless groupset?
“The money is there, so there are no more excuses”: Liverpool’s cycling infrastructure being “left behind”, says city’s walking and cycling commissioner
Liverpool is being “left behind quite badly” when it comes to its infrastructure, according to the city’s walking and cycling commissioner Simon O’Brien.
O’Brien, an actor and television presenter, pointed out to the Baltic Triangle Podcast this week that most journeys in Liverpool are less than 5km, yet half are taken by car – while only two percent of all journeys in the region are cycled.
“The historic way of encouraging people to cycle in Liverpool and the surrounding region has been to paint a white line on the floor and say ‘there you go’. That is not acceptable anymore,” O’Brien told the podcast.
“They are now doing it in Manchester, they are now doing it in Leeds, they are now doing it in Birmingham. So, Liverpool city region is really getting left behind quite badly on this kind of stuff.
“Leicester, as a city, has transformed itself with its cycling and walking infrastructure in the past five years, so it can be done if there is the political will and money to do it.”
In recent years, the Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, has committed to the creation of a 600km network of new and upgraded walking and cycling routes, while last month Liverpool City Council announced that it was pressing ahead with plans to develop a new ‘mobility strategy’ designed to make it easier to access the city centre without a car.
But O’Brien says change isn’t happening quickly enough, and that Liverpool should capitalise on the additional funding set aside for cycling through Active Travel England.
“Always, you were going to different councils and they will say ‘yes, we really want to do this and we know we should be doing this but we just haven’t got the money’. That’s not the case anymore,” he said.
“Liverpool city region has received, and will continue to receive, different tranches of investment if you show the willingness and the plans that will make it easier and safer to cycle and walk. So the money is there, it now needs the political will.
“So, my message is that we have to do it, we have to do it quickly, and we have to get going right now. The money is there, so there are no more excuses.”
‘The Narrowest Cycle Lane in the World’ Awards: Your Nominees
Plenty of worthy nominees in today’s comments section for the much-coveted 2023 Narrowest Cycle Lane in the World prize (the winner of which, in case you were wondering, earns themselves a terrifying close pass).
Brooksby nominated this painted shrug of the shoulders in Bristol, on the way to the Clifton Suspension Bridge, which helpfully gets even narrower as you approach the bend:
Nniff suggested a few contenders – first, the A24:
And then this baffling bit of abruptly-curtailed infra in Croydon, which – although not the narrowest – nniff reckons should be included purely for “sheer failure to grasp the concept”:
Finally, there’s this oldie but a goldie (which I’m sure has featured on the blog before) from Biker Phil:
Now, all we need is Ben Affleck looking bored and we’ve got ourselves an award ceremony!
Is this the narrowest cycle lane in the world?
I can sense a theme developing on the live blog this morning…
After Edinburgh unveiled its brand-new “unicycle lane” on Leith Walk at the weekend – described by one local cyclist as a “death-trap” and “narrower than a pair of handlebars” – it seems that the search is now on to find the UK’s most slender piece of bike infrastructure.
Now, there’s a reality show premise I can get behind…
First to audition is active travel activist and part-time Snake Pass trespasser Harry Gray, with this belter from Manchester:
Officially the narrowest cycle lane in the world? pic.twitter.com/zk1f3OY56D
— Harry Gray (@HarryHamishGray) February 6, 2023
You can get knocked off here even if the driver doesn’t encroach into your lane pic.twitter.com/G0YBCNiB5d
— Harry Gray (@HarryHamishGray) February 6, 2023
Alexa, translate Moordstrookje for me…
But just as the standing ovation for Gray’s submission died down, Belfast then sneaked its way into the judge’s hearts with this 50cm-wide cracker:
I wish. From Belfast… 🤢 pic.twitter.com/OBinRpLs2M
— Brian Shannon (@BrianShannon123) February 6, 2023
About 50cm pic.twitter.com/PwFPFse17H
— Brian Shannon (@BrianShannon123) February 6, 2023
It turns out – perhaps unsurprisingly, it is the UK after all – that there’s plenty of contenders for the crown. It’s going to be a close-run thing:
I present to you Fleet’s Lane in Poole, Dorset!https://t.co/3Eac6WXrTv
— MSec | @ms3c@infosec.exchange (@_msec_) February 6, 2023
Strong candidate? pic.twitter.com/5i15MV8xAP
— Keith Lea (@lea_keith) February 6, 2023
@KirkleesCouncil have an entry in the competition with this little gem, but I don’t think it’s quite as narrow. pic.twitter.com/TO1amqnK9o
— Sam Shepherd (@samshep) February 6, 2023
Richmond says hold my beer (twice). Will get a measurement later. pic.twitter.com/q2e3uQx8VH
— John Price (@jh_price) February 6, 2023
Even stupidly dangerous cycle lanes from further afield were joining in on the fun, including this dodgy-looking balancing act from Virginia:
This one in Arlington, VA is also great. Couldn’t even fit the pictogram on the dodgy shoulder. pic.twitter.com/58PmPLTi32
— Ján Jančár (@j08ny) February 6, 2023
Now, it’s over to you: Do you know any promising young (or old) bike lanes striving to become the world’s narrowest piece of cycling infrastructure?
Let us know in the comments!
Drivers blast “genius” cyclists for ignoring bike lane – but locals describe it as “not fit for purpose”
Ah, the old ‘why aren’t you riding in the cycle lane?’ chestnut, able to migrate seamlessly from passing car windows to social media posts…
As anyone who has ever stumbled onto the live blog – or read our feature on the use of cycle lanes, or, if we’re honest, ever ridden a bike within a 50-mile radius of some rudimentary ‘infrastructure’ – will know, cyclists are not obliged to use bike lanes for all sorts of reasons: from the lack of protection a narrow strip of paint provides to the amount of debris and hazards (often car-shaped) that they tend to collect.
> Why don’t cyclists use cycle lanes?
So, cyclists may not be obliged to use cycle lanes – but that doesn’t stop some motorists from complaining when they don’t.
Last week on the live blog, we reported that sports presenter and son of Rob Reiner, Jake Reiner, received an almighty social media backlash after posting a video of an “unacceptable” group of cyclists riding next to a fairly substandard bike lane in California.
Today, we’re taking a 15-hour flight (in the most environmentally friendly sense, of course) to Sydney, where a Reddit user lambasted some cyclists for “holding up traffic” in the city’s Marrickville suburb over the weekend.
“After watching these geniuses ride slowly down the whole length of the street next to the bike path as cars were stopped behind them, I can see why people get p***ed off,” the user wrote.
In the now-deleted post, the motorist – who noted that they took the photo from the passenger seat of the car – claimed that they are usually in support of bike paths, but that their truly harrowing, traumatic experience (I may be exaggerating) has swayed their opinion.
While a quick game of anti-cycling bingo ensued in the comments – “dressed like they’re in the Tour de France”, “should be illegal to not use a bike path”, and “inconsiderate” all popped up out of the machine – most Reddit users leapt to the defence of the cyclists, with locals pointing out that the bike lane in question just isn’t up to scratch.
“This bike path has stop signs at every intersection for cyclists instead of having priority as you do using the main road,” one user pointed out.
“That is the worst bike path in Sydney,” another claimed. “It has four junctions where you have to give way in every direction and can’t see oncoming traffic.
“It switches between going onto the pavement and road. Then about 40 metres from where they are in this pic it just stops, and you have to cycle across a busy road.”
“Yeah, a lot of these bike lanes are not fit for purpose and are far more dangerous than riding on the road,” said a local.
As if to underline the point, another Reddit user posted a photo of the bike lane in question – completely blocked by a parked car:
So, tell me why cyclists don’t use cycle lanes again?
7 February 2023, 09:37
Some breaking news from the Cavendish robbery trial…
Two men jailed for knifepoint robbery at Mark Cavendish's family home
Romario Henry has been jailed for 15 years, while Ali Sesay received a 12-year sentence for the robbery and eight years for unrelated firearms offences
7 February 2023, 09:37
7 February 2023, 09:37
7 February 2023, 09:37
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Latest Comments
Same here. I have a helmet with built in front and rear lights and have a red light clipped onto my bag plus lights attached to my bike front and rear but still have drivers putting me in danger. My commute is about two miles and I normally have around four incidents a week where I have to brake hard or take other evasive action to avoid being hit by distracted drivers. A big percentage of these are drivers coming on to roundabouts when I am already on them.
Glasgow's South City Way sounds great, does it not? As a user from before and after I wholeheartedly welcome the construction of the segregated route, but so much of the detailed construction is poor, if not unsafe. I provide a link to a presentation I made when construction was half complete (a personal view) and the construction errors remain outstanding to this day: crossed by high speed flared road junctions, poor colour differentiation, car door zone risks and so on. And yet cyclists come because they feel safe. It's a complex subject but IMHO the feeling of safety (or lack of) is a critical component. https://drive.proton.me/urls/B67AK44G90#CFueBGjscoWr
I can only conclude that you haven't been into a city in the last few years. Food delivery riders in particular are riding overpowered "eBikes" that are basically mopeds ... powered only via the throttle without pedalling at significantly more than 15mph. Problem is they look like normal bikes/ebikes and not like mopeds so that is what people describe them as. My reading of the article is that it is those vehicles that are being talked about here.
I have the Trace and Tracer, which have essentially the same design, albeit smaller and less powerful. The controls are a little complicated but only because there are loads of options. In reality, once you've chosen your level of brightness, you'll only cycle through 1 or 2 options and it's dead simple. The lights are rock solid, bright, with good runtimes. The only thing I find annoying is charging them - if your fingers are slightly wet or greasy, getting the rubber out of the way of the charging port is a pain in the arse.
Dance and padel is all very well, but when is Strava going to let me record my gardening?
You can use it to check whether it's raining.
If it's dusk, i.e. post-sunset, then the cyclists should have lights on and thus the colour of their top is irrelevant. If you want to complain about cyclists not having lights when it's mandatory then by all means do but their top has nothing to do with it.
All of my Exposure lights with a button allow cycling through the modes with a short press. I have five of those; it would be odd if Exposure didn’t allow this functionality with the Boost 3. I also have two Exposure Burners if I remember correctly: they are rear lights for joysticks that clip on and are powered through the joystick charging port. They don’t have a button. None of my Exposure lights have failed. I looked at the Boost 3 review photos but none showed the button, so far as I could tell. I also have Moon lights. Good experience generally. One did fail, possibly because it was so thin it used to fall through the holes in my helmet onto the ground. Also, the UI and charge indicators vary for my Moon lights. Perhaps the latest ones are more consistent. My worst lights ever were from See.Sense.
Steve really doesnt like exposure products does he? Boost and Strada marked down for being too complicated. While the Zenith and Six Pack reviewed by his colleagues give them rave reviews (as most exposure products have on road.cc), the Zenith even touted as 'even more intuitive to use' with the same controls.
They are more interested in dog shit. https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/people/lancaster-police-launch-search-for-person-who-sprayed-dog-faeces-with-pink-paint-5605519
62 thoughts on “Drivers blast “genius” cyclists for ignoring bike lane – but locals describe it as “not fit for purpose”; Is this the narrowest cycle lane in the world?; Mark Cavendish, The Movie: Coming soon; Councillor’s Lycra lobby tweet slated + more on the live blog”
To be honest I just regard
To be honest I just regard anyone who doesn’t cycle and tries to “offer me advice about any aspect of cycling” as a patronising “fool” who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. Now if they ask me a question, that’s another matter, I’ll happily answer them.
Why don’t all motorists use a motorway when there is one available?
hutchdaddy wrote:
The problem is that they assume that cyclists don’t know what they’re doing and what’s best for themselves. When your propulsion is all performed manually, then you put a lot more care and attention into traffic conditions and anticipating what’s up ahead – who wants to accelerate furiously and then screech to a halt and waste all the effort unless you have a motor doing it for you?
Motorists who share unasked for “advice” with cyclists are just demonstrating their own ignorance, usually loudly.
Shall we add it to the
Shall we add it to the dictionary? I suggest we call this “Driversplaining”.
IanMK wrote:
Doesn’t “arseholes” already cover them though?
I think the weirdest thing is
I think the weirdest thing is drivers seem to think cyclists do it just to annoy them, as though that is the most likely reason a cyclist would choose not to use a cycle lane, rather than, say, the lane being crap.
You understand that they’re
You understand that they’re protected from any feelings of sonder or empathy by a large metal box?
I mean, I don’t know about
I mean, I don’t know about you but I plan all of my rides meticulously.
Not in terms of what the weather is doing, traffic conditions, potential de-tours due to roadworks & general plan B scenarios though.
No. I obsessively stalk downtrodden drivists online so that via a very patient and long term social engineering play, I can work out their schedule on any given day, thereby meaning I can plan EXACTLY when to go out on my ride so that I encounter them at a blind bend / narrow road etc. Purely so I can hold them up. Just them. It’s why I ride bikes. It’s what I live for.
Doesn’t everyone else?
I do now!
I do now!
I think you had it all
I think you had it all covered already at “I ride”. That’s enough for some…
https://medium.com/@kickinson
https://medium.com/@kickinson/i-am-a-cyclist-and-i-am-here-to-fuck-you-up-a2fb97b1ea16
Holding them up is better
Holding them up is better than the ones that pass you approaching said blind bend, pinch point or brow of a hill.
Wow, the Cavenish robbers got
Wow, the Cavenish robbers got handed down stonking sentences:
“Romario Henry, 31, of Lewisham, south-east London, denied two counts of robbery but was found guilty following a trial and sentenced on Tuesday to 15 years in prison. Ali Sesay, 28, of Rainham, Kent, admitted two counts of robbery and was jailed for 12 years. Sesay also admitted six unrelated firearms offences and was sentenced to a further eight years in prison consecutive to the 12-year prison sentence for the robbery.”
They should have hit him with
If they’d hit him with a car and stolen his watch, they’d have got 6 months suspended and a short driving ban.
And it would have been his
And it would have been his own fault for cycling and wearing a nice watch.
Urgh . . . narrow ‘bike lane’
Urgh . . . narrow ‘bike lane’ with double yellows. I’d just read that as another strip of potentially slippery paint to definitely be on the outside of.
Actually, apart from the occasional bike symbol, how is a non-local cyclist supposed to distinguish between that and an edge-of-road line anyway? I mean, supposing they’d consider using it . . .
How’s this for a crap cycle
How’s this for a crap cycle lane? Apologies I can’t seem to post it upright.
Biker Phil wrote:
Turn your computer onto its side and then upload the photo
hawkinspeter wrote:
What, everything? Tower, screen, keyboard? And what about the speakers?
marmotte27 wrote:
You don’t need to do the speakers unless it’s a video
You’ve got to love the A24…
You’ve got to love the A24…
Or, for sheer failure to
Or, for sheer failure to grasp the concept, these in Croydon. At least the one on the right has a dropped kerb:
For the avoidance of doubt, we are talking about the bits of red brick, between the posts and the parking bays, and that is it – there is no more…..
Wow!
Wow!
So they have put ramps and
So they have put ramps and “cycle lanes” in so cyclists can bypass the pinch point, but have left all the parking spaces at each end so you can’t actually get access. Or am I misinterpreting your photo?
They weren’t taking chances
They weren’t taking chances that his would be misused by drivers – note the extra bollard at the back of the left-hand build out! Incidentally nicely narrowing the exit for anyone cycling…
Yes and no – the one on the
Yes and no – the one on the left hasn’t even got a dropped kerb.
The right hand side is downhill, so they’ve given that dropped kerbs for some reason. Of course you need to see it past the cars….
Coming down the hill
Coming down the hill
nniff wrote:
That’s awful. I hope they confiscated all the designer’s snack crayons as punishment.
nniff wrote:
I was going to post that very stretch of road.
It’s no better in the other
It’s no better in the other direction
What if the councillor,
What if the councillor, instead of turning off comments, apologized and promised to mend their ways and then actually did it?
marmotte27 wrote:
Dream on; he’s tory, just like Boris and Truss, therefore congenitally unable to admit a mistake and apologise.
eburtthebike wrote:
Clearly he’s being bullied by the leftist marxist anti growth coalition. Or something like that…
brooksby wrote:
It’s the left-wing economic establishment – you know, all those marxist banker types. If you squint you can just catch sight of them out of the corner of your eyes
I quite like the
I quite like the
Prosperity-hating Electric-car-driving Vegan Confederacy
and
Poverty-Loving Protesting Posse
In Newsthump.
But as I’m part of
The Perpetually-offended Socialist Snowflakes
I suppose I would.
hirsute wrote:
Electric cars were invented to save the car industry, not our planet
Hi everyone, I want to thank
Hi everyone, I want to thank Dr Emmanuel for praying for me and giving me a lottery game that changed my life, I have been playing lottery game for a very long time but never win big, I contact Dr Emmanuel online after reading some testimonies about him, He prayed for me and gave me a lottery number which I played and won $3,000,000,00, and for that first time I won a big amount. I also want you to contact him for your lucky game. You can reach him Email at dremmanuellottoryspellcaster@gmail.com or his whats-app +1(332)253-4306
Hi everyone, I want to thank
Hi everyone, I want to thank Dr Emmanuel for praying for me and giving me a lottery game that changed my life, I have been playing lottery game for a very long time but never win big, I contact Dr Emmanuel online after reading some testimonies about him, He prayed for me and gave me a lottery number which I played and won $3,000,000,00, and for that first time I won a big amount. I also want you to contact him for your lucky game. You can reach him Email at dremmanuellottoryspellcaster@gmail.com or his whats-app +1(332)253-4306
Is it true that you have
Is it true that you have lottery-influencing powers? Are you otherwise known as Dr. Emmanuel?
How have you never mentioned this before?
Can you assist me – I am happy to pay the cost of a Specialised to your charity if you can help me win a big amount so I buy a M5. Mind you I haven’t been playing the lottery so that could be why I’ve not won anything yet?
chrisonatrike wrote:
Well, if you don’t buy a lottery ticket, I’m going to have to pray extra hard.
I tried praying for everyone with covid, but then figured I might as well try giving people hydroxychloroquine – so far it’s given people some heart rhythm problems, but I figure that’s just Jesus getting into their hearts and dancing a jig.
By the way, I did ask Jesus to shut down FaceBook, but he hasn’t got back to me on that yet; he’s probably busy destroying all the witches and demons.
Did you know that a former U.S. president called me “very impressive”? I’ve put up an info page at the BBC for more details: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-53579773
hawkinspeter wrote:
Spending all his time on Faithbook these days – he says it’s handy to keep in touch with Our Father. Meanwhile the Spirit is tweeting in mysterious ways.
Y’know, as an intercessor I’d hoped you’d be a bit more… comforting? I’m even prepared to negotiate – maybe the M5 was asking a bit much, but could you manage at least a Cube or Genesis commuter? I don’t need 105… And in return I could happily eat Kosher / Halal / vegetarian a couple of days a week if that helps?
chrisonatrike wrote:
All you fake doctors out there that tell me, ‘Yeah. I want a double blinded study.’ I just tell you, quit sounding like a computer, double blinded, double blinded. I don’t know whether your chips are malfunctioning, but I’m a real doctor…we have neurosurgeons, like Sanjay Gupta saying, ‘Yeah, it doesn’t work and it causes heart disease.’ Let me ask you Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Hear me. Have you ever seen a COVID patient?
Anyhow come down to Texas and come visit my private clinic in the strip mall.
While I think of it, anyone want some covipills?
We stopped doing those
We stopped doing those studies because they didn’t work – they didn’t show our treatments were working and we know they do, so the tests are wrong!
We don’t need no stinking studies.
And that is why any supporters of cycling infra are no better than credulous acolytes, because they complain when we sensibly say this is untested and we want to do a trial first. They say it’s been tested by millions of people for decades elsewhere, if you believe! We said – that’s as maybe but it hasn’t been tested in this form on this part of the main path in Roseburn Park in Edinburgh!
(Fortunately we’re now going ahead with an actual cycle path separate from the road beyond this point going into town, flawed as it is).
Regardless of political
Regardless of political persuasion, references to lycra lobby mean he’s just another Councillor Using Negative Terminology…
Narrow cycle lanes
Narrow cycle lanes
https://goo.gl/maps/mfopL9YcyFWmtohJ7
The approach to the Clifton Suspension Bridge from the Bristol side. It does get narrower as it goes up to the bend you can see in the distance…
So Howard Cox thinks we’re
So Howard Cox thinks we’re all young and fit? Nice
brooksby wrote:
When I was young, I was unfit. Then I discovered cycling (initially, just for commuting). Now I’m old and (relatively) fit.
Even if the £200m only gets
Even if the £200m only gets ten more people cycling and walking, £20m each, that’s still vastly better value than Howard Cox’s beloved congestion-busting road schemes.
Re the new Zwift world and
Re the new Zwift world and its similarity to a certain World Heritage site in Ireland, has nobody heard of Fingal’s Cave (in Scotland)? Same type of geological feature and visually very similar to the Giant’s Causeway, in fact the tall cliffside pillars of rock shown in the still of the Zwift world are rather more characteristic of the Scottish version than the Irish.
Arent they both part of the
Arent they both part of the same geological feature?
Secret_squirrel wrote:
They were formed in the same way in the same period of volcanic activity but they were never part of the same feature (as far as I understand it). They are linked in legend which has it that a Scottish giant and an Irish giant wanted to fight so the Irish giant built the causeway across the Scotland to get at his opponent.
Don’t need to go as far as
Don’t need to go as far as the west coast of Scotland. You can find columnar basalt on the side of Arthur’s Seat (a big rocky hill) in Edinburgh.
yes I think Zwift missed out
yes I think Zwift missed out by not making it volcano you could ride inside 🙂
To be fair there is a
To be fair there is a tentative accuracy with the Zwift Scottish theme as Fingals’ Cave on Staffa has similar basalt columns.
and now that I’ve scrolled through the comments I see Rendel has got there already. Sorry mate.
.
.
ref. Liverpool City Council – I have only one thing to say:
.
(all together now) ‘A Lay Bah Council. A LAAAAAAAY Bah Council’.
.
In fact (make that two things):
.
the original, the one and only, the Neil Kinnock-referenced LAAAAAY Bah Council.
.
Full house today!
.
Marvy.
.
Can’t begrudge you that one!
Can’t begrudge you that one! And not a Conservative to be seen, says Wikipedia…
Wouldn’t it be nice if any
Wouldn’t it be nice if any government got to the point where it could signal to a “fit, young MAJORITY?”’ Just think of being able to limit health care costs on down the cycleway instead of continuing to choke on health care costs related to the roads.
Are you proposing a cull on
Are you proposing a cull on oldies?
Logan’s Ride… ?
Logan’s Ride… ?
Awavey wrote:
Let’s try out the principle with car drivers first and see how it works out
That Cllr who talks about
That Cllr who talks about Lycra sensitivity etc – I wonder which party he represents? I could look him up but I can’t be bothered to confirm my own prejudices really.
Why do people always go on
Why do people always go on about cyclists being “dressed like they are in the tour de France” in a derogatory way but are probably the same people who wear (expensive) football shirts to the pub?
festina wrote:
A favourite of mine from some years ago was when a BMW driver left hooked me at the entrance to a golf club in Epsom. Forced to go into the car park myself to avoid being hit by him, I went over as he got out for a spot of polite remonstration: he denied he’d done anything wrong, of course, and for good measure castigated me for “dressing like Bradley bloody Wiggins, are you a professional cyclist then?” This from a man dressed from head to toe in Nike Tiger Woods branded gear, the price of which would probably have paid for both my clothes and the bike.