Driving instructors have their say on the Highway Code – “a recipe for disaster” or “not a big deal”?; Should helmets be compulsory?; Pidcock on the move for 2023?; Bernal’s “second chance” + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“Happy to be reborn” – Egan Bernal thanks doctors for “giving me a second chance”
EL AGUANTE!! 🤘🏽
Feliz de volver a nacer 😌 pic.twitter.com/qODpvr3ktL— Egan Arley Bernal (@Eganbernal) February 7, 2022
Egan Bernal has paid tribute to the medical staff at Clínica Universidad de La Sabana in Bogotá for giving the Tour de France winner a “second chance” after his horror crash while training in Colombia two weeks ago.
Bernal was discharged from the hospital on Sunday to begin what he has described as a “very long process” of rehabilitation at home.
Before leaving the hospital, the 2021 Giro d’Italia winner briefly stood for photographs with medical staff and recorded a video message.
“Life changed for me in one second. One moment I’m preparing for the Tour de France, giving it all on my time trial bike, and the next I’m fighting for my life,” Bernal said in the video.
“Fortunately, I fell into good hands, and I believe that if it wasn’t for you [the medical staff], it would be a different story, so I have to thank you for allowing me to have a second chance.
“In truth, for me it’s like being born again, the fact that I’m alive. In the days where I was in pain, I said to myself ‘at least I feel pain – at least I feel something’, and that’s thanks to you.
“I’m obviously now starting a very long process, but you have already done the hard work. My respects for everything you do – you deserve a lot more recognition than we give you, and thank you genuinely for giving me a second chance.
“I hope to one day be able to repay in some way all that you’ve done for me.”
The 25-year-old Colombian broke twenty bones, perforated both lungs and had to undergo two major spinal surgeries after he collided with a stationary bus while training with this Ineos Grenadiers teammates.
Bernal has said that he could have died, or that there was a 95 percent chance of paralysis, in the wake of the crash.
While any talk of a return to the peloton is pure speculation at the moment, Bernal’s own optimism and fighting spirit is certainly encouraging. His Ineos teammate, Tom Pidcock, took to Instagram yesterday to aptly describe his team leader as a “warrior”.
Marc in the Metaverse
In news this Monday morning, you can buy an NFT of Marc Soler. https://t.co/DeTBzyCe8L pic.twitter.com/uD5XqHyWLN
— Cyclist (@cyclist) February 7, 2022
After all the talk about NFTs yesterday, I decided to create my own.
It’s an out-of-date tribute to the star of Movistar’s ‘The Least Expected Day’, Marc Soler (who now rides for UAE-Team Emirates, but just ignore that detail), based on the graphics of the Sega Mega Drive.
Any takers?
If for some reason my ‘Marc Soler as ‘80s video game art’ doesn’t grab the attention of the metaverse’s global cycling community, I might just get on board with Cillian Kelly’s new pitch. Sounds foolproof…
I’d just like to announce my grand plan for the future of cycling and I invite you all to take this journey with me. pic.twitter.com/DlPQrIo07y
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) February 7, 2022
Pidcock on the move?
Two teams now… but Brailsford is rumoured to be in Monaco this week to finalise an extension offer. https://t.co/iyO3XZXAA9
— Daniel Benson (@dnlbenson) February 8, 2022
When you’re as exciting an all-rounder as Tom Pidcock, there are always going to be quite a few teams eager to snap up your services.
The Olympic MTB gold medallist and recently crowned cyclo-cross world champion’s contract with Ineos Grenadiers runs out at the end of this year – and according to VeloNews’ Daniel Benson, two top teams are currently preparing serious bids for the 22-year-old Yorkshireman.
One of the squads vying for Pidcock’s signature is rumoured to be associated with a powerful American bike manufacturer, who appear keen to finance the move.
However, Benson also says that Ineos chief Dave B is hovering around Monaco this week, with a contract extension offer for one of his most prized assets seemingly in his back pocket.
What do you think? Should Pidcock, the most exciting young British talent, continue to establish his reputation at the only British World Tour team and become the flag bearer for a new generation of stars?
Or should the prodigious all-rounder, who seems capable of winning almost any race he puts his mind to, jump at the chance to leave a team still so belligerently focused on the grand tours?
To paraphrase Mick Jones, should Pidcock stay or should he go?
Royal Albert Hall calls for reintroduction of Kensington and Chelsea cycle lanes
The Royal Albert Hall’s chief executive Craig Hassall has called for the reinstallation of safe cycle lanes in Kensington and Chelsea, and said that “we should be doing all we can to encourage active travel”.
Emergency cycle lanes were installed on Kensington High Street in October 2020. Despite being used by 3,000 cyclists a day, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea removed them less than two months later, prompting protests and criticism from campaigners, nearby schools and, reportedly, Boris Johnson himself.
Hassall, CEO of the famous old concert hall, which sits just outside the borough in Westminster, said in a statement yesterday: “The cycle lanes on High Street Kensington gave many of our staff a safe route into work, and they were bitterly disappointed when the lanes were removed after just seven weeks.
“Climate change is the single biggest threat to our way of life, and I believe we should be doing all we can to encourage active travel, promote health and well-being, reduce pollution and tackle this threat.
“With the Piccadilly Line currently not stopping at South Kensington, even more visitors and staff could be cycling to Exhibition Road and the neighbourhood, but many tell me they do not feel safe.
“I strongly support the re-introduction of these safe cycle lanes.”
Thank you @RoyalAlbertHall for speaking out on the need for safe and sustainable travel on High Street Kensington and supporting safe cycle lanes for staff and visitors – like other local icons @RGS_IBG and @RCMLondon. The reasons are set out perfectly 👇 pic.twitter.com/v3oISF6VKQ
— betterstreets4kc (@betterstreetskc) February 7, 2022
Driving instructors have their say on the Highway Code – “a recipe for disaster” or “not a big deal”?
It seems like everyone has had their say on the recent updates to the Highway Code over the last month (and when I say everyone, I mean every right-wing columnist who works for a national newspaper).
But what about the opinions of driving instructors, those tasked with moulding the habits and behaviour of the next generation of motorists?
Well, North Wales Live went to find out, and the results were decidedly mixed.
Phil Jones, an instructor around Rhyl and Abergele (not to be confused with the much-maligned Manchester United footballer) seemed to be most in line with the Richard Littlejohns of the world, saying the changes would be a “recipe for disaster”.
“I think overall the amount of collisions involving cyclists is going to increase,” Jones warned.
“As a driving instructor we train people to be aware of cyclists and other vulnerable road users but they have also got to take a little bit of responsibility for themselves.
“But I think if they’re riding on the roads, then they should be insured, it should be mandatory and they should also have some type of formal training like every other road user.”
“As for this riding in the middle of the road, all it’s going to do is cause traffic chaos.”
“Learner drivers are generally quite nervous around cyclists because they’re unpredictable, so they’re already frightened, and I think this will just make people even more nervous about it,” he said.
“I can see that it’s going to cause problems because the general standard of driving around here is appalling. And it’s going to cause drivers to be getting frustrated and overtaking when it’s not safe to overtake and it’s going to cause more road rage.”
“We teach learner drivers to anticipate what’s going to happen next. The problem is that people who have already passed their tests, they just won’t bother checking what the changes are.”
Another instructor based in Rhyl, Maxine Richards, agreed.
Maxine said: “I think it’s silly, I don’t know why they’ve changed it. I think it’s going to cause a lot of accidents and a lot of problems for us instructors.
“We get a lot of road rage aimed at us anyway, without new rules that the general public are mostly unaware of.
“I’ve already seen a video from another instructor where a pupil following the new rules stopped for a pedestrian but the driver behind tried to overtake them and almost drove straight into a lady with a pram.”
However, Robert Collins, from Drive Passes Driving School, was much more ambivalent about the effects of the changes, which he said his students were coping with well.
“I’ve not got a problem with it at all, and my pupils are getting on quite well with it,” Hughes said.
“It’s not that different to what I’ve always taught anyway so it’s not making a big deal to me and my pupils.
“I think they’re small changes that don’t make a huge difference to be honest with you.”
David Hughes, an instructor in Conwy, also said that he agreed with the new rules, but warned that they should be more readily available to the general public.
“I don’t disagree with any of the rules,” he said. “But I’ve had difficulty finding all the new rules myself so how is my 84-year-old mother going to find out about it?
“I just think it’s been introduced fairly quickly and there’s not enough information publicised about it.
“Just to drop it in without much notice is bad, it could’ve been done a lot better.”
Referencing the oft-misrepresented Dutch Reach method of opening a car door, Hughes said: “People need educating with the new rules. You can’t just say, if you don’t open the door with your left hand you’ll get a £1000 fine and that’s it.”
It should be noted, as we did last month, that it was already an offence, punishable by a maximum fine of £1,000, to open a car door, or cause or permit it to be opened, so as to cause injury.
“You need to be given the right information from the official source,” said Hughes. For an instructor, let’s just hope he doesn’t get all his driving information from the Daily Mail…
Wahoo, Shimano and NTT confirmed as partners for this month’s Esports World Championships
The 2022 UCI Cycling Esports World Championships is being held on 26 February on Zwift and today Wahoo, Shimano and NTT have been confirmed as the official partners for the event.
Wahoo will be supplying the Wahoo Kickr V5 smart trainer to all competitors racing later this month.
“All competitors will be competing remotely on the same equipment to provide an additional layer of event integrity,” says Zwift.
As it’s a world championships, everything needs to bang on, so it’s fortunate that Dave found the Kickr’s power accuracy was good when he reviewed the trainer for us.
Shimano also joins as the official drivetrain partner for the event with the new Shimano Dura-Ace R9200 groupset.
“Anyone who’s ever entered a Zwift race will know that every watt counts – they are at the forefront of the rider’s mind – so athletes need drivetrains that perform lightning-fast shifts accurately and efficiently for maximum power,” says Shimano.
NTT is the official data analytics partner and will be supporting the broadcast of the event, bringing the narrative of the race to life through data visualisation innovations, like the rider efficiency score that was introduced at the last year’s World Championships.
Competitors will be racing on Zwift’s New York map this year, tackling the Knickerbocker route.
Field size, broadcast exposure, race distance and prize money will be equal for both men’s and women’s races, providing what should be an important model for other events to follow.
The racing starts at 5pm on 26 February, so it won’t clash with Omloop, which is an important plus…
Froomedog – the designer range
Just when you thought you’d had enough of cyclists trying to sell you things this week, Chris Froome treated us all to this “exclusive collab”:
Introducing the #OnePedalAtATime capsule collection! An exclusive collab between myself and Miami based fashion designer Fabrice Tardeau pic.twitter.com/ziHjuQyr6g
— Chris Froome (@chrisfroome) February 7, 2022
Yeah, I’m not sure what a ‘capsule collection’ is either. But luckily for us, Britain’s four-time Tour de France winner was on hand to explain it all (what do you mean, those aren’t his own words?):
A laid back, luxury, cycling-inspired sportwear collection focused on providing meticulously handcrafted garments designed with fine finishing in mind while combining comfort and modern day ath-leisure wear!
Ah, modern day ath-leisure wear, of course.
It turns out these capsule collections don’t come cheap: a plain white t-shirt from the Froomedog range will set you back $95, or £70. A hoodie that says “I love cycling” (who doesn’t already own one of those?) costs $220.
An actual, physical t-shirt? How 2021 of you, Chris. Cillian again has the right idea:
No. But if it was a JPEG of the T-shirt I’d give him 95 grand for it https://t.co/DS2IbY5Zsz
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) February 8, 2022
Apidura launches the City Handlebar Pack
Some new gear to feast your eyes on this Tuesday afternoon (and no, it’s not an NFT either).
Apidura has added the City Handlebar Pack (£63 – cheaper than a Froomey tee) to its growing City Series, bringing “precision crafted technical gear” to the urban environment with a bag that provides quick access storage for layers, valuables and city riding essentials.
The pack is designed to attach quickly to any style of handlebar, and is made from Apidura’s bespoke waterproof and abrasion resistant CT420 Marle fabric for durable protection from the elements.
Subtle features include reflective screen printing, an internal mesh pocket to help with organising, a flexible slip pocket for valuables and a bike light friendly attachment system.
We’ll be asking for one in to review, so expect to hear our thoughts on the bag sometime soon…
Pedal Me helmet ban: Jeremy Vine asks, ‘Should helmets be mandatory’?
An e-cargo bike service has told its staff to stop wearing helmets while cycling.
They say you’re more likely to get hit by a car when you are wearing a helmet as drivers might take less care when they’re near you.
Do you agree?@theJeremyVine | @Knowlesy83 | #JeremyVine pic.twitter.com/PjdjHCiCAb
— Jeremy Vine On 5 (@JeremyVineOn5) February 8, 2022
Yesterday we reported that E-cargo bike and pedicab company Pedal Me confirmed rumours it has banned staff riders from wearing helmets, citing safety reasons for the rule.
This morning, the company’s co-founder Ben Knowles appeared on Jeremy Vine’s Channel 5 programme to discuss the decision and whether or not helmets should be made compulsory for all cyclists.
Responding to co-presenter Storm Huntley’s assertion that helmets can prevent serious injury, Vine – referring to Ian Walker’s 2006 study which found that motorists take more care when passing cyclists who aren’t wearing helmets – said: “I’m not telling anybody not to wear a helmet. I’m just saying it shouldn’t be compulsory to wear one. It’s not necessarily safer. That’s the whole point.”
Explaining his firm’s decision to ban employees from wearing helmets, Knowles told the programme that the company’s research showed that riders take more risks when wearing lids.
> Pedal Me bans cargo bike riders from wearing helmets for safety reasons
“We spent a lot of time looking at the data and thinking about this,” he said. “And what we found was that while helmets definitely protect you when you do have a crash, they seem to be doing something to increase the number of crashes that you have.
“And because we’re carrying people on the front of our bikes, and because the bikes are quite heavy when they’re fully loaded, and potentially quite risky, we decided that increasing risk acceptance by our staff was a bad idea.
“So this doesn’t mean that I necessarily believe that everyone should not wear a helmet, but in our case in particular it’s a bad idea for commercial use.
Ben continued: “I started off as a bike racer and I always used to wear a helmet, until I looked at the data… I almost stopped using a helmet entirely for my personal use as well.
“As regards mandatory helmet laws, I think it’s pretty clear that they’re a bad idea. The reason for that is because what causes the risks to people riding bikes is people driving cars.
“The less people cycle, then the more people drive cars. So we want to create an environment where people feel safe to ride bikes.
“The problem is that lots of people wearing helmets makes cycling look a lot more dangerous than it actually is.
“We repeatedly find that most of our injuries at Pedal Me happen off the bike, not on the bike,” Knowles said, before telling the panel that Pedal Me’s records include as many assaults with a machete on their employees as they do injuries that could have been prevented by wearing a helmet.
Now that’s a stat…
We’ll not get on to the caller who craftily brought up cyclists’ insurance. Jeremy, thankfully, shut that one down quickly.
Now, this is cool...
If you needed to purge that Marc Soler NFT from your mind, check out these cool abstract team colour prints from Pro Cycling Trumps:
2022 Pro Cycling Team Colours (Retro abstract style) 🚴♂️🚴♀️🎨 pic.twitter.com/2uhYrjVUiG
— pro cycling trumps (@procycletrumps) February 8, 2022
Highlands velodrome plans shelved – but councillor says creation of cycling hub ‘still possible’
HiVelo SCIO, a charity set up in 2015 with the aim of creating a velodrome for the Highlands, announced yesterday that it was abandoning its plans after the group failed to secure adequate funding for the project.
The charity had hoped to secure a site in Inverness for a cycling development and community hub centred on the velodrome, but was unsuccessful in obtaining grants from national sports agencies.
“The trustees could not be more disappointed with this outcome, but we need to be realistic about its impact on HiVelo itself,” a spokesman said yesterday.
“Plainly, our founding mission is now untenable.”
However, Councillor Duncan Macpherson, a member of Highland Council’s cross-party Inverness East Sports Facility Working Group, said today that a velodrome for the Highlands could still be built if suitable funding could be secured in the future.
Macpherson urged HiVelo not to disband in the wake of the news and said there was still potential for “legacy projects” from events such as the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the London Olympics to benefit Inverness.
“I would hope that we could see these projects come to fruition, but ultimately we need the funds. I was disappointed when I read that it’s not going ahead but I hope that it can be resurrected by the working group,” he said.
It is currently unclear if HiVelo will disband or if it will continue to carry on as an organisation supporting cycling events and youth development.
Cycling Ireland admits sending “false quotations” in government grant application
The Irish Department for Sport has suspended Cycling Ireland’s access to capital funding for 12 months after the organisation admitted to submitting false comparative quotations with an application for a €52,100 grant.
“Cycling Ireland can confirm – independently of any investigation – that it is a matter of fact that two false quotations were submitted to support the application for a sports capital grant,” a spokesman for the governing body said.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that this was done for personal gain. Cycling Ireland has been severely sanctioned by the department as a consequence of what occurred.”
Yesterday, a government deputy said that the body should be called to answer questions about the affair at the parliamentary Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media.
“It’s deeply disappointing to see and I would hope that the necessary governance structures are put in place to ensure that this doesn’t happen again,” said Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon.
Cycling Ireland, which received almost €10 million in public funding between 2015 and 2020, has confirmed that it is overhauling both its procurement policy and governance in the wake of the controversy.
In November 2021 accountant Liam Collins became president and chairman of the board, while three other new board members have been appointed in recent months.
2022 has also witnessed an overhaul on the sporting side for Cycling Ireland. At the end of January it was confirmed that Nicolas Roche will take over as directeur sportif for the Cycling Ireland senior road programme. The former BMC and Sky rider will also provide mentorship for the junior and U23 teams.
With instructors like these…
Ah, driving instructors. The ones featured earlier today got a fair few of you talking, with the exception of Robert Collins, who seems to have earned himself a place in the road.cc hall of fame. Here’s an edited selection of some of your comments (sweary ones omitted):
“Learner drivers are generally quite nervous around cyclists because they’re unpredictable, so they’re already frightened, and I think this will just make people even more nervous about it,” he said.
Then it’s such a pity that the learner drivers aren’t being accompanied by an experienced and qualified driver who can give them correct guidance.
Erm – hang on…
Robert Collins sums it all up very well: “It’s not that different to what I’ve always taught anyway so it’s not making a big deal to me and my pupils.”
I wonder what the other driving instructors have been teaching their pupils? A little worrying really.
Someone I know has just passed her test. Her biggest worry before the test was “making sufficient progress”. Not sure what her instructor was telling her but I think this is ridiculous.
What would have been interesting in the driving instructor report, is have they actually read the HC, and where do they their information from? I’m fairly sure a couple of them either haven’t read the new rules, and/or get their information from rabid right wing media.
We need someone to do a study into misinformation and its correlation with belief in fake news.
Well funny you mention that – media misinformation is a key theme in this week’s upcoming road.cc Podcast…
“I can see that it’s going to cause problems because the general standard of driving around here is appalling.”
Said by a driving instructor… the irony!
Quick trip to the shop. Outward leg 8/10 exemplary overtakes, one ok and one poor.
The poor one was a driver under instruction – perhaps they had come from N Wales.
I think Phil Jones should consider his career choice – perhaps he and the Man U one could swap places for a few weeks. It would probably improve the standard of driving instruction in Rhyl, and have no noticeable effect on the Man U squad.
Harsh… but fair.
And, finally, here are a few videos I’ve been sent today of driving instructors… well, not really instructing:
Checked Mrs pedalmania’s cam … wow.
With instructors like this, it’s no wonder that we have so many incompetent and dangerous drivers on the road#majorfault #drivingfail #shouldnotbeaninstructor pic.twitter.com/bI33cZfGR0
— pedalmania (@pedalmania1) February 7, 2022
This was one of my driving instructor encounters.
Someone saying that they are have driven for years or a professional driver does not prove that they act in a professional manner. pic.twitter.com/wG8K86iESl— Paul, walking and cycling is the new norm. (@lxtwin) January 24, 2022
I’ve been almost taken out by 1 @REDDriving instructor, and subjected to a deliberate close pass by a student in another because I wasn’t using a #Murderstrip,
The dvla complaint response was, Umm…
And said cycle lane, at 61 cm wide. pic.twitter.com/EW4DgjoKYh— TallTim (@TallestTim) January 24, 2022
Sebastian Vettel: “20 minutes by car in traffic or 20 minutes on a bike? A million times over I’ll choose the bike”
Cycling in the rain 🌧
📸 @KymIllman #HungarianGP 🇭🇺 #Vettel pic.twitter.com/vD307Y2o1e
— Sebastian Vettel #5 (@sebvettelnews) August 1, 2021
Here’s something heart-warming to take you into the evening – Sebastian Vettel has spoken of his love of everything two wheels in an interview with The Sportsrush.
Like many of his F1 colleagues, the four-time world champion is a big cycling fan, and says he was inspired by his compatriot Jan Ullrich’s rivalry with Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France in the early 2000s.
Vettel, who owns a Cannondale road bike, a Canyon gravel bike and an assortment of other mountain and city bikes, uses cycling to train for his F1 day job and is often joined by other drivers such as Mick Schumacher and Lando Norris.
But you can tell, to paraphrase the anti-hero he admired growing up, it’s not about the fitness.
“For me riding a bike isn’t about going as fast as you can. But the sense of personal achievement you get from cycling is such a huge reward. Getting to the top of a climb, it’s the best.”
“Riding to the circuits isn’t about getting an extra bit of training in. I find it much more pleasurable than sitting in a car in traffic. Most of the races are in busy cities and if it’s 20 minutes by car in traffic or 20 minutes on a bike – a million times over I’ll choose the bike.”
Maybe a post-F1 career in something bike-related awaits Vettel when he retires?
“I’ve always found bike couriers fascinating,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to do it! The thrill of riding flat out through a busy city, that’s something I love and something I’d really like to do. I’m jealous of those guys!”
8 February 2022, 09:39
8 February 2022, 09:39
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Latest Comments
Right. And you're supposed to do what, exactly, when you spot someone driving straight at you?
It's not really even taxpayers money. Calling it that is part of the continued attempt by the right to frame public finances in the same way as personal finances in order to persuade people to support spending cuts.
We can probably also predict the UCI taking a nice chunk of change to put their logo on kit so it can be used in the peloton.
I'm going to defend Steve slightly here. I disagreed with him on the larger front lights, where in a given "programme" you an still cycle through high/medium/low/flashing modes, which is plenty to cover most use cases, without needing to change into a different programme. But with these small lights, each "programme" only consists of a single constant level and single flashing level. And with only six options in total, cycling through all of them wouldn't seem too onerous. I certainly find with my TraceR, if I'm riding by myself I'll typically use Programme 1 (the brightest option), but if I'm riding with other other people , I want to drop the power down to a lower level, which does mean changing programme. Given my usual cycling club meeting point is ~20 minutes from home, this means starting in P1, changing to P3 when I get to the meeting point, then changing back to P1 for the ride home. Again, you do get used to it and it's not the end of the world, but it ends up being more faff than just cycling through a few more options, as you would with pretty much any other light. I'm also going to agree that the button can be a bit hard to find, especially with gloves. I don't think it would be a problem for a front light where you can see what you're doing, but trying to press the button on a seatpost-mounted TraceR whilst riding can be tricky! All that said, my TraceR, like my Sirius, is still going strong after several years. I have various other lights knocking around, but the TraceR is still the one I reach for first.
I did not want to click in so I'm assuming that Lancaster Police are more interested in catching the person who sprayed the dog faeces than the person who didn't clear it up. Spraying it makes it easier to spot so that someone else doesn't tread in it, helps authorities identify it so that they can clear it up, and maybe, just maybe, the perpetrator will see it and feel a tiny bit ashamed. Shame on you Lancaster Police, but then that is what others here have been saying for a long time.
Sadly yes, the UCI does need to apply some thought before this all gets to the peleton. It can't be caught banning rider protection, but we can definitely predict: - Some riders seeing airbags as a reason to take risks that they previously would have avoided. - Rules around what happens to a rider when their airbag actually deploys (rather than the dodgy head impact roadside checks we currently see, it would allow a clean 'your out rule' - but teams are never going to like that, especially in multiday races (probably part of why the head impact accelerometers used in other sports haven't appeared in cycle helmets)). - Teams using them as a method to also sneak in aerodynamic advantages. Without some rules it will turn into an all out design war with rider cooling and actual effectiveness of the airbags taking a rear seat). - Cost. Arguments about what happens when some of a race have airbags but not all. Does it need to be mandated as all or none, and if so, at what level of racing?
Note that Deda measures handlebars outside to outside. So you need to deduct 2cm to obtain the center to center width for each listed size.
Well in a sense, it ended up being their own money they wasted, and presumably they are a tax payer, so maybe the software knew what it was doing to start with.
Victims, not witnesses, have the right to know.
Apologies for the misplaced apostrophe in taxpayers', voice recognition software does its thing once again. PLEASE can we have the edit function back?
59 thoughts on “Driving instructors have their say on the Highway Code – “a recipe for disaster” or “not a big deal”?; Should helmets be compulsory?; Pidcock on the move for 2023?; Bernal’s “second chance” + more on the live blog”
I do hope Egan can come back
I do hope Egan can come back as strong as before. We could see some epic grand tour battles against Pog, Roc et al. Merckx said he was never the same again after his big crash, but he still won hundreds more races.
“”I can see that it’s going
“”I can see that it’s going to cause problems because the general standard of driving around here is appalling.”
Said by a driving instructor… the irony!
Maxine said: “I think it’s
Maxine said: “I think it’s silly, I don’t know why they’ve changed it.”
– you need a new job then
“As for this riding in the middle of the road, all it’s going to do is cause traffic chaos.”
– and so do you
“I’ve already seen a video from another instructor where a pupil following the new rules stopped for a pedestrian but the driver behind tried to overtake them and almost drove straight into a lady with a pram.”
– not sure you can do much about someone trying to over take you into the sideroad you are turning into
Hughes said: “People need educating with the new rules. You can’t just say, if you don’t open the door with your left hand you’ll get a £1000 fine and that’s it.”
– but it says nothing of the sort
Was overtaken on friday by a learner who failed to give 1.5m despite no oncoming traffic – what hope is there?
hirsute wrote:
I would love to see this video. Was the learner turning in to or out of a junction? I can only imagine that the learner gave way to somebody crossing a side road and the lady with the pram took the opportunity to cross the main road whilst simultaneously the drive overtook the learner.
With the poor weather at the weekend I spent too much time on facebook looking at articles about the HC. Even when the publication in question quoted the HC and used pictures, some of the comments were moronic and bore no realation to what was being said by the HC. Lot’s of nonsense about peds walking out into the road and even some about getting rid of crossings if peds had right of way. I nearly even corrected some of the claims but then decided that if they didn’t understand the words used in the HC why would I be able to explain it better.
“Won’t be long before there
“Won’t be long before there will be a spate of ruthless cyclists deliberately riding into the front of a car to claim, like in other countries where it is common for pedestrians to throw themselves onto car bonnets as an insurance scam! “
N Wales live comments
They’re throwing themselves
They’re throwing themselves into the road!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uh-X-1otyb4
chrisonatrike wrote:
Transcript coz that whole film is quotable:
I’ve always been struck by
I’ve always been struck by how prescient this film was about the roadscape of the 2020s. So much carries over – this, the drink-driving, the “I” character suffering a close pass then nearly being rear-ended by uncle Monty…
chrisonatrike wrote:
That’s a common theme with a lot of comments on social media…..
Pedestrians are just going to walk out onto the road/cyclists are just going to ride down the left hand side of lorries when they are turning left (or similar themes)…. normally followed by “being in the right won’t help when you are dead”.
EDIT – it’s like they assume that cyclists and pedestrians are going to commit mass suicide just to prove a point.
You do also however get people who misunderstand the rules…. like the silver surfer that pulled out of a side road in front of me (both of us in cars) who 30 seconds further down the road slammed on the brakes for a random pedestrian who was waiting to cross the road (not at a junction, therefore the driver should have continued as normal).
“Learner drivers are
“Learner drivers are generally quite nervous around cyclists because they’re unpredictable, so they’re already frightened, and I think this will just make people even more nervous about it,”
Oh. Dear. Predicting what others will do is a recipe for disaster. Anticipating what they may do or what may happen is much more prudent.
“I can see that it’s going to cause problems because the general standard of driving around here is appalling.”
Given the standard of the local instructors, that is hardly surprising.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-york-north-yorkshire-60302411
And people like cox complain cyclists see drivers as maniacs – yes because there are just enough drivers on the road acting in the same vein as per the video around.
Also
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-dorset-60296025
Psycopathy is actually one of
Psycopathy is actually one of the more common mental health conditions. It may in fact affect, in some way, up to 30% of the population. If their are 45million licensed drivers in the UK then it’s not unreasonable to believe that 10million plus may have psycopathic tendencies.
So in laymans terms not all drivers are homicidal maniacs.
Oh, I get that. My point was
Oh, I get that. My point was that there are enough of them that the risk is always there. It is not 5 days out of 365 there is a risk, but 365/365.
No I got it. That was my
No I got it. That was my point as well. The last para was supposed to be ironic. What percentage have to be homicidal maniacs to pose a significant risk to other road users. Even a very small percentage is a large number.
Sorry, missed the irony !
Sorry, missed the irony !
IanMK wrote:
But they do look just like everybody else…
Some Psychos ride bikes as
Some Psychos ride bikes as well
Or for a younger audience.
Or for a younger audience. How (American) Psycho is this cyclist
brooksby wrote:
Take the quiz: https://vole.wtf/coder-serial-killer-quiz/
hirsute wrote:
What good will the “extended driving test” in 2025 do? Will the instructor be carefully watching to see if he pops open a bottle of bubbly, rolls a cigarette, then starts messaging his mates? If he manages to resist the temptation for a few hours, will he then be a safe driver?
Ten year ban, then a psychological evaluation to see if he’s grown up, then start from scratch with driving lessons.
“I’ve already seen a video
“I’ve already seen a video from another instructor where a pupil following the new rules stopped for a pedestrian but the driver behind tried to overtake them and almost drove straight into a lady with a pram.”
Do I understand correctly that the learner was turning left, stopped to wait for a pedestrian crossing the side road, and another motorist left hooked them? If so I think we can all see where the fault lies.
Gold star to Robert Collins
Robert Collins sums it all up
Robert Collins sums it all up very well :
“It’s not that different to what I’ve always taught anyway so it’s not making a big deal to me and my pupils.
I wonder what the other driving instructors have been teaching their pupils. A little worrying really.
Some one I know has just passed her test. Her biggest worry before the test was “making sufficient progress”. Not sure what her instructor was telling her but I think this is ridiculous.
What would have been
What would have been interesting in the driving instructor report, is have they actually read the HC, and where do they their information from? I’m fairly sure a couple of them either haven’t read the new rules, and/or get their information from rabid right wing media, like the BBC.
We need someone to do a study into misinformation and it’s correlation with belief in fake news.
eburtthebike wrote:
Found this one: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.646394/full
I would consider the BBC to be fairly trustworthy with most topics, but certainly not cycling. Rabid right wing? Not so much.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Well, Laura Keunnsberg still has her job as their main political reporter despite deliberately faking the interview with Corbyn, not something the tories have ever accused her of. Any reputable, unbiased news organisation would have sacked her immediately.
eburtthebike wrote:
Ok, so apart from cycling, active travel, the Highway Code, the environment, Brexit and politics, what have the BBC ever misrepresented to us?
hawkinspeter wrote:
I found out the other day that most of those Top of the Pops performances weren’t even playing their instruments!!
hawkinspeter wrote:
Climate change. And Simon Dee.
eburtthebike wrote:
Ok, so apart from cycling, active travel, the Highway Code, the environment, Brexit, politics, pop music, climate change and Simon Dee, what have the BBC ever misrepresented to us?
hawkinspeter wrote:
Cycle helmets, LTNs.
Sorry, how long do you think we can keep this up?
eburtthebike wrote:
Ok, so apart from cycling, active travel, the Highway Code, the environment, Brexit, politics, pop music, climate change, Simon Dee, cycle helmets and LTNs, what have the BBC ever misrepresented to us?
hawkinspeter wrote:
The weather.
Wouldn’t this be quicker if we asked what they hadn’t misrepresented?
eburtthebike wrote:
Their squirrel coverage is pretty good: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/topics/c5vkx03dg8vt/squirrels
hawkinspeter wrote:
Polar bears?
mdavidford wrote:
Broken link – did you mean a cartesian bear?
Hmm – for some reason the end
Hmm – for some reason the end got lopped off it – I suspect BBC running interference – fixed now.
Quote:
I don’t think you can really blame that on the revisions to the HC… Pretty sure that’s just a case of someone carrying out an illegal maneouvre.
Quick trip to the shop.
Quick trip to the shop. Outward leg 8/10 exemplary overtakes, 1 ok and 1 poor.
The poor one was a driver under instruction – perhaps they had come from N Wales.
froomedog?
froomedog?
is he a 16 year old american college kid
I think Phil Jones should
I think Phil Jones should consider his career choice – perhaps he & the Man U one could swap places for a few weeks, it would probably improve the standard of driving instruction in Rhyl, & have no noticeable affect on the Man U squad
Quote:
Then it’s such a pity that the learner drivers aren’t being accompanied by an experienced and qualified driver who can give them correct guidance.
Erm – hang on…
They’ll be even more nervous
They’ll be even more nervous if they get a NIP or warning letter after pulling a stunt like this
https://twitter.com/pedalmania1/status/1490496511645556737
Perhaps driving instructors should focus a bit more on helping their students to not drive dangerously and obey the Highway Code than on concocting reasons why they should ignore it.
“it’s going to cause problems
“it’s going to cause problems because the general standard of driving around here is appalling” says it all from a driving instructor who’s job it is to make sure driving standards are not appalling.
Would love to see some of
Would love to see some of these driving instructors view on this lovely illustration of Highway Code guidance for cyclists courtesy of City of London police
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhV-5m94vVI
I thought driving instructors
I thought driving instructors had to pass a driving standards test before being able to teach others. I must be wrong, else how do those 2 fuckwits get to be able to teach?
Muddy Ford wrote:
while many others point at bmw and audi drivers, I think driving school cars and horse boxes are the riskiest to be around. Clearly instructers are not teaching new drivrs to give safe space, they are not teaching drivers to be patient and wait for a chance to pass safely.
I can only wonder whether examiners are failing pupils for being too slow when they don’t pass, and not failing for for dangerous close passes. Or if it’s so rare to come across a cyclist in the test, it is almost considered fate if a test is failed for endangering cyclists
Muddy Ford wrote:
Indeed they do. And a test of their instructional ability too. But, as in all walks of life, some are better than others and some are very much worse.
Instructors are themselves re-tested periodically and can be disbarred from practising their trade for a number of reasons, including incompetence.
mike the bike wrote:
If they’re not re-tested via a “secret shopper” type audit, it’s useless.
I give no credit to driving
I give no credit to driving instructors as experts on the road. Round here, I’ve had several screaming at me, sometimes with pupils in the car, to use non exsistent cycle lanes, or to get off the road. I’ve been closs passed, dangerously so, and left hooked, all in fully liveried driving school cars. Usually with only the driver in, so assume it has been the instructor, but sometimes by a nervous 17 year old, and obviously not being told to give more space, or wait for a gap in oncoming traffic
I see that it isn’t just
I see that it isn’t just round my way that driving instructors are crap.
Also, enough of this Bernal garbage. He has shown himself to be a fanny, first it was “95% paraplegic”, then “almost died” but now out of hospital less than two weeks since his crash and is now reborn.
Maybe if he paid attention to what was going on around him rather than staring at his power meter then he wouldn’t have rammed the back of a bus.
dubwise wrote:
?
dubwise wrote:
Bit harsh? The “95% paraplegic” quote wasn’t saying that he was 95% paraplegic, it was saying that he had a 95% chance of becoming paraplegic, and given the damage he’s done to his spine and legs I can well believe a doctor saying “only one in twenty people wouldn’t become paraplegic.” All a bit “what if” of course. As for “almost died,” I can well believe it, with a crash of that severity death would certainly be quite possible. Anyway, again it’s subjective, when my appendix burst I “almost died” as, apparently, without an operation I would have been dead in 12 hours, but I wouldn’t say I was close to death as thanks to the NHS I got the operation.
Harsh too to assume he was “staring at his power meter”, no real details of the crash have been released as far as I know?
He’s a young lad who’s been through what, by anyone’s standards, would be a pretty horrific and frightening experience and is naturally grateful to have survived, maybe he’s giving it a bit of hyperbole, I know I would have at his age (still would, TBH). I’d sooner celebrate his survival and wish him a swift recovery than slag him off at this point.
Hmmm, 15 posts, aggressive
Hmmm, 15 posts, aggressive nature, other troll absent…..
I thought that but it
I thought that but it actually criticises at least one group of people who drive cars and doesn’t blame EB’s crash on his TT bike so…
Different tone to our own
Different tone to our own house trolls. Maybe he’s a locum?
Quote:
Was that later on in the item, because it doesn’t seem to appear in the clip posted?
He refers to data from NZ showing a fall in cycling and a rise in the injury rate(?) when helmets were made mandatory. And Knowles made a vague reference to data showing that helmets increased injuries, but didn’t mention that specific study.
It was earlier in the item. I
It was earlier in the item. I’ve linked to the full show in the original post. It’s on about half an hour in, after a segment on pop star’s riders!
Almost all of those Pro
Almost all of those Pro Cycling Trumps colours would be a vast improvement on the actual kits.
I’d love to see Pidcock at EF
I’d love to see Pidcock at EF (could be a team backed by a powerful US bike manufacturer, but that could also be Trek or Specialized), where one assumes he’d fit in well with their alt-cycling ethos but it would also be great to see him at Quickstep, where his talents would be sure to be maxmised. I couldn’t see him staying at Quickstep though as Patrick and his shallow pockets, open cricitism recruitment model would put paid to that after his first contract.