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Cyclists in London at night stopped at red light - copyright Simon MacMichaelIndependent columnist downgrades speed of “Lyrca-clad red-light jumpers” from 52mph to 40mph
After the Telegraph’s headline of “lycra lout cyclists” going “52mph in a 20mph zone”, a columnist writing for the Independent has claimed that there’s a large crossover between “those nearly killing walking commuters and the head-to-toe [Lycra]-clad red-light jumpers going 40mph in a 20mph zone”.
The column belongs to Ellie Harrison, the Independent’s TV Editor and is titled “I ride a bike to work – but I’m sick of reckless cyclists ruining it for everyone”. She starts by painting a picture of crossing a road while walking to work on a bleary Monday morning with a cup of flat white in hand, but as a cyclist whizzes past her, she drops the scalding hot beverage on her leg — an experience she claims “anyone living in a UK city will know all too well”.
“Walk anywhere in central London these days, and you’ll see swarms of cyclists buzzing by. Pedestrians are suffering. Things need to change,” she writes.
However, Harrison gives a disclaimer that she “mostly cycles to work”, sometimes even wearing Lycra shorts. However, as a fairly responsible and normal person, she feels genuine shame most mornings, when she comes across cyclists nearly mowing down pedestrians as they jump red lights at high speed.
I ride a bike to work – but I’m sick of reckless cyclists ruining it for everyone https://t.co/GO3Rs4FOx5
— The Independent (@Independent) July 23, 2024
The column reads: “In the Venn diagram of types of bike people, there tends to be a large crossover between those nearly killing walking commuters and the head-to-toe Lyrca-clad [sic] red-light jumpers going 40mph in a 20mph zone. These speed freaks make the rest of us good guys look bad – they tarnish the cyclist brand and take away from all the wonderful things about biking.
However, Harrison confesses that she’s no saint — in fact, she says that she runs red lights occasionally – at about 5mph, when there are no pedestrians trying to cross and no cars in sight. She even argues in favour of “head starts” for cyclists in traffic junctions, which allow cyclists to go before traffic, and hold the left-turning traffic for longer.
The most dubious claim made in the piece, however, is the throwaway line of cyclists doing 40mph in a 20mph zone, much similar to the headline Telegraph ran in its newspaper on Friday 17 May this year: “52mph in a 20 zone... Lycra lout cyclists are creating death traps all over Britain.”
The headline led to a lot of backlash with the publisher even changing the headline on its website eventually, albeit the newspaper one had been set in stone, as it easily became known that doing 52mph in London traffic was a little bit too unbelievable, given six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy’s fastest ever speed was 80km/h, achieved on an optimal indoor velodrome in the keirin, a track cycling event where riders slipstream behind a derny to achieve faster speeds.
However, it looks like the Independent has downgraded that ludicrous speed to something slightly more believable of 40mph, or 64km/h, although we would still like to repeat a comment made by a cyclist on social media under the Telegraph post: “If you can ride through London at 52mph 40mph, please contact your local professional bicycling team. They may be interested in your skills.”
> 20 of the most hysterical Daily Mail anti-cycling headlines
Running a red light, meanwhile, can be of course be dangerous while also being illegal at any speed, as noted by another commenter under the column. They additionally wrote: “I query the remark about ‘Lyrca(sic)-clad red-light jumpers going 40mph in a 20mph zone’. How can she be sure they were doing 40mph? That speed is not at all easy for a moderately able cyclist to attain on a level road. Perhaps she had some sort of radar device? How can she be sure it wasn't logging a motor vehicle?
“This has all the hallmarks of a classic anti-cycling rant. The fact that the writer claims to (occasionally, one presumes) get in the saddle, is no excuse.
“Today I came close to being run down by a bus. Its driver saw fit to overtake a parked vehicle and approach straight into my path. I had to hit the brakes hard - more so because it was a slight downhill. I suppose it was my fault for going downhill in the first place, wasn't it?!”
According to the Highway Code, it is illegal to jump light red lights for cycles, and the number of pedestrians hit by cyclists has also increased by a third since 2020, as per data released by police in May. However, road casualty statistics show that bikes are involved in just 2 per cent of pedestrian casualties reported to and by the police.
There has also been the recent controversy around the "dangerous cycling bill" that received cross-party backing from both Labour and the Conservatives during the previous government's tenure and could be passed under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
On becoming law, it would introduce the specific offence of “causing death by dangerous, careless, or inconsiderate cycling, and causing serious injury by careless or inconsiderate cycling”, which would lead to tougher penalties for those who kill or injure while riding bikes, e-bikes, electric scooters, unicycles, and “personal transporters”.
A recent survey done by active travel charity Cycling UK also found that almost two-thirds of the UK are supportive of encouraging others to cycle more, with 70 per cent respondents also wanting to see more cycle-friendly routes across the country.
The charity also called on the Labour government to show its commitment to improving active travel in the country by allocating 10 per cent of the total transport budget to cycling and walking, while also moving away from the "culture war" and the “divisive rhetoric” around the topic stirred by the previous government to bed once and for all.
Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.
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95 comments
Last week I did 112 mph on the flat into a headwind. But I was wearing head-to-toe Lycra.
Ah so it was you crawling along forcing me to ride on the pavement, through a red light at 150mph??
I saw a bloke on a electric scooter going easily 30mph in the dark without lights last Saturday night.
On the pavement and he hit a wheelchair user.
Oh, it's only cyclists that do that.
This is the same problem as with the article. How did you determine the speed of the cars and the mono-thingy? Observers see a cyclist doing 18mph and they think they are going too fast. They see a car going at 25mph in a 20mph limit and think it is going too slow. Without a speed gun it is just heresay.
Ban pedestrianing whilst holding a hot beverage!
Ellie Harrison "I'm a cyclist myself, but......diatribe, alternative facts, delusions".
The media bias against cycling is profound and almost universal, but why? Cycling is the answer to more of society's problems than anything else, but journalists insist on attacking it, because it's an easy target and cyclists are an out group, and they can't attack people on racial or sexual grounds any more, so cyclists fit the bill nicely.
I think we should invite all the journos who have written such articles to a meeting to discuss their views, lock the doors and pump in car exhaust gas until they change their minds. Or write lots of anti-journalist articles on social media: after all, journos aren't protected either.
I genuinely believe that a lot of the hatred that the media have is a reflection of drivers' jealousy of cyclists ability to skip past urban traffic queues whilst not spending a fortune on a monthly car lease or fuel bill.
Yes. We're in the way (taking up too much space, despite being smaller than cars) and we're undertaking (filtering, that is).
Not seen studies on this but I think it's the usual "out-grouping" plus our underlying psychological "cheater detection". Like all chimpanzees we're sensitive to those who are in the game (sharing the same road) but "different" - and not playing by the rules (not going at the minimum speed limits and then not waiting in the queue of other vehicles - plus of course "road tax" although I think that is an afterthought).
In particular when those with lower status (minorities - cyclists definitely fit here) transgress the "rules" this triggers us (chimp paper here).
I got called a ''wan'' the other day by a driver going in the opposite direction. Not sure what a wan is but he looked very cross so I assume it wasn't complimentary.
I always thought 'wan' meant 'pale and interesting'. Have you been overusing your suntan lotion?
Maybe just a little pale from being close passed and otherwise intimidated.
A man in a van
Once called me a "wan":
His meaning I could not infer.
Maybe one day
He'll come back this way
And then he'll deliver the "ker".
Am I the only one wondering why the picture The Independant used was of a full cycle lane? It's almost as if it is easier to find responsible cyclists than irresponsible ones.
Not round here in SE London it isn't. Possibly because the cycle lanes are so bad, most are empty at most times of day from 6.00 am to late evening when I'm out walking or cycling. Of the bike lane users, a high proportion are huge, ebikes that fill the lane and blast across pedestrians or slower pedal cycles
You can't tell how fast they are going in a photo. All of those cyclists are doing at least 40. At least!
More tiresome nonsense. As someone who commutes by bike in London daily, I can confirm that there are some people who run red lights. No, they're not mostly "lycra clad". The majority are people on Lime bikes and delivery riders on homebrew e-bikes. And no cyclist goes at 40mph, obviously.
I remember when journalism was a respected trade but now it's full of liars and more liars.
In my fittest days, I could only just reach 40mph on a slight decline and only for a short distance and I was a 200 miles a week rider so I think this lady is another teller of untruths but the telegraph and mail readers will believe every word and continue to hate cyclists.
Blimey - you've got a long memory!
(It has changed in say the last decade - there's more "churnalism" but it's not completely so - and there was plenty inaccurate, fantastic or plain mendacious stuff in the past also. Recommend Andrew Marr's book "My Trade" for an interesting potted long view).
Hahaha. Touchè.
Not in my lifetime, but then, I'm only 72, so perhaps your memories are longer than mine.
I think the least respected professions are in ascending order:
Politicians
Estate Agents
Journalists
But I could be wrong.
I know some people are into their skinsuits these days, but I didn't realise cycling onesies were now a thing.
Tbf: I might have a buff under helmet in winter, another around neck, cycling jersey, arm warmers, bib shorts, leggings, socks might have lycra. That's head to toe clothes containing lycra
The journo seems concerned about culture war issues between cyclists & drivers, but then provokes one between cyclists (but only the type she's not) and pedestrians?
Weird isn't it though, I have a 25km each way commute into that London, so I keep up a good pace & have the temerity to wear Spandex (the rock & roll version of lycra). Yet I stop at red lights & in my experience it's just as often the slower "nodders" commuting by bike that habitually ignore red lights (one assumes because their journey wouldn't be that quick if they didn't?). I just treat it as urban interval work & take pleasure in counting how often I can overtake the same RLJer whilst sticking to the rules myself. My record is 8 on CS7.
Exactly. I was doing that in 1980s and 90s. Fewer cyclists, big SUVs & pick-up trucks, traffic lights: ease up before red light and accelerate on green for interval training. Occasionally ripping off freewheel teeth until no more Suntour Ultra6 available even in old box under bike shop workbenches. Did same with RLJers. Happy days.
Unfortunately, there were mad riders even then who blasted across red lights and zebra crossings swerving round pushchairs and old folk who made me ashamed to be on a bike as pedestrians looked scared at me and could hardly believe I'd stopped
Occasionally I get a militant road crosser shouting at me because "you lot" don't stop (despite the evidence before their eyes). Has happened at least 3 times since the lockdowns at red lights I've been waiting at and once when I was making my through a green & the ped in question stepped out ahead of a stream of us without looking (I put that one own to shock/embarrassment & therefore defensive posturing). I do get the whole "tarred by the same brush" argument but it doesn't seem equally applied to speeding/RLJing drivers, pavement parkers or zombie pedestrians.
I guess the "some people are d!cks" article doesn't read as well if there isn't a mention of lycra to the fore.
That's exactly my experience cycling in London too. It's the "people on bikes" not the cyclists who are more likely to RLJ.
I'm confused - surely "people on bikes" is pretty much the definition of cyclists? Is this some kind of "no true Scotsman"?
It's really irritating returning to your bike (or quad) only to find people on it?
Either they're putting something in the water in London or it's much hillier than I thought!
I haven't seen 40mph on anything remotely flat, in fact it takes a reasonable decline! Clearly I need to train more.
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