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Public say Boris Johnson's bike ride makes it more difficult for police officers to enforce lockdown laws

Separate poll shows most believe that Prime Minister's Olympic Park ride did not break rules...

Most people believe that Boris Johnson’s bike ride in the Olympic Park earlier this month has made it more difficult for police to enforce lockdown restrictions, according to a survey from YouGov – but a separate poll from the same firm found a majority of those who expressed an opinion say that thet did not think he had broken the law.

The story made headline news last week, with many outlets pointing towards government advice for England which state that exercise, including cycling, “should be limited to once per day, and you should not travel outside your local area” – although the regulations themselves, which unlike the guidance carry the force of law, make no such distinction. 

> The real story about Boris Johnson’s bike ride? It highlights confusion over lockdown rules

In a survey of 1,566 adults in England and Wales carried out last Wednesday and Thursday, opinion polling firm YouGov asked:

Boris Johnson travelled seven miles from Downing Street to go for a bike ride at the weekend. Regardless of whether you think this does or does not bend or break COVID-19 rules, do you think what Boris Johnson did makes it harder for police to enforce the rules, or doesn’t it make any difference?

Almost two thirds of respondents, 63 per cent, agreed that it made the police’s job more difficult, with 36 per cent saying it made it “much harder” and 27 per cent saying it made it “a little harder.”

Around a third, 32 per cent, believed it did not “really make any difference to the enforcement of the rules,” while 6 per cent expressed no opinion.

Labour voters (47 per cent), people who voted Remain in the 2016 EU referendum (44 per cent) and women (40 per cent)were most likely to agree that it had made police officers’ enforcement of the rules much harder.

Downing Street would not confirm whether the Prime Minister had ridden from Westminster to the park in Stratford under his own steam, or if he had been travelled there in a car.

However, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said that she believed he had not broken the law.

A separate poll by YouGov, conducted among 1,692 adults across Great Britain for The Sun on Sunday, with fieldwork carried out last Thursday and Friday, referred to the bike ride and asked, “So far as you know, do you think this was or was not acceptable under the coronavirus lockdown rules?”

Just under half of respondents, 48 per cent, said that it was acceptable, while 38 per cent said it was not and 13 per cent expressed no opinion.

Conservative voters (65 per cent) and those who voted Leave in 2016 (59 per cent) were most likely to view the bike ride as acceptable, while Labour voters (54 per cent) and people living in Scotland (47 per cent) should the highest agreement with it not being acceptable.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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18 comments

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Sriracha | 3 years ago
0 likes

Seems a bit inconsistent, people think Boris has set an example which respects the law, yet simultaneously think his example makes the law more difficult to enforce? Generally, where there is confusion, I find that a worked example can only help.

Ah, contradictory answers, but two separate surveys. I think it was explained to a different Prime Minister
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=G0ZZJXw4MTA

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Achtervolger | 3 years ago
0 likes

"been travelled"?!

 

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mikem22 | 3 years ago
0 likes

I don't think that there is any confusion or lack of clarity between the rules and the guidance but it is a point of difference that interests me in. In Scotland the rules are slightly different to England but I would be able to travel up to 5 miles in order to take exercise. Once on the bike I can ride as far as I want as long as I finish in the same place I started. However, guidance from the government at the moment is basically asking that we only excercise locally (though what local means doesn't seem to be defined).

Generally I would cycle outdoors a few times every week and usually cover 40-80 miles on a ride but I also have the option of hopping on a trainer in the shed. Given the guidance at the moment, combined with the news coverage of the hospitals bursting at the seams and with NHS staff at their wits end, I have made a decision to stick to the trainer for now as there is less risk of me contracting / spreading or having a non covid related incident that would place further demand on the health service (I also don't consider 40-80 miles would really qualify as local even though I know the roads in the area well).

I know the added risk of an outdoor ride is fairly small.. but it is an increased risk over walking to the shed all the same. I also know of 3 riders (from my 120 or so followers on Strava) in my area that have come off and ended up in hospital during lock-down (two ice related and one hit a sheep!).

I guess it's a personal decision and maybe having rules and guidance is pointless as fundamentally we all tend to push rules to the edge in order to suit / justify our actions. I just feel that at the moment everything I can do to mitigate risk is the right thing.. whether in relation to shopping, socialising or exercise. For me that means considering the guidance as well as the rules and opting to hop on the trainer rather than ride around the block a few times.

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Chris Hayes | 3 years ago
2 likes

I'm not sure that Boris' ride makes any difference.  The former Lord Chief Justice, Jonathan Sumption, has already opined on the subject of distance and exercise and the law is clear on the matter: you can ride as far as you like, and you can travel to exercise - as the law is currently drafted. 

That said, I'm personally grateful to Boris. Anything that makes life more difficult for the police hanging around London parks questioning people's daily exercise whilst there are actual crimes being committed is a good thing. 

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planetjanet | 3 years ago
3 likes

I would strongly suggest Road CC and Simon MacMichael keep their political opinions out of Road CC or people will just hit 'delete' and move on. We cycle to get away from this crap.

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Sniffer replied to planetjanet | 3 years ago
2 likes

I can't tell their political opinions from this article. Which bit gives it away?

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mdavidford replied to planetjanet | 3 years ago
1 like

planetjanet wrote:

people will just hit 'delete'

Delete what? The internet?

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hawkinspeter replied to mdavidford | 3 years ago
1 like

mdavidford wrote:

planetjanet wrote:

people will just hit 'delete'

Delete what? The internet?

Where's the UNDO button?

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Rendel Harris replied to planetjanet | 3 years ago
3 likes

planetjanet wrote:

I would strongly suggest Road CC and Simon MacMichael keep their political opinions out of Road CC or people will just hit 'delete' and move on. We cycle to get away from this crap.

There is nothing in this article that represents political opinion, it's straightforward news reporting on an issue which is highly pertinent to cyclists at the moment, i.e. the scope of outdoor cycling permitted.

In any case, the choice to cycle is in many ways a highly political one and our ability to do so in a safe environment is enormously affected by political decision makers, so why on earth would a cycle website ignore it? 

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Rik Mayals unde... | 3 years ago
1 like

I'll bet if Wee Nicky rode 7 miles, the Scottish would think it acceptible.

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Sniffer replied to Rik Mayals underpants | 3 years ago
1 like

Rules are much clearer in Scotland, so at least the circumstances could be judged?

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Rik Mayals unde... | 3 years ago
3 likes

"Labour voters (47 per cent), people who voted Remain in the 2016 EU referendum (44 per cent) and women (40 per cent)were most likely to agree that it had made police officers’ enforcement of the rules much harder."

No shit Sherlock, anything to get the boot into Boris! What sort of skewed survey was that?

"Hello, Could you answer some questions please? Firstly, do you think Boris travelling 7 miles on his bike makes it harder for the Police?"

"Secondly, Did you vote remail or leave?"

The only survey that was, it appears, was an attempt to stir up yet more Brexit shit.

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alansmurphy replied to Rik Mayals underpants | 3 years ago
3 likes

You are aware that they take a nationally representative sample and then segment it after the survey. The figures you quote show that more labour voters think it hasn't made it harder as well as more rmainers and more women. 

 

Headline could be "most labour voters think that Boris' bike ride does not make it harder for the Police to enforce lockdown rules"

 

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jerv | 3 years ago
4 likes

Haters gonna hate.

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IanMK | 3 years ago
2 likes

I know when this story first emerged I was happy to stick the boot in.  I don't believe that he cycled the 7 miles to the Olympic Park. Let's be honest he doesn't walk across St James's to walk around Buckingham Palace Gardens. I'm sure that must be on security advice so it's unlikely that the risk assesment to cycle along the Roads was going to be positive. I think he wanted to go for a cycle and his security team thought the place that they could best protect him was Olympic Park. That's their Risk Assessment and that's absolutely fine; he has proven that there was a need for him to be driven 7 miles to take exercise. If that's the case just say so.

Show people how to do Risk Assessments. Avoiding the question and not giving straight answers to straight questions is what's causing the problems and confusion.

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alexls | 3 years ago
7 likes

Shock horror!  People who don't like / disagree with a person are more likely to think he did something wrong.  Meanwhile, in the woods...

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Steve K replied to alexls | 3 years ago
1 like

alexls wrote:

Shock horror!  People who don't like / disagree with a person are more likely to think he did something wrong.  Meanwhile, in the woods...

In general, I am sure you are right, but for what it's worth I don't like Johnson or Brexit, and yet I don't think he did anything wrong in this instance (other than leading a government which has been appallingly unclear on what it's lockdown rules are).

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Pilot Pete | 3 years ago
4 likes

I think you will find it is lack of clarity about legislation vs guidance, lack of the majority of the public even bothering to read the legislation and understand what they can legally do and not do, who are then passing judgement and police not sticking to the principles of policing the law and incorrectly issuing illegal FPNs that has created most confusion.

PP

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