[brooksby]

[quote]

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering wants a law change so cyclists are prosecuted for the offence of using a phone, in the same way that car drivers are.

…

Lady McIntosh questioned why Rule 149 of the code, requiring motorists to “exercise proper control of your vehicle at all times” and banning use of a mobile phone while driving, did not apply to cyclists and other road users.

To illustrate her point, she said she had recently been walking to the Houses of Parliament and as she was crossing the road, she suddenly became aware of a cyclist travelling towards her using a mobile phone, “one hand bicycling, one hand on the mobile phone, on the wrong side of the road”.

She added: “I wasn’t clear whether he was going to stop or not.”

[/quote]

Ahhhh – legislation based on anecdata 😉

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-61018584

Topic

[Mungecrundle]

I’m being perfectly serious.
I’m being perfectly serious. I could have suffered a head injury, that ironically ( and without wishing to throw a cat into a wasp nest from a ladder) a cycling helmet would have protected me from.

[the little onion]

Don’t mock – more people are

Don’t mock – more people are killed each year by bees, ladders, toasters and mobility scooters than by cyclists.

[brooksby]

Has anyone noticed that the

Has anyone noticed that the initials of a certain poster who it is believed might be a previously banned user are “D.Q.”, and that DQ is often used as an abbreviation for “disqualified”.  Hmm.   Disqualified from what??  Enquiring minds wish to know… 😉

[mdavidford]

Mungecrundle wrote:

Mungecrundle wrote:

I once had a nasty incident involving a spoon. How many people are injured every year by spoons?

You need…

Spooooooon Guaaaaard

[markieteeee]

To be fair to the expenses

To be fair to the expenses fiddler, she only wanted a law change so that cyclists are prosecuted in the same way that car drivers are.  Judging by the numbers of car drivers I see using their phones everyday, in practical terms this means no change. 

[brooksby]

Mungecrundle wrote:

Mungecrundle wrote:

But, yeah, cycling with a phone pressed to your ear or whilst one handed texting is a dick move.

That’s the thing, isn’t it?  The article says that if you were caught using your phone while ‘something else’ happened then the legislation on careless cycling etc already covers it.  So introducing a new law just for the sake of it seems redundant (especially when the Govt seems so keen to take a flamethrower to so much existing legislation…).

[OldRidgeback]

Mungecrundle wrote:

Mungecrundle wrote:

I once had a nasty incident involving a spoon. How many people are injured every year by spoons? I think the good Baroness should head up a Parliamentary committee immediately to look into this matter before another person is needlessly put at potential harm. But, yeah, cycling with a phone pressed to your ear or whilst one handed texting is a dick move.

I was once stung by a wasp on my finger, which then swelled up and hurt for days. Can we ban wasps that aren’t wearing high visibility apparel?

[peted76]

Mungecrundle wrote:

Mungecrundle wrote:

I once had a nasty incident involving a spoon. How many people are injured every year by spoons? I think the good Baroness should head up a Parliamentary committee immediately to look into this matter before another person is needlessly put at potential harm.

I once trod on a cat, it was horrid, the cat screamed and I felt terrible for at least five minutes afterwards. I would like to put forward a motion that cats should wear hi-viz at all times and fines of up to £30 for owners of cats caught not wearing it. 

[wycombewheeler]

Rendel Harris wrote:

I would be interested to see the data regarding how many RTAs involve cyclists on mobile phones, 

Considering the rabid way the media reports any incidents caused by cyclists I’m sure we would know all about ANY serious injuries caused in such a manner.

[wycombewheeler]

“Something mildly concerning

“Something mildly concerning happened to me on my way to work”, *clutches pearls* “so the law must be changed.”

Meanwhile 400 people a year killed by drivers on the pavement, no shits given in either house.

[peted76]

Clearly this is the most

Clearly this is the most important issue in Baroness McIntosh of Pickerings’ life. 

– FFS get a grip.

[Rendel Harris]

“It wasn’t clear whether he

“It wasn’t clear whether he was going to stop or not” – well did he or didn’t he? 

Anyone using their mobile phone handheld while cycling is an idiot, in my opinion, but I would be interested to see the data regarding how many RTAs involve cyclists on mobile phones, I’ve not heard of the single incidence so I would imagine it is a minuscule number. I do fear that over the next couple of years we are going to see a number of calls for relatively pointless regulation for cycling as a form of revenge for the fact that the Highway Code has provided clarity regarding the way motorists should behave. One can easily see how “We can’t use mobiles when driving so we need a law saying you can’t either” could swiftly move on to “We have to have a licence when driving so you have to as well…”

[Mungecrundle]

I once had a nasty incident
I once had a nasty incident involving a spoon. How many people are injured every year by spoons? I think the good Baroness should head up a Parliamentary committee immediately to look into this matter before another person is needlessly put at potential harm.

But, yeah, cycling with a phone pressed to your ear or whilst one handed texting is a dick move.

[hawkinspeter]

Quote:

There is no specific offence for a cyclist using a phone, but a minister pointed out cyclists can be prosecuted for careless or dangerous cycling.

That comes with fines of up to £2,500.

I’m glad to see that she’s got her priorities in order. In the middle of a pandemic and a climate catastrophe, she wants a law change to criminalise an activity that’s already covered by a law. Next thing, she’ll be wanting a reduced tax rate on caviar to help with the cost of living crisis.

[Author]

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