A councillor in Orkney has raised concerns about tourist cyclists coming to the island on cruise ships and urged the police to start charging them as part of an operation originally meant to tackle “anti-social driving”, with the chair of the meeting confirming that measures will be put in place from next year to deal with the rider and ease the tension with the locals.
The agenda was raised by councillor Mellissa Thomson at the council’s Police and Fire Sub-committee, while discussing Police Scotland’s Fair Warn campaign.
The Fair Warn campaign was introduced in Orkney earlier this year to deal with anti-social and inconsiderate driving and parking behaviour. The officers have sent 47 letters to offending motorists in the last four months since the operation began.
However, Councillor Thomson asked local Chief Inspector Scott Robertson: “I am particularly interested in your Fair Warn campaign. I hadn’t understood much about it before but I’m getting it now. Is this just about vehicles or are we heading into motorbikes and push bikes?”
She added: “You probably know where I’m heading with this.”
A chuckling Robertson told the councillor that it applied to motor vehicles and motorbikes, but not cycles.
Councillor Thomson then questioned: “So there’s no way you’ll be writing to people who are on push bikes who are running around unsafe at the moment and coming off cruises?”
Inspector Robertson replied: “You will be aware that myself and the chair and others have had some really good discussions with regard to the cruise ships and the cyclists coming off them.
“I don’t want to preempt it but we hope to have something in place for the next season.”
The committee’s chair Councillor David Dawson added that it was too late to get something in place for this year. He said it wouldn’t be effective as there are only a few more visits planned from ships carrying push-bikes, but assured Thomson that they will have “something for next season”.
> Just how good is Mallorca for cycling?
At which point, Councillor Sandy Cowie also chimed in, saying: “The laws around cycling seem to be fairly weak.
“I discovered the other day that you can’t actually break the speed limit on a bicycle regardless of how fast you go. Speed limits, apparently, don’t apply. But you can be charged with furious cycling. I think that’s the term.”
Inspector Robertson told him that he wasn’t sure if he had ever heard the term “furious cycling” but they could charge people with careless and dangerous cycling in Scotland.
> Do cyclists have to stick to the speed limit?
The Press and Journal reports that there has been friction between Orcadians and liner passengers who take to the roads in large cycle groups during this summer, with the “behaviour of some cyclists and the hazards these large groups can pose to motorists” being a point of contention.
Every year, hundreds of people visit the island archipelago located off the north eastern coast of Scotland. In 2023, over 200 ships are expected as part of the cruise liner season. Even more are expected next year, with 253 advanced bookings already made.
89 thoughts on “Councillor urges police to charge “tourist cyclists” coming on cruise liners and “running around unsafe””
Oh dear. These tourist
Oh dear. These tourist cyclists better make sure they arrive on the island on an almost empty e-bike then.
Or with a car – that ought to
Or with a car – that ought to ease the traffic issues.
I feel so sorry for those
I feel so sorry for those poor little motorists, trapped in their protective metal boxes and surrounded with airbags, ready to cocoon them at the slightest bump. If only we could better protect them.
Quote:
For someone in public office and so het up about cycling she’s not terribly well informed, is she?
“hazards these large groups
“hazards these large groups can pose to motorists”
You mean drivers have to actually drive properly and concentrate?
I agree the term “hazard” isn
I agree the term “hazard” isn’t the best, but in the sense of something like “standing water hazard”, it’s perhaps more appropriate – something to look out for, and act accordingly.
A long line of single file, very spaced out, slow moving cyclists (which is the subject here) is very difficult to navigate around properly and safely. You need long clear sightlines for any oncoming traffic, and there are substantial sections of the main road where this just isn’t the case – bends in the road and hills – and then you’ve got to be lucky enough there isn’t any oncoming traffic.
FYI the picture you have is
FYI the picture you have is of a ferry, not a cruise liner. Not that cyclists can’t or don’t travel by ferry, but they are different things.
Of course the whole thing seems a bit ridiculous. I very much expect this is another case where the “hazard” cyclists present is merely daring to exist on the roads, forcing the poor motorists to engage their brain slightly.
Cyclist scum terrorising
Cyclist scum terrorising Orkney islands, trapping people in their homes…
The moment somebody says,
The moment somebody says, “push bikes”, I have enough information on their antiquated attitude towards cycling to evaluate the basis for their views.
“…the hazards these large groups can pose to motorists”
Yes, these objects are a real hazard as they bounce off my bull bars(!). How is an honest driver to own the road when they insist on using it at the same time as me?
I have to say for balance, having cycled around other outlying Scottish islands, that much of mainland Britain has a lot to learn in terms of attitudes towards cyclists.
I have always used the
I have always used the generalised term ‘pushbikes’, only being more specific when differentiating between my road bike/cross bike/mountain bike etc. so don’t always assume that the term means they don’t know/care about the subject.
In this case however, the next sentence “…the hazards these large groups can pose to motorists” absolutely tells us all we need to know about this particular person’s views on the subject!
Where is the ‘push’?
Where is the ‘push’?
I pedal mine. I only push it when, like my car, I can’t propel it in the manner designed for it. I don’t have a push car.
It’s a cycle, bicycle or bike, which might include motorbikes so I refer to a cycle or a pedal cycle if I need to differentiate.
I’ve never seen “push bike” without it being overtly disparaging or where it is clearly an afterthought in somebody’s considerations.
GMBasix wrote:
I push the pedals (my souplesse needs work).
But yes, personally, I would use ‘bike’ or ‘motorbike’.
quiff wrote:
or “twist bike”, perhaps
Ehmm, you push the pedals to
Ehmm, you push the pedals to generate movement. Personally I’ve never heard the term pedal bike.
I tend to use the term push
I tend to use the term push bike. Maybe it’s an age thing rather than anything else. I’m sure the councillor would have archaic views on transport regardless of her choice of word. I’m sure that she would be bumping her gums on proposals for segregated infrastructure and implementing 20mph zones across the islands.
The reporting doesn’t make
The reporting doesn’t make clear what the problem is but I can imagine that hundreds, even thousands (not all cycling, of course) of people descending from huge cruise ships almost daily can put strain on a small island’s infrastructure and services (“hazards” seem less likely). Mass tourism isn’t wholly a blessing.
It sounds like something which should be addressed with the cruise companies (who must be lending the bikes). Some guidance and perhaps managing numbers, timing and routes might help. I can’t imagine initiating prosecutions or even warning letters to people who’ll never be there again is going to be much use.
As said above, I’m on an
As said above, I’m on an island that receives a fair number of cruise ship visits (about 90 this year, occasionally with two at the same time). I don’t particularly think the tourists get in the way much, personally- I hardly notice they’re there until I see a cruiser anchored outside the port, with the biggest inconvenience being a closed car park. I think they bring a bit of life to the place to be honest.
I wonder how long she would
I wonder how long she would keep her position if the cyclists announced they weren’t going to come as a direct result of any meaningful action…
I suspect that scaring off a good chunk of the tourist trade a few years after covid really wouldn’t go down well with people working in it (which given it is a sizeable chunk of the islands economy is an awful lot of voters…).
Exactly how many cyclists are
Exactly how many cyclists are there on the average cruise ship? I would have thought that the number would be close to zero.
Large groups scaring
Large groups scaring Orcadians in 4x4s.
So at least two.
AidanR wrote:
I guess the cruise operators rent bikes to passengers – but it’s not clear. Given the numbers of passengers on some of these behemoths, a few % take-up could be quite a large number for a small place.
I don’t think these are BYOB MAMIL cruises though.
Living on another island that
Living on another island that’s popular with cruise ships, most of the tourists appear to take walking tours or coach excursions, although one German cruise ship (“Mein Schiff” it was called) had its own fleet of bicycles.
Just replace “hazards” with
Just replace “hazards” with “inconvienience”
“Give us your money but don’t
“Give us your money but don’t dare to cause any inconvenience at all” is the best translation I can come up with.
Same attitude in Cornwall. I
Same attitude in Cornwall. I get the impression there that they would rather tourists stayed at home and just posted money to the county.
Who wouldn’t like their
Who wouldn’t like their customers to stay at home and just post them money!
I guess Cornwall might have too much of “a good thing” – of course some people will be coining it in but for many locals it’s probably more about being priced out of the housing market.
I’ve never had an issue with
I’ve never had an issue with dangerous close passes etc when cycling in Cornwall by anyone with a locally registered car, mostly wankpanzers with private or London plates. And everyone in the shops – apart from the places with far too many tourists with bad or impatient attitudes continuously pi55ing the staff off – has been friendly, helpful and considerate. Your sweeping generalisation is untrue and unhelpful. You must only have had dealings with emmits and DFLs
There’s “heated debate” going
There’s “heated debate” going on about it. Many very much welcome the cruise ships. They generated nearly £3m in port revenues alone last year, and obviously passengers spend their money here too.
The contention really centres around the volume of passengers. Kirkwall (the main cruise harbour) has a population of around 9000. However, there have been days where two ships, each with a capacity of 5000 passengers, PLUS crew, have been docked, and yes, on those days, tourists are a problem. We joke about getting our feet wet as Kirkwall sinks back into the sea under their weight.
For safety reasons, the council closes certain roads in Kirkwall on such days. This impacts local business who can’t get stock in and out of their premises. To my mind, that means there’s too many people. It’s a demonstrable negative impact on the people who live and work here.
There is a plan to start limiting the number of ships based on passenger capacity, but there’s already 250+ ships booked in for 2024, so it will be 2025 before that kicks in.
TheFatAndTheFurious wrote:
What?! Next you’ll be telling me I can’t drive down Broad Street on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day! ?
That’s for the benefit of the
That’s for the benefit of the people who live here, and businesses tend to be shut on those days.
TheFatAndTheFurious wrote:
Ah. My Ba’ joke was obviously too subtle. Or just bad. ?
As another commenter neatly
As another commenter neatly summarised:
If and when it gets to nuisance levels (and I believe it is) then the issue needs to be addressed.
TheFatAndTheFurious wrote:
I appreciate the local viewpoint, I cycled round Orkney with a charity group about 10 years ago and never noticed these inexperienced cyclists (although it was blowing a gale and raining heavily the whole time) is it a more recent thing? We were only there for two days, there were about 70 of us travelling on groups of between two and ten, but we had no problems with the local motorists at all.
I first noticed the tours
I first noticed the tours last year, and a definite increase this year (statistical survey sample of 1)
Motorists on the whole are very accommodating here. There’s still the rare eejit, but there’s barely ever any traffic congestion to get people worked up and impatient enough to try something stupid. There’s also no traffic lights for MGIF’ers to race for.
All this should highlight how bad these cruise tours can be, that enough people have raised it that it gets a councillor’s attention and “do something”.
I’m imagining that it could
I’m imagining that it could be a ‘new’ thing that the cruise operators have adopted. Hence the issues. I’ve found that cycling in the really rural areas of Scotland there’s been a much greater tolerance from locals as opposed to the semi rural areas where folk have moved to, to be a bit more countryfied.
I didn’t know that cycling
I didn’t know that cycling around Orkney was a thing, will have to look into that
ohh – you think this is all a
ohh – you think this is all a ploy to encourage more tourists to Orkney?
No, but there might be a
No, but there might be a Streisand effect
https://www.northlinkferries.co.uk/orkney-blog/orkney-cycle-routes/
It sounds like a great idea.
It sounds like a great idea. I keep seeing TV chefs praising the amazing sea food. This article has given me an idea to book a trip next summer with the cycling clan. Enough for a sprinter van load. With bikes. We’ve been looking at a few places but I do believe this is it!
Thank you, Councillor. You will learn about loss!
Don’t forget to wait until
Don’t forget to wait until Councillor Thompson is behind you then ride 2×2 really slowly so she can’t get past!!
There was a curry house in
There was a curry house in Kirkwall proudly displaying an endorsement from Gordon Ramsay, scrawled on a napkin, in the window. The “f” word was present of course.
Well. It’s a unanimous
Well. It’s a unanimous verdict here, so, plans are afoot!
The shellfish is supposed to be superior.
I’d love to go at some point.
I’d love to go at some point. FWIW the notional cycle network reaches there.
Given the climatic conditions I reckon it’s a place where a heavier bike would be an advantage (except for on Hoy). Possibly the lowest possible recumbent trike?
Great! Bring warm gear,
Great! Bring warm gear, windproof gear and waterproof gear!
Oh, and sunscreen, because when the sun does come out, and bounces off the sea, it’s proper glorious.
I’m pretty certain there is a
I’m pretty certain there is a much bigger issue with the number of coaches that will be getting used to move all the “cruisers” around the islands, but perhaps they cna be fleeced of thier cash quicker and in more places than those that choose to see the islands by bike.
and I would loove to know what “the hazards” are these “large groups can pose to motorists”
I believe that they think
I believe that they think that if a motorist gets frustrated that they can’t overtake a cyclist they are likely to do something dangerous, which is obviously the cyclist’s fault.
Being resident in Guernsey,
Being resident in Guernsey, and having visited Orkney, the roads up there are like an LA Freeway compared to what we have
Yes – coaches can be a
Yes – coaches can be a problem, mostly for the cyclists. When a cruise coach party gets stuck behind a cruise bike tour party, then it’s…. bad.
Coach parties are actually the worst for spending. They are huddled in their bubble from ship to venue and don’t spend time in local shops or cafes. There’s only Skara Brae, Maes Howe and the Italian Chapel venues that charge admission.
Yes, the coach operator, driver and possibly a local guide will get paid, so at least a couple of people can earn something out of the visitors.
I had to check the date, and
I had to check the date, and no it’s not April 1st.
Is it telling that Road CC
Is it telling that Road CC and STV websites can only illustrate this story wth pictures of completely empty roads stretching into the distance?
Off the main A965, yes it’s
Off the main A965, yes it’s often like that.
Though I’m fairly sure the banner pic here isn’t Orkney – I don’t recognise it at all, and there’s a lot of trees – more likely the A9?
Some facebook.com/OrkneyCC posts to tempt you in….
Summer solstice ride
Three Braes challenge
There’s definitely quite a
There’s definitely quite a bit of activity on Orkney on the Strava heat map. There are even Strava segments on the island with thousands of attempts.
I plan to do a LEJOG next year, now I’m also considering popping over to Orkney after. There’s a 40 minute ferry ride from John O’Groats and bikes are free. The John O’Groats Ferry’s website even has a nice “cycling in Orkney” link which goes to this PDF.
You have to do Shetland after
You have to do Shetland after that.
Otherwise haven’t really ‘done’ it.
Is she another white settler
Is she another white settler who wants Orkney to remain in the 19th century ? Having looked at her profile on Orkney council she doesn’t look like someone who couls even walk the length of themselves, never mind ride a bike
Two questions are raised here
Two questions are raised here. Firstly, when the Police are urged to ‘charge’ tourists on bikes (not in quote marks in the headline) do they mean charge a fee, or charge with a criminal Road traffic offence? I can see the Police being even less interested in the former as they are the latter.
Secondly, I assume that the whole point of the ‘Fair Warn’ campaign is to allow people to commit driving offences with no fear of prosecution, just fear of a kindly letter dropping on the mat. If drivers arent being’charged’ then why would cyclists?
Do visiting cruise ships
Do visiting cruise ships really have a fleet of bikes they lend to passengers for land visits? Perhaps road.cc can do some investigative reporting on this. Because I would be very surprised to learn that cruise passengers bring their own bikes.
Which ships ? Suddenly going
Which ships ? Suddenly going on a cruise has become more inviting
AmosH wrote:
I’m imagining a cruise ship with a velodrome deck and a fleet of track bikes, what’s not to like?
Backladder wrote:
If you’re prepared to go ashore something like that can be done – although the islands are a bit further south eg.:
https://www.dutch-biketours.com/bike-and-boat-northern-tour
Alternatively I think Red
Alternatively I think Red Bull can offer a skatepark experience at a higher elevation, for one, but that would be on an *air*ship.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PSVuDBKLC5A
Did Red Bull a good number of
Did Red Bull a good number of years back tour Scotland with a mini velodrome? I remember them stopping off in Paisley but. Didn’t have the courage to tackle it.
giff77 wrote:
Few have the courage to tackle Paisley, although some of those who did lived to regret it.
Dnnnnnn wrote:
Must be due a commendation then as I lived in the West End of Paisley for 20 years. Trust me folks. It’s not that salubrious. I’ve now bailed out and have returned to Belfast. Some may say from the frying pan to the fire!
I think a handful of
I think a handful of operators have a small number of hire bikes though I imagine that they rely heavily on local shops making this provision. Definitely not the hordes suggested by the councillor.
Yep. Big yellow ones at that.
Yep. Big yellow ones at that. At the risk of the Streisand effect, here’s one such tour on offer from Disney cruise ships. It’s a 12 mile one-way trip to Ring of Brodgar with stops along the way and coach return (side note… $339!!! Wow)
As an Orkney resident, I can confirm the problems these are sometimes causing. They are used for “local tours”. The passengers are frequently not seasoned/confident bike riders, and the distances they have to ride from Kirkwall (the main cruise ship harbour) to “the sights” are not trivial, so there’s a lot of road on which they are to be encountered. Also, Orkney isn’t flat as many think and some riders struggle.
The basic issue is just that they are not good group cyclists. They move slowly in single file with significant gaps between them. They are therefore extremely difficult to overtake safely. Off of the main A965 road, the roads are often single lane with “passing place” laybys. Encountering such groups on such roads can lead to significant delays. Because Orkney is so popular for cruise ships, it can be a frequent occurence.
Other reported issues are failure to adhere to basic road rules, like respecting right of way – they can be like lemmings following the bike in front, not wanting to lose touch with the tour leader, and just rolling out into traffic.
As the P&J article says, there’s 250+ ships already booked for next year. They don’t all do these tours, but it’s more than ever.
Thanks for the local view.
Thanks for the local view. Seeming to fall beyond the ‘inconvenience’ level and edging more to ‘nuisance’. Presumably if these tours are locally run then there may be scope to license/limit them in some way or other. (What am I saying…licensing impromptu group bicycle rides?!?!Maybe not.) I think I’d be discouraged by the $339 cost for half a day’s bike hire and a pretty meagre YHA packed lunch!
Thanks TheFatAndTheFurious
Thanks TheFatAndTheFurious for a very informative reply. Seems like the situation could be more accurately positioned as the Orkney Islands struggling to deal with high numbers of cruise passengers.
$339 for a 12-mile ride – wow. And there was me wincing at the Dragon Ride 2024 early bird pricing of £99.
Miller wrote:
You do get your own
turnippiece of fruit as well.Thanks TF&TF for the
Thanks TF&TF for the explanation. From the story, I thought it was lycra louts on Ridelondon in chain gangs shouting and blowing whistles at locals to “get out of the way” so they could set pbs on Strava…
I signed up just to comment
I signed up just to comment on this post, yes they do!
I live in Shetland and this is a common occourance that is being dealt with more diplomatically than this councillor in orkney, but yes, I’m not sure if they bring them on their ships or whether they charter them from a company south who trucks them in I’m not sure, but they aren’t local bikes and they’re all identical.
Shetland is a very cycle friendly place where able, but these big cruise companies do cause issues with the way they release cyclists who aren’t used to driving in the UK, let alone a weird place like the islands. Honestly all it will take is a little communication between the liners and the local police and it would all be sorted.
WintermuteWill wrote:
Well well, every day is a school day.
I see a bit of the same thing with middle-aged and older people who’ve discovered ebikes while never having been regular cyclists. They can have a fairly relaxed attitude to use of pavements, red lights and so on, probably because that’s how they handle the primal fear of being a cyclist on UK roads.
WintermuteWill wrote:
Is this a sensible post on the matter? You’ll be spoiling our “histrionical word-jousting” mode, naughty person! Folk may url-off elsewhere for more exciting exchanges, after they read your post and calm down.
The German Aida cruise ships
The German Aida cruise ships and the Mein Schiff cruise ships carry their own bike’s onboard for running tours in the local area as they berth in my local town in the Highlands and cause the same issues here. The photo that Road.cc have posted is of the lifeline Northlink ferry that sails between Aberdeen and Lerwick.
“behaviour of some cyclists
“behaviour of some cyclists and the hazards these large groups can pose to motorists” being a point of contention.
Since the cyclists pose no hazards, none, zero, not one hazard to motorists, this councillor should get some retraining or resign.
eburtthebike wrote:
Alternatively, why not just have mandatory motorist helmets? That’ll protect them.
hawkinspeter wrote:
you forgot the hi-vis, not sure whether it should be applied to the car or the driver. Until a safety comittee has investiaged this issue cars should be banned from driving for their own safety
I also have the same groups
I also have the same groups of cruise ship cyclists when their ships berth in my part of the Highlands and it is you who needs to think before writing rather than calling out the councillor. These cyclists can be groups of up to 40 and I don’t mean cycling club grade cyclists who know how to actually ride on the road and at a decent pace, as these ones have a lead and tail guide/leader while the tourists waver across the road at a slow speed while looking at the scenery rather than the road ahead and quite often you have another group just up the road.A few weeks back I was passed on a narrow two lane country road by a few cars and a breakdown truck but caught them up when they came upon a group of these cyclists so I overtook the vehicles and the group then came upon a second slow moving group about 1km up the road so passed them as well and it was roughly 2 miles later before the vehicles caught me up again. When these cyclists are nearing the end of the loop they take rather than use the perfectly good cycle path they stay on the road which has had multiple serious and fatal accidents on it over the years. On a separate note cyclists including some club level cyclists do pose a hazard to themselves and motorists by speeding through towns as recently written about on various news websites so could’ve an accident, some dangerous cycling could end up with the cyclist going through a windscreen if they were hit by a car, cyclists jumping red lights is a hazard, the list could go on.
No it’s for the cllr or the
No it’s for the cllr or the news item writer to explain further.
jam-gt wrote:
Having no experience at all of riding a bike or driving about these places, I have no opinion on the detailed rights and wrongs of actual behaviours.
However, I do have an opinion about your post: it reads like many another bleat of entitled motorists who think they should never be delayed by one micro-second from their important mission to drive as fast as possible to their next important event, shopping for the tatties or getting back in time to watch “Mindless tele programme for the terminally bored”. And no matter what dangerous driving behaviours they might indulge in with their two ton mobile bludgeon when allowed free rein of the highway.
By the way, if these groups of cyclists are impeding you so much, how come you managed to overtake two groups of them?
Why do you asume that the roads are entirely the property of speeding motorists rather than for cyclists enjoying the views? That’s a rhetorical question, the answer to which is, “Because I am top of the assumed road-user hierarchy and all others should kow-tow to my many petty drivist demands and expectations, so should GIT OOT MY WAY”.
As to the alleged dangerous speeding club cyclists …. please provide lists of the number of “multiple serious and fatal accidents” caused by both cyclists and drivists over, say, the last year, inclusive of the details describing the injuries, damages and deaths. I’ll take a guess at the results: cyclist caused it, nil; drivists caused it, lots.
*********
Good manners and courteous behaviors tend to be a reciprocal matter. If you exhibit them, they’re often reciprocated. If you exhibit their opposite, ditto. Consider this exchange of posts, for example. 🙂
Cugel wrote:
Interesting. When I read jam-gt’s post I’d assumed he was on a bike himself when he overtook the two groups of slow(er) cyclists. I’ll be intrigued to learn whether he was!
I can’t speak to the cruise
I can’t speak to the cruise ship cycling thing, although I can believe it. Here in Edinburgh we’re on the visiting list and it’s OK (being a city) but I can imagine the effects on small places.
Also the internal battle of “we need the money, but we don’t like the numbers / behaviours”.
As others say seems one for the councillors / harbor managers or others to address with the cruise companies.
However we seem to be in the bingo hall by the end here – cyclists too fast as well as too slow, possible threat to drivers, RLJ. I don’t know Orkney, for all I’m aware it’s the homeland of traffic lights but it seems there’s a measure of the unusual being especially noteworthy and shocking here?
jam-gt wrote:
Blimey, have traffic lights made an appearance in the Orkneys? The despicable bastads get everywhere.
Daclu Trelub wrote:
Unfortunately they became necessary when too many people selfishly took to the new-fangled bicycles and shoes (for walking). Due to their numbers they posed a novel risk to motorists. Still, safety first. If it means holding 2 or 3 cars up for 20 seconds (at a substantial economic cost!) just so e.g. 6 people can cross the road I guess it’s something we should be proud of. They don’t have them in less enlightened places!
Come on Road.cc you could try
Come on Road.cc you could try harder as the ship pictured is the vital lifeline ferry that sails between Aberdeen and Lerwick t. The cyclists will be mainly off the German Aida cruise ships and they are a menace on the roads in my part of the Highlands as well with their poor road sense and ability along with the front and rear group leaders not really doing the job correctly. The foot passengers are no better and just walk in front of people as they think they’re so entitled, cross the roads without looking and usually in front of cars and cyclists, and also decide to stand in the middle of the road so they can get their photos and they expect you as a cyclist or driver to get out of their way.
I don’t think thats exclusive
I don’t think thats exclusive to Orkney, TBH. Any vaguely picturesque (picture-skew, for Blackadder fans) part of the country gets similar treatment. You should see the Clifton Suspension Bridge any weekend during the summer…
brooksby wrote:
Try any of the cycle lanes around Parliament Square, and don’t even bother trying to use the one that goes over Westminster Bridge!
You, Mr three posts, sound a
You, Mr three posts, sound a lot like a whingeing driver to me.
This isn’t golf cart island
This isn’t golf cart island then?
I think there are some good
I think there are some good comments here. Some of the ones in favour of the councillor give food for thought; it’s certainly not as ridiculous a complaint as it seemed to be when I first read the article.
However, as someone who married an Orkney girl I’ve been going there a few weeks a year for many years, and we also get the local paper delivered, so I was pretty shocked at the apparent approach of the police and/or paper when I saw this:
https://www.orcadian.co.uk/safety-warning-issued-after-cyclist-clipped-by-passing-vehicle/
It looks awfully like victim-blaming in a hit-and-run case, unfortunately.