“RTA language policing = instant ban”: Local news editor blocks Twitter users criticising report of cyclist injured in “accident with a van”; Britain’s favourite climbs; Sagan’s back; Niche punctures; Not all car drivers are bad + more on the live blog

As any dedicated reader of the live blog will know, language matters.

Believe me, I’ve scrolled through enough of our readers’ comments to know that you’ll pick up on any mistake, major or minor (I won’t mention my excellent colleague Dan’s “segway” mishap a few weeks back… sorry, Dan).

But one area where the importance of language can never be underestimated concerns the reporting of road traffic collisions.

Last year, a new set of guidelines for reporting RTCs, co-ordinated by journalist and road.cc contributor Laura Laker working alongside the Active Travel Academy at the University of Westminster, were launched to ensure that the press can play a role in making the streets safer for everyone including vulnerable road users.

The Road Collision Reporting Guidelines encourage the media, among other things, to avoid using the word “accident” before the full facts of the case are known – “crash” or “collision” not carrying the same association with chance – and to acknowledge the role of motorists, eradicating headlines such as “car crashes into tree”.

> “Language matters” – Road collision reporting guidelines launched

Unfortunately, the guidelines seem to have been lost in the post on the way to Brighton and Hove News.

On Friday evening, the local news site reported that “a cyclist was seriously injured in after [sic] an accident with a van outside a primary school this afternoon”.

UPDATE: A cyclist was seriously injured in after an accident with a van outside a primary school this afternoonhttps://t.co/pD6M3dUylj

— Brighton & Hove News (@bhcitynews) June 10, 2022

That tweet – which seemed to be an attempt to tick off the entirety of the ‘no’ column in the RTC guidelines – somehow managed to make it through the weekend unscathed.

Yesterday, however, a number of cyclists began to question the potentially misleading headline, which appeared to insinuate that the cyclist accidentally, out of nothing, collided with a stationary – or autonomous – van…

Sorry to hear this. Thanks for report. The word “accident” seems to ascribe unavoidable status to a crash/collision and needs replacing. We also need to avoid autonomous van syndrome (until there are such things!) There’s a driver there somewhere.
Elm Grove is traffic dominated.

— Becky Reynolds (@Bexonabike) June 13, 2022

You have no idea if the driver was on drugs, unlicensed, speeding. Let the police do their job. Don’t declare these collisions “accidents” while the investigation is ongoing.

— R C D Mitchum (@PaulCra33107260) June 13, 2022

Reading the article it sounds like the cyclist rode into a stationary van? Was there not a driver involved? Did the van move all by itself? For consistency you should probably maintain the mystery that after a bike and van collided a person was injured and a van driver??

— Michael Smith (@Smithmichaelw) June 14, 2022

Collision, by using the word “accident” you are absolving whoever is responsible for blame.

This is covered by guidelines, I expected better from a professional.

So disappointing.

— Richard Cooley🚴🇮🇪🇬🇧🇫🇷🇪🇺😷 (@crackling_rose) June 14, 2022

Language matters. You report “accident” it legitimises and normalises reckless and dangerous driving. 5 people per day die on our roads because road crime is accepted as an accident. Block me if you like. Then I’ll know you’ve read this content.

— Emilysgonebiking (@EmilySimcock) June 13, 2022

Maybe make a stand against road violence and use local reporting to call for safer streets. Rather than suggesting in the headline that a cyclist just crashed into a driverless van.

— Esther Miller (@EstherOnwheels) June 13, 2022

> Petition to amend road traffic legislation to refer to ‘collisions’ and not ‘accidents’

In a since-deleted tweet, Brighton and Hove News’ editor, Jo Wadsworth, responded to a rather polite query about language by condemning cyclists who she said criticise the reporting of local news outlets “every time we post a story, even if we use your approved language”, and that her site will not adhere to the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines.

Since it’s been deleted, for posterity & context.. pic.twitter.com/8acofZPNuf

— Safe Roads, No Cars. (@saferoadsnocars) June 14, 2022

Wadsworth, it seems, then changed her Twitter bio to read “RTA language policing = instant ban”, before going on a blocking rampage, which one user who had criticised the report described as a “badge of honour”:

and so would accident be. Don’t language police me please

— Jo Wadsworth (@BrightonNewsJo) June 10, 2022

I am not interested in having this tedious debate any more. Carry on = instant block

— Jo Wadsworth (@BrightonNewsJo) June 10, 2022

Very happy to block you too Chris, if the snark continues

— Jo Wadsworth (@BrightonNewsJo) June 13, 2022

Badge of honour… pic.twitter.com/yJ6WshI4tM

— Mounsey. (@rosemeyer1939) June 13, 2022

People ask a journalist to use the right words, she blocks them:https://t.co/7gv3Y6xQRw

— R C D Mitchum (@PaulCra33107260) June 13, 2022

@BrightonNewsJo would you like to block me too as I’m about to ask that you stop claiming inanimate objects are the cause of incidents such as these. https://t.co/YrxfGCOY6I

— Dawn Rahman (@velopostgrad) June 13, 2022

Though tbh your response made me think. Would you block @AndyCoxDCS Detective Chief Superintendent, Head of crime and intelligence in Lincolnshire, if he said the same thing to you? https://t.co/u5AcnnohGa

— Abigail Dombey (@AbigailDombey) June 13, 2022

Lol blocked straight away – incredible

— Charlotte Baker (@charlie_baker23) June 13, 2022

We have contacted Jo Wadsworth about her views on the Road Collision Reporting Guidelines and why she decided to implement such a heavy-handed response to critics on Twitter, and will of course keep you up to speed with any developments, accidental or otherwise…

Tufty declined to comment

— Reverand Screaming Lord Clutch 🇬🇧🇳🇱🇺🇦 (@LordScreamin) June 13, 2022

This brilliant tweet – in response to the completely bonkers revelation in a recent Near Miss of the Day that an aggressive close pass driver was unable to attend court “because he was bitten by a squirrel” – will transport readers of a certain vintage back to their childhood, learning about road safety.

I also heard that Bobby Brown Rabbit is refusing to answer any of the police’s questions…

Last week on the live blog, road.cc reader Nigel told us that “not all car drivers are bad”, an epiphany he reached after a number of motorists came to his aid in the wake of a nasty crash which broke his femur.

Since then, Richard has got in touch to share a heart-warming tale about another Good Motoring Samaritan (and a doggedly determined septuagenarian cyclist):

I read your article… and thought that I would share what happened to my late father a few years ago.

My dad (72 years old at the time) wanted to cycle from west (St David’s) to east (Lowestoft) over four days.

Day one went to plan, but around midday on day two a company van driver decided to undertake a car waiting to turn right, then turned right itself and crashed into the back of my dad’s bike, with the pannier taking most of the hit, and knocking him off his bike.

 The lady driver who was waiting to turn had a few heated words with the van driver, checked if my dad was okay, then due to the damage to the bike offered my dad a lift to a bike shop to see if it was repairable.

The shop they went to confirmed that the bike frame was bent and that the wheel was beyond repair, and so a write off. My dad was keen to carry on, but the shop did not have a similar bike in stock but said that there was another shop about 10 miles away that could help. The shop phoned ahead to let them know my dad was on his way.

The lady then gave my dad a lift to the next shop where my dad purchased himself a new bike, fitted his old saddle (a Brooks) and carried on with his ride, finishing as planned in the four days.

We have no idea who the lady was who spent a considerable amount of time helping my dad, taking him and his bike to two different shops, but who enabled him to carry on with his bike ride.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Arnaud Démare (@arnaud.demare)

Cycling, Monopoly, and an ad featuring a screaming Marc Madiot – what more could you want? 

With Leo Hayter’s dominance at the Baby Giro fuelling speculation that he may be even better than big brother Ethan – who hasn’t looked too shabby competing with little-known names like Wout van Aert this year – I think it’s only fair to go to their dad Tim for the definitive answer:

pic.twitter.com/tafS8LYlYT

— tim hayter (@Willowman66) June 14, 2022

That’s that cleared up then… 

North London’s Swain’s Lane, the home of the annual Urban Hill Climb, is Britain’s most popular cycling climb, according to a recent study by online bike supplier ProBikeKit.

Using cycling writer and hill enthusiast Simon Warren’s 100 Greatest Cycling Climbs books as a guide, the study delved into the Strava data, analysing the number of times different hills have been climbed, and ranking them based on the number of attempts per person, with Swain’s Lane sitting comfortably atop the, ahem, summit.

At just under a kilometre long, and flanked in part by the eastern and western sides of Highgate Cemetery, Swain’s Lane is popular throughout the year for North London cyclists seeking out some hill repetitions in the city.

In second place on the list, and just rounding the final bend, is Box Hill, the iconic Surrey climb which played a prominent role in the 2012 Olympic road race and subsequent editions of RideLondon.

The first non-London-centric climb to be featured on the list is West Yorkshire’s Cragg Vale, a bona fide Tour de France climb after featuring in the 2014 edition, which at 8.7 kilometres is the longest continuous ascent in England.

West Sussex’s Steyning Bostal occupies fourth, while Norwood Edge, a nine percent kicker on the edge of Lindley Wood Reservoir, came in fifth.

The Bwlch in Bridgend emerged as the most popular climb in Wales, while Scotland’s favourite hill is the Crow Road, not far from Glasgow, which also came ninth on the overall list.

But what, I hear you ask, makes a popular climb, repeated by cyclist after cyclist on Strava?

“A repeatable climb is one that’s on your doorstep, one you fit into your training rides and test yourself on week in week out,” says Warren.

“It doesn’t want to be too hard or too long, just hard and long enough to hurt a bit so you can keep going back without being scared of it.”

“One climb I never get bored of riding is Newlands Pass in the Lake District. It is long, hard, but not too hard to make it unpleasant and just about the most beautiful road in Britain.

“Often new roads turn up out of the blue like the freshly surfaced Bamford Clough in the Peak District. 

“It was only given a coat of asphalt last summer and is now a must ride UK climb. At 36.5 percent it’s also the steepest climb in Britain but I’m pretty sure it will never be popular because very few people make it up without walking.”

So, is your favourite climb on the list? Or are you raging your local hill climb wasn’t featured? Any other must-ride hills that should have been included? Let us know!

🆕👕 Presenting #LaVuelta22 leader jerseys, which are made from recycled fabrics!

♻️ Ecofabric RECY by Corno, an environmentally friendly fabric spun from recycled yarn

🌱 Without the use of polluting chemicals@SANTINI_SMS | #SantiniCyclingWear https://t.co/Tv72XhdRBA

— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) June 14, 2022

Oh, and there’s also a nice nod to the race’s start in the Netherlands this year, with three special red jerseys paying homage to the host towns Utrecht, ‘s-Hertogenbosch and Breda. 

Marta Cavalli leading in the #MVDC. Amazing images pic.twitter.com/gVyTBavIxe

— the Inner Ring (@inrng) June 14, 2022

Mont Ventoux won’t be appearing in this year’s Tour de France, but cycling fans still got their fill of the iconic climb (well, if it had been on TV that is…) during today’s Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge.

Cavalli @marta_cavalli98 wins in style. Another good performance from her and @FDJ_NAqui_Fut. Special shoutout to @Brodie_Mai for amazing work 😊 A good first #MVDC if I do say so myself 😁 pic.twitter.com/w7VQntafVP

— FDJ Nouvelle Aquitaine updates (@FDJ_NA_updates) June 14, 2022

While the one-day race was first held in 2019 for the men, today marked the inaugural women’s edition, with FDJ’s Marta Cavalli following in the wheel tracks of Nicole Cooke, who won atop the Giant of Provence in 2006 on her way to winning her first of two editions of what then constituted the women’s Tour de France.

Cavalli soloed clear 2.5 kilometres from the summit to win, 41 seconds clear of Cofidis rider Clara Koppenberg and teammate Evita Muzic.

That was a long range solo by Ruben Guerreiro. Mont Ventoux conquered and Mont Ventoux Denivele Challenge title in pocket. Esteban Chaves secured 1-2 for EF. Criterium du Dauphine showed that Guerreiro’s curve is rising. A good TDF can be expected from the Portuguese. #MVDC pic.twitter.com/e6tkDHsNDM

— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) June 14, 2022

It was a similar story in the men’s race, though winner Ruben Guerreiro fancied being alone for even longer, attacking through the climb’s claustrophobic wooded section with 12 kilometres to go.

In a coup for EF Education-EasyPost’s attempt to stave off relegation from the WorldTour (though they’re slightly late to the party on that front), Guerreiro’s teammate Esteban Chaves completed a one-two for the American squad, with Groupama-FDJ’s Michael Storer in third.

Bota Lume ! 🇵🇹🔥 A flying Ruben Guerreiro wins the 4th edition of @MontVentouxDC after finding his best ever climbing legs this month. 👏 Esteban Chaves finishes 2nd for a historic 1-2 by EF which also bring them a lot of much needed UCI points. Impressive. #MVDC pic.twitter.com/BeujWlrtnb

— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) June 14, 2022

According to stat-mad Twitter account MF Naichaca, the Portuguese climber Guerreiro climbed the mythical ascent from Bedoin (the side usually tackled in the Tour) in 58 minutes, 36 seconds, faster than Tadej Pogačar, Chris Froome, Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong.

Obviously, the usual caveats apply that this was a one-day race, not a grand tour (though the riders had to climb two sides of the Bald Mountain today, from Sault and Bedoin), but still – that’s a pretty impressive performance, which certainly bodes well for the Tour…

Baby Giro is basically the Hunger Games this year apparently. https://t.co/bnqeMXmz8l

— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) June 14, 2022

Thankfully for the riders, today’s largely flat stage of the U23 Giro d’Italia perhaps felt a little less like it was designed by the Capitol as punishment, with Israel Cycling Academy’s 20-year-old Canadian Riley Pickrell taking the bunch sprint in Chiavenna.

🇨🇦 @RileyPickrell wins Stage 4 of the #giroditaliau23!

🇨🇦 @RileyPickrell vince la Tappa 4 del #giroditaliau23! #girogiovani2022 pic.twitter.com/oa3h3xIWF2

— Giro d’Italia Giovani Under 23 (@giroditaliau23) June 14, 2022

Leo Hayter, the Katniss Everdeen of the Baby Giro (okay, I’ll stop now), finished safely in the peloton to retain his commanding lead on the pink jersey.

Oh, and if you were wondering what the nutritional secret to the Hayter boys’ success is, turns out it’s chocolate brownies:

Mostly pasta, pesto, broccoli and chocolate brownies tbh

— nicky bignell (@BignellNicky) June 14, 2022

Looks like I’m suddenly a favourite for the Tour de l’Avenir now…

Environmental journalist and road.cc contributor Laura Laker, here, with a strong entry in the Niche Punctures competition…

Well this is a first pic.twitter.com/6QCeyQ0sHW

— Laura Laker (@laura_laker) June 14, 2022

Putting the Archer into Sturmey.

— LukeB_MTB (@LukeB_MTB) June 14, 2022

Yes shame the bit got left on the ground! Thankfully I was back up and running in record time thanks to this handy (and very fast) bike shop pic.twitter.com/9p44P6vxof

— Laura Laker (@laura_laker) June 14, 2022

PETER SAGAN WINS A BIKE RACE. This is not a drill #TDS2022 pic.twitter.com/35DgWt83Yc

— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) June 14, 2022

Peter Sagan’s back, baby!

Goes to show what a spot of gravel racing can do for the mind… 

On stage three of the Tour de Suisse, the three-time world champion, who has looked a lethargic shadow of his swashbuckling self in recent years, bulldozed his way to the front to outsprint Bryan Coquard, Alexander Kristoff and Tom Pidcock in Grenchen, taking his first win for his new TotalEnergies team and his first WorldTour victory since stage ten of last year’s Giro d’Italia.

In a messy, technical sprint – perfect for the Sagan of the mid-2010s – the 32-year-old Slovakian rolled back the years, flicking in and out of corners, forcing his way through gaps, and bouncing from wheel to wheel to perfectly position himself on the back of Kristoff’s lead out train.

Sagan then proved he had the strength to match this renewed confidence, getting the jump on the Norwegian and holding off a fast-finishing Coquard to take a surely morale-boosting win ahead of the Tour de France.

Sagan downplaying today’s triumph “it’s just a stage win”, thanks team etc and adds “it’s nice to be back” he tells Swiss TV

— the Inner Ring (@inrng) June 14, 2022

Max Schachmann, who had cut the gap to Stevie Williams on GC by taking some bonus seconds at an intermediate sprint, wasn’t so lucky in the chaos, crashing hard outside the three kilometres to go zone, and as a result dropped down from second overall to outside the top ten.

All of the cycling world’s attention tonight, however, will be on Sagan’s win (his 18th at the Tour de Suisse), and the tantalising prospect of the reinvigorated Slovakian going head-to-head with his heirs apparent, Van Aert and Van der Poel, at the Tour next month…

Après des mois compliqués, Peter Sagan obtient son premier succès en 2022 et par conséquent sous les couleurs de TotalEnergies. 120e bouquet en carrière pour le Slovaque de 32 ans, le 18e sur le Tour de Suisse ! #TourdeSuisse2022 pic.twitter.com/IIi0F5sOB7

— Le Gruppetto (@LeGruppetto) June 14, 2022

Fair warning – there’s a liberal amount of swearing in this clip, though it’s heartening to learn that a lack of patience among certain motorists when it comes to cyclists also extends to when they’re driving behind tractors.

Sometimes we all need a laugh.

This lad takes exception to being stuck behind a tractor for a while – we’ve all been there. But his reaction is priceless as is the tractor driver’s response.

I tried to add subtitles to it but as ye can imagine they didn’t work out good.

Enjoy pic.twitter.com/UTbnsoOVja

— Ireland against Fascism (@IrlagainstFash) June 12, 2022

It’s not just us, eh?

pic.twitter.com/8OqcI5FSjW

— Weird Dall-E Generations (@weirddalle) June 14, 2022

This whole Dall-E thing is getting out of hand…

Are you ready for the first episode of The Next Top Mechanic? Mark June 17th on your calendar!🗓 With the help of @visma we’ll go from 200 applicants to 1 winner.

📺 https://t.co/cmszcFZvRC pic.twitter.com/cpJNItEZ24

— Team Jumbo-Visma cycling (@JumboVismaRoad) June 14, 2022

Call me a sucker for anything to do with cycling and competitive reality television, but this genuinely looks excellent…

Here’s a selection of your responses to the local news editor in Brighton, who has decided to ignore road traffic collision reporting guidelines, particularly around the use of language, while blocking anyone who questions that decision on Twitter (just a normal day, eh?):

I think Jo doesn’t appreciate any criticism at all.  I believe a few people have contacted the IPSO regarding her stance on the basis that the article is not following guidelines and the fact that she has decided to institute a blanket blocking policy on anyone who criticises the choice of word accident as opposed to collision.

There’s still plenty of reports not abiding by the guidelines, so in some ways Jo is being unfairly targeted, but then again, she could easily apologise and try to do better instead. The BBC is still pretty bad when reporting collisions, but then they do seem to have an agenda against cycling.

From some of her replies, so does Jo.

Amusingly, Jo Wadsworth’s LinkedIn page says “I love social media, and how it opens up so many opportunities for getting yourself heard – and hearing what people are saying.”

Unless, of course, they’re saying something you don’t want to hear.

I’m sure there are competent local paper reporters, but way too many of them seem to have a massive chip on shoulder when it comes to criticism, especially from cyclists. This reminds me of Anna Riley’s attitude after her completely erroneous story about cycling in Hull city centre. Anna Riley now works for GB News where she probably has an even smaller audience than she did at the Hull Daily Mail.

BrightonNewsJo’s mouse button keeps colliding with her finger, causing multiple Twitter blocking accidents.

Can you imagine how easy it would have been to turn that headline and subsequent comments into a ‘good news’ story, probably winning hearts and minds from people in Brighton and Hove (one of the most walky, bikey and anti-car places in the UK) along the way. Literally SO EASY, but no…

Once we get her to back down about not using the appropriate language, we should then start on the reporting.  The Update “headline” has a pointless meaningless “in” and then in the actual story they quote the police saying collision between cyclist and a van, and the next paragraph, the ambulance service says collision involving a pedestrian and a van.

If you do get to speak to Jo, maybe ask her why the Police don’t use the word accident and why if the correct language is good enough for them…

Unfortunately, Jo hasn’t replied to the email we sent her this morning, but by the look of things we haven’t been blocked on Twitter (yet).

I’ll take that as a win…