“There is no war on cars. There is a war on bikes”: Cyclists react to Grant Shapps’ “hugely damaging” number plates and speed limits pledge; Cyprus introduces mandatory helmet law; F1 star prefers rim brakes; ‘But cyclists’ special + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
“There is no war on cars. There is a war on bikes”: Cyclists react to Grant Shapps’ “hugely damaging” number plates and speed limits pledge
Wednesday’s Mail: “Cyclists may need number plates” #BBCPapers #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/96H6b898I8 pic.twitter.com/kiBef3Mi7n
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) August 16, 2022
What’s that I hear, drifting out over Whitehall? Another anti-cycling dog whistle?
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ latest attempt to not do his job properly/appeal to the 4×4 driving, perpetually angry about all this ‘woke’ stuff, section of the Tory electorate/distract us all from actual serious issues [delete as appropriate] has – rather predictably – gone down like a lead balloon.
In case you missed it late last night, Shapps – just over a week after repeating his pledge to introduce a ‘causing death by dangerous cycling law’ – has once again decided to shift the focus on road safety and infrastructure towards some of the most vulnerable road users, by arguing that cyclists should be insured, carry licence plates on their bikes, and be subject to the same speed limits as motorists.
Oh, and by making sure that position was splashed all over this morning’s front page of the Daily Mail.
While Shapps’ latest cycling-related pledge may simply prove a rather desperate ploy to win the affections of the Mail’s readership, the fact that it’s made front page headlines – or even been mentioned at all – has been described as “hugely damaging” by those within the cycling community.
ITV’s cycling commentator Ned Boulting noted the sad irony of it all:
Motorised traffic pollutes the air, fills our streets with noise, contributes to the climate emergency and health crisis, kills and maims daily.
— Ned 🚲 Boulting (@nedboulting) August 17, 2022
Last word on this before I withdraw back into something more positive for the day. There is only really one country on earth currently to have mandatory number plates for bikes. That country is North Korea. 🇰🇵 🚲
— Ned 🚲 Boulting (@nedboulting) August 17, 2022
The Guardian’s Peter Walker, meanwhile, described Shapps’ pledge – and the potential real-life effects of it – as “incredibly alarming”:
This is incredibly alarming. It’s something almost no governments have tried, and shows what happens when ministers can freelance amid a zombie government. I’m confident it will never happen, but for Grant Shapps to even raise it is hugely damaging. https://t.co/tBAIaezvtb
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) August 16, 2022
As a political aside, if anyone ever doubted that Andrew Gilligan/Boris Johnson rather than Grant Shapps were the voice of sense on cycling in this soon-to-depart government, then this is the proof.
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) August 16, 2022
Even more alarming this is the front page of a newspaper. It will, incrementally but almost certainly, increase the peril for me and various loved ones just trying to get about on two wheels. So thanks for nothing, Grant Shapps, DfT and the Mail. pic.twitter.com/jFmoLVF2Tm
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) August 16, 2022
Transport commentator Christian Wolmar argued that Shapps was “just playing to the base” and that the whole thing was “pathetic”:
This will never happen…it is just playing to the base. Pathetic https://t.co/QCsH1WQQbH
— Christian Wolmar (@christianwolmar) August 16, 2022
The idea that the police would want to have to enforce a bike registration scheme or that the DVLA would be up to registering some 50 million bikes is fantasy thinking and throwing meat at the ravenous Tory base. The idea has been rejected countless times.
— Christian Wolmar (@christianwolmar) August 17, 2022
Other cyclists were as equally unimpressed:
Happy eleventh birthday son 🚴, don’t forget your number plates and insurance
— _codes_ (@c_codes_) August 16, 2022
Speed limit cyclists? Well that’s defo gonna fail to get a vote. What with all the drivers that constantly complain and abuse cyclists for not going fast enough 😂😂😂 https://t.co/DBbjE9k4m3
— Righttobikeit❤️Ukraine (@righttobikeit) August 17, 2022
there is no war on cars. there is a war on bikes https://t.co/lK8q0DdxTc
— ben finch is in ecuador (@benfinch_) August 17, 2022
“Go, Grant, go!” An email from the other side of the bumper
In the interests of balance and impartiality – hey, it’s not the Mail at least – we thought we should share a view from the other side of the fence (or should that be the other side of the two-tonne box of metal?).
Something tells me that the author of this email, Ben, isn’t a regular road.cc reader, though he did feel the need to contact us this morning upon hearing about the Transport Secretary’s new pledge/distraction tactic.
So, here’s Ben’s view, in completely unedited form:
ABOUT BLOODY TIME.
The bleeding heart, woke comments make me puke.
Sure you have a right to be on the road. But then, “Oh we don’t have to follow road laws bcos we’re bike riders.” Elitist holier-than-though Cretans.
( insurance) Sure, why not? You hit someone then pedal off?
(Presumably this will apply to my three year old daughter riding in our cul de sac?) Is she riding at 35mph on the public street? Social services need to speak to you.
(Downhill with a tail wind I might just break 32kph) Well done. So no problem with 20 mph limit with you. I’ll take that as a yes vote.
(Have the UK politicians just doubled down on being the worst, most out of touch and most incompetent in all time? ) And that’s exactly the elitist, above the law attitude the new rules will counter for the safety of the rest of us. “I ride a bike. So I don’t have to follow any f**** rules.”
Seems bike riding blows the neurons and gray matter straight out of your ears. Which is curious as some many riders have their ear bunged up with pods so they can’t hear any round sounds around them, or pedestrians screaming as Tour de France Tony races across the zebra crossing while people crossing pull up.
GO GRANT, GO!
Good point...
Obviously it’s nonsense but I always like to remind people all hire bikes have registration plates on them. If this were needed then loads would get reported, but they don’t.
— Jon (@Jontafkasi) August 17, 2022
Mail leads with number plates headline – But in the Times, Shapps says registration plates for cyclists “would go too far”
So, things have started to get confusing…
We all woke up this morning to a typically bombastic Daily Mail front page, which screamed, in all caps, “Cyclists may need number plates”.
However, in the Times, which also features an interview with Shapps on potential new laws for cyclists, things are a touch more nuanced, as the Guardian’s Peter Walker points out:
This Grant Shapps/cyclist registration story is weird. In the Mail he says he *does* want to look at registration for cyclists, but he also told the Times that he *does not*.
[insert own Shapps/Michael Green joke here] pic.twitter.com/higCbHloxK
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) August 17, 2022
While Shapps alludes to the “question of… registration plates and insurance and that sort of thing” during his interview with the Mail, he has told the Times that he is “not attracted to the bureaucracy of registration plates. That would go too far.”
“There is definitely a hard core of cyclists who seem to think the laws of the road don’t apply to them,” he says in the interview. “I do think the Highway Code should be updated to recognise speed limits for cyclists.
“How can it be right that some people are able to break the speed limit and bomb through red lights? The time has come to have a look at a review and potentially update laws so they apply to cyclists as well.”
However, he notes, “I’m a keen cyclist, I’m very proud of the big expansion in the number of miles being cycled. I’m not attracted to the bureaucracy of registration plates. That would go too far.”
road.cc has contacted the Transport Secretary’s press office, who have told us that the statement in the Times is a more accurate reflection of Shapps’ views.
We will update this story when we receive a fuller statement.
Compare and contrast: Two stories, same day
Laughable. pic.twitter.com/yUexYxQULs
— Thomas Turner (@_thomasturner) August 17, 2022
Might as well be prepared…
Though Grant Shapps and the Department for Transport appear to be as confused as everyone else about the future of bike number plates, cycling author Simon Warren is already one step ahead of the curve:
I’m ready for life in the new GrHate Britain. Are you? pic.twitter.com/HVTcroaC8Y
— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) August 17, 2022
And now for something completely different: F1 star opts for rim brakes
While we’re all engrossed in the latest episode of The Thick of It (satire truly is dead, isn’t it?), I think it’s time to move today’s live blog onto much more trivial terrain.
(Apologies to road.cc readers HarrogateSpa and SimoninSpalding, who were hoping for a more light-hearted, less angry blog today. I was too, I promise, but then the politicians got in the way…)
So, from one deep-seated and controversial cycling debate to another: rim brakes or disc brakes?
He may be obsessed with braking power and fast cornering in the wet at his day job, but it appears that Formula One star George Russell prefers the easy-to-maintain, cosy traditionalism of rim brakes when he’s out training on two wheels:
Holiday over. Great to be back to it. 👊 pic.twitter.com/mjZaxN4gHN
— George Russell (@GeorgeRussell63) August 16, 2022
The Mercedes driver also seems to have accidentally clicked the ‘2’ option in the shopping basket when he was ordering his new bike from Cannondale…
‘But, but, but cyclists, number plates, road tax’: Near Miss of the Day, zebra crossing edition
.@BFTMastclimbing one of your drivers very nearly killed a vulnerable road user today. Please comment. @metpoliceuk please come and enforce speed limits with PCNs on this 20mph road. @lbhf how do we better prioritise pedestrians on this busy crossing? pic.twitter.com/lmCSBcwKkQ
— Bea Goater (@BeebsG) August 16, 2022
‘But, but, but cyclists’, part two: Hi-vis edition
I sense a pattern emerging today…
Last night a driver failed to see our fully marked car stopped with its blue and red flashing lights active.
We were protecting a broken down vehicle in lane 1 on the A3 near Milford.
The driver collided into our patrol car.
Thankfully they weren’t injured and our officer was… pic.twitter.com/HIkRFqdCIb— Roads Policing – Surrey Police – UK (@SurreyRoadCops) August 17, 2022
Cyprus introduces mandatory helmet law
From January 2023, cyclists in Cyprus will have to wear a helmet after the country’s parliament passed an amendment to the Bicycles Law last month.
According to the amendment, helmets will soon be mandatory for anyone cycling on the island’s roads, bike paths, cycle corridors and cycle lanes, as well for any passenger carried in a special bike seat.
Under the new law, offenders will face a €50 for failing to comply, while the Registrar of Motor Vehicles has been given the authority to approve or reject helmet types.
Chrysis Pantelides, the MP who initially proposed the amendment, argued that there has been an increase in road traffic collisions involving cyclists, and that a mandatory helmet law could potentially save riders from serious injury or death.
> Cyprus cyclists to be fined for taking hands off handlebars
The new law makes Cyprus only the fourth country in the world, after Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, to introduce a law which enforces helmet use by cyclists.
However, writing in the Cyprus Mail, Friends of the Earth Cyprus president and UCI-registered cycling coach Anastasia Korae opposed the new law and argued: “I myself wear a helmet every time I ride my bicycle in Cyprus or abroad but, considering the scientific evidence and all the examples from so many countries, I cannot defend an island-wide policy because it undermines the huge health, environmental, and social benefits of cycling.
“In reality, numbers show that the health benefits of riding a bicycle outweigh the risks of injury by a ratio ranging from 20:1 to 77:1, and this is a huge cost/benefit score.”
Korae continued: “This law was but a small example of how our parliament legislates by looking at poor or no evidence. A seemingly reasonable argument was all that was needed, and the relevant bill was passed without proper consultation and hardly any time for debate, giving most MPs no chance to shape an informed opinion.”
Cyprus’ new mandatory helmet law comes six years after a range of cycling offences were introduced by the republic’s parliament, including penalties for cycling without both hands on the handlebars unless indicating, cycling in pedestrian areas, towing objects by bike. holding a pet on a lead while cycling, and giving a passenger a lift on a bike.
Cycling UK says Shapps’ proposals are “impractical and unworkable”
Cycling UK has labelled Grant Shapps’ latest proposals to implement speed limits for cyclists, mandatory cycling insurance, and (maybe, we’re not quite sure) potential number plates for riders as “impractical and unworkable”.
The charity says that the government should be doing more to help people get on their bikes, rather than fixating on policies abandoned by previous administrations.
“These latest proposals to regulate cycling are impractical and unworkable, and have been repeatedly dismissed by successive governments,” says Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s head of campaigns.
“They’re also a complete U-turn on current government policy as laid out last November when Baroness Vere said, ‘the costs of doing so would outweigh the benefits’. Every country which has tried to implement such ideas have soon realised their costly mistake.
“As cost of living ramps up, we’re seeing more people turning to cycling to meet their local transport needs. Rather than proposing expensive barriers to cycling more – both to the exchequer and the individual – we need this government to do more to help people cycle, not less.”
I wanna know, have you ever seen the rain?
Me: Yay, proper rain!
Also me: FFS my bike is getting wet.
🤪 pic.twitter.com/csukpd4nK6— Simon MacMichael 💛🇫🇷🚲 (@simonmacmichael) August 17, 2022
“Quite sad that still not everyone wants to follow the rules”: Riders and fans react to Nairo Quintana tramadol positive
The news that former Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España winner Nairo Quintana has tested positive for tramadol, resulting in his disqualification from last month’s Tour de France, has shocked a cycling world seemingly no longer used to its star names falling foul of the drug testers.
> Nairo Quintana sanctioned by UCI for tramadol infringement
According to the UCI’s statement today, the Arkéa–Samsic climber – who finished sixth at this year’s Tour – tested positive for tramadol on the days of the crucical stages to La Planche des Belles Filles and the Col du Granon, where the Colombian was the only rider able to stay within a minute of the rampant Jonas Vingegaard.
The controversial painkiller was banned by the UCI in 2019, but is not currently on WADA’s list of performance enhancing substances (which may prove interesting if Quintana chooses to appeal his sanction).
In 2016, disgraced former Team Sky pro Jonathan Tiernan-Locke claimed that British Cycling “freely offered” tramadol to the country’s riders at the 2012 UCI Road World Championships.
The Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) – a voluntary organisation adhering to stricter anti-doping guidelines and of which Arkéa–Samsic are part – has been campaigning since 2013 for tramadol to be banned, claiming that its painkilling effects have led to an increase in crashes in the peloton.
Controversies concerning suspected doping practices have dogged Quintana in recent years since his move to Arkéa–Samsic from Movistar, where he achieved his grand tour successes.
> Two in custody as Arkea-Samsic manager distances team from doping probe
Quintana’s hotel room was searched at the 2020 Tour de France, while two members of his French team were taken into custody as part of an anti-doping investigation. The team distanced itself from the raid, claiming that it was aimed at “a very limited number of riders, as well as their close entourage”, and Quintana denied any wrongdoing after no illegal substances were found.
With the 32-year-old set to start the Vuelta on Friday, this week’s positive test will not, however, result in a ban, as tests for tramadol form part of the UCI’s medical checks and do not constitute an anti-doping rule violation.
Quintana’s results at the Tour, however, will be stripped, unless he successfully appeals.
(Think of the whole thing like the old haematocrit tests of the 1990s, used to ascertain whether a rider was taking EPO, but unable to prove much beyond the rider’s often ridiculous percentage of red blood cells. Marco Pantani most famously failed that test when he seemed poised to win the 1999 Giro d’Italia. While he had to leave the Cora Rosa, Il Pirata was only ‘banned’ from racing for two weeks and never – officially anyway – tested positive.)
Trek-Segafredo’s Toms Skujiņš tweeted his annoyance that Quintana’s positive test was once again bringing the sport into disrepute, but seemed happy with his belated elevation to the lofty GC heights of 60th at the Tour:
Quite sad that still not everyone wants to follow the rules. Guess I’ll take my top 60 at the Tour and those most valued 10 UCI points https://t.co/ttbEcH8Ya4
— Toms Skujiņš (@Tomashuuns) August 17, 2022
Cycling author Peter Cossins was one of those questioning Quintana’s future at Arkéa–Samsic, despite his scheduled appearance in Utrecht on Friday:
Blimey! This year’s Tour has had almost everything now. Interesting to see how this plays out as Arkea are in the MPCC which pushed hard for a tramadol ban. If the 2015 Lars Boom precedent is followed Arkea will be kicked out of the organisation https://t.co/kOwBQi2zpT
— Peter Cossins (@petercossins) August 17, 2022
An interesting twist on the Quintana story – will Arkea-Samsic take internal action against him, given this stance? https://t.co/tDeJHM8sYJ
— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) August 17, 2022
I had tramadol once. I did go on a ride despite the pharmacist telling me I should not.
But I took it the night before at 10pm so what could happen on a 9am ride.
After about 10km I had to sit down on the pavement because I was so dizzy.
It’s not great stuff in a peloton.
— José Been (@TourDeJose) August 17, 2022
Nairoman’s Tramadol case just shows how common it still is. Unfortunately, I guess.
— Eemeli (@LosBrolin) August 17, 2022
One Twitter personality, however, is unsurprisingly sticking by Nairoman, through thick and thin:
Give me a second Nairo, I’ll get my lawyers license in no time.
We’re taking this to court— #FreeNairo (@NairoInGreen) August 17, 2022
Free my dawg Nairo, he just needs painkillers because he got no knees anymore
— #FreeNairo (@NairoInGreen) August 17, 2022
A glimpse into the road.cc newsroom this week…
Simon’s on fire with the tweets today:
@roadcc News team meeting yesterday – FFS there’s nothing around, mid-August innit.
Grant Shapps: Hold my licence plate.
Nairo Quintana: Hold my tramadol.
😂— Simon MacMichael 💛🇫🇷🚲 (@simonmacmichael) August 17, 2022
All grown up and racing the Vuelta
In happier pro cycling news, the Vuelta starts in 48 hours – and Ethan Hayter and Fred Wright are racing it!
Looking forward to seeing these two in action at @lavuelta this weekend! @ethan_hayter @fred_wright0 pic.twitter.com/qEeeHWSNgC
— tim hayter (@Willowman66) August 17, 2022
(Good job these two race on teams where there’s not even the faintest whiff of anything untoward… Cycling, eh?)
Rugby World Cup winner Martin Johnson takes on the Wild Atlantic Way for charity
England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winning captain Martin Johnson is once again taking to two wheels as he joins Leicestershire and Rutland’s Hope Against Cancer charity for their latest ‘Tour de Hope’ cycling challenge in September.
The event will see riders from across the UK take on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, covering 570 kilometres of rugged and scenic coastline in the west of the island.
Keen cyclist Johnson – who has competed at the Revolution track events, previewed sportive courses with David Millar, and even attempted to break a world record for most bike in a line – will join the team for the final two days of their epic ride.
“We are proud and honoured that Martin has chosen to take part in this exhilarating challenge,” says Hope Against Cancer’s CEO Nigel Rose.
“Like all charities, Hope faces an increasingly uphill struggle itself in these difficult times – and having a sports super-star participate in this event will help us raise awareness for our continuing efforts.”
Since its foundation in 2003, the charity has funded numerous cutting-edge research projects in partnership with Leicester University and the Leicester Hospitals. They have also funded the original construction and recent doubling in capacity of the Hope Cancer Trials Centre, where treatments not yet available throughout the NHS open pathways to new and improved patient outcomes.
You can support the Tour de Hope and donate to Hope Against Cancer here.
My eyes, my eyes! Is this the world’s ugliest bike?
I would like to officially announce my retirement from the Ugly Bike World Cup. I see now that, although competitive to the last, I don’t have what it takes to compete with the new generation. pic.twitter.com/MMnYyVkIds
— hippy (@firsthippy) August 17, 2022
“This is so depressing”: Readers react to Grant Shapps’ cycling proposals
I’m sure you’re as shocked as I am to find that the ‘Grant Shapps endorses cycling number plates (or does he?)’ story has dominated the comments section of today’s live blog.
Here’s a selection of your thoughts on what has clearly been the story of the day (just look at the road.cc homepage – there are more stories on Grant Shapps than the man himself has had pseudonyms…):
road.cc reader Surreyrider asked what we were all thinking: “Just wondering if a bike with stabilisers would need a registration plate and if so whether the DVLA will expect the four-year-old owner to complete form to get one.”
Tigersnapper has an ingeniuous solution just in case Shapps’ proposals ever come to fruition: “Perhaps we ought to have 1.5m long number plates sticking out on the offside. At least we’d get space from overtaking motor vehicles then.”
The U-turn as Daily Mail readers now suddenly realise that this means they would need register that old bike in their garage and their kid’s bikes, and it not just applying to that cyclist they once saw jump a red light to get out of the way of the car revving it’s engine behind?
— Andy (@cluttat) August 17, 2022
Hutchdaddy also noted some of the flaws in the proposals, writing: “Yes please let’s have number plates, enforcement of speed, and red light jumping for cycles. To implement all that we will need even more cameras on the road which will also catch a lot more drivers that currently get away with speeding, jumping red lights etc.
“The downside will be that we will have to listen to even more drivers bleating on about how hard done with they are and how the speed camera was in the wrong place and it should be where they won’t get caught and… yawn yawn yawn.
“I’d be much happier to have conversations about road safety with non-cyclists if they didn’t insist on being so patronising.”
What a load of flip flop governance. Maybe concentrate on fixing the railways, lack of HGV drivers and the appalling state of the roads, before wading into something he clearly has no understanding of.
— Mel Seale (@SealeMel) August 17, 2022
Eburtthebike reckons the whole thing is down to Brexit – or more specifically, how certain sections of the media have popularised and championed ‘popular’ movements in recent years.
“Nobody used to be concerned about EU membership,” he says. “In polls about what bothered people, it didn’t even make the top ten. Then the DM, Farrage and Banks and other off-shore non-domiciled for tax purposes billionaires started stirring things, lying, taking money from Russia and lying again, again and again, and suddenly it was an issue.
“I’m sure cyclists wouldn’t have registered on most people’s list of things to worry about a few years ago, but I’m sure that has risen after the lies published by pretty much the same papers with the same non-resident owners, that it would now make the top ten.
“We absolutely need to regulate the media in this country, starting by not allowing foreign residents to own any.”
Peted76 then summed the whole sorry affair up: “This is so depressing to read today. I don’t think it’ll become anything, but FFS it really is… I just can’t.”
He then used a four letter word to describe Mr Shapps, which I won’t repeat here…
17 August 2022, 08:46
Dan’s got the latest on Transport Secretary Grant Shapps’ rather confused approach to his own cycling proposals…
Confusion as Grant Shapps now says he is "not attracted to bureaucracy" of number plates for cyclists
"I'm not attracted to the bureaucracy of registration plates. That would go too far," the Transport Secretary said in another interview yesterday
17 August 2022, 08:46
I can’t keep up with all the news today…
Nairo Quintana sanctioned by UCI for Tour de France tramadol infringement
The analyses of two dried blood samples provided by the rider on 8 and 13 July during the 2022 Tour de France revealed the presence of tramadol and its two main metabolites
17 August 2022, 08:46
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@MaxiMinimalist Agreed. The big problem I see now is today's parents grew up being driven to their schools, and therefore, see private motor vehicles as the only viable form of transport. The vast majority of UK infant and primary schools have a catchment area that is within easy walking distance from home to school. Yet, the traffic caused by pupils being driven to/from school is astonishing. Banishing the "School Run" should be a priority for all schools.
When I was a kid (that was during the previous millenium when phones were connected to a plug in the wall), I rode my bicycle to school, music academy, sport grounds, parties even during the winter. The government didn't have to spend, correct that, didn't have to think of spending massive amounts of money to build cycling specific infrastructures. Over the past 3 or 4 decades, cars have grown bigger, taller, safer (for their drivers) and faster. Meanwhile, motorists have become abusive, aggressive, hypersensitive to people moving on two wheels, aka cyclists. Spending billions upon billions on new infrastructure won't address the crux of the matter. Sadly.
Obree had some actual talent in his legs though, in addition to his bike/aero engineering talent.
Малко като опит за доказване е излязло... Никой няма нужда от толкова голям въртящ момент и мощност на шосеен велосипед с тънки гуми, които дори трудно ще предават тази мощност върху пътя. А ако има и ограничение от 25 км/час е още по-безмислено.
Not sure how informative that is. I imagine for all most of us know it could be Europe's only 'volumetric modular building'. 🤷♂️
Yes, but they're copying the adults of today...
Indeed - but alas I think this is an effective argument for very few folks indeed. As for push-back, what else could we expect *? I think there are ways of selling this but we're far more likely to see headlines about the problems, while the successes are relegated to footnotes, because at that point it just works and there's nothing to see... * Given that this time there aren't politicians being persuaded to overlook thousands of deaths and the demolition of property by the billions from the motoring trades (and the excitement of being able to drive out with the bright things for a party at a roadhouse). Nor are we as tolerant of "accidents". (And noting that publicity about the cases of a handful of people killed by cyclists continues to reach the media; deaths related to motor vehicles not so much).
That rather ignores that the children of today are the adults of tomorrow.
@belugabob Arguably it's easier this way - we don't actually need to do anything to the streets except stop drivers driving down every scrap of tarmac. Where I live, a few well-placed bollards would make walking/cycling/scooting the quicker option and safer, while maintaining 100% vehicular access - just not allowing through routes in every direction.
Sweet dreams from Bike@bedtime! Thank you for featuring this classic beaut.
126 thoughts on ““There is no war on cars. There is a war on bikes”: Cyclists react to Grant Shapps’ “hugely damaging” number plates and speed limits pledge; Cyprus introduces mandatory helmet law; F1 star prefers rim brakes; ‘But cyclists’ special + more on the live blog”
Shapps is ignoring previous
Shapps is ignoring previous research by the DfT which shows bicycle licencing would be complex and costly to implement, as well being entirely worthless. But he’s playing to the crowd to score points with readers of The Daily Hate.
OldRidgeback wrote:
Are the Tories having a private competition to see who can be the most incompetent in public and yet still have the Murdoch zombies support them?
hawkinspeter wrote:
The very definition of a bottomless pit.
The Times includes a quote
The Times includes a quote from Shapps in its coverage of the story, ostensibly from the same interview, where he says he’s opposed to bike number plates. Not defending his silly season freelancing at all, but I wonder* why the Mail and Telegraph left that out of their coverage.
*I am not wondering
Actual quote, for reference:
Actual quote, for reference:
Probably because it wasnt the
Probably because it wasnt the same interview, the Mail claimed it as an exclusive, the Telegraph simply quoted the Mail, and the Times probably just rang him up and said are you insane.
The direct quote in the Mail/Telegraph was “Well, how are you going to recognise the cyclist ? Do you need registration plates and insurance? And that sort of thing”
This is so depressing to read
This is so depressing to read today. I don’t think it’ll become anything, but FFS it really is.. I just can’t. What a cnut Grant Shapps is.
peted76 wrote:
peted76 wrote:
FTFY
This bunch of Tories really do need to just go and die in a fire so the whole country can move forward.
ChrisB200SX wrote:
ftfy
I’ll just copy my thoughts
I’ll just copy my thoughts from the other thread:
Okay, so ignoring the fact that cyclists have a legal right to use the public highway and this would need (presumably) significant overhaul of existing legislation to implement, and ignoring the fact that Shapps is continuing his attack on the group of road users that present 0.01% of the danger on the roads whilst ignoring the thousands of deaths (increasing year-on-year for the ~7 years before being interrupted by the pandemic) caused by cars that are getting faster, heavier, and more dangerous every year (much to the troll’s delight, I’m sure).
We are in a climate crisis. The majority of journeys in the UK are short enough to be bicycle rides, and the last thing we need are more barriers errected so that 90% of the people that might consider reaching for thier helmet instead of their car keys are discouraged by bullshit like this.
And this would also (presumably) mean a minimum age for cycling? Or is there going to be a seperate queue at the DVLA for five-year-olds to licence thier Barbie bikes (after having spent a few hours on the phone to sort out fully comp insurance)?
BalladOfStruth wrote:
I think they should go for licencing all wheeled methods of transport, so we get an extra long line of skaters, wheelchair users and kids with Heelys (the number of times I’ve seen kids zooming around supermarkets on those things).
hawkinspeter wrote:
My first job out of school was in Morrison’s, and kids with Heelys were the bane of my life.
BalladOfStruth wrote:
LICENCE THEM!
Why stop with wheeled
Why stop with wheeled transport – let’s make everyone pass a walking test before they are allowed out of a pram, with regular re-tests and an advanced test for anyone wanting to take up jogging.
Quote:
The Government considers that the costs of a formal registration system for cycle ownership would outweigh the benefits. The safety case for such a system is not as strong as that for drivers since, by contrast with motorised vehicles, cycles involved in collisions on the highway are highly unlikely to cause serious injury to other road users.
Cycling provides clear benefits, both for those cycling (particularly in terms of health) and for wider society (tackling congestion, reducing CO2 emissions and improved air quality). The introduction of a licensing system would significantly reduce these benefits, especially over the short term. Over the long term, it would deny children and young adults from enjoying the mobility and health benefits cycling brings until they were old enough to pass a formal test.
The introduction of a system of licensing would also be likely to lead to a reduction in the number of people cycling. This would be at odds with the Prime Minister’s plans to boost walking and cycling.
Furthermore, the National Travel Survey indicates that a very high proportion of people who cycle regularly also hold a driving licence. The absence of a licensing system does not prevent a cyclist from being liable for their actions. The police and ultimately the courts, can take into account all the circumstances of an incident and judge accordingly.
That was from the DfT in December 2021, just nine months ago, in its official response to Loopy’s petition. Who was Secretary of State back then and must have signed off on that response? Give you a clue, initials GS…
Don’t you be coming on ‘ere
Don’t you be coming on ‘ere with yer “facts”…
(I mean – we have Truss and Sunak both complaining about the economic situation of the Uk and talking about how they are the ones to fix it. Both quietly ignoring that they have both been senior members of the Govt, and that their party has been running the country for the last twelve years… So, on that scale, Shapp’s comments are not so awful.)
But his name has also been
But his name has also been Michael Green.
And Sebastian Fox.
And Corinne Stockheath.
ktache wrote:
Like the rest of this “government” he is a gangster.
Re: Ben’s email
Re: Ben’s email
I’ve found a useful heuristic when reading internet comments is that people who use the word ‘woke’ to make their point are inevitably talking absolute rubbish. It’s become a nonsense word that rather than meaning ‘anti-racist’ has just become a dog whistle.
100%. Anyone who uses the
100%. Anyone who uses the word ‘woke’ as an insult immediately has their opinion disregarded and goes on the mental ‘ignore’ list.
Agreed – most people who use
Agreed – most people who use the term “woke” pejoratively don’t explain what they think “woke” means or what exactly they don’t like about it.
Probably because all “woke” actually means is anti-racist, anti-sexist, and generally showing tolerance and care towards other people even if those people are “different”.
But I guess “anti woke” sells more newspapers than “pro bigotry”.
I think you’ll find that the
I think you’ll find that the opposite of woke is not anti woke it’s asleep ?
There’s a neat image
There’s a neat image somewhere (that I can’t find) with something like
“You use woke to show that you don’t like something but you lack the ability and willingness to express why you don’t like it”
There’s a pretty amazing clip
There’s a pretty amazing clip of James O’Brien getting some anti-woke muppet to humiliate themself live on-air over their inability to explain what it actaully means.
“It’s like having one wheel in the bus lane.”
BalladOfStruth wrote:
That was both funny and depressing. I liked O’Brien’s response “I’m happily married, let’s not make this weird” to being asked if he was on NextDoor.com.
I like his approach of trying to find specific examples – that’s the way to cut through the hand-waving bullshit that people spout.
Yeah, he has a fantstic way
Yeah, he has a fantstic way of tricking the caller into deconstructing, analysing, and then defeating their own arguments.
Also, if it’s only the Cretan
Also, if it’s only the Cretan cyclists that are causing a problem (not sure what they’ve done to upset him particularly) it seems like a very large sledgehammer to crack a very small nut.
Cretans are always liars,
Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.
mdavidford wrote:
Do they mean just cyclists born in Crete, or is it cyclists of any nationality currently cycling in Crete?
hawkinspeter wrote:
.
I have a Cretan friend, he
I have a Cretan friend, he doesn’t ride a bike.
SimoninSpalding wrote:
The people of Crete unfortunately make more history than they can consume locally. — Saki
You sound like a Guardian
You sound like a Guardian reader; I hope reading road.cc isn’t heuristic for leftist..
grOg wrote:
I read multiple news sources and the Graundia is one of the better ones. I’m not a big fan of their opinion pieces, but then I don’t go to news sites for that anyway – their factual reporting is top quality. You may guess from my soviet-themed avatar that I’m left-leaning, but I’m confused about your usage of ‘heuristic’ – do you know what it means?
I think we need a picture of
I think we need a picture of squirels demonstrating a heuristic approach.
hirsute wrote:
I tried putting “squirrels heuristic” into an AI image generator and got this, but I’m not sure it helps
hawkinspeter wrote:
Also got this one which failed to understand ‘squirrels’, but looks amusing
Maybe is has to be a video of
Maybe it has to be a video of collecting nuts.
Or
A squirrel demonstrating a
A squirrel demonstrating a heuristic approach you say?
I’ve found a useful heuristic
I’ve found a useful heuristic when reading internet comments is that people who quote Saki are likely devotees of the ferret death cult of Shredni Vashtar, an interesting choice for a squirrel, but not inconsistent with the death wish of one who chooses to regularly travel by bicycle.
As for Cretans and their abundant history, I feel that our ‘governors’ are making a little more history than I can stomach.
Alternatively, maybe they
Alternatively, maybe they feel they’d like to come back as a
foxsquirrel?grOg wrote:
Are you sure that is the right word that you are using?
“Heuristic” – (of a method of teaching) allowing students to learn by discovering things themselves and learning from their own experiences rather than by telling them things
– https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/heuristic
Should have been wearing hi
Should have been wearing hi viz.
https://mobile.twitter.com/SurreyRoadCops/status/1559814373656387584
Last night a driver failed to see our fully marked car stopped with its blue and red flashing lights active.
We were protecting a broken down vehicle in lane 1 on the A3 near Milford.
The driver collided into our patrol car.
‘Driver tested negative for
‘Driver tested negative for drink or drugs, but positive for stupidity’
The replies are awesome. Many
The replies are awesome. Many drivers are saying that the lights on police cars are too bright and blind them! Surely this is even worse than “blinded by the sun” and not slowing down. You *could* assume when blinded by the sun that I can’t see anything so there is nothing there (the origin of the light is 93M miles away). With blue and red flashing lights you KNOW that there is something there and drive into it.
Wait what? “The driver
Wait what? “The driver collided…” Shurely this wasn’t one of those incredibly rare human-driven cars we seldom hear about?
Or does it make a difference because police reporting, not meeja?
Christian Woolmar isnt
Christian Woolmar isnt necessarily a political neutral commentator to quote on this for balance, and maybe he could explain what Tory base this appeals to, given everyone thinks they already vote Tory regardless anyway, the non Tory voting Tory base perhaps ?
Peter Walker is closer to the truth imo,though all governments go abit zombie at this time of year even if they arent in the midst of swapping leadership, but its clearly policy on the hoof by Shapps and I think an attempt to be seen as less Team Boris among his Tory MP colleagues.ie the ones who wrote letters to him complaining about the pro cycling stuff Boris/Gilligan were getting him to do
Cyclists Dismount
Cyclists Dismount
Hi @essexhighways@AnglianWater
– We thought you and your contractors had stopped using nonsense like this. Please can you get this signage fixed asap.
https://twitter.com/CampaignCycling/status/1559590222387712004
Hi @AnglianWater
– your message that the cyclists dismount sign was necessary for health and safety reasons to stop cyclists falling in the hole doesn’t make any sense.
!!!!!!!!!!!
To be in any way enforceable
To be in any way legal it needs to be in red.
There has been a couple on the Caversham bridge for a few weeks now, Thames water dug a hole on the part of the pavement that is the cycle path.
The hole is about a month old, not been touched since digging, signs went up much later.
Every other cyclist I have seen ignores it.
Aren’t motorists going to be
Aren’t motorists going to be even more annoyed by a cyclist pushing their bike slowly along the road in front of them?
Especially as at that point
Especially as at that point they would be pedestrians and cars would be obliged to give at least 2 metres and pass slowly.
The misspelling of cretins
The misspelling of cretins and Cretans is just… *chef’s kiss*… perfect.
The Mail headline is a
The Mail headline is a desperate attempt to divert the attention of their Tory readers from the awful prospect of Truss or Sunak being PM and from the continuing disgraceful dereliction of duty of the current PM.
I was in talking to a party member yesterday who was so depressed by the calibre of the candidates that he has torn up his ballot paper.
Well its lucky they can still
Well its lucky they can still vote online as well via e-ballot then.
And I dont buy any of these distraction theories, purely because tomorrows front page of the Mail will be back to all the things you think they are desperately trying to ignore by this, Friday they did wheres the NHS tax money going, Monday they did university clearing, Tuesday was half term flights chaos.
Gotta love the Mail and its’
Gotta love the Mail and its’ unerring ethically guided sense of priorities
I went to a play on Saturday,
I went to a play on Saturday, and they were in to audience participation. They asked the audience for something that made us feel good; my suggestion of Boris leaving got the biggest cheer of the night.
eburtthebike wrote:
Private Eye had a (fake) news item last week – Caesar agrees to stay on as caretaker dictator following his stabbing by Brutus et al.
Shapps in the Mail is playing
Shapps in the Mail is playing to the bigots and muttonheads. He knows that any questions that get to parliament around the control of cyclists will be rejected, as they have done repeatedly, because the evidence shows cyclists are a low risk and any system of registration would be costly and burdensome.
The hustings of Sunak and Truss have turned into a complete shitshow where they are being shown to be ill-qualified, incoherent and vapid characters so the tories are resorting to anything that will deflect from them yet appeal to the bigots and muttonheads who still support the party.
Slight misquote of The Times
Slight misquote of The Times article. He said he wss “not attracted to” not “not attached to”.
Surely the best fixing point
Surely the best fixing point for the plate would be on the end of a pole fixed horizontally which is exactly 1.5m in length…
NO! that would be dangerous
NO! that would be dangerous whilst I am riding at 19.9 mph on the pavement.
Grant Schapps, the proof of
Grant Schapps, the proof of the old brewing adage that scum always floats to the top.
I know that I shared this
I know that I shared this yeaterday but I’m going to repeat myself.
Yesterday the Guardian ran this story:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/aug/16/england-must-reduce-meat-dairy-intake-says-henry-dimbleby?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other&fbclid=IwAR17afkGxaxQZHxxCfKbP8IGpVbbcC0pX0FKzmjbtMfR9aGNaldJ3r5RXd0
At the same time Shapps it out persecuting an environmentaly sustainable form of transport. If this government weren’t cleary a bunch of incompetent liars you would almost think that he was deliberately undermining and deflecting their own green messaging .
Something about this rang a
Something about this rang a bell, then I remembered: Brexit!
Nobody used to be concerned about EU membership, in polls about what bothered people, it didn’t even make the top ten. Then the DM, Farrage and Banks and other off-shore non-domiciled for tax purposes billionaires started stirring things, lying, taking money from Russia and lying again, again and again, and suddenly it was an issue.
I’m sure cyclists wouldn’t have registered on most people’s list of things to worry about a few years ago, but I’m sure that has risen after the lies published by pretty much the same papers with the same non-resident owners, that it would now make the top ten.
We absolutely need to regulate the media in this country, starting by not allowing foreign residents to own any.
eburtthebike wrote:
In an aggressive and entitled manner?
mdavidford wrote:
Surely not? Surely it was just to attract attention in a friendly manner?
brooksby wrote:
You can never tell. This is why I’ve removed the trigger bell from my commuter and retrofitted the horn from a Range Rover – so people know I’m just being polite and friendly.
Yes please let’s have number
Yes please let’s have number plates, enforcement of speed, and red light jumping for cycles. To implement all that we will need even more cameras on the road which will also catch a lot more drivers that currently get away with speeding, jumping red lights etc. The downside will be that we will have to listen to even more drivers bleating on about how hard done with they are and how the speed camera was in the wrong place and it should be where they won’t get caught and… yawn yawn yawn.
I’d be much happier to have conversations about road safety with non-cyclists if they didn’t insist on being so patronising.
Exceeding the 20mph limit, I
Exceeding the 20mph limit, I’m deeply embarrassed that I seem incapable of doing this on regular basis!
SlowOldSteve wrote:
Username checks out
I’ll be doing a Wednesday
I’ll be doing a Wednesday evening 10mile time trial later to prove the point!
SlowOldSteve wrote:
I like your timing method:
“How long did it take?”
“Wednesday evening”
That may be the reason I’m
That may be the reason I’m first rider off!
Perhaps we ought to have 1.5m
Perhaps we ought to have 1.5m long number plates sticking out on the offside. At least we’d get space from overtaking motor vehicles then
3m long and symmetrical, so
3m long and symmetrical, so we’re 1.5m away from the kerb also. With a strong steel frame. I would almost sign up for that.
I have cycled in London, but
I have cycled in London, but am not currently, due to an injury (not from riding a bike).
I know there are bad car drivers, but there are also bad cyclists.
My views on this, is that the laws need to be tightened up, the Highway Code needs to take into account cyclists.
Things I have seen cyclists do:
I remember this story on the Guardian: London cyclist accused of killing woman ‘shouted at her after collision’ | London | The Guardian. Somebody was killed.
People may disagree with me, there are one set of laws that apply to car drivers and very very few that apply to cyclists.
I am not against Cyclists, I see both sides of the fence.
I really think there needs more control and responsibility.
UKMC2022 wrote:
None of which are illegal. The last two may be inadvisable, but they are still legal.
Wait till you hear about
Wait till you hear about driver hit and runs.
The HC covers all those points, so I’m really unclear what you are suggesting. Perhaps helmets in cars, no car radios ?
UKMC2022 wrote:
Nobody here disagrees with that – though I take it you know that there are more of the former than there are of the latter (as a percentage of their respective groups), and the former are significalty more dangerous (causing 2,000+ deaths per year and ~25,000 serious injuries compared to ~1 and ~500 by the latter – most of which aren’t even their fault, statistcally speaking).
It already does.
I regularly see drivers do that.
…and that
…and that
You do realise that helmets do nothing to protect against the sort of injuries a car will inflict, right? And studies have shown that drivers will happily take more chances with helmeted cyclists because they percieve them to be less vulnerable.
No deaf road users allowed, got it.
Wow. Wait until you see ~75% of car drivers.
Otherwise known as legal filtering.
For God’s sake don’t read any of this then.
… Such as?
Your fence appears to have a mirror hung on it.
Yes, what you might find from reading through relevant subjects on this site is that we’re not actually against the idea of tighter legislation on cyclists, just that it shouldn’t be prioritised over better legslation for car drivers, who cause more deaths, more injuries and behave more dangerously.
Do you have an England flag
Do you have an England flag on your twitter profile? 😉
Whilst off, check the Highway
Whilst off, check the Highway Code. It seems you haven’t for awhile as their is a fairly large section for cyclists in there.
The regular posters here know
The regular posters here know the Highway Code very well so I’d recommend giving it a read before weighing in again tbh
“And now for something
“And now for something completely different: F1 star opts for rim brakes”
Using my practically infallible forecasting facility, I predict that he won’t be winning many grand prix.
Future world champion…but
Future world champion…but not in an F1 car with rim brakes 🙂 also I suspect given the seat post height differences, George is quite tall for an F1 driver, both bikes are not his to ride on.
And clearly n+ bikes are slacking in the PR department, they gave Valtteri one of their Mercedes AMG F1 branded bikes to ride.
“How can it be right that
“How can it be right that some people are able to break the speed limit and bomb through red lights?”
Cyclists are not “able to break the speed limit”. You can’t break a limit that doesn’t apply to you. You can only ride faster than the speed limit which applies to other vehicles.
CumbrianDynamo wrote:
I once saw an airplane flying along a road, and it must have been going at least five times the speed limit!
Probably ruining the tarmac
Probably ruining the tarmac too, they’re almost as damaging as bicycle wheels I hear.
“He may be obsessed with
“He may be obsessed with braking power and fast cornering in the wet at his day job”
What part exactly do brakes play in fast cornering on a bicycle in the wet?
They allow you to decide
They allow you to decide wether you want the front wheel to slide out from under you or the rear wheel.
Put the bike in th garage
Put the bike in th garage just now, turn round and the next thing I know is a sharp pain in the back. Rip my cycle top off (not a pretty sight) to see a wasp fly away. Now I have 2 stings on my back I can barely reach with the anthisan.
How did this wasp get inside my jersey ?
This is why wasps need to be
This is why wasps need to be insured!!
BRING BACK NATIONAL SERVICE!!!!
It happened whilst you were
It happened whilst you were jumping a red light whilst riding on the pavement with no helmet, tax, insurance or registration?
No, but I was holding up
No, but I was holding up vital traffic by going slowly uphill against the wind.
(and some farmer had spread effulent over the fields so I had to breath that in too !)
hirsute wrote:
Apparently we call that a “hustings” now.
(No subject)
But at least the wasp was
But at least the wasp was wearing hi-viz
If it was a Vespa, surely it
If it was a Vespa, surely it had a registration plate….
That zebra crossing video is
That zebra crossing video is hideous. And totally par-for-the-course.
Does anyone else remember when motorists waited until you were off the zebra crossing and back on the footpath before they started moving again (as opposed to simply being out from in front of their car)?
I still wait.
I still wait.
But I’m not a motorist…
I’d be in favour of all road
I’d be in favour of all road vehicles having to obey speed limits adjusted for their weight.
So if the limit for a Ford Ka on a specific road is 20mph then the limit for a bicycle would be 200mph.
Perhaps the limit should be
Perhaps the limit should be for kinetic energy. ‘Do not exceed 900kJ’. The only downside I see is that drivers would have to consider the number of passengers they have, the amount of luggage, fuel, etc etc, and do complex* mathematics in the fly.
* – OK it’s not that complex, but must be pretty tough for morons who seem to think that 27mph is less than 20mph, or that a few inches is a safe passing distance.
Easily done by the car itself
Easily done by the car itself, a few strain gauges on the suspension and a little black box connected to the throttle, would be a great incentive for manufacturers to reduce the weight of the car!
Just wondering if a bike with
Just wondering if a bike with stabilisers would need a registration plate and if so whether the DVLA will expect the four-year-old owner to complete form to get one.
As if it wasn’t already
As if it wasn’t already needed, here is yet another point about why licensing bikes is a nonsense. What actually is a bike? Does it include penny farthings, unicycles, clown bikes, tricycles, boris bikes, my son’s green machine, recumbents,
I thought this would be an
I thought this would be an easy one to answer but instead of one legal definition I found several, there must be an overall one somewhere?
All I know is the UCI won’t let you race on most of those.
I think Grant is actually
I think Grant is actually trying to be green, new laws such as seatbelt rules are never applied to vehicles already in use and the same will surely apply to bikes, so when mandatory speedometers are introduced on all new bikes there will be a rush to use and maintain older bikes to circumvent the new laws, avoiding more destruction of the environment!
We already knew he was trying
We already knew he was trying to be Michael Green..
Backladder wrote:
— BackladderI’m pretty sure that the seatbelt law was retrospective, and that you had to have seat belts fitted if the car was constructed to take them.
Cyclists, welcome, you have
Cyclists, welcome, you have just become the latest target in the culture wars – Peter Walker (the gRaunaid)
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/aug/17/cyclists-grant-shapps-culture-wars
And the best comment BTL, IMO
And the best comment BTL, IMO
Telegraph getting a free pass
Telegraph getting a free pass again I note, theyve run more anti cycling stories than the Mail over the last 12 months, purely by dint they write an article on every Daily Mail piece plus a selection of their own, 20mph zones have been coming in for their specific focus this last month as well as the usual anti LTN stuff.
Stupid idea – by an inept
Stupid idea – by an inept government!!
I think you are slacking
I think you are slacking brooksby
These wands need reseating !
It’s been getting worse over
It’s been getting worse over the last couple of weeks, and I have reported it to the council. It started with building work, upstairs through a doorway roughly where that grey van is (exchanged some words with a builder there!). Unfortunately with these new wands, they will have to be taken up and new ones put in – they are actually bent, where vans and cars have driven over them…
Don’t tell me – they said
Don’t tell me – they said “what’s it got to do with you”.
He was sitting in his van,
He was sitting in his van, parked in the cycle lane (having apparently squashed a couple of wands). I just pulled up and waited behind him, ostentatiously checking my watch as he watched me in his mirror. Finally, he got out and walked over to the building carrying a toolbox, and as he did so he said, “I’m not going to talk to you; I’ve got tools I need so what do you expect me to do?” I laughed, and said, “Park legally?”. He huffed, swore at me, and disappeared into the building.
The problem along that road
The problem along that road is that once more than one or two wands have been flattened then people don’t see any problem with their parking there (after all, they didn’t damage the wands…).
.
.
.
.
.
.
Entitled cyclists.
Entitled cyclists.
Someone needs to invent a
Someone needs to invent a wand that looks bent flat, then detects when a car/van drives over it and springs upright.
mdavidford wrote:
…and explodes.
I bet the World Bollard
I bet the World Bollard Association could help…
Not every UK motor vehicle
Not every UK motor vehicle driver is a Nazi but every UK Nazi drives a motor vehicle and complains about how bad cyclists are