‘It’s got worse since the Highway Code changes’: Essex cyclists bemoan ‘aggressive’ driving and increased ‘fear factor’; Roubaix reaction; Is London’s cycling infrastructure better than Paris?; Cycling helps you live longer + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
‘It’s got worse since the Highway Code changes’: Essex cyclists bemoan ‘aggressive’ driving and increased cycling ‘fear factor’
The chairperson of an Essex cycling club has claimed that experienced club members have moved to Suffolk because they ‘feared for their lives’ while riding their bikes on the county’s roads.
Russell Tribley, a coach at Chelmer Cycling Club, also told BBC Essex that the recent revisions to the Highway Code have coincided with more instances of aggressive driving and close passes.
Tribley was speaking as part of a segment on cycling in the county on Sonia Watson’s BBC Essex radio programme this morning.
Watson also interviewed road.cc contributor Laura Laker, who in a series of articles for the site has noted the inherent dangers of cycling and lack of police numbers on what she calls “some of the country’s most dangerous roads”, as Essex gears up to host the RideLondon 100 leisure event this year, alongside the three-day women’s WorldTour race.
> RideLondon: Essex urged to focus on road safety ahead of revamped sportive
“I would love to cycle on Essex roads,” Laker told Watson, “and I’m sure Essex residents don’t necessarily want to take the car for every journey… but something does need to change.
“I think infrastructure is really important. We need safe streets, cycle lanes, but we also need education from the police. The police are just drastically under resourced in Essex. I spoke to the head of roads policing in Essex and he said there were seven police officers across the 5,000 miles of Essex roads on ‘a good day’, and it’s just not enough.
“There are people using their mobile phones at the wheel, and if you’re not caught, the standard just drops and drops, and that’s what we’ve seen in Essex unfortunately.”
Concurring with Laker’s view of the situation on Essex roads, Tribley argued that the recent revisions to the Highway Code, designed to protect the most vulnerable road users, have done little to help the county’s cyclists.
“Changes to the Highway Code haven’t helped,” he said. “In fact, this year we feel it’s gotten worse – the aggression of some drivers, not everybody obviously, has gotten worse.
“There is more close passing than ever; wing mirrors clipping the elbows of our club riders when riding single file. And oncoming riders on the Essex country lanes. The lanes are narrow – absolutely fantastic to cycle in, this weekend there were lots of cyclists out on the roads – but oncoming cars not slowing down, forcing you into the verges.”
> Is Essex ready for RideLondon? Police defends silence over road safety issues
The coach also claimed that the levels of dangerous driving in Essex have forced experienced cyclists to move out of the county, as well as having a detrimental impact on those who took up cycling over the past decade.
He said: “We’ve had two members recently, experienced cyclists, who have actually sold up and moved to Suffolk because they’re just fed up with the driving standards and fearing for their safety on the Essex roads. They’ve moved to Suffolk primarily because they fear for their lives cycling.
“After the 2012 Olympics and the 2014 Tour de France coming to Essex, we saw a massive increase in cycling from that legacy, and our cycling club doubled in membership. But it’s not a coincidence that since that initial wave – and again, with the beginning of the pandemic – those numbers have tailed off. And again, I think it’s that fear factor.”
Unsurprisingly, quite a few listeners texted in to criticise the behaviour of cyclists in Essex, with one texter claiming that cyclists “are the most selfish people on the roads”.
However, one non-cyclist wrote in to point out that dangerous driving in the county not only affects cyclists, but horse riders and pedestrians as well, and argued that “we take our lives in our hands when we leave the front drive”.
Calling all Essex cyclists in the comments – what do you think? Do you agree with Russell? Have you noticed an increase in close passes and dangerous driving since the Highway Code changes? Let us know.
Car parking in the middle of the road or cycle lanes? Quite the quandary…
It’s quite shocking for an inner London borough to have parking spaces available in the middle of the road but have no room for cycle lanes. @BetterStreetsKC, @WillNorman can you help @RBKC? pic.twitter.com/pzqh1XGlw3
— Mete Coban MBE (@metecoban92) April 18, 2022
Check out Queen’s Gate. Four lanes ***JUST FOR CAR PARKING*** (and a promised 🚲 lane just not done). It’s a terrible track record here for active travel https://t.co/CWnNapBcjz
— betterstreets4kc (@betterstreetskc) April 18, 2022
POLL: Yves of Destruction – who was at fault for Lampaert crash?
Yes, I know it’s Tuesday, I know Flèche Wallonne is tomorrow… But since we didn’t have a live blog yesterday, I believe it’s only fair to include a post (or three) about that spectacular Easter weekend of drama and dust at Paris-Roubaix…
One moment that will certainly keep cycling tongues wagging long after that last chocolate egg is gone was Yves Lampaert’s collision with a spectator on the penultimate sector of cobbles at Hem.
The Quick Step-Alpha Vinyl rider was chasing eventual winner Dylan van Baarle alongside the indefatigable Matej Mohorič with eight kilometres to go when an applauding fan on the roadside, unaware that Lampaert was about to cut in on the smooth tarmac section, clipped his handlebars, causing the Belgian to spectacularly hit the deck.
Awful crash for Lampaert – spectators please stay the fuck back #ParisRoubaix2022 pic.twitter.com/OLyGUjHz0G
— Peter. ✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿🚴♂️ (@PBXscribes) April 17, 2022
Lampaert, who looked set to take a podium place at the time of his crash, was forced to ride a neutral service bike for a spell, eventually taking tenth in the Roubaix velodrome.
Visibly frustrated at the finish, Lampaert called the fan a “calf” and told the media: “If you don’t know anything about the race, then stay at home”.
Maybe I should not have called the spectator a “kalf”, but still he was on the route. Let it be a lesson for everyone that you need to step back if you see the riders coming. I still love all the supporters, you were amazing today! 💙
— Yves Lampaert (@yveslampaert) April 17, 2022
The Belgian’s boss, Patrick Lefevere, who has overseen a torrid spring classics campaign for his usually dominant Quick Step outfit, was – rather predictably – even more forthright.
“The problem is that these people are not reasonable. These riders are suffering for 250km, living for weeks for this race, and one stupid guy blows it up. He sleeps well tonight, no worries but for Yves: this is a disaster,” Lefevere said of the clapping spectator, referencing the infamous ‘Opi-Omi’ incident at last year’s Tour de France, where a sign-waving fan took out Tony Martin, causing a massive crash in the peloton.
“What can you do? With my background from 30 to 40 years ago, I think I would have turned back, taken my bike and hit him on the head, but you can’t do that.
“He could have a fine of maybe €1,000. He might need a lawyer but that will be it. I hope he doesn’t sleep this evening.”
However, while most in the cycling world were quick to condemn the fan, an alternative view of the crash – captured by another spectator’s phone – adds some ambiguity and nuance to proceedings (hoodafunkit?).
An alternative view of Lampaert’s crash which I think makes me even more forgiving of the fan. There was a barrier a few metres beforehand, where Lampaert cut in just afterward. The fan *was* moving backwards off the road, just not quick enough. https://t.co/4b8AT5rM25
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) April 18, 2022
From this other angle, Lampaert appears to quickly dive off the cobbles into the tarmac section, taking the fan, who tries to retreat, by surprise.
So, what do you think? Who is to blame (if anybody) for Yves’ unfortunate fall? Should fans be more aware of riders approaching and the dangers they pose from the roadside? Should riders – especially on the slightly barriered section at Hem – be more cautious about ducking and weaving on and off the cobbles? Or is it simply, to quote Abe Simpson, a little from column A and a little from column B?
Should electric bikes be speed limited?
Another poll, from Twitter this time, on whether electric bikes – which for now can only provide assistance up to 15.5mph in the UK – should be speed limited:
Do you think electric bikes (ebikes) should be speed limited?
— Cybergibbons (@cybergibbons) April 18, 2022
> Should e-bike speeds be increased? Petition launched to raise assisted speed to 20mph in the UK
Here are a few of the responses so far:
Yes, but probably not at 15. 15 is about right for mountain bikes going off road, but 20 seems better for road/utility, as that’s the speed cars they’re likely to be mixing with will be going. (30+ roads shld have seperate infra)
— cyclinggrump (@cyclinggrump) April 18, 2022
25km/h (~15.5mph) is too low in uk/europe. 25/30mph would convince me to buy one.
— Gavin (@gavinwinter) April 18, 2022
Why should they be? Cars aren’t, and they are MUCH deadlier and more dangerous.
— Matthew Hardy (@drmatthewhardy) April 18, 2022
— Bill Hulley (@billhulley) April 18, 2022
All these polls, you’d think there were elections coming up…
Just Like Wout’s Thumb’s Blues (and more Roubaix reaction)
They don’t call Paris-Roubaix the ‘Hell of the North’ for nothing, as Wout van Aert (and his battered hands) can attest:
Never mind the blisters, what has happened to Wout’s thumb 😱 https://t.co/bEuI7iTU60
— Katy M (@writebikerepeat) April 18, 2022
Filippo Ganna, who was besieged by bad luck despite looking strong, appears to have only started to recover from Sunday’s epic, tweeting this morning: “Do you want to age 40 years in two days? Bones broken, cramps in arms and hands… I have what you need, for the modest sum of one Paris-Roubaix.”
Vuoi invecchiare 40 anni in due giorni ?
-Ossa rotte
-Crampi a braccia e mani
E pezzo forte Ogni volta che ti alzi è un HOPLÀ ?
Ho ciò che fa per te, alla modica cifra di una @Paris_Roubaix.— Filippo Ganna © (@GannaFilippo) April 19, 2022
Luckily for Top Ganna, his Ineos team was in electric form, with Dutchman Dylan van Baarle soloing to victory in the Vélodrome André-Pétrieux to crown a breakthrough spring campaign for the British team.
And check out Van Baarle’s mammoth numbers during what was the fastest ever edition of the Queen of the Classics. Those figures even include the neutralised zone…
📊🏆 Overview of Dylan van Baarle’s data from Paris-Roubaix (⚡+❤️)https://t.co/ThtpMCMXg3 #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/vPuwFf1R46
— ammattipyöräily (@ammattipyoraily) April 19, 2022
Are Ineos the new Quick Step?
After years of drone-like domination at the Tour de France, the emergence of the Slovenian superstars Roglič and Pogačar has forced a rethink within the winning machine formerly known as Team Sky.
Is it me or did INEOS decide that since they can’t be Sky anymore they’d better become Quick-Step? #ParisRoubaix
— Rob McD (@Your_FunnyUncle) April 17, 2022
Far removed from the one-note grand tour mountain train of the Froome years, this latest iteration of the British squad is an enterprising, attacking outfit full of young, multi-talented and dynamic riders.
They took Roubaix by the scruff of the neck, blowing the race apart early on in the crosswinds and then making sure they were always on the front foot and had numbers as the race reached its climax.
Van Baarle’s win – his team’s first at Roubaix – capped off a sensational classics campaign (which included second place in Flanders for the Dutchman) and a remarkable eight-day run which also saw Michał Kwiatkowski dramatically take Amstel Gold and 19-year-old Magnus Sheffield win Brabantse Pijl.
Ben Turner of @INEOSGrenadiers coming in for an incredibly impressive result. It’s his first year at this level and he’s already a key rider 🤯#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/Qj9OffFKKa
— road.cc (@roadcc) April 17, 2022
And let’s not forget perhaps the breakout star of the spring, Ben Turner. The 22-year-old has been Ineos’ secret weapon throughout the cobbled races and looked assured all day during his first senior Paris-Roubaix, eventually finishing eleventh despite an unfortunate late crash.
I reckon it won’t be too long before the lad from Doncaster takes a monument of his own…
What a win that was 💪🏼 #ParisRoubaixFemmes pic.twitter.com/mxdxd44W7R
— road.cc (@roadcc) April 16, 2022
Is there a more deserving winner of Paris-Roubaix than Elisa Longo Borghini?
The 30-year-old Italian champion took the second women’s edition of the Hell of the North with a stunning and dogged 30-kilometre solo raid after another textbook display of teamwork and tactics by Trek-Segafredo (they’re pretty good at this Roubaix malarkey, aren’t they?).
One of the peloton’s most consistent riders, and one of the most entertaining too, Longo Borghini’s difficult spring was put to bed with her win at Roubaix, her cobblestone trophy now resting nicely alongside her career victories at Flanders, Stade Bianche and Trofeo Alfredo Binda.
Finally, chapeau to our man on the ground, Liam Cahill, who documented the whole Roubaix weekend, from the recces and all the latest tech to the velodrome, for road.cc (with a few beers thrown in for good measure).
On Mons-en-Pevele, @AstanaQazTeam were doing their recon ride. It’s bumpy.#ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/51odW07LYq
— road.cc (@roadcc) April 15, 2022
It’s a sizeable gap to @SwiftConnor’s group (he’s our new favourite rider btw xoxo) but the main group behind was shifting 😯 #ParisRoubaix pic.twitter.com/sroCRM3CDM
— road.cc (@roadcc) April 17, 2022
Post cobble recovery. @daniellloyd1 do you approve? 😜 pic.twitter.com/jJeF6btpkt
— road.cc (@roadcc) April 15, 2022
Not that I’m jealous at all…
“Attitudes like this are how so many people die on the roads”
Attitudes like this are how so many people die on the roads.
Lance doesn’t care if he’s right or not, he’s playing to the cheap seats. He knows who his audience is pic.twitter.com/nF3YZXe8RK
— Simon 🪗 (@mzdt) April 19, 2022
Hot take of the day: London has better cycling infrastructure than Paris
Wandered around Paris all day looking at active travel measures and green infra. so it’s time for a hot take:
What London has done in the past two years, whether through LTNs, @willnorman’s cycle lanes, or canopy cover, is more ambitious, systematic, & higher quality than Paris.
— Jon Burke FRSA 🌍 (@jonburkeUK) April 18, 2022
Who wants to live forever? Well, cycling can help
Filippo Ganna may have crudely predicted earlier today that racing Paris-Roubaix will take 40 years off a pro, but it turns out that riding your bike for just half an hour every day could add a whole year to your life.
That’s according to the calculator repository Omni Calculator, who came up with a ‘Biking Life Gain’ tool to “evaluate how much longer you’ll live on average if you cycle on a regular basis”.
The site’s equations are based on a study conducted by researchers at the University of Utrecht’s Healthy Urban Living programme, which gathered data about the transport choices of 50,000 people living in the Netherlands.
According to the study, people who rode a bike for around 75 minutes a week saw their life expectancy increase by six months compared to those who didn’t. Not too shabby.
Obviously, the results of the calculator – which can be accessed at this link – are only estimates based on the riding habits of Dutch commuter cyclists, but they may be handy to keep in the back of your mind next time you’re soaked to the skin while riding home from work in horrible traffic…
Roubaix reaction, part three: Jumbo-Visma and the curious case of the rapidly folding wheels, plus Asgreen loses part of his ear...
Last Roubaix reaction post, I promise…
But, as cycling writers Katy Madgwick and Sadhbh O’Shea say, it’s the gift that keeps on giving:
It’s like a big night out. There’s certain details that you won’t learn about until someone else tells you and there are others that will never surface.
— Sadhbh O’Shea (@SadhbhOS) April 19, 2022
This afternoon’s latest instalment of ‘Dude, what exactly happened at Roubaix?’ features the reasons behind Wout van Aert’s troubles in the heart of the Arenberg forest, which before now were seemingly lost in the foggy, drunken haze of Roubaix Sunday.
While Van Aert looked impressively strong for a man who is just recovering from a bout of Covid last week, it briefly seemed – to us fans watching on TV – that the Belgian champion had bitten off more than he could chew as the race entered the foreboding, tree-lined stretch of hell known as the Trouée d’Arenberg.
However, as the Jumbo-Visma rider began to pick his way through the scattered remains of the peloton, emerging from the trench riding a bike clad in the Dutch tricolour, it was clear that bad legs weren’t the source of Van Aert’s woes.
The unseen footage of @WoutvanAert‘s bike change on the Wallers cobbles. Wheel folded double.
Speedy work from @TimoRoosen, I have to say 🔥#ParisRoubaix @sportwereld_be pic.twitter.com/2bQKzVc4bW
— Vincent Van Genechten (@VVGenechten2) April 19, 2022
New footage was shared this afternoon on Twitter of the reasons behind WVA’s Arenberg troubles, as his rear wheel folded into a banana over the rough, misshapen ‘baby’s head’ cobbles.
Fortunately, Timo Roosen was on hand with his bike to send his leader on his way to an eventual second place behind Dylan van Baarle.
Van Aert’s teammate Christophe Laporte also suffered a similar back wheel mishap, which forced him to expertly keep the bike under control like a junior Moto GP rider before ‘Froome-ing’ it up the road…
Christophe Laporte’s achterwiel breekt doormidden in #parijsroubaix #jumbovisma #Laporte #wheel #ChristopheLaporte #materiaal #ParisRoubaix #ParisRoubaix2022 #parijsroubaix2022 pic.twitter.com/S4ykeLUhca
— Dutch Disruption – stop TWlTTER censorship (@DutchDisruption) April 18, 2022
I’m not sure Jumbo’s wheel supplier Shimano will be too happy with these videos doing the rounds…
Although, if one of your wheels is going to collapse, it better be the back one.
And at least both riders emerged unscathed, unlike poor Kasper Asgreen, who reportedly lost part of his ear in a crash before the riders had even reached the cobbles.
Paris-Roubaix? Bloody hell.
Geraint Thomas get hitched… Ah, it’s the other one
In a wonderful moment for confusing Twitter handles everywhere, Geraint Thomas got married over the weekend.
No, not the currently married, father-of-one who rides for Ineos – the lecturer from South Wales who beat the 2018 Tour de France winner to Twitter by a year, thus securing the coveted no-numbers handle and 13 years of adoration from well-meaning but confused cycling fans.
That was undoubtedly the best day of my life! It’s still quite overwhelming thinking back to it all, so many people there who meant the world to me; to us both. But now I get to call Maddie my beautiful wife! Here’s to the start of everything 🥂 I love you! pic.twitter.com/zOSXnz8Wi5
— Geraint Thomas (@geraintthomas) April 17, 2022
Congrats – but I was confused since I thought you’d got married years ago. Then I realised you’re “not that one”.
Hope you both have a wonderful day and rest of your life. xxx— Val Galloway (@VTGall) April 15, 2022
I’m a cycling fan, so Twitter recommended this tweet to me. I don’t know who you are, but congratulations nonetheless.
— Steven Fivez (@SFivez) April 15, 2022
How can you get married on Paris-Roubaix day 😂? Seriously, congratulations 🎉 hope you have a wonderful day.
— Paul Giles (@PaulKitchenMan) April 15, 2022
How lovely. Reports that the ‘real’ G attended the ceremony have yet to be confirmed…
Poll result: Turns out it was the fan’s fault…
Oh, you’re an unforgiving lot…
Though one of our readers pointed out that we ignored a possible fourth option for the poll: “The race organisers, for the half-assed ‘barriered (not barriered)’ approach they take on this stretch.”
I know we always say that placing barriers along the whole route to prevent encroaching fans having an influence on the race is beyond most, if not all, race organisers, but surely ASO has the resources to at least line that 1.4km sector with barriers?
Every Little Helps...
Had this from an anonymous submitter earlier today. @tesco 🎟️🎟️🎟️ pic.twitter.com/HOdJzIRP0v
— You Park Like a C*nt (@YPLAC) April 19, 2022
“It’s not worse, but it’s certainly not better”: Readers react to Essex cyclists ‘fearing for their lives’
Before I head out for an evening spin in the sunshine, here’s a quick summary of our readers’ reactions to this morning’s story about cycling in Essex.
Speaking to BBC Essex this morning, one local club chairperson argued that driving in the county has deteriorated since the Highway Code changes and that some experienced cyclists have even moved to Suffolk because they ‘fear for their lives’ on Essex roads.
Here’s what you thought:
In semi-rural Hertfordshire, my experience these last few weeks has been generally of much more pleasant and relaxed cycle rides. More full across the road overtakes, more car drivers hanging back and giving more space where there is no prospect of a safe overtake. Not a single incident worth mentioning from hours of video. Maybe all the hysteria in the media actually got a significant number of drivers to refresh their understanding?
Agree, I feel the same on my rides around Somerset/Dorset. It’s noticeable how many more cars are completely over onto the opposite lane when overtaking. Long may it continue.
I’ve not noticed it’s gotten worse since the Highway code changes, but it’s certainly not gotten any better. I think any Essex based cycling club members moving to Suffolk might be disappointed that things aren’t that different across the border for them.
I would never cycle anywhere in Essex south or west of a line from Harwich/Dovercourt to Colchester and across to Braintree and Bishop’s Stortford. Essentially south of the A120.
South Tendring/Clacton etc crazy. Driving deteriorates the closer to London you get.
Generally agree; 8-10 miles North of the East West conurbations that run along the Thames from London to Southend can be good; south of that line and it is classic “commuter” mentality; overpopulated, too little time given for journeys, poor infrastructure and the general arrogance of some drivers makes it unpleasant.
I’ve ridden to Clacton & Harwich several times and across as far as Halstead, certainly below that A120 line though not much further south into Essex, and whilst there’s a definite “okay Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore” vibe to the roads and driving standard in Essex, and I’ve certainly been on the receiving end of some rotten overtakes & close passes there, it’s not felt that different really to some of the roads there are in Suffolk too.
So I don’t know where those Chelmer club cyclists have moved to but we’ve probably got just as many miles of roads, but even fewer police in the traffic team covering the area with the same mix of impatient drivers in some parts not willing to give cyclists an inch on narrow roads.
Others weren’t impressed with one BBC Essex listener’s assertion that cyclists were the “most selfish people on the road”:
I am not in Essex but I am one of the most selfish people on the road. I haven’t bought a car despite being perfectly qualified to do so and I persist in riding in the road on a bike.
Does that make me entitled, a “failure in life” (thanks Maggie!), a MAMIL, a virtue-signalling eco-w*****, a pain in the backside for people just trying to get from A to B/doing their jobs or all of the above?
P.S. I’m not above using the cycling infrastructure if it’s there/fit for purpose. Hint, hint.
Of all the stupid anti-cycling arguments/remarks, the “entitled/selfish cyclist” is the one that winds me up the most. If you really drill down to it and get drivers to explain what they mean by that, it’s usually something along the lines of “you held me up because you wouldn’t let me gamble with your life so that I could get to the next red light 10 seconds faster” or “My journey is more important than your journey because I’m in a motorised armchair and you’re on a toy”.
They genuinely don’t see the irony of them calling us selfish/entitled.
Pretty much every time a driver complains that cyclists are ‘entitled’ they are just revealing their own sense of entitlement.
19 April 2022, 08:27
19 April 2022, 08:27
19 April 2022, 08:27
Some in-depth analysis from Liam of Van Baarle's suitably epic Strava data from Sunday...
Van Baarle averages 315 watts for duration of Paris Roubaix - Strava analysis
The fastest ever edition of the Hell of the North required some big power numbers
19 April 2022, 08:27
19 April 2022, 08:27
Liam dissects Jumbo-Visma's wheel troubles at Paris-Roubaix
What's going on with Shimano's wheels? Two carbon Dura-Ace wheels fold in half at Paris Roubaix
The wheels were ridden with flat tyres, exposing the carbon to the harsh cobbles... we try to dissect what might have gone wrong
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Latest Comments
There are a lot of mentally ill motorists on our roads
@mdavidford It is a shame that the clips doesn't show it but I would guess that the cyclist's wheels were on the left of the central lines on the road and the right side of the handlebar and the cyclist's right elbow would be on the line or barely over it. At the end of the day, we as cyclists can pass more closely (filter) than drivers should.
@Bungle_52 PS I posted a link with more details on fridays blog but it didn't appear for ages. I'm not putting the link in again so you will have to find it in Fridays blog. Well worth a look in my opinion.
And regardless of UK law, a decision in the EU is likely to impact UK customers anyway, since AliExpress and it's ilk aren't likely to want the bother of maintaining two different standards - anything they do to stay legal in the EU they'll probably do for the UK too, to keep things simple, more than anything else.
@mdavidford I suspect they are saying that the oncoming driver was inconvenienced by being forced into the gutter. I also suspect that a cyclist forced into the gutter wouldn't be inconvenienced because that is where we belong!
Yep. I suspect being in the oncoming lane* as the Volvo approached round a blind bend / hill brow contributed - would be interesting to know if they'd have taken action if the cyclist had remained in their lane throughout. * don't know where the camera is mounted, so not sure, but the before and after position below suggests so.
The more I see this, the less I like it. I wouldn't describe it as riding by a "careful & competent" rider. BUT; the rider was passing a parked, locked (mirrors were folded) car, slowly, on a good road suface, on their side of the road. The oncoming car was travelling slowly and could use their entire lane. A bit of a squeeze, but the police have been quoted (elsewhere) as saying, "a close pass doesn't occur if the vechicles remain in their own lane". So no close pass occured (they are going in the wrong directoion, anyway), filtering is allowed, the only danger was to the cyclist themselves and they had obviously assessed & accepted that risk.
We left the EU, but still retained a huge body of its regulation as it applied at that time. Yes, we can diverge from it. But I don't think that 'freedom' or 'innovation' is best expressed by e.g. allowing demonstrable fire hazards.
@AidanR It’s not great cycling, but I have the same from drivers practically every day on my commute. I don’t imagine for a moment that, if I reported it, anything would be done How right you are!
Just a quick note to let road.cc know we left the EU several years ago and aren't bound by their rules and regulations any more. There is no UK or EU version of AliExpress and one of the many reasons for this is that the EU systematically stifles innovation by hamstringing companies with red tape. It's up to the UK to break free and innovate again, as we've done in the past. My concern is that we've become a risk-averse, rule-taking society that's afraid to embrace the freedom we now have.
62 thoughts on “‘It’s got worse since the Highway Code changes’: Essex cyclists bemoan ‘aggressive’ driving and increased ‘fear factor’; Roubaix reaction; Is London’s cycling infrastructure better than Paris?; Cycling helps you live longer + more on the live blog”
road.cc wrote:
I am not in Essex but I am one of the most selfish people on the road. I haven’t bought a car despite being perfectly qualified to do so and I persist in riding in the road on a bike.
Does that make me entitled, a “failure in life” (thanks Maggie!), a MAMIL, a virtue-signalling eco-w*****, a pain in the backside for people just trying to get from A to B / doing their jobs or all of the above?
P.S. I’m not above using the cycling infrastructure if it’s there / fit for purpose. Hint, hint.
Of all the stupid anti
Of all the stupid anti-cycling arguments/remarks, the “entitled/selfish cyclist” is the one that winds me up the most. If you really drill down to it and get drivers to explain what they mean by that, it’s usually something along the lines of “you held me up because you wouldn’t let me gamble with your life so that I could get to the next red light 10 seconds faster” or “My journey is more important than your journey because I’m in a motorised armchair and you’re on a toy”. They genuinely don’t see the irony of them calling us selfish/entitled.
Also, as I will never get tired of pointing out, 66% of all UK journeys are under five miles, and 24% are under one mile. If people don’t want to get held up in traffic, how about not conducting their easily-walkable-length journey in a planet-killing, two-ton metal box that takes up as much space as six cyclists or ten pedestrians. Which one of us is the selfish one again?!
BalladOfStruth wrote:
Spot on. Pretty much every time a driver complains that cyclists are ‘entitled’ they are just revealing their own sense of entitlement.
BalladOfStruth wrote:
You’ve got your figures a bit mixed up there: it’s actually 66% of trips are under five miles and 24% under a mile for all modes of transport, car, rail, cycle and walking. 83% of the less than a mile trips are made on foot. It’s still shocking how many people do drive less than a mile, but it’s not 24% of all car journeys.
For info: I think most of
For info: I think most of this derives from National Travel Surveys (e.g. that’s where Sustrans say they get their figures from) – here’s the 2020 journey lengths by mode one but the 2019 one might be safer to use because Covid will change things.
Also of note:
Also of note:
Note that 61% of trips in that survey were made by car, 26% on foot, 7% by public transport and 2% on bike. So it would seem that a lot of people were not driving “because they had to” – unless all walking was recreational. Even if you accept (as seems the norm) the “necessity” of driving to get to work, looking after other people or personal tasks.
I stand corrected. When I
I stand corrected. When I originally Googled this (probably due to an anti-cycling argument I’d gotten into on Reddit), I must have stumbled across a crappy source that was worded as if this was specifically for car journeys, but now that I’ve look a bit deeper and found the national travel survey that the stats are based on, you’re right – it is all methods of transport. I’ll edit my original comment.
Still, the average UK car journey length is only 7.8 miles (single occupancy) and 9 miles (multiple occupancy). That’s depressingly short.
BalladOfStruth wrote:
Could not agree more with that!
I drive a taxi for work…my
I drive a taxi for work…my greatest fare in the last year…Debden underground station to Loughton Mercedes…..Google it and there wasn’t any disabilities involved!
Tjhuert wrote:
Well, my google says it is a 0.1 mile walk (so, 160 metres).
Probably took them longer to actually get in your cab and tell you where they wanted to go…
Agreed. It’s such a palpably
Agreed. It’s such a palpably stupid comment.
Who is the one who thinks his journey is SO important that it warrants using a two-tonne, noisy, dangerous, polluting vehicle to haul his fat arse a mile to buy a newspaper?
Who is the one so entitled that they take up as much road space as four cyclists or a dozen pedestrians?
Human nature, no? I’m not
Human nature, no? I’m not saying it’s desirable or an immutable law but in general being or feeling powerful has always gone together with higher usage of resources – normally conspicuously – and frequently deliberate waste. Personally I think cycling is the closest thing to the experience of flying for humans. But for most it’s the car / motorbike.
Cross posted from Twitter:
Cross posted from Twitter:
I would never cycle anywhere in Essex south or west of a line from Harwich / Dovercourt to Colchester and across to Braintree and Bishop’s Stortford. Essentially south of the A120.
South Tendring / Clacton etc crazy. Driving deteriorates the closer to London you get.
davehartin wrote:
Generally agree; 8-10 miles North of the East West conurbations that run along the Thames from London to Southend can be good; south of that line and it is classic “commuter” mentality; overpopulated, too little time given for journeys, poor infrastructure and the general arrogance of some drivers makes it unpleasant.
Don’t expect too much change though as the county is represented by the Nasty portion of the Conservative party; the selfish, ignorant dog whistlers who are destroying “UK Values”, whatever they were. If we could only get Pritti Patel on board we could send the offending motorists to Rwanda, where you have to support cycling by Government decree!
Ive ridden to Clacton &
Ive ridden to Clacton & Harwich several times and across as far as Halstead, certainly below that A120 line though not much further south into Essex, and whilst theres a definite, ok Toto were not in Kansas anymore vibe to the roads & driving standard in Essex, and Ive certainly been on the receiving end of some rotten overtakes & close passes there, its not felt that different really to some of the roads there are in Suffolk too, so I dont know where those Chelmer club cyclists have moved to but weve probably got just as many miles of roads, but even fewer police in the traffic team covering the area with the same mix of impatient drivers in some parts not willing to give cyclists an inch on narrow roads.
Its like I havent looked at say this years Womens Tour stage 1 route released last week, and hey who knew theres more than Ride London – which isnt a race btw BBC Essex its a sportive (unless you are talking about the Ride London Classique, which they werent)- happening bike wise in Essex within the next 6 weeks and gone OMG if I want to ride & follow that stage route, Ive got to ride on those godawful Essex roads.
I actually look at it and go well Ive done the Essex bits before and they were ok, but the A1141, B1113 and the A134, and those are all in Suffolk, those are not fun roads to ride on, lots of traffic, lots of fast traffic, lots of Sunday drivers & bike (of the motorised variety) runners, cyclists have been killed & seriously injured riding on the A134, so its not as straightforward as just saying Essex roads bad, other county roads good.
actually I hope the media ride they do includes that A134 run into Bury so the local councillors and authorities get to experience it properly as cyclists, and it might encourage their road safety teams not to focus solely on helmets as being the solution to cycling safety.
Well, I didn’t say “Essex
Well, I didn’t say “Essex roads bad, other roads good” now did I? Nor anything close to it. I’ve quite happily commuted into Colchester and explored the minor roads out towards Stansted. The differences I’ve noticed north of Clacton on all sorts of roads are hot hatches revving engines, close passes and abuse. That is different to Suffolk in the main. Yes, of course there’s bad driving in Suffolk (and I wouldn’t ride on the A134 – though I do on the A137) but I stand by my comments. It’s just one view.
no I was making a general
no I was making a general point really that seems to have arisen from this piece on the radio, and that road.cc keep bringing up about Ride London, that Essex roads are particularly horrible for cyclists and people are reportedly leaving Essex to ride elsewhere,or not riding in Essex at all because its that bad.
And whilst Id agree there are differences in Essex you pick up on, and yes hot hatches have always been a thing on Essex roads, having ridden a small part of Essex thats been highlighted as bad, I dont feel they are that much different from roads around here or anywhere really, swap hot hatches for SUVs, builders for farmers, and its pretty much the same feels riding a bike.
I wouldnt ride the A137 out of choice fwiw, its not a road for instance any of those bought a bike to ride during lockdown would feel remotely comfortable riding on.
I’ve not noticed it’s gotten
I’ve not noticed it’s gotten worse since the Highway code changes, but its certainly not gotten any better,I think any Essex based cycling club members moving to Suffolk might be disappointed that things aren’t that different across the border for them.
Way back in 2013 FPN’s were
Way back in 2013 FPN’s were introduced for Careless Driving in response to a decline in the number of motorists being prosecuted. I wonder whether that legislation managed to reverse the downward trend or if it has continued unabated since 2010?
Poll needs a 4th option: The
Poll needs a 4th option: The race organisers, for the half-assed ‘barriered (not barriered)’ approach they take on this stretch.
25 km/h is plenty for ebikes
25 km/h is plenty for ebikes in towns (there may be an interesting case for geofencing and allowing higher speeds in the country), we should be looking at reducing the car limit to that, not increasing the bike limit. Certainly in London 25 km/h is sufficient to beat a car virtually anywhere unless the journey involves a long stretch of dual carriageway. Increasing the speed would simply add to demands for insurance, licences, compulsory helmets etc, which could well then trickle back towards “normal” cycling. Careful what you wish for, I think. 25 km/h is also a good speed for segregated cycle lanes, i.e. one most people can manage, whereas 35+ would cause conflict, certainly in rush hours.
Just to be clear, I love ebikes, I ride around 9,000 kms a year split roughly 60/40 between my unpowered road and mountainbikes and my lovely electric Orbea Gain, they are a brilliant tool for commuting, running errands, load carrying etc and have enabled self and Mrs H (who has the same bike) to ditch the car to the benefit of our health (both mental and physical) and finances, I just feel the current speed limit is fine.
Agree. There might be some
Agree. There might be some benefit to “speed pedelecs” to harm-mitigate some aspects of our car-dependent situation. For example the common “need” for the car for e.g. commutes of say 5 – 30 miles. (“Need” because we’ve decreased public transport provision and our housing and utilities provision is often built that way and we’re accustomed to being able to work at that distance because cars). Sometimes I think “but if there was one that would do 20mph…”
However as the speed goes up the relative contribution from the human motor goes down. And other issues start to appear like vehicles being heavier, more dangerous to rider / others, more expensive, more resource-intensive to build / dispose of etc.
So I think the current distinction is probably about right e.g. over 15.5mph it’s a motorbike. You can still have one but you and it need to be trained, lizensed, motorcycle helmet etc.
but be careful setting that
but be careful setting that in terms of a “speed” factor because its very easy to ride a non e-bicycle over 15.5mph, and certainly much faster with enough gravity or wind assistance, and we dont want legislators pondering what the difference is.
in anycase what aspect of ebikes means they arent speed limited already ?
the only ones I ever see clearly hitting motorbike speeds, as opposed to 15.5mph of assistance, are illegal anyway, a standard ebike will always be limited by the speed of the assistance and the human capability.
Correct – I was sort of
Correct – I was sort of disagreeing with the premise of the question by ignoring it. So that’s “no speed limits for ‘normal’ e-bikes (because still “bikes” so human-limited) but keep the assistance cutout speed limit as-is”. I don’t think we should change any of the regulation for e-pedelecs. Like mopeds I think a speed limit and enforcement of that is sensible. I wouldn’t “go Dutch” in that respect and start permitting them on cycling infra – definitely unsuitable on most current UK “cycling infra”.
Illegal stuff – there is a problem of enforcement e.g. people will always be de-limiting legal things or just using plain illegal stuff. That’s not always an easy spot. Plus velomobile riders will end up being deep-searched for motors. It’s nothing we haven’t already had some experience with though. I believe in the Netherlands going too fast via changing your moped so it’ll go faster but you can still use all the paths is common.
Oh – and to those who say
Oh – and to those who say “but less dangerous than a car!” yes – indeed, but this is about classification and if “it’s a bike” then it’s going to be on cycle paths. In the UK that (sadly) often reads “shared space” which actually means “we put a blue sign on a (narrow) footway”.
I guess I’m a bit of a vespa-phobe.
Again (broken record) maybe it’s worth looking at how they do it in the Netherlands – because they have lots of cycling. Don’t forget they also have very good safety-focussed infra (for all road users), a policy of making spaces “self-explaining” etc. Yep – they have speed pedelecs there. And they are treated as mopeds. The Dutch oddity is that – for historical reasons – they still have some motorbikes / mopeds allowed on some – but not all – cycling infra. Aside – that’s not popular with many cyclists. So there are speed-pedelecs on some cycle paths but simply where mopeds already are allowed. And there are speed limits although these are higher outside built-up areas.
The brommers (scooters) on
The brommers (scooters) on the bike lanes here in NL can be a real problem. Almost always the riders will close pass when there really isn’t enough space (and way over the “regulated” 25kmh). Had a pair of them do it yesterday, both with a pillion passenger, and they stopped 50m later at an all-you-can-eat restaurant. Not sure how the change has gone in Amsterdam, but here in The Hague they’re still on the bike lanes. Mind you, I have taken the opportunity of a little drafting when I’ve been on the road bike out in the country 😉
Quite often see the more powerful scooters (yellow registration plate, helmet mandatory) on bike lanes too. I’m pretty sure they’re supposed to be on the road. In contrast, I often see the pedalecs on the road instead, as if the rider knows they’ll be slowed down by us commoners on city bikes on the bike lane.
Insane to consider speed
Insane to consider speed increases to anything before the national 30mph speed limit becomes 20mph. This is the game changer.
That would certainly help
That would certainly help although I don’t think it’s “the answer” (as in not a singular game-changer – American cities / towns often have low residential speed limits but I think they still have a few car issues and have very low cycling modal share).
Sadly when this came up in Scotland – a proposal that instead of a 30mph default we should have a 20mph default – and bearing in mind authorities can always apply to change the limit locally – this was shot down. As far as I can see because motor vehicle lobbyists and highly-placed friends. The main excuse being that “a one-size-fits-all approach wouldn’t be sensible”. Alas I didn’t just make that up.
RE: Car parking in the middle
RE: Car parking in the middle of the road or cycle lanes? Quite the quandary
Kensington and Chelsea you say? Well colour me
true bluesurprised.In semi rural Hertfordshire,
In semi rural Hertfordshire, my experience these last few weeks has been generally of much more pleasant and relaxed cycle rides. More full across the road overtakes, more car drivers hanging back and giving more space where there is no prospect of a safe overtake. Not a single incident worth mentioning from hours of video. Maybe all the hysteria in the media actually got a significant number of drivers to refresh their understanding?
Agree, I feel the same on my
Agree, I feel the same on my rides around Somerset/Dorset. It’s noticeable how many more cars are completely over onto the opposite lane when overtaking. Long may it continue.
A law to change most 30mph
A law to change most 30mph speed limits to 20mph in Wales is to come into force in April 2023. In the Caerphilly borough it is already 20mph around all schools, but this is generally ignored by most drivers with little chance of getting caught.
I regularly cycle past a school at 20mph and I regularly get passed by cars, vans and buses. Pointless having a law if it cannot be enforced.
yupiteru wrote:
So, they’re not driving Caerphilly?
hawkinspeter wrote:
Are they all in old Bangors?
mdavidford wrote:
Oh get Rhyl will you.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Cheesey joke
But not a blue one – this is
But not a blue one – this is a family site.
IanMK wrote:
yupiteru wrote:
We went on a motorway on Easter Sunday, my wife driving at 70mph. And yet practically every single other vehicle overtook us and sailed off into the distance…
Otherwise law abiding.
Otherwise law abiding.
ktache wrote:
“Otherwise law abiding.” Indeed…
“Guns don’t kill, it’s the
“Guns don’t kill, it’s the person firing it that does” ? If you have a speeding bullet someone has fired it, alla ‘Speed Kills’.
With regards to the Highway code in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire I am seeing more extreme polarisation of drivers. Some are so polite and come no where near you, whereas others are d@m right aggressive ?
Drivers are shooting
Drivers are shooting themselves at cyclists?!
Did Giger go into gunsmithing
Did Giger go into gunsmithing, in his later life?
I think it’s one of his
I think it’s one of his earlier designs – that’s version is a sculpture from the museum. No idea about gunsmithing but he’s Swiss so it’s possible. He did once cobble a fine pair of loafers though.
He needs to finish the
He needs to finish the analogy, Speed doesn’t kill, it’s the person pressing the accelerator that does!
One can’t help thinking that
One can’t help thinking that Fecal Norman’s, sorry Lance Forman’s, analogy comparing motor vehicles to weapons specifically designed for no other reason than to kill isn’t quite the pro-car argument closer he seems to think it is…
Apart from anything else he’s
Apart from anything else he’s wrong. The chance of dying if you’re hit by a car going 30mph is demonstrably higher than if it was going 20mph.
Ah but he’s got an answer to
Ah but he’s got an answer to that, check this out: if you go faster you won’t be there when the potential accident arises! I hadn’t heard of Mr Foreskin before today, now I’m wondering if he’s related to the unlamented one-man troll factory that used to infest these parts…
Can’t argue with that logic !
Can’t argue with that logic !
Rendel Harris wrote:
Twitter seems to be a way for Forman to repeatedly demonstrate that he is spectacularly thick, even by Brexshitter standards.
I know that it is really to
I know that it is really to do with camera foreshortening, but Wout’s hand looks like he didn’t stay on the path after drinking at the Slaughtered Lamb…
So you can add a year to your
So you can add a year to your life expectancy, and it will only take…
*crunches numbers*
…er, just over a year of your life to do it.
Another way to look at that
Another way to look at that though: “All the time you spend on your bike is additional and doesn’t take away from your life. Bike time is bonus time.”
Unless you don’t like cycling
Unless you don’t like cycling in the first place. In which case, you’ve just added a bunch of extra time doing something you dislike to your life.
Trouble is that it seems the
Trouble is that it seems the most popular hobby these days is eating yourself into an early grave.
The reality is there are people who don’t like exercise of any form and do like food, and that is not a good combination. It is worrying how many young people seem to have crossed a weight boundary where exercise becomes difficult and have got eating and drinking habits that are psychologically too hard to overcome. Given that the health problems of obesity are hardly a secret, I’m not sure what the solution is.
It’s a deliberate act , a lot
It’s a deliberate act , a lot of drivers don’t want you on the road in Essex , and driving aggressively when near cyclists is a way of removing the problem , and it works. There is nothing nice about cycling here , you literally do have to take your life in your hands every
time you leave the house.There are no cycling facilities here , and I wouldn’t recommend cycling to anyone it’s the most dangerous thing you can do.
I don’t think cycling is the
I don’t think cycling is the most dangerous thing you can do !
Essex police are poor and the local cycle campaign group are often trying to get them to have a consistent approach to submissions rather than the pot luck which person it goes to.
Dangerous driving also
Dangerous driving also affects motorists too.
Two examples from the last couple of days: Audi A5 decides that a minor clog-up on the M40 north of Warwick (caused by Polo driver chugging along in the middle failing to overtake anything so there was a small queue of drivers doing 70 in the outside lane) allows them to overtake on the hard shoulder at speed, they then decided that my being in the middle lane was part of the problem – I’d just moved out to pass an RV, so I needed a punishment pass – but then they realised there wasn’t enough room in the chicane between me and the RV (because I had pulled out at an appropriate time, about 2 seconds behind) as I was too close to the RV so they swerved out to the outside lane around me, cutting back across, doing something like 100mph in the same lane as I was in, less than a foot away. If he had misjudged it, or I was the vindictive sort who spotted the opportunity for a Pitt manouvre he would have been rolling at 100mph and likely to have had life-changing or ending injuries.
Then today, we did have the classic “I’ve got a big pick up truck therefore I am allowed to be triggered by cyclists” moment on our ride. They arrived behind us as we got to a T junction, turning left, they swung out past us as we were emerging, only to see that a car had turned left from a side road and was heading for them – no worries – on coming car came to a stop to allow him time to pull in in front of us. They then turned right, ignoring the oncoming car the other side of a mild hump back bridge, closing speed, about 70mph. Then they took a risk at the next junction, 50 yards further on, then pulled onto their drive another 200 yards further up the road. 3 near collisions in about 800 yards total, all because they’d seen a cyclist using the road. It was other drivers put at risk.
Hope that’s getting submitted
Hope that’s getting submitted Ian
Just being pedantic – eBikes
Just being pedantic – eBikes are not speed limited. The motor assist cuts out at 28kph (15mph). The bike can still go faster. When I do a diagnostics check on my eBikes I can check the % of time the motor was not ‘assisting’ and it’s quite high because I was cycling over 28kph. If you increase the assist rate the bike won’t go faster – the rider will just have more help getting there i.e. to 30kph.
Lukas wrote:
Just being pedantic, the motor assist cuts out at 25kph (~15.5mph).