‘How to beat the rush? Use the bike lane’: Motorists, including driving instructor and cab driver flood cycle path — and refuse to give way to cyclists; Free Lime bikes to poll stations; Joy Division album or Giro d’Italia stages? + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Local Bike Shop Day: Go show some love to your nearby independent bike retailers this Saturday
Besides Giro d’Italia kicking off this Saturday, there’s another important thing taking place in the world of cycling — it’s Local Bike Shop Day! Sponsored this year by Cytech, the international training and accreditation scheme for bicycle technicians, the annual event raises the profile of independent bike shops, with a specific focus on their particular levels of expertise and customer service.
Among those taking part this year are ACT members, Summit Cycles in Aberystwyth, which will be celebrating Local Bike Shop Day by offering up to 50 per cent off selected clothing and helmets, free bike health checks, e-bike test rides and a prize draw to win a £150 voucher.
ACT member Bicycle Links in Norwich will be hosting a small yard sale to promote the shop and attract more visitors. They are hoping their selection of second-hand bike parts and accessories will act as a distinctive way to encourage people to visit the shop.
> Local Bike Shop Day: Cyclists from around the country show their love for neighbourhood shops
Bike and repair shop, Aztecs in Bow, East London will be offering customers old and new 10 per cent off everything in the shop, on the day, whilst at De Ver Cycles in Streatham, Britain’s first black cycling champion, Maurice Burton, will be in conversation with Paul Jones discussing their book, The Maurice Burton Way, and visitors can also ride with Maurice at 9am, departing from De Ver Cycles’ Streatham shop!
“Independent bike shops across the UK have a particular culture, service and level of expertise that places them at the heart of their local cycling communities. Local Bike Shop Day the day we all get to celebrate that,” said Jonathan Harrison from the ACT.
“Whether it’s for accessories, for servicing or repairs, for accessories or just for specialist advice, independent bike shops provide a knowledgeable and invaluable service to cyclists of all ages, and this is a chance to support them and celebrate them. For bike shops it is a chance to reinforce their customer relationships and promote themselves to new audiences.”
Demi Vollering soars into the lead of the Vuelta Femenina GC with a dominant solo summit finish win
With a first summit finish of the Vuelta a España Femenina on the cards today, there was a possibility of a the GC being blown open, and we were not disappointed, with SDWorx’s Dutch superstar Demi Vollering shaking off her competition to take not only the first win at the Spanish Grand Tour, but her first win of the season as well.
The final 2.9 kilometres of the race took the peloton up the Fuerte del Rapitán into Jaca, with an average gradient of 8.9 per cent. Vollering started controlling the pace from early on, with Lidl-Trek’s Elisa Longo Borghini and Fenix-Deceuninck’s Yara Kastelijn the only ones who could keep up with her. But the pair were forced to give in by the final kilometre, leaving Vollering alone to soar up the mountain top and into the lead of the general classification, leading Longo Borghini by 31 seconds.
What a way for Demi Vollering to get her first win of the season 👏 #LaVueltaFemenina pic.twitter.com/lc4aTrBBmJ
— NBC Sports Cycling (@NBCSCycling) May 2, 2024
She said: “Last year, I had this beautiful jersey already, but I was wearing the UCI [Women’s WorldTour] jersey, so I had so many wins last year, but never in this pretty jersey. It was my goal for this season to win before the Dutch championships again, so I’m really happy that now I have a nice finish photo in this jersey. This red jersey is a really pretty one, and I hope I can keep it to the very end.”
“I just started to pace and felt really, really good. I tried to keep going because I felt Elisa was struggling a little bit in my wheel. I was like, ‘OK, then I just try to give it my very all to the very end, and I hope I can get already some time on her’. That worked out, so that’s really nice, and hopefully a few more nice days coming for our team.”
“We want to make people who don’t wear helmets look the stupid ones”: Sister of teenage cyclist killed in collision with overtaking driver calls for mandatory cycle helmet law
The sister of a teenage cyclist who was killed after being struck by an overtaking driver, causing him to hit his head on a kerb, has called on the government to make wearing a helmet while cycling a legal requirement, telling her school assembly that “I just wish my big brother had a helmet on” the night he died.
A road safety expert, meanwhile, has responded to the youngster’s campaign by noting that, while cycle helmets can lessen the risk of traumatic brain injury in a collision, they “alone do not prevent crashes from happening” and that safer infrastructure is key to preventing fatal collisions.
‘How to beat the rush? Use the bike lane’: Motorists, including driving instructor and cab driver flood cycle path — and refuse to give way to cyclists
In what seems to be taking over the road.cc series of ‘things parked in the bike lane’ as well as the ‘Why don’t cyclists use the bike lane’, here’s a new series brought to you by your beloved: ‘Drivers on the bike lane’.
Any previous episodes you might have missed? Don’t worry, I’ve got a good recap for you. Let’s start with one of the quintessential classics: That one time a driver was going down at a blisteringly high speed through a cycle lane in Coventry, although this time there wasn’t even an excuse of traffic on the main road. Maybe they were doing a reckon of the tarmac before going out on a ride themselves, or maybe some people just want they don’t have…
> Jeremy Vine’s lucky escape as bike run over by reversing driver who turned onto cycle lane
Or how about the time when a motorist decided to use the lack of bollards and poor layout of the cycle path and the main road to their advantage to go for a drive through the bike lane?
Now all this seems like fun and jokes, but the potential for things to go wrong, when someone in a multiple-ton metal cage spills on to infrastructure that in theory is supposed to be segregated and protected, is quite high, as was the case in Leeds in March, when a clearly confused driver somehow made their way onto a busy part of the city centre reserved for cyclists and pedestrians, causing a crowd to quickly scarper, before turning onto and driving down the adjacent bike lane, where they narrowly avoided colliding with at least two surprised cyclists.
And just a few days later, things escalated into a spat when a motorist reversed into a cyclist while sitting in a protected cycle lane in Leicester, before accusing the startled cyclist of attempting to damage his car. The outcome? A driver education course for the motorist. The cyclist thought that they “got off lightly” — I’m sure many would agree.
Enough for the recap. Moving on to the situation in Shadwell, London. road.cc reader John is the person who shared this video with us, where drivers — yes, many of them — found the C3 Cycleway along Cable Street quite a fine way to avoid all the traffic jam yesterday.
The guilty parties included an assortment of motorists, from cabbies to professional van drivers, and even driving instructors. “As you can see not only were the drivers in the bike lane, some were even refusing to give way,” wrote John. In fact, they were just refusing to give way, but actively revving the engine and trying to intimidate cyclists into backing down and letting them through, as can be seen in the video.
I don’t think I’m a big fan of this series and wouldn’t mind if this was the last episode I see in a while, or more like, ever — thank you very much.
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris you've painted a rather alluring picture of social harmony there, but unfortunately you've got my name wrong. I'm Jack, not Nigel. However, to return the compliment, I must think of a story for you. I imagine you sat outside a pub, real ale and pipe propped on the adjacent table, in a similar fashion to Nigel Farage at his populist best. You turn to your wife. "You know what dear? I think I've been a bit harsh in my time. I've shunned the politeness and wisdom of others for too long and want to change my ways.* "There there Rendel", says Mrs Harris. "You're not a bad old stick, it's just living in London that's emptied your soul of kindness and compassion. I've found a lovely new place where we can settle down in our later years. It's on a leafy cul de sac, surrounded by friendly neighbours and smiling faces. There's a guy a couple of doors down, a remarkable man. As well as his towering intellect and rapier wit, he's also a keen cyclist, holding severa local KOMs. Don't be perturbed dear - he'll ride with anyone provided they show other road users the kindness and courtesy they deserve." Rendel turned emotionally, voice shaking. "Oh my dear, thank you for this second chance", and with that the rest of the pub goers turned and applauded the couple, throwing garlands of petals in their wake. The end.
As a Councillor, Edward needs to be paying some attention to all that parking obstructing visibility and manoeuvres at the junction, and sorting out those radii.
Ed Hill was chucked out by Reform in 2025, though TBF to him it was about how to run it rather than ideology I think. He is now reportedly closer to Advance UK, which is distinctly more extreme than Reform. I'd call this Alan Amos style attention seeking.
Emily, thank you for such an insightful piece. I’m a man, but I enjoy watching the women’s races, possibly more than the men’s. The racing is so much closer, we rarely know who’s going to win. You painted a wonderful picture of how a true champion is able to ‘rise above’ setbacks and distractions, and focus their energy on the task in hand. ‘All’s fair in live and war -and sport, but always good to hear riders expressing their admiration for their competitors
@Nigel Garage ...and then everyone applauded my courtesy and I waved courteously to all the people who were courteously throwing flowers and cheering and courteously waving flags that said "Nigel is the best!"
The picture from street view clearly shows give way lines from the roads to the green painted cycle/pedestrian lane. The road user should give way (or must...) to the user of the green lane. This would of course apply to any cyclist on the roadway.
If I recall there is a cave or two along the route - perhaps they were sheltering from the heat in one of those having taken it for a Golf bunker?
“So if there’s a cyclist travelling down the cycle path at the moment, from this position I can’t see them because my blind spots are too big on the left hand side of the vehicle”, claims Hill. Well, there's your problem, right there...🙄
First impression from the headline that he's likely a twit. Then the detail he was expelled from Reform makes you suspect that failing even their low bar requirements he really is. Then he clearly explains his vehicle is unsafe for the highway because he can't see to give way when turning. Any collision he now has should have that video run out explaining he drove a vehicle he knew to be unsafe. Advice for motorists; instead of thinking that pedestrians and cyclists are low risk 100kg objects, imagine them as a 300 Tonne trains that will crush you and your vehicle if you cross into their paths. You'd give way to the train, so you equally can to the others.
I've had a brief look on Facebook, and Ed Hill (who now appears to be affiliated with Advance UK) seems to have taken some useful road safety improvements under his remit, including an initiative to help local pedestrians on unpaved roads, where the wider council won't help due to planning failures. Regarding the cycle path, I think this is linked to a wider misunderstanding about giving way at junctions and I'm afraid I cannot agree with Mr Hill's conclusion. Regardless of the suitability of the cycle path, vehicles should give way at the junction to both pedestrians crossing and cyclists. It seems to be a poorly understood rule among motorists where some believe they have priority at junctions like this, where they certainly do not. I once had a similar issue myself, while leisurely walking to Waitrose to buy some lunchtime fripperies. A driver beeped their horn as I crossed the junction, despite me having priority, and was shocked and apologetic when I explained I had priority. A polite conversation later, the driver departed, educated and updated on the rules of the road.
48 thoughts on “‘How to beat the rush? Use the bike lane’: Motorists, including driving instructor and cab driver flood cycle path — and refuse to give way to cyclists; Free Lime bikes to poll stations; Joy Division album or Giro d’Italia stages? + more on the live blog”
Does anyone actually bother
Does anyone actually bother voting for their ‘police & crime commissioner’? Isn’t it just a vanity title with little actual power?
I only do as I’m already
I only do as I’m already there voting in a local council election.
Not that my vote counts in this Tory heart(less)land !
Anything to take power from
Anything to take power from the tories is good. Even if its mostly symbolic power, if they have a political party affiliation next to their name I am voting.
My daughter works high up in
My daughter works high up in the local police force (civilian role) and the police & crime commissioner makes a difference to her! So we’re all voting for the one she’s reccomended.
I rode along Oxford Street
I rode along Oxford Street the other day. Interesting. One does have to pay attention.
Sadiq Khan put forward
Sadiq Khan put forward proposals to pedestrianise Oxford street a few years back, which would also have had a cycle lane along it, but this was blocked by the then Tory led Westminster council. It’s not pleasant to cycle along at all (I was close passed by a Taxi driver at the weekend, becuase I slowed down for a second as the traffic lights were out of order on a junction)
No, not that pleasant. Still
No, not that pleasant. Still plenty of cyclists there though.
The Ludgate Hill junction
The Ludgate Hill junction with CS6 is always impressively busy. Show the impact of a safe segreagted cycle lane. Could do with being slightly wider now!
thereverent wrote:
Fixed it, based on that video (I’ve never ridden in that there London).
brooksby wrote:
Until November last year it was on my commute. Not terrifying at all.
Steve K wrote:
It’s just that I’ve never ridden in such a large group of cyclists, so it looks scary
Rode my bike to the Polling
Rode my bike to the Polling station this morning (the nice volunteers let me pop it inside, whilst I voted) on my way to work along the VS(Virtue Signalling)4 cycle lane from Greenwich to Tower bridge.
a1white wrote:
That’s certainly one way to increase turnout.
Volunteers? The Poll clerks
Volunteers? The Poll clerks and Presiding Officer are paid for what they do. I used to be a Presiding Officer I had no problem with people bringing their bicycles in when they voted. We’re there to ensure people exercise their right to vote, even if drunk! (The voter that is, not the staff ?)
Bloody cyclists were probably
Bloody cyclists were probably just holding up so many cars off camera that they could barely move. Everyone knows cars are the best way to get around and don’t cause traffic.
The free Lime Bikes is a very
The free Lime Bikes is a very clever dig at Susan Hall, who was calling on Khan not to charge non-compliant cars the ULEZ fee for drivers to drive to the vote.
I presume that the Cable
I presume that the Cable Street debacle was an extreme case of someone doing something because they saw other people doing it, so it must be OK…?
You can’t be serious?! You
You can’t be serious?! You’ll be saying people continue to drive through red lights because
they’re not “established”they’re still moving at speed pretty close to the driver in front who just went through one next!(No subject)
I don’t know why, but I know
I don’t know why, but I know someone should summon Gandalf.
At least if Mikey was there,
At least if Mikey was there, there’d be some hope all those drivers would be getting prosecuted for it
Forced to drive on the cycle
Forced to drive on cycleway C3 as the road was closed
https://youtu.be/NV7XHFiXhyU
And that is only 2 minutes
Comments turned off !!
Hirsute wrote:
The driving instructor should be sacked and have his instructor licence revoked
I hope the video/ plates are
I hope the video/ plates are clear enough so the police can take action!
I hope the video/ plates are
I hope the video/ plates are clear enough so the police can take action!
The sad part is that nobody is taking seriously the possibility of police action against this anti-social (actually, it’s dangerous but we all know that there’s a national police prohibition against use of the word in connection with offences against cyclists) driving
I was really hoping to see a
I was really hoping to see a pedal-height gouge down the side of that Merc.
Does that make me a bad person?
Less bad than me, at any rate
Less bad than me, at any rate. I was hoping to see at least one of the cyclists not give way to the oncoming car but either crash into it and sue the driver, or simply plonk his bike in front of it and refuse to move.
I’m too stubborn. I’d be
I’m too stubborn. I’d be block it and wait for them to reverse back. No way I’d be forced to (illegally) ride on the pavement.
I was waiting for a
I was waiting for a cyclingMikey character to stop in the middle of the cycle route incanting “You will not pass”.
Intersting article in The
Intersting article in The Spectator advocating drivers who have a dashcam to “snitch” on littering/flytipping by other drivers.
I assume the same writer (and the paper) is happy for drivers (and cyclists) to use video evidence against dangerous driving too…
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/long-live-the-litter-lout-snitches/
Let not the best be the enemy
Let not the best be the enemy of the good. Happy for littering to be curbed even if this doesn’t do anything for dangerous driving.
And the Spectator is the
And the Spectator is the enemy of the good.
You are of course poking fun
You are of course poking fun at them, knowing that this piece in the same paper was covered by Road.cc …
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/drivers-beware-the-rise-of-the-vigilante-cyclist/
Is the clip of drivers
Is the clip of drivers illegally using the cycle lane in Shadwell meant to be their (drivers) response to the clip from Ludgate Hall…?
Corten steel. Lovely rusty
“Corten steel. Lovely rusty sharp edges to scratch your lovely bike.”
Replaced the sheffield stands
“These new ones need a sign to explain them to people wanting to park their bikes.”
Re the helmet row again.
Re the helmet row again.
It’s really as simple as “don’t drive like tw4ts”
If nobody did, it wouldn’t be as necessary to
Have segregated infrastructure
Wear a helmet
Have 20mph speed limits (clue, 30mph is not a target)
Ride on the pavement as you are too scared to ride on the road
Give up cycling as the next time someone hits you, it may be fatal
Go gravel riding as the roads are too dangerous
There’s more, please feel free to add!
This is an excellent idea.
This is an excellent idea. Job done.
Oh – just one thing: you need to explain how we persuade everyone to not “drive like tw4ts”.
To recap – we’ve already tried:
Bringing in speed limits. Regulating the design of motor vehicles. Improving handling (better braking, traction etc.). Providing extensive motor infrastructure with standardised markings, signs etc. Started running campaigns telling vulnerable road users to look out for and avoid motorists. Bringing in specific laws tailored towards penalising dangerous driving, then careless or inconsiderate driving (apparently…). Include things like driving while intoxicated – set up case law around being knowingly distracted, severely tired or physically incapable. Revised these several times. Set up dedicated police units for the purpose. Brought in driving tests (and revised / updated these). Reminded everyone to share the road (this occurs several times every decade). Collected the relevant laws and guidance in a handy reference guide. Brought in compulsory insurance (outside Lancs / Scotland). Brought in training for children around avoiding motorists. Provided areas, markings, sometimes special lights for vulnerable road users. Made a default lower speed limit apply to “built up areas”. Attempted to cue motorists’ speed and behaviour via changing the infrastructure (speed bumps, road narrowing, bends in roads, vegetation). Suggested to vulnerable road users they might like to wear PPE / dress up for maximum visibility. “Encouraged cycling” (also happens every decade). Suggested people might not always need to drive. Brought in automated speed cameras. Added ANPR. More laws. More “share the road”. Lower speed limits in urban areas. More painted cycle gutters. More “…could be someone’s child / mother / father”…
What we haven’t tried – not prioritising motoring, not subsidising some of the costs of driving, spending a sensible amount on active travel – say 10% of the budget for roads, treating driving like most other dangerous activities and bringing in regular re-training / tests, doing more than sporadic road policing, enforcing existing laws, following through on legal threats to revoke people’s licence to drive if they don’t abide by conditions, applying meaningful penalties if people drive when they’re not permitted, disfavouring defences in court which amount to “my client could not have deliberately hit them because they are frankly an incompetent driver and deserve our sympathy”…
Sadly, even you fix it so
Sadly, even you fix it so none of us “drive like tw4ts” we would still need separate infra for different modes (cars and trains don’t mix, nor pedestrians and cyclists and A-roads / motorways). And almost certainly speed limits (unless by not “drive like tw4ts” you mean “drive like psychic buddhists under extra monastic strictures”). And helmets would still help reduce the likelihood of injury if you fell off your bike (what the current standard tests them for).
In the real world there are lots of pragmatic reasons for adding cycle infra – the perception of safety being more of a factor in people’s behaviour than the actual statistics. (And footways – pedestrian infra). Of course … much of the reason for these things is “because cars” e.g. we would almost never need traffic lights or roundabouts without them.
However we can fix it so that vulnerable road users encounter few motor vehicles on their journeys – and there shouldn’t be many cars to deal with where we might mix. And so they’re motivated to drive slowly and carefully.
I mean nothing stops a 1800Kg
I mean nothing stops a 1800Kg of SUV like 20mm of expanded polystyrene foam helmet.
A helmet’s not actually
A helmet’s not actually intended to stop an SUV.
…but in the popular
…but in the popular imagination (and apparently sometimes in court) if you’re crushed by a large motor vehicle and weren’t wearing a helmet this is seen as something like contributory negligence (even if it was “unsurvivable injuries to the neck and chest”). AND it suggests that with such an attitude perhaps you threw yourself under the behemoth.
People have all sorts of
People have all sorts of strange ideas. Unless a judge actually applies that kind of thinking to someone’s disadvantage, I don’t think it’s worth taking too seriously
I hope the police take action
I hope the police take action against all those drivers using the cycle lane in the video clip with reg numbers clearly visible. I appreciate their frustration at coming across a blockage in the road. But driving on a cycle lane is still a traffic offence.
They should have gotten out
They should have gotten out and pushed, surely…
> How can you prove who’s
> How can you prove who’s driving?
OK – we’ll notify the registered keeper.
> Cloned plates, mate.
But it’s the same car as your car…?
> Lots of white Mercs in London, mate.
* Sergeant comes round and tells the officer to knock it off and get on with investigating “real crime” *
“Can’t remember doing that…
“Can’t remember doing that….”
OldRidgeback wrote:
They’re not just driving on the cycle lane – I saw school kids having to walk on the closed-off road to get out of the way of the pavement drivers yesterday afternoon.
Giro Division – very good.
Giro Division – very good.
Let’s hope this giro isn’t marred by crashes, don’t want to see any riders lose control again.