“All bikes should have the same laws as motorists, like helmets”: Did Mr Loophole call for drivers to wear helmets in latest anti-cycling rant?; Katie Archibald retirement tributes; Starmer’s not ‘on his bike’ yet; Giro coverage + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
*Sponsored post* Huge savings on the Zwift Kickr Core and Zwift Ride to celebrate the Tour de France Femmes!
Mr Loophole lobbies for helmets while driving...surely?
Ah, is there anyone who best embodies motornormativity than the lawyer who helps the rich and famous get off scot-free from their driving offences? A man who has dubbed himself Mr Loophole…
Nick Freeman though, to give him his proper name, has a track record of matching his pro-motorist vision with some rather fierce anti-cycling rhetoric. Who remembers when he accused CyclingMikey of using his bike as a weapon? At road.cc towers we yearn for the day when we get to hear a car described in these terms.
Thankfully, Freeman appears to be steadily eroding some of his own ‘base’ of support, a few weeks ago finding himself opposed by James May of all people over his proposal to ‘clamp down’ on speeding cyclists.
The problem, as you might have guessed, comes from Freeman’s constant conflation of bicycles, e-bikes, and illegally modified electric motorbikes into one amorphous blob of doom, causing havoc to all with the nerve to travel in its vicinity. This isn’t new, but the window for fact-checking and correcting these claims seems to have closed inside Mr Freeman’s head.
Yesterday he raised his head above the parapet once again, this time to riff off a Daily Mail article on the “scourge” of “monster e-bikes” and the deaths caused by going 70mph. Obviously, we think they mean electric motorbikes but there’s only so much one can do. Mr Freeman’s proposal?
Simple solution. All bikes, e bikes and e scooters have exactly the same laws as motorists, ie reg plates, insurance, helmets , speed limits etc etc. Traceable = responsible = accountable.@metpoliceuk @TheAA_UK @cyclinguk @Tfl @GBNEWS @Iromg @#RoadSafety https://t.co/D8WF66F2YC
— The Mr Loophole | Nick Freeman (@TheMrLoophole) May 11, 2026
“All bikes, e bikes and e scooters have exactly the same laws as motorists, ie reg plates, insurance, helmets , speed limits etc etc.”
Seems pretty clear to me, unless Freeman is arguing for no cyclists to ever wear a helmet, but that doesn’t seem right. Helmets in the car it is! And 20mph speed limits everywhere while we’re at it! Since cyclists don’t go much faster than that anyway and motorists deserve the same laws as cyclists. Right?
Right?
"Go and play on your bike..."
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Giro: Narvaez wins, Ciccone takes maglia rosa
Down to 5 riders? No problem for UAE.
Jan Christen launched a flier with 1.6km remaining, one that Enric Mas couldn’t close. Instead Matteo Sobrero was the man to close him down, with Orluis Aular sitting on the wheel. That left the Venezuelan on the front with 300m to go, forcing him to launch his sprint too early. Off the wheel came Narvaez to take his third stage win at the Giro d’Italia. Aular finished second ahead of Giulio Ciccone, whose bonus seconds hoist him into the race lead.
What a stage that was! And what a result for Ciccone, an Italian in the leader’s jersey on the first day back on the mainland…
Ciccone: “I grew up with the [pink jersey] in my heart… it’s been my cycling dream to wear it… if only for a day or a night”
— the Inner Ring blog (@inrng.com) 12 May 2026 at 16:42
£2.7 million removal of Britain’s “most hated” cycle lane complete, as mayor claims traffic now “running smoothly”
An unfortunate end to a very long-running saga…
Giro: Bonus seconds drama
Wow, Victor Campenaerts launched a very long lead-out for Jonas Vingegaard at the Red Bull KM but the Dane lacked the kick. Jan Christen and Giulios Pellizzari and Ciccone took 6, 4 and 2 bonus seconds. That means Stork, Christen, Ciccone and Bernal are all on the same time with riders scattered behind them. We’re inside the final 10km and Movistar are controlling things.
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Meanwhile Bernal and Gee-West made it back on whilst Arnaud de Lie has abandoned the race. Not too surprising all things considered…
> Cow dung blamed as diarrhoea, fever, and vomiting hit the peloton ahead of the Giro d’Italia
Giro: Disaster for Derek!
What a terrible time to puncture for Derek Gee-West! The Canadian, who crashed and lost time on stage 2, found himself with Egan Bernal some 30 seconds behind after getting a flat on the descent and trying to close the gap back to the reduced peloton.
Lidl-Trek have sent Matteo Sobrero back to help and the pair are cutting the gap to the front rapidly. This could be a huge reprieve for Bernal. 17km to go..
Giro: Bernal dropped!
Wow, Milesi may have finally pulled off but the veteran Nelson Oliveira has not eased up, and the pace has dropped the former Tour and Giro winner.
Bernal was sliding back through the peloton and briefly hung on at the back of the peloton before dropping away. He now has the incongruous sight of Ben Turner – a WorldTour winner of bunch sprints, desperately trying to pace him on. The climb ends soon though, and the Colombian will be desperate to get back on…
Around 35 riders crest the top in the front group, Bernal around 35 seconds back. Movistar have ripped the race up but the onus will now be on them to keep the pace for the next 40km otherwise their rivals will come back on.
Meanwhile Florian Stork, second overall at the start of the day, has survived at the front, and is a favourite for taking the pink jersey. His closest rival is fellow fast finisher Giulio Ciccone. But if Orluis Aular doesn’t win the stage, we’ll be wheeling out the meme once again…
We also have the Red Bull KM – an intermediate sprint with bonus seconds available – still to come.
Giro: Breakaway caught
He hung on longer than I expected, but Darren Rafferty’s spell as virtual race leader has come to an end after he and Bais were caught.
50km and 7km of the climb remaining, Movistar have five riders on the front and, led by Lorenzo Milesi, are continuing to rip up the race. Tobias Lund, many people’s favourite for today is dropped. So too is Filippo Ganna, who’s trying to hang on with hopes of rejoining on the descent. He has Jack Haig for company.
The peloton is now single-file and surely no more than around 40-50 riders. Among them though is the Spanish team’s fast man Orluis Aular.
Giro: Whittling on the climb, race leaders and key sprinters dropped
The breakaway’s advantage has collapsed to under 40 seconds, as the peloton raced on to the bottom of the climb, Jonas Vingegaard even came to the front at one point. Movistar are currently the team stretching out, and there are still 12km left to go on the climb.
Dylan Groenewegen and Arnaud de Lie have already dropped away… Ethan Vernon is next to drop. This is a scorched earth policy from Movistar. Now Jonathan Milan drops away, Pascal Ackermann too, and even the points jersey leader Magnier!
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Then comes the race leader Thomas Silva! We will have a new maglia rosa tomorrow. Blimey, this will become a GC battle at this rate.
And, with 52km remaining, the last breakaway survivors of Rafferty and Bais are hanging on, with a 15 second lead.
Women's Tour de Romandie cancelled due to lack of sponsors and "event overload"
It’s very difficult to imagine the men’s race being cancelled for these reasons but here we are…
#TDRF2026 reporté en 2027: la décision a été prise. Surcharge d’événements majeurs en pays romand et manque de sponsors (malgré contacts avancés) en cause. Rdv en 2027! 👍😜💛https://t.co/6FjzC4WhKW pic.twitter.com/T05QUGH9ZT
— Tour de Romandie (@TourDeRomandie) May 12, 2026
The organisers have blamed the G7 summit, hockey championships and the Grand Depart of the Tour de France Femmes as overloading the French-speaking region of Switzerland. There’s also a shortage of sponsors, which was also cited about the men’s edition held last month and won by Tadej Pogacar.
The organisers add they are optimistic the race will return in time for the 80th men’s edition next year.
The 2025 edition was won by home favourite ahead Elise Chabbey ahead of Urska Zigart and Yara Kastelijn.
Giro: 90km to go, steady eddy
The commentators were getting a little excited a short while ago about the prospect of cross-winds and echelons, with the race skirting the Adriatic Mediterranean coast before heading up the Cozzo Tunno. Decathlon came to the front of the peloton, Visma were vigilant behind the maglia rosa of Silva and the XDS-Astana team. The peloton is still slightly strung out but I’m not sure the wind is quite strong enough. The gap to the breakaway has also stabilised around 2’15”, suggesting there’s no-one trying to force a split. They’re around 30km from the bottom of the climb.
Couple of abandons to report on as well. Wilco Kelderman, a former podium finisher at this race and a key domestique to Jonas Vingegaard did not start today after struggling with injuries sustained at the weekend. Meanwhile Kaden Groves, Alpecin’s big sprint hope has also abandoned after crashing on stage 1. Expect his team to be getting in the break over the coming weeks without a leader to ride for…
Bikes worth thousands stolen in Facebook Marketplace scam after cyclist tries to sell £60 car lights, allowing thieves to obtain address
A story from Megan that’s in some ways unsurprising, but by no means any less astonishing…
The thieves reportedly came over three neighbouring gardens and scaled several seven-foot fences to gain access.
Giro: Contested break formation
Well, further proof if it were needed that today is not an ordinary sprint stage is we had a fight for the breakaway! A 5-rider escape had got away, including Warren Barguil and TT talent Niklas Larsen but the peloton weren’t happy and a little extended chase ensued. Groupama-FDJ were the main animators though, and once Johan Jacobs had slungshot his way across to form a leading sextet, the peloton backed off.
Mattia Bais and Martin Marcellusi are also up the road representing the Italian second division teams, whilst Ireland’s Darren Rafferty completes the break and, having started the day 10 seconds behind race leader Thomas Silva, has quickly moved up into the virtual race lead!
ICYMI: Are Ineos on the way out?
We covered the Ineos Grenadiers’ rebrand to Netcompany-Ineos before the Giro got underway, but reporting from the weekend suggests the petrochemical giant could be on the way out, at least as a title sponsor. Megan Huws has gathered the latest:
The newly rebranded INEOS cycling team has revealed that it is already searching for another major sponsor, in a move that could eventually see the INEOS name disappear from the team title altogether.
Senior figures at the newly names Netcompany INEOS Cycling Team confirmed they are back on the market for an additional co-title partner, as the British WorldTour squad looks to broaden its financial backing and rebuild towards the top of the sport.
The team, formerly known as Team Sky unveiled the arrival of Danish software and AI company Netcompany in a reported long-term deal worth around £100 million.
But Chief Commercial Officer Tom Hill revealed on the Leaders Worth Knowing podcast that Netcompany is intended only as the first step in a broader sponsorship strategy.
“We already have Netcompany as our first-name co-title partner. We’re now going back to market looking for a second co-title partner — so Netcompany X.”
“INEOS will absolutely remain involved, a long-term secure backer with a massive interest in cycling, and that’s never waned. Jim [Ratcliffe – chairman] has a very passionate interest in cycling and has been a fantastic supporter and backer.”
Hill explained that attracting further investment is part of the team’s long-term strategy to return to the top of the sport.
“Ultimately, if we can broaden the financial base by having more partners in to help put investment into the team. That virtuous circle of more investment, better riders, win more races, more sponsors,” he said. “That is the next step for us.”
PUNS welcome!
As a politics geek, I will have a degree of sympathy if this isn’t the only live blog you’re following today, with speculation mounting that the Prime Minister may announce his intention to resign in the coming days.
More than 70 Labour MPs have called on Sir Keir Starmer to announce a timetable for his departure, with senior members of the Cabinet reportedly telling the Prime Minister messages to that effect last night.
Nevertheless, the reason I mention it is because it sent us on a bit of a trawl trying to find photos of Keir Starmer riding a bike. You know, in case we need to wheel out a caption of ‘On yer bike!’ or similar at some point.
Sadly, in what might be indicative of his approach to active travel, the best we could find was this photo from February 2020, before Sir Keir was even Labour leader, let alone Prime Minister. Before the coronavirus pandemic, before active travel and 15-minute cities were even fashionable, back when Sir Keir would use phrases like “climate emergency” and “Green New Deal” in his press releases.
A different time. Still, it’s a good thing it’s a folding bike he’s got there. That way he can pack it up in a hurry if needed to later this week. I’ll get my coat…
Tributes paid to Katie Archibald after retirement announcement
There’s no shortage of appreciation for Katie Archibald beneath her Instagram post announcing her retirement. Here are a few highlights from teammates and former rivals alike:
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Jo Rowsell: Thank you for being the most incredible teammate and friend. Thank you for challenging the norms and expectations. Thank you continuing to inspire me and so many around you. I’m so looking forward to your next adventures ❤️👏
Emma Finucane: Congratulations on everything you achieved in you’re career! I’m so beyond grateful I got to meet you in a closer setting with the wolf pack, you taught me so much in that group that I will take into my own career! Good luck with the next chapter ❤️
Dame Sarah Storey: You are truly amazing! Congratulations on everything you’ve achieved and for being the most incredible team mate, it’s been such an honour to ride and race with you and I can’t wait to see what comes next ❤️👏🏻💪🏻
Lotte Kopecky: You’ve been an inspiration to us all!🙏 I Hope you find joy in whatever next you’ll do. Enjoy!
Ed Clancy: Congrats Katie 👏 You already proved you can do something nobody else on Earth can do. Enjoy the next chapter.
Cat Ferguson: Congratulations on an iconic career Katie and the biggest thank you for doing it all with such class, determination and sportsmanship. Enjoy whatever is to come!
Jody Cundy: The most resilient, humble, determined and talented rider I’ve been fortunate enough to share the boards of the velodrome with. A true weapon on the bike, and character off of it. All the best in retirement, and good luck student nurse Katie.
Giro d'Italia stage 4 preview: Can the sprinters hang on?
It may not have been an official rest day, with the whole logistical operation of the race having to cross both the Balkans and the Adriatic, but the riders will be keen to get back to racing whilst the legs are good. That is unless they’re one of several wounded warriors hoping to heal their wounds. In which case they might be grateful they weren’t flying Ryanair, with restricted legroom or unfriendly duty free allowances…
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Anyway, after last year’s race began in Albania it’s become something of a pattern for the race to resume in southern Italy before steadily making its way north to where most of the mountains are.
Having been a climber as a junior, and up against pure sprinters such as as Jonathan Milan and Dylan Groenewegen, don’t bet against Paul Magnier putting his Soudal-Quick Step train to work on the climb in the hope of distancing some of the other fast men.
Or, having already beaten them twice, maybe the Frenchman won’t feel the need to hamper his lead-out and we could be in for a more sedate afternoon. Expect Diego Sevilla up the road to buttress his mountains jersey, with at least one of Mirco Maestri, Manuele Tarozzi, and Alessandro Tonelli likely to be joining him.
Three Peaks Cycling World Record recognised... 46 years late
It turns out Strictly Come Dancing: It takes Two is not just banal filler on the telly schedule. Bear with us here…
Man gets world record certificate 40 years late https://t.co/C8AEAdkaQe
— BBC Gloucestershire (@BBCGlos) May 11, 2026
79-year-old Steve Poulton has received a Guinness World Record certificate for his 1980 cycle up the Three Peaks (of Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis) on his 42 hour ride from Caernarvon to Fort William.
Poulton told the BBC he never received a certificate originally, with the achievement only first appearing in the record book compendium in 1993. But Poulton’s time, un-paced with only a support car behind, was faster, and would have stood until 2017 had it been recognised at the time. He hadn’t even realised he could apply for the record until watching television.
“About two years ago, having watched all the certificates being presented on Strictly Come Dancing within minutes of them achieving their record of a little few tap dances, I thought – I need one of those,” he said.
Despite initially being told his attempt was out of date, Guinness eventually relented and provided a certificate that is now framed beside the stopwatch used by his support car during his attempt.
Poulton also added that the certificate was “the end of a story – or it’s the beginning of a new story” as he intends to cycle across Australia to mark his 80th birthday.
Incredible stuff…
Love on a closed road
I’m utterly stunned that in his round-up of the weekend’s cycling yesterday, Ryan couldn’t find the space either on this page or in his heart to share the best footage from the Giro d’Italia that seemed to dominate the discourse on what was otherwise a pretty drab Grande Partenza in Bulgaria.
Anyway, whilst the peloton steadily made its way towards a bunch sprint (won by Paul Magnier), riders slowed to wave to a newly married couple posing for photos on the side of the road.
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And we now have the roadside footage capturing the moment set, slightly inexplicably, to Dr Dre…
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Congrats to the happy couple!
Katie Archibald announces retirement
Thoroughly enjoyed pulling this piece together, we’ll bring some tributes to Milngavie’s finest a little bit later today:
> Katie Archibald announces retirement after glittering career marked by triumph and fortitude
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I imagine the 105,000 figure is the estimate for the top of high season., not the number of full-time jobs. The trouble with this job is that you are overworked for 4 months a year and then don't always work enough to stay in the black for the other 8. So many mechanics may need another job for the rest of the year, but then they can't keep up to date with the industry. Catch 22.
@Rendel Harris hmm... wonder if this organisation has received some journalistic attention? It could just be wording but yeah that reads "we've decided x, now let's come up with 'evidence' to prove that..."
@Rendel Harris do you think they got any evidence - or was it just anecdote?
@Chris RideFar I think because the over complexity of what bikes have become over the last decade it puts off many who may of been prepared to service their own bikes in the past but are now not so confident. Disc brakes are the obvious one for me. Its no longer a simple task of swapping a brake cable and putting in new pads, there is the bleeding, cutting of hoses, fitting barbs etc, its 3 new tools just for that 1 job if your needing to replace the parts. Even bleeding alone put off many, cos if you mess it up youre left without functioning brakes. a simple cable pull is easy to see and understand. hydraulics can be poor but you dont know until you come to use it and it can just fade and become spongy mid ride. Thats before we get into internal routing, headsets, the million and 1 different BB standards etc.
@eburtthebike I'd be genuinely surprised if this didn't fall under the remit of the HSE and they hadn't done an investigation. Imagine if a forklift hit a cyclist on a large industrial site. Having said that, although the HSE are unlikely to give specific advice, the 'staff are encouraged to wear helmets' doesn't sound like the outcome of a competent risk assessment.
@Smoggysteve My JoeBlow II is about 15 years old and still going strong. I'd say you were the exception but then Perce agreed with you. If my cycling son ever decides to permanently 'borrow' mine I would definitely get another Topeak.
@mdavidford It may be private land but, unless it was a staff-only area, it was a way open to the public (even if they have to pay to be there). Road legislation therefore still applies.
@antigee The same applies in the UK to motor vehicle laws, e.g. they apply in supermarket car parks and other areas of public land, so presumably if we did have mandatory helmet laws that extension would also apply.
@eburtthebike I haven't been able to find the survey, not sure it actually existed, but I did find the below from them on Facebook: as you can see, it's not a survey at all as in "What do you think of cycling in Spalding?" but a specific call for any anti-cycling evidence. Additionally Spalding BID seems a very dodgy organisation: it's funded by a significant levy on local businesses - all local businesses, whether they want to be a part of it or not - which business owners have been taken to court for refusal to pay. It was set up after a poll of local businesses, winning by a single vote, but a number of businesses say they weren't informed of the initiative or weren't given a chance to vote, with "antis" somehow not receiving the paperwork etc. They have received £800,000 from this levy thus far plus £224,000 in other grants, having operated since 2024, and they seem to have managed to run a few minor events ("Keep Spalding tidy week" et cetera), organise some hanging baskets around the town centre and run this anti-cyclists campaign.
@mdavidford living in Aus' with mandatory helmet laws and here they do apply on some privately owned land. Concept is called "road related areas" and road rules apply. A road related area is anywhere public can access with a vehicle such as car parks on private land, roads that access sporting facilities and campsites. Not the UK but an interesting approach to how far legislation can be stretched
32 thoughts on ““All bikes should have the same laws as motorists, like helmets”: Did Mr Loophole call for drivers to wear helmets in latest anti-cycling rant?; Katie Archibald retirement tributes; Starmer’s not ‘on his bike’ yet; Giro coverage + more on the live blog”
Meh – the wedding photos would’ve been much better if they’d been jumping up and down at the side of the road with a giant inflatable.
I mean, they didn’t even get to see any of the race.
The problem is, If Reform get in, I can easily imagine them using the likes of Nick Freeman as their advisor and putting in place his reccomendations. This is what worries me.
Sort your shit out Labour.
@a1white
Labour do indeed need to sort their shit out.
First and foremost with a competent PR department who can stem the flow of amateur “politics geeks” piling in with the “on-yer-bike” rhetoric set by those with a financial interest in Starmer’s deposition, without any substantiation of what has actually gone so wrong (in terms of failed policies, not just public perceptions) that he deserves to go.
Do I think he’s a fantastic leader? No, far from it, but he is the least incompetent PM we’ve had arguably since Blair’s first term. Not a particularly high bar set over the last 25 years, but as you say, the prospect of Reform’s popularity-cultism will make Truss’s brief tenure look as Strong and Stable as May desperately tried to project.
@ROOTminus1 well… it’s always been about perceptions, but that doesn’t seem to be something that Keir was ever great at (a bit like Gordon Brown … er…). Unfortunate as we get even more “style over substance”. And the public attention span and patience is ever shorter, plus the last decade seems to have done bad things for people’s belief in the system and feelings of economic security.
Meanwhile the main competitions are a slick spiv and a Liberal Democrat … er, Green Party chap (former actor and hypnotist). Both apparently masters of the new media, and neither apparently worried about being caught outright lying!
Freeman: “Traceable=responsible=accountable”. Why would anyone pay any attention to this argument from a man who has spent his career demonstrating that even if you can trace a vehicle by its registration number, he can still get the offending driver off a charge.
Why? Because they’re fuc&wits
@quiff As someone in the comments said, there is something deeply ironic about a man arguing for identification and consequences for a group of road users when he has mad a fortune from making sure that dangerous drivers are kept consequence free and driving on our roads.
It is also deeply moronic, when people like NF, demand cyclists wears helmets in ‘concern’ for our welfare, the prevention of head injuries. I’m sure someone on here can give accurate figures, but deaths from head traumas for vehicle occupants far exceed cyclists killed from all forms of trauma. It’s a no brainer ( sorry about the pun) then, if NF’s demanding parity that all travellers on wheels/ tracks or riding livestock ( covering myself in case someone’s caught riding an osterich through a red light) should have a helmet on. VED should be at a fair rate of 25p per annum as my 1.5 tonne 1.2 petrol car is £35 p.a. and we all nip off to North Korea, as the only country in the world which demands reg plates and licienses, how they do it….but that’s not going to happen is it???!!
That’s one for the Uxbridge English Dictionary:
osterich (n) – large bird, native to Austria
@Billsmiles “deaths from head traumas for vehicle occupants far exceed cyclists killed from all forms of trauma” – this is frequently cited but it doesn’t take into account usage or numbers of incidents. There are around 80 cyclists killed in the UK each year and around 700 motor vehicle drivers/passengers, with approximately 75% of the latter suffering head injuries (usually as part of multiple trauma). So it’s about 500 motor vehicle drivers/passengers, or six times as many as cyclist deaths, but the modal share of travel for cyclists is 2%, so there are 50 times more motor vehicle journeys than cycling ones. For the figures to show that it makes more sense for a motor vehicle driver/passenger to wear a helmet than a cyclist, there would have to be in the region of 25,000 motor-vehicle drivers/passenger deaths per year. I’m not arguing for or against helmets, for cyclists or for motorists, but that particular statistic doesn’t really hold up to examination.
@Rendel Harris But if it saves one motorist!
@Billsmiles
I’m thinking that if they want parity, thus making helmets mandatory for drivers and passengers…
Then the helmet requirement should be the types used in motor racing, to help protect both the head and neck.
Think full helmet (with limited side visibility, unlike cycle helmets) and a HANS device.
This, of course, will require all seat belts to be modified to enable the HANS device to work.
And in terms of numbers, it isn’t just about the numbers deaths but also serious injuries that would be prevented through the use of this.
@quiff
Freeman: “All bikes, e bikes and e scooters have exactly the same laws as motorists”
A simple solution to all society’s ills – people riding e-scooters down the M1.
@Tech Noir As the street outside my house is generally nose to tail both sides with parked cars, presumably Mr Poophole won’t mind if a row of bike hangars are installed on the road outside his mansion?
Fingers crossed this means they won’t be available for a long time, if they can’t cope with basics like this and cause disruption/annoyance…
“Driverless taxi firm sorry for early-morning noise”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c0e2p1ppq33o
@mitsky What I don’t understand about that video – driver of red Puma asks “where do you want me to go?” Well, backwards, clearly. More to the point, where does Puma man expect the Waymo to go, when the route in front is blocked by a gate?
Bit confused here – the problem seems to be the bloke in the red car who’s blocked the Waymo in and wants it to… disappear? So that he can… drive through a barrier?
Presumably that’s Starmer-Urchey gearing on the PM’s bike there?
If that’s the only pic you’ve got, then how about “Starmer folds under pressure.”
@quiff starmer folds under pressure? He’s entered into the Brompton World championship?
@chrisonabike Could be wrong, but I don’t think folding is actually required for the world champs – just unfolding.
Freeman following the classic whataboutery route – those “ebikes” are already illegal and legislated for – they’re motorbikes. They are already obliged to have license plates, be ridden by insured, licensed drivers, and be insured with the same type of insurance as cars/motorbikes. The existence of law clearly isn’t serving as a deterrent here, which just highlights that it’s a spite-driven to put people off cycling on legal, non-motorised bikes or legal ebikes. Odious man.
Shut up Freeman. We all know the real danger to people is cows, lightning strikes & assualt by free falling coconut
I don’t think that’s necessary, but perhaps all vehicles should lose powered assistance at 15.6mph/25kph. You can pedal your SUV faster, if you like.
@GMBasix Exceptions to 20mph? Well, yes, perhaps it should be slower on some residential streets…
The UK issue * is we’ve had “organic growth” (coupled with multiple decisions to go for mass motoring, to favour road freight etc.) So a “street” may a “road” in terms of usage. Or even a multi-lane urban motorway, but with residences along it, driveways, and perhaps even busy destinations like shops.
At that point everyone’s got a “common-sense” objection to lower speed limits. And apparently we can’t expect trained, licenced drivers to keep track of lots of differing ones along the same road either!
Plus they’ll all be concentrating on their speed to the exclusion of all else at 20mph…
* One of many.
I totally agree. Although not the greatest ever leader, he has tried to govern in a competent manner. I think the way Starmer has been treated by the press and BBC is a disgrace.
He did a great job of keeping the UK out of the idiotic Iran war, contrary to the rhetoric of Farage and Badenoch, but most of the emphasis of the media was highlighting Trump’s criticism of him (“He ain’t no Churchill” etc) – this has only ceased when it became clear that Trump is deranged.
This coverage contrasts starkly with the lack of criticism and scrutiny aimed at the clueless Tory govts, who stumbled from one leadership contest to the next. Kemi Badenoch has been leader of the party for two years, but is still yet to develop any policies.
That reply was meant to be to ROOTminus1 by the way.
Starmer may not be a leader of the same standard of Churchill but Trump isn’t even a leader of the same standard as Donald Duck!
Daffy Duck, though…
Duck à l’orange?
@mdavidford That’s just a canard.
@Rendel Harris
More like “conard”