Tiff Needel - Radio 4 Interview

sdjones2

London motorists terrified of bikes coming at them at a closing speed of 50mph - twat!

Followed by Rob-neverbeenonabike asking MTB DH World Champion 'isn't she firsghtened going down a hill so fast?'

FFS!

Perhaps it is just me?!

cannonfodder

When he said closing speed he meant the combined speed of the car and bike in opposite directions - the guy from the CTC misunderstood this as the speed of one of the vehicles but the interviewer let it go

iainment

I didn't think he was that bad actually, on the face of it I can understand people being a bit wary of a cyclist contra flow. after it's been in operation and they see it doesn't effect them adversely the broohaha will go away.

Gavin Gilbert

There's a contra-flow cycle lane just south of Shepherds Bush. The only problem with it is pedestrians looking only it the direction that the motorised traffic is coming from before crossing.

Jamey

Gavin Gilbert wrote:

There's a contra-flow cycle lane just south of Shepherds Bush.

Is there? Where?

I cycle from Hammersmith to She-Bu (and back again) every day along Shepherds Bush Road and I've no idea where it is. Might have to give it a try, just for variety.

Teuchter

I heard the interview and must admit, I'm with Tiff TBH. Not keen on the idea of cycling the 'wrong' way down one way streets and trusting car drivers to expect me.

There are a few roads here in Glasgow city centre where there are contra-flow cycle lanes (Argyll Street near Central Station and some quieter roads out towards the west end spring to mind). I admit to intense paranoia whenever I use them though - both for oncoming traffic, peds not looking in my direction and cyclists mistakenly using them to coming the wrong way (i.e. going in the same direction as the traffic even though the lane is marked as being in the opposite direction and would be on their right).

Wouldn't fancy cycling the wrong way down an un-cycle-laned one way street.

beverick

Just for the record the idea is not to install contra-flow cycle lanes but to allow cyclists to cycle the wrong way down specific one way streets - in Kensington and Chelsea anyway.

A scheme thought up by a Mr Darwin I presume.

'fin stupid idea if you ask me. 'Tiff was right.

Bob

nortones2

As they do it anyway in London (cars vans and bikes!) they might at least lighten up on the least harmful contrarians! In Europe it is considered the done thing and sanctioned: lower injuries in Bruges as a result, probably of car drivers having to look for a change. Not that Belgian drivers are a model: they have a pretty bad death rate overall from traffic.

Gavin Gilbert

Jamey wrote:

Gavin Gilbert wrote:

There's a contra-flow cycle lane just south of Shepherds Bush.

Is there? Where?

I cycle from Hammersmith to She-Bu (and back again) every day along Shepherds Bush Road and I've no idea where it is. Might have to give it a try, just for variety.

Elsham Road. It links Russel Road with Addiscombe Gardens, where the cyclists contra-flow continues to cross the railway bridge. It is a quiet way to avoid Holland Road.

I only ever use it when coming back from Earls Court, or as part of a detour when Holland Park Avenue is grid-locked (and hence will be using it more when our gormless tit of a Mayor scraps the Western C-Charge)

prj45

Gavin Gilbert wrote:

I only ever use it when coming back from Earls Court, or as part of a detour when Holland Park Avenue is grid-locked (and hence will be using it more when our gormless tit of a Mayor scraps the Western C-Charge)

Won't happen I reckon.

Congestion in the area is much reduced (I remember the days when Holland Park Avenue should've been called Holland Car Park Avenue), and I don't think K&C residents are going to want to give up their cheap access to the west end.

bigmat

nortones2 wrote:

Not that Belgian drivers are a model: they have a pretty bad death rate overall from traffic.

That's because they tend to be hammered. Same applies to the cyclists there. I remember a friend who was so drunk he could barely stand up, pissing against his van tyre then telling me I had to drive because he was too drunk. I was pretty far gone myself so I declined but to my shame let him drive me back.

Another friend told me a great anecdote about how he had been doing a rugby initiation that involved downing 3 large beers and a series of spirits. He felt a bit ill so decided to cycle home, ended up over his handlebars and broke his front tooth off. At which point he decided to drive himself to hospital...

Worth bearing in mind if you're ever cycling in Belgium.

fatbee

To be fair to old Tiffy, a "closing speed" of 50mph is legal and feasible (30mph for the car + 20 for the cyclist,) if rather unlikely, and not a very helpful observation in the context. Frankly any motorist doing 30 up a one-way street with cars parked both sides, wants his brain testing, as (arguably) does a cyclist doing "evens" in the opposite direction.

And they could've chosen a far less reasonable and more confrontational representative of "the motoring lobby" (puke) or "motoring community" (puke-squared,) than Mr. Needle.

Frankly it wasn't much of a story in the first place, and was then redered even more pointless by allowing both interviewees to extrapolate wildly form the specific to the very general, to no very great effect.

Poor and lazy journalism filling the airwaves on a quiet news-day I thought.

dang65

fatbee wrote:

representative of "the motoring lobby" (puke) or "motoring community" (puke-squared

How about "hard pressed motorists" (puke cubed)?

Actually, "hard pressed" is a pretty good way of describing them I suppose.

daniel_b

nortones2 wrote:

In Europe it is considered the done thing and sanctioned

I was amazed last year, when we were driving back from Provence - we found the hotel we had booked into, and it was on a one way street. parked up past it, and walked in to check in.
Got the directions for the underground garage, and told him where our car was, and he told us to turn around and drive the wrong way down the one way street.

Granted it wasn't busy, but it was seen as being the norm.

I did it, but it felt weird!

I was fully prepared to drive on, and just come back in the proper way, but you could tell he thought this was absurd

fatbee

"How about "hard pressed motorists" (puke cubed)?"

Seconded. From the same school-of-shite as "hard working families"