Cycling report - Radio 5 live

jpm5555

There was a report on cycle commuting on Radio 5 live at about 0745 this morning - should soon be available on iplayer.

I'll admit, I was half asleep, but two quotes stuck in my mind. One was about cyclists barelling down canal towpaths, it was only a matter of time before a pram ended up in the canal :?

The other was that those cyclists that behaved deserved a medal for being so brave! May be worth a listen.

Right, must get up, big bike ride awaits....

The Chingford Skinhead

Cheers for the heads-up. Will give it a listen when back from football.

jpm5555

Found it online - starts at around 1hr 41min 35 sec

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00r33vb/Weekend_Breakfast_27_02_2010/

The report stems from Westminster council apparently urging the Police to issue more fixed penalty notices to cyclists. Personally I think this is probably no bad thing for those that RLJ etc. However, the council would also like for those powers to be available to civilian officials which is something I don't support.

The chairman of the environment committee seemed most concerned about cyclists rushing on towpaths and the possibility of a pram ending up in the water. This seems a bit OTT to me - are there really cyclists charging down Mums on towpaths?

The Chingford Skinhead

She's the one who appeared on the BBC tv show last week. She has a real thing about cyclists - completely out of proportion to the real danger caused by wreckless drivers in Westminster and their impact on pedestrians. But, hey ho.

Will listen later and comment. Ta.

Btw - I'm originally from Reading Quite mis the place in lots of ways - though it got a right slagging off in this forum a few months back when someone was asking about moving there (but don't let me take the thread off topic). Hope you enjoy the town.

seataltea

I travel along a fantastic canal towpath and a cycle route on my daily commute, it was fully tarmaced a few months ago, is billiard table smooth, flat and almost empty of humans.

When there is nobody on the towpath I travel as fast as possible, pedestrians with earphones and dogs not on leads are the biggest obstacle. Fishing rods longer that great white sharks are also a bit of a nuisance (why do you need 20ft long rods at a canal ?).

Using towpaths has increased my own safety and reduced my exposure to traffic thereby reducing my chances of injury and accidents. When I am on the road then it is mine, I ride defensively and aggressively, I am not stuck in the gutter but capable of riding at 20mph+ in traffic. When safe I RLJ, go the wrong way around the one way system and when traffic becomes busy and dangerous use the pavements and subways. There is risk here but I am an educated intelligent adult and seek to minimise it to levels I am prepared to accept.

I work for the emergency services and am all too aware that they have bigger fish to fry, as an example a month ago I safely RLJ twice on purpose in front of two Police cars solely for the purpose of seeing what they would do. They did nothing and on the second I got a nod, smile and wave. I know they sit and wait for their radio to direct them to the next fight, domestic, shoplifter and getting involved with trivial cyclist could slow their response times so landing them with a 'word' for the Sgt.

It is my intention to remain alive and uninjured whilst enjoying cycling, if that causes you distress whilst wrapped in steel, glass and rubber then I do not care. If that upsets the Daily Fail and raises to blood pressure of sheeple then I do not care.

I would not object to paying a yearly 'fee' towards properly maintained and cycle only commuter routes but that will never happen until then I shall carry on regardless.

deptfordmarmoset

Well, there's a surprise, it's that Angela Harvey again! http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12683435 She had a report in the Evening Standard where she was described as the chairman of the scrutiny committee, on the BBC programme she was named as the chairman of the built environment committee, but it's the same person.

Apparently - I only know this from the person who passed me the Evening Standard link on a blog - she got hit by a Freedom of Information request which blew her claims about old ladies being for ever knocked down and abused by cyclists right out of the water. It looks like instead of using fictitious old ladies to back her claims up, her imagination is now concentrating on pushing prams into canals.

Aguila

seataltea wrote:

I travel along a fantastic canal towpath and a cycle route on my daily commute, it was fully tarmaced a few months ago, is billiard table smooth, flat and almost empty of humans.

When there is nobody on the towpath I travel as fast as possible, pedestrians with earphones and dogs not on leads are the biggest obstacle. Fishing rods longer that great white sharks are also a bit of a nuisance (why do you need 20ft long rods at a canal ?).

Using towpaths has increased my own safety and reduced my exposure to traffic thereby reducing my chances of injury and accidents. When I am on the road then it is mine, I ride defensively and aggressively, I am not stuck in the gutter but capable of riding at 20mph+ in traffic. When safe I RLJ, go the wrong way around the one way system and when traffic becomes busy and dangerous use the pavements and subways. There is risk here but I am an educated intelligent adult and seek to minimise it to levels I am prepared to accept.

I work for the emergency services and am all too aware that they have bigger fish to fry, as an example a month ago I safely RLJ twice on purpose in front of two Police cars solely for the purpose of seeing what they would do. They did nothing and on the second I got a nod, smile and wave. I know they sit and wait for their radio to direct them to the next fight, domestic, shoplifter and getting involved with trivial cyclist could slow their response times so landing them with a 'word' for the Sgt.

I.

All sounds highly irresponsible to me. It's people like you who generate anti-cyclist fever amongst drivers, IMO. If you want motorists to obey the law and drive safely then you must do the same when riding.

northstar

jpm5555 wrote:

The other was that those cyclists that behaved deserved a medal for being so brave!

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win"

We are getting there slowly but surely.

deptfordmarmoset

northstar wrote:

jpm5555 wrote:

The other was that those cyclists that behaved deserved a medal for being so brave!

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win"

We are getting there slowly but surely.

Where's that quote from, northstar? It seems just so completely appropriate for the way things are at the moment.

northstar

It's one of Ghandi's deptford, fit's quite well.

I'd agree, i'd say we are somehwere around being "fought" imho.

seataltea

All sounds highly irresponsible to me. It's people like you who generate anti-cyclist fever amongst drivers, IMO. If you want motorists to obey the law and drive safely then you must do the same when riding.

Do you believe in World Peace as well ?

But seriously as a shift worker I rarely travel during 'normal' commuting times, so at 3am or at 6am in a deserted city centre or on a dual carriageway with only foxes for company would you seriously stop at a red light, no entry or not ride on a pavement.

I suspect that most opinions on this section on the forum are based on the assumption that riders commute in London or other large cities whilst working the 9x5 when the behavior I described would have seen me on a slab ages ago.

The Chingford Skinhead

What a shocking report. They had one guy - Greg - defend cyclists and he made a very good point about the actuarl risks compared to motorists which he described as "the elephant in the room". This was completely ignored by the presenters who went on about how cyclists hit cars and don't care !!!! And then the Westminster Councillor who only sees terrible things when it comes to bikes but has no problems with the 80% of motorists who admit to breaking the law.

I've just put a question to the Breakfast Show about the show and look forward to a response. :roll:

rolf_f

seataltea wrote:

But seriously as a shift worker I rarely travel during 'normal' commuting times, so at 3am or at 6am in a deserted city centre or on a dual carriageway with only foxes for company would you seriously stop at a red light, no entry or not ride on a pavement.

Of course I would! I would in a car (even in Bradford which has traffic light sequencing specifically designed to drive you mad) so why would it be any different on a bike? Not as though it makes a significant difference to journey times.

Actually, I thought you were being ironic in your original post!

lundon2210

ive cycled about 80% of the canal network of england, am i nuts? well its been suggested. ive not once gone in the water. and this myth of cyclists tearing along the towpath at 20someting MPH is totally exagerated. there the 1% minority in my experience.
fear of getting wet keeps most sensible people down to a safe speed, i find 10MPH max is adequate. when will the government and all the be green n get on ya bike brigade realise, we have the founation for a purpose built traffic free cycle path, stretching from london to leicester, leeds liverpool and lancaster. all it needs is an all weather surface on the whole network. the grassy bumpy bits tend to put people off going to far from civalisation. i feel im mostly alone in thinking this, but anyone wanting advice on long distance towpath cycling, feel free to email me direct at lundon2210@aol.com
my names Gary, and no, i didnt missspell my email address.

phil s

This thread may be of some interest...
http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12683186

Since my last post there I have had a message from Joanne Cash to say that neither the words nor the views were her own and that she would look into it. It appears that the newsletter in question was not a Joanne Cash-specific one but a general Conservative newsletter for the area.

downfader

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