The war on Britains roads, 5th Dec BBC

cookdn

bails87 wrote:

I thought you were going to say RELAX!

It is Friday after-all.

gbsahne001

just got haribo...

Origamist

War On Britain's Roads cyclist Gareth Williams gets death threats

A campaigning cyclist whose footage of motorists driving recklessly in London featured in a controversial TV documentary has received death threats.

Gareth Williams, 24, was shown in the BBC programme The War On Britain’s Roads challenging bad drivers as he recorded his daily ride to and from work on his helmet camera.

People took to Twitter after Wednesday’s broadcast to attack his “arrogant” attitude, with one user writing: “I’d happily run him over.”

Today Mr Williams said the threats came as no surprise and vowed to continue cycling in London.

He said the programme exaggerated the conflict between motorists and cyclists - and ignored his work highlighting irresponsible riders.

The web developer from Croydon, who cycles 30 miles a day in and out of work in central London, told the Standard: “I have been doing this for three years and have ridden probably 16,000 miles.

"I estimate I have been overtaken or overtaken three-quarters of a million vehicles. When you are doing that in central London you are going to come across some nutters.

"But I would put that at one in 15,000 vehicles.”

He added: “I don’t see it as cyclist v motorist. It’s good road user v bad road user.

"Ask anyone who was involved in that film and they are going to say it’s not a ‘war’.

“The threats are no different, to be honest. I put stuff on YouTube and I get a lot worse than that.

"It’s hot air. People think they are anonymous on the internet. Come the real world, they will run away crying. I don’t think I’m at risk.”

Mr Williams, who tweets under the name CycleGaz, said he had seen reports of the abuse and was aware people had mentioned him on Twitter.

But he said he was unaware of direct threats, and tweeted today: “Apparently I’m getting death threats. That’s funny because I haven’t seen any.”

He told the Standard: “None of the stuff that was directed at me from that point of view was what I would consider out of the norm.

"It’s fairly easy to deal with. I don’t think about it. I get lots of people on YouTube saying, ‘If I see you I will run you over. You are going to die.’ You get so used to it you just ignore it.”

But he said he may take a break from posting videos recorded on his helmet camera. “I might go quiet for a bit,” he said. “I don’t like the attention.”

He said he was “disappointed” with the way the programme was edited and revealed it had started out with a different vision.

“It was initially about the people using [helmet] cameras or calling for safer cycling.

"It was more about the campaign side and what people have done and how we push things forward, and how we use the cameras.

"That was pushed to the BBC but it wasn’t edgy enough for them. At that stage it would have been difficult for me to say I want to back out.

“I think they kind of represented me as ‘Jack the Lad’ and a cocky, arrogant young guy, but I feel more of a balanced person than that.

"I comment on bad cyclists as well. I’m not just going for bad motorists.”

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transpor ... 93175.html

mybreakfastconsisted

Like The Mail article, that's crappy journalism, the whole story is predicated on what some galloping cocklord said on Twitter.

rjsterry

Love how the word 'vowed' has become a synonym for 'said' - have his hand on the Bible when he said that did he?

Can I also get in a toldyouso to DDD :P

Origamist

mybreakfastconsisted wrote:

Like The Mail article, that's crappy journalism, the whole story is predicated on what some galloping cocklord said on Twitter.

It's far crappier than The Fail article because the headline is flatly denied by Gaz in the copy: “Apparently I’m getting death threats. That’s funny because I haven’t seen any.”

gtvlusso

“I think they kind of represented me as ‘Jack the Lad’ and a cocky, arrogant young guy, but I feel more of a balanced person than that.

So, the below statement isn't arrogant then: :?

"I comment on bad cyclists as well. I’m not just going for bad motorists.”

Well, good for you :roll: How about you f*cking off then and leaving us cyclists all alone to get on as we have done for the last few decades. Or do you want to carry on pi$$ing on our chips, you make all of us look like you to Joe Public. It was all fine before you, your hair brained idea's and your bl**dy camera came along.

FFS, the boy needs to grow up, grow out of his naivety.

@Gaz, Do us and yourself a favour, Shut the f*ck up and f*ck off.

That's my Friday rant done....

Origamist

gtvlusso wrote:

“I think they kind of represented me as ‘Jack the Lad’ and a cocky, arrogant young guy, but I feel more of a balanced person than that.

So, the below statement isn't arrogant then: :?

"I comment on bad cyclists as well. I’m not just going for bad motorists.”

Well, good for you :roll: How about you f*cking off then and leaving us cyclists all alone to get on as we have done for the last few decades. Or do you want to carry on pi$$ing on our chips, you make all of us look like you to Joe Public. It was all fine before you, your hair brained idea's and your bl**dy camera came along.

FFS, the boy needs to grow up, grow out of his naivety.

@Gaz, Do us and yourself a favour, Shut the f*ck up and f*ck off.

That's my Friday rant done....

Alternatively, you could stop contributing to threads which deal with helmet cam users, stop watching docs on helmet cam users and just ride your bike...

notsoblue

gtvlusso wrote:

“I think they kind of represented me as ‘Jack the Lad’ and a cocky, arrogant young guy, but I feel more of a balanced person than that.

So, the below statement isn't arrogant then: :?

"I comment on bad cyclists as well. I’m not just going for bad motorists.”

Well, good for you :roll: How about you f*cking off then and leaving us cyclists all alone to get on as we have done for the last few decades. Or do you want to carry on pi$$ing on our chips, you make all of us look like you to Joe Public. It was all fine before you, your hair brained idea's and your bl**dy camera came along.

FFS, the boy needs to grow up, grow out of his naivety.

@Gaz, Do us and yourself a favour, Shut the f*ck up and f*ck off.

That's my Friday rant done....

Wow, the Daily Mail is leaking.

Kieran_Burns

vermin wrote:

gbsahne wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I think I have been driving and cycling for longer than Gaz has been alive!

me too, 26 for the first & 35+ for second :oops:

As others have said, thought Gaz came across very arrogant & condescending but thought it was reasonably balanced between footage of bad driving / cycling. Watched it with my wife and the only serious comment she made was on the lines of, "you don't cycle like that do you?"

Also thought the ladies actions in getting Cemex to get their house in order was incredible both from her actions and also on the company for taking the 1 death / injury per year seriously enough to act.

Blimey, someone agrees with me.

I don't. That wasn't MY quote

gtvlusso

Origamist wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

“I think they kind of represented me as ‘Jack the Lad’ and a cocky, arrogant young guy, but I feel more of a balanced person than that.

So, the below statement isn't arrogant then: :?

"I comment on bad cyclists as well. I’m not just going for bad motorists.”

Well, good for you :roll: How about you f*cking off then and leaving us cyclists all alone to get on as we have done for the last few decades. Or do you want to carry on pi$$ing on our chips, you make all of us look like you to Joe Public. It was all fine before you, your hair brained idea's and your bl**dy camera came along.

FFS, the boy needs to grow up, grow out of his naivety.

@Gaz, Do us and yourself a favour, Shut the f*ck up and f*ck off.

That's my Friday rant done....

Alternatively, you could stop contributing to threads which deal with helmet cam users, stop watching docs on helmet cam users and just ride your bike...

Right back at ya pal; you could stop filming, contributing an unrealistic picture of cycling in the UK to a uninformed public. Wonder how many people who would have cycled to work, who now won't because of a few idiots self righteous beliefs - tarring other 'quiet life' cyclists by their own selfish and self serving behaviour.

A few negatives outweigh a million positives.

so, anything of value to add then Mr O?

cookdn

Kieran_Burns wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I think I have been driving and cycling for longer than Gaz has been alive!

I don't. That wasn't MY quote

Shoot, I nearly have (24 + 17 = 41). :shock:

DonDaddyD

gtvlusso wrote:

“I think they kind of represented me as ‘Jack the Lad’ and a cocky, arrogant young guy, but I feel more of a balanced person than that.

So, the below statement isn't arrogant then: :?

"I comment on bad cyclists as well. I’m not just going for bad motorists.”

Well, good for you :roll: How about you f*cking off then and leaving us cyclists all alone to get on as we have done for the last few decades. Or do you want to carry on pi$$ing on our chips, you make all of us look like you to Joe Public. It was all fine before you, your hair brained idea's and your bl**dy camera came along.

FFS, the boy needs to grow up, grow out of his naivety.

@Gaz, Do us and yourself a favour, Shut the f*ck up and f*ck off.

That's my Friday rant done....

:shock: Wow.

Origamist

gtvlusso wrote:

Origamist wrote:

gtvlusso wrote:

“I think they kind of represented me as ‘Jack the Lad’ and a cocky, arrogant young guy, but I feel more of a balanced person than that.

So, the below statement isn't arrogant then: :?

"I comment on bad cyclists as well. I’m not just going for bad motorists.”

Well, good for you :roll: How about you f*cking off then and leaving us cyclists all alone to get on as we have done for the last few decades. Or do you want to carry on pi$$ing on our chips, you make all of us look like you to Joe Public. It was all fine before you, your hair brained idea's and your bl**dy camera came along.

FFS, the boy needs to grow up, grow out of his naivety.

@Gaz, Do us and yourself a favour, Shut the f*ck up and f*ck off.

That's my Friday rant done....

Alternatively, you could stop contributing to threads which deal with helmet cam users, stop watching docs on helmet cam users and just ride your bike...

Right back at ya pal; you could stop filming, contributing an unrealistic picture of cycling in the UK to a uninformed public. Wonder how many people who would have cycled to work, who now won't because of a few idiots self righteous beliefs - tarring other 'quiet life' cyclists by their own selfish and self serving behaviour.

A few negatives outweigh a million positives.

so, anything of value to add then Mr O?

I'm trying to find a simple way to make you chill a little - you seem to get very het up on these threads. I hope this is of value.

gtvlusso

I am a pretty chilled guy, sat here in my cycle kit still....eating my banana, wondering what time my daughter will actually go to bed tonight.....

Amazes me the level of arrogance inherent in some people and how they think they are perceived.

The best thing that Gaz can do now, for cyclists and for anyone else involved is:

Not speak to the press
Not use twitter
Not film for a while
Keep a very low profile on the road

But no, he is off speaking to the press, again, and whining about how it was all portrayed and that he is really just trying to educate; well there it is kiddo. Thats how you look, thats what you did and thats how it looks to the public and no, it did not educate.

You've had your 15 minutes, there will be no corporate sponsors for your website and you will not be magically re-modeled into the next Ridley Scott, being asked to make your own documentary's. - so long, and thanks for all the fish.

Love this quote from road.cc:

"Its not about cyclists versus cars, it's about normal people versus idiots"

rjsterry

Didn't you say you were done. Several times.

mybreakfastconsisted

Do you also write angry little missives about the drivers you see on multiple-drink-driving convictions Alistair Stewarts'

STOP POLICE BASTARD

programme? After all, they too have let down the entire motoring community.

Kieran_Burns

rjsterry wrote:

Didn't you say you were done. Several times.

gtvlusso

rjsterry wrote:

Didn't you say you were done. Several times.

Once, I think, but now I am just bored.....It's 3:30pm, getting cold and dark outside. I am tired, I have to go to a Harold Pinter play tonight, I won't get time for a beer beforehand; so, I will have to watch it stone cold sober.

I have also just eaten an entire tub of milkybar buttons....I am gonna have such a stitch on the cycle home.

I'll be good :-)

gtvlusso

mybreakfastconsisted wrote:

Do you also write angry little missives about the drivers you see on multiple-drink-driving convictions Alistair Stewarts'

STOP POLICE BASTARD

programme? After all, they too have let down the entire motoring community.

Not yet - Although I was arrested for doing over 130MPH in a 30MPH zone on a motorbike when I was 17. Went to court, let off on a technicality.

So, in all reality, I let down the entire country, in fact the whole of Western Europe and probably lowered the speed limit somewhere by my selfish and childish actions.

Sorry about that.

mybreakfastconsisted

That's called avoiding the question.

Why do you think gaz has let the entire cycling world down when you don't apply your rather strange collective responsibility to drivers, you know, the people that killed Diana?

tailwindhome

gtvlusso

mybreakfastconsisted wrote:

That's called avoiding the question.

Why do you think gaz has let the entire cycling world down when you don't apply your rather strange collective responsibility to drivers, you know, the people that killed Diana?

Ah - I see.

A, antagonised motorists - you know the people we share the road with and need on our side to help protect us
B, Given an unrealistic picture of UK cycle commuting to the motoring puiblic - How normal cyclists are.
C, Given an unrealistic picture of cycle commuting to people who *may* have felt that they would like to try cycling to work - They are probably put off now!
D, Put videos up on youtube of 'nothing' incidents and making a deal out of them
E, Having far more incidents, considering the amount of footage, than anyone in all reality normally has.
F, Thinking that he is educating - he is not.
G, Does he really not look for trouble, I can't prove this, but the amount of incidents does not look favourable.

That help?

**Do you know how Diana really died? really?

tailwindhome

mybreakfastconsisted wrote:

That's called avoiding the question.

Why do you think gaz has let the entire cycling world down when you don't apply your rather strange collective responsibility to drivers, you know, the people that killed Diana?

The Duke of Edinburgh killed Diana


FACT

SteppenHerring

I missed the programme. Was it any good?

rjsterry

gtvlusso wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

Didn't you say you were done. Several times.

Once, I think, but now I am just bored.....It's 3:30pm, getting cold and dark outside. I am tired, I have to go to a Harold Pinter play tonight, I won't get time for a beer beforehand; so, I will have to watch it stone cold sober.

I have also just eaten an entire tub of milkybar buttons....I am gonna have such a stitch on the cycle home.

I'll be good :-)

That is not much to look forward to, it's true. You have my sympathies on the sleep deprivation too.

mybreakfastconsisted

Some chinless geek with a helmet cam put the cycling cause back eleventy million years single handedly.

gtvlusso

mybreakfastconsisted wrote:

Some chinless geek with a helmet cam put the cycling cause back eleventy million years single handedly.

Lol - I just spat out at milkybar button!

@RJSTERRY - Yup, my life is like one long mardi gras....it's just endless whirring of stuff around me and I have no idea about any of it....Oh god, Harold Pinter night.....it better have a car smashing through a plate glass window or I am so out of there....

mybreakfastconsisted

So you think Police Stop Bastard antagonises drivers?

DonDaddyD

Look, Gaz's (and others) youtube videos were a minor annoyance.

With the added publicity and public exposure they're more of a worry. Some people read the papers and watch the reports and create a perception that the small portrayal represents the whole.

What I'm worried about isn't that all motorists will think that there is some kind of 'war on the roads'. I'm not worried that all motorists will think we are like Gaz. What I'm worried about is the nutcases, the would be villain to Gaz's urban crusader (guy has had death threats) who will want to combat this. I would argue the roads are potentially less safe because of the inflamatory publicity generated around Gaz and his divisive content.

I'm worried about the message about cyclists and cycling that is being sent out.

This isn't about improving road safety, raising awareness of the dangers when motorised vehicles/bicycles share the roads. All this is about is how some people who drive cars and others who ride bicycles can be pricks and wind each other up. People who are devoid of the social grazce to show courtesy and tollerance to each other. Rational heads have not prevailed in any of the publicity involving Gaz's (and others) campaign to 'educate people'.

It also pisses me off that a boy - and he is - who has only ridden for three years and read cyclecraft (maybe) seems to think that he is able to 'educate' people on how to ride/drive safely on public roads.

For all the banter and the SCR, along with learning to drive, riding with a range of people like ITB, Greg66, ilPrincipe (and others) who understand the fun and danger of cycling has taught me to be a better rider.

I have actually never been taken out by a car or hit one at speed - and I have been riding on the road since I was 11 (maybe younger), commuted by bike to Saturday jobs when I was a teenager and in my early 20s and commuted proper since 2007. Though people call me a prick on here I don't seem to get into as much altercations with motorists as Gaz and the other camera crusaders. For all my bombast I don't take it upon myself to try and 'educate' the masses.