Lifecycle -James Cracknell presents a cycling safety special

walkingbootweather

To be broadcast on Radio 5 Live at 7.30pm on Thursday.

In view on Mr Cracknell's well documented cycle accident and subsequent problems, can we expect an unbiased assessment, or will there be more scaremongering?

JamesB5446

The latter. As usual.

cyclingprop

Its probably fair to say that if the truck hit him, it was probably a little too close.

mybreakfastconsisted

Will James mention in his pro-helmet crusade that he's sponsored by a helmet manufacturer? Bit dishonest otherwise.

mroli

To be fair to James, he is/was a keen cyclist who does a wide variety of cycling. I would expect (and hope) it to be a decent and fair program.

JamesB5446

You've obviously not read anything he's written then.

walkingbootweather

Not as bad as I feared, but much more likely to put off potential cyclists than encourage people on to their bikes.

cookdn

Now available as an MP3 download:

BBC 5 Live: LifeCycle - cycling safety special 49MB

I haven't listened to it yet.

Regards

CiB

I'm working through it now but it is just so depressing. It's very easy to take a dislike to James Cracknell; he may be a cyclist but as a positive advocate for cycling he's not in the same room. Negative, desperate to push helmets, I haven't heard anything good from him yet. I'll stick with it a bit longer but it's hard work.

Boardman is on now and is being much more balanced about it, being given time to make his points.

bails87

Listened to some of this last night, I'll download it later and listen to the whole thing. The bit with the woman who was dragged under a truck was a good example of how it's not always the fault of undertaking cyclists like som ewould have us believe. And Boardman was good, as ever, with his "what do we want our cities to look like" angle.

asprilla

Just listening to the beginning; despite James Cracknell putting a downer on everything Debbie Dawling has come across as someone with her head screwed on right.

il_principe

Couldn't bring myself to listen. When it comes to cycling, Cracknell is a pillock. Hopefully no one in power takes him seriously.

CiB

Il Principe wrote:

Couldn't bring myself to listen. When it comes to cycling, Cracknell is a pillock. Hopefully no one in power takes him seriously.

He gets a disproportinate amount of air time considering that he's a rower who nearly got himself killed riding along the Oz equivalent of a motorway.

If I was a non-cyclist considering taking up cycling and was thinking of asking for a bike for Christmas, I'd be asking for a guitar by now, or a set of books. The message from start to where I am now with about 15 minutes to go is that cycling in the UK is the single most dangerous thing anyone can do, and that separating cyclists who must don a set of hi-viz armour plate before venturing out is the only way to make it even close to being safe.

I don't recognise the cycling they describe. Granted mine is a mainly rural commute but there's a decent sized town just up the road and I'm not averse to riding 110 miles on some busy roads. This continual message that something must be done is a bad bad message to send out. What is it with the BBC? Two programmes in the recent past both desperate to tell the nation how unsafe it is and how all these measures are needed to make it an acceptable means of transport. What's the chance of them ever doing a a programme that promotes cycling as fun, safe, healthy and life-affirming? Maybe the one tonight on 5L at 9:00 might do it.

iPete

CiB wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Couldn't bring myself to listen. When it comes to cycling, Cracknell is a pillock. Hopefully no one in power takes him seriously.

I don't recognise the cycling they describe. Granted mine is a mainly rural commute but there's a decent sized town just up the road and I'm not averse to riding 110 miles on some busy roads. This continual message that something must be done is a bad bad message to send out. What is it with the BBC? Two programmes in the recent past both desperate to tell the nation how unsafe it is and how all these measures are needed to make it an acceptable means of transport. What's the chance of them ever doing a a programme that promotes cycling as fun, safe, healthy and life-affirming? Maybe the one tonight on 5L at 9:00 might do it.

As the biggest cyclist in the office people keep talking to me about these shows and they are certainly doing very little good. At least one person has scrubbed a bike from his shopping list! One less cyclist on the roads...

il_principe

CiB wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Couldn't bring myself to listen. When it comes to cycling, Cracknell is a pillock. Hopefully no one in power takes him seriously.

He gets a disproportinate amount of air time considering that he's a rower who nearly got himslef killed riding along the Oz equivalent of a motorway.

If I was a non-cyclist considering taking up cycling and was thinking of asking for a bike for Christmas, I'd be asking for a guitar by now, or a set of books. The message from start to where I am now with about 15 minutes to go is that cycling in the UK is the single most dangerous thing anyone can do, and that separating cyclists who must don a set of hi-viz armour plate before venturing out is the only way to make it even close to being safe.

I don't recognise the cycling they describe. Granted mine is a mainly rural commute but there's a decent sized town just up the road and I'm not averse to riding 110 miles on some busy roads. This continual message that something must be done is a bad bad message to send out. What is it with the BBC? Two programmes in the recent past both desperate to tell the nation how unsafe it is and how all these measures are needed to make it an acceptable means of transport. What's the chance of them ever doing a a programme that promotes cycling as fun, safe, healthy and life-affirming? Maybe the one tonight on 5L at 9:00 might do it.

Couldn't. Agree. More.

Just seen a brief clip of Cracknell riding from Hammersmith to somewhere. He spends time pointing out helmet-less, earphone toting, RLJ'ing cyclists. Doesn't comment on some of the terrible driving. Imagine that's the tone his radio piece takes. He's not a cyclist, he's a very athletic POB. It's like asking a plane crash victim to become an air accident investigator...

Edit - Made doubly depressing by the Census data which revealed that car ownership has increased everywhere apart from London.

daddy0

In the video clip at 0:42 he filters up the inside of a bus.

gabriel959

Il Principe wrote:

Edit - Made doubly depressing by the Census data which revealed that car ownership has increased everywhere apart from London.

That is not completely accurate, 2 other regions (East Midlands and East of England if I remember correctly) have registered no increase in the last 10 years. Considering that the population has probably increased in those regions then car ownership has actually gone done in those regions too.

il_principe

gabriel959 wrote:

Il Principe wrote:

Edit - Made doubly depressing by the Census data which revealed that car ownership has increased everywhere apart from London.

That is not completely accurate, 2 other regions (East Midlands and East of England if I remember correctly) have registered no increase in the last 10 years. Considering that the population has probably increased in those regions then car ownership has actually gone done in those regions too.

From the ONS: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/stb-2011-census-key-statistics-for-england-and-wales.html

The number of cars and vans available for use by households in England and Wales increased from 23.9 million to 27.3 million between 2001 and 2011. In 2001 there were on average 11 cars per 10 households whereas in 2011 there were 12 cars per 10 households. The proportion of households with access to no cars or one car declined over the decade whereas the proportion with two or more cars rose. London was the only region where the number of cars and vans was lower than the number of households.

mroli

Mmm - haven't listened to the podcast or read much stuff by him to be fair, but have ridden with James Cracknell. He is a very strong rider. Il Principe - I disagree with you, he knows how to group ride, dunno about his "angle" on cycle safety though.

il_principe

mroli wrote:

Mmm - haven't listened to the podcast or read much stuff by him to be fair, but have ridden with James Cracknell. He is a very strong rider. Il Principe - I disagree with you, he knows how to group ride, dunno about his "angle" on cycle safety though.

I'm sure he's very strong. Strong doesn't equate to views on safety or handling skills etc...

mroli

S'why I said he knows how to group ride. Decent enough handling skills from what I saw (did about 12 miles just me and him and 20 miles in a group).