Who is this cyclist?

deptfordmarmoset
deptfordmarmoset Posts: 3,118
edited February 2010 in The bottom bracket
I didn't see this Evening Standard article till now,http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23780505-danger-cyclists-to-be-policed-by-council-staff.do

''About 30,000 cyclists enter Westminster every day and it is estimated that up to one in five breaks the Highway Code. Angela Harvey, chairman of Westminster's scrutiny committee, which put together the proposal, said: “We're always getting little old ladies who are knocked down and abused by a cyclist, who leave them on the ground as they ride away.

This naughty naughty cyclist should be caught and barred from the roads - he's giving us all a bad name.

(No exaggeration here from the Westminster this does not bear scrutiny committee, no, no exaggeration at all... :roll: )

Comments

  • A pedestrian is knocked down every 20 minutes in London. They are getting very annoyed now.
  • I'm all for prosecuting cyclist who jump red lights and generally don't follow the highway code, but the way the article portrayed cyclists was just ridiculous.
  • Eau Rouge
    Eau Rouge Posts: 1,118
    They might have a "cycling team" according to this web page
    http://www.westminster.gov.uk/services/ ... s/cycling/
    (the contact link at the bottom)

    You might want to ask them what they think they are playing at and why they aren't in front of the scrutiny committee defending the good name of cyclists and asking the scrutiny comittee how many drivers it estimates in Westminster break the Highway Code (hint for them: does the council have any parking or speeding inititives, cameras, patrols etc, and why do they think they need them?) and which does the esteemed comittee think is the greater problem for the resources-stretched council to be addressing?
  • Funnily enough I just watched "Inside Out", London edition, on the BBC iPlayer, and there was plenty to make me squirm with embarrassment at the antics of city cyclists. Pavement riding, shooting reds and so on.

    It's the first item, so it's only a few minutes : http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 2_02_2010/
    "Lick My Decals Off, Baby"
  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    A pedestrian is knocked down every 20 minutes in London. They are getting very annoyed now.

    If I was that pedestrian, I'd be getting a little ticked-off. :wink:
    Cycling weakly
  • Pross
    Pross Posts: 40,217
    So 1 in 5 cyclist break the Highway Code (i.e. a code of practice which does not contain any law or regulations). Strangely I suspect around 70 to 80% of motorists, including some who also cycle you know :wink: , break the law several times a day by speeding or other "non-real crimes" so what Westminster Council are presumably saying is that cyclists are about 4 times better behaved than motorists :lol:
  • plowmar
    plowmar Posts: 1,032
    re Highway Code not being law.

    Depending upon how the individual codes are stated e.g 'must' then that code is reflected in the law of the land.

    From daughter who has recently passed her driving test.
  • antooony
    antooony Posts: 177
    mercsport wrote:
    Funnily enough I just watched "Inside Out", London edition, on the BBC iPlayer, and there was plenty to make me squirm with embarrassment at the antics of city cyclists. Pavement riding, shooting reds and so on.

    It's the first item, so it's only a few minutes : http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 2_02_2010/

    Interesting though that the cyclist at 5.53 getting pulled over for jumping a red light was being over taken by a Paletline truck that was also RLJ but that was allowed to continue scot free :shock:

    Have to agree though, some of the riding was shocking.

    It still bugs me why a few bad apples swings peoples opinions of us so much, the same cant be said for their views on motorists, plenty of Billy boy racers out there driving like tw*ts but no one seems too complain about them in the same way.
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    antooony wrote:
    mercsport wrote:
    Funnily enough I just watched "Inside Out", London edition, on the BBC iPlayer, and there was plenty to make me squirm with embarrassment at the antics of city cyclists. Pavement riding, shooting reds and so on.

    It's the first item, so it's only a few minutes : http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 2_02_2010/

    Interesting though that the cyclist at 5.53 getting pulled over for jumping a red light was being over taken by a Paletline truck that was also RLJ but that was allowed to continue scot free :shock:

    Have to agree though, some of the riding was shocking.

    It still bugs me why a few bad apples swings peoples opinions of us so much, the same cant be said for their views on motorists, plenty of Billy boy racers out there driving like tw*ts but no one seems too complain about them in the same way.

    yeah but they pay their road tax i]sic[/i don't they?
  • antooony wrote:
    mercsport wrote:
    Funnily enough I just watched "Inside Out", London edition, on the BBC iPlayer, and there was plenty to make me squirm with embarrassment at the antics of city cyclists. Pavement riding, shooting reds and so on.

    It's the first item, so it's only a few minutes : http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 2_02_2010/

    Interesting though that the cyclist at 5.53 getting pulled over for jumping a red light was being over taken by a Paletline truck that was also RLJ but that was allowed to continue scot free :shock:

    Have to agree though, some of the riding was shocking.

    It still bugs me why a few bad apples swings peoples opinions of us so much, the same cant be said for their views on motorists, plenty of Billy boy racers out there driving like tw*ts but no one seems too complain about them in the same way.

    Good spot, Antooony! I wasn't sure how many people spotted that so I posted a still from the programme to this thread over on Commuting: http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12682364
  • antooony
    antooony Posts: 177
    antooony wrote:
    mercsport wrote:
    Funnily enough I just watched "Inside Out", London edition, on the BBC iPlayer, and there was plenty to make me squirm with embarrassment at the antics of city cyclists. Pavement riding, shooting reds and so on.

    It's the first item, so it's only a few minutes : http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0 ... 2_02_2010/

    Interesting though that the cyclist at 5.53 getting pulled over for jumping a red light was being over taken by a Paletline truck that was also RLJ but that was allowed to continue scot free :shock:

    Have to agree though, some of the riding was shocking.

    It still bugs me why a few bad apples swings peoples opinions of us so much, the same cant be said for their views on motorists, plenty of Billy boy racers out there driving like tw*ts but no one seems too complain about them in the same way.

    Good spot, Antooony! I wasn't sure how many people spotted that so I posted a still from the programe to this thread over on Commuting: http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12682364

    oops its at 6.53....me bad. May sound petty but I might enquire with the police as to why the cyclist was stopped and not the lorry as the lorry posed more threat to pedestrians and other road users than the cyclist ever would. Guess their answer will be they were targeting cyclists that day.... :roll:
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    Have left this coment:
    And back to the story in question...

    I really would like to think that extra funding would be found for this so that the Police can carry it out. I dont feel that Council staff know enough about the Road Traffic Act, its ammendments, MET traffic guidelines or have the empathy to deal with matters effectively. The Police, atleast, know a thing or two about the roads and traffic, many have attended RTAs.

    I would also like to see dangerous and irresponsible driving targeted in balance. No driver has ever been fined or even told off for encroaching upon an ASL in the same area (do a FOI request and you will see)

    Dangerous overtakes and silly driving also needs to be tackled, as I feel this is contributing to a Newton's Balls effect where a minority of cyclists (and 20% is still a minority) have been scared or threatened on the road and so end up doing the very same to pedestrians. Lets not lower ourselves to this as cyclists, lets also set an example to others.

    After all a recent New Scientist article projected that many more will have to join us on cycles before 2013 due to the impending oil crisis.
  • From one of the comments on that page
    The problem is the cycling lobby is very powerful, and politicians (local and national) seem terrified of them.

    :lol:
  • nolf
    nolf Posts: 1,287
    I didn't see this Evening Standard article till now,http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23780505-danger-cyclists-to-be-policed-by-council-staff.do

    ''About 30,000 cyclists enter Westminster every day and it is estimated that up to one in five breaks the Highway Code. Angela Harvey, chairman of Westminster's scrutiny committee, which put together the proposal, said: “We're always getting little old ladies who are knocked down and abused by a cyclist, who leave them on the ground as they ride away.

    This naughty naughty cyclist should be caught and barred from the roads - he's giving us all a bad name.

    (No exaggeration here from the Westminster this does not bear scrutiny committee, no, no exaggeration at all... :roll: )

    That cyclist must have the legs of jan ulrich, and the speed of cipolini!
    To spend all day managing to run over old ladies, respect. Got some serious endurance going on too.
    "I hold it true, what'er befall;
    I feel it, when I sorrow most;
    'Tis better to have loved and lost;
    Than never to have loved at all."

    Alfred Tennyson
  • downfader
    downfader Posts: 3,686
    volvicspar wrote:
    From one of the comments on that page
    The problem is the cycling lobby is very powerful, and politicians (local and national) seem terrified of them.

    :lol:

    Yes, Debra Rolfe scares PM Gordon by pumping a whiff of air in his face from her cycle pump :wink: