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TdF Beefeaters win UCI Fans’ Award with THAT video; Hope in Lotus tie-up; British Cycling slams e-car 'green' number plate plans; 6 Day London – how to watch on BBC; Lookalike trophies; 'Auction for Kennaugh's Dogma F1 + more on live blog

All today's news from the site and beyond.....
22 October 2019, 18:35
6 Day London starts tonight - and it's live on the BBC

6 Day London starts today - and it is live on the BBC. Head here for details of how to follow Mark Cavendish, Elia Viviani, Caleb Ewan and the other stars competing this week.

Laura Kenny, Katie Archibald and other top female track stars will be riding at the weekend too.

22 October 2019, 16:48
TdF Beefeaters win Fans’ Award at UCI World Cycling Gala for THAT video

Great Britain's own TdF Beefeaters have won the Fans’ Award, voted for on Facebook, at the UCI World Cycling Gala in Gulin, China today for their video shot on the Galibier during this year’s Tour de France when they led fans from all over the world – and a T-Rex – in a memorable rendition of Dutch Euro-pop anthem, Links Recht.

Chapeau, guys!

22 October 2019, 16:08
Lookalikes.PNG
Lookalikes

Sir,

Has anyone noticed the remarkable similarity between the Muhammad Ali Trophy in boxing (left) and cycling’s Giro d’Italia’s Trofeo Senza Fine (right)? Might they, perhaps, be related?

Yours, etc

(with apologies to Private Eye)

22 October 2019, 16:07
22 October 2019, 14:58
Green number plates, yay or nay? This calls for a poll...
 
22 October 2019, 13:59
British Cycling not impressed by green number plate idea

Today the Department for Transport has floated the idea of electric car drivers getting green number plates. Making them easily identifiable will make it possible for local authorities to allow e-car drivers to benefit from incentives such as cheaper parking, and even using bus lanes according to the DfT.

The announcements haven't impressed British Cycling, Chris Boardman and numerous environmental groups such as Friends of the Earth, with Boardman saying e-cars "don't touch the worst pollution or congestion." 

Do you think this is an empty gesture, or a genuine possible solution to tackling some pollution?

 

 

22 October 2019, 15:00
South Staffs bike shop have £40k worth of stock stolen in the early hours

Fishface Cycles in Wombourne, near Wolverhampton shared the bad news on their Facebook page that they were broken into at around 4:30am this morning. No photos of the bikes have been shared yet, but hopefully they can be made too hot to handle.

22 October 2019, 13:25
Hope partner with Lotus "to push the boundaries of what’s possible on two wheels"
hope x lotus.PNG

A slightly ambiguous presser that's just landed in our inbox tells us Hope Technology, renowned mostly for their high-end wheels and hubs, will partner with British car makers Lotus to explore the limits of bicycle design and tech. It will be the first time Lotus have worked in the bike industry for 25 years, during the days of the groundbreaking Lotus 108 that Chris Boardman rode to a 56.375 kilometre hour record in 1996 - the bike was so fast it was promptly banned by the UCI. 

While they don't go as far as to say what products might be in the pipeline, Hope say this much: "The joint venture has been established to explore new ways to push the boundaries of bicycle design and technology. At its heart will be a collaborative programme of research and development, data analysis and knowledge-sharing, covering topics such as lightweight engineering, aerodynamics and advanced material manufacturing.

"While Lotus is best known as a car company, it has a proud and highly successful history in cycling through its Lotus Engineering division. In the Nineties, Lotus was instrumental in the design and development of bikes for cycling legend Chris Boardman at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where he won gold, and in the 1994 Tour de France, where he won the prologue time trial to the famous yellow jersey. The Lotus Sport bike – instantly recognisable for its aerodynamic design – remains to this day an iconic symbol of outstanding British sporting success."

22 October 2019, 09:44
E-Couriers protesting against Royal Mail turn out for premier of new Ken Loach film

Loach's new film, 'Sorry we missed you', explores the exploitative world of the gig economy and zero hours contracts, and workers who are currently fighting for better employment rights are hopeful it will shine a light on the practice. 

Loach is seen here at the London premier of his film with a group of Royal Mail eCouriers, represented by the IWGB union. Royal Mail's eCourier subsidary, which employs e-bike, e-van and motorbike couriers, treats them as independent contractors, meaning they don't get the same employment rights as other Royal Mail workers. Drivers/riders are expected to maintain their own vehicles, and IWGB claim the current circumstances are 'unlawful.'

IWGB Vice President and eCourier courier Max Dewhurst said last month: “eCourier management know that we are all entitled to basic workers' rights, but refuse to abide by the law, and instead, treat us with absolute contempt. Couriers are often dismissed without cause, pressured by controllers and forced to pay absurd charges. This has to stop and if managers don't agree to come to the negotiating table voluntarily, we will be forced to drag them there through industrial action.”

22 October 2019, 10:54
Raising the bar...
22 October 2019, 11:46
Fair point?

Two-times Transcon winner James Hayden says he'd much rather see a raffle rather than an auction to allow those who don't have wads of cash to participate... what do you think? 

22 October 2019, 10:16
Peter Kennaugh's 2017 Pinarello Dogma up for 'silent auction'

Kennaugh's Dogma F10 from his final season at Team Sky is being auctioned off, with proceeds going to a male cancer awareness charity. The winner will also get a signed jersey. 

To enter the silent auction, you DM the Twitter account above with your highest offer. We assume there's some sort of reserve so it's probably sensible offers only; but if you were saving up for a new superbike anyway this might be an economical way of going about getting one, and all for a good cause. 

22 October 2019, 13:47
Sunday CX highlights

Some of the best bits from the Women's elite race in Round 3 of the UCI Cyclocross World Cup in Bern. T'was a muddy one...

22 October 2019, 14:37
Factor Bikes open new UK showroom and HQ
factor bikes o2 vam4

The new facility at Hethel Engineering Centre in Norfolk will provide a Retul bike fitting service, opportunities to test Factor bikes before purchasing and offer custom paint schemes with their bike build service. John Bailey of Factor says: “It is 12 years since Factor Bikes started its journey in the UK, and it has travelled the world. Coming back to our roots in this centre of engineering excellence, marks the start of an exciting new chapter in Factor Bikes’ history. We hear the roar of cars on the Lotus test track behind us daily, which provides a constant reminder of Factor’s F1 heritage. As we look forward to Factor’s future in the UK, it feels like Factor Bikes has come home.”

 

22 October 2019, 08:15
Cyclist's 'strong reaction' to being rammed by a driver is dividing opinion online...

We think this may have done the rounds before, but it's once again making people question their moral compass on social media.

Can this kind of violence ever be condoned? 

22 October 2019, 08:03
Raúl Alarcón on provisional suspension list for 'use of prohibited methods and/or substances'
raul alarcon wikipedia

The 33-year-old Pro Continental rider is included in the UCI's latest list of riders to receive provisional suspensions for possible doping violations. 

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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44 comments

Avatar
Muddy Ford | 4 years ago
0 likes

The cyclist is only attempting to disarm his attacker, in self defence. Once the attacker's weapon is removed there is less chance of it being used to cause the cyclist more serious harm.

Also, obviously agree with Chris Boardman. However hope that Goverrnment action to reduce polluting car usage is done via petrol/diesel tax rather than VED. As somoeone who uses their bike more than the car I cannot warrant the expense of an electric car but on the occasion I do need to transport more than myself great distances I use my car. Paying a fortune not to use it when my neighbour drives all day every day around town for only a £30 VED penalty seems unfair...

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alansmurphy | 4 years ago
0 likes

Well done pretty, Rich has said you got one correct.

 

And no, it's your logic that is flawed Rich. If more people left their cars at home, increasing space and safety, then more people would realise the lack of the need for the car and more people would ride... In fact, driving would then be seen as a luxury, economies of scale would lessen, investment could move away from building more and more roads car parks and be placed instead into sustainable transport...

 

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Rich_cb replied to alansmurphy | 4 years ago
0 likes
alansmurphy wrote:

And no, it's your logic that is flawed Rich. If more people left their cars at home, increasing space and safety, then more people would realise the lack of the need for the car and more people would ride... In fact, driving would then be seen as a luxury, economies of scale would lessen, investment could move away from building more and more roads car parks and be placed instead into sustainable transport...

 

That isn't the argument that's being made by FKoT. They argue that increased road space leads to more traffic. Ergo, anything that frees up road space creates pollution. If it's true for EVs it will be even more true for cycling/walking.

Personally I think cycling/walking etc are the best solution to pollution, followed by (electric) public transport, followed by EVs.

EVs are a good short term solution to local pollution while we work on the huge cultural shift required to get more people cycling and walking.

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lesterama | 4 years ago
0 likes

Re Lotus, the 108 won the Olympic pursuit and not the hour record, unless my memory is playing tricks with me. Boardman later rode the 110 on the road with Gan.

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Philh68 | 4 years ago
5 likes
burtthebike wrote:

Fluffy Kitten baby, consider your head well and truly scratched.  A masterly summation of why the argument for e-cars is false.

yep, an extra scratch from me too.

I’d like to know who is promoting the idea, because a traffic engineer worth their salt would never do it. The concept of induced demand is well understood. Commuters value time above all else. Allowing cars to use bus lanes is like making the road bigger, you increase its capacity and temporarily increase traffic flow. But if you make it faster for cars, more will use cars. And as you don’t increase flow at feeder roads or destinations the congestion will return worse than before.

A bus rapid transit lane can move 22,000 people per hour. The same lane for cars just 2,000 per hour. If you can move 11x more people in the same amount of land with buses why handicap them by letting wealthy selfish virtue signallers in cars reduce throughput to their level? And of course doing so will impact traffic speed in adjacent lanes, because those drivers will not wait behind a stationary bus and will change lanes to get past them. They know all this. So why even suggest it?

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Organon | 4 years ago
0 likes

I often wonder how many bikes expros have kicking around. Well I am not on Twitter so that is me out of the running straight away. 

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Sriracha | 4 years ago
0 likes

There seems to be a trend towards smoked grey plates, seemingly designed to be difficult to read. Usually on tricked out Audis or BMWs. Police don't seem to care, so presumably you could have any colour you want, here and now.

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Jetmans Dad | 4 years ago
3 likes

The other problem with the green plate thing is that you are once again rewarding those who don't really need it. There was some idiot politician on the radio this morning proclaiming electric cars as "affordable to all" now that you can pick up a second hand one for "less than £7,000". 

I don't know about anyone here, but in my 30+ years of adulthood I have never spent even half that on a vehicle, and could not do so now, even earning more than the national average, without putting myself into debt to do so ... not if I want to pay the mortgage every month anyway. 

If they were genuinely affordable I might be tempted, regardless of any daft perks like free parking or using the bus lane (for which I can always use the bike), but our nation's leadership believing that something is affordable to all as soon as the cost drops below 5 figures is one of the major reasons why the country is in a hole. 

Avatar
Rich_cb replied to Jetmans Dad | 4 years ago
0 likes
Jetmans Dad wrote:

The other problem with the green plate thing is that you are once again rewarding those who don't really need it. There was some idiot politician on the radio this morning proclaiming electric cars as "affordable to all" now that you can pick up a second hand one for "less than £7,000". 

I don't know about anyone here, but in my 30+ years of adulthood I have never spent even half that on a vehicle, and could not do so now, even earning more than the national average, without putting myself into debt to do so ... not if I want to pay the mortgage every month anyway. 

If they were genuinely affordable I might be tempted, regardless of any daft perks like free parking or using the bus lane (for which I can always use the bike), but our nation's leadership believing that something is affordable to all as soon as the cost drops below 5 figures is one of the major reasons why the country is in a hole. 

You could make the argument that everybody benefits when a consumer chooses an EV rather than an ICEV.

There was some research published in the last few days showing how serious illness rates and local pollution levels are closely associated.

If you also consider the CO2 reduction (depends on grid but applies in UK) then again it's a win for everybody.

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to Rich_cb | 4 years ago
2 likes
Rich_cb wrote:
Jetmans Dad wrote:

The other problem with the green plate thing is that you are once again rewarding those who don't really need it. There was some idiot politician on the radio this morning proclaiming electric cars as "affordable to all" now that you can pick up a second hand one for "less than £7,000". 

I don't know about anyone here, but in my 30+ years of adulthood I have never spent even half that on a vehicle, and could not do so now, even earning more than the national average, without putting myself into debt to do so ... not if I want to pay the mortgage every month anyway. 

If they were genuinely affordable I might be tempted, regardless of any daft perks like free parking or using the bus lane (for which I can always use the bike), but our nation's leadership believing that something is affordable to all as soon as the cost drops below 5 figures is one of the major reasons why the country is in a hole. 

You could make the argument that everybody benefits when a consumer chooses an EV rather than an ICEV.

There was some research published in the last few days showing how serious illness rates and local pollution levels are closely associated.

If you also consider the CO2 reduction (depends on grid but applies in UK) then again it's a win for everybody.

But that involves other assumptions. Mainly, that the perks offered to EV users only cause a shift from ICEV to EV, and doesn't increase the total use of motorised vehicles.

That some of those suggested perks clearly involve taking things away from non-car users (delaying buses and making it slower and less safe for cyclists), and creating more space on the carriageway for ICEV users (removing the EVs from the main carriageway) suggests the total effect could easily be to increase pollution rather than reduce it. So the policy will have redistributed assets from the less-well-off to the wealthy _and_ increased pollution by making space for still more cars.

Also, the OP still has a general point about the politicians who don't have a good grasp of what constitutes 'affordable' for ordinary people. Even if your point were true, that's still not a good thing.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 4 years ago
1 like
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:
Rich_cb wrote:
Jetmans Dad wrote:

The other problem with the green plate thing is that you are once again rewarding those who don't really need it. There was some idiot politician on the radio this morning proclaiming electric cars as "affordable to all" now that you can pick up a second hand one for "less than £7,000". 

I don't know about anyone here, but in my 30+ years of adulthood I have never spent even half that on a vehicle, and could not do so now, even earning more than the national average, without putting myself into debt to do so ... not if I want to pay the mortgage every month anyway. 

If they were genuinely affordable I might be tempted, regardless of any daft perks like free parking or using the bus lane (for which I can always use the bike), but our nation's leadership believing that something is affordable to all as soon as the cost drops below 5 figures is one of the major reasons why the country is in a hole. 

You could make the argument that everybody benefits when a consumer chooses an EV rather than an ICEV. There was some research published in the last few days showing how serious illness rates and local pollution levels are closely associated. If you also consider the CO2 reduction (depends on grid but applies in UK) then again it's a win for everybody.

But that involves other assumptions. Mainly, that the perks offered to EV users only cause a shift from ICEV to EV, and doesn't increase the total use of motorised vehicles. That some of those suggested perks clearly involve taking things away from non-car users (delaying buses and making it slower and less safe for cyclists), and creating more space on the carriageway for ICEV users (removing the EVs from the main carriageway) suggests the total effect could easily be to increase pollution rather than reduce it. So the policy will have redistributed assets from the less-well-off to the wealthy _and_ increased pollution by making space for still more cars. Also, the OP still has a general point about the politicians who don't have a good grasp of what constitutes 'affordable' for ordinary people. Even if your point were true, that's still not a good thing.

Fluffy Kitten baby, consider your head well and truly scratched.  A masterly summation of why the argument for e-cars is false.

Avatar
Rich_cb replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 4 years ago
0 likes
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

But that involves other assumptions. Mainly, that the perks offered to EV users only cause a shift from ICEV to EV, and doesn't increase the total use of motorised vehicles.

That some of those suggested perks clearly involve taking things away from non-car users (delaying buses and making it slower and less safe for cyclists), and creating more space on the carriageway for ICEV users (removing the EVs from the main carriageway) suggests the total effect could easily be to increase pollution rather than reduce it. So the policy will have redistributed assets from the less-well-off to the wealthy _and_ increased pollution by making space for still more cars.

Also, the OP still has a general point about the politicians who don't have a good grasp of what constitutes 'affordable' for ordinary people. Even if your point were true, that's still not a good thing.

The argument you've presented, if true, would be an argument against any form of transport other than a car.

Leave your car at home and take a bicycle and you'll create more road capacity and therefore more cars will appear.

If 50 people leave their cars at home and take a bus then 50 more cars appear.

In fact, by your own argument, EVs are the best alternative to ICEVs as they would free up the least amount of road space therefore leading to the smallest increase in car numbers.

Clearly your argument is flawed.

The most disadvantaged members of society tend to be exposed to the highest levels of pollution so while perks of EV ownership may benefit the wealthy disproportionately, the benefits of reduced local
pollution will be felt mostly by the disadvantaged.

Your point about decreasing safety for cyclists is valid.

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to Rich_cb | 4 years ago
2 likes
Rich_cb wrote:
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

But that involves other assumptions. Mainly, that the perks offered to EV users only cause a shift from ICEV to EV, and doesn't increase the total use of motorised vehicles.

That some of those suggested perks clearly involve taking things away from non-car users (delaying buses and making it slower and less safe for cyclists), and creating more space on the carriageway for ICEV users (removing the EVs from the main carriageway) suggests the total effect could easily be to increase pollution rather than reduce it. So the policy will have redistributed assets from the less-well-off to the wealthy _and_ increased pollution by making space for still more cars.

Also, the OP still has a general point about the politicians who don't have a good grasp of what constitutes 'affordable' for ordinary people. Even if your point were true, that's still not a good thing.

The argument you've presented, if true, would be an argument against any form of transport other than a car.

Leave your car at home and take a bicycle and you'll create more road capacity and therefore more cars will appear.

If 50 people leave their cars at home and take a bus then 50 more cars appear.

In fact, by your own argument, EVs are the best alternative to ICEVs as they would free up the least amount of road space therefore leading to the smallest increase in car numbers.

Clearly your argument is flawed.

The most disadvantaged members of society tend to be exposed to the highest levels of pollution so while perks of EV ownership may benefit the wealthy disproportionately, the benefits of reduced local
pollution will be felt mostly by the disadvantaged.

I think it's quite possible that my not driving leaves more space which is then taken up by others. Certainly the space it makes available for parking outside gets used by others. That's why individual choices not to drive don't necessarily achieve much, when what is needed is collective action enforced by the state.

Same goes for your bus 'argument' - that's why just providing buses isn't enough, you also need bus lanes and other restrictions on car use (I hate buses, personally, always get horribly travel sick on them, especially in winter when they seem to recycle engine fumes as heating, plus I always find them, door-to-door, slower than walking, never mind cycling - but I guess they have their place as part of a solution)

But what does any of that have to do with the point about EVs? My argument isn't flawed, your counter-argument makes no sense! Probably because it was hastily cobbled together.

As for the last point - how nice of the fortunate to deign to stop poisoning the less-fortunate. Maybe they could be obliged to do that via a stick rather than a carrot, though? Why should they have to be bribed to do that?

Perks for EVs would be acceptable if, and only if, they came entirely at the cost of ICEVs. By all means ban ICEVs from some roads that are currently used by all, leaving them for cyclists and EVs only. Just don't take space from buses or cyclists or pedestrians to do it. Same with parking.

(Oh, though Jetmans_dad's argument would still apply, though while I do take that point it's not a fight I personally feel like getting into...it is similar, though, to why I don't like excessively generous 'feed in' tariffs for micro solar and the like - it ends up as a means of redistributing wealth upward, with not much real environmental benefit)

Avatar
Rich_cb replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 4 years ago
0 likes
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

I think it's quite possible that my not driving leaves more space which is then taken up by others. Certainly the space it makes available for parking outside gets used by others. That's why individual choices not to drive don't necessarily achieve much, when what is needed is collective action enforced by the state.

Same goes for your bus 'argument' - that's why just providing buses isn't enough, you also need bus lanes and other restrictions on car use (I hate buses, personally, always get horribly travel sick on them, especially in winter when they seem to recycle engine fumes as heating, plus I always find them, door-to-door, slower than walking, never mind cycling - but I guess they have their place as part of a solution)

But what does any of that have to do with the point about EVs? My argument isn't flawed, your counter-argument makes no sense! Probably because it was hastily cobbled together.

As for the last point - how nice of the fortunate to deign to stop poisoning the less-fortunate. Maybe they could be obliged to do that via a stick rather than a carrot, though? Why should they have to be bribed to do that?

Perks for EVs would be acceptable if, and only if, they came entirely at the cost of ICEVs. By all means ban ICEVs from some roads that are currently used by all, leaving them for cyclists and EVs only. Just don't take space from buses or cyclists or pedestrians to do it. Same with parking.

(Oh, though Jetmans_dad's argument would still apply, though while I do take that point it's not a fight I personally feel like getting into...it is similar, though, to why I don't like excessively generous 'feed in' tariffs for micro solar and the like - it ends up as a means of redistributing wealth upward, with not much real environmental benefit)

Taking your argument to its logical conclusion, all bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists should get EVs. This would (apparently) reduce pollution...
Car drivers however should not.

The problem with the stick approach is that, inevitably, it is the poorest in society who can least easily adjust to new punitive regulations.

Emission regulations merely punish the owners of older cars who tend to be poorer. Likewise road charging and any other financial penalty. The rich can simply pay it, the poor, less so.

Perks for EVs can be viewed in the same way as subsidies for off shore wind. Initially expensive but once the subsidised infrastructure is in place and the technology established then the free market will rapidly increase take up benefiting everyone.

I agree that home solar is/was an expensive farce.

Avatar
ConcordeCX replied to Rich_cb | 4 years ago
0 likes
Rich_cb wrote:

 The argument you've presented, if true, would be an argument against any form of transport other than a car. Leave your car at home and take a bicycle and you'll create more road capacity and therefore more cars will appear. If 50 people leave their cars at home and take a bus then 50 more cars appear. d.

This does appear to be what happens in London as far as I can see, as the number of cars on the road doesn't seem to decrease as the number of bikes increases. But that doesn't mean that there are more cars on the road than there were before, it just means that there are different cars, presumably the ones whose drivers previously didn't come into London because of congestion, or chose another method.

And as the number of bikes grows so they take up more road space and, where they would use segregated space, including bus lanes, they also use more unsegregated space, which makes life more difficult for a lot of drivers, and could stop them from driving in, or make them come in at a less cyclist-heavy time.

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Rich_cb replied to ConcordeCX | 4 years ago
0 likes
ConcordeCX wrote:

This does appear to be what happens in London as far as I can see, as the number of cars on the road doesn't seem to decrease as the number of bikes increases. But that doesn't mean that there are more cars on the road than there were before, it just means that there are different cars, presumably the ones whose drivers previously didn't come into London because of congestion, or chose another method.

And as the number of bikes grows so they take up more road space and, where they would use segregated space, including bus lanes, they also use more unsegregated space, which makes life more difficult for a lot of drivers, and could stop them from driving in, or make them come in at a less cyclist-heavy time.

London traffic has declined hugely since 2000. Driven largely by a decrease in private cars.

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FluffyKittenofT... | 4 years ago
6 likes

RE green plates - it's an absolutely terrible idea, at least the part about using bus-lanes. That bit is profoundly stupid (or maybe they know full well what they are doing and are just hoping the rest of us are stupid?).

Letting EVs (other than buses) in bus lanes, means taking space from an entirely non-polluting mode (cycling) and a per-passenger-relatively-less-polluting one (buses), and giving it to a polluting mode (electric cars still produce pollution, at the power plants and via tyre/brake pad particles). And it means stealing space from modes that take up little road-space-per-passenger and giving it to one that takes up a lot.

And, at the same time, freeing up more space in the main highway to allow still more of the most polluting mode (diesel cars).

It's making things worse and calling it 'environmentalism'.

(Oh, and I bet such a system would get 'gamed' with bogus plates and other scams)

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Kendalred replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 4 years ago
1 like
FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

RE green plates - it's an absolutely terrible idea, at least the part about using bus-lanes. That bit is profoundly stupid (or maybe they know full well what they are doing and are just hoping the rest of us are stupid?)

This has been Government policy for most of the last decade hasn't it? I can think of at least one prime example.

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makadu | 4 years ago
2 likes

e-cars still cause congestion - and until we have a less carbon intensive source of electricity  e-cars contribute more to global warming than diesel.

They only win out on the local air pollution - but then more stringent controls on liquid fuel cars can help with that as well.

Fundamentally we need to reduce the number of cars on the road - I like the japanese approach - roads are free and open to use - you just can't park on street overnight (towed and heavy fines enforced) and you need to prove you have off street parking before you can own a car.

Yes that means in cities car ownership is a luxury for the better off due to the cost of parking space - but it doesn't penalise rural communities where space is not at a premium and public transport is not as economical to provide.

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Russell Orgazoid | 4 years ago
4 likes

Slamming the car door on the driver's legs was a nice touch.

Worth remembering as it will negate the cleats disadvantage.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Russell Orgazoid | 4 years ago
0 likes
Plasterer's Radio wrote:

Slamming the car door on the driver's legs was a nice touch.

Worth remembering as it will negate the cleats disadvantage.

I've often wondered what fighting style would work best when wearing cleats. You could try using the cleat as a weapon with something like a high kick (aiming to connect with the sole of your foot ), but you've also got the disadvantage of being less stable performing such a kick. Maybe a jumping, spinning kick would work best and would look very cool if executed successfully.

Avatar
ConcordeCX replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
2 likes
hawkinspeter wrote:
Plasterer's Radio wrote:

Slamming the car door on the driver's legs was a nice touch.

Worth remembering as it will negate the cleats disadvantage.

I've often wondered what fighting style would work best when wearing cleats. You could try using the cleat as a weapon with something like a high kick (aiming to connect with the sole of your foot ), but you've also got the disadvantage of being less stable performing such a kick. Maybe a jumping, spinning kick would work best and would look very cool if executed successfully.

i don't wear cleats so I don't know if this would work, but in WWII our brave boys were taught to fight very dirty indeed by one W E Fairbairn (well worth googlng), who recommends as follows in his book "All-in Fighting" (I haven't tried any of this):

No. 3. Boot (Side Kick)

With a few exceptions, the kick with the boot should be made sideways. It will be noted that in this method you are able to put more force behind your blow and can, if necessary, reach farther.

1. Turn sideways to your opponent, taking the weight of your body on your left foot. Bending your left leg slightly from your knee, raise your right foot two to four inches off the ground, as in Fig. 7. Shoot your right foot outwards to your right, aiming to strike your opponent’s leg just below the knee-cap.

2. Follow the blow through, scraping your opponent’s shin with the edge of the boot from the knee to the instep, finishing up with all your weight on your right foot, and smash the small bones of the foot. If necessary, follow up with a chin jab with your left hand (Fig. 8).

Note. Where the kick is to be made with the left foot, reverse the above.

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oceandweller replied to hawkinspeter | 4 years ago
1 like
hawkinspeter wrote:
Plasterer's Radio wrote:

Slamming the car door on the driver's legs was a nice touch.

Worth remembering as it will negate the cleats disadvantage.

I've often wondered what fighting style would work best when wearing cleats. You could try using the cleat as a weapon with something like a high kick (aiming to connect with the sole of your foot ), but you've also got the disadvantage of being less stable performing such a kick. Maybe a jumping, spinning kick would work best and would look very cool if executed successfully.

Ah! At last, a sensible reason to settle the helmet debate forever! When attacked while on a bicycle, if you're wearing a helmet just headbutt the f*%kers. They won't forget that in a hurry...   1  (& if you're not wearing a helmet, well, it was your choice to leave home unarmed.)

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CyclingInBeastMode | 4 years ago
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If the driver had done that to a police officer it would be classed as attempted murder (even in the UK) and the driver be lucky not to have a full clip unloaded through the windscreen.

UK police use another vehicle, a baton and extreme physical force once they get their hands on the friver in same situation so why do they charge the victims of assault when defending themselves in a lesser way than the police do to stop being attacked?

Frankly they got off lightly and might think twice about driving like a ####, next time the cyclist might be carrying a deadly weapon and use it in a similar fashion the attacker did here to repel their attempt to kill them!

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Dangerous Dan | 4 years ago
2 likes

This incident did not happen in the US, Mexico or Canada.  The license plates visible on several vehicles are not in the North American format.

Secondly, clearly the driver of the SUV has either deliberately assaulted the cyclist, or they are driving in an impaired state.  They are also leaving the scene of the incident.  Their behavior needs to be called to task.

At the very least, they should pay for any damage to the bicycle, and their driving license should be revoked.  And there should be some sanctions beyond that to create an disincentive to this kind of driving.

But the cyclist serving as judge, jury, and executioner is not the best way to settle this matter.  Unfortunately, it is possible that the cyclist believed that there was no way to see justice done, leading to their kicking the motor vehicle as an act of frustration.

But once the driver of the SUV begins to exit the vehicle, I would suggest that the cyclist should have a right to defend themself against an attack.  Not knowing what the motorist said when they were exiting the SUV, I don't know if this was justified or not.

I recently found myself being pickpocketed by a group using the "bump and grab" method.  Taken alone my response would be viewed as a violent attack on the actual wallet lifter.  In the context of stopping a crime being committed,  placing a choke hold on the pickpocket was a justified response.

Same thing here.  Did the motorist threaten the cyclist as they exited their vehicle?  Then the cyclist's action is justified.

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ConcordeCX replied to Dangerous Dan | 4 years ago
4 likes
Dangerous Dan wrote:

This incident did not happen in the US, Mexico or Canada.  The license plates visible on several vehicles are not in the North American format.

[...]

it's Russia. The billboards are in Russian.

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Dangerous Dan replied to ConcordeCX | 4 years ago
3 likes
ConcordeCX wrote:

it's Russia. The billboards are in Russian.

In that case, totally justified...

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billymansell replied to ConcordeCX | 4 years ago
2 likes
ConcordeCX wrote:
Dangerous Dan wrote:

This incident did not happen in the US, Mexico or Canada.  The license plates visible on several vehicles are not in the North American format.

[...]

it's Russia. The billboards are in Russian.

Good old Russian road rage. Possibly the best Russian road rage attack ever;

https://twitter.com/CamsRussian/status/1172638722174701568

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PRSboy | 4 years ago
5 likes

The sooner Sir Chris of Boardman is made supreme leader the better, he's the only person in the public eye who ever seems to talk any sense.

 

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burtthebike | 4 years ago
3 likes

Green number plates an empty gesture?  Empty gesture would be a compliment; it is a sticking plaster on a broken leg.  It is a pathetic attempt by a government which thinks we're all stupid to pretend that they are doing something about climate change, which e-cars won't affect.

Speaking of e-cars did anyone else see the last Panorama "Climate change: what can we do?"  Massive segment on e-cars, with the clear implication that they are zero carbon, but nothing, not so much as a flicker in the background about the real answer: cycling, not even e-bikes.  The transport bit starts at 14:00.  The BBC is possibly the most biased media in the country when it comes to bikes, and I've bunged in another complaint, and I expect a standard fatuous response in the next few weeks.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0009drg/panorama-climate-change-w...

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