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Jeremy Vine says near miss was “closest I've come to dying on my bicycle”; Tour of Antalya calamity; Cav chalks up first victory of 2022; Why not walk or cycle? Because you ripped out the bike lane!; What’s a ‘carsplainer’? + more on the live blog

It’s Friday! Ryan Mallon kicks off today in the live blog hotseat, before Jack Sexty takes over in the afternoon to ease you into the weekend
11 February 2022, 15:42
UCI slammed after Tour of Antalya peloton forced to avoid police roadblock

Don't think this was part of the course? Somehow race organisers didn't manage to communicate that something was clearly occurring up ahead, and an oblivious peloton just about managed to steer itself over a grass verge and onto the other side of the road to avoid a major pile-up. 

A cheeky impromptu gravel section or simply an organisational cock-up of the highest order? We reckon this just about sums up what happened during the route planning for this stage... 

11 February 2022, 15:38
Instant karma from Down Under

This Aussie cyclist was miffed to have to stop for a driver turning left into a side road, despite the pretty clear 'no left turn' arrow. 

As you'll see from the rear camera in the second half of the clip, it looks like they were dealt with by an officer in the right place at the right time.

The poster added: "Unfortunately this enforcement is very sporadic and doesn't scale very well. That road goes to the freeway, so the cop can't just turn back and quickly do it again. They need to do a big loop so tend to only do it once or twice a day, probably at the end of their shift on the way back to the station." 

11 February 2022, 15:18
More reaction to Jeremy Vine's shocking footage

The broadcaster's footage doesn't at first look like one of the worst pieces of driving we've seen in our Near Miss of the Day series over the years - but from behind it makes for particularly troubling viewing. 

Another of Vine's recent recordings has been pulled from Twitter as the police are now involved. Hopefully they catch up with the driver in the above clip too... 

11 February 2022, 14:49
Why all the Highway Code fake news? Catch up with the road.cc Podcast
podcast-1500-episode18

On episode 18 we're chatting those all important Highway Code changes, and Mat gets to nerd out on cycling shoes with Alex Malone of Bont. 

Simon also talks to Tim Lennon of the Richmond Cycling Campaign, who talks about the bizarre media coverage after this shocking video of a close pass on his daughter did the rounds on Twitter:

Catch up with the episode over here

11 February 2022, 14:27
Why don't cyclists use the cycle lane? Because it got ripped out, that's why
cycle lane removal sign bolton - credit Henry Lisowski

This tongue-in-cheek addition to a sign encouraging Bolton locals to walk and cycle is in referenced to the region's underwhelming active travel campaign, after a widened cycle lane with wands segregating it was removed from Chorley New Road after it proved unpopular with angry residents/people who want to drive everywhere. 

According to the Bolton News, the original sign was put in around the time the segregated cycle lane was installed with cash from the Emergency Active Travel scheme, that saw extra cycling and walking provisions built across the country as part of the pandemic response. 

Unfortunately this one was an example of on that was ripped out due to a backlash, such as the Old Shoreham Cycle Lane in Hove. The council says it doesn't intend to reinstall the cycle lane despite the sign suggesting at least one resident thinks the removal is somewhat contradictory. 

Cllr Andy Morgan told Bolton News: "Following the consultation in regards to the cycle lanes on Chorley Old Road, we removed the orca wands in light of what the majority of the public wanted.

"We weren't going to go back on doing it after people pushed for it to be removed.

"We encourage people to still cycle because cycle lanes are still there and are a lot bigger.

"The orca wands blocked the roads when turning right and cause a lot of traffic congestion.

"I have laughed about the sign though, which is quite comical."

Almost as comical as your active travel scheme, Cllr Morgan... 

Photo: Henry Lisowski

11 February 2022, 14:07
Smartphone-controlled 'Bicycle Storage Pods' unveiled at New York's Grand Central Terminal to encourage cycling

If you're one of a lot of cyclists who has fallen victim to theft or vandalism when leaving your bike unattended at lacklustre facilities at your local train station, you might be looking on in envy at these new bike pods installed at Grand Central in New York. 

Janno Leiber, the chair of New York's Metropolitan Transportation Authority, says the pods will help encourage commuters to consider making that "last mile connection" by bike rather than using less efficient transportation. 

The pods appear to have racks for multiple bikes, and users unlock it with their smartphone. Let's hope no particularly enterprising thieves decide to sign up and take their pick from what's inside... 

11 February 2022, 12:21
How’s this for a bunnyhop, Mathieu?

Or should that be an alligator-hop?

11 February 2022, 12:04
French teams secure final Tour de France wildcard spots

It seems to get earlier and earlier each year, but it’s that time already – the final two wildcard invitations to the 2022 Tour de France have been awarded!

And to the great surprise of many, two French teams – TotalEnergies and B&B Hotels p/b KTM – have filled the remaining non-WorldTour slots in the 22-team Tour peloton. Pro-Conti Alpecin-Fenix and Arkéa-Samsic were already automatically confirmed as wildcards owing to their position in the UCI rankings.

TotalEnergies, who have raced their home grand tour every year since 2000, were strengthened over the winter with the arrival of Peter Sagan, while Franck Bonnamour and new signing Alexis Gougeard will be under pressure to deliver for a now Bryan Coquard-less B&B Hotels.

Though the selection of two French squads by Tour organisers ASO is hardly a shock, some pundits and fans took to Twitter to express their disappointment that Uno-X missed out on a starting berth at cycling’s biggest race.

The Norwegian team has eight Danish riders on its roster and, with the Tour’s Grand Départ taking place in Copenhagen this year, was targeting a spot on the start line after a strong 2021. As a consolation prize, ASO has invited Uno-X to June’s Critérium du Dauphiné, the traditional Tour warm-up race.

11 February 2022, 11:36
Very accurate…
11 February 2022, 11:17
Cav takes debut win of 2022 in Oman – does the road to 35 begin here?

That didn’t take long, did it?

After being thwarted by Fernando Gaviria in yesterday’s opening stage of the Tour of Oman, Mark Cavendish made sure that lightning didn’t strike twice, taking his first win of 2022 – and the 157th professional victory of his career – with what appeared to be a convincing victory on stage two.

I say ‘what appeared to be’ because – apart from a short video taken on the line by journalist Sophie Smith – we didn’t actually see any of the stage. While the helicopter missed the shot of the finish line yesterday, today it missed the entire race, meaning there was no live footage available for us online diehards.

Still a win’s a win, whether it’s on TV or not, and Cavendish will be pleased that his form appears to be on track as he attempts to convince QuickStep-Alpha Vinyl boss Patrick Lefevere to pick him for what could be a very historic Tour de France.

The omens look good: today’s stage in Oman was the Manx Missile’s earliest win since 2018 (or 2013, if you go by number of race days) and, with Gaviria finishing fourth on the day, means Cavendish takes over the race leader’s jersey.

The road to 35 might well now be under way – it’s just a pity barely anyone could see the beginning of it…

11 February 2022, 10:29
Jeremy Vine says high speed near miss was “the closest I've come to dying on my bicycle”

Just when you thought a taxi driver throwing a glass bottle at a cyclist would be the worst thing Jeremy Vine caught on camera this month…

The pedalling presenter’s commute to work, now captured on his 360 helmet cam, has acquainted him with many a dodgy driver over the past decade.

However, this near miss from yesterday morning, Vine says, is “the closest I've come to dying on my bicycle since I started cycling in London ten years ago”.

The footage – which is particularly shocking when viewed from the back – captures a driver speeding past a lorry in a 20mph zone as they approach Vine in the same lane. The motorist, who only seems to spot the broadcaster at the last second, dramatically swerves, narrowly avoiding both Vine and the lorry.

According to the Radio 2 presenter, this alarming near miss “shows that you can die without doing a single thing wrong, or ever knowing what hit you.”

11 February 2022, 09:41
‘Carsplaining’ – think it’ll catch on?

We all know a particular kind of motorist, the one who usually pops up in the Daily Mail comments section or on talk radio to pontificate about how cyclists are always breaking red lights, riding 73-abreast, not paying road tax, and generally causing a menace on our roads and frightening defenceless, law-abiding car drivers.

Well, thanks to active travel campaigner Adam Bronkhorst, we now have a handy catch-all term for these motorists – ‘carsplainers’ (although I’m sure you could think of a few other terms).

According to Bronkhorst’s definition on Urban Dictionary, carsplaining is “when someone who never rides a bike explains road safety to cyclists”.

His example sentence is pretty spot on: “He doesn't ride a bike but said, in true 'carsplaining' fashion, that 'all cyclists need to do to be safe on the roads and avoid any 'accidents' is to follow the Highway Code'.”

It seems Adam’s definition immediately pushed the buttons of a few carsplainers:

Others suggested helpful additions to his example sentence (presumably taken from the Big Book of Cycling Bingo beloved by road.cc readers):

Think it’ll catch on? And what other examples can you think of for carsplaining?

Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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47 comments

Avatar
Secret_squirrel | 2 years ago
1 like

Cavs just posted some decent footage of his stage 2 win.   Stunning sprint - comes from nowhere.

https://twitter.com/markcavendish/status/1492566608442630146?s=21
 

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squired | 2 years ago
0 likes

On the one hand, the repeated selection of French wildcards is understandable, but it is also holding the sport back.  If you are a non-French (or Italian or Spanish) sponsor, do you really want to fund a team to ProConti level when you know you have virtually no chance of getting a wildcard at one of the grand tours, unless you manage to finish first in the rankings?

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vthejk | 2 years ago
19 likes

Yesbutter: Those who instantly cry 'Yes, but...' when faced with any argument against themselves or something they have done wrong.

eg: Person on a cycle: "You overtook me too close on this narrow road."

Person in a car: "Yes, but a cyclist jumped a red light 5 years ago and I saw them; therefore, you deserved it."

Feel free to mine this thread for some more excellent examples of the above.

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Kendalred | 2 years ago
3 likes

Good see Cav back to winning ways. However I think the 'road to 35' may have a rather significant obstruction - one that is Fabio Jackobsen shaped.

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mdavidford replied to Kendalred | 2 years ago
0 likes

Nothing that a little training 'accident' knocking into Jakobsen's handlebars couldn't fix. 

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vthejk replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
5 likes

mdavidford wrote:

Nothing that a little training 'accident' knocking into Jakobsen's handlebars couldn't fix. 

Given that this is Jakobsen who nearly died in a crash two years, this is in slightly poor taste, no?

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mdavidford replied to vthejk | 2 years ago
1 like

vthejk wrote:

mdavidford wrote:

Nothing that a little training 'accident' knocking into Jakobsen's handlebars couldn't fix. 

Given that this is Jakobsen who nearly died in a crash two years, this is in slightly poor taste, no?

I had forgotten that that had happened to him. To be fair, though, I wasn't implying anything worse than causing him a niggling knee problem. If I had been, then surely it would be in bad taste whoever the subject of it was?

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vthejk replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
1 like

mdavidford wrote:

I had forgotten that that had happened to him. To be fair, though, I wasn't implying anything worse than causing him a niggling knee problem. If I had been, then surely it would be in bad taste whoever the subject of it was?

No, I'm sure the actual intention behind that comment wasn't malicious, but reading it and thinking "Hmm, Jakobsen? Make him crash, again? By pushing him by the handlebars?" It just Seemed a little extreme is all. 

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mdavidford replied to vthejk | 2 years ago
0 likes

Fair enough - I can see how it might have been misinterpreted to mean that.

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eburtthebike | 2 years ago
17 likes

The Vine vid is truly terrifying from the back, and I'm hoping that this driver has been reported for multiple offences.

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hawkinspeter replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
19 likes

eburtthebike wrote:

The Vine vid is truly terrifying from the back, and I'm hoping that this driver has been reported for multiple offences.

Are we sure that Vine didn't deliberately antagonise that driver into doing that just so that he'd have something to post?

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Rendel Harris replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
12 likes

Knowing the area and looking at the timings on the video, at a back-of-an-envelope calculation I reckon s/he's doing 41 mp/h in a 20 zone, add in the use of the bus lane to make an undertake and it should be a Band F, punishable by a fine of up to 7x weekly wage for starters. If they drive like that they're unlikely to have a clean licence either, so hopefully the points will get them a ban too.

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tarquin_foxglove replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
3 likes

Yet another reason why I don't run cameras.

On the road, you'd go 'arsehole' & forget about it.

But when you came home & put together the video to show how close you'd been to being hit, it'd bring it all back & you'd be reluctant to go out for a ride on that route again. Which would be a pain if it was your commute.

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hawkinspeter replied to tarquin_foxglove | 2 years ago
6 likes

tarquin_foxglove wrote:

Yet another reason why I don't run cameras.

On the road, you'd go 'arsehole' & forget about it.

But when you came home & put together the video to show how close you'd been to being hit, it'd bring it all back & you'd be reluctant to go out for a ride on that route again. Which would be a pain if it was your commute.

I get what you're saying, but the other aspect is that without a camera, you could be unknowingly riding a route that has bad drivers/junctions etc.

It's similar to arguing that if you don't go to the doctor then you can continue living as you wish rather than e.g. taking blood pressure medication or changing your diet.

However, sometimes it's better to not focus on the possible dangers - cycling is mainly a safe activity.

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TriTaxMan replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
11 likes

eburtthebike wrote:

The Vine vid is truly terrifying from the back, and I'm hoping that this driver has been reported for multiple offences.

The comments on his twitter feed are also terrifying - All these are from one person

  • The driver was probably late for an important meeting or personal issue. These things happen. Sometimes we have to step on the accelerator to pick up the pace a bit.
  • Let’s just relax. I’m just saying who knows the reasons why the driver was going so quickly. They seemed to handle the situation pretty well though.
  • That’s why I said sometimes we have to bend the rules from time to time
  • Nipping in and out of a bus lane. Creeping over the speed limit now and again
  • Who knows? Sometimes a good tune or beat makes me go a bit faster so it could be that?
  • Was a sneaky move I have to say. It paid off though.

 

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Steve K | 2 years ago
19 likes

A couple of years ago, I was knocked off my bike.  I wasn't wearing a helmet and I had a minor head injury (a cut that needed glueing, but no concussion).  When I posted on Facebook about it, I got loads of comments that I should have been wearing a helmet.

Today, I saw on Facebook that a friend on mine was in a black cab which was involved in an RTA yesterday.  He was flung forward and has some minor injuries as a result.  Lots of sympathetic comments on facebook, and not a single person said he should have been wearing a seat belt.

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Steve K replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
20 likes

Well done on missing the point.  It was clear from his description of the incident that he was not wearing one.

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I love my bike replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
4 likes

The friend should have been wearing a helmet. If it prevents only one . . .

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wycombewheeler replied to Lance ꜱtrongarm | 2 years ago
22 likes

Garage at Large wrote:

You should have been wearing a helmet, the wisdom of crowds was correct. People assume that if you're in a car you're wearing a seatbelt, as it is against the law not to wear one and has very high compliance - was it stated anywhere that your friend wasn't wearing one?

Wisdom of the crowds when woefuly overestimating the eficacy of cycle helmets.

groupthink - when no one agrees with the total bollocks you write here about just aout any subject.

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Tom_77 replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
6 likes

Taxi drivers don't have to wear seat belts:

https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/when-you-dont-need-to-wear-a-seat-belt

 

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SimoninSpalding replied to Tom_77 | 2 years ago
4 likes

But their passengers do, and the cabbie shares responsibility for ensuring they do.

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OnYerBike replied to Tom_77 | 2 years ago
3 likes

Tom_77 wrote:

Taxi drivers don't have to wear seat belts:

https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/when-you-dont-need-to-wear-a-seat-belt

I did not know that. It seems like an odd exemption.

It also misses the point of Steve's annocdote - whether or not there was a legal requirement to wear one, the point was that the driver chose not to wear it, received (presumably) more serious injuries as a result, and yet no-one felt it necessary or appropriate to comment on how the driver's personal safety choices may or may not have contributed to the injuries. 

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TriTaxMan replied to OnYerBike | 2 years ago
6 likes

OnYerBike wrote:

I did not know that. It seems like an odd exemption.

It also misses the point of Steve's annocdote - whether or not there was a legal requirement to wear one, the point was that the driver chose not to wear it, received (presumably) more serious injuries as a result, and yet no-one felt it necessary or appropriate to comment on how the driver's personal safety choices may or may not have contributed to the injuries. 

I think it actually proves the point of Steve's annecdote precisely.... something our resident troll has completely missed.

If a cyclist is involved in an accident and they are not wearing a helmet, motorist friends and trolls will criticise the cyclist for not wearing a helmet which they are not required to do.... because it might have stopped an injury, emphasis on the word might.

Yet a motorist who is involved in an accident where they are not wearing a seabelt, even if they were not legally obliged to wear one, their motorist friends will not say "well if you had been wearing your seatbelt....."

This despite evidence that a significant number of road deaths are down to drivers still failing to wear their seatbelt.....  for example "Figures show 13 per cent of those killed on Scotland’s roads over the last five years were not wearing a seatbelt. Despite this, new research reveals that almost one in ten drivers always drive a car without wearing a seatbelt.  A survey found that drivers think drink-driving, drug-driving, using a phone while driving, driving while fatigued and driving aggressively are all ‘riskier’ than not wearing a seatbelt while driving."

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wycombewheeler replied to TriTaxMan | 2 years ago
3 likes

TriTaxMan wrote:

This despite evidence that a significant number of road deaths are down to drivers still failing to wear their seatbelt.....  for example "Figures show 13 per cent of those killed on Scotland’s roads over the last five years were not wearing a seatbelt. Despite this, new research reveals that almost one in ten drivers always drive a car without wearing a seatbelt.  A survey found that drivers think drink-driving, drug-driving, using a phone while driving, driving while fatigued and driving aggressively are all ‘riskier’ than not wearing a seatbelt while driving."

They would probably be right then, as not wearing a seatbelt seems to increase chance of death in an collision by about a third (from your figures), while those other things will increase the chance of collision by more than a third, collisions which could affect not just the seatbelt user, but others around them.

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Rendel Harris replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
1 like

wycombewheeler wrote:

TriTaxMan wrote:

"Figures show 13 per cent of those killed on Scotland’s roads over the last five years were not wearing a seatbelt. Despite this, new research reveals that almost one in ten drivers always drive a car without wearing a seatbelt."

They would probably be right then, as not wearing a seatbelt seems to increase chance of death in an collision by about a third (from your figures)

Not exactly, because we don't know how many of those dead were drivers and how many passengers. At a pure guess I would assume more passengers die in crashes as drivers tend to have more airbag protection, but that is just a guess.

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TriTaxMan replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
0 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

Not exactly, because we don't know how many of those dead were drivers and how many passengers. At a pure guess I would assume more passengers die in accidents as drivers tend to have more airbag protection, but that is just a guess.

The thing being it has been shown that without a seatbelt serious and fatal injuries can still occur, and can sometimes be made worse by the airbags.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLCWGcNpY94 this video (at 2:35) shows the effects of a crash at 64 kmh with and without seatbelts.... and the results are shocking.

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wycombewheeler replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
0 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

wycombewheeler wrote:

TriTaxMan wrote:

"Figures show 13 per cent of those killed on Scotland’s roads over the last five years were not wearing a seatbelt. Despite this, new research reveals that almost one in ten drivers always drive a car without wearing a seatbelt."

They would probably be right then, as not wearing a seatbelt seems to increase chance of death in an collision by about a third (from your figures)

Not exactly, because we don't know how many of those dead were drivers and how many passengers. At a pure guess I would assume more passengers die in crashes as drivers tend to have more airbag protection, but that is just a guess.

every car ina  colission has a driver, but not all have passengers. I'd be surprised if more deaths were from passengers than drivers.

Also their reluctance to wear a seatbelt would be the same if the were a driver or a passenger. I wonder if car in crashes are more likely to be single ossupant, or multiple occupant.

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Rendel Harris replied to OnYerBike | 2 years ago
4 likes

OnYerBike wrote:

Tom_77 wrote:

Taxi drivers don't have to wear seat belts:

https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/when-you-dont-need-to-wear-a-seat-belt

I did not know that. It seems like an odd exemption.

It comes from the days before screens became the norm, when the taxi trade complained that if drivers had to wear a seatbelt passengers could use it to pin them down and demand their money. It's now an anachronism, given the prevalence of safety screens and the cashless society, but it's never been changed.

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mdavidford replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
4 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

It's now an anachronism, given [...] the cashless society

They could still pin them down and demand a 5 star rating.

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
8 likes

Rendel Harris wrote:

OnYerBike wrote:

Tom_77 wrote:

Taxi drivers don't have to wear seat belts:

https://www.gov.uk/seat-belts-law/when-you-dont-need-to-wear-a-seat-belt

I did not know that. It seems like an odd exemption.

It comes from the days before screens became the norm, when the taxi trade complained that if drivers had to wear a seatbelt passengers could use it to pin them down and demand their money. It's now an anachronism, given the prevalence of safety screens and the cashless society, but it's never been changed.

Or that or because the standard of driving is higher so they don't need seat belts.

yeah, probably not the second one.

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