"I'm done with the internet for the year": Cyclists despair at Facebook "hack" claiming you can ditch your pump and instead inflate tyres with a syringe; Jeremy Vine's cycling new year's resolution; Festive 500... in one ride + more on the live blog

You beat me to it!  I just logged in to post this.

Quote:

Profits fell from £10.7m to £4,602 in the year to the end of March 2024 – less than the cost of Brompton’s top-of-the-range T Line Explore bike – as riders sought cheaper options during a cost of living squeeze.

Amazing - the fact that he actually got a ban having achieved the correct score (when thousands don't) is enough to prompt suspicions of prejudice!

Or did he err in failing to employ that well- known cycle-skeptical self-publicist - sorry, lawyer?

There's a correlation between the cost of the car and the arrogance of the driver and how often such drivers are caught phone driving.

100%.

Just ask CyclingMikey.

eburtthebike wrote:

There's a correlation between the cost of the car and the arrogance of the driver and how often such drivers are caught phone driving.

Really?  Prove it.  Confirmation bias at its finest.

Really?  Prove it.  Confirmation bias at its finest

This 'confirmation bias' stuff is usually deployed to support the hypothesis that BMW and Audi drivers are no more likely to be psychopathic nutters than drivers of other marques- Ho! Ho! There are some limited one-person data on this later hypothesis: catching HHMP drivers is difficult up here because there are very few traffic queues except at the A6 traffic lights where I attempt to remain incognito, so you have to have exactly the right lighting to catch offenders on the move. Even so I have 'caught'  4 offenders in the 6 years I have had the headcam. Under the reasonable assumption that the probability of me catching offenders is dependent upon the product of the probabilty of any random car being of the marque concerned and the probability of the driver of such a vehicle committing the offence we're considering (all reports ignored, of course)

https://upride.cc/incident/yh66utp_audia1_handheldmobile/          Audi

https://upride.cc/incident/kd10wer_porsche_mobilephone/             Porsche

https://upride.cc/incident/ld71uom_amazonprime_handheldmobilephone/

https://upride.cc/incident/pk55fxa_focus_handheldmobilephone/

The last two are Fords, representing the common people against the toffs/ nutters, although I think the Amazon offender really represents van-drivers rather than Ford.

After extensive data gathering i can confirm that BMWs and Audis are not equipped with indicators

Glad it's not just me who thinks that he is an attention seeker.

It tells you something that the design of bicycle that followed the Penny Farthing was known as the Safety-bicycle due to the smaller wheel size that a chain and gears permitted while maintaining a similar speed.

Riding a bike like that is a gimmick. Modern bike infrastructure and roads are not designed for a bike that has such a long stopping distance and wide turning circle.

bensynnock wrote:

known as the Safety-bicycle due to the smaller wheel size that a chain and gears permitted while maintaining a similar speed.

The safety bicycle moniker came about because it greatly reduced the risk of "taking a header" by shifting the centre of mass rearwards.

no its all about the attention clicks, 1million views for a 30 sec clip on social media ?, thats probably more viewers than he gets for his Channel 5 show. Most of the situations he clips, are all predictable, that I think any reasonably experienced road cyclist handles & avoids without thinking about.

and its not just the Penny Farthing, where you need to be planning more ahead anyway, he does it just as often on his commuter bike.

Not sure all is right. Partly an extension of his work that you look to put out a bit of clickbait. Some of it is to remind drivers (or even inform them) of what the rules of the road are - where else will they see this?

A penny farthing is bonkers though.

He does us no favours. It was clear the van wanted to turn in(they indicated) he should have started slowing and anticipated the manoeuvre. As for commuting on a PF. 🔧

Yeah, and as a "personality at large" no doubt he is seeking attention ... only, I've heard that people don't just buy cars on the grounds of practicality, durability etc. (see Stormzy story)?

Never had a chance to try a highwheeler (but would...) and I wouldn't imagine it would be my go-to for commuting and shopping if I had one, but on the other hand I have a recumbent. And in fact a bike with drop bars - i must be a scorcher!

In fact, by cycling for transport I'm also an attention-seeker in many people's eyes. I have a driving licence; why don't I just drive like normal people?

Runtilyoudrop wrote:

It was clear the van wanted to turn in(they indicated) he should have started slowing and anticipated the manoeuvre. 

Indicating does not give you any right of way over any other vehicle.

Runtilyoudrop wrote:

He does us no favours. It was clear the van wanted to turn in(they indicated) he should have started slowing and anticipated the manoeuvre. As for commuting on a PF. 🔧

From Cyclecraft (Chapter 6: Sharing The Roads)

Quote:

Curiously the biggest mistake made by many cyclists is that they are too submissive when sharing the roads, somehow feeling that they must always allow priority to motor vehicles. It is precisely this attitude that causes many of their difficulties in traffic. You need to appreciate that, as a cyclist, you have as much right as anyone else to be on the road, with as much right to an easy journey.

Although a lack of caution is certainly unwise, so is a lack of confidence. If you keep giving way or hesitate when the right of way is yours, you will not only get nowhere fast, but the resulting confusion may well put you more at risk than if you'd been more assertive.

Cyclists, if anything have MORE right to be on the road than drivers given we aren't required to pass a test to do so.

If anything I think JV was a bit too soft on the driver for apologising.
The driver admitting to seeing JV and still turned left (cut him up) anyway.
The most usefull way to consider this situation is would the driver have done the same thing if the bike lane was instead a normal traffic lane open to motor vehicles with the van driver in the 2nd lane?
No. It would have been a definite cut up and at least a minor fault on a driving test if not a dangerous fault leading to failure.
CycleGaz's recent clips showing a motor vehicle dashboard overlay highlight this very well.

mitsky wrote:

Cyclists, if anything have MORE right to be on the road than drivers given we aren't required to pass a test to do so.

I think (IIRC) that cyclists, pedestrians, and horsists have a common law right to be on the road; motorists are only there under licence.

Yes... some truth there given that I was urged during my driving lessons to adopt a confident approach and move forward (when safe and appropriate to do so) as all the other drivers were expecting that ...

BUT while having good "survival advice" given car-infested streets Cyclecraft is also coming from a particular viewpoint (ultimately a movement coming from US reaction against car-centricity - by aiming to ride ... like a car).  The most fundamental thing in that viewpoint seems to be not safety and certainly not "more people riding" but the right to ride on the road.  Never mind that almost the entire population don't, and won't, and even fewer existing cyclists will ride on busy A-roads etc.

And it contains some startling things - when you consider this is a guide used for educating for "everyday transport" (children also?).  See e.g. this article: quoting the "basic cycling skill" of "a good cadence to aim for is about 80, while a sprint speed of 32 km/h (20 mph) will enable you to tackle most traffic situations with ease."

'Vehicular cyclists' like Franklin and Forester have probably done more than anyone to hold back cycling in the Anglosphere.

In the vast majority of these bike cam skirmishes (and in a similar % of car dashcam videos), the outcome is blatant from early on, and the "film director" does sod all to stop it. Situations are allowed to develop so we can all tut & sigh & raise our ire. More often than not, a simple "Oh, that van is pulling out across the cycle lane half a block ahead", or "that van is signalling a turn across the cycle lane" followed by "Maybe I better slow down and be prepapred for stupidity" would probably make these videos pointless. Very few of these skirmishes come from nowhere and toally blindside anyone. JV seems to delight in pushing the envelope on these encounters, and even when on something as unwieldly as an ordinary takes no avoiding actions until very late in the game

But not close passes though?

Not a fan of the JV oeuvre so if you're only referring to him, disregard above.

In the vast majority of these bike cam skirmishes (and in a similar % of car dashcam videos), the outcome is blatant from early on...

Very few of these skirmishes come from nowhere and totally blindside anyone...

I disagree- most of mine do

https://upride.cc/incident/mt17ybj_navara_closepass/

https://upride.cc/incident/ca11abd_blackpoolboilers_closepass/

https://upride.cc/incident/yx74soj_greenpass_closepass/

https://upride.cc/incident/sc19usu_brosterbuilders_closepass/

https://upride.cc/incident/sk19evw_stagecoach42_closepass/     etc. etc.

bensynnock wrote:

Is it just me who thinks that Jeremy Vine is a bit of an attention seeker and that he actually likes it when people drive dangerously around him. Why else ride a Penny Farthing?

Either way, too many folks don't understand that having your indicators on does not give you permission to do anything.

belugabob wrote:

bensynnock wrote:

Is it just me who thinks that Jeremy Vine is a bit of an attention seeker and that he actually likes it when people drive dangerously around him. Why else ride a Penny Farthing?

Either way, too many folks don't understand that having your indicators on does not give you permission to do anything.

Yes, and the van driver should have been more observant and waited, but as with all forms of transport, a bit of give and take helps the world go round. Some drivers are happy to slow down a bit to ensure the gap in front is big enough to let a car exit a side street, and some will deliberately accelerate to close any such gap. As much as there are times when it is important to be confident enough to assert our priority, sometimes it's better to do the easy nice thing. 

I accept Vine is who he is and what he is, and that he loves the drama, but if he is going to post videos of wrong-doing with a view to educating the public on safer driving, it would land better if he showed any anticipation skills of his own. If he fees like it, he can still point out when he's been inconvenienced by being forced to slow down, but a bit of minor inconvenience is a price most of us accept as soon as we enter shared spaces.

FionaJJ wrote:

but a bit of minor inconvenience is a price most of us accept as soon as we enter shared spaces.

The cycle lane Vine was in was not a shared space.  It was for cyclists only.

FionaJJ wrote:

he can still point out when he's been inconvenienced by being forced to slow down, but a bit of minor inconvenience is a price most of us accept as soon as we enter shared spaces.

In many of his videos, and many others posted in NMOTD, it's not being "inconvenienced by being forced to slow down" but "forced to emergency brake or swerve to avoid being injured or killed", which is not a minor inconvenience and not one that anyone should have to accept.