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Marble Arch cycle lane (copyright Simon MacMichael)Journalist admits anti-cycle lane angle on London being named world's most congested city would “get more readers”
Mainstream media headlines this morning blaming London being named the city with the world’s worst congestion on bike lanes are not “accurately representing what we have said,” according to the company that carried out the research, adding that one journalist had admitted that the anti-cycle lane angle “gets more readers.”
Traffic data firm Inrix named the UK capital as the world’s most congested city last year in its 2021 Global Traffic Scorecard, and while operations director Peter Lees was quoted as saying that reallocation of road space for pedestrians and cyclists was one potential factor, as we pointed out in our coverage this morning, the number-one reason he gave is simply that London’s economic recovery from the pandemic is happening at a faster pace than elsewhere – hence, there is more motor traffic on the roads compared to other cities.
> “Incredibly simplistic” to blame cycle lanes for London being named world’s most congested city
In a tweet this afternoon addressed to London Walking & Cycling Commissioner Will Norman, who had himself posted to Twitter about the report, Dr Edward Seaton said that Professor Tom Pike of Imperial College London had contacted Lees, who had confirmed in a letter – reproduced with permission in the tweet – that the press focus on bike lanes was not “accurately representing what we said.”
Dear @willnorman Prof Tom Pike at @imperialcollege contacted the Ops Director at @INRIX Here’s their reply (with permission) Headlines saying cycle lanes increase congestion are ‘not accurately representing what we said.’ Journo admitted mentioning cycle lanes gets more readers! https://t.co/FuvCa5msli pic.twitter.com/f7L9GleI0p
— Dr Edward Seaton (@_Dermatologist) December 7, 2021
Lees wrote: “We provided a number of interviews to the press yesterday in connection with the release of our annual Scorecard, showing the most congested cities around the world.
“In all cases, the speedy economic rebound was presented as the single biggest cause of congestion in London, whilst conversely, cities in other parts of the world have been much slower to return to near-normal commuting, resulting in them being listed lower in the rankings.”
“Sharing road space with pedestrians – in connection with social distancing relating to the pandemic – and longer term provision of more space for cyclists was also mentioned, but as much smaller contributory factors,” he continued. “One journalist admitted that the cycle lane comment would ‘get more readers’, hence some of the headlines today, not accurately representing what we have said.
“The ranking for London at number one, indicates a positive economic rebound for the UK,” added Lees, who expressed the hope that his response “adds some clarity.”
He didn’t reveal who the journalist in question is, but there are more candidates than in a Prime Minister’s constituency at a general election – take your pick from someone working for the London Evening Standard, the Daily Express, LBC, Mail Online and the, erm, Jersey Evening Post, among others.
Negative coverage of cycling infrastructure (or changes to the Highway Code aimed at protecting vulnerable road users and trying to get motorists to take more responsibility for their actions) gets more readers and clicks – who knew?
We’re shocked.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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18 comments
The spectator has realised the game is up.
https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/fact-check-are-cycle-lanes-really-ma...
Telegraph doubling down on the Inrix blame cycle lanes quote, and coming up with their own its really LTNs are to blame take. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/12/08/life-slow-lane-london-became...
Hmmm, I see the racists in the comments section seem to get away with the racism if they don't use certain words.
"We’re shocked."
Deliberately generating outrage is also road.cc's main strategy.
I would disagree with "main" a useful strategy yes. But only for ~10-20% of its content - nearly always the News section.
This bogus story is still up on the BBC's London news page, despite comments pointing out that it is inaccurate. Why is it still available?
I feel a complaint coming on.
Perhaps roadCC could ask the BBC why they are still running it, given Inrix's comments.
I've just raised a complaint. They're now so blatantly anti-cyclist that they won't care and just send out a canned response.
I'm eagerly awaiting my grovelling note of apology from the DG, followed by swift action to put it right...
It's indicative of the faith I have in the BBC these days that, as part of my complaint, I felt it necessary to ask/suggest that the story be taken down and an article published with Inrix's comments. I don't trust them to think of that for themselves.
Just sent my own complaint in:
What is the subject of your complaint? Factual error or inaccuracy
Deliberate lies, misinformation and bias
"London congestion: Cycle lanes blamed as city named most congested" This headline and article are not true, misleading and biased. The report said no such thing, and the authors have said so, and it is very disappointing to see the BBC carry on its generations old campaign against cycling.
There have been hundreds, if not thousands, of articles extolling the virtues of a shift from driving to cycling, all ignored by the BBC, but you have endless articles about electric cars, which have many fewer benefits. When are you going to redress the balance and have more mentions of cycling than electric cars?
Well put Burt. Mine was a bit more rushed , but did cite factual inaccuracy AND bias. Noted that you couldn't put both in the 'reason for complaint' box. Wonder why. Maybe they prefer separate complaints for separate sins. Unfortunately I haven't got all day.
And in other news another Cyclist hit by a rogue car:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-59560143
Jesus, not just a cyclist, a child. Driver fled the scene after checking on the chid. Who was injured and needed treatment! But fled anyway. Given the time (08:40), that would be the school run. There's a decent possibility that this is a parent as well as a commuter.
It's not just motorists either:
Police in Chester have appealed for a cyclist involved in a collision with a six-year-old boy on a scooter to come forward. The cyclist did not stop at the scene of the incident in Stamford Road, Blacon just before 5pm on Thursday 2 December, which left the boy in hospital with a fractured skull.
https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-7-december-2021-288431#li...
Are we sure it wasn't a bike that collided with a scooter?
Some gave it the same treatment as with cars:
From deeside.com - not sure where they scrape things from...
Thankfully "minor injuries". They did say "crash" rather than "accident" though...
I had a feeling this was what had happened. The BBC's quote from him was brief to the point of being suspicious. The story also appears to have come from their regional London team rather than the National New team. The regional teams have a strong history of creating poorly contextualised click bait. Some of them are little better than the YTS trainee on your local rags.
I wonder if the Mail and Express will print this?
Answers on a postage stamp.