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news
Jogging stock photo Parkrun accused of 'normalising violent driving' by asking if participants could keep up with car 'going at 93mph'
Parkrun has been accused of 'normalising violent driving' by asking if participants knew anyone who could keep up with the Electric Mini - which has a top speed of 93mph.
The not-for-profit organisation is sponsored by Mini Electric and this week it posted a Tweet which read: "Our friends @MINIUK have another feel-good fact!
"At top speed (93mph), the MINI Electric would race by the parkrun finish line in just 2 minutes! Tag a parkrunner who you think could keep up."
Safe cycling activists were among those who quickly pointed out the 'hypocrisy' of the message, which has now been deleted, and accused the group of 'completely misreading its demographic'.
People also argued the tweet could be seen to encourage people to drive to parkrun events, rather than using more sustainable modes of transport.
One person, Charlotte Baker, commented: "This is an awful look for @parkrunUK
- encouraging speeding and car dependancy.
"I’d rather pay a subscription to join your runs than see you partner up with car companies like this. Totally misreading your demographic here."
Another, Rob Greenland, who volunteers at Parkrun events, said: "I also campaign for safer streets and I’m really disappointed at the messaging in this ad.
"It normalises violent driving by inferring that 93mph is somehow ok, whilst associating it with parkrun."
Parkrun, I love what you do, but this is a profoundly ill-judged association and message. It's true electric cars are 'better' than petrol or diesel, but they're still a massively energy inefficient form of transport, not active travel & promote car dependency.
— Andrew Simms (@AndrewSimms_uk) October 8, 2021
Another person commented: "And when would they drive at 93mph,exactly? This is a very inappropriate partnership, and a really bad taste tweet."
Bloomsbury Air, who campaign for less air pollution, added: "Oh dear, oh dear. This endorsement is so wrong on so many levels.
"Speeding vehicles, road deaths, anti active travel, air & noise pollution...
"Why on earth would you encourage people to drive to a park run."
Last year 355 pedestrians were killed in road traffic collisions and 140 cyclists lost their lives.
In total there were 16,230 reported road casualties involving cyclists and 14,717 with pedestrians.
Praising the partnership with Parkrun, Mini has a statment on its website which reads: "We have to say that when we heard about parkrun’s philosophy of making the planet a healthier and happier place, we were totally inspired.
"Having spent the past 60 years creating cars that bring smiles to people’s faces, we’re always up for something that gets people together and makes them happy."
> Number of cyclists killed on British roads up 40% in 2020
Parkrun has been approached for comment.
Latest Comments
- hawkinspeter 1 sec ago
The tyre wear for (car shaped) EVs has to be more due to the heavier weights and the increased torque.
- wtjs 51 min 38 sec ago
https://carradice.co.uk/collections/bag-supports/products/seatpost-quick-release-saddlebags...
- Hirsute 1 hour 4 min ago
I'm confused by the signage. One sign is no motor vehicles and the other says no cycling, so why isn't it a red circle with all white - No vehicles...
- wtjs 1 hour 12 min ago
Complaint to the taxi licensing authority? ...
- stonojnr 1 hour 23 min ago
The bit at the start and end looks like a cycle lane, but the bit they drive on looks just like a patched filter lane for traffic lights.
- JOHN5880 1 hour 23 min ago
Hey, you 4 execs helped run a company into the ground and have no jobs anymore... Come work for us because you have great experience in the...
- Oakhambike 2 hours 8 min ago
£11.5k for a bike weighing over 8kg that's 2 fingers to customers let alone UCI
- Dnnnnnn 2 hours 23 min ago
I'm going to show my bike a picture of this shed and tell it, "If you don't behave..."
- Hirsute 3 hours 11 min ago
Ex black cab https://twitter.com/KingArtAT/status/1783296299787309088
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31 comments
I just see the advertisement as if you know anyone who's a fast runner, nothing to do with driving over the speed limit or recklessly...
I don't think the marketing has been particularly elegantly executed, but what's more interesting is how it's generated the worst kind of toe-rag virtue signalling. I'd love to see the carbon footprint for these critics. One assumes they don't take a holiday unless it involves running barefoot from the front entrance of their eco-cave. Anyone who wants to take the notion of driving a Park Run course at a car's theoretical top speed literally, and considers this "violent driving" needs to think less like a baby and take a little time to understand accident causation. Driving at 93 mph down the motorway is not killing any cyclists. Grow up.
It's encouraging speeding isn't it. You can't legally drive at 93mph anywhere on UK roads.
Bloody stupid and lazy promotion.
A Trabant would be faster than any runner. It's hardly a USP is it ?
But you keep normalising speeding brogs. We all know that's perfectly safe and never killed any cyclists...
Given that excessive speed is a factor in something like 85% of fatal accidents involving motor vehicles, it's pretty likely that it will kill some cyclists, given that most cyclists own cars or ride in them from time to time.
Certainly left a poor taste in the mouth. I see they've deleted and re-issued in amended form, but damage done I would say.
Personally I've no objection to them partnering with a sponsor like Mini. There's plenty worse options, and this was for an EV - which there does need to be a shift to in order to reduce emissions.
You would be hard pressed to find a parkrun event where a car was not needed to get the kit to and from the venue.
But the execution of this ad was just diabolical - it's like they forgot we'd entered the 21st century, and wanted to fill a bingo card with all the worst tropes of car advertising ("Excessive speed, yay!", "Using a car for something you would never use a car for! Yay!" "Cars = racing! Yay!" ) and make it "trendy" by adding a 'tag a mate' social media angle in a really cringe kind of way. The only thing missing was a half naked woman draped across the bonnet. Presumably that ad exec was off with Covid.
I get that parkrun need money to keep going. But they don't seem to get that in these brand partnerships, their brand needs consideration as well, and that they need to stick up for it on occasion and say "no - that will harm our brand, and yours!"
Do people really spend all day looking for this stuff, and finding ways to take offence / virtue signal etc?
The premise that a runner could potentially keep up with a car traveling at 93mph is as ridiculous as a car getting around a typical parkrun course at max speed. It therefore seems a massive stretch to say parkrun are somehow condoning 'violent' driving.
But if we are going down that route, surely all motorsport should considered toxic, or indeed any motor manufacturer producing cars able to travel at speeds above should be cancelled. Whilst we are at it, anyone travelling to partake in anything other than essential shopping or employment (but only employment that is suitably virtuous) appears to be unacceptable to many... let's call for that to be banned too!
When on these high horses, people need to stop for a moment and think about the world they are wishing for.
By Jove, I think he's got it!
Lolz, I think your stance around motor vehicles differs somewhat from mine.
Upright, hopefully....
I'm a parkrun regular. I think parkrun is more about helping people become active and healthier than promoting and addressing green issues. I do know that parking is an issue at all the local parkruns. I also know quite a few people who will drive 100s of miles just to do another one and add it to their parkrun tourism list - and be proud of it. They do recycle though... Just people being people.
It should also be noted that there is an article on this very site, published in the last couple of days, promoting travelling to Spain to go for a bike ride.
Not that this is particularly relevant, but I was curious about the oddly specific speed of 93mph. This converts to 150kph which has a marketing vibe to it for the European market.
Max speed in NL and soon to be in Germany is just 100kmph on motorways. This is to reduce national carbon emissions
If you did 150 in NL you would lose your licence on the spot.
Funny. I thought the Electric Mini had the same top speed as a Lamborghini Huaracan. 70mph.
Indeed, and I thought the law forbade advertising cars in terms of speed. Pretty sure the same rules would apply to any form of promotion, not just traditional first-hand advertising.
I see this sort of "sports washing" in the same light as Cola brands sponsoring football etc. In fact it would seem that generally, brands always pay to associate themselves with qualities they innately lack.
I went off Parkrun when they started playing political games to get all venues open post lock down rather than open the 2/3's of events that already had permission for.
That decision was mainly because London had very few permissions and any event would have been completely swamped. Those venues should all have been giving permission back in March, however we have had claims of the virus spreading outdoors that have not been backed up by scientific data.
Don't even get me started on the insanity of kit bags for the London Marathon being collected indoors instead of outdoors.
Regardless, launching a big media campaign that suggested this was a nationwide issue, and parroting Tory party rhetoric about town hall bureaucrats etc. was unhelpful, patronising, came across as dismissive of people who had genuine concerns, and put a lot of parkrunners of
If it were true that it was largely a London issue, could have been better addressed by just not opening London parkruns until they had reached a suitable threshold there.
It's not as if all London parkrunners would be suddenly flooding out to the sticks to find a parkrun - sure there are the hardcores who might, but they are actually a minority. For most, a major part of the appeal of parkrun is that it's on your doorstep.
@parkrunuk appear to have deleted the tweet in question, one would assume in an attempt at damage limitation. Still a bit of a spectacular own goal though.
Might be an idea for parkrun UK to loudly push their stated position "Please, wherever possible walk, jog, cycle or use public transport when attending the event."
Maybe we are really misreading their position, and getting angry that theyre undermining green credentials that they never really had?
They do organise their park runs as recreation, not as any active travel, after all.
Only the same as people driving their SUVs with bikes on the back out to some great off road trail rather than just riding their bikes.
I agree, although I'm in the priveliged position of having 4 parkruns (1 word, small 'p', they get a bit touchy about this) within walking distance, and could easily collect a touristing cow cowl (20 different parkruns) by bike. And running isn't active travel in the sense that it gets people out of cars and walking or riding to the shops / work / wherever.
If I lived out in the sticks and nearest parkrun wasn't within cycling distance, I'd just find a bit of off road track and run it. I take a similar position on riding bikes - if I can't ride to a sportive/group ride, do the ride and ride home, I'd do something closer to home.
Just checked, I've run 56 parkruns at 7 different venues, and volunteered 34 times.
it isnt active travel no, but it is exercise, and it does attract people for whom taking anyform of exercise isnt that habitual for them, and they are unlikely to scrub up their trainers to go running off road in the countryside, certainly not by themselves. So if it gets them off the couch its good imo even if it has all the appeal of a cross country run PE lesson.
as for the tweet, probably not the best way of promoting that particular partnership, but do we really have to go through this twitter outrage stuff all the time
I actually know a good handful of people who do run as a form of active transport.
Sorry, I didn't realise that pARkrUn had a specified layout...
There's a whole other issue of whether parkrun is that green if you can't get to them by 9am by public transport. (I haven't checked but in my experience the vast majority drive to them). At least Scotland and Ireland went for 9:30am. If you dare to suggest they could start later...
Weren't Parkrun in Belfast quite recently complaining that their events were being negatively impacted by new cycle lanes that had taken away some of the parking their participants were using? Doesn't seem to be a terribly cycle friendly organisation.
I run at a Park Run in Glasgow & I think the reality is that Park Run organisers cover the wide range of views on cycling that you might find in any large organisation. My local Park Run really emphasises getting to the run by public transport, on foot or by bike.
https://www.parkrun.org.uk/pollok/course/
Ahh. So it's the old grassroots disconnect that all HQ offices have when organisations get too big for their boots and forget who gave them all their success?
They were. It's a ParkRun local to me. The person complaining about the installation of the cycle lane doesn't even live in Belfast.
When would a car be legally driving at 93mph in the UK anyway? Like all those Top Gear cars that can do 200mph, and nobody questions it by saying "so what?". It doesn't matter if the top speed is 75 or 750, surely?
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