“… the only good cyclist is a dead one …” – editor of the richmond magazine – september issue

I saw on Twitter that he is going to explain himself. Let's see what happens....

When I read it, my first thought was that O.J. Simpson got away with murder because an LAPD copper made a comment like that, using the "n word" instad of cyclist.

Is it syntomatic of society's attitude to cyclists in general? If it is, maybe targetting comments like this is a way to change that. Not getting the guy sacked or anything, but letting him know that it's not acceptable to use that kind of language. Which he already knows, judging by the magazine's Twitter account (@TheRichmondMag).

I'm with Denzil… he's an idiot, but if that were a crime there's a lot of us that'd be in trouble.

in the last 24 hours or so we've reported on a motorist who hid in bushes rather than help the woman he'd fatally injured when he knocked her off her bike. He got 8 months and will be out in four. We've also reported on the new minister of state for transport who was convicted of dangerous driving as recently as 2009 for an incident that left a cyclist with a broken neck - for which the politician received a £400 fine; we've also reported on the case of another Tory politician the former deputy leader of cambridgeshire council who was convicted of dangerous cycling after knocking a car's wing mirror off and was fined £350.

I would suggest that if you want to do something to change the lot of cyclists in this country they are the stories to get angry and active about. I'm not saying Mr Nye shouldn't be pulled up for what he said, but given the massive injustices in the stories I just listed wasting time and bile (unless you've really got plenty to spare) on a target as easy as this does seem like a bit of a cop out.

"it is more about the positive effect of the Olympics on his view of cycling"

No it's not at all, it's about how that effect is transient and abnormal. The final point is that that effect is somehow alien and uncomfortable, whereas the petty "them and us" tin-box attitude of warfare on the road is normal and justifiable and, by emphatic implication at the very least, perfectly acceptable.

Personally I'm happy to ignore these bits of tripe, otherwise I'd worry about the contents of all the papers that I also don't read, but I think "comedic exaggeration" is cutting it too much slack. I don't think it's much meant as comedy; it seems written as a nice piece of morning coffee entertainment for the sort of bungnut that secretly, or not so secretly, shares his views and likes being reassured that there are other bungnuts out there with the same views, because basically all cyclists *are* bastards aren't they, and look, this bungnut is an editor, so he's presumably fairly smart, so this is an opinion that *smart* bungnuts have, so it's ok, and those cyclists - bastards! - they're on bikes, they're not even smart enough to get a proper job so they can afford a car, so they must be wrong, yes, the editor must be right, yes, *I* am right! Cyclists! Bastards!

So whilst I wouldn't suggest losing any sleep over some bigoted bungnut with the privilege of some column inches to play with, if you want to defend it then I suggest searching YouTube for "stewart lee top gear", or even the web for Steve Coogan's piece on Top Gear's Mexican joke, and if you still feel able to defend it then at least you'll have been entertained. And after all, Lee and Coogan are right. I mean, I have the same view, and they're on the telly so they're presumably fairly smart, so theirs is an view that *smart* people have...

I am not sure how else you could take "the only cyclist is a dead cyclist". When statements like that go into press they become influencial, and someone will take them seriously.

Which ever way it was meant it was a very poor and ill-judged comment from a professional editor who should know better. What if that sentence was in the editorial of The Sun or the Mirror?

I would like to see him spend a day cycling around Richmond in the company of local cyclists to see it from the other side. Damn if I lived down there I would offer myself

No-one may have asked for an online lynch mob, but seems like there are plenty of people fetching a rope and building a gibbet.

Demanding his employers sack him certainly feels like an online lynch mob to me. Just seen someone on Twitter wanting to know why #sackrichardnye isn't trending.

Personally I think we should be a little more selective in picking the targets of our collective wrath - I'd much rather see a transport minister who broke a cyclist's neck and was convicted of careless driving in a SMIDSY incident only a year before the last election forced in to resignation than pick on some lazy journo making an off-colour comment in a mag that most of the people of Richmond don't even read.

All this 'burn the witch' hysteria every time someone says something bad about cyclists makes me feel a little queasy and I'm sure only goes to reinforce the perception amongst the anti-cycling lobby (and probably lots of the general public too) that cyclists are a sanctimonious, humourless bunch lacking a sense of perspective. Which of course we're not

You have totally over-reacted with this article. Admittedly some of his comments are poorly thought out, but he isn't advocating going out and killing cyclists - if anything it is more about the positive effect of the Olympics on his view of cycling (as a competitive sport, anyway) and pro cyclists.

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It's a weak comic article. Forming an online lynch mob over this would be almost unbelievably pathetic.

Resignation Campaign? #NyeOutNow

I think he's just a cock that thinks Jeremy Clarkson's writing style is something to be aspired to.

It's certainly a crass and insensitive comment, and Mr Nye must be spectacularly uninformed if he thought that the it would pass unnoticed - unless of course he thought no such thing, in which case he obviously likes playing with fire.

But is it a reflection of his actual views? Seems to me the piece is full of comedic exaggeration even if most of it is not very funny and is not meant to be taken seriously at all. Whatever, it's certainly dumb, especially given the numbers of cyclists in Richmond and the fact that a local bike shop advertises in his mag.

According to recent DfT stats, 21% of adults in Richmond cycle at least once a week, the highest rate of any London borough. Which makes this seem like an even less clever move.

Link to stats: http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/releases/local-area-walking-and-cycl...