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Transport Committee - Cycling infrastructure

BBC’s Jeremy Vine speaks to London Assembly about experience of cycling in capital today at 3pm (watch it live here)

Broadcaster’s editor on his Radio 2 show will also give evidence to Transport Committee this afternoon
by Simon_MacMichael
Mon, Feb 19, 2018 12:48
4

BBC broadcaster Jeremy Vine will today give evidence to the London Assembly Transport Committee regarding his experience of cycling on the streets of the capital, with proceedings being streamed live online from 3pm.

Also appearing before the committee will be the broadcaster’s editor on his Radio 2 show, Phil Jones, who has cycled in London for more than three decades.

The London Assembly Transport Committee points out that 70 per cent of the city’s frequent cyclists are white men, who also account for 59 per cent of infrequent cyclists there.

By contrast, just 29 per cent of cycle trips in London are made by women, and people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups undertake only 15 per cent.

Vine and Jones will also discuss cycling infrastructure and public attitudes towards cyclists with the committee, and proceedings will be streamed live on the City Hall website, as well as on YouTube.

While Vine has come to cycling relatively recently, the Eggheads and former Crimewatch presenter’s use of a helmet camera coupled with the size of his social media following means that the videos taken on his commutes often receive a huge amount of attention.

In April last year, motorist Shanique Syrena Pearson was jailed for nine months for driving without reasonable consideration and using threatening or abusive behaviour towards Vine as he cycled along Hornton Street close to Kensington Town Hall in August 2016.

> Jeremy Vine road rage driver jailed after losing appeal

Vine, whose footage of the incident provided vital evidence, said in court: "I felt threatened. I felt I was in danger. I felt I was dealing with a violent person. None of that was clear to me when she was in the car. It became clear through this incident as she assaulted, abused and threatened me."

For a flavour of the one of the issues he is likely to highlight today, here he is speaking to ITV News, which tweeted the footage thgis morning.

Jeremy Vine
London
London Assembly
London Assembly Transport Committee
Simon MacMichael

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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4 comments

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BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
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I was immediately pissed off with the 'free spirited cyclists run red lights/somehow didn't obey the law' bullshit in the first few seconds of jones opening his gob. This is like a pacifying tactic that only serves to show how fucking clueless you are.

Will watch fully later but a few mins in and already not impressed.

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Awavey | 6 years ago
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I was only following it via the updates on the Standard website, so might have missed how it came across live,but Id have said look he's just broadcaster, and his producer, who happens to be well known for riding a bike, he's not a cycling advocate as such in the same manner as say Chris Boardman. He's not going to have reams of well researched counter facts to respond to the random questions the assembly members asked, if he even knew what he was going to be asked for anyway in advance, he was there just to share his views of cycling in London. And I thought he responded well to the daft diversion onto cycling helmets.

 

Im not sure what the outcome is expected from it, anything they learnt in that session, they could have all got on Boris bike and cycled round London for an hour to learn just as easily.

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CXR94Di2 | 6 years ago
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I thought he came across as wishy washy,. The one death of a pedestrian by a cyclist was brought up but no factual rebuttal of the dozens of cyclists and pedestrians killed by motor vehicles. Far too much sat in the fence and not emphasising the huge benefits to health mental and physical for the cyclist and the local population.

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burtthebike | 6 years ago
3 likes

Well, Jeremy and Phil were excellent, and put the case well, without getting confrontational, but I suppose they've had more practice than most of us, what with presenting a controversial radio show.  They didn't come over as all radical war on motorists, block all roads, just normal, sensible people who ride bikes.

No stupid questions either, which was a relief, and only the one mention of the Alliston case, which Jeremy batted away effectively.  I suppose they could have been a little more positive about the gigantic benefits of cycling, individually and socially, but that might have come over as a bit preachy.

Well done chaps, thanks.

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