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Handle Like Eggs YouTube still (City of London Corporation)Video: Handle Like Eggs - but is City of London's new cycle safety film a yolk?
We've seen some curious 'cycle safety' videos - remember the Scottish Government's recently launched Niceway Code campaign? - but a new candidate for the most bizarre may have emerged with one released by the City of London Corporation which uses animated, not to mention anthropomorphic, eggs to get the message across.
The film, called Handle Like Eggs, was originally uploaded to YouTube in June, but seems to have been officially launched today via a tweet from the Corporation's @Squarecyclists Twitter account.
Billed as "a fun film" - despite the seriousness of the issues it addresses - the reception to date has not so much been mixed as unanimously negative, with criticism on Twitter and YouTube alike.
That's not been helped by the fact that the animated clip itself is topped and tailed by the Corporation's Head of Media, Greg Williams, explaining to viewers what the message is - a sign, some say, that it isn't clear enough in the film itself.
That message, by the way, is about "sharing the streets safely," with viewers invited to "try and spot what's going wrong," with advice at the end including for cyclists to use the full width of the lane while cycling on narrow streets, and not getting in drivers' blindspots, and motorists not to use their mobile phones at the wheel.
A voiceover from Mr Williams towards the end of the animated segment says: "So Handle Like Eggs is a film about sharing the street, and in our fun film, Toby [the ovoid motorist talking on his mobile] shares a piece of his shell with Belle [the female egg he has knocked off her bike] to put things right after their collision.
The animation, by the way, supposedly takes place on Cheapside, as does Mr Williams' piece to camera - and as has been pointed out by Mark Treasure of the As Easy As Riding blog (and chair of the GB Cycling Embassy), that's the very location for which the likes of Danny Williams of Cyclists in the City have critcicised not only the inadequacy of provision for cyclists in a recent multimillion pound street renovation scheme, but also the additional danger it presents to bike riders.
Have a look and let us know what you think of the film in the comments below.
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.
Latest Comments
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I'll pay attention when people are talking about mandatory high-vis for dark coloured motor vehicles.
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It doesn't seem to be the most efficient piece of design. But I don't see why the police should bother about it, given that it's highly unlikely to...
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Now now - be fair! I think it also means "...and I might get a nasty shock when I fling open my door and hop out onto the 'pavement' without...
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Have addicts been reduced to baartering for drugs?
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crr97dl4740o Mother and child escaped unharmed; unclear who was driving.
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For double that you can' get a Pedro's vise whip Ii. Or half, the reportedly excellent decathlon thingy. And Sigma has the Silca for only £150.
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I'm no detective, but the "NOAHFAST" decal vertically stickered on the headtube is a little bit of a clue.
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34 comments
If only the egg cyclist was wearing body armour.
Surely it's not serious? The driving egg was on his phone for yolks sake. He should have been arrested for that.
Where is the video about obeying the law and having a little patience to overtake safely?
Locals ran a test in Formby Lancs to compare set journeys at 20mph and 30mph and worked out the inconvenience in terms of extra seconds was nothing compared with taking a life. That is the message that needs to be advertised.
Speed does not equate to productivity. Unfortunately our Government are still referring to 20 year old flawed data that says it does. HS2 is a case in point.
As the saying goes - if only common sense was as common as the expression suggests...
"We've made a FUN FILM". Christ on a bike...
Do we think maybe it's deliberately awful to cause controversy and get people discussing the issues?!
Ok, so if a driver doesn't have his own hammer, I can carry one with me and do the job for him right?
I think I like this campaign now!
I think it's alright. It's not setting out to antagonize motorists or cyclists. However, it is a video for people who are able to think critically, analyse and reason. It shows the fragility of a cyclist compared to a car and how being distracted in anyway, can cause loss of focus. Not too sure about the sexual attraction/innuendo at the end either. Nor is the driver egg giving part of his shell to mend egg cyclist brilliant though the dialogue after amends the scene.
There must be a cyclist out there who can create a blood and gore video showing what happens when a cyclist and a car collide? Aardman?
Although the video is cringe making, the idea is well intentioned. The Aussies nailed the Share the Road message in this commercial about 10 years ago http://youtu.be/7KbbiaRjdUA
I was hooted at by an HGV the other morning and forced off of the road and onto the hard shoulder. Luckily road design was on my side on that occasion as I had the hard shoulder to duck into.
Reported to the police but I'm sure nothing will come of it. Unfortunately didn't see what company the truck belonged to otherwise they'd be my next port of call.
The 'film' seems to be aimed at a very young audience, maybe 8-12 years; and I don't see a lot of 8-12 year olds cycling in the City.
What a pointless piece of nonsense.
I would put it younger than that. That age group would not be amused by a pre-school film.
I am sure the message at the end -- if you are knocked off your bike, it's OK to be driven off by a complete stranger -- won't be at all controversial. Ahem.
Vehicle stopping in the ASL, then turning left without indicating. Pretty sure this has been the exact scenario that has led to more than one death on London streets.
Sure, a very experienced cyclist may be able to forsee and avoid dangerous driving such as this, but only after years of cycling and a few near misses.
+1 BTW.
They may as well get rid of the ASLs if they are never going to enforce them. In my view no ASL/filter lane is safer than an abused ASL/filter lane.
Bez (who posts on here occasionally), wrote a really good blog a while ago about the dangers of sub-standard infrastructure - it's actually worse than no cycle lanes/ASLs.
Badly designed cycle lanes, pinch points etc create more problems than they solve - I'm sure most cyclists have been told to "use the ***ing cycle path!" or hooted at for taking the lane.
To be honest, a lot of the time I'm actually against most of this talk about segregation, cycle paths etc cos I know how badly they're done - it's a box-ticking exercise and cyclists end up worse off than before...
They are not blind spots! They are areas in which the driver has not bothered to look! My truck has more mirrors than Adonis, not hard to avoid collisions if concentrating on the job!
"don't get in drivers' blindspots"???!
FFS, when I drive, I look in the mirrors, then turn and crane my neck to check my blindspots, then signal, then mirrors again, then manoeuvre - that's what I was taught, plus a bit of regular-cyclist-empathy / common sense. I know my car has blind spots - so I check them.
It's not solely the job of the cyclist to know where the blind spots are on every type of vehicle, and compensate for them.
Also - "use the full width of the lane!" - surely they mean "don't overtake like a tw*t". Not sure many new cyclists / boris bikers even know what is meant by "take the lane", "use the lane", "primary position" etc etc.
The bit where it says "Don't get in blind spots" should actually say:
"Car drivers - don't stop in the ASL, don't talk on the mobile, don't forget to indicate, don't take up the cycle lane"
As usual, the implication is that the cyclist is wrong for being in the blind spot while the driver (who's doing so many things wrong) is just fine and dandy thank you very much.
What a total clusterfuck, when are we actually going to get someone in Government (or TFL/Corporation of London etc) who actually understands the different needs and is bold enough to cater for them rather than pour a tin of blue paint over the 6" of road closest to the gutter...
They're suggesting cyclists shouldn't use cycle lanes. Which whilst, in so many cases, this is good advice, it's also a way of getting drivers angry.
They're also using Cheapside as an example of a "narrow medieval street", when whilst the road way ios narrow the pavements are collsal, far wider than the pedestrian volumes merit. It's an example of where there's space for wide segregated cycle ways that mean you don't have to share the space. Not as if the City can't afford decent infra...
I read the comments before watching it. I was not irritated by it, thought the central message about controlling a lane for safety and not getting inside of left turning vehicles was a good one. I also thought they were trying to eliminate an us vs them divide by talking about "our" streets and safety.
Message of egg film: drive carelessly, injure people, but it's ok - it all ends happily ever after.
Nice.
A "fun" film.
It's about as fun as chlamydia.
It's a good job there are no hammers in my vicinity after being cut-up/ yelled at for existing/ pinned on a corner. Nothing makes me sprint like the desire to have it out...
my favourite bit is where the arsehole driver gets out a hammer and smashes himself in the head...
Come out Armando Iannucci, we know its you behind this.
"We've made a fun film" - no, no you haven't. You've been utterly fucking insulting.
And then people wonder why 'City Bankers' have such a bad reputation.
Note: I work in the City and frequently enjoy Epping Forest which is COLC land.
That is truly awful and condescending!
I think i know where they got the idea....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmwBLln_VdM
Superb! I think something like that would work better. It is a serious matter but constant moaning about government initiatives doesn't seem to get us anywhere.
What are the odds on a spate of cyclist/pedestrian 'eggings' to come up in the near future?
Only watched it with the sound off and I just thought it was a bit weird.
Eggs don't usually respond very well to being cracked. Per SM, it sort of doesn't strike the right tone....
I do not have the words.
The egg driver and egg cyclist can "put things right after their collision." Ha! Better up the first aid skills of those lorry drivers turning left.
Wrong tone, wrong content. Just all wrong really. Forget about the yolk. Show the blood on the pavement. The victim's family mourning. The driver doing his community service and carrying on with their life. Sigh.
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