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“Victim blaming as policy”: Cyclists blast “one mistake could be fatal” cycling safety campaign; Should drivers pay road tax?; ‘Cycling and driving tribalism isn’t helping us’; Snake Pass: Return to (unsafe) normality + more on the live blog

It’s Monday and Ryan Mallon is here, nursing an Amstel-induced hangover (those massive glasses are to blame), for the first live blog of the week
Mon, Apr 11, 2022 09:36
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“Victim blaming as policy”: Cyclists blast “one mistake could be fatal” cycling safety campaign; Should drivers pay road tax?; ‘Cycling and driving tribalism isn’t helping us’; Snake Pass: Return to (unsafe) normality + more on the live blogBedfordshire Police 2 Wheels Campaign
11 April 2022, 16:12
Shocking Tour of Turkey crash caused by man walking on road with back to race

A shocking one here from today’s stage of the Tour of Turkey, where a man walking along the road – seemingly oblivious that a peloton of some of the world’s best riders was approaching behind him – caused a massive crash.

Arkéa-Samsic sprinter Nacer Bouhanni was one of the riders brought down in the crash, and was later forced to abandon the race after feeling ill.

Fair play to the spectator in the hi-viz, who put himself in harm’s way to try to prevent an incident, only to be struck by a rider himself in the process. Hopefully everyone is okay.

After a tense finale, BikeExchange-Jayco’s Kaden Groves won the stage from a bunch finish ahead of Jasper Philipsen and Sam Bennett, who looks to finally have a bit of zip in his legs after a slow start to the season.

It was bad news, however, for Arkéa-Samsic, as not only did they lose Bouhanni, but the team's GC leader Nairo Quintana also crashed in the closing stages and shipped almost two minutes, effectively ending his hopes for the overall title.

11 April 2022, 15:43
Should drivers pay road tax?

Ah, road tax. That old mythical favourite seemingly rolled out on an almost daily basis by those seeking to delegitimise the place of cyclists on the roads, based on a tax which hasn’t existed in the UK since 1937.

But what if we flipped the question, satiating some drivers’ nostalgic desires to see road tax return as well as filling an ever widening hole in the Treasury?

Should motorists then pay a reintroduced form of road tax alongside the existing Vehicle Excise Duty?

Road.cc reader Cycloid thinks so. In a tongue-in-cheek forum post over the weekend, they wrote:

With the move away from hydrocarbon to electric powered vehicles fewer drivers are paying VED and the Chancellor is reaping a smaller revenue from the motoring population. The first criticism of motorists towards cyclists is the Free Rider Charge: ‘They don't pay for using the roads’. We now have the same situation with motorists – an increasing proportion of drivers are not contributing fairly towards the roads which they use.

The solution could be simple – bring back Road Tax.

All drivers will pay VED on a sliding down to zero, along with Road Tax. Clearly, reading the road.cc blog, there is a lot of nostalgia amongst motorists for this much-loved tax, and it would be welcomed with open arms as a fair solution to the problem.

The Road Tax component could be earmarked for road improvements, as the recent hike in NICs is earmarked for NHS catchup. Remember not to talk about "Road Maintenance" in this context; our roads are not fit for purpose and getting worse. Maintenance implies keeping the status quo.

When drivers receive a Road Tax bill they will be reminded that it does not give them any special rights to use the roads and that they must respect the vulnerable road user hierarchy.

Job done - Simples!

What do you think? Would bringing back road tax represent a fair solution to the changing character of our roads?

Here were some of the replies to Cycloid’s, let’s say, interesting suggestion:

I'm not a fan of "road tax" as it just feeds the stupid with ideas that they have more rights on the roads.

However, if we're going to need a replacement for VED (which would be great as I'm fed up with all the fumes put out by entitled car drivers) then it should be charged proportionate to axle weight (possibly even to the 4th power of axle weight) and possibly described as a road repair tax.

I have similar feelings about 'road tax', it was stopped in 1937 for very good reasons. If we pursue this idea we could end up with things like 'school tax', from which childless adults are exempt, and so on...

Although axle weight would be a good principle, it does allow some to bleat how their claimed need for a big vehicle is unfairly penalised. And don't forget that VED evasion has got worse since tax discs were abolished.

Reversing Rishi Sunak's latest stunt and raising the duty on fossil fuel would be an up-front, honest way of dealing with some of the problems. That way we tax the usage (consumption), rather than vehicle ownership. It may even allow us to seriously discuss important issues such as road danger, pollution - NOx, CO, particulates, noise etc - and the other serious issues created by current traffic levels. However, it doesn't address the issue of EVs which, as most now acknowledge, exist to save the car industry, not the planet.

How about a separate annual tax for anyone with a current driving license that has at least six points? There would be a higher tax band for the bastards with 12 points or more, since it seems that many (all?) of them plead "exceptional hardship" and get treated almost like victims by magistrates when they should be pariahs and get ASBOs like yobs. It could be paid by Direct Debit like Council Tax, which should mean less admin cost involved in collecting it.

I'd start by making all on-road parking charged, and (so that that doesn't unfairly penalise those who can't afford it) adding an element in to the council tax calculation for off-road parking provision.

Definitely needs to be a traffic jam tax…

11 April 2022, 14:39
11 April 2022, 14:34
Stay safe, be short: Bedfordshire Police’s new bike safety slogan?

‘Ah, so you were wearing a helmet, you had a hi-viz jacket on, front and back lights, and your bike was well-maintained… You are six foot two though. Just be shorter next time, okay?’

11 April 2022, 14:13
Reckon you could be a UCI commissaire?

For those shaking their heads at the TV yesterday and claiming they would have called Michał Kwiatkowski as the winner of Amstel Gold straight away, here’s a fun test to see if you would make the grade as a UCI finish-line judge:

There’s a definite Van Aert-Pidcock situation going on between 78 and 54…

11 April 2022, 13:38
Cycling Colemanballs, part 245

Adam Blythe, with the finest piece of cycling commentary we’re likely to hear in 2022…

… which he immediately followed up with: “Oh, that sounds wrong”. Never change, Adam.

11 April 2022, 12:23
Paris-Roubaix: Let the countdown commence…

With those pesky French presidential elections delaying our cobblestone gratification for a whole week (though we did have to wait over two years for last October’s edition, and over a century for the women's race, just to add some perspective), the countdown to the Hell of the North can now well and truly begin:

Only five more sleeps!

11 April 2022, 11:52
Amstel Gold finish
Photo-finish drama and oversized beers at Amstel Gold

Amstel Gold Race rarely fails to disappoint these days, does it? Ever since the organisers started tinkering with the route almost a decade ago – in a bid to end the procession-like ride to the final ascent of the Cauberg which the characterised the race – the Netherlands’ only major classic has little by little become a fascinating, open affair, where Flanders’ finest overlap with the puncheurs of the Ardennes.

And it’s led to some pretty spectacular racing. While the 2019 race witnessed the emergence of Mathieu van der Poel as a global superstar with what remains his most impressive physical feat on the road, the last two editions have been characterised by finish-line drama.

After last year’s debacle which saw Tom Pidcock controversially beaten (insert your own inverted commas if you wish) by Wout van Aert after a dubious appraisal of the photo finish, yesterday’s race witnessed the kind of twist-laden plot normally reserved for M. Night Shyamalan films.

> "I feel so bad for him!": Amstel Gold Race photo finish drama AGAIN as Benoît Cosnefroy celebrates...only to be told result on live TV 

Poor Benoît Cosnefroy – told that he’s won the biggest race of his career, only for the photo finish judge to finally make his mind up and award the victory to Michał Kwiatkowski. As the drama unfolded on our screens, it was also taking place in real time on Cosnefroy's teammate Oliver Naesen's Twitter page:

To be fair to the AG2R Citroën rider, he took that bitter blow surprisingly well, later telling the media: “If I'm going to cry about a podium at Amstel, I should stop cycling.”

He continued: “For sure I’d have preferred to win. But when you step on the podium it’s still a big moment in a career. There were 175 riders on the start line and only three on the podium. Mathieu Van der Poel was here as one of the big favourites but not on the podium. I don’t know what I have to cry about.”

Fair play. 

It seems as if Cosnefroy’s runners-up spot was written in the stars (or at least in the race’s hashtag), according to this remarkably prescient tweet posted with well over 100 kilometres to go:

Apart from Kwiato, Cosnefroy and the impressive and tactically flawless winner of the women’s race Marta Cavalli, the other real stars of Amstel Gold were the ridiculous oversized beers awarded on the podium by, predictably, the race’s eponymous sponsors:

Every time I see those massive glasses I picture Jez from Peep Show ordering two yards of ale at Mark’s stag do… 

Speaking of beer, while Cosnefroy and Kwiatkowski downed their half pints as if there were a photo finish camera in sight, third-place Tiesj Benoot didn’t look too impressed with what was on offer.

Or perhaps he’s attempting to emulate Simon Gerrans, who in a very un-Aussie-like manner refused to finish his beer while standing on the lower steps of the podium at the 2014 Amstel Gold, only to win Liège–Bastogne–Liège a week later…

“Time and a place, mate...”

11 April 2022, 11:37
11 April 2022, 10:58
From Alpe d’Huez to Aintree

Anybody else place a cheeky cycling-related bet on Santini?

It’s just a pity Alaphilippe (the horse that is) wasn’t racing on Saturday…

11 April 2022, 10:28
“Victim blaming as policy”: Cyclists blast Bedfordshire Police’s “one mistake could be fatal” cycling safety campaign

After last week’s questionable and low-res cycling safety tweet from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, it’s now Bedfordshire Police’s turn to come up with a dubious take on the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s ‘2 Wheels’ campaign.

The NPCC’s 2 Wheels campaign focuses on ensuring the safety of cyclists and motorcyclists on our roads, by raising motorists’ awareness about the dangers of close passes and carless driving, as well as educating riders on their own safety.

However, local police forces have been slammed for ‘victim-blaming’ during the campaign, by focusing solely on the ways in which cyclists can keep themselves safe, such as wearing a helmet and hi-viz clothing.

Promoting the 2 Wheels initiative, Bedfordshire Police tweeted: “Even if you’re an experienced cyclist, there are things everyone needs to remember when setting off on their journey. There were 33 cyclists killed or seriously injured on Bedfordshire roads last year. One mistake could be fatal.”

Unsurprisingly, the link between cycling fatalities and ‘mistakes’ made by cyclists was heavily criticised online:

11 April 2022, 09:40
11 April 2022, 09:37
Snake Pass: Return to (unsafe) normality

Ah, just as the seasons change, friendships come and go, taxes are paid and Manchester United lose, one of life’s inevitabilities is that cars would one day return to Snake Pass, restoring the A57 to its former status as a scene of white-knuckle, motoring mayhem:

All is unsafe with the world again…

11 April 2022, 08:58
‘Nobody who has used a bike could have designed this’

Maybe they had some of our favourite cycling action sequences in mind during the design process?

11 April 2022, 08:11
‘Cycling and driving tribalism isn’t helping us’, says Oxford cycling campaign group

Cycling and motoring ‘tribalism’, where groups of bike riders and drivers coalesce online to defend their ‘camp’ and demonise the ‘other’, is only hindering progress when it comes to road safety, says Oxford cycling campaign group Cyclox.

Cyclox has been one of the driving forces behind the campaign to increase road safety in the city by calling for the installation of protected cycle lanes and a reduction in speed limits and traffic. Five women have been killed cycling in and around Oxford since 2017, including two – Ellen Moilanen and Ling Felce – who were killed after being struck by lorries while riding their bikes in the past two months.

One of Cyclox’s trustees, Jake Backus, has published a piece in the Oxford Mail over the weekend, arguing that the apparent tribal conflict between motorists and cyclists is a barrier to securing immediate changes on our roads. 

> MP urges the government to help make Oxford’s roads safer for cyclists 

Like the tribes that formed in the wake of dramatic political events such as Brexit, sparking prolonged waves of often anonymous online vitriol, Backus writes that “people who prefer to cycle and people who prefer to drive have formed their tribes.”

Those tribes, he says, are based on stereotyping the ‘other’: “Cyclists are annoying and don’t obey the rules, and drivers are dangerous, take up a lot of space and cause pollution. Consequently, “cyclists” go through red lights (although not all cyclists go through red lights), and cycle without lights and a helmet. “Vehicle drivers” speed, use their mobile phones (although, again, not all drivers speed or use their phones).

“But the reality is that many people both cycle and drive, and ultimately, some people are just badly behaved (let’s call them idiots).

“You get idiot cyclists and idiot drivers (although idiot drivers tend to be more dangerous to others, while idiot cyclists are most often a danger to themselves).

“So, the debate goes around in circles with little compassion or empathy for each other. Ultimately, we share the same space, and we need to be considerate of one another.

“At the basic level, do we believe in “survival of the fittest” or “survival of the friendliest through cooperation”?”

> Campaigners call for “immediate changes” after cyclist was killed in Oxfordshire 

He continues: “Where is the debate about what is best for society, best for the health and safety of our children and old people, and what is socially equitable and inclusive?

“Ultimately, if we want things to get better, we will need to make changes, since by definition, something needs to change to get better (unless of course you think that others should do all the changing).

“How flexible to change are we? How adaptable are we to alternative futures?

“Whilst it may generate engagement and conflict online, tribalism isn’t helping us to make any progress.

“Maybe one day cyclists and drivers can have their own segregated space, and if more people cycle, then vehicle drivers will also benefit with less congestion. A win-win. Meanwhile, the eighth woman has been killed in Oxford in recent years whilst cycling.

“Let’s make the health and safety of everyone the key priority, share the road considerately, and discuss things in a moderate and empathetic way so that we can agree how best to move forwards – literally.”

What do you think? Is online tribalism one of the main barriers to securing safer roads for everyone?

Ryan Mallon

After obtaining a PhD, lecturing, and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast, Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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78 comments

Avatar
Les Ed | 2 years ago
2 likes

Noticed that Cambridgeshire seemed to be monitoring the post. S o I asked how many motorists had received warning letters etc for close passes after being sent videos by cyclists. So far no response received.

 

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brooksby | 2 years ago
1 like

Nobody else seems to have said anything, so... WTF is going on with those stair-climbing wheel gutter things??

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Steve K replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
3 likes

I assume they are supposed to make it easier to walk bike up or down the stairs.

But regardless of their lack of utility for a cyclist, they also seem to make it impossible for someone who needs to use the handrail to reach it.

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hawkinspeter replied to Steve K | 2 years ago
1 like

Steve K wrote:

I assume they are supposed to make it easier to walk bike up or down the stairs.

But regardless of their lack of utility for a cyclist, they also seem to make it impossible for someone who needs to use the handrail to reach it.

I'd like to see a wheelchair user go up or down them.

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Hirsute replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
2 likes

A good idea on the drawing paper but designed in by someone who hasn't got a bike and didn't think to cross check it with someone who has.

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GMBasix replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
2 likes

hirsute wrote:

A good idea on the drawing paper but designed in by someone who hasn't got a [...]

  • tricycle
  • cargo cycle
  • adapted cycle &/or disability
  • heavier cycle than they can push up a steep incline
  • multiwheel cycle trailer (cargo, child, pet)
  • small child in a child seat on the cycle
  • small child on their own cycle (as well as the adult's cycle)
  • pushchair
  • wheelchair
  • shopping trolley (of the personal variety, rather than the supermarket variety)
  • visual impairement who might trip over the wheel gutters

hirsute wrote:

[...] and didn't think to cross check it with someone who has.

 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
2 likes

I reckon it was designed by a one legged roller-blader

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GMBasix replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
2 likes

Well, it's quite obvious you've never roller-bladed up a wheel gutter on one foot!

It's a death-trap!

(I was legless at the time, mind. The whole thing is loaded with paradoxes and will never be safe)

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
1 like

GMBasix wrote:

Well, it's quite obvious you've never roller-bladed up a wheel gutter on one foot!

It's a death-trap!

(I was legless at the time, mind. The whole thing is loaded with paradoxes and will never be safe)

Bold of you to assume so

//i.guim.co.uk/img/media/8d6fcc3da8ae3cd952aec6c0e039c530cdc088d5/0_233_7000_4200/master/7000.jpg?width=800&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=a7a3956cea2d60be5b3195355bb01246)

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GMBasix replied to hawkinspeter | 2 years ago
1 like

You have quite clearly photoshopped your right skate onto that image!  you were never there!  Shocking fake news!

Incidentally, why does the background tree on the right seem to provide shade in 90° clockwise rotation to everything else?

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hawkinspeter replied to GMBasix | 2 years ago
2 likes

GMBasix wrote:

You have quite clearly photoshopped your right skate onto that image!  you were never there!  Shocking fake news!

Incidentally, why does the background tree on the right seem to provide shade in 90° clockwise rotation to everything else?

Pffft! That's not the tree's shadow, there's a curb there which is throwing some shade.

Pic was lifted from https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2019/feb/14/all-those-90s-rollerblades-ended-up-in-nairobi-where-its-more-than-a-fad in case you want to nit pick anymore.

Avatar
IanMSpencer | 2 years ago
5 likes

"One mistake can be fatal" should be on a permanent heads up display of every car, bus and HGV.

The roads are littered with the debris of driver mistakes - just about every junction has the evidence of past collisions in the gutter.

So right slogan, wrong target.

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chrisonabike replied to IanMSpencer | 2 years ago
4 likes

Good point.  Turning it around to make a positive: our public spaces should forgive mistakes people make.  Translation - we know people make mistakes, we know what kinds of mistakes, so how do we design so the harmful consequences of those mistakes on the author and also others are minimised? We already do this for motor vehicles in many ways but almost only for their occupants.

Going further: as an improvement to "police it better" / make everyone an "advanced driver" - our vehicles and infrastructure should be self-explanatory and guide you in doing what you need to.

https://www.pps.org/article/what-can-we-learn-from-the-dutch-self-explaining-roads

Avatar
Karlt | 2 years ago
2 likes

Re Bedfordshire Police - perhaps a FoI request to find out in how many of the KSIs involving cyclists the items in their victim-blaming advice were actually a factor?

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Rockhopper229 | 2 years ago
0 likes

I think the best way to ensure our roads are safer is to identify what the exact cause of any accident is and legislate on that. If somebody is injured or killed you can't just not blame them if the accident is their fault. This idea that because a certain road user is at most risk so everyone else besides them should be responsible for them is a joke.

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Hirsute replied to Rockhopper229 | 2 years ago
10 likes

If only there were a government department that kept stats on accidents, road users involved and KSIs, but alas.

Your last sentence is false but I'm sure you are fully aware of that.

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chrisonabike replied to Rockhopper229 | 2 years ago
7 likes

I think you have perfectly described the existing system.  We have legislation which exactly captures these issues for not just one offense but several. Certain MPs / Lords are always keen to add ones to address the scourge of cycles and scooters. Driving which "falls below the minimum stanadard expected of a competent and careful driver" and "falls far the minimum stanadard expected of a competent and careful driver".  That's the universe covered and in two different flavours, no?

Also coroners have a system to feed back where they feel that something should be done to prevent future harm.

Phew!  That's everything!

Rockhopper229 wrote:

f somebody is injured or killed you can't just not blame them if the accident is their fault.

Unfortunately that little word - "fault" - is most of the problem and the reason I'm critical of all the parts of our existing system described above. If you're really interested you can even search old road.cc as this has been covered extensively before.  What I personally think would be required is multiple things, all at once: a radical change in focus to consider safety above "traffic flow".  Start following the "sustainable safety" principles.  Eliminate the hazard - roll out a network of separated infrastructure (where needed) with a focus on junctions.  More training for road users - specifically some form of re-tests / refreshers for motorists.  Better enforcement - for most existing offenses you're very likely to get away with it.  Reform of the process of prosecuting theses - currently it's quite likely your case won't come to court, conviction can be difficult and penalties if convicted are small.

Avatar
chrisonabike replied to Rockhopper229 | 2 years ago
7 likes

Rockhopper229 wrote:

This idea that because a certain road user is at most risk so everyone else besides them should be responsible for them is a joke.

That is in fact not a joke but a principle, in several other parts of the law.  Can I interest you in some torts:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eggshell_skull (to be fair that's the unexpected frailty of someone else).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attractive_nuisance_doctrine

(Sure there're plenty more but I am not a lawyer).

To clarify - I'm not responsible for your safety on a bike sitting here behind my keyboard.  I do have some responsibility when I choose (I wasn't forced - I had to get training, get lisenced, insured etc.) to get into a car and drive it.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Rockhopper229 | 2 years ago
8 likes

So Mr "not anti-cycling", who is at fault if a cyclist is ran over by a flat bed truck, the driver stated they didn't see the cyclist because the sun was in their eyes. But then it turned out the cyclists didn't have any lights on at the time. Or their chain was a bit rusty. But hold on, before you blame the cyclist, he was wearing a helmet. 

By the way, I hope you didn't blame Sarah Everard because a Policeman told her to get in a car? 

Avatar
wycombewheeler replied to Rockhopper229 | 2 years ago
4 likes

Rockhopper229 wrote:

I think the best way to ensure our roads are safer is to identify what the exact cause of any accident is and legislate on that.

it's normally the driver that was the cause. It's very rarely the cyclist

I don't think it's unreasonable for the people creating the danger to be responsible for that.  Might as well say everyone else should take responsibility for others wanting to own and use guns in public spaces.

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marmotte27 replied to Rockhopper229 | 2 years ago
2 likes

Kinetic energy of 1.5 t car at the typical speed of 30 mph: 147000 J
Kinetic energy of 85 kg cyclist and bike at typical speed of 13 mph: 2666 J

Which means that all other things being equal the driver is 55 times more repsonsible for any accident. But then you have to add stuff like reaction times, braking distance etc. So on the whole I'd say a driver is at least 100 times more responsible.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to Rockhopper229 | 2 years ago
5 likes

Rockhopper229 wrote:

This idea that because a certain road user is at most risk so everyone else besides them should be responsible for them is a joke.

How ridiculous that people who choose to operate a machine that can kill or maim should have to take responsibility for that choice if it does. Madness.

Well done on reaching twenty posts without a single positive thing to say about cyclists or cycling by the way, your proud 100% record of victim-blaming pro-car trolling remains intact.

Avatar
ktache | 2 years ago
9 likes

First inhaled bug of the year today.

Summer is on it's way!

Avatar
Rome73 replied to ktache | 2 years ago
0 likes

It's when you get one up the nostril that you know Summer has really arrived. 

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wycombewheeler replied to Rome73 | 2 years ago
0 likes

Lukas wrote:

It's when you get one up the nostril that you know Summer has really arrived. 

it woud need breathing apparatus to deal with the mucus

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andystow | 2 years ago
3 likes

More evidence that racing bikes must be equipped with bells.

 

/s?

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Pyro Tim | 2 years ago
7 likes

With Beds police deleting their tweet, does that mean they've taken it on board, or that they just didn't like being called out for it?

 

Still on facebook though

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nosferatu1001 replied to Pyro Tim | 2 years ago
1 like

It'll bounce up again I'm sure. They don't learn. 

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jackojackson05 | 2 years ago
0 likes

As both a cyclist and a driver I totally agree with tribalsm is not helping. Let's start with Jeremy Vine shut the f##* up with the constant whinging and whining. Does not help.

Avatar
Clem Fandango replied to jackojackson05 | 2 years ago
16 likes

Classic of the genre.

As a cyclist myself.....

 

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