GB News producer slammed for comparing 20mph speed limits to cyclists requiring stabilisers; “Businesses can’t keep subsidising car dependency,” says Cycling UK; Landismo heads to Belgium; Sepp Kuss does a Hansen + more on the live blog

Ah, Charlotte Gill, we’ve missed you.

The GB News producer has had a pretty interesting year on the live blog when it comes to questionable anti-cycling rants.

Back in January, you may remember, Gill penned an article for the conservative magazine The Critic, criticising a recent study on Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – without actually addressing any of the study’s findings.

Instead, the article was filled with the imaginative, original mutterings of the devout anti-cycling bingo enthusiast, including timeless gems like: “All across the UK, a war is being waged against car drivers”, “a ‘Lycra Lobby’ of cycling activists and eco wonks”, “I don’t drive, enjoy cycling and probably have a relatively low carbon footprint”, “an assault on democracy”…

And then, in March, she argued on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that it’s mums who should stand up and oppose the dreaded Lycra lobby – because they can’t “cart around children” by bike, apparently – a claim swiftly shut down by Bath bicycle mayor, and bike riding carter of children, Saskia Heijltjes.

> “Oh dear, can you imagine being a mum carting around children”: Bath’s bicycle mayor shuts down GB News producer’s claim that mums need cars

And now, as if to mark the passing of another season, Gill has been at it again, this time taking aim at the decision to lower the speed limit on most of Wales’ 30mph roads to 20mph, a reduction that will come into force next month.

The GB News producer was responding to a thread Wales Online journo Will Hayward, who outlined why he believes that the 20mph limit is “a really good bit of policy”.

> Wales set to reduce default speed limit to 20mph in residential areas

“Easily the biggest argument for the 20mph limit is around safety,” Howard wrote. “Imagine a kid runs out into the street and a driver slams on the brakes. At the point a 20mph car would have stopped, a 30mph car would still be doing 24mph.

“Estimates suggest that if all current 30mph limit roads in Wales became 20mph limits, that six to ten lives would be saved and 1,200-2,000 casualties avoided each year.

“But we don’t need to rely on estimates, there are loads of real life examples we can draw from. From 1994 there was a widespread introduction of 20mph zones in Hull, and by 2003, there were 120 zones covering 500 streets.

“In the areas with the 20mph zones there was a decrease in total accidents of 56 percent and in fatal and serious injuries of 90 percent. The biggest reductions were pedestrian casualties, which fell by 54 percent, child casualties, which dropped by 54 percent, and (I think most importantly) child pedestrian casualties, which fell by 74 percent.”

Despite Howard’s use of facts and figures to assess the need for lower speed limits of residential roads, Gill decided to criticise the soon-to-be-implemented 20mph limits in the only way she knows how: by bringing cyclists into it.

I’ve noticed that a lot of cyclists have accidents. I think it’s time they all had stabilisers. It would make them and other people a lot safer. Therefore cyclists need stabilisers nationwide. https://t.co/za2swoPoRR

— Charlotte Gill (@CharlotteCGill) August 14, 2023

“I’ve noticed that a lot of cyclists have accidents,” she wrote in response to Howard’s thread.

“I think it’s time they all had stabilisers. It would make them and other people a lot safer. Therefore cyclists need stabilisers nationwide.”

The future of cycling? According to GB News, anyway…

While some people tried to work out if the producer’s tweet was just another ill-fated attempt at humour (and, hey, as your resident live blogger, I’m hardly one to talk), others were scathing of the head-scratching comparison.

This is without a doubt your best effort to date. 4/10 well done, let's hope you can continue to improve.

— Adie See (@AdieTwo) August 15, 2023

“I don’t think stabilisers would have helped when I was hit from behind at a red light by a taxi,” replied Matthew. “Or another time when a man in a Lexus did the same. Or when someone threw their car door open without looking and sent me to A&E.”

Lots of Scotland is already 20mph, towns, cities, and villages. There’s no negative to making places nicer and safer to live. If drivers r struggling with 20, I bet they struggle with 40s, 50s and National speed limit too.

— James Richards (@MtbSprocket) August 15, 2023

“1,558 deaths in 2021 from cars. 111 from cyclists. Many of which are from being hit by a vehicle,” noted Keith. “Most common cause of car accidents? Not paying attention to surroundings. Perhaps cars should have great big beanbags taped to them. It would make them and other people a lot safer.”

Climate activist Jon Burke added: “Drivers in the UK kill 100 cyclists a year. And 500 pedestrians. 20mph zones save lives, but Charlotte opposes them. LTNs are twice as effective at saving lives as 20mph zones. Charlotte opposes them, too.”

A bike with stabilisers is a 4 wheeled vehicle, right? What you’re really saying is ban bikes - everyone to get about using cars, amiright???

— Le Bête de Londres. (@BastieVelo) August 15, 2023

Meanwhile, others were simply happy that Gill’s tweet provided her typical GB News audience with the opportunity to read Hayward’s stats-focused take on 20mph limits.

Thanks for this truly inane post, made me read Will’s thread which was very worthwhile .

— GracieJ (@IssyJas) August 14, 2023

I'd already bookmarked Will's excellent thread - he'll appreciate you sharing it with your target gammon audience.
These measures make roads safer for *all* users, not just those on 🚲. The potential cost savings of not clearing up after 🚗🚛🛻🚚 collisions are huge.

— EricEatsPickles 🚲 (@EricEatsPickles) August 15, 2023

Well, at least the backlash has temporarily stopped Gill’s seemingly daily anti-cycling hot takes…

Wait, what’s that? She’s still banging on about cyclists?

Some cyclists act as if they deserve a George Cross. They genuinely think they’re brave campaigners on the right side of history cause they put Dave the delivery driver’s business out of joint with a £1 million flowerbed (aka LTN).

— Charlotte Gill (@CharlotteCGill) August 15, 2023

Do you think tight lycra does something to cyclists’ heads? Perhaps some blood flow issues in the parts of the brain processing maths and the fact other people exist.

— Charlotte Gill (@CharlotteCGill) August 15, 2023

I for one am shocked, shocked I tell ya…

When you get a random dude sitting on, taking videos, all the way to the top 🙄🤣 https://t.co/Kor5qvglqv

— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) August 16, 2023

Come on Geraint, Remco would never let some guy with a camera sit on his wheel during training like that, even if it is Laurens De Plus…

> “Let them work and give them their space”: Remco Evenepoel tells amateur to stop following him during interval session 

Tao Geoghegan Hart, Pavel Sivakov, and now Dani Martínez, all heading for the Ineos exit door in January – what’s going on?

After three great years, we can confirm that @danifmartinez96 will be departing the team at the end of the current season.

Always a Grenadier, we’re looking forward to finishing the year off strongly, together 💪 pic.twitter.com/DWEhH0pF9Y

— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) August 16, 2023

Well, at least the few remaining riders will be able to spend all that extra budget on some funky distracting gadgets for their Grenadier 4x4…

Iranian cyclist Mohammad Ganjkhanlou has disappeared in Glasgow, with reports suggesting he has been granted asylum in the UK amidst the current political and civil turmoil in Iran.

The 26-year-old raced last Friday’s men’s elite time trial in Stirling, finishing 66th, 17 minutes slower than winner Remco Evenepoel, but is reported by the head of Iran’s Cycling Federation, Rasoul Asadi, to have gone missing after leaving his hotel on Saturday night.

“The investigation is ongoing and I hope he is found as soon as possible,” Asadi, who was scheduled to fly back to Iran with Ganjkhanlou on Sunday, told the Tehran Times.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Mohammad ganjkhanlou‌ (@mohammad_ganjkhanlou)

During the world championships in Glasgow, Ganjkhanlou wrote on Instagram that he had, like several riders from Eritrea, experienced difficulties with the UK’s visa application process, forcing him to miss the road race and some track events. He also thanked Asadi in the post, saying the Iranian cycling chief “did his best to make sure I didn’t miss out on the world championships”.

A gold medallist in the scratch race at this year’s Asian Games, the 26-year-old is reported to have been granted asylum in the UK, as civil unrest continues in Iran in the wake of the death in police custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly wearing her hijab “improperly”. Over 500 people have been killed during the ten months of protests that have followed her death.

At last year’s Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, 17 participants, including 13 athletes, were reported missing, with the majority of those seeking asylum representing Sri Lanka.

Cambridge’s long-held status as the bike theft capital of the UK – a position aided by the city’s high prevalence of cycling – is no more, according to police and crime commissioner Darryl Preston.

The commissioner’s annual report, reported by the Cambridge Independent, shows that bike theft in Cambridge – which, it was estimated in 2021, costs residents more than £1.5 million a year – has fallen by 30 percent over the past year, and 60 percent since 2019, when over 4,000 bikes were reported stolen in the city.

> “It makes you feel powerless” – victims in UK's bike theft capital share their frustrations

“Cambridge city was the bike theft capital of the country. However, following some targeted police officer activity and partnership support, Cambridge has now moved out of the top five with a 60 percent drop in cycle thefts in the city and train station when comparing 2022 with 2019 – a hugely welcomed improvement,” Preston said in his report.

The commissioner added: “The constabulary has now recruited over 500 police officers – exceeding government expectations. We now have a record 1,732 fully warranted officers spread across our county, bolstering our local policing teams.

“Road safety is an ongoing priority and I continue to invest in grassroots operations to tackle your road safety concerns providing extra resources for the Chief Constable to enable our special constabulary to deliver more enforcement.”

The “huge cost” of repairing vandalised low-traffic neighbourhood (LTN) schemes — introduced to improve air quality and boost active travel — has been revealed by councils in London.

A Freedom of Information (FOI) request found that the bill for repairing vandals’ work has now exceeded £850,000, with Hackney's council paying almost £400,000 for repairs. Lambeth had the second biggest repair bill, spending £310,000.

Read more: > Repair bill tops £850,000 for councils fixing vandalised low-traffic neighbourhoods

Thoughts/Comments?

An Edinburgh councillor has expressed her disappointment at Leith Walk’s “extremely light” bicycle racks – that she claims can be “easily unscrewed” and hoisted up in the air. Local Scottish Green Party councillor Susan Rae has joined other cyclists in the city to demand better infrastructure to provide safe parking for people with bikes, and warned that the recently installed stands will lead to an increase in bike thefts in the area.

However, the council told road.cc earlier this month that the bike stands “meets design requirements”.

Read more: > “They are supposed to keep bikes safe”: Councillor disappointed at “extremely light” cycle racks leading to bike thefts