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"Richmond Park is just horribly dangerous": Drivers stream past child cycling in the park, + calls for more cycling and walking in Lake District; G wins Dauphiné stage...just; Calls for Highway Code change; Snapped Pinarello + more on the live blog

It's Thursday and Dan Alexander is in the hot seat for all your live blog needs...
Thu, Jun 03, 2021 09:01
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"Richmond Park is just horribly dangerous": Drivers stream past child cycling in the park, + calls for more cycling and walking in Lake District; G wins Dauphiné stage...just; Calls for Highway Code change; Snapped Pinarello + more on the live blogRichmond Park traffic.PNG
03 June 2021, 16:13
Transport solutions to gridlocked traffic at beauty spots...

We put it to you lot...how can we stop beauty spots being mobbed by drivers? The question comes after this morning's video from Richmond Park and the photos from the Lake District over the bank holiday. 

cqexbesd gave it a lot of thought...

Provide a decent bus service, bike hire scheme, train service (that carries bikes). Ban cars entering without permits. Permits available for short periods and long periods. Permits require you scoring enough points (because we all like a good points system). Points for disability and infirmity. Infirmity can be both temporary or permamnet (i.e. through old age, very young age, pregnancy etc). Points for genuinely having to carry a lot of stuff (e.g. tradespeople working in the area). Maybe limited short term permits for full vehicles (i.e. you can drive as long as there are at least 4 people in your car). Points for people who actually live in the area.

The system can be rolled out slowly. Maybe in the beginning you get a few points for living nearby but this tapers off over the years. Every year review how many points are allocated for what and try to optimise a bit more. As public transport networks are improved you can make points harder to get.

Use cameras to catch people who enter without a permit and make them sponsor a bus route or work it off improving the area.

Thoughts? 

03 June 2021, 15:58
Brompton launches Team GB edition...and it's a hell of a lot better than Lord Sugar's shocker

 

Brompton Team GB

When Brompton told us Team GB athletes would be using their bikes this summer our initial thought was 'it's going to be a tough ask setting a team pursuit world record on a folder'...as it turns out, Team GB athletes will actually be using Bromptons to get around the Olympic Village in a "uniquely British" solution to reducing athletes' carbon footprint.

2,020 of the bikes are being made (must have been agreed last year) and will be sold to support current and future Team GB athletes. The model features a custom red, white and blue colour scheme and is covered in Team GB branding. Perhaps unsurprisingly the special edition Brompton pulls off the Union Jack colour scheme a tad more tastefully than Lord Sugar's now-infamous Dogma...

03 June 2021, 15:32
One relieved Welshman...
03 June 2021, 14:52
Gloucestershire cyclist calls for Highway Code changes to give priority to cyclists at roundabouts
John Cornforth.JPG

John Cornfoth suffered a traumatic brain injury and pelvic fractures when he was hit by a driver at a roundabout near Chipping Sodbury in Gloucestershire. The 74-year-old was wearing a high-vis jacket at the time and still suffers mobility issues and an increased risk of epilepsy because of his injuries. John says he is determined to overcome his injuries and has called for a change to the Highway Code to require motorists to give priority to cyclists on roundabouts.

In full, the proposed addition to Rule 186 would state that drivers should give priority to cyclists on roundabouts as they will be travelling more slowly. Drivers should give them plenty of room and should not attempt to overtake them within their lane. Drivers should allow cyclists to move across their path as they travel around the roundabout. Drivers should take extra care when entering a roundabout to ensure that they do not cut across cyclists who are continuing around the roundabout.

John was represented by lawyers at Irwin Mitchell who have been instructed to investigate and help him secure specialist treatment and therapies for his injuries. The driver's insurers have since admitted liability for the crash which involved John, who was already on the roundabout, being hit by a motorist entering from the cyclist's left and leaving him with broken ribs as well as the brain injury and pelvic fractures. John's driving licence was also been revoked for six months due to his increased risk of epilepsy.

"I’ve been a keen cyclist for over 30 years as it’s a great way of keeping fit and enjoying the area and never had any problems," John said. "There was nothing any different about the day of the crash until I was on the roundabout. Then suddenly a car appeared from nowhere. I didn’t have time to react and the next thing I remember was coming round after losing consciousness.

"Ever since that split second life hasn’t been the same. To have your independence taken away was difficult to accept. I was a lot more reliant on my daughter to assist me with day-to-day tasks following my discharge from hospital. I don’t feel comfortable cycling on the road so have given up road-riding and do all my cycling on a turbo trainer.

"Cycling is so popular now so it’s vital that everyone can feel safe on the roads. The proposed changes to the Highway Code will definitely help."

03 June 2021, 14:51
03 June 2021, 14:19
Highways England announces National Bike Week boost for walkers and cyclists in the South West

Highways England has marked National Bike Week by announcing the completion of a local authority project to improve the National Cycleway Network between Cribbs Causeway and Severn Beach, with another scheme nearing completion in Salisbury and another project set to get underway in Plymouth. The improvements were identified by Sustrans and have been constructed by the council to improve connections for cyclists and walkers.

In total, Highways England, the group responsible for England's motorways and major A roads has pumped £1.2million into the project from its 'Users and communities fund'. The finishing touches on the cycle paths are just being done ahead of completion at the end of June and include the installation of solar, energy-efficient lighting.

Highways England's project manager Hannah Sanderson stressed the group's commitment to improving the road network for all road users: "Our work goes beyond operating, maintaining and improving roads. We’re investing in the environment and communities surrounding our network, as well as the people travelling and working on it. We aim to address social and environmental issues and add real value to society."

03 June 2021, 13:54
Geraint Thomas wins Critérium du Dauphiné stage five...just

How's this for a finish? Geraint Thomas just won Critérium du Dauphiné stage five by the barest of margins after a cheeky attack within the final kilometre. As the bunch slowed to a crawl for a 180-degree bend Thomas jumped to the front and attacked. Holding a small gap into the final couple of hundred metres it looked as though the former Tour de France champion thought he had it. 

As Thomas took his hands off the bars to celebrate, Sonny Colbrelli came surging past at seemingly twice the speed leaving the Welshman with his hand on his head...a photo finish showed that the Ineos Grenadiers rider had crossed the line first and Colbrelli is left with an unwanted third second place of the week...

The victory will give Thomas 10 bonus seconds and brings him right back into the GC fold, 14 seconds off the yellow jersey Lukas Pöstlberger. Tomorrow, the peloton goes climbing with the first of three big Alpine mountain days which will decide the race.

03 June 2021, 12:50
03 June 2021, 12:20
It is not just Richmond Park that has traffic problems...

The bank holiday brought bumper crowds to the parks, beaches and National Parks of the UK...unfortunately, with the crowds came the thousands of vehicles that brought them there. Similar to the Richmond Park story from this morning...it has got us thinking...how can we get less people driving to National Parks or local beauty spots?

In Richmond Park's case many have suggested the obvious answer is to enforce a proper ban on through-traffic...Jon Owen wants to see greater investment for bus services in the Lake District to encourage people to leave their cars at home...

03 June 2021, 11:23
MPs and Peers back Bike Week 2021

Members of Parliament and Peers, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson, have backed Cycling UK's Bike Week 2021 by sharing photos and videos of their favourite cycling memories, bikes and rides.

Ruth Cadbury MP, co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cycling and Walking said: "We’re delighted to see so many of our colleagues out and about on their bikes, celebrating all that we love about cycling and supporting Bike Week. 

"I cycle because it's usually the quickest way to get around in outer London. On top of that, on a bike I don't have to worry about finding a parking place or how long the bus is going to take. We’re encouraging people to take part in Bike Week in any way they can."

03 June 2021, 11:21
Read the full story here...
03 June 2021, 10:55
A touch of positivity to balance out the Richmond Park story
03 June 2021, 10:26
Chris Froome's spot at the Tour de France "not self-evident", according to Israel Start-Up Nation sports director
Froome Factor OSTRO VAM Froome Riding

Rik Verbrugghe, one of Chris Froome's sports directors at Israel Start-Up Nation, has cast doubt on whether his rider will even be on the startline for the Tour de France in three weeks' time. Froome has struggled this year and admitted to reporters before the start of today's Critérium du Dauphiné stage that he has no chance of winning the race. Verbrugghe went even further and hinted that the 36-year-old may not even make Israel Start-Up Nation's squad for the race.

"He is a huge champion for whom I have a lot of respect, but his participation in the Tour de France is by no means self-evident," the sports director told La Dernière Heure. "I expect there will be some clarity during this Dauphiné. He has made constant progress since the start of the season, but we would have liked his progress to be more exponential."

Froome finished 93rd on yesterday's TT more than two minutes behind stage winner Alexey Lutsenko and was dropped on the stage won by Sonny Colbrelli. The four-time Tour champion has lost almost six minutes before the race has even reached the high mountains and sits 57th on GC.

Before today's stage, Froome said: "I'm not talking about winning the Tour de France in a few weeks' time, that's for sure. I'm very much focused on just returning back to my former level and taking one step at a time. I don't go from this level to winning the Tour de France in a few weeks."

03 June 2021, 09:52
Tom Pidcock's smashed-up Pinarello

This is apparently the aftermath of Tom Pidcock's training crash on Monday that saw him go under the knife after breaking his collarbone. No amount of surgery is going to fix that Pinarello, unfortunately... 

03 June 2021, 09:09
"Richmond Park is just horribly dangerous": Drivers stream past child cycling in the park

On yesterday's live blog we shared a video from Richmond Park of a van driver dangerously tailgating a cyclist as they overtook another rider. The clip was the latest in a seemingly never-ending series of incidents of people being put in danger while riding in the park. Back in February, a cyclist was taken to hospital following a crash in a 20mph zone which left the driver's vehicle wrecked and some distance off the road...

Now, another clip has summed up what cyclists, particularly those who may be inexperienced riding around traffic, have to deal with when visiting the park. Posted on Twitter by regular Richmond Park contributor The Department of Parks & Recreation, it shows a child cycling along the road while a steady stream of drivers pass in both directions. In fairness, the first driver overtakes near-perfectly: slowing down and indicating before giving plenty of room...after that things start to go downhill...the video ends with two drivers close passing the cyclist filming.

The optics of the child riding alongside so many motor vehicles has once again sparked calls to ban through traffic from the park. Richmond Cycling Campaign said: "That is some spectacularly bad driving at the end. And seeing a child on a bike like that really brings home the 'park not rat run' question."

03 June 2021, 08:08
Tom Pidcock suffers broken collarbone in training crash in Andorra
Tom Pidcock wins Brabantse Pijl.PNG

British wonderkid Tom Pidcock is out of the Tour de Suisse this weekend after suffering a fall while training in Andorra. Since the Ardennes races Pidcock has been doing a mixture of road training and some mountain bike races to prep for the Olympics in Tokyo. Now back in Andorra, the 21-year-old crashed on Monday and underwent surgery in Girona on a broken collarbone yesterday.

"Tom is doing well and is already looking ahead and focussed on his rehabilitation," his coach Kurt Bogaerts explained. "While this means he won’t be able to start at the Tour de Suisse this week as planned, he will get back to training as soon as possible and prepare for the rest of the season."

We'll have the full story for you shortly...

03 June 2021, 07:49
World Bicycle Day celebrations

Happy World Bicycle Day! Hopefully we can all make time for a bike ride to celebrate...India's Minister of State Pratap Sarangi certainly has...

Here are some of the other best World Bike Day posts we've seen so far, from a bumper Belgian critical mass to some recent scenes in Paris...

Dan Alexander

Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

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38 comments

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

Tough one has he had two children with the other one setting off whilst waiting for the first. But yes, probably should be chaperoning the "slower" one with it being a park open to arseholes.

The merc on 12 seconds is telling though (and the following Ford), close to the first cyclist, fully the other side of the road and indicatiing when he realises there is a child ahead. Just a shame we never saw how the last two punishment passers decided to  approach the child. 

Avatar
brooksby | 3 years ago
2 likes

I didn't know that there was a World Bicycle Day...

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OnYerBike replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
0 likes

Without wishing to belittle any of them, there are many World/International Days: https://www.un.org/en/observances/list-days-weeks

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cdamian replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

There are two main Bicycle Days, one of them is on drugs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_Day

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IanMK replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

Just in case I came across any Trolls I thought I'd get my Richard Herring prepared:

https://inews.co.uk/news/uk/richard-herring-international-mens-day-twitt...

I have found reference to a National Car Day in October. tbf, a bit like International Men's Day, I can't find any actual events to celebrate it.

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eburtthebike replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
2 likes

brooksby wrote:

I didn't know that there was a World Bicycle Day...

it's the day the media only talks about electric cars.

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eburtthebike replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
2 likes

brooksby wrote:

I didn't know that there was a World Bicycle Day...

Has there been any coverage, any at all, of this in the UK media?  I know the BBC has spent National Bike Week talking about electric cars, but what about the rest.

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abondncfc replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
0 likes

I was hit by a car in RP in early Feb - dumped on road by a negigent driver - but perhaps evan worse was the deliberate use of a vehcle as a weapon by an idiot in landrover beeping and pushing cyclists off the road up dark hill forcing me to stop. 

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