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news
BBC Radio 4 logo“What drives you mad about cyclists?” Radio 4 presenter criticised for “irresponsible” questions during Highway Code segment
A BBC Radio 4 presenter has been criticised for asking what some have described as “irresponsible” and “poorly judged” questions about cyclists during a segment on the recent revisions to the Highway Code.
On Saturday’s edition of the Today programme, the long-running news and current affairs show, Mishal Husain interviewed Kevin Fong, a doctor and television presenter, and racing driver and motoring journalist Rebecca Jackson about last week’s updates to the Highway Code, which have been the subject of widespread – and often divisive – press coverage.
While both guests generally demonstrated the balance and nuance often lacking in the mainstream media’s coverage of the changes, Husain generated some online controversy by twice asking Jackson: “What annoys you about cyclists?”
These questions prompted a social media backlash, with users taking to Twitter to claim that Husain was encouraging “dangerous driving behaviour” by “trying to push the cycling hate button”.
> Daily Mail publishes "error-strewn" Richard Littlejohn column attacking cyclists
The presenter began the interview by asking Fong if he had noticed any differences on the road since the Highway Code had been implemented and if he had “encountered instances on a daily basis that are dangerous or at the very least irritating and insensitive”.
Fong replied that the principle behind the changes – that the most vulnerable road users should be protected by the least vulnerable – makes sense and that the roads are dangerous for those “who don’t know what they’re doing, so everyone has a responsibility to ensure the safety of cyclists and other road users.”
However, when racing driver Jackson pointed out that her family – like many across the country – cycle as well as drive, Husain asked her: “Be honest, what is it that annoys you, irritates you, drives you mad with cyclists on the road? There must be some.”
“The only thing I do find a little bit irritating is when it’s four-abreast on a country road,” Jackson replied. “It’s great fun to cycle next to your friends and it’s great to have a chat with them.
“The problem is, that really does irritate road users and motorists quite a bit,” she laughed.
“Well, that’s largely out in the countryside,” Husain said. “Though you do see it quite a bit in cities as well, usually at the weekend, often groups of men I have to say.”
> BBC corrects Nick Robinson’s comment that “you cannot use your car” in a low traffic neighbourhood
Trying to maintain his focus on the Highway Code itself, Fong emphasised that the new measures would help protect cyclists and pedestrians, and that improved and safer infrastructure, as well as behavioural change on the roads, was essential to achieving that goal.
Despite the commendable balance of the two guests, Husain continued her line of questioning, asking Jackson: “Apart from the four-abreast, what also drives you mad when you’re driving?”
Jackson, to her credit, once again tried to dodge the question and emphasised that “it is our duty as road users, whether we are a cyclist or a motorist – clearly the hierarchy is important to keep everybody safe – it’s our duty to look out for each other and be kind to each other.”
> Press misrepresents Highway Code changes – just days before they come into force
The segment was heavily criticised online, with Kirsty Lewin taking to Twitter to remind the BBC that “cyclists are killed on our roads” and called on the Today programme to “do better”.
You could have done an equally positive story on cycling this morning in your segment on the #Highwaycode on #R4Today - but instead you blew it and encouraged further aggressive driving towards cyclists. Cyclists are killed on our roads. #DoBetter https://t.co/OdEuSlY4sf
— Kirsty Lewin (@KirstyLewin) February 5, 2022
Another user wrote: “Your item on the Highway Code was poorly judged. The changes explicitly try to improve the dangerous driving that leads to shocking statistics for deaths and injury. It’s vital drivers understand how improved behaviour can change that.
“Trivialising the issue with giggly answers to the twice-repeated question “what annoys you about cyclists?” is adding to the idea that those riding bikes deserve to be bullied or disregarded by those driving high powered vehicles weighing several tonnes.”
“In the interest of ‘balance’ did the presenter also ask a cyclist ‘what annoys you about motorists?’ (‘the fact that some of them appear to want to kill me’ would be one possible answer)”, wrote Jon Sparks. “Or was it just a really stupid and irresponsible question?”
Kay Wagland argued that the segment highlighted the “clear assumption that cyclists are annoying. It didn't ask a cyclist what annoys them about car driving. The Highway Code’s hierarchy of responsibility and vulnerability of highway users is key. Cyclists are at much higher risk and don't damage our streets & climate.”
Another user pointed out the media’s tendency to “pile on to one of the solutions to excessive, unjust and unsustainable exploitation of natural resources. Imagine how powerful it could be if BBC Radio 4 had asked, ‘what do you like best about cyclists?’”
Responding to a tweet which claimed she was “trying to push the cycling hate button”, Husain replied: "No! I am a cyclist."
The updates to the Highway Code, which came into effect last weekend, have filled many column inches over the last month, with a number of news outlets running controversial articles with headlines such as ‘The day cyclists took over the roads’ and 'Bike lane Britain... the Great Leap Backwards'.
Last week, Cycling UK called for a long-term public awareness campaign from the government to help produce a “mindset shift” on British roads and to counteract misleading and divisive reports in the media. The charity says it will take years to fully enforce the revisions to the Highway Code and change “entrenched driving behaviour”.
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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82 comments
I made an official complaint. Here is there ignorant, patronising and wholly inadequate response. I'm angry and depressed;
Thank you for contacting us regarding Radio 4’s ‘Today’, broadcast on 05 February.
We note your concerns about the programme.
Mishal Husain heard from Rebecca Jackson and Kevin Fong about changes to the Highway Code.
In stating “Cyclists are allowed to travel two abreast.”, Mishal was referring specifically to Rule 66. Whilst it previously stated “never ride more than two abreast”, it was not explicitly stated that you could ride two abreast and as such was open to, often incorrect, interpretation with the rule not making clear, in no uncertain terms, “You can ride two abreast”. This was acknowledged by British Cycling e.g.
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/campaigning/article/20220127-Highway-C...
In asking Rebecca Jackson, “Be honest. What is it that does annoy you, irritate you, drive you mad even with cyclists on the road? There must be some?”, Mishal was simply posing a light-hearted question to someone who is both a cyclist and motorist, previously stating “There’s a lot of overlap in my family, because we cycle and we drive and that’s the thing, there are a lot of drivers who are also cyclists”.
It's worth noting that both Rebecca Jackson and Kevin Fong took the questions in the manner they were intended, laughing collectively throughout, however we appreciate you may continue to feel that Mishal’s line of questioning was inappropriate with the potential to cause conflict among road users.
We do value your feedback about this. All complaints are sent to senior management and we’ve included your points in our overnight report. These reports are among the most widely read sources of feedback and ensures that your concerns have been seen by the right people quickly. This helps inform their decisions about current and future content.
Thanks again for getting in touch.
Kind regards,
Andrew Gilfillan
BBC Complaints Team
THEIR!
Well at least the BBC is more honest than the hate-filled Grundian so they'd never just pull some poorly researched crypto documentary without putting their hands up and saying sorry:
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2022/feb/10/bbc-cryptocurrency-documentary-pulled-from-air-at-last-minute
Archived BBC article: https://web.archive.org/web/20220209031903/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-60289028
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Flintshire Boy
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You fired off all those replies
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But didn't respond to anyone
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Why is that ?
Reply "Flintshire Boy":
In winter mist no echo
Wonder why that is?
I have made an official complaint to BBC. Usually love Mishal Husain but she went right down in my estimation. Lazy, thoughtless, clickbaity
It's this sort of bile that encourages the van driver today to ignore the 1.5-metre rule (try less than 50cms) and then brake check me after I gesticulated (no words used) before stopping at the entrance to a roundabout and screaming abuse - I just stared at him. Unfortunately, my video camera's not working otherwise that would have gone straight to Surrey Police...oh wait, they do nothing anyway (despite Roadcc having some sort of stupid love-in).
Sadly you are wasting your time. I have lost count of the times I have complained to the BBC. They always send back a garbled response which says they were correct.
As one of their most famous reporters said, the BBC's complaints process exists solely to exonerate them.
Yep, I did a series of complaints in a variety of forms and never got one to admit that they were at fault (political, simple factual errors, outright lies). The complaints system is a defence mechanism, not a correction or learning system. When they are shown to be wrong, what they do is they refer to an apology made, determine that that is the problem solved and therefore the complaint has no merit.
It is interesting to see the way they summarise their complaints, and recording an apology as a rejected complaint means that their score for valid complaints is a lot better than it should be. They also are the final determiners of whether a complaint is valid, so again adjust their view accordingly.
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Agree. In my experience, poor organisations (such as Al Beeba) think that if they can 'explain' / justify a shortcoming, then that shortcoming / error / mistake does not in fact exist.
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Happilly, such organisation usually die in the end.
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It's great to see that Al Beeba is slowly killing itself.
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Al Beeba is never (EVER) wrong.
And on those few occasions when it really is wrong - well, see Rule 1. above!
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At which point, you can complain to Ofcom.
The BBC using cyclists vs. motorists is not much worse than the right using East Europeans when they can't use race any more, or comedians using ginger people... my ex-wife was ginger and didn't find being the new substitute for racism very funny.
I heard this live. It was shocking. It was the very first question Mishal asked. She then continued to try to get an anti-cycling comment. It was like listening to someone trying to start a fight in a pub, but finding a couple of really nice people who agreed on everything. Incompetent, thoughtless trash journalism.
Dr Kevin Fong, is a well respected clinician & broadcaster, who has first hand experience as part of an air ambulance team who will have treated cyclists injured by or crushed under lorries and other vehicles in cities.
maybe Mishal should have listened to his piece on cycling and the city to do best to research these topics more first https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/b03pjfj3
And this is today's fun and games......
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/feckless-cyclist-mocks-new-highway-26150037
Just pointed out to several commentators on Facebook..... In the clip that is generating all the outrage..... there are 19 cyclists behaving perfectly sensibly.
almost word for word copy from the Sun https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/17551087/cyclist-angers-motorists-takes-... and the Daily Mail though they are doing that weird The Sun says style of reporting for it.
but I mean "feckless" is quite an usual adjective for three independent journalists to have hit upon, dont you think...and all three articles claim the guy riding the bike is taking "full advantage of new rules to ride in the centre of the road".
Ill ignore they mean lane anyway, but why are they claiming these are new rules at all, weve always been able to ride centrally.
I could take a leaf out of Beetlejuice's book..... (sarcasm alert)
It's quite handy how the driver sat for so long behind the cyclist, despite multiple opportunities for them to pass the cyclist. It's quite hand how the driver seemed to have a dashcam..... and it's quite handy how the cyclist managed to complete virtually every single bingo call in one sitting.
I mean it's really convienient that one cyclist did all of that in front of a car driver with a dash cam who wouldn't overtake.
As soon as I saw that video I thought "fake!" Apart from anything else, I can't think of a single London taxi driver who wouldn't have kept up a furious running commentary on "Would you look at this muppet?" lines, who wouldn't have hooted, and who wouldn't have taken one of the several opportunities to overtake. I'd lay good money it was staged.
Of course if it isn't, it proves absolutely bugger all and has nothing to do with the new highway code rules, any more than cyclist camera footage of a drunk driver being an idiot would.
You make some good points - my first thought was that the 'selfie' taking cyclist is actually taking a photo of the taxi driver that is tailgating him - perhaps following some earlier incident which the taxi driver or the Mirror have chosen not to share.
I think they're implying that under the old rules, motorists would just drive straight over cyclists and now they're no longer allowed to do that
I missed this one, sounds more like rather desperate and shabby journalism. Was it an audition for GB News?
Yep, that about sums it up!
I would rather watch the news on GB News than the completely biased British Brainwashing Corporation.
At least they're equal opportunities biased. Both left and right, brexiters and remainers, climate activists and deniers, etc etc, all report that the BBC is biased towards the other side.....
Not sure that the same can be said for GBN
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Have you ever, actually - you know - watched GB News?
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If you had, you couldn't possibly sustain such biased comments.
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I have, its for toxic brainless halfwitted racist gammons. Damn them all to hell.
Why exactly do you "have to say"? In what way is the gender of a rider relevant? Would group rides be more acceptable if they were mixed or women only (which incidentally, around popular cycling areas of London like Richmond Park, they very often are)? This is straight out of the Garbage at Large playbook, pathetic gender-based demonisation as if a group of men on bicycles are the bullies on the roads, not the people who take up the same space as six cyclists on their own whilst operating a polluting and potentially lethal machine.
I listened to it live and to me what was striking was that the question was repeated. To be fair, Jackson didn't really bite, although she opened the door for Husain to throw in about she sees groups of men riding four-abreast around cities (usually at weekends, of course). Not my borough but I find it pretty hard to believe that she sees this regularly around Camden. Husain's attempt to bait the motoring journalist into saying something nasty about cyclists maybe have fallen a bit flat but she could not have made her intention clearer.
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