09/01/2020, 16:40
Ever get that nagging feeling that you've set off on a ride without something?
09/01/2020, 16:31
Crap cycle lane in Harrogate
Writing in the comments, HarrogateSpa draws our attention to this striking piece of work.
“My best guess is that it's for people who are fine about cycling along the A61 with no cycle path, but too frightened to stay on the road at the roundabout. I reckon that's a small demographic.”
More words and photos here.
09/01/2020, 16:27
Those who can, do; those who can't...
To the learner driver and their instructor today that close passed me with the horn blaring. I hope you fail. pic.twitter.com/61WE2uxYGc
— Jake (@jakey_stewart) January 9, 2020
09/01/2020, 16:25
Deceuninck Quick Step are prepared
When the @deceuninck_qst team even takes a croque-monsieur toaster to aerotesting, you know they ‘ve thought of everything. pic.twitter.com/XrIPIaWSZQ
— Stijn Steels (@StijnSteels) January 9, 2020
09/01/2020, 16:06
Why don't police crack down on mobile phone use at the wheel?
From the force that brought us Operation Close Pass, it's Operation Top Deck.
#OpTopDeck | We've gone viral with this video we released way back in 2018 showing how we used buses to catch motorists using their phones. The clip's surfaced again and has had 3.4m views in a few days. Loads of people are asking us about it, so here's a thread explaining all! pic.twitter.com/ckibHTJCrP
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) January 9, 2020
09/01/2020, 15:58
Crap cycle lane element in Manchester
Even an otherwise reasonable cycle lane can have its failings.
In the comments below, CygnusX1 writes:
This is my submission - actually quite a nice 2 way protected cycle lane alongside the A56 in Manchester, but if like me you wish to continue along the A56 at this point (rather than continuing along the cycle lane which now follows the side road off to the right) it spits you out in an awkward location:
https://goo.gl/maps/5kffxU6PUyZzDaJ98
There's actually the remains of some green paint just in front of the island in the middle of the side junction, so you're supposed to hop over to there, but then where do you go?
1. Carry on along the pavement on the right, and eventually get back onto the road somewhere after the railway bridge (perhaps using the pedestrian crossings just outside of Deansgate station .
2. Ride on the wrong side of the road until you can get past the island protecting the right turning traffic and merge with the two lanes of rush hour traffic heading into Manchester centre.
3. Use the refuge for traffic turning right the wrong way. You have to navigate quite a large turning angle due to the kerbing from a standing start, soneed to pick your gap in a near constant stream of two lanes of traffic.
Personally, I opt for number 3.
09/01/2020, 15:48
Tesla driver flossed his teeth while using ‘Autopilot’ at 84mph
He's been charged with careless driving.
A 58 yr old Tesla driver was stopped by #Burlington OPP in #OakvilleON, using autopilot while using both hands to floss teeth and going 135km/hr. Charged careless ^kw#ArriveAlive#lookmanohandspic.twitter.com/zPK34AmVPJ
— Sgt Kerry Schmidt (@OPP_HSD) January 8, 2020
Tesla tells drivers to keep their hands on the steering wheel when the semi-autonomous ‘Autopilot’ feature is engaged.
In 2018, a Tesla on Autopilot crashed into police car in California.
A year earlier a Stanford University robotics researcher said the firm’s technology displayed a frightening inability to recognise cyclists.
After testing the feature along with a colleague, Heather Knight recommended that it never be activated when cyclists are around as she believes people would be killed.
09/01/2020, 14:43
“Selfish” cyclist holds up truck driver… according to the truck driver
This video features a Dublin truck driver whining swearily about a cyclist who he says is ‘holding him up’. (It’s a long video, but the link should take you to the relevant bit from about 22 minutes in.)
“There’s absolutely no reason why that cyclist can’t be on the canal,” says the truck driver, referring to a cycle path off to the right.
No reason? Maybe he wants to turn left and wants to be in a position where he can do this without going miles out of his way to cross the railway line.
Or maybe he doesn’t want to get assaulted.
When the truck driver gets caught at the next set of lights, the cyclist receives a volley of abuse as he overtakes him.
Strikingly, the description under the video on YouTube says, “Special thanks to Garda Philip Earl for the permission to post this.”
(Thanks to John for point this video out to us.)
09/01/2020, 14:27
Barrow cyclists to be fined for riding in the pedestrianised area of the town centre
Barrow’s having a crackdown on cyclists.
The Mail reports that police have started issuing £50 fines.
Speaking earlier this week, PC Emmie Doughty of Barrow Police said: “In a nutshell, cycling has been banned on the pedestrianised area in the town centre for some time.
“We have been aware of complaints that have been made to us about people cycling and a recent accident which involved an elderly female being run over and sustaining some serious injuries.
“As part of the force wide week of action we have added this issue to the list of things we are dealing with this week.
“This is not a one week event but will be a sustained focus going forward. We have decided to advise people for the first couple of days and then take enforcement action.
“Anyone found to be contravening this will receive a £50 fine.”
09/01/2020, 13:54
A crap cycle lane near Towcester
09/01/2020, 12:30
Video: Documentary tracks GB Paralympian as she attempts to beat the LEJOG world record
Mel Nicholls suffered a series of strokes as a young woman. She was left unable to walk or use much of the left side of her body following the third one in 2008.
In June 2019, she set out to break the world record for handcycling from Land’s End to John O'Groats.
Dream Big from Friction Collective Film on Vimeo.
09/01/2020, 12:26
Crap cycle path in the West Midlands
Tried to follow this one to avoid the dual carriageway A45 between Birmingham and Coventry - even more overgrown now so had to turn back. pic.twitter.com/ryDxUN4ZaQ
— Andrew White (@pixeltrix) January 9, 2020
09/01/2020, 12:16
Crap cycle lane in Urmston
Robert took this shot a while back when leaves made things extra dangerous.
He provided us with a StreetView link as well where you can also see the few metres of cycle path on the opposite side of the road.
09/01/2020, 11:17
Is bike clamping on private land legal?
Regarding the incident below, car clamping on private land has been illegal in England and Wales since 2012. However, that law constantly refers to ‘vehicles’ and so may not apply to bicycles. Indeed the press release about it was headed “Greater rights for motorists”.
This 2017 Guardian piece looked at “the insidious creep of pseudo-public space in London” – basically squares and parks that seem public but which are actually owned by corporations.
These sites are not subject to ordinary local authority bylaws but are instead governed by restrictions drawn up the landowner and enforced by private security companies.
09/01/2020, 11:04
Another bike clamped in London Bridge City
A couple of months ago, we reported how a cyclist’s bike had been clamped in London Bridge City, a development on the south bank of the River Thames owned by the Kuwaiti sovereign wealth fund.
The development includes the 13-acre More London shopping area and Nigel has got in touch with road.cc to say his bike was clamped there yesterday - even though there are no signs indicating you aren’t permitted to lock your bike up.
“I just got back from a coffee with a friend near the Tooley Street exit of London Bridge station,” said Nigel. “When I came out of the cafe I found my bike had had an extra lock placed on it in the hour I was in the coffee shop.
“On this lock I was told to phone a number to get it released, and the tag giving these instructions had the branding of the local council on it. I phoned the number and was told someone would be along shortly to unlock my bike: 20 minutes later a perfectly amenable chap showed up (albeit with the wrong key at first) and unlocked my bike, saying that I can't lock my bike there.
“For context ‘there’ was around a tree, out of the way. When I told him that there were no signs up in the area suggesting that you couldn't lock your bike up or that doing so would risk having it temporarily impounded, he responded: ‘Yeah, this is private property and the owners don't want to put any signs up because then they'd have to hire guards to police it’ – ignoring the fact that the owners are clearly happy to hire people to arbitrarily lock up bikes, then come back to unlock them, or that wasting 20 minutes of my time was a bit of an inconvenience. (Thankfully it wasn't raining and I wasn't in a rush to get anywhere). I should also note that I was not fined.
Nigel added: “I feel like this sort of behaviour clearly shouldn't happen: by all means put up a sign warning cyclists not to park bikes in the area, but don't come along and lock up people’s private property for no good reason without due warning.”
The photo above is how Nigel found his bike (after he took his own lock off).
09/01/2020, 09:52
Crap cycle lane in Wiltshire
Wiltshire council spent ten grand on this 17-metre masterpiece in Trowbridge.
09/01/2020, 09:43
Near Miss of the Day: Pro edition
Marco Mathis coming down Puig Major in Mallorca, as shot by Rick Zabel.
It's a particularly nasty bend, according to my colleague Liam.
09/01/2020, 09:31
Crap infrastructure in Reading
We’re always keen to see laughable cycle lanes and Julian from Reading has sent us two corkers.
He told us: “The first one’s a cracker, being three metres long, straight into a pavement and metal barrier, with huge tree roots raising the cracked tarmac.
“You then need to somehow cross the three-lane roundabout it vomits you into.”
We can't help but notice the branch of Evans in the background having spoken to the disgruntled staff member behind the Make Evans Great Again Instagram account earlier this week.
Here's Julian's other submission.
Feel free to send your own examples to info at road.cc.