An oft-overlooked bonus of installing more cycling and walking infrastructure everywhere is that, besides the obvious health and climate benefits, pavements and cycle lanes can also occasionally double up as useful emergency bus lanes…
Well, at least that’s what this rather reckless bus driver in south Dublin assumed yesterday morning, when they decided to undertake a queue of traffic – by simply driving with two wheels on the cycle lane and the other two mounting the footpath:
So there I was, sitting in traffic that was stopped between Rathfarnham and Terenure when a Dublin Bus went past me on the inside, in the pavement and bicycle Lane. 11am today. @dublinbusnews@TFIupdates@Dept_Transport@IrishTimes@IrishSunOnline@irishdailymailpic.twitter.com/pfwdpXLC1s
— Kevin Gorman (@KevGor64) November 8, 2022
Now, we see some horrendous examples of dangerous driving here at road.cc, but this is truly astonishing stuff.
The terrifying nature of the motorist’s manoeuvre, undertaken on a residential row lined with houses, is underlined by the appearance of a cyclist in the bike lane mere seconds after the bus – which appears to be out of service – passes, while the bus driver is soon forced to re-join the road by the presence of a motorist pulling out of an adjoining road.
While fortunately there have been no reports of any collisions or injuries following the bus driver’s bike lane-footpath detour, the clip – uploaded to Twitter by a driver stuck in the queue – has sparked quite the reaction online:
This is actually one of the scariest things I've ever seen on the roads https://t.co/9TMEwEzKbQ
— Claire Barry-Murphy (@RulesCbm) November 9, 2022
Why even bother calling them foot paths 😮
— Niamh Nic Oistigín (@axisofneevil) November 9, 2022
Wild shit by a @dublinbusnews driver.
Reminded that they wouldn’t let drivers cycle their routes to experience what it’s like to share road space with a bus because they felt it was too dangerous for themselves. Guess some’re just doubling down on being dangerous drivers now. https://t.co/DDTL8qprD3— Normal Name November Dave (@WaveyArt) November 9, 2022
Cycling in Dublin is exciting https://t.co/FD0twqGM68
— Ian Brunswick (@ianbrunswick) November 9, 2022
Careless and dangerous driving!! Using both paths for pedestrian and cycling with that speed what if a child run out one of the houses!! Ridiculous.
— ُMuََhamَّmadْ (@m_o_h_mmad) November 9, 2022
Bloody Cyclists! https://t.co/QxZZanVQxk
— Alan (@Alan_Kelly) November 9, 2022
Of course, there’s always one:
And by best you mean breaking the law and endangering people
— Simon Boyne (@Dub324) November 8, 2022
We support the need for continually improving cycle infrastructure BUT I am appalled at those @BristolCycling campaigners who couldn’t even wait until the break to leave and walked out on the important words from Alun Davies MBE on the work of Disability Equality Commission. 👎🏻 pic.twitter.com/zvpKOoc2fZ
— Cllr Nicola Beech (@nicolabeech) November 8, 2022
A councillor in Bristol has been accused of “petty point scoring” and of conducting a “smear campaign” against cycling campaigners in the city, who she criticised for leaving a council meeting – which discussed the potential for a new cycling plan for Bristol – once the debate had finished.
Last night, Bristol City Council debated a petition by the Bristol Cycling Campaign calling on the local authority to take action to make cycling safer in the city by publishing an updated Bristol Cycling Delivery Plan.
The plan, the petition says, “should include the creation of a comprehensive network of protected cycle lanes connecting all parts of the city” and should guarantee that “existing cycle lanes must not be removed” (something the council was roundly criticised for during the summer) but instead upgraded to national standards.
“Ask yourself, can an unaccompanied 10-year-old cycle to school safely, and will their mum or dad ride to work or the shops?” Bristol Cycling Campaign’s Nick Davies told the Bristol Cable this week. “If the answer is yes, then it’s good enough. If not, it needs improvement.”
The petition also demanded that the delivery plan “should include a strategic city-wide approach to secure cycle parking both in residential areas (cycle hangars) and at transportation hubs and destinations to contain the rampant bike theft that is occurring.
“Additionally, it should include schemes to increase cycling participation like cycle training, safe cycle routes to schools, a cycle loan programme.”
To conclude the thread, here's the full text of our speech! We hope the mayor and cabinet member will take our petition seriously in their response. We'll post it when we have it.
Thanks for following 🧡 pic.twitter.com/OkeYqWMRva— Bristol 🧡 Cycling (@BristolCycling) November 8, 2022
The petition has attracted almost 3,900 signatures, which led to it being debated in full by the council yesterday evening (though, oddly, there was confusion in the local press prior to the meeting concerning the extent of Bristol’s safe cycling infrastructure, with the local authority claiming the city contains 75 miles of protected bike lanes, while the Bristol Cycling Campaign says that the number actually falls somewhere between two and five miles. So, six of one…).
During the debate (which is summarised in this Twitter thread), most councillors seemed generally supportive of the campaign’s aims, though there was disagreement over the feasibility and urgency of any comprehensive scheme.
Cllr Alexander also told us he spends a "disproportionate" amount of his time on cycling. We're not sure what has come of that.
— Bristol 🧡 Cycling (@BristolCycling) November 8, 2022
However, one councillor in particular took the opportunity to criticise the cycling campaigners – not for their proposals, but for leaving the meeting early.
Labour councillor Nicola Beech, the Cabinet Member for Planning, City Resilience and Flooding tweeted during the meeting: “We support the need for continually improving cycle infrastructure BUT I am appalled at those Bristol Cycling campaigners who couldn’t even wait until the break to leave and walked out on the important words from Alun Davies MBE on the work of Disability Equality Commission.”
Last night, Bristol Cycling Campaign apologised for the disruption, noting that its members were not aware that a break had been scheduled as part of the meeting:
Thank you - you don’t need to apologise to me. The disappointing reality is I think your members would have really benefited hearing the disability commissions report and the challenges disabled people are facing across Bristol. You could link up with @BDEFbites to get more info.
— Cllr Nicola Beech (@nicolabeech) November 8, 2022
Noted & sorry it came across that way.
(though also able to catch up later on the subsequent parts of the session)
For myself & others it was the first time attending in person - I certainly wasn't aware there was a break coming.
Glad to have been there.
👍— Tom Bugs (@BugBrand) November 8, 2022
Of course people can leave no-one is held here against their will. I am and was just incredibly disappointed at how the public gallery cleared out
— Cllr Nicola Beech (@nicolabeech) November 8, 2022
Others, however, weren’t too pleased with the councillor’s criticism of the campaigners’ early exit, which one Twitter user described as “petty point scoring”:
Maybe it’s because the the single issue that’s SO important, that labour have completely failed on, that caused a public demonstration about lack of action on…. Had already been discussed? You show a shocking lack of respect for my life by removing cycle lines!
— Benjamin Nathan (@foxbenbath) November 8, 2022
"APPALLED" not the best use of language looks like petty point scoring - seems like a misunderstanding doesn't it?
Your tweet is very "REES" like seems like whoever is running the meeting didn't explain.
Take issue with them not people who gave up their time to make a statement
— Totterdown, Bristol (@Totterdown_) November 8, 2022
It did seem like an unnecessary attempt to demean a group of people who had just gone out of their way to simply ask to feel safe when cycling around the city...
— Pete Hughes (@barefeet_living) November 8, 2022
Watching online, I didn’t sense any real passion from Labour to do even the bare minimum. Other parties voiced far greater commitment. Is it fair to direct your ire towards @BristolCycling? I was appalled that Cllr Alexander failed to respect the chair and overran.
— Martin F, Anti-Tory Coalition, pro-Europe (@martin_frasehog) November 8, 2022
Also, Nicola you are an elected representative getting c. £40k a year to attend these meetings. Community campaigners are attending unpaid, in their own time , so shall we give them the freedom to decide when they choose to leave?
— Mike Oldreive (@MikeOldreive) November 8, 2022
Apt. A Smear Campaign for absolutely no reason.
Thank you, @BristolCycling ! I’m sorry the administration is so petty.
I am appalled at the cycling infrastructure. They act as if their children will never cycle on these streets. https://t.co/aWaTgKqOw9pic.twitter.com/0k96qkARok
— Joanna Booth (@stillawake) November 8, 2022
While no vote took place on last night’s petition, the council is obligated to write a response to the Bristol Cycling Campaign concerning the its intended course of action within the next two weeks.
A week after Nairo Quintana has lost his Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) appeal against his disqualification from this year’s Tour de France for an infringement of the in-competition ban on tramadol, the Colombian has been joined on the painkiller naughty step by another of the sport’s big names (by that, I mean his name is 17 letters long).
The UCI confirmed today that 35-year-old Ukrainian journeyman Mykhaylo Kononenko – whose teams have included the well-known fan favourites Kolss BDC, the Shenzhen Xidesheng Cycling Team, and Sakarya BB – tested positive for tramadol at September’s road world championships in Wollongong.
Alanya’da yapılan Uluslararası Side Manavgat bisiklet yarışmasını 2. tamamladık 🤗
Sporcumuz Mykhaylo Kononenko’yu başarısından dolayı tebrik ediyoruz 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 pic.twitter.com/mQpoJCsAcA
— Sakarya Büyükşehir Belediyesi (@Sakaryabld) March 20, 2022
> Nairo Quintana loses appeal against Tour de France disqualification for tramadol infringement
As was the case with Quintana, infringements of the in-competition ban on using tramadol are offences under the UCI Medical Rules. They do not constitute anti-doping rule violations and are instead viewed as necessary to protect riders’ health.
Therefore, Kononenko will not be banned from competition but will simply be stripped of his 43rd place in the worlds time trial.
Those pesky positive tests, robbing cycling fans of their precious memories…
Staff who work at two hospital sites in Hull are being encouraged to cycle to work through the installation of two new secure bike compounds, totalling £180,000.
The two-tier racks will be situated at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, and will each be able to hold 100 bikes, the BBC reports.
Shower blocks with changing facilities will also be opened by the end of the year alongside the compounds, as part of the trust’s plans to promote active travel.
Alex Best, from Hull University Teaching Hospitals and head of capital for the trust, said the new cycle storage facilities – which he says will be totally secure from “gangs of thieves” – will be a “major asset” to staff thinking about commuting to work by bike.
This lovely letter popped into the road.cc inbox this afternoon, presumably in response to our story on that terribly contentious cycle hangar in Brighton (though, to be honest, who really knows for sure these days?):
It's about time these money grabbing assholes got a life and stopped screwing the motorist!! I read that parking permits in Brighton are based on the vehicle's VED, what asshole came up with that! I live in Leeds and we have a car hating city council, what was an easy city to drive in is now strangled by bloody cycle lanes! THAT ARE NOT USED!!
Can’t beat a touch of shouty All Caps at the end of an email, can you?
The 33-year-old Dutchwoman, who won the 2020 Tour of Flanders and the following year’s Strade Bianche, is the latest female pro to take time out of racing to start a family, following in the pioneering wheel tracks of Lizzie Deignan (who is currently on maternity leave following the birth of her second child) and Elinor Barker, who returned to the peloton in October after having her first child in March.
Van den Broek-Blaak had initially planned to retire following the 2022 classics campaign, but changes to the rules concerning maternity leave in the Women’s WorldTour have convinced her to balance parenthood with her career, and at the start of this year she penned a new deal with SD Work until 2024.
We just can’t get rid of him, can we?
Like a bad smell emanating from a broken freezer in Madrid, the now-retired former world champion Alejandro Valverde will still be hanging around the peloton in 2023.
The 42-year-old Spaniard, who hung up his wheels after two tumultuous decades as a pro cyclist at Il Lombardia last month, will continue to be employed by Movistar – the team where he spent the vast majority of his racing career – as a key staff member for next season and beyond.
Speaking at the Saitama Criterium in Japan, Valverde told Spanish sports daily AS that his role will primarily involve him liaising between riders, directors and coaches at a squad which, as any avid viewer of Movistar’s Netflix series will know, is famed for its rather murky lines of communication.
The four-time Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner will also be present at all three grand tours, in the team bus and in the car, and will take part in altitude training camps alongside his new charges.
Valverde’s very hands-on job responsibilities have led some to speculate that it’s all part of a cunning ruse to ease the 2009 Vuelta winner back into the bunch next year, perhaps even in a Graeme Souness or Ruud Gullit-style player-manager role…
Me arse. Valverde isn't retiring at all is he?https://t.co/SOPg76iIcohttps://t.co/8hKEd0LEyG
— Cillian Kelly (@irishpeloton) November 9, 2022
He will be racing by April
— William Fotheringham (@willfoth) November 9, 2022
Cycling arrives at the Player Manager role... like... https://t.co/5DQqhVhabqpic.twitter.com/Kl0BuPJtpD
— Rich Mitch (@rich_mitch) November 9, 2022
I can just see that last-minute call-up to the Tour de France now…
A cycling club in Brighton has been criticised for turning a local park into what one councillor has described as a “dangerous mud bath” following a cyclocross race at the weekend.
Over 300 mud and knobbly tyre enthusiasts ventured to East Brighton Park on Sunday for round eight of the London X League series, hosted by Brighton Mitre Cycling Club.
Last week’s heavy rain ensured the course turned – as the best cyclocross courses tend to – into a particularly brown, mud-spattered affair. So brilliant fun, then.
However, while both Brighton and Hove City Council and British Cycling (who inspected the course beforehand) were happy for the race to go ahead, despite the grisly conditions, some locals and an East Brighton councillor have slammed the event’s organisers, who they argue have turned the park into a “mess”.
“Brighton Mitre Cycling Club, can you please explain why you felt it appropriate to go ahead with this cyclocross event on the wettest week in recent history?” wrote one local on Facebook.
“With the water table being completely saturated it was inevitable that East Brighton Park would turn into a mud bath with 400 wheeled participants winding their way around our beautiful park.
“I know it will recover, this is besides the point – other park users now have to navigate and look at the mess you’ve left behind. I hope it was worth it.”
Councillor Nancy Platts, who helps organise the weekly Park Run event in East Brighton Park, said she was “disappointed” that the race was given the green light, and has claimed that several residents have approached her to express their “shock” at the state of the park.
“It’s council land, so my understanding is that normally if the council thought it was going to be dangerous or that it was going to cause damage they could say it can’t go ahead because the weather is too bad. They could have done that,” Councillor Platts told Brighton and Hove News.
“Perhaps the organisers themselves could have looked at the ground and said, ‘We’re going to call it off’. During the Park Run event we reverse the course during winter so we don’t use the areas where it gets really muddy so people don’t fall over.
“The risk is now that it’s already such a quagmire that it starts to get dangerous because too many people will slip. I’ve had loads of people write to me because they normally walk their dog, kids use the park and we’ve got fitness groups who regularly use the park and massive areas of it now are just mud.
“I just don’t think it’s acceptable to turn the park into that mud bath and I think a lot of people are really shocked by it.”
Clare Johnson, from Brighton Mitre Cycling Club, responded to the concerns raised by the councillor and said she hopes that the club and the council can work together to ensure that the race – and other events in the park – can continue in the future.
“The feedback from the participants, including many local children, was fantastic as was that from local businesses involved in the event (such as the café) so we’re very disappointed if our event has a negative impact upon other events that take place in the park,” the cyclist said.
“Cycling is a fun and healthy activity which should be encouraged but so too is Park Run and given a lot of our members are also park runners, we want to be able to coexist happily in the same space.
“The last time this event was held at East Brighton Park was also in the autumn in wet conditions but while there was some damage to the grass, it was not as widespread as on this occasion. That said, there were also complaints after the previous event about the state of the grass but, then as now, the grass will return faster than people realise.
“Ultimately, there will always be a risk of some short-term damage to grass from any event that sees large groups of people congregate in a small space – concerts, Pride, and team sport fixtures, such as the Rugby pitch in Hove Recreation Ground, and it’s a case of getting the balance correct between the enjoyment of each event and subsequent park use.
“As for any future events, we would welcome the opportunity to work with the council and any other stakeholders to ensure it can continue in a sustainable way, for example holding the event earlier in the year when there is a higher chance of dry conditions.
“The council has indicated that there will be a small additional charge to cover some of the cost of ground repairs.”
A council spokesperson apologised to residents affected by the race’s aftermath but noted that the damage was largely “superficial”.
“We understand the concerns people are feeling about the paths at East Brighton park following the cycling event at the weekend,” the spokesperson said.
“We gave serious consideration to calling the event off because of the weather. But we decided it should go ahead because it was a very valued and popular charity event that enabled hundreds of people young and old to enjoy the outdoors and improve their health and wellbeing.
“We know the paths now need some repair and we apologise to park users who are being affected by this. We will need to do some repair work and this will take place when the ground is drier.
“But ultimately the damage is relatively superficial and the grass land and paths will recover. Our parks are for residents and visitors to enjoy and there is space for everyone.”
I took this photo while @UranRigoberto did this video 😍 pic.twitter.com/pJNVDecNo3
— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) November 8, 2022
Pro cyclists also on holiday:
Pogacar na Colômbia 🇨🇴 pic.twitter.com/Uc8NoQ4h54
— País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) November 8, 2022
Now, well-known cycling YouTuber Benji Naesen – the co-host of the Lanterne Rouge podcast– came in for some flak earlier this year for undertaking some (secret) freelance tactical analysis work for Tour de France winners Jumbo-Visma…
But while Cycling Twitter™ has appeared to have forgiven him for that spot of double jobbing, it seems that Benji may have finally crossed the line with this morning’s highly dubious culinary opinion:
The only correct way to eat a roast dinner is with mayo.
— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) November 9, 2022
Coming over here, eating our food, criticising our condiments pic.twitter.com/7MFjtpV5z8
— Dan Deakins (@DanDeakins) November 9, 2022
We need Elon to step in and cancel Benjis food takes
— Nathan (@nathanjc8) November 9, 2022
News editor Dan is suitably apoplectic about Benji’s typically Belgian take on roast dinners, and is currently putting together a petition for the podcaster to be cancelled (steady on Dan…).
But with Elisa Longo Borghini firmly established as the peloton’s foremost defender of all things Italian cuisine, surely our very own Lancashire hotpot Hugh Carthy can step up to fulfil a similar role for the UK’s stodgy delicacies?
At this point, I’ve scared more British people off this platform than Elon Musk ever could. 😅
— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) November 9, 2022
While Dan covered the latest deranged episode of ‘Small Boy vs. Big Chunk of Metal: Who’s in the Wrong?’ in full yesterday, this particular comment – a response to West Midlands Police’s Mark Hodson (who happens to know a thing or two about road safety) – still managed to jump out amongst a crowded field:
The road is for cars he should of given way to be safe
— Sowd 🍂 (@SowdenLFC) November 4, 2022
Not sure if the attitude or grammar annoys me more 😂 https://t.co/YEA82CKMlb
— 🚴🏻♂️Ralpha (aka Phil)🚴🏻♂️ (@2wheelsnot4) November 9, 2022
The good news is that I did my first cyclocross ride in years today.
The bad news is that I broke my ankle at the tibia after 20 minutes.
More bad news: the UCI masters world championships will have to wait another year.
More good news: no dancing. pic.twitter.com/3YsQZTVk5g
— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) November 8, 2022
So, it turns out that the dreaded curse of the off-season training crash can even affect retired pro cyclists, cruelly denting their diligent winter preparation for those all-important 2023 goals…
Which, in the case of GCN presenter Dan Lloyd – who broke his ankle 20 minutes into an off-road spin on the cyclocross bike yesterday – means upping his TikTok dancing game, of course.
I imagine the scene was somewhat similar to when another British stalwart of the noughties and early 2010s tried his hand at the unforgiving world of ‘cross:
Luckily for Dan, however, his flamboyantly dressed colleague Adam Blythe was on hand with some sound medical advice:
It’s broke.
— Adam Blythe (@AdamBlythe89) November 8, 2022
— Orla Chennaoui (@SportsOrla) November 9, 2022