The latest crackdown, for want of a better word, on "dangerous" cycling in urban areas has been spotted... this time over in the Isle of Man, its capital Douglas to be specific.
(CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED/Culture Vannin/Flickr)
This follows on from this week's news that Coventry has banned e-bikes in its pedestrianised city centre, while in Grimsby this past year numerous cyclists have been fined, including one ordered to pay £1,000, for the heinous offence of riding their bikes through the city centre, an area covered by a Public Spaces Prevention Order prohibiting cycling.
The vast majority of cyclists wouldn't dream of putting a pedestrian in danger, and you might say 'what's the fuss?', these PSPOs and police crackdowns are aimed at kids causing nuisance, not 'proper' cyclists riding bikes for transport or leisure. However, disabled charities, Cycling UK and others have spoken out about the unintended consequences such rules and messaging can have, preventing riders accessing parts of town and deterring cycling.
A week ago, for example, West Midlands Walking and Cycling Commissioner Adam Tranter spoke out against Coventry's e-bike ban, saying it would "discourage cycling and penalise responsible cyclists". Likewise Wheels for Wellbeing, a charity supporting disabled people cycling, called for clearer signage in Grimsby to reduce "risk of confrontation" with pedestrians unaware that bikes being used as mobility aids are still allowed to be ridden where bikes otherwise are banned.
> Latest city introduces anti-cycling rules as controversial e-bike ban brought in
In the past, Cycling UK's Campaigns Manager Duncan Dollimore has also been critical, saying town centre cycling bans (in particular when enforced by a PSPO) have the effect of criminalising cycling, used as a "geographically defined version of an ASBO to restrict the use of public space and criminalise behaviour not normally regarded as illegal".
That rambling introduction is just some context to the Isle of Man latest, as a means of outlining some of the points that have been made elsewhere about the potential unintended consequences that words, campaigns, PSPOs, police crackdowns, can have on cycling...
Douglas City Council and the police have warned that people riding "recklessly" through a key shopping street could be fined up to £2,500. So what? 'Don't ride recklessly in a pedestrianised area' I here you cry... well, that was much the same messaging as was heard when North East Lincolnshire Council introduced began fining for such offences. Cue, council officers being accused of targeting "old and slow" cyclists after a pensioner was fined for riding through town.
To the glee of headline writers everywhere, in that case 82-year-old Barrie Enderby told the council to stick the fine "up your a*se" and said he'd rather go to jail than pay it. The more relevant point, however, was that locals accused the council of targeting "old and slow" riders while ignoring youths "racing up and down", the very behaviour the ban was brought in to tackle.
Again, excuse my rambling and tangents, I'll get back to the Isle of Man soon, but just again wanted to point out how some have said these sorts of bans and police or council action can have an impact on more than just the kids doing wheelies through TK Maxx...
Back to Douglas where the BBC reports Inspector Chas Maloney has said a "small minority of individuals" are cycling "recklessly".
"We have witnessed, first-hand, cycling through the main shopping centre, some of it is quite reckless and dangerous," he said, saying those who ride in an "irresponsible manner" are putting pedestrians at risk, and could be fined up to £2,500.
"There are so many other areas to cycle in and around Douglas and we would encourage people to do so in a careful and considerate manner," Douglas City Centre Manager, Oliver Cheshire, added.
Let's hope any enforcement here doesn't end up like some of these recent case studies...
> Bedford cyclists protest 'discriminatory' town centre bike ban
Apologies, not sure how I turned that into War and Peace...
Triathlon training on your way to work? Simply swim through, get on you bike, park around the corner and run in...
Hey @ManCityCouncil could something be done about this massive drainage issue on the southbound cycle lane opposite Whitworth Park? It's a regular feature. pic.twitter.com/aACpxxfNlE
— Giselle du Toit (@GiselleduToit) November 9, 2023
It's never good when someone replies thinking it's an old picture because of how many times this happens, Giselle also reporting the "absolute lake by the pedestrian crossing serving the Royal Eye Hospital is quite a disgrace". Sounds like there are plenty of drainage-related active travel problems in this corner of Manchester.
Others have noticed the issues too, one local rider Hugh saying he's caught himself planning routes "specifically to avoid the cycle lane puddles" and asked "how the hell is that acceptable?"
Another, Markus, suggested "years of neglect catching up" as "this month the route has been worse than I've ever seen — such huge puddles", a third adding that there's flooding on quite a few other parts of the Wilmslow Road's apparently "state of the art" cycleway.
We'll have a word with Manchester City Council to see what's up...
Olympic chiefs have suggested virtual forms of sports could be competed at for Olympic medals at future Games. The news, reported by MailOnline, comes as the International Olympic Committee's sports director Kit McConnell said games that are a "full physical replication of the sport" would be welcomed on the programme, with cycling and taekwondo listed as examples where it could be possible.
"The door is open explicitly for virtual forms," he said. "Where there is a full physical replication of the traditional sport, the door is open, and we are governed by the respective international federations.
> BIG Zwift update! Watch our first ride on 19km of new roads in Watopia
"The best example is the road cycling partnership between the UCI and Zwift and now that’s moved to another partnership (MyWhoosh). We are committed to developing the virtual side of sport."
The IOC has also said it is exploring the creation of an Olympic Esports Games to run separately from the Olympic Games.
Sextou com @WoutvanAert vendo uma novelinha na Colombia. pic.twitter.com/xFJgZ6RUr3
— O País Do Ciclismo (@opaisdociclismo) November 10, 2023
road.cc regular Jo is back enjoying the delights of Facebook Marketplace...
it’s been a while since a facebook marketplace fancy but… pic.twitter.com/agDa15Yyq2
— Jo Burt (@VecchioJo) November 9, 2023
Tempted?
Speaking on the Cycling Inside podcast, Jayco AlUla's Dutch pro Jan Maas revealed he completed the Vuelta a España, his first Grand Tour, despite suffering broken ribs, a lung infection, and respiratory infection.
"I didn't tell anyone, but the last two or three days I also spit blood in the finals of the stages," he said, reopening the discussion about 'toughness' in pro cycling and whether riders need protecting from themselves.
> Why pro cycling needs to ditch its 'hardness' obsession
"I sat on the bike like a zombie. The first two weeks I actually rode quite well, but in stage thirteen I crashed on the descent of the Aubisque," Maas explained. "I broke my ribs, it turned out afterwards. I actually knew I had broken them, but I didn't want to have an X-ray taken. I was afraid that the doctor, the organisation or who knows what, would say: you are not allowed to realise your dream, you are not allowed to finish the Vuelta. So I tried to finish the Vuelta as tough as possible."
One of three Jayco AlUla riders left after Eddie Dunbar, Filippo Zana and three other teammates abandoned, Maas said nobody on the team was "feeling well".
"We didn't test positive at that time, but we were all coughing. With a broken or bruised rib, that's not really nice... Then it really went downhill," he continued. "I didn't tell anyone, but the last two or three days I also spit blood in the finals of the stages.
"Did I not think: this is going way too far? I wouldn't recommend it to anyone and now I wouldn't do it myself either. But at that moment… (…) I guess I just wanted to prove it to myself, there was just that intrinsic motivation, and the stubbornness that I have or something."
Some new fighters have entered the (soggy) arena...
@roadcc I see your flooded cycle lane on the live blog today and raise you this, mercifully not as regular but nice that underpasses for bikes and pedestrians are there to provide drainage so cars don't get wet pic.twitter.com/DymwHbK0oy
— Stew Elliott (@StewCElliott) November 10, 2023
Steve K:"Pretty much every raised pedestrian crossing at a bus-stop bypass in London creates a lake whenever it rains."