Former pro cyclist-turned-YouTube KOM hunter Phil Gaimon has documented a bizarre experience that saw him pulled over by a police officer in California for riding two-abreast on an empty climb. Thankfully, the former Garmin Sharp rider went all the way to court to contest the ticket he received from the very confident officer who was keen to stress at the roadside that he would be in court... only to not show up on the day, two months later.
Just like here in the UK, there is no law against riding two-abreast in California, Gaimon taking issue with the police officer's warning and questionable legal interpretation.
"What hope do we have if the police don't even know the laws," Gaimon said. "So he's on his motorcycle next to me saying 'it's against the law to ride side by side' and I say: 'I'm sorry officer, that's not the law'.
"I appreciate police in general, it's a sacred thing to put yourself in harm's way to protect others [...] I don't want to be the guy who pulls out a camera when the cop stops him, I don't want to deal with this, I don't want a ticket, I don't want to go to court, I don't want the rage clicks this video's going to get, but he said a lot of weird stuff. At one point he offered to take his vest off, it was bizarre and super uncomfortable."
Things continued when the officer told Gaimon and his ride partner he should ride single file because otherwise drivers will hit him and that will be his [Gaimon's] fault.
"I don't want to go to the internet and embarrass a public servant, but if you're going to insist on it... fine," Gaimon continued, explaining how in the whole seven-minute stop only two vehicles passed. "So this is a traffic stop for a not law to hypothetically remove a short inconvenience for two people. Finally he did find the code and I was like 'oh good, this is over' but then he chose a very bizarre interpretation that would make him still right."
With guidance from Bike Legal, Gaimon went to court and built up plenty of potential evidence and questions to take for his hearing, ultimately all completely unnecessary when the very confident officer surprisingly decided not to show...
"Congratulations to me, I won," Gaimon concluded. " I don't feel victorious whatsoever... what have I won? I don't have to pay the ticket, I lost two days of my life going to court. Imagine if I was a person who had to take two days off work or couldn't afford to pay the ticket? Either way it's going to cost you, so I won the case but ultimately this was the punishment."
The UK cycling sector, including industry trade bodies, leading e-bike brands, local bike shops and national charities, has announced a national campaign to boost electric bike safety knowledge and inform more people of the benefits of e-bikes.
Research by the Electric Bike Association found that concerns over battery fires are putting people off e-bikes, with 23 per cent of UK adults surveyed saying they are hesitant to buy an e-bike after reading about fire incidents, most of which are caused by defective and low-quality products such as aftermarket lithium-ion batteries, charges and conversion kits from non-reputable sources.
Launching today, the E-Bike Positive campaign hopes to share the positive effects of e-bikes and "equip the UK public to buy safe, charge safe and ride safe on e-bikes". As well as advising the government on how to better protect UK consumers and businesses, the E-Bike Positive campaign also pledges to help people identify high-quality, legal e-bike products through free resources including:
- Expert support - 100+ expert local bike shops have already pledged to advertise, sell and repair only UK legal and safety-checked e-cycles.
- Educational resources - battery safety guides, resources and independent advice for shoppers, cyclists, e-bike sellers and media.
- Extra assurance - the e-bike industry is developing a new scheme to highlight reputable, high-quality brands who thoroughly safety-test their e-cycles and batteries.
Sarah McMonagle, Director of External Affairs, Cycling UK, said: "Like traditional pedal cycles, e-cycles boost physical and mental health, improve air quality, and reduce carbon emissions. They're a great option for people who cycle in a hilly area, experience mobility challenges, carry children or shopping, or simply don’t want to get sweaty on their commute.
"When purchased from reputable manufacturers e-cycles are very safe. That's why we're supporting this education campaign alongside Cycling UK's ongoing calls for the UK government to make e-cycles more accessible."
Our sister site ebiketips will have more on this...
The much-anticipated Carrefour stage has finally arrived and boy did it deliver...
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 22, 2024
It was all a celebration of the supermarket brand's 12-year involvement with the race, the Jerez store seeing 170 pro cyclists roll through its checkout area and out onto a 185km route to Yunquera which looks set to be a day for the breakaway.
#LaVuelta24pic.twitter.com/d549ibrVg3
— Várhegyi Beni (@MrVrhgyiB) August 22, 2024
It's not just in Norfolk where cycling campaign groups are raising concerns over shared-use infrastructure...
According to Florrie de Pater of the Amsterdam Cyclists' Union there has been an increase in spaces being made shared-use, such as the passage under the Rijksmuseum.
"Things are made more difficult for cyclists everywhere by those shared spaces. In the city centre, for example, the route from east to west is almost impossible. A few alleys that used to be very accessible for cyclists are almost closed off. The Damstraat is almost impossible to get through and more and more alleys — look at the nine streets, for example — are more or less closed off for cyclists," she told AT5.
"Shared space is fine, but not on the main cycling network. I have to say that tourists seem to determine these days — especially in the centre of Amsterdam — where cyclists are allowed to ride. So the policy is tailored to where most tourists are."
The local authority responded to the Rijksmuseum tunnel concerns by suggesting it would look to see how it could clarify the shared-use space. It's nice to know even in Amsterdam things aren't perfect...
Devon and Cornwall Police have launched an electric bike project following a "successful pilot". The force said there are now 39 e-bikes in use across Camborne, Plymouth, Penzance, Exeter, Bodmin, Cullompton, Falmouth, Truro Launceston, Hayle and Helston, with officers reporting less pressure on the force's vehicle fleet as a result, reduced car dependency, "faster, quieter patrols" and a host of "wellbeing benefits".
Superintendent Ian Thompson said: "The electric bikes initiative is boosting the ability of our neighbourhood teams to engage with and be visible in their communities, whilst allowing them to be in places that do not always have a police presence. In turn, this is taking the pressure off our vehicle fleet and allowing us to be less reliant on cars and reduce our carbon footprint.
"The feedback from officers is extremely positive, who realise the benefits of faster, quieter patrols and the wellbeing benefits of being active and outside. We are expanding the fleet of electric bikes to other areas of the force and hope soon that all Neighbourhood Teams in Devon and Cornwall will have access to them for use within their normal duties. Currently, there are 89 neighbourhood officers and PCSOs who have been trained so far, with opportunities to train more officers in the coming months."
The force added: "In just a day, one officer covered 71 kilometres using an e-bike and received positive feedback from the community. Work is underway to purchase additional e-bikes and deploy them to more sites around Devon and Cornwall."
Norfolk County Council is seeking feedback on plans to extend a "cycle-friendly" route known as "the Yellow Pedalway" using £1.9m of funding from the the Department for Transport, Greater Norwich Growth Board's Infrastructure Investment Fund, and Norfolk County Council's Local Transport Plan.
In its current layout the route relies on shared-use infrastructure, something that will remain, the council wanting to add a new crossing, a speed limit extension, extra bus stops and an "expansion" of the "Pedalway", the Eastern Daily Press reports. The plans have not gone down well with the Norwich Cycling Campaign, whose chairman Peter Silburn said he was "shocked" by the "unsafe, unacceptable and substandard" proposals that are "not fit for purpose".
"We were shocked when we saw this scheme go out to consultation," he told the local newspaper, saying shared-use infrastructure should only be a "last resort". "Poor quality schemes like this fail to get more people onto their bikes. To get more people cycling we need proper infrastructure built to the national design standards that provide safe, direct and convenient routes. This isn't one of them.
"This is an unacceptable scheme that is unsafe and substandard and we cannot support this as designed."
Norfolk County Council's spokesperson responded: "These proposals were developed in discussion with Active Travel England. We have now written to properties in the project area and contacted a range of stakeholders and interest groups inviting them to share their views. We have taken on board the feedback received from Norwich Cycling Campaign and will consider this as a whole, alongside all the other responses collected by the consultation deadline."
The consultation closes on Monday 26 August.
Let's kick off Thursday with a good old social media discussion, live blog regular Bob From Accounts urging new Transport Secretary Louise Haigh to build more cycle lanes to increase safety and get more people on their bikes. The signs look good on that front, Haigh this week suggesting the Labour government would invest "unprecedented levels of funding" in cycling.
Bob From Accounts also addressed a commonly heard line... "cycling isn't a practical daily travel choice for most people", something you've probably read before online, or in certain newspapers. To which, he pointed out: "In 2022, 26 per cent of car trips in the UK were under one mile, and 71 per cent under five miles. Five miles by bike is approximately 30 minutes. Given a choice, many people would cycle if it was safer. More cycle lanes please."
"And for the usual excuses and quips about 'It's too cold', 'It's too wet'. We have a solution: coats."
Well, it works for the Netherlands and they get their fair share of rain... let's get some reaction because, as you probably guessed, this got quite a few people all riled up and tapping away furiously at their keyboards. To many of those people, no, nobody is saying that everyone in the world should be forced onto bikes... but hey, wouldn't the roads be much nicer for those who actually do need to drive if a decent chunk of the motor traffic was now using cycle lanes, walking or using public transport?
One reply asked: "How do I get a week's worth of shopping on a bike? What about two kids as well? One being a toddler?"
Bob From Accounts had an answer for that...
Another road.cc favourite, retired traffic cop Mark Hodson, who pioneered close pass operations during his career commented: "My shift once had 10 of its 12 officers cycling to work, the daily total commutes varied between 22 miles and 56 miles, with some extending rides to incorporate training routines, it's a case of making it work and providing the correct facilities so those that [people] 'could' give it a go."
Accepting that his experience was certainly at the extreme end of the spectrum and included several who would cycle for sport or leisure on top of commutes, Mark added: "Not everyone can or wants to, but if you enable those who can and want to you benefit all of society. Even if they just replace 25 per cent of their usual journeys by other means it's a hugely impactive for them and their communities.
Other reaction to the discussion included:
"Cargo bikes are an increasingly viable alternative for a second car that's mostly doing school runs etc."
"We have fantastic cycling routes where I live... currently massively overgrown. We need proper investment to make it work in the future."
"I used to leave my house 7am every day to catch the bus to work arrived 7.50 am. By bike 7.10am to arrive for 7.30 time for a cuppa and a chat before work. The ride home takes five to 10 mins longer... I lived on top of a hill."