Yesterday’s report about The Royal Parks, the charity that runs London parks including Richmond Park and Regent’s Parks, wishing to prosecute cyclists who break the 20mph speed limit had already drawn a lot of views and reaction from many cyclists, including many from our readers too.
So it was only a matter of time that Nick Freeman, or Mr Loophole, as he’s more commonly known around parts of the internet would have something to say about it too.
Just for a quick catch-up with the news, The Telegraph reported that The Royal Parks chairman Loyd Grossman (the former presenter of MasterChef and Through the Keyhole) wrote to Sir Chris Bryant, the Minister for Creative Industries, Arts and Tourism, asking the government to amend laws so that cyclists failing to adhere to the parks’ 20mph speed limits can be prosecuted for speeding.
And as a response to that, Freeman, the lawyer famous for obtaining not guilty verdicts for celebrities charged with driving offences, wrote on social media: “No-brainer of an idea. But how do you enforce a bicycle to travel within the speed limit when there is no legal requirement for it to have a speedometer? The need for legal parity with all road users is long overdue.”
Cyclists seem to not have taken very well to this take, with many criticising the lawyer, who has previously accused by popular camera cyclist CyclingMikey for “stoking cyclist hate for publicity”, for ignoring the offences conducted by motorists while driving in the parks and instead shifting the blame on the vulnerable road users.
One person wrote: “Perhaps the government should look at putting 70mph speed limiters in cars first?”, while another commented: “Parity for all road users? So compulsory speedos for pedestrians, now? You're ridiculous.”
A few other responses on Freeman’s tweet…
“You’re right but man has always looked at making transport quicker. Why do they make cars that do 200mph when the national speed limit is 70mph?”
“I take it tachographs in cars is not the kind of legal parity you are campaigning for? MOTs for horses?”
“So, the lawyer who makes our roads more dangerous by getting rich car drivers off the hook is going on about a tiny minority of cyclists, who ride the least dangerous vehicles of all. He’s not interested in the truth, just lining his pockets.”
The discussion around speed limits follows after a string of events over the past few years that have called into question cyclists’ conduct in the Royal Parks. Despite initially suggesting speed limits did apply to cyclists, in 2021 it was confirmed that the park's speed limits (which range from 5mph to 20mph) do not apply to cyclists, a stance in line with the wider law.
In July, we reported that a group claiming to represent cyclists who use the park (Richmond Park Cyclists) had clashed with the charity over its speed limit advice for riders using the park.
A number of cycling events were also cancelled by The Royal Parks this year, including this summer’s Richmond Park Time Trials— praised for enabling beginners to compete on road bikes and on almost traffic-free roads due to their 6am starts — as well as last month’s London Duathlon.
The Royal Parks has received plenty of criticism over the years for its approach to improving road safety in its parks. Many, including the London Cycling Campaign (LCC), have repeatedly asked why through-traffic is still allowed to use Richmond Park as a shortcut, the campaign calling the cancellation of well-organised events “weak” while “daily rat-runs” continue.
25 wins in 58 race days, a Giro-Tour double, two monuments and a world title, and much else besides – Pogačar’s 2024 campaign was one for the ages. But how does it compare to cycling’s other history-making seasons?
> We rank cycling’s greatest individual years, from Burton and Coppi to Vos and Pogačar
There’s a new update in the ever-lasting saga of councils adopting the infamous and controversial tool of Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) to impose a ban on cycling in the town centres.
Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council, along with the police force, have announced that its proposal to adopt the PSPO might be slightly different. Instead of seeing a complete ban on cycling, skateboarding or using scooters, the council could now instead a ban on those looking to cause a nuisance.
According to CoventryLive, an authorised person could request a person to dismount “if they are cycling, skateboarding, scootering or using similar devices within the restricted area where they reasonably suspect that the person is ‘riding in a malicious and/or dangerous manner as to cause harassment, alarm or distress to any person within that area.”
A council spokesperson said: “We are currently working through the consultation responses for the Town Centres PSPO. The Town Centres PSPO will go to cabinet as soon as possible.”
> Another cycle route blocked by "disappointing" barrier that "reduces accessibility and comfort"
In the past, the topic of a cycling ban has been proposed to the council by the police, most recently when the force asked the council to introduce a no cycle zone to cut out “really dangerous” cycling and “anti-social behaviour” in the shopping area, saying that “we get a lot of kids wheelie-ing through and it sets the wrong tone”.
While the town centre is already a pedestrianised zone, those on bicycles are still allowed access. However, the local police called upon Labour-led council to extend the pedestrianisation rules to also prohibit cyclists from riding through the area.
Another day, another Jeremy Vine video showing a driver doing stupid things.
This time, it’s a driver who decided they’re too good to go around the mini-roundabout, and instead go full gas over the raised surface as if it was a speed bump…
“That should not be allowed, you cannot do that… You cannot driver over the bump!” says Vine into his 360-degree camera.
We need to trial the broken window approach with bad drivers. This one can't tell the difference between a roundabout and a speed bump. Give him six points for roundabout abuse and he'll be a better driver. pic.twitter.com/Vxl9gXvf8I
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) October 20, 2024
And he’s right, according to the Rule 188 of the Highway Code as well as enforced by Section 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 and The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002: Regulations 10(1) & 16(1): “All vehicles MUST pass round the central markings except large vehicles which are physically incapable of doing so. Remember, there is less space to manoeuvre and less time to signal. Avoid making U-turns at mini-roundabouts. Beware of others doing this.”
What’s Vine suggestion? “Trial of the broken window approach with bad drivers,” in his own words, referring to the theory which suggests that criminal conduct, anti-social behaviour and uncivil behaviour in an urban context tends to breed more of the same thing, thus discouraging every single person from indulging in such acts will lead to a reduction of the same.
Vine wrote: “This one can't tell the difference between a roundabout and a speed bump. Give him six points for roundabout abuse and he'll be a better driver.”
Cyclists in Huddersfield organised a protest over the lack of progress on the active travel network and urged the council to fulfil its promises to deliver adequate cycling infrastructure.
The demo was primarily organised by the campaign group Cycle Kirklees, who called on the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Kirklees Council to improve the region’s cycling routes, Huddersfield Hub reports.
Chris Knight, chair of the campaign, said: “Our local cycling network in Kirklees is all gaps, with little or no joined-up network.”
He said recent work on Queensgate, part of Huddersfield Ring Road, ignored earlier consultations that would have improved facilities for cyclists and pedestrians. He added: “This section of road is a part of the only cycling route Kirklees Council has identified as a priority for dedicated space for walking and cycling.
“The route, from Huddersfield Railway Station to Waterloo via the A629 Wakefield Road, was agreed three years ago following lengthy consultation.
“It has the highest propensity of any route in Kirklees to increase cycling and walking and was meant to be the first step in establishing a Cycling & Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) – a Government requirement.
“The highway designs included re-allocated road space and offered dedicated cycling paths and better bus priority routes. It would give people in areas served by the route the option to walk and cycle.
“We’ve been working with Kirklees Council, responding to plan after plan with still no published network plan. So far, we have about a quarter of a mile of Leeds Road (A62) as new cycling infrastructure that meets the national standards introduced in 2020.
“There’s a lot more happening to increase take up of active travel in Leeds and Bradford and more ambition in Calderdale. We need to rally all those who want to cycle to work or to the shops – or who have children who want to cycle to school – to get behind this campaign.”
Figures from London's major universities have come together to demand action on road safety to protect cyclists and pedestrians, one campaigner now suggesting that road danger has become a "safeguarding issue" for universities after two staff and a student were killed while cycling in the city in less than a year.
There are peloton transfers that sometimes catch you by surprise, and then there are transfers that everyone and their grandmum knows about — and Urška Žigart’s transfer to AG Insurance-Soudal after four years at Liv Jayco-AlUla, firmly falls into the latter camp.
The 27-year-old Slovenian national champion’s imminent transfer was in fact announced by team boss Patrick Lefevere as far back in July in an interview with Het Nieuwsblad.
Speaking about her new team, Žigart said: “What attracted me to join AG Insurance-Soudal was that I only ever heard good things about the team, and when they reached out to me, I was immediately interested in hearing what they had to say. I was quickly drawn to their vision and how they saw me fitting into the team. It was clear that they had a strong idea of how I would fit in both as a rider and as a person.”
“Within the team, I feel like I am still learning, even though I have quite a bit of experience in the WorldTour peloton. This year, however, I realized that I’m not the youngest anymore. So, in that sense, I hope to pass on some knowledge to the younger riders while also remaining open to learning from everyone. In terms of racing, I’m quite a versatile rider, but I certainly excel in climbing. That’s where I can offer strong support, and sometimes, I might even try to play a role in the finale.”
She added: “My personal goals for the 2025 season are to continue improving in every aspect, just as I have in the past few years, and to keep this upward trajectory. I’ve shown that I can be close to the best in hard climbing races, so I really want to explore that and see how far I can go when the opportunity arises.
“Based on the conversations I’ve had, I think I can grow here in every way. I especially want to improve on hilly terrains and continue working on my time trial skills. In the team, I can’t overlook the experience of Ashleigh [Moolman-Pasio] in riding GC in big stage races. I hope to learn from her as well and lend a helping hand (or leg) whenever I can.
“It’s been four years since my last team change, and I have to admit, I’ve grown very comfortable at Greenedge, and I really felt at home there. It was hard to think about changing because change brings new people, new relationships, new equipment, and new challenges. But change can also bring growth, and from everything I’ve heard about the team, I feel calm, confident, and ready to meet everyone soon.”
They haven't finished installing the wands on the Newmarket Road cycle lane and one of them has already been knocked over.
This keeps happening. We need proper kerb protected cycle lanes. pic.twitter.com/jh7EEHEoAC
— Norwich Cycling Campaign (@NorwichCycling) October 21, 2024
The design programme for High Speed 2 railway, due to run on HS2 and further north on the West Coast Main Line, is well underway now, with the “airline-style” seat designs unveiled last week. Now, it’s been announced that the public is being sought after to provide feedback on the design to the train’s future operator WCPD, with cyclists included as one of the 20 customer groups.
Other groups including those with reduced mobility and young families, were also invited to experience the life-sized wooden mock-ups of the trains at the HAH-S facility in Derby – helping engineers to understand the levels of ease, accessibility and comfort.
Life-sized mock-ups were also made of other sections of the train including, the café, and child buggy storage, with the engineers saying that the new designs will help deliver a “step-change in the passenger experience”.
Frustratingly, there’s not much info available about the provisions made for cyclists inside the trains, other than a eight-year old report which confirmed “appropriate provision” for bicycles on the HS2.
There’s some concrete good news outside the carriages though, with the West Midlands Mayor announcing in February that a 24-mile cycleway along HS2 covering Birmingham, Solihull, Warwickshire and Coventry, will be built by repurposing HS2’s construction roads and maintenance paths. But so far based on the images, what do you make of it? Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments!
Rapha has reported another significant loss, the figure almost doubling to £22.7m in 2023-24 as the premium cycling clothing brand posted a loss for the seventh consecutive year.
Blaming the ongoing competitiveness and turbulence of the "challenged" post-pandemic cycling industry, Rapha's pre-tax losses deepened from £12m to £22.7m in the year to 28 January 2024.
> Rapha losses almost double to £22.7m as UK turnover drops 20% amid "challenged" cycling sector, brand's seventh consecutive year in the red
The cycling-related complaints keep on coming for Thames Valley Police, a week on from the force's Police & Crime Commissioner admitting "very valid concerns" around how cyclists' reports of dangerous driving have been dealt with, the force now attracting criticism for undertaking "Operation LYCRA".
> Police force slammed for "stoking culture war" with "Operation LYCRA" targeting cyclists
A dream festival line-up (Nas, André 3000, LCD Soundsystem, Justice, Mitski… it goes on) and then you come to the parking, and you are greeted with this lime-coloured extravaganza…
Now I know why I can never find a lime bike when I need one pic.twitter.com/cmnY4b67aT
— Cycling in London (@Cycling_In_LDN) October 21, 2024
This video comes from this summer’s the All Points East music and cultural festival in London, where the event organisers got its crowd’s transport modes spot-on and made arrangements for a wide-scale bike parking, and they were duly filled with hundreds of Lime bikes.