Nick Knowles Rant

[Arch]

He does have kids. A friend emailed him to ask for an apology about his comments and this is the email she got back from him. It does include and apology and shows why his dislike is directed towards RLJers and pavement riders too.

Email reply was as follows:


i am certainly happy to appologise to you and all careful cyclists but
having had a child hospitalised by a cyclist riding at night, on the wrong
side of the road, without lights who went thru a red light in order to hit
my daughter you can perhaps understand my anger at those who disregard the
rules of the road. my son was also hurt when bumped by a cyclist on the
pavement who couldnt be bothered to wait in the traffic
Nick

All he had to do is remember to make his rant about BAD cyclists. Not so very hard for a professional, I'd have thought. And that still doesn't excuse his "I'll run you over" comment at the end. That apology sounds rather forced and 'sour grapes' to me.

Also, if that's verbatim, he can't spell...

 

[gavintc]

Your style is excellent Arch - message delivered without the emotion or histrionics.

 

[Arch]

Your style is excellent Arch - message delivered without the emotion or histrionics.

Thank you. It's how I'd always aim to be - if I could master it in real time as well, I'd be happy!

I'm always keen to point out that I'm well aware there are twats out there - I'm just not one of them (I hope!)

 

[Crankarm]

He does have kids. A friend emailed him to ask for an apology about his comments and this is the email she got back from him. It does include and apology and shows why his dislike is directed towards RLJers and pavement riders too.

Email reply was as follows:


i am certainly happy to appologise to you and all careful cyclists but
having had a child hospitalised by a cyclist riding at night, on the wrong
side of the road, without lights who went thru a red light in order to hit
my daughter you can perhaps understand my anger at those who disregard the
rules of the road. my son was also hurt when bumped by a cyclist on the
pavement who couldnt be bothered to wait in the traffic
Nick

He has an axe to grind. Irrespective of his own experiences he shouldn't be using his position as a prime time TV presenter to make irresponsible comments encouraging motorists to run down cyclists. Period. I'm surprised his comments got past the editor(s), mind you following Wossgate, it doesn't surprise me at all as standards at the Beeb seem to have slipped.

 

[John the Monkey]

By Knowles' logic, motorists should be very worried indeed, given the carnage (compared to accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians at least) that they wreak on pedestrians, especially young pedestrains.

I daresay lynch mobs are forming across the country to string up these motorised menaces.

 

[asterix]

No reply to my polite email.

My opinion of Mr Knowles has now reached Matthew Parrish level. A little way to go before he hits Clarksonian depths, but not good.

 

[Arch]

I've had a standard "we're looking into it please wait" type auto reply to mine...

 

[Mortiroloboy]

Complaint sent:

"I would like to complain about the rant by Nick Knowles on DIYSOS about his apparent hatred of cyclists. While I am quite aware that there are bad cyclists out there who break the rules, those of us who don't do not deserve to be tarred with the same brush. I was particularly worried by the remark at the end, when one of the team said they were going to cycle home, and Mr Knowles make a remark along the lines of "you do that, and I'll run you over".

Perhaps Mr Knowles would like to read the story in the following link about a man killed by a driver who mounted the pavement in order to hit him, and then explain how his remark is in any way funny, or justifiable.

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/ne...maging-wing-mirror-court-told-92746-23432533/

There are already a lot of very angry people out there in motor vehicles who think cyclists are 'fair game', without inflammatory remarks like those made by Mr Knowles. In any case, the policing of the roads is a matter for the police, not private individuals with an axe to grind. I'm sure he meant it all as a joke, but he might do well to consider that those of us who obey the rules do not wish to be on the recieving end of such lazy and potentially dangerous jibes."

All a bit off the cuff, but I've asked for a responce....

Yes! I like the cut of your jib madam.

 

[John the Monkey]

He's at it again, for anyone who's interested, on twitter;

"Another lunatic cyclist overtaking on inside almost causes an accident starts yellin at the driver. Told him it's his fault,now yellin at me"
http://twitter.com/#!/MrNickKnowles/status/25988323348582401

Which quickly degenerates into the usual "they have no lights..."

"Cyclists going thru red lights,no front lights in the dark, ridin on pavements, overtaking on the inside,yellin at drivers, London cyclists"
http://twitter.com/#!/MrNickKnowles/status/25988985989898240

Ending with the classic "behave yourselves or we'll run you over";

"Look as the arguement's turning abusive all I'm sayin is cyclists obey road laws & motorists won't get so miffed,I don't support bad drivers"
http://twitter.com/#!/MrNickKnowles/status/26060418145325056

Whilst undertaking is usually a bad idea, Knowles (who doesn't support "bad" drivers, remember) seems not to know that in slow traffic (surely the only condition in which the cyclist could have been "overtaking on the inside") drivers are advised to;
"be aware of cyclists and motorcyclists who may be passing on either side" in Highway Code rule 151, seeming, instead, to believe that cyclists are forbidden to pass on the inside.

I sent a couple of polite contributions, firstly inviting him to ride with me on my commute and see whether the cyclists worried him more than the cars (no response). And secondly to advise him of the content of the Highway Code relating to filtering by cycles and motorcycles (no response). He did repost a couple of rather less polite messages (abuesive?) before posting the last item.

I felt quite abuesive myself by the end of the discussion, although I kept my less polite opinions unsaid.

 

[Intelligenthamster]

Jeremy Clarkson once remarked that all cyclists should have their heads crushed. Whether he thought that was still funny after Hammond's brain injury (which came later) I don't know, but from that day on he has just been "Jeremy Cla-" to me, that being the amount of time it takes me to find the remote and switch him off.

Well done Arch.

 

[Fab Foodie]

He's an arrogant, self-regarding, smug twat. It is amazing how people like him get work on the TV

They're the basic qualifications for a meedja job aren't they?

 

[cyberknight]

I actually made a twitter account just to post a reply , what a nkob

 

[jayonabike]

I saw Nick Knowles in Tescos once, all he did was look around to see who had recognized him. Twat.

 

[Paul_L]

didn't notice this a year ago, but add another name to the list of ignorant Z listers who's foolish comments appear to be lapped up by the majority of drivers who either think it's funny or justified to be aggresive around cyclists. Clarkson, James Martin and now perma tan Knowles.

Just a shame we have to watch his programme as our lass thinks he's a bit of alright.

 

[dellzeqq]

People! Just don't let this kind of thing upset you. Clarkson, the Cheftwat, Nigel Havers, Bonnie Greer, whoever. It is their loss. Absolutely their loss. They'll never know the joy of riding a bike.