Are cyclists the scourge of the streets?

[glasgowcyclist]

He's not the one lurking on a forum, just waiting for his name to be mentioned so he can whip out the clever clever image file he's got stuffed in his back pocket. Which let's face it is downright weird.

I'm interested in hearing from @sue perb on his involvement in the programme, not least because he was billed as 'starring' in it. I've got a couple of questions including finding out what he thought of it.

Hopefully he'll answer here but he's been oddly quiet on Twitter since it went out, even though he'd been plugging it for the week before.

 

[Johnno260]

He was just anti-cyclists though. Even pointing out the two coming downhill as "a problem".

I ride legal road vehicles and until people like him get that into their heads, there will always be this "Them & Us" attitude.

I'd be happy if he'd watch where he was going(Paying attention to the road ahead, and adapting his driving to suit), if he stopped turning to face a camera and most of all his VED was in date. Two years since it expired. Shouldn't, by law, be on the road.

Well everyone they interviewed was pretty much anti cyclist, except the UK's most hated cyclist, they added him to the mix to inflame peoples view more.

The people I worked with watched it, so work was fun this morning as they're all anti cyclist, as soon as they started I just said I have insurance, I don't need to have a registration plate as I obey the law, and I pay hefty council tax so have more right to use the road then they do using their own twisted logic against them, I have two cars so in taxes and VAT pay more then they do and the tax and VAT I pay on cycling stuff.

 

[Edwardoka]

The hashtag is full of upside down cars. My Twitter folks did good.

The irony of him wanting more enforcement was laughable, it was a complete whoosh moment for him

The thing is, he only does this to make life easier for himself and to make more money from "clients". The more regulated cycling becomes, the easier it is to get his "clients" off after pointing out any infraction by a cyclist, imagined or otherwise, prior to being sent skyward by a bad driver.

 

[Smudge]

I thought the show had far more balance than i was expecting. There was the expected ignorant prejudice against cyclists on there, but there was also cyclists riding badly and riding in a way that really pisses off other road users.
The program also highlighted how vulnerable cyclists are and the dangerous way that vehicles are driven around them.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

I've just followed a taxi in our village where there are some temporary 3 way light on a junction, he pulled up on the red, waited a couple of seconds & then drove straight through, he could not see if any traffic was coming from the left, as he cleared the red light the cars started to emerge from the left trn.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Funny that the same company has another show on channel 5 at the moment. Following an A and E dept which 2 doctors to my knowledge cycle in to work. One has been going it for over 30 years and is nationally held in regard by fellow A and E consultant's.

We have a couple of Consultants in our A&E who ride in regularly
Well.... one lives out at Hebden Bridge, so rides to station, gets train to Dewsbury, or Leeds, & rides over from there
The other lives in Leeds
Plus another A&E Consultant will ride in, if good weather

I know several others, including 4 Cardiology Consultants who regularly do (& an Elderly Medicine Consultant, who I don't think even has a driving licence!)

He rides what ever the weather even known to sleep over if snow is bad. Bet he's not seen a scourge by the many he's saved over the years and I bet they won't find any like him to balance things out.

If it's the programme about Barnsley, one is Julian Humphries, I know him, as he worked at our A&E before going to The Peoples Republic Of South Yorkshire

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I recorded it, on the 5+1, as I forgot about
I watched about 15 minutes of it, & partly thought it's just London, everybody's at each others throats, no matter what they're doing

By that, I'm not downgrading any incidents/injuries/deaths, but it seems a 'Dog Eat Dog' place
No room; people ride, as it's possibly quicker than tube/bus
Definately quicker than car, & no parking worries

Sadly, it doesn't seem to all work together, would most of the riders act like that, if they were in cars (jump lights, wrongway on one-ways - even if at dead of night)

 

[Edwardoka]

would most of the riders act like that, if they were in cars (jump lights, wrongway on one-ways - even if at dead of night)

You realise of course that they will have collated many hours of footage and have made an editorial decision to show only the most egregious examples, rather than a sample reflective of the majority.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

@Edwardoka

Yes agreed, as they do with programmes like Police Interceptors, or the -referred to A&E series

I know a couple of Traffic-Officers, & they tell me there may 12 hours edited down to make a programme

 

[Drago]

The Guardian, which I used to enjoy reading but have grown to dislike of late, gave an absolutely spot on analysis of this programme. In short, they reckon it's a load of J. Arthur Rank.

 

[Zanelad]

The worst of both worlds, I thought. Although I did chuckle when the van driver asked the bellend with the video camera and the stab vest who was shagging his wife while he was out playing at being a copper.

Just glad I don't commute in a big city.

 

[Johnno260]

The one that blew my mind was the lady who did the close pass at the end, who was also on her phone, the copper was talking to her and the idiot was still on her phone.

She also had a kid in the front not on a child seat or booster.

 

[tom73]

channel 5 PR official response (via peter Walker twitter feed) Don't think they quite get it ...

 

[Leaway2]

"it was commissioned with the intention to stimulate debate" yeh! right!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

A mass debate by a bunch of self-gratification artists