The Daily Mail gets all uppity ...

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DCLane

Found in the Yorkshire hills ...
'hit and run lycra louts' - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...h-minority-Lycra-louts-terrorising-roads.html

But then it goes on to talk about youth in gangs. On lycra? Doubt it.

The journo's pretty good with her bias:

"People undergo a strange transformation when they take up cycling. Four years ago I bought a Pashley bike. To paraphrase My Fair Lady, 'Let a cycle in your life, and you invite eternal strife.'

As I wobbled along London's roads, nearly hitting every pedestrian and car in sight, I was petrified and hysterical, screaming every shrewish curse I knew

After three days, disgusted with myself and unwilling to commit manslaughter, I rode on to the kerb – deliberately – and fell down. I then hailed a taxi and put my bike inside. I have never cycled since."

So because a) she didn't like it, b) she was nasty and c) she deliberately crashed then we're all guilty :eek:
 

ColinJ

Puzzle game procrastinator!
Sorry DCL - you were beaten to it - link. :thumbsup:
 

Sandra6

Veteran
Location
Cumbria
What a silly bint she is!
Honestly. It sounds like her mother needs to be taught her green cross code.
And what's with all the "lycra louts" then show a picture of a chap on a bike without the slightest hint of lycra in the shot?!
Totally agree, "youths on bikes" never in lycra!
Maybe she should've taken a training course before buying a bike herself?!
 

Hitchington

Lovely stuff
Location
That London
In the interests of balance I will submit an article to the Daily Hate calling for all car, taxi, van, lorry and bus drivers to be taken and shot in front of their families too.:whistle:
 

Linford

Guest
What a silly bint she is!
Honestly. It sounds like her mother needs to be taught her green cross code.
And what's with all the "lycra louts" then show a picture of a chap on a bike without the slightest hint of lycra in the shot?!
Totally agree, "youths on bikes" never in lycra!
Maybe she should've taken a training course before buying a bike herself?!

I'm sorry, but if this had read 'Car driver hit and run leaving cyclist with seriously broken arm', you wouldn't be saying this.
RLJ'ing is endemic in London by many commuter cyclists at the end of the day (as anywhere else here TBH)

Irrespective of her ranting and putting the world to rights in her column, her mothers situation should be given the respect it deserves. The cyclists should have ridden at a speed which they could stop in the distance seen to be safe, and they should have stopped at the scene of and accident. I find the latter to be very cowardly when they put someone on the floor through their selfish stupidity. It is unforgivable whatever mode they use to get around with.
 

SomethingLikeThat

Über Member
Location
South London
This kind of hate and demonisation being spread around is one of the reasons why the roads can be so dangerous and people in this country don't want to cycle! 'Lycra louts' pretty sure chavs on bikes do not wear lycra. They ride nicked bikes because it's quicker than walking.
 

alecstilleyedye

nothing in moderation
Moderator
the trouble with any article of this nature, is that the word 'cyclist' covers anyone from my four year old riding in the park, to bradley wiggins riding the tour de france. the word probably has different connotations for different demographics; for me a cyclist is someone such as myself who does it for the sheer enjoyment of it; but equally the word describes a chav riding a stolen bike in a reckless fashion, so to say that someone was knocked over by a 'cyclist' doesn't tell the whole story.

it's a good word to use if you write for the mail, though, just sit back and wait for the comments to flow in…
 

sabian92

Über Member
While it is a shame her mother was hit twice in a month, cyclists are NOT the biggest problem on the roads. How about abusive drivers, RLJing buses and lorries and speeding?

The licence idea would NEVER work. If it became law, would everybody suddenly have to stop riding a bike? The police would have to pull every single cyclist over to check they had a licence. The only other solution is to give bikes rego plates and use ANPR technology - but that doesn't make any difference because who's to say 1 person can't ride another person's bike? What will we have next - a licence for road bikes, tandems, recumbents, trikes, hybrids, mountain bikes, cargo bikes, carrying a child as a pillion passenger, carrying panniers etc?

It's ridiculous and while I sympathise with her poor mother, she needs her head checking.
 

SomethingLikeThat

Über Member
Location
South London
Yep, any kind of licencing system would cost millions, probably resulting in another article in the Mail a few months after complaining about how much it cost taxpayers and that cyclists don't deserve it or something.
 

campbellab

Senior Member
Location
Swindon
TBH I thought it started quite reasonably:

'The majority are safe – but not all. There are rogues: Lycra louts whose intentions are as low as the meanest hit-men. In 2012, I had my handbag stolen by a gang of youths on bikes.
This is not to deny the guilt of many motorists who drive irresponsibly, and the fact that every year innocent cyclists lose their lives as a result.'

Wheres this stat from?

"But the police have established, in conjunction with the Transport Research Laboratory, that half of all collisions between bicycles and cars are the fault of the cyclist"

Not to excuse the cyclists actions (cycling off), but her description of the second accident is very vague...
 

Miquel In De Rain

No Longer Posting
On August 16, my mother was hit by a Lycra lout. She was crossing the road when a youth on a bicycle shot a red light, knocked her to the ground and left her with a broken arm.

Luckily cars never do that.(sic)

I don't see why we should put up with dangerous driving and mobile phone/drug use while driving because of this drivel.

Exactly what I have put up with recently,more than one act of dangerous driving.Whereas I did nothing wrong and was following the road rules including stopping at traffic lights.
 

sabian92

Über Member
Yep, any kind of licencing system would cost millions, probably resulting in another article in the Mail a few months after complaining about how much it cost taxpayers and that cyclists don't deserve it or something.


Exactly. The Daily Whail get things wrong and say ridiculous things to try and fix them, this being one of them. You can't licence cyclists - it would be held up with years of red tape and Government money being wasted - I'd rather be forced to have insurance to be honest. Least then people can claim off other people.
 

jonny jeez

Legendary Member
The cyclists should have ridden at a speed which they could stop in the distance seen to be safe,

I agree with the sentiment in this post entirely but on the issue of speed, it really is impractical to acheive. If I anticipate that all pedsetrians will step out within a matter of inches from my wheel (as those that do...do) then I'd have to ride at a crawl throughout the entire 40 miles of my commute.

Unfortunately,from my experience you need to anticipate the opposite, and assume that the vast majority of peds *will* look first, before stepping off the kerb. You get spidey senses over a few that look like they are just not "in the game", aren't concentration or are distracted etc but on the whole you have to make progress and let the daft ones fend for themselves.

What I do do is slow down in heavily pedestrianised areas but only in the knowledge that if they step out, the following impact wont hurt us both as much. I cant be sure that I'll avoid the impact though...that's where it becomes impractical.
 

T.M.H.N.E.T

Rainbows aren't just for world champions
Location
Northern Ireland
'hit and run lycra louts' - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...h-minority-Lycra-louts-terrorising-roads.html

But then it goes on to talk about youth in gangs. On lycra? Doubt it.

The journo's pretty good with her bias:

"People undergo a strange transformation when they take up cycling. Four years ago I bought a Pashley bike. To paraphrase My Fair Lady, 'Let a cycle in your life, and you invite eternal strife.'

As I wobbled along London's roads, nearly hitting every pedestrian and car in sight, I was petrified and hysterical, screaming every shrewish curse I knew

After three days, disgusted with myself and unwilling to commit manslaughter, I rode on to the kerb – deliberately – and fell down. I then hailed a taxi and put my bike inside. I have never cycled since."

So because a) she didn't like it, b) she was nasty and c) she deliberately crashed then we're all guilty :eek:
She should have taken a compulsory test :biggrin: Only 1/100 get some form of formal training ya know?
 
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