# Honest John and irresponsible journalism.



## glenn forger (10 Feb 2013)

Cyclists at traffic lights
As a keen cyclist and also driver, I completely disagree with MW of Chatham, who says that cyclists should stay at the back of the queue at traffic lights. I never drive into the centre of town as I hate causing congestion and pollution in my car by sitting stationary at the lights. Cyclists cause no congestion or pollution and have to make more effort than car drivers. 

Why should they stay behind all those vehicles, breathing in stinking exhaust fumes? 

The other main reason for advanced stop areas for cyclists is that many cyclists are killed by drivers, especially lorries, turning left at junctions. As a cyclist I find junctions that don't have the advanced stop area very dangerous, and I certainly don't wait at the left of any vehicle - I move to the front of the queue, for my own safety.
Asked on 27 December 2011 by Fiona Le Ny

Tags: cyclists
Answered by Honest John
I don't see why people who pay nothing for using the roads and pay no fuel tax and make no contribution to the economy should be allowed to hold up those who pay for the roads and earn the money we all live on.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/askhj/answer/25747/cyclists-at-traffic-lights

There is more along the same lines on his website. He is promoting hatred based on silly myths.


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## AndyPeace (10 Feb 2013)

A car salesman who doesn't like cyclists? He's obviously bitter as more people take to cycling instead of buying more cars from him


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## glenn forger (10 Feb 2013)

it's just a bit scary that dinosaur attitudes like his still exist.


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## AndyPeace (10 Feb 2013)

If you want to get hits on a web site, extreme attitudes are the way to go. I guess I'm lucky in that I don't experince this first hand, 99.9% of traffic around me is respectful and alert. There seems to be a growing trend amongst the media/online to create conflict between road users... I guess the powers that be have a lot invested in petrol industries  It is a worry as modern people are lead like sheep by the media, having long given up their brains for tv and internet.


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## glenn forger (10 Feb 2013)

I don't think he's trolling, he really believes this garbage. Contributors to his forum hold similar views, there's a lot of rage and hatred there.


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## Hip Priest (10 Feb 2013)

I don't really care if people dislike cyclists, as long as they don't drive dangerously around us.


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## theclaud (10 Feb 2013)

glenn forger said:


> *I don't think he's trolling, he really believes this garbage*. Contributors to his forum hold similar views, there's a lot of rage and hatred there.


 
Does he even exist?


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## mickle (10 Feb 2013)

At least he's honest.


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## TheDoctor (10 Feb 2013)

And he's called John!


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## theclaud (10 Feb 2013)

_*Unfortunately questions can not be answered by e-mail or by phone.*_
_*You will need to be registered with the website to be able to ask your question and your question will not reach Honest John unless you use Ask HJ.*_

Not very keen on a bit of straight chit-chat, for someone who's so honest! Still, Glenn, you can always ring Peter Lorimer, who is the dominant shareholder, and ask him why "Honest John" is such a wanker_*: *_01932 83030.


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## Bromptonaut (10 Feb 2013)

TheDoctor said:


> And he's called John!


 
Actually his real name is Peter.


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## Bromptonaut (10 Feb 2013)

I subscribe to the HJ site and have posted a thread on the subject.

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=99544

In spite of dishing it out HJ is notoriously thin skinned and I suspect it will not last long.

PS the poster Jamie745 and I have previous.


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## Radchenister (10 Feb 2013)

Won't be giving this issue (in relation to that site) another thought (didn't click link) - no offence meant to OP but life's too short.


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## G3CWI (11 Feb 2013)

I don't pay any road tax for my car (Toyota IQ)...


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## david k (11 Feb 2013)

G3CWI said:


> I don't pay any road tax for my car (Toyota IQ)...


 Then you should only use cycle paths


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## snorri (11 Feb 2013)

glenn forger said:


> it's just a bit scary that dinosaur attitudes like his still exist.


 Nah, we all know what happened to dinosaurs.


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## Boris Bajic (11 Feb 2013)

glenn forger said:


> Answered by Honest John
> I don't see why people who pay nothing for using the roads and pay no fuel tax and make no contribution to the economy should be allowed to hold up those who pay for the roads and earn the money we all live on.


 
Honest John's response defies any sort of adult analysis. It may be aimed at an audience who have a taste for these views, although it is not clear how he arrives at the conclusion that cyclists make no contribution to the economy.




glenn forger said:


> There is more along the same lines on his website. He is* promoting hatred* based on silly myths.


 
For all that the quoted response it daft, I think it might be slightly excessive to suggest that the author is promoting hatred. One might even suggest that people who post baseless accusations against people for promoting hatred are guilty of something not entirely dissimilar. I wouldn't say that, but some might.

If we all accused anyone who wrote anything like this of promoting hatred, we'd end up with a lot of jolly angry people on the Internet, trawling through websites for things to disapprove of...

What?

We already have that?

Oh... Sorry.

As you were.


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## glenn forger (11 Feb 2013)

G3CWI said:


> I don't pay any road tax for my car (Toyota IQ)...


 
Nor does the queen, the cops, ambulances tractors and steam engines. Freeloading scum.


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## sheddy (13 Feb 2013)

As HJ writes for the Saturday Telegraph, the letter and his answer may well be published in his column.


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## glenn forger (13 Feb 2013)

In Bromptonaut's thread Honest John is denying he wrote those words. No idea what's going on.


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## ufkacbln (13 Feb 2013)

Don't forget all the other freeloaders!

I was passed by a car the other day with 4 children in it... not one of them pays road tax, none of them are insured to drive, and worts of all not one of them was holding down a job and contributing to taxes


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## dellzeqq (13 Feb 2013)

nobber. That's all I've got to say on the subject


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## Bromptonaut (14 Feb 2013)

Honest John's denial adverted to a different question and answer. The one Glenn mentions was in reply to another response, itself rather one sided, and which referred to the incident where Boris was nearly taken out by a badly secured door on a rubbish lorry.

He's not come back since but IIRC he lives in Thailand for part of the year.

Unfortunately the thread got sidetracked by Jamie 745, one of HJ's resident trolls, who deleiberately refueses to get the point about bikes and tax.


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## yello (14 Feb 2013)

dellzeqq said:


> nobber


 
A word can be so effective when used with restraint. Well chosen dell


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## threebikesmcginty (15 Feb 2013)

I read this on the weekend (not that I get theTelegraph) and thought nobber, not worth a mench as it's just a ridiculous troll style wind up.


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## ufkacbln (15 Feb 2013)

I am in the pub and must agree that Honest John has a point!


There are people in here drinking soft drinks and coffee 


They are not paying duty like what I do on my beer yet take up tables that could be used by those of us paying through the nose to use the pub whilst they freeload


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## glenn forger (18 Feb 2013)

The psychology of the "out-group" mentality among drivers is very close to the way racists think and feel. So, if HJ had said "Black people contribute nothing" it would be equally stupid and equally divisive and inciteful, bread-and -butter to racists. Do some drivers believe this silly myth? Yes, of course, most regular cyclists have heard abuse along those lines. Is HJ encouraging these drivers? Yes, of course, he's pandering to prejudice. He's encouraging violence to make money.


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