# Halfords survey 59% call for cycle number plates.



## snorri (18 Oct 2017)

Halfords survey results reveal that more drivers than cyclists responded. 

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/halfords-floats-idea-of-number-plates-for-cyclists/022026

We can only hope this one gets buried quickly!


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## jefmcg (18 Oct 2017)

Boris bikes have unique identifying numbers on them. Last time I heard (several years ago, admittedly) no one had ever gone to the police with a complaint and a bike number.


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

I wonder whether this will make any of the organisations break with halfodds (deliberate misname to stop the automatic link... I know it gives CC money but even Evans are a less nasty chain).


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## confusedcyclist (18 Oct 2017)

It's a good job we rely on the evidence of scientific and rigorously designed studies to plan and devise our laws, rather than rely on survey responses and gut feelings of motorists and politicians... oh wait!


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## I like Skol (18 Oct 2017)

It is very disheartening to read such twaddle 

This is purely a marketing exercise, dreamt up by a non-cycling marketing person who wants to justify their job. It's a shame they don't have enough intelligence to see what damage they can do by publishing this tripe. Sure it may raise their[Hellfrauds] profile and even increase sales for a while but it is divisive and damaging because it increases the distrust and intolerance between the two groups of road users it involves and there will only be one loser, the vulnerable cyclists. I note that there was no mention of pedestrians in the report, surely a bigger road user group even than cyclists? EDIT: presumably pedestrians aren't included in the report because they don't typically visit the retailer to buy much stuff for walking around?


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## Illaveago (18 Oct 2017)

Are they also going to come up with the idea of fitting roof boxes?


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## Noodle Legs (18 Oct 2017)

Is that so the police can catch speeding cyclists by ANPR? 



I like Skol said:


> It is very disheartening to read such twaddle
> 
> This is purely a marketing exercise, dreamt up by a non-cycling marketing person who wants to justify their job. It's a shame they don't have enough intelligence to see what damage they can do by publishing this tripe. Sure it may raise their[Hellfrauds] profile and even increase sales for a while but it is divisive and damaging because it increases the distrust and intolerance between the two groups of road users it involves and there will only be one loser, the vulnerable cyclists. I note that there was no mention of pedestrians in the report, surely a bigger road user group even than cyclists? EDIT: presumably pedestrians aren't included in the report because they don't typically visit the retailer to buy much stuff for walking around?



I couldn't agree more. It's bad enough in this day and age that cyclists and motorists can't seem to exist harmoniously which is somewhat ironic as a lot of cyclists are also motorists (me included) and in an ideal world I'd love the infrastructure to facilitate getting cyclists off the road altogether but alas its easier said than done. So the law is the law and whilst I advocate having insurance to cover liability in the event of an accident, the idea of number plates seems nothing more than a money making racket to me.


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

User said:


> What's the betting that Cycling UK won't have the integrity to bite one of the hands that feeds them...?


10 to 1 on? And Brutish Cycling even worse?


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## LCpl Boiled Egg (18 Oct 2017)

This survey is news to me. Presumably I would have heard about it by buying something from them online or in one of their awful shops?


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## snorri (18 Oct 2017)

I like Skol said:


> I note that there was no mention of pedestrians in the report, surely a bigger road user group even than cyclists?


No, not according to Chief Customer Officer at Halfords Helen Bellairs who says ..."What our new research makes very clear is that the car is still the nation’s favourite means of getting around” 
Little doubt as to which side of the fence Ms Bellairs sits.


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## Dan B (18 Oct 2017)

I've just unsubscribed myself from halFUDs marketing emails giving this survey as the reason, though in truth I spend a lot less there anyway with an 18 month old car than I did with the ten-year-old one - so not a particularly lucrative customer for them these days.


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## smutchin (18 Oct 2017)

> There was no survey result – or, presumably, any question – about the compulsory wearing of helmets for everyday journeys, either for cyclists or motorists. However, there were questions and answers about cycle servicing. A perhaps surprising 48 percent of those asked said they could mend cycle punctures. And, in what will be news to independent bike shops, 43 percent of Brits can “tighten a loose chain”; 37 percent “know how to adjust their own brakes”; and 31 percent “can clean their gear mechanisms.” (Those answers should make one wary of all the others.)



I presume everyone here knows how to "tighten a loose chain", right?


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## Aravis (18 Oct 2017)

Reading through the linked article, I see that _45 percent of survey respondents said there ought to be “dedicated cycle lanes on all roads”_.

That's all roads, including, presumably, single track lanes in the Highlands of Scotland, Dartmoor, and other such areas of cycling heaven. If that's indicative of the depth of thought given to their answers by a sizeable proportion of respondents, it shouldn't be too hard to dismiss the findings of the survey.


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## petek (18 Oct 2017)

Halford's also commissioned a report and survey -conclusions doc entitled 'Share the Road' but that Bikebix link takes you to Dropbox. Anyone got an open-able link to that without Dropbox?


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## Milkfloat (18 Oct 2017)

Anyone thinking of giving these idiots your hard earned money should think again.


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## Illaveago (18 Oct 2017)

Does it say how many people took part in this survey?
I used to work there and it could be a right pain trying to make number plates, especially when the customer didn't wish to give you their telephone number. Sorry no number no plate.


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## Smokin Joe (18 Oct 2017)

Most non cyclists would like to see laws on cycling toughened up.

Most non motorcyclists would like to see laws on motorcycles toughened up.

Most non horse riders would like to see laws on horse riding toughened up.

Most non smokers would like to see laws on smoking toughened up.

Most helmet wearers would like to see them made compulsory.

I could go on, but we'd run out of internet. Whatever exists in the world there is always a significant number of people who would like to see it banned or restricted, it's just a survey that nobody will take any notice of and will be forgotten tomorrow.

Get over it, it isn't worth a collective nervous breakdown. I'll still shop at Halfords.


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## wonderloaf (18 Oct 2017)

'..The number plate proposal from one of the leading UK retailers of motor-vehicle number plates'
'Nuff said.


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## Welsh wheels (18 Oct 2017)

snorri said:


> Halfords survey results reveal that more drivers than cyclists responded.
> 
> http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/halfords-floats-idea-of-number-plates-for-cyclists/022026
> 
> We can only hope this one gets buried quickly!


I don't mind, as long as I can personalise my plate....


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## classic33 (18 Oct 2017)

Illaveago said:


> Are they also going to come up with the idea of fitting roof boxes?


I have actually tried that. Box was half price, including free fitting.

They said No.


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## Illaveago (18 Oct 2017)

classic33 said:


> I have actually tried that. Box was half price, including free fitting.
> 
> They said No.


You could use one of if you had a sidecar.


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

smutchin said:


> I presume everyone here knows how to "tighten a loose chain", right?


That reminds me:



snorri said:


> Halfords survey results reveal that more drivers than cyclists responded.
> 
> http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/halfords-floats-idea-of-number-plates-for-cyclists/022026
> 
> We can only hope this one gets buried quickly!


Brain's slack.


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

Smokin Joe said:


> Get over it, it isn't worth a collective nervous breakdown. I'll still shop at Halfords.


And that, folks, is a large part of why this shoot keeps on spewing.


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## smutchin (18 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> That reminds me:
> ...
> Brain's slack.



Maybe so, because I really have no idea what point you're trying to make.


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## classic33 (18 Oct 2017)

Illaveago said:


> You could use one of if you had a sidecar.


It should have been going on the back of this...


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## classic33 (18 Oct 2017)

smutchin said:


> Maybe so, because I really have no idea what point you're trying to make.


Nor does he.


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## Smokin Joe (18 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> And that, folks, is a large part of why this shoot keeps on spewing.


People are expressing their opinions, so what? Frothing at the mouth over them isn't going to change their minds.

Nothing will come of it, this time next week even the people who responded to the survey will have forgotten all about it. We don't need to worry about having to use number plates because it ain't going to happen.


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

Smokin Joe said:


> People are expressing their opinions, so what? Frothing at the mouth over them isn't going to change their minds.


Yeah, on that we agree: the thing they're going to understand is hitting them in the profit margin by not shopping there. Hopefully some CUK and BC members will push their respective clubs to break off with them, but as I mentioned earlier, I think it's unlikely because even many cyclists would rather keep buying overpriced tat from them than discourage this sort of divisive stirring. BICBW


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## glasgowcyclist (18 Oct 2017)

Illaveago said:


> Does it say how many people took part in this survey?



Just 2042 people according to http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/halfords-floats-idea-of-number-plates-for-cyclists/022026


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## Nigel-YZ1 (18 Oct 2017)

1. How was this survey conducted? I've been a Halfords online customer in the past and have seen no invites.
2. Did someone read the Daily Mail online and just turn the comments section into a questionnaire?
3. There's a lot of things on wheels with number plates out there, are they all driving like angels?
4. Forgetting the driving license for the moment, I passed Cycling Proficiency when I was 11, will that still count as training?


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## smutchin (18 Oct 2017)

Illaveago said:


> Does it say how many people took part in this survey?





Nigel-YZ1 said:


> 1. How was this survey conducted? I've been a Halfords online customer in the past and have seen no invites.



Answers to both questions are helpfully given in the article mentioned by the OP. For the benefit of those too busy to click the link and read it for themselves:



> The online survey of 2,042 adults was carried out in August by YouGov and has led to the production of “Sharing the Road”, a 20-page infographic-heavy report produced for Halfords by its external PR company.


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## Roadhump (18 Oct 2017)

What a load of old cobblers! 

I just wonder how number plates big enough to be read by other road users could be displayed on the average pedal bike (maybe we can all wear sandwich boards showing them to the front and rear ). I also wonder how it would be enforced, it's not as though the roads are crawling with plod these days, or that plod would have time to proactively look for non-compliant cyclists. 

If this ever comes to pass, I think I may embark on a personal campaign of civil disobedience and ignore it. I may also start a campaign to stop pedestrians using headphones, or looking at their mobile phones whilst not stationary, one walked out on me as I drove home earlier and I had to reduce my speed from about 25 mph to about 15 mph, to avoid hitting him. Perhaps that campaign could be extended to make pedestrians wear number plates so that those using headphones or looking at their phones instead of what other road users are doing could be identified and prosecuted, and then I'll open a sandwich board factory and make my fortune.


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## DaveReading (18 Oct 2017)

petek said:


> Halford's also commissioned a report and survey -conclusions doc entitled 'Share the Road' but that Bikebix link takes you to Dropbox. Anyone got an open-able link to that without Dropbox?



You should be able to Print-to-PDF from Dropbox without needing a login account. I've just done that. I would have uploaded it here, but unfortunately the resulting PDF is too big for CC.


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## Vantage (18 Oct 2017)

> Just under a third (31 per cent) call on cyclists not to exceed speed limits, and 26 per cent back spot-checks on cyclists’ understanding of the Highway Code



On the upside of forced number plate use however, that stupidly useless big chunk of rectangular plastic will no doubt generate enough drag to keep me and my 50lb tourer from exceeding 40mph on the main A road to Horwich.
As to understanding the highway code, well, the number of times I've failed to stop at a red light* on my two wheeled car because I forgot what it's for are unfathomable. A bit like many motorists.
Maybe they'll revoke my license. After they've introduced them.
My 11 yr old daughter will be upset at not being able to use her bike. Didn't pay road tax this week either. 

*I did actually jump a red light once. I was about 12. I had no brakes either. It was my mates bmx. So wasn't even insured. The police saw me do it and I got told off.


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## jefmcg (18 Oct 2017)

Roadhump said:


> I just wonder how number plates big enough to be read by other road users could be displayed on the average pedal bike (maybe we can all wear sandwich boards showing them to the front and rear )


An Australian idiot has come up with an answer for that.


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## I like Skol (18 Oct 2017)

I was going to post this in a separate thread but now I think about it, it is very relevant to this thread.

Just got back from the shops and as I drove along the duel carriageway town by-pass I saw a yoof (probably about 13/14 yrs old) approaching quickly from the other direction on a mountain bike. I know it was a pedal bike because he was slowly pedalling but was doing about 30mph up a slight incline! I then heard the noise of a small two stroke engine working hard and spotted the shiny silencer tucked under the down tube. I didn't have time to look closely as we passed each other because I was also watching where I was going but it was clearly some sort of DIY/kit installation and completely illegal for road use.
How would more laws for cyclists, tougher penalties and bicycle number plates make a blind bit of difference if we can't even appear to enforce the laws we have? This kid wasn't just tearing around on fields or the back streets on the estate, he was going down the main road right through the centre of town!

There are no police to deal with this kind of reckless and antisocial behaviour now so until we get the resources needed to enforce the laws we already have it is pointless introducing more.


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## Roadhump (18 Oct 2017)

[QUOTE 5003534, member: 259"]Not that I'm advocating the use of plates for bikes, but if you ride a speed pedelec in belgium, you need one of these (rear only). It's 10cm/12cm, like you need for a moped. They're pretty easy to read.
View attachment 379300
[/QUOTE]
Oh well, perhaps my fortune won't be in sandwich board production after all


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

I like Skol said:


> I then heard the noise of a small two stroke engine working hard and spotted the shiny silencer tucked under the down tube. I didn't have time to look closely as we passed each other because I was also watching where I was going but it was clearly some sort of DIY/kit installation and completely illegal for road use.
> How would more laws for cyclists, tougher penalties and bicycle number plates make a blind bit of difference if we can't even appear to enforce the laws we have? This kid wasn't just tearing around on fields or the back streets on the estate, he was going down the main road right through the centre of town!


That's still fairly subtle and not immediately obvious to CCTV, like all the e-bikes with their pedal-assist linkage deliberately broken (making them e-motorbikes as far as I can tell). It's the mini-motos now being ridden along A roads which surprise me - that seems pretty blatant, but I guess the riders are the most likely victims.


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## dodgy (18 Oct 2017)

Halfords cycling twitter account is getting a right shoeing  (@halfordscycling)


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

dodgy said:


> Halfords cycling twitter account is getting a right shoeing  (@halfordscycling)



View: https://mobile.twitter.com/HalfordsCycling/status/902986784442904576
but fortunately @Halfords_UK is getting some attention too.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (18 Oct 2017)

smutchin said:


> Answers to both questions are helpfully given in the article mentioned by the OP. For the benefit of those too busy to click the link and read it for themselves:



MIAOW!!!

I'm not seeing anything there about how YouGov conducted the survey.


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## petek (18 Oct 2017)

DaveReading said:


> You should be able to Print-to-PDF from Dropbox without needing a login account. I've just done that. I would have uploaded it here, but unfortunately the resulting PDF is too big for CC.


Thanks Dave.


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## classic33 (18 Oct 2017)

jefmcg said:


> An Australian idiot has come up with an answer for that.
> 
> View attachment 379301


Three year old news
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/a-step-in-the-wrong-direction.168963/#post-3375741


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## smutchin (18 Oct 2017)

Nigel-YZ1 said:


> I'm not seeing anything there about how YouGov conducted the survey.



JFGI?


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## screenman (18 Oct 2017)

I am going to order a number plate making machine, this time next year I may be a multi millionaire.


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## jefmcg (18 Oct 2017)

smutchin said:


> JFGI?


I had to google the acronym first.


There's no (apparent, I skimmed) mention of methodology in the report. Where do you think he would find it?

(about 70% of the UK population have a driving licence, but only 54% of those surveyed, so it doesn't look at all random)

Though google took me to pressreader, with this unsurprising by disheartening result.


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## smutchin (18 Oct 2017)

jefmcg said:


> I had to google the acronym first.



It's a good start.



> Where do you think he would find it?



JFGI?


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## jefmcg (18 Oct 2017)

JUST farkING GOOGLE WHAT?


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## smutchin (18 Oct 2017)

Here, I've done it for you:
https://yougov.co.uk/about/panel-methodology/

(edited for correct link)


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## Nonethewiser (18 Oct 2017)

Oh dear, more depressing reading from the anti brigade. Cyclists as road rebels? what like Hell's Angels on Cannondales? Maybe that would have the average Daily Fail reader locking up their daughters or something.


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## jefmcg (18 Oct 2017)

smutchin said:


> Here, I've done it for you:
> https://yougov.co.uk/


That's the yougov front page. There's nothing about methodology there. But at least now I know what you were suggesting we google.

That takes me to https://yougov.co.uk/about/panel-methodology/ 

But I still have no idea of the criteria they used to select the 2000 for Halfords, because the number of licensed drivers is so different from the general population, it's doesn't seem representative transport wise, at least.


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## petek (18 Oct 2017)

Nonethewiser said:


> Oh dear, more depressing reading from the anti brigade. Cyclists as road rebels? what like Hell's Angels on Cannondales? Maybe that would have the average Daily Fail reader locking up their daughters or something.



Road "Rebels".
Us?
Shome mishtake shurely!
How?
( Daily Mail reader here).


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## smutchin (18 Oct 2017)

jefmcg said:


> I still have no idea of the criteria they used to select the 2000 for Halfords, because the number of licensed drivers is so different from the general population, it's doesn't seem representative transport wise, at least.



Yes, opinion pollsters use flawed methods. This should come as no surprise to anyone who has followed the last couple of UK general elections.


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

Nonethewiser said:


> Oh dear, more depressing reading from the anti brigade. Cyclists as road rebels? what like Hell's Angels on Cannondales? Maybe that would have the average Daily Fail reader locking up their daughters or something.


Do you really think the average Daily Fail reader could tell a Cannondale from a Chippendale?


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## jefmcg (18 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> Do you really think the average Daily Fail reader could tell a Cannondale from a Chippendale?


They probably would keep their daughters away from both.


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## screenman (18 Oct 2017)

How did we get from number plates to antique furniture?


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## Cycleops (18 Oct 2017)

I wouldn’t have thought turkeys are going to vote for Christmas.


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

screenman said:


> How did we get from number plates to antique furniture?


I just liked the idea of Hell's Anglers on either type of Chippendale, but couldn't find a picture of either or find time to mock one up.



Cycleops said:


> I wouldn’t have thought turkeys are going to vote for Christmas.


Neither did I but.... ooooh, shall we say Trump this time?


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## jay clock (18 Oct 2017)

I am one of the few on here who has ridden my bike with a number plate

from 1971 onwards I lived in Belgium and had these natty little things https://img0.etsystatic.com/197/0/7696549/il_570xN.1301861392_ec09.jpg

I definitely had the 1975 Brabant one as I lived in Brabant and bought my first full sized bike. On which I promptly fitted a very natty pair of Motocross handlebars. The opposite of a TT bike


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## classic33 (18 Oct 2017)

Cycleops said:


> I wouldn’t have thought turkeys are going to vote for Christmas.


This one can


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## classic33 (18 Oct 2017)

screenman said:


> How did we get from number plates to antique furniture?


Not the strip group?


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## Drago (18 Oct 2017)

Halfords should commission another survey to find out how many people call them Hellfrauds. It'll be a lot more than 59%, and speaks volumes about their market image.


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## Drago (18 Oct 2017)

Number plate retailer in "let's put number plates on bicycles too'" shocker.


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

jay clock said:


> from 1971 onwards I lived in Belgium and had these natty little things https://img0.etsystatic.com/197/0/7696549/il_570xN.1301861392_ec09.jpg


There's nothing else in the picture for context so what size are they? Big enough for motorists to read and report to the feds?


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## Drago (18 Oct 2017)

Halfools reckon it will deter people from cycling badly. I'm curious as to what evidence they have based this statement upon, seeing as number plates don't stop millions of car drivers behaving like wallies.


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## Profpointy (18 Oct 2017)

Drago said:


> Halfools reckon it will deter people from cycling badly. I'm curious as to what evidence they have based this statement upon, seeing as number plates don't stop millions of car drivers behaving like wallies.



Yebbutt cycling badly is punished much mor severely than driving badly after all


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

Drago said:


> Halfools reckon it will deter people from cycling badly. I'm curious as to what evidence they have based this statement upon, seeing as number plates don't stop millions of car drivers behaving like wallies.


It's similar to how it would be fascinating to discover just how many cyclists have third-party insurance through home insurance, specialist policies and group memberships and whether it's actually more than the estimated 90% of motorists who actually have the pretty-much-legally-required insurance. That would be difficult because I suspect few cyclists outside of discussions like this give insurance any thought until they're one of the few that need it, so even many who have got it won't know it.


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## Nigel-YZ1 (18 Oct 2017)

So is this the same Hellfarts that has cycle parking comprising a bit of twisted metal thrown in a bush round the side of the store?


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## mjr (18 Oct 2017)

Nigel-YZ1 said:


> So is this the same Hellfarts that has cycle parking comprising a bit of twisted metal thrown in a bush round the side of the store?


Not in King's Lynn. Here they've got Sheffield stands, as required by the local parking standards...











...concreted in about 10cm from the shop wall so you can't actually lock both wheels unless you park sideways across 3 or 4.  I'd go look if that was a breach of their planning permission if it wasn't useful discouragement stopping cyclists shopping there instead of a real bike shop.


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## Drago (18 Oct 2017)

Perhaps we should show our appreciation by boycotting them for 59 days?


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## HLaB (18 Oct 2017)

I'm not even going to read the tripe and depress myself but ask the 5 folk out 100 who actually detest something 100% of them are likely to respond but if you ask the same question to the 95 who couldn't care less only 4 of them will respond. Its very difficult to pose a neutral survey question that gets all groups to respond in equal numbers.


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## classic33 (18 Oct 2017)

Drago said:


> Number plate retailer in "let's put number plates on bicycles too'" shocker.


Sent the local DVLA office, Leeds, mad trying to register the "Beast o'Burden".


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## theclaud (19 Oct 2017)

Drago said:


> Halfords should commission another survey *to find out how many people call them Hellfrauds*. It'll be a lot more than 59%, and speaks volumes about their market image.


It's possible to think Halfords are sh*te without also thinking that these gags are funny. See also Bliar, Camoron, Chipbutty and other wankery of that kind.


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## Drago (19 Oct 2017)

Its an interesting sales technique, trying to pith off legions of cyclists in the hope they'll buy your bicycles. No wonder their reputation as a retailer and employer is wedged well and truly down the U bend.


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## jay clock (19 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> There's nothing else in the picture for context so what size are they? Big enough for motorists to read and report to the feds?


they are small. about 8cm across 

trad place to screw them was onto the nut holding brake shoe in place


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## classic33 (19 Oct 2017)

jay clock said:


> they are small. about 8cm across
> 
> trad place to screw them was onto the nut holding brake shoe in place


Not big enough for the UK lettering standards though.


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## screenman (19 Oct 2017)

I think all pedestrians should have a number tattooed on their foreheads.


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## jefmcg (19 Oct 2017)

screenman said:


> I think all pedestrians should have a number tattooed on their foreheads.


Write it on their helmets. 

Pedestrian helmets will be mandatory, I'm sure.


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## screenman (19 Oct 2017)

jefmcg said:


> Write it on their helmets.
> 
> Pedestrian helmets will be mandatory, I'm sure.



You may not feel the same, but that made my eyes water.


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## Cycleops (19 Oct 2017)

I think we can safely file this one under lies, damn lies and statistics.


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## glasgowcyclist (19 Oct 2017)

classic33 said:


> Not big enough for the UK lettering standards though.



What's to say the plates would have to meet the same requirements for motor vehicles?


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## classic33 (19 Oct 2017)

glasgowcyclist said:


> What's to say the plates would have to meet the same requirements for motor vehicles?


I'd say the same people saying we should be required to have them.


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## jefmcg (19 Oct 2017)

screenman said:


> You may not feel the same, but that made my eyes water.


Yeah, second sentence was added in the hopes of allaying such a response. I knew it was a sisyphean task. 

"Welcome to Jamaica and have a nice day"


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## boydj (19 Oct 2017)

I like Skol said:


> Just got back from the shops and as I drove along the duel carriageway town by-pass I saw a yoof (probably about 13/14 yrs old) approaching quickly from the other direction on a mountain bike. I know it was a pedal bike because he was slowly pedalling but was doing about 30mph up a slight incline! I then heard the noise of a small two stroke engine working hard and spotted the shiny silencer tucked under the down tube. I didn't have time to look closely as we passed each other because I was also watching where I was going but it was clearly some sort of DIY/kit installation and completely illegal for road use.
> How would more laws for cyclists, tougher penalties and bicycle number plates make a blind bit of difference if we can't even appear to enforce the laws we have? This kid wasn't just tearing around on fields or the back streets on the estate, he was going down the main road right through the centre of town!
> 
> There are no police to deal with this kind of reckless and antisocial behaviour now so until we get the resources needed to enforce the laws we already have it is pointless introducing more.



Saw something similar here locally - it will probably take a bad accident for the police to catch on to what's going on, because I'm pretty sure it's going to be a growing problem.


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## srw (20 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> I wonder whether this will make any of the organisations break with halfodds (deliberate misname to stop the automatic link... I know it gives CC money but even Evans are a less nasty chain).





User said:


> What's the betting that Cycling UK won't have the integrity to bite one of the hands that feeds them...?





mjr said:


> 10 to 1 on? And Brutish Cycling even worse?



Boringly, BC, CUK and ...errr... the AA have all put out statements saying, in the polite way of corporate press releases, that Halfords are being a bunch of blithering idiots and should stick to selling stuff.

http://road.cc/content/news/231009-...ulsory-number-plates-and-testing-cyclists-are


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## mickle (20 Oct 2017)

59% of halfods customers can get to fark.


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## Threevok (20 Oct 2017)

Around here, 59% of Halfords customers only go there to kit their cars with tat that help them fail an MOT


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## classic33 (20 Oct 2017)

@Drago's other username! _
A report commissioned by the people who'd sell the bloody things. That's it, I'll never go to @Halfords_UK again.

Malcolm (@bracken_uk) October 19, 2017
_


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## mjr (20 Oct 2017)

srw said:


> Boringly, BC, CUK and ...errr... the AA have all put out statements saying, in the polite way of corporate press releases, that Halfords are being a bunch of blithering idiots and should stick to selling stuff.


Yep and talk is cheap so this will do precisely nothing to stop future repeats if it gets more road-ragers to buy more there than it discourages cyclists.


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## Drago (20 Oct 2017)

I also think the AA should stick to mending cars and selling insurance, and keep their Ill advised noses out of the road safety business . their own track record in that regard is somewhat cringeworthy.


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## classic33 (20 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> Yep and talk is cheap so this will do precisely nothing to stop future repeats if it gets more road-ragers to buy more there than it discourages cyclists.


Follows the RAC's similar worded stance from two years ago.


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## srw (20 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> Yep and talk is cheap so this will do precisely nothing to stop future repeats if it gets more road-ragers to buy more there than it discourages cyclists.








Halfords relies very heavily on cycling for its income. They'll release their Q4 2017 figures sometime in late January next year - put the date in your diary and update on us on how successful their encouragement of "road-ragers" (or, as I prefer to call them, people who own cars) has been.

Alternatively, have a look at their current press releases. If the survey referred to in this thread was ever officially issued, it's now been withdrawn. The most recent cycling press release is one none of us would complain about:

"UK retailer is worried EU proposal for compulsory insurance could impact 
the growth of healthier, active travel

The UK’s largest cycling retailer has raised concerns about the potential introduction of compulsory third party insurance for electric bikes – a policy currently under consideration by the European Union. Halfords has opposed the proposal on the grounds that it might put off thousands of would-be cyclists across the nation by burdening people with unnecessary complexity and excessive costs."

http://www.halfordscompany.com/medi...-policy-could-cost-cyclists-£100plus-per-year


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## classic33 (20 Oct 2017)

If I remember right the current restrictions would result in bikes that no longer met those limits. 

Power output was the thing that was going to be changed. That change would mean imported electric bikes having to be re-specced to comply with UK law.


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## jefmcg (21 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> Yep and talk is cheap so this will do precisely nothing to stop future repeats if it gets more road-ragers to buy more there than it discourages cyclists.


Drivers aren't going to say "Halfords published a survey that superficially looked pro-cycling, but allowed newspapers to derive negative headlines. I'm going to give them all my money!"


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## jefmcg (21 Oct 2017)

mickle said:


> 59% of halfods customers can get to fark.


As far as I understand, this was a survey conducted on behalf Halfords, but not on their customers.

But on the other hand, apparently Halfords' customers need this sign:


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## classic33 (21 Oct 2017)

jefmcg said:


> As far as I understand, this was a survey conducted on behalf Halfords, but not on their customers.
> 
> But on the other hand, apparently Halfords' customers need this sign:
> 
> View attachment 379691


They ride into the lift, then up to the first floor. Or into the lift, down to the ground floor, and out.


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## mjr (21 Oct 2017)

classic33 said:


> They ride into the lift, then up to the first floor. Or into the lift, down to the ground floor, and out.


Ride through bike shops... now there's an idea.


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## classic33 (21 Oct 2017)

mjr said:


> Ride through bike shops... now there's an idea.


In the picture posted, that was up on the first floor.

You'd not be bothered about some riding a motorbike in, whilst you were crossing the entrance?


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## mjr (22 Oct 2017)

classic33 said:


> You'd not be bothered about some riding a motorbike in, whilst you were crossing the entrance?


There should be a zebra crossing across the entrance, of course. And the ride in could be no motor vehicles.


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## I like Skol (25 Apr 2018)

I like Skol said:


> I was going to post this in a separate thread but now I think about it, it is very relevant to this thread.
> 
> Just got back from the shops and as I drove along the duel carriageway town by-pass I saw a yoof (probably about 13/14 yrs old) approaching quickly from the other direction on a mountain bike. I know it was a pedal bike because he was slowly pedalling but was doing about 30mph up a slight incline! I then heard the noise of a small two stroke engine working hard and spotted the shiny silencer tucked under the down tube. I didn't have time to look closely as we passed each other because I was also watching where I was going but it was clearly some sort of DIY/kit installation and completely illegal for road use.
> How would more laws for cyclists, tougher penalties and bicycle number plates make a blind bit of difference if we can't even appear to enforce the laws we have? This kid wasn't just tearing around on fields or the back streets on the estate, he was going down the main road right through the centre of town!
> ...


Well, well, well! Call the cops......

Amazing what crops up given time. Just found this image on Google while looking at a local historic landmark.




Looks familiar, including shiny silencer....


I like Skol said:


> noise of a small two stroke engine working hard and spotted the shiny silencer tucked under the down tube.



The numpty even provides a name, Louis Robinson. 






Should I ring 101?


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## I like Skol (25 Apr 2018)

Oh dear....





http://www.itv.com/news/update/2014-05-16/man-on-the-run-after-fleeing-the-crown-court-dock/


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## Drago (25 Apr 2018)

srw said:


> http://www.halfordscompany.com/medi...-policy-could-cost-cyclists-£100plus-per-year



Hundred quid a year for cycling insurance? Sure, if you buy it at the Monte Carlo branch of Harrods.


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## mjr (25 Apr 2018)

Drago said:


> Hundred quid a year for cycling insurance? Sure, if you buy it at the Monte Carlo branch of Harrods.


Where the price is decided by dropping needles onto lined paper? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffon's_needle


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## swee'pea99 (25 Apr 2018)

snorri said:


> No, not according to Chief Customer Officer at Halfords Helen Bellairs who says ..."What our new research makes very clear is that the car is still the nation’s favourite means of getting around”


Gosh. What would we do without research?


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## Drago (25 Apr 2018)

She meant to say, "the car is still the favourite way for lazy, environmentally uneducated people to make mainly unnecessary journeys, and we're going to follow the money."


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## confusedcyclist (25 Apr 2018)

It may be the nations, but not mine!


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## Gravity Aided (25 Apr 2018)

swee'pea99 said:


> Gosh. What would we do without research?


The same as happens when you play a country and western song backwards.
a) Your woman returns.
b) Your dog comes back to life.
c) Your pickup truck is fixed.
What needs to be determined is the role that writing of these surveys has to do with the end outcome, because bias, included in the survey instrument, can lead to an outcome, or suggest what the preferred response should be, thereby biasing the whole survey instrument toward the same end, with expected results. Most often, in the past, this was done innocently or accidentally, but with corporate entities playing such a role in some of these "studies", I can only assume something more sinister is afoot.


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## Gravity Aided (25 Apr 2018)

classic33 said:


> In the picture posted, that was up on the first floor.
> 
> You'd not be bothered about some riding a motorbike in, whilst you were crossing the entrance?


We call the ground floor the first floor in the States, a bit like public school.


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## Gravity Aided (25 Apr 2018)

mjr said:


> Neither did I but.... ooooh, shall we say Trump this time?


Let's hope 59% of Americans don't. It's also time we went for direct presidential elections in the States, none of this electoral college crap so rural buggers can have more say in the elections. We all see what that causes.


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## Drago (25 Apr 2018)

Hey. Us country folk love the Electroal College system!








We also shop in Halfords.


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## Gravity Aided (25 Apr 2018)

Drago said:


> Hey. Us country folk love the Electroal College system!
> 
> 
> View attachment 405961
> ...


And ride yer bikes in.


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