British (Utility) Road Cycling Champion

[RedRider]

Gold medals, yellow jerseys, a successful cycling brand and top-notch race punditry. Forget all that. Chris Boardman's greatest cycling legacy may well be as champion of utility cycling in the UK.

Here's a measured and intelligent bloke who has profile and commands respect across the board not only amongst cyclists. Not only that but he's becoming more and more prominent in the debate on safer cycling. Better still he does it skilfully, balancing the message that cycling is a safe and desirable mode of transport with a campaign to shift the balance of power on our roads away from the motorist. Incredibly he does this without a shred of victim-blaming. In short, he's our perfect advocate.

His forays into the debates around HGV's, helmets and hi-vis, and our road environment have been faultless in my opinion. Chris Boardman gives me hope for the future of cycling in this country. For that reason I'm starting this thread to collect his campaigning appearances in the media in one place. Feel free to add stuff as appropriate.

Cheers and here we go...
"If you're walking down the street and people are getting shot you don't say everyone should wear body armour. You say this isn't right and change the environment."

"They're not tribes or species, they're modes of transport. When people use more bikes we're having these issues. But that's actually a good thing. We're getting some friction because things are changing and culture change is always two things...it's slow and it's painful"

 

[RedRider]

In the Telegraph last month...

Boardman says HGVs represent just five per cent of the traffic in London but are involved in 64 per cent of fatalities. He has little truck with claims that the drivers cannot see cyclists properly.

“If they can’t see then they really shouldn’t be on the road. Once you get into the mash of traffic that is London, it gets really messy. You start to mix up two forms of traffic. One is incredibly vulnerable and goes a lot slower than the other.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/acti...ardman-ban-HGVs-from-our-rush-hour-roads.html

 

[RedRider]

From the bbc news website yesterday...

The Commons transport committee should be "embarrassed" by the ignorance it demonstrated during a recent hearing on cycle safety, former Olympic cycling champion Chris Boardman has said.

The MPs showed they "didn't even know the most basic of facts", Mr Boardman, British Cycling's policy advisor, said.

"Evidence and statistics were bypassed in favour of opinions and anecdotes on sideline topics," he continued.

But the committee vowed to produce a "balanced report" after its inquiry.

MPs are looking into cycling safety following a spate of fatal accidents. Six cyclists were killed in London during a two-week period last month.

'Negligent'
Among those testifying to the committee on Monday were journalist and London Mayor Boris Johnson's cycling commissioner Andrew Gilligan, and London Cycling Campaign chief executive Ashok Sinha.

Mr Boardman said: "The MPs that sit on the transport select committee should be embarrassed by their performance yesterday in an inquiry that was meant to be about why six people died riding bicycles on London's roads in the space of two weeks.

"In front of them sat experts from campaigning bodies, transport research and the police - all ready to get into a proper discussion - and yet the MPs demonstrated that they didn't even know the most basic of facts. Evidence and statistics were bypassed in favour of opinions and anecdotes on sideline topics."

Some commentators accused the committee of bias against cyclists, with the Guardian's Peter Walker tweeting: "This is like the home affairs select committee asking mugging victims about not going out at night and not dressing too smartly."

Mr Boardman continued: "Such a clear demonstration of lack of research and understanding at this level of seniority would, in any other business, be classed as negligent.

"This was an opportunity to discuss how we can make our roads fit for people to get around by bicycle, improving our nation's health, the environment and cutting emissions.

"This will deliver benefits for everyone, not just cyclists, and to do it we need to transform infrastructure, tackle dangerous junctions and encourage people to use bikes to get around."

Committee chair and Labour MP Louise Ellman said: "Yesterday's evidence session was only the start of an inquiry into cycling safety, at the end of which the committee will be seeking to produce a balanced report. Tomorrow we are taking oral evidence from the minister, Robert Goodwin.

"In addition to our oral evidence, we have received and published over 40 pieces of written evidence from a wide range of organisations which are available via the inquiry website.

"We welcome the opportunity to hear from Chris Boardman so I will be writing to him to invite him to meet the committee and to give oral evidence to us in due course. We look forward to him making an important contribution to this inquiry."

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

My respect for Chris Boardman continues to grow. I reckon he's the best cycling advocate around that we've got. And I may well cancel my subscription with LCC and go over to BC, partly because I'm well annoyed with LCC's Charlie Lloyd for not replying to me (though I know he got my email because he appeared on the What an HGV sees thread immediately afterwards, but mostly because of that miserable looking Boardman.

 

[ManiaMuse]

I'm disappointed, I thought this thread was going to be about the winner of a race for bikes with trailers and trikes and the like

 

[RedRider]

I'm disappointed, I thought this thread was going to be about the winner of a race for bikes with trailers and trikes and the like

That would be a good comp... contestants each have to shop for and transport a sofa across town with a kid in tow. the winner is the one with the biggest smile.
But no, this is more about collecting Chris Boardman's campaigning media appearances. So, while I'm here...
Here he is, doing it for the kids on CBBC's Newsround:
Q. What is it British cycling is trying to do?
"The big one is pushing the government to say 'we want more people to get around walking and on bikes. Get them out of their cars, it makes it a nicer plan for us all to be.'"
He goes on to ask kids to encourage their parents out on bikes with them and get their schools to do Bikeability.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/25214951