Social Media Posts Inciting Hate Toward Cyclists

[mjr]

"After experiencing a ‘near death experience’ with a cyclist with no lights, former Metropolitan Police Chief Lord Hogan-Howe..."

Yes, perhaps the cyclist should have done a better job of explaining that smoking the peace pipe is best done in the dark and this whole situation could have been avoided.

Lord Ho-Ho is literally the police chief 2011-2017 who oversaw the collapse of London traffic policing that has allowed criminal drivers to bully many cyclists into riding on pavements instead of carriageways and cycleways. He's just upset now he's suffering the consequences of his inactions and trying to point the finger literally anywhere else.

"Lord Hendy, a former Commissioner of Transport for London, said: “I was interested to hear some suggestions from the noble Lord, Lord Hogan-Howe, about licensing and adding cycling to driving licences, and particularly about maybe making cycling offences endorsable on driving licences for motor vehicles. We will certainly look at that,” the Evening Standard reported."

Yeah, they'll certainly look at that, but I hope then go "ewwww, gross" and flush it into the Thames to join the rest of the turds.

Lord Hendy is a rail minister not a roads, policing or justice minister anyway so probably wanted to be non-committal about it because it's not his department. Also, Lord Hendy is already facing calls to resign (is that some sort of record?) due to apparently getting an expert rail engineer sacked for raising safety concerns about the "Euston stampede" working practice, which the regulator had already ruled needed to change: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/08/29/lord-hendy-rail-minister-sacking-engineer-gareth-dennis/

The article finishes with some nonsense about driving licence points being some sort of deterrent. I think it'll be irrelevant to anyone with a clean driving licence. The fine is already enough of a deterrent, but deterrents don't matter when people don't think there's much chance of getting caught and we know the police are overworked and traffic policing has collapsed, with far more dangerous driving being allowed to continue unchecked.

 

[Drago]

"After experiencing a ‘near death experience’ with a cyclist with no lights, former Metropolitan Police Chief Lord Hogan-Howe..."

Yes, perhaps the cyclist should have done a better job of explaining that smoking the peace pipe is best done in the dark and this whole situation could have been avoided.

Hogan Howe always was a bellend of the first water who was the first to believe his own hype.

 

[Poacher]

Hogan Howe always was a bellend of the first water who was the first to believe his own hype.

He also confessed that until recently he was unaware that cyclists weren't subject to speed limits. How in the name of raised trouser legs does someone with no knowledge of the relevant legislation attain the most senior post in uk policing and then have the brass neck to stand on his hind legs in the House of Lords and pontificate on a subject he knows FA about?

 

[mjr]

He also confessed that until recently he was unaware that cyclists weren't subject to speed limits. How in the name of raised trouser legs does someone with no knowledge of the relevant legislation attain the most senior post in uk policing and then have the brass neck to stand on his hind legs in the House of Lords and pontificate on a subject he knows FA about?

Appointed Commissioner under Mayor Boris Johnson.

 

[Drago]

He also confessed that until recently he was unaware that cyclists weren't subject to speed limits. How in the name of raised trouser legs does someone with no knowledge of the relevant legislation attain the most senior post in uk policing and then have the brass neck to stand on his hind legs in the House of Lords and pontificate on a subject he knows FA about?

He's not in the craft. We wouldn't have him.

 

[Badger_Boom]

What evidence is there that bad driving is the preserve of the poor?

None. I find that thugs are common in all levels of society.

 

[Andy in Germany]

I have no idea.

I'm just suggesting that is one possibility for the fact that in my area I see far fewer incidents of "aggressive" driving than many others seem to.

It may be local variation. I've noticed that in Stuttgart it's usually expensive Mercedes cars driven by older men, and flashy compacts driven by young women. Younger men are generally no problem.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

The Daily Express:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2040075/brits-demand-cyclists-number-plates-insurance

Posted to FB:
View: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1062577365893557&set=a.629900289161269

My response:

871 signatories of the petition in a week, despite national news coverage.

Yes, I can see this is definitely what 'Brits' want </sarcasm>

Drivers are tested, licensed, have vehicle registration marks on their vehicles and are required to have mandatory insurance.

Despite all that, they kill 8 pedestrians a week. 300,000 uninsured vehicles are in daily use. Over a million uninsured vehicles are used annually. 50% of drivers break 30 mph speed limits in free flowing traffic. Proportionately, more drivers jump red lights than cyclists.

What can we deduce from that, about registration marks, insurance and accountability?

Anecdotally, a red light jumping driver knocked a cyclist off their bike at a traffic light controlled junction in my local area a few days ago. The driver left the scene. The driver has not yet been identified or traced. Does that sound like accountability?

Also anecdotally, I walked 3.8 km along a main road the other day and counted the number of drivers visibly using a hand held mobile phone whilst driving. I counted 22. That averaged out at one for every 172 meters. Many drivers, in addition to those I counted, were suspiciously looking down at their laps whilst they drove, I suspect because they were too using a mobile phone.

Quite frankly, pedestrians have more chance of being killed by a lightning strike or a cow than being killed by a cyclist. The contribution negligent cyclists make to road traffic injuries is orders of magnitude less than the contribution drivers make. In fact, that contribution is so small, it makes no difference to the overall statistics.

So when 30,000 people are killed or seriously injured on our roads each year, in collisions with motor vehicles, why would we waste time, money and effort introducing and enforcing more regulation for cyclists?

 

[Drago]

It's the Express, to be expected. It's the Daily Mail for people who desire even more outrage.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

Yes it is to be expected.
That does not make it okay.

 

[Binky]

Does anyone expect anything less? Any mainstream forum etc which has a discussion on cyclists will always attract the "They don't pay road tax/get them licenced, insured etc" crowd. No doubt a lot are just WUMs - Wind Up Merchants - who comment with sole intention of stirring the shite. Likewise I'm sure some are genuine in their dislike and disregard of cyclists.

Unfortunately in the real world there are some who take this attitude onto road and endanger vunerable road users intentionally along with those who seem oblivious to cyclists and hence carry out close passes etc which has same effect.

Online hatred etc can be blocked and ignored, it's what happens in real life that concerns me more as a cyclist.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

The Daily Express:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2040075/brits-demand-cyclists-number-plates-insurance

Posted to FB:
View: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1062577365893557&set=a.629900289161269

My response:

You're right of course, but responding actually supports further hatred against cyclists.

This isn't a criticism, it's a description of the Catch-22 created by the hate amplification machine that is social media. Remembering that page views is what advertisers pay for...

1. Post something awful that generates hatred
2. This generates responses, both for and against
3. The algorithm responds by pushing the post to more users, generating more hatred and more money for the originator and the platform.

repeat.

The choice is amplify the hatred by responding or normalise the hatred by blocking.

I saw the same post and chose the latter, purely on the basis that both the Express and Zuckerberg would prefer the former.

 

[Binky]

I'll add cyclists or quite a few don't help the cause either. Aside from those with unrestricted ebikes flying around, there are plenty of regular cyclists who consistently jump red lights, weave dangerously in and out of traffic etc. Then you get groups of roadies who spread out across road preventing traffic from passing. I'm sure we've all seen it, a large group riding along chatting spread across one side of road and then not moving over to allow cars etc to pass.

All the above wind up other road users unnecessarily and only gives fuel to those with an axe to grind.

Just as get inconsiderate motorists, there are inconsiderate and yes dangerous cyclists and unfortunately it'll never change what with human nature being as it is.

 

[Drago]

Unrestricted ebikes are mopeds or motorcycles (exactly type dependent upon weight/performance) and should be reported as such. Sadly, only a minority or the media and even the dibble seem capable of making the distinction with their reporting and public comments.

Even purpose built electric motorcycles, such as Surons, are being reported as ebikes, and as a consequence we get tarred with someone else's brush.

And what about the cars thst weave in and out on motorways? It isnt cyclists that kill 5 and maim 82 every day, its motorists. Yet such motorway antics don't give rise to anti motoring sentiment.

The problem is one of preconceptions, tribalism, and (in the case of some parts more the media) a deliberate commercial agenda that thrives of stoking hate and division.

The problem is not one of bad behaviour by a minority, because if it were genuinely so we'd be seeing a similar outcry against "motorists" as a user group. We don't, so clearly it isn't.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

I'll add cyclists or quite a few don't help the cause either. Aside from those with unrestricted ebikes flying around, there are plenty of regular cyclists who consistently jump red lights, weave dangerously in and out of traffic etc. Then you get groups of roadies who spread out across road preventing traffic from passing. I'm sure we've all seen it, a large group riding along chatting spread across one side of road and then not moving over to allow cars etc to pass.

All the above wind up other road users unnecessarily and only gives fuel to those with an axe to grind.

Just as get inconsiderate motorists, there are inconsiderate and yes dangerous cyclists and unfortunately it'll never change what with human nature being as it is.

Tempted to take my own advice and just block this and any further.

However...

As a motorist, I've been driving for nearly 40 years and can't remember the last time I was significantly inconvenienced by any cyclist. On the other hand, literally every single time I ride a bike, I'm inconvenienced by motorists.

I am a motorist. Motorists are NOT the victims here, and shouldn't be indulged in their victim-bully behaviours.