The Edinburgh Evening News out to stir up more anti-cycling hatred...

[goo_mason]

Just check out the headline on this. What an irresponsible and provocative title for a story that's about drink-driving figures.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/edinburgh/More-than-30-cyclists-caught.4723796.jp

From the comments, it seems that a story on drink-driving is no longer news, so twisting it round into the current anti-cycling mania they like to encourage, it becomes a new angle on an old story.

That's OK then....

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

You gotta love them, haven't you?

The comments are a little more balanced than the last time one of these was linked on here, although I love the one that starts "ban the scum .." which makes you think he's talking about drink-drivers (or drink-riders) and then you realise he's talking about bikes generally.

I especially love the way they have to count the drunken riders figure for 5 years just to get it up to a number that sounds vaguely scary.

Anyway, I'm off to the pub in a minute.

 

[goo_mason]

The comments have only just started - give it an hour or two and the usual ranters will have said their pieces

 

[upsidedown]

Surprisingly it took until reply number 10 for somebody to mention road tax:

"Just ban the scum from the road, until they pay road tax, have at least 3rd party insurance, and have to sit a basic test."



I really, really despair.

 

[Tetedelacourse]

Entirely consistent with the usual pish the EEN prints / publishes.

 

[Domestique]

"I find cycling in the city centre dangerous enough without being under the influence of alcohol. You need full concentration to be able to survive"

I tend to agree with that.
I do cringe when I see someone riding along supping a can of brew

 

[cheadle hulme]

I didn't know its was a cyclist that shot JFK though - blimey!

 

[Lazy-Commuter]

I didn't know its was a cyclist that shot JFK though - blimey!

I think he was a descendant of the one that had fitted a propellor to a long shaft driven by his back wheel so he could move icebergs around in 1912.

 

[snorri]

It would be interesting if EEN published stats to tell us how many people contributing online comments to the EEN website are inebriated?
Considerably more than six in five years that's for sure.

 

[theboytaylor]

From the very same "news resource":
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Drinkdrivers-caught-on-city-roads.4086397.jp
471 drink-driving motorists in 2007....while it's impressive that it has been on the decrease, over the last 5yrs that's probably almost 2,000 drink drivers. I know who I'd rather have wobbling towards me on a dark night!

 

[HF2300]

From the very same "news resource":
http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/topstories/Drinkdrivers-caught-on-city-roads.4086397.jp
471 drink-driving motorists in 2007....while it's impressive that it has been on the decrease, over the last 5yrs that's probably almost 2,000 drink drivers. I know who I'd rather have wobbling towards me on a dark night!

Worse than that! The article Goo linked says 1436 drink drivers in 2007-8, that's 1430 more than the drunk cyclists they major on...

 

[downfader]

http://www.pcc.org.uk/complaints/process.html

 

[PBancroft]

Worse than that! The article Goo linked says 1436 drink drivers in 2007-8, that's 1430 more than the drunk cyclists they major on...

That doesn't add up. 400 one year, but 1000 more the same year?

 

[HF2300]

That doesn't add up. 400 one year, but 1000 more the same year?

Don't know if it's like for like; the other article (written 2008) refers to 471 'last year' but later refers to 2006-7 statistics, so the 471 is probably 2006-7, and it also refers to the city of Edinburgh only while the 1436 is the whole of Lothian.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

I'm sure these stories are only run and put online so that the forces of righteous indignation will sign up and rattle sabres - while the email addresses they've just provided are sold to the highest bidder by the paper for valuable extra income.