How Dare You Tell Me I Have To Change My Behaviour!

'We would like to see more emphasis on suitable calming measures to alert cyclists of the need for a change in behaviour, to slow down and give way to pedestrians. 'There are points in the guidance where it almost seems that cyclists should not be inconvenienced by such measures.'

This is the revelation that the government tried to squash a review into 'floating' bus stops by their own disabled persons transport advisory committee (DPTAC).

The DPTAC's report from 2025, which was marked as 'official - sensitive', was the group's response to draft government guidance on floating bus stops. However, it was uncovered last month through a Freedom of Information request - and has been seen by the Daily Mail.

Last November, the Government ordered a pause on the installation of stops, where people getting off a bus have to step onto a live cycle lane. However, Sarah Gayton, of the National Federation of the Blind of the UK, which uncovered the report, has called for an immediate halt to all floating bus stops. 'This is supposed to be the Labour party but they treat disabled people with contempt.'

Oh Sarah, you're not special, they treat everone with contempt. 

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association has called for the roll-out of all forms of floating bus stop to be halted until they can be proven safe. It previously found through testing that trained guide dogs are naturally predisposed to avoid floating bus stops because they don't think they are safe for their handler.

The dogs figured it out, why can't the people with all the qualifications in government? 

How Dare You Be ‘Inconvenienced’

A cyclist in Bexley has raised concerns about restrictive gates and barriers across the borough’s parks and cycle routes, describing them as “outdated” and “inaccessible” — particularly for disabled people, families, and those using larger or adapted bikes.

Do they stop him? No, Reader. Of course not. But look at what they make him do! 

Greg records different problem spots across the borough, documenting how certain gates make it impossible to pass through — especially with larger or adapted bikes. He shares videos of these encounters on his Instagram account, @greg.on.the.bike and recently highlighted a barrier on Robin Hood Lane as a key example of poor design.

The gate forms part of the official London Cycle Network, but navigating it requires him to dismount and lift his bike over the obstruction — a task he says is not just inconvenient but impossible for many.

He added that even for cyclists with standard upright bikes, the layout and narrow design of many gates mean they have to stop completely, lift their bikes, and negotiate awkward manoeuvres just to pass through.

Oh, the humanity!  

According to Greg, the issue goes beyond mere inconvenience. He believes some of the barriers may breach the Equality Act 2010, particularly Section 20, which requires public infrastructure to be reasonably accessible.

So, why are these gates there? Just for fun, to make cyclists stop? 

While the gates may originally have been installed to prevent antisocial motorbike use, he argues they are now penalising responsible cyclists and other legal users.

Aha! The OTHER two-wheeled menace. 

He added: “These gates are not stopping regular e-bikes or scooters anyway. The infrastructure was meant to help, but it’s ended up being anti-bike infrastructure rather than anything productive.

“They’re just in the way for people who want to use the parks and quiet paths.”

And for people who don't want to be run down by a pest in lycra while they do so. 

OK, I'm Sure It's A Chance Worth Taking...

The amendments have been criticised by some cyclists. Chris Boardman, the former Olympic cyclist and national active travel commissioner for England, said the new laws could prevent people from cycling.

Really? What new laws are these? 

The offence of causing death by dangerous cycling would be brought into line with driving laws under amendments tabled on Thursday, the Department for Transport said.

Well, Chris, I guess asking lycra louts and MAMILs to obey the basics and not put pedestrians at risk is just too much for some. Is that really the message you wanted to send? 

A DfT spokesperson said: “Dangerous cycling is completely unacceptable, and the safety of our roads is a key priority for this government. “The government is proposing new offences and penalties for dangerous cycling, updating legislation that is over 160 years old, to ensure that the tiny minority who recklessly disregard others face the full force of the law.

Chris seems to think it's more than a tiny minority. Maybe Chris is wrong? 

“These are being brought forward as part of the crime and policing bill and will be debated in due course.”

I can't wait for Chris to announce his participation in the debate!  

Give Them A Bus Service, They STILL Complain...

Oh, poor you! Surely it's not too much trouble, after all, foldability is presumably what you bought that type for, and at least if you put your back out, it'll stop you interfering in what you think we should all see in the way of adverts on public transport?

So..?

Almost twice as many boys as girls routinely cycle in the UK, a pioneering report on young people’s active travel has found.

The study, led by the charity Sustrans...

Oh oh!  

...also found strong support among children for measures to help them cycle and walk, such as dedicated bike lanes, slower traffic speeds and barring motor vehicles from outside schools.

Stopping the school-run madness would be good, but of course if you asked their parents, they'd say something quite different.  

While all active travel is good for long-term heath, long-term studies have shown these benefits are particularly marked when it comes to cycling, especially compared with walking.

Despite walking being safer? Well, sometimes, anyway.  

Lily, a secondary school girl from Swansea, said she used to cycle around her neighbourhood but stopped because “it’s not really seen as cool, and we can be quite self-conscious about that”. A lot of cycling gear was “made for men instead of women”, she added.

Well, just pretend you're a boy, love. It's all the rage now. 

Pointless If They Can’t Be Traced By Registration Plates

New UK cycling laws being introduced this month introduce further penalties – but downgrade two existing offences. Ten offences to tackle antisocial cycling have been proposed – including offences relating to cycling behaviour in London's Royal Parks.

Only works if they get stopped at the time. If - as usual - they pedal off in the distance, what are you supposed to tell the police to enable them to be traced? 

'It was a fat arrogant man in lycra, officer!' 'OK, madam, and do you know how many of those there are in London?'  

What are the offences that are now deemed 'not as serious'?

However, these laws raise “serious concerns”, as two new offences are, in effect, being ‘downgraded’ – dangerous cycling and failing to stop at a school crossing patrol – which can now be dealt with by taking a 30-minute e-learning course through the National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) for a fee of £100, instead of cyclists’ receiving points on their driving record or a fine.

Well, that's doing a lot for safety... 

Well, She'd Made A Deliberate Decision To Ignore The Rules Of Society, So...

Sentencing Wade, whose criminal record includes 137 previous offences, Recorder Taryn Turner said her riding had led to “tragic” consequences for the victim. She said: “You shouldn’t have been on the pavement and your bike should have been mechanically sound, but it wasn’t."

“I’m quite satisfied you made a deliberate decision to ignore the rules of the road and had a total disregard for the risk that your riding of this bike presented, which was obviously highly dangerous," the recorder added.

Not some Lycra-clad lout on an expensive mountain bike this time, just the usual underclass with a record as long as her arm who has never been deterred by any of her numerous other convictions... 

Prosecutor Laura McBride said Wade had been “highly impaired by alcohol” at the time of the crash. She was also said to be steering with only one hand as she was carrying a bag of dog food with her other hand. A police officer who inspected her bike after the crash confirmed it had no working brakes.

And won't be deterred by this one, either.  

Hello Reality, My Old Friend*!

When I sold my car, I didn’t expect a pat on the head; I wore my halo on the inside, and that was enough. But I did assume that those who had encouraged me to do the right thing – among them, my local council, which supposedly favours the walker, the cyclist and the keen user of the bus – wouldn’t now actively seek to make my life more difficult.

Oh, if only there was a German word to describe my feelings reading this...  

Three years later, and part of me wonders why I bothered. Thanks to low traffic schemes, which benefit only select groups of very lucky people, bus journey times are often twice as long as they used to be, cars having been forced on to the main road.

What did you think would happen, they'd all disappear in a puff of smoke? Did you really count on everyone doing what you did? Did it never occur to you that some people can't live by bus and bike alone? 

Meanwhile, the council has decreed that those who want their garden waste to be collected, as it has been ever since I’ve lived here, must henceforth pay £75 a year for the privilege – and for a service only half as frequent as before.

Isn’t it obvious what will happen next?

It is to us, yes.  

Relatively few people, I predict, will cough up. Those with cars will drive to the dump, increasing traffic and pollution, while those without will either hide their dead dahlias in their regular rubbish (which means they won’t be composted), or they’ll simply fly tip (a serious problem in our neighbourhood).

More joy in heaven, etc, etc... 

* apologies to Simon and Garfunkel

It’s Not Just ‘The Right’, Zoe

Pretty sure lots on the left hate you too.

Freshly re-enamoured of the world of two wheels, I have plunged straight back into the cycling discourse, the perfect microcosm of the wokeness split in all its forms. Take the ex-footballer Joey Barton, who is being sued by Jeremy Vine for calling the broadcaster a “bike nonce”. Meanwhile, the socials are full of people furiously agreeing that aggressive cyclists pose more danger to them than articulated lorries.

They are a lot harder to spot, and hear, being silent. And they are often on the pavement, which isn't true of the lorries.  

The fervent attacks on low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and low-emission zones such as Ulez in London are really just a full-throttle loathing of people on bikes, aggrandised by acronyms and libertarian bat signals.

There's nothing organised about this, it's more that wherever you go, there's a lot of cyclists behaving as if the rules of the road are not meant to apply to them.    

Before our very eyes, Nigel Farage is channelling the world-changing rhetoricians of yore in an argument against “anti-car fanaticism”. Who would want more cars? Someone who finds cyclists really annoying, that’s who.

Or those who want to get their shopping, which is pretty hard to do on two wheels.  

Anti-cyclists are easy to categorise: they find the concept of the do-gooder infuriating and the idea of minding their own business untenable.

Like Leftists, Zoe? 

Cyclists, on the other hand, are impossible to categorise; you might just as well try to build a theory of mind for pedestrians. Some of us are rude, some of us are not; some of us shoot red lights and won’t wear hi-vis; some of us obey the rules of the road and behave very responsibly. Some of us think we are looking after our health and fighting the good fight against climate catastrophe; some of us just like getting places faster. It’s not a political act; it’s fun. Especially when you have a new bike.

I see nothing 'fun' about it, but each to their own. Just stop at the red lights, eh?  

Why No Deportation?

A driver who deliberately rammed a cyclist into a parked truck has avoided jail.

It's hard to see how, when the act was deliberate and calculated. 

Polish plumber Adam Ruszkowski pursued Thomas Purchase, who had overtaken the motorist on his bike, along Lambeth Walk Road in south London. The 37-year-old then drove into the software engineer, pushing the cyclist into an HGV, causing spinal fractures and PTSD following the incident.

How on earth does this man not see the inside of  jail cell, and on release, the departure lounge of Heathrow accompanied by Home Office officials? 

But Ruszkowski, who was in tears throughout the sentencing hearing at Inner London Crown Court, has been spared jail time, instead receiving a sentence of two years suspended for two years.

Are we that short of Polish plumbers? 

The motorist, who was wearing a light blue shirt in court, was helped by an interpreter as Judge Darren Reed summarised the case.

Clearly no loss to the workforce if he departs for Warsaw post haste... 

Whose Safety Is He Conscious Of..?

This is the moment a cyclist is flung over in the air after not spotting a closed gate in front of him - the third person to do it in just eight months.

The safety-conscious rider - with a helmet on and lights on his bike - is seen heading down a hill at speed in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

But the thick metal gate - leading to allotments - which is sometimes open, had been shut.

Because it's not that of any pedestrian who might step out in front of him, is it?

Well, Maybe There Should Be..?

Cyclists have been warned to be aware of the speed that they are riding at. It comes after a group were caught travelling at nearly 40mph on a 30mph road on Dartmoor. Devon and Cornwall’s Road Policing Team took to Twitter on Sunday to raise awareness of the issue.

Wait, why only a warning? Why no speeding ticket? 

Well, Reader, hold onto your hat... 

The group was stopped by the police and offered appropriate words of advice. However as there is no speed limit for cyclists, no further action was taken.

YCMIU, could you? 

H/T: IanJ via email

Well, It Takes A Village To Raise A Child, After All...

A cyclist who crashed into a three-year-old girl at a zebra crossing in east London suffered a broken jaw...

Came off his bike, did he? 

...after being violently assaulted by a member of the public.

*suppressed chuckle* 

“The suspect is not believed to have been known to the child,” said a Scotland Yard spokesperson.

Nice to see some people still retain the old atavistic instincts, despite the current woke agenda. 

Police investigating the incident are now appealing for any drivers who may have been in the area at the time and could have dash-cam footage of what happened to come forward.

I hope they don't, if it allows him to be identified. 

Given Other Cases, She Was Right To Expect This...

A source close to Grey's defence team said she plans to appeal, having expected only a suspended sentence.

Yes, it's the conclusion to this case.

The court heard that until pre-sentencing Grey had expressed 'no remorse' for her actions...

So what? At least that's more honest! 

'Her lawyer had desperately tried to get her out on bail during an appeal process but it was a failed application.'

They've really got it in for this woman, haven't they? I wonder why... 

It comes as the local council was unable to confirm today whether or not bicycles are allowed on the pavement where the incident took place - despite the judge declaring it a 'shared footpath' at court.

Wait, what? So neither the police nor the local council can decide, but 'his honour' can opine from the bench? Surely someone should be looking at this fool's competence to be a judge?

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Sean Enright acknowledged Grey's health issues, but told her they 'do not reduce your understanding of right or wrong'.

Strange, since my blog is littered with cases where the judge has fallen over himself to be lenient and award the benefit of the doubt. And this particular one has no hesitation showing it to drug dealers and burglars. 

Following Grey's conviction, Detective Sergeant Mark Dollard, who interviewed her, said: 'I am pleased with the verdict and hope it is a stark reminder to all road users to take care and be considerate to each other. '

Of course you're pleased. Low hanging fruit is always easiest, isn't it? And what consideration did the cyclist show to pedestrians? 

The New Protected Class...

After the verdict, Det Sgt Dollard said: "This is a difficult and tragic case.

"Everyone will have their own views on cyclists, pavements and cycleways but what is clear is Auriol Grey's response to the presence of Celia on a pedal cycle was totally disproportionate and ultimately found to be unlawful, resulting in Celia's untimely and needless death.

"I am pleased with the verdict and hope it is a stark reminder to all road users to take care and be considerate to each other.

"I want to take the time to acknowledge Celia's family and thank them for their patience and dignity throughout the entirety of the investigation and trial."

Gosh! A woman is convicted of manslaughter because a cyclist fell in front of a car. Was she pushed? 

Prosecutor Simon Spence KC said Grey shouted at Mrs Ward and "gestured in a hostile and aggressive way towards" her, causing her to fall off the bike and into the road where she was hit by an oncoming car.

Oh....well, maybe she's a nutter who goes around targeting innocent cyclists in the hope that this will happen?

In police interview, Grey, who has cerebral palsy, told officers she was partially sighted and described the pedal cycle as travelling "fast" in the centre of the pavement. She stated she was "anxious that I was going to get hit by it", adding she "may have unintentionally put" out her hand to protect herself.

Oh...well, maybe it was her that was in the wrong and the cyclist was on a cycle path? 

The court was told police could not "categorically" state whether the pavement was a shared cycleway.

Sometimes, British justice leaves me shaking my head in amazement. This is one such time. 

"Walker has no memory of the crash..."

Who needs him to, when we have dashcams..? 

In footage from a car in front of the accident, Walker can be seen on his bicycle when the rear wheel caught a car's front wing.

And maps?

MailOnline has discovered there is a cycling path that would have diverted him through a subway underneath, avoiding heavy traffic. The roundabout is said to be a notorious accident black spot.

I guess 'Feild Of Dreams' was wrong, if you build it, they won't come after all... 

Road safety experts have warned cyclists to use cycle lanes where possible and told road users to be more aware and on the 'lookout'.

For cyclists with a death wish? 

Must Be A Trick Question....

After all, they are both cyclists!

The rider of the second bike, who had been travelling quickly down the cycle route, does not see the first commuter pull out from behind a parked van until it is too late.

Wouldn't have seen anything in time to stop, so thank god it wasn't a pensioner or child... 

So, We Can All Swear At Police Cars Now..?

The Met has admitted it was "clearly wrong" for an officer to tell a cyclist who swore at a police car that he had broken the law.

Or is it only cyclists that can swear at police cars with impunity?

The cyclist told the officers to "get out of the f***ing way" when he was forced into the road by their unmarked car parked in the bus and cycle lane on Wandsworth Bridge. After pulling the father over one officer said: "Swearing in the street with two small children. You're committing public order offences with your kids."

He accused the cyclist of being "inconsiderate and stupid" and said there are people "who will stab you" for swearing at them.

All undoubtedly true...

The officer added: "If we weren't police and we were the wrong type of people... if I overran you because we are the wrong type of people, you want to put your kids' lives at risk?"

Probably, it does seem to be a thing certain cyclists love to do, after all.

Well Said, Judge Carroll ...

The usual words from the hired mouthpiece, but he's not swayed:

"I read with interest your army reference, which describes you as a man of integrity - that could not be further from the case. This was a long, persistent case of very bad driving that culminated in a man’s death."

But once again, the Pussy Pass comes into effect: 

Robinson collapsed in tears as she was jailed for seven-years-and-nine-months. Ferry was handed an eight-year sentence.

She hit the cyclist, so why should he get a greater sentence..? Is it, as Clarissa thinks, because he left the scene and she stayed?

Is It My Birthday..?

Dangerous dogs and careless cyclists? Truly, my cup runneth over!

The victim, a woman in her 40s, was taken to hospital with serious leg injuries after the incident in Lancaster on 5 May. She told police she had been involved in an argument with a man who accused her of almost knocking into his child.

Any evidence that's true?

It occurred shortly after the victim was forced to brake to avoid a woman and child.

Ah. Awkward! 

No arrest has been made but police are appealing for information in an attempt to identify the dog walker, believed to be in his early 30s.

The man is described as white, 5ft 9in to 5ft 10in and of a slim build, with brown short back and sides hair. He was not wearing a top at the time of the incident.

Chavilicious!