Grant Shapps wants a speed limit for cyclists

Benjahmin

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 10, 2014
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Distraction tactics. 'Cos there's nothing else of concern is there?:rolleyes:
Be interesting to see the police arresting a 10 year old with no insurance.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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Best they still concentrate on the speeding and unlawful car use that regularly occurs before starting with a couple of errant bike riders.
Anti cycling newspaper haters with their agenda lobbying gov't.

They haven't even got an anwser for the scooter nightmare that is occurring so to jump on cyclists is just a distraction for the tories who are making a complete balls up with there in fighting and little idea of the actual turmoil affecting the UK population at the mo. They are simply pandering for votes before the next election which they would likely to be trounced at if Stammer wasn't heading the opposition.
May be we will see a big swing to libs and the greens who knows.
 
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flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,819
30,381
Scaremongering headlines. I will eat my own face if that ever gets greenlit in parliament ;)
Unlikely perhaps.

But parts of Britain have already had bicycle rear number plates and registration that worked well and was happily accepted by the population. In the Channel Islands, Guernsey had that scheme until the 1940s at least.

Beyond that the rented bicycles in Cambridge in the 1950s all had to have number plates by law.

And of course today all S class pedelec bicycles have to be registered with rear number plates and third party insurance, both here and thoughout Europe.

So never say never.
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RetiredAndRolling

Pedelecer
Mar 30, 2019
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Goodness, there's a torrent of wrath against cyclists in the reader responses in online newspapers. It is quite shocking. No doubt our politicians will read it and think cycling restrictions will be a vote winner. I'd like to believe that these daft proposals will get nowhere but I am nervous. The government should be bending over backwards to encourage cycling, building infrastructure for safe cycling, get people fitter and weaned off fossil fuels. Instead we read of proposals to add unnecessary overhead and cost to those who cycle. Unbelievable. By all means hand out heavy fines and sentences to those who cycle and are attributable to accidents and injuries.
 

danielrlee

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May 27, 2012
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We really shouldn't give this sort of nonsense the time of day. The only reason this has made the headlines again is to distract attention from the following leaked recording that has surfaced today (the real story is the comment at the 1:15 mark):

 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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It happens all the time, gov't ministers cause a ruckass with some ill advised remark and the spin doctors get involved with some side tracking news to curry favour amnogst the electorate. The media /papers are happy to carry the big headline story as they have mostly been shown to be cycle haters anyway.
 

AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
1,183
517
Wants to set a speed limit - No problem
Wants to have us with number plates(and no doubt a tax, which is probably the real point) - No problem.

But taxed, with number plate and speed limit, there is no way im riding in the gutter. I'll ride in the primary position, at a wonderful average of maybe 12mph.

So Grant the idiot, he's going to be seeing huge snarl ups of traffic, creeping along at a snails pace, and given most roads are effectively one lane of moving traffic, then every main road, especially during rush hour and going to at least double a cars journey time.

RIDE TO RULE We can even get riding clobber made with BLAME GRANT emblazoned across the back. I'm sure if such a policy were to be implemented, it would die a rather quick death when his email inbox is stowed out with hate mail, employers and large businesses sending complaints direct to the transport secretary. And no doubt complaints from the police. But don't worry about road rage, because there likely to be 20 fellows looking to get involved.

We can bring the roads to near standstill given there is now enough of us to clog up the traffic, all slowly pottering along, and with cyclists on both sides of the road, overtaking is going to be near impossible.

Can you imagine what it would be like at traffic lights, slow to start cyclists would likely mean nothing behind gets through before the lights change.

It might have the Daily Mail gammon's cheering him on, but once every one of their journey's to anywhere takes twice or three times as long, I'm sure they'd backtrack rather quickly
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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Yes have to agree 100% any licensing means the bike being classed as a motor vehicle even if just human power we would soon cause major congestion riding in primary position.

The DFT and opposition all think it is utter nonsense and the guardian political expert say's it's a non runner, snaps is pandering to the likes of the mail/express and it's anti cyclist readership as they are the mouth piece of the tories with any unpopular theories, the media is used a the tory mouth piece.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,819
30,381
Wants to set a speed limit - No problem
Wants to have us with number plates(and no doubt a tax, which is probably the real point) - No problem.

But taxed, with number plate and speed limit, there is no way im riding in the gutter. I'll ride in the primary position, at a wonderful average of maybe 12mph.

So Grant the idiot, he's going to be seeing huge snarl ups of traffic, creeping along at a snails pace, and given most roads are effectively one lane of moving traffic, then every main road, especially during rush hour and going to at least double a cars journey time.

RIDE TO RULE We can even get riding clobber made with BLAME GRANT emblazoned across the back. I'm sure if such a policy were to be implemented, it would die a rather quick death when his email inbox is stowed out with hate mail, employers and large businesses sending complaints direct to the transport secretary. And no doubt complaints from the police. But don't worry about road rage, because there likely to be 20 fellows looking to get involved.

We can bring the roads to near standstill given there is now enough of us to clog up the traffic, all slowly pottering along, and with cyclists on both sides of the road, overtaking is going to be near impossible.

Can you imagine what it would be like at traffic lights, slow to start cyclists would likely mean nothing behind gets through before the lights change.

It might have the Daily Mail gammon's cheering him on, but once every one of their journey's to anywhere takes twice or three times as long, I'm sure they'd backtrack rather quickly
An amusing idea, but only until the government responded by enforcing cycle path usage by law, making on road cycling illegal everywhere there is a cyclepath or shared path alongside.
.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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An amusing idea, but only until the government responded by enforcing cycle path usage by law, making on road cycling illegal everywhere there is a cyclepath or shared path alongside.
.
They need to build them introduce the infrastructure then flecc, where I live hardly any cycle paths to use apart from in and out of town.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,819
30,381
They need to build them introduce the infrastructure then flecc, where I live hardly any cycle paths to use apart from in and out of town.
I was speaking of Andy's proposal, affecting where the most traffic is, like here around South London. We have numerous cyclepaths and shared paths, but hardly any cyclists use them due to their conditions and circumstances.
.
 

Nealh

Esteemed Pedelecer
Aug 7, 2014
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We know snaps proposals won't come to fruition as it is so unpopular amongst most, all it is going to do is rile the right wingers who read the express and mail and then those drivers amongst them end up even more anti cyclist. When all the hot air dies down and they realise nothing changes, having been egged on they will all end up with hyer blood pressure. No doubt egged on by right wingers like clarkson and his puppets who tend to have a following.
 

esuark

Pedelecer
Jul 23, 2019
229
171
kent
Wants to set a speed limit - No problem
Wants to have us with number plates(and no doubt a tax, which is probably the real point) - No problem.

But taxed, with number plate and speed limit, there is no way im riding in the gutter. I'll ride in the primary position, at a wonderful average of maybe 12mph.

So Grant the idiot, he's going to be seeing huge snarl ups of traffic, creeping along at a snails pace, and given most roads are effectively one lane of moving traffic, then every main road, especially during rush hour and going to at least double a cars journey time.

RIDE TO RULE We can even get riding clobber made with BLAME GRANT emblazoned across the back. I'm sure if such a policy were to be implemented, it would die a rather quick death when his email inbox is stowed out with hate mail, employers and large businesses sending complaints direct to the transport secretary. And no doubt complaints from the police. But don't worry about road rage, because there likely to be 20 fellows looking to get involved.

We can bring the roads to near standstill given there is now enough of us to clog up the traffic, all slowly pottering along, and with cyclists on both sides of the road, overtaking is going to be near impossible.

Can you imagine what it would be like at traffic lights, slow to start cyclists would likely mean nothing behind gets through before the lights change.

It might have the Daily Mail gammon's cheering him on, but once every one of their journey's to anywhere takes twice or three times as long, I'm sure they'd backtrack rather quickly
got to love shapps.............

 

AndyBike

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 8, 2020
1,183
517
An amusing idea, but only until the government responded by enforcing cycle path usage by law, making on road cycling illegal everywhere there is a cyclepath or shared path alongside.
.
As you say, not every road has a parallel bike path, and in fact very few do due to the width of British roads, where only main roads can accommodate them, and even there not all.
But the 2nd point would infer cyclists are 2nd class citizens, and i think they might have problems getting that one into law.
 

flecc

Member
Oct 25, 2006
52,819
30,381
But the 2nd point would infer cyclists are 2nd class citizens, and i think they might have problems getting that one into law.
No, wouldn't be any problem, especially if presented as a desirable safety measure keeping cyclists away from motor vehicle danger wherever there are detached cycle paths.

It already happens with motor vehicles, lanes or even whole roads restricted to a limited range of vehicles, not meaning the other users are second class. Examples we have on some roads are (times variable):

Buses and taxis only.

Taxis in full electric mode only.

Electric delivery vehicles only between 9am and 4 pm.

No HGVs between 7pm and 7am.

Ultra Low Emission Zone, Euro 6 standard vehicles only.

And discrimination FOR bicycles when provided with contraflow cycle lanes on one way roads.

Discrimination in such ways has long been entirely legal.
.
 

matthewslack

Esteemed Pedelecer
Nov 26, 2021
1,632
1,207
If the same level of energy went into devising and implementing a cooperative approach to road space sharing based on rights and responsibilities for all kinds of user, and training of the many who don't play along rather than punitive punishment for few at the tip of the iceberg who get caught at present, we'd have more safety, sooner and at lower cost.
 
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guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
10,249
3,005
To interminably stupid "AI" driven cars, cyclists displaying number plates would no longer be invisible. We should also number plate children and other vulnerable pedestrians, their pets, and wildlife.

 

guerney

Esteemed Pedelecer
Sep 7, 2021
10,249
3,005
Wants to set a speed limit - No problem
Wants to have us with number plates(and no doubt a tax, which is probably the real point) - No problem.

But taxed, with number plate and speed limit, there is no way im riding in the gutter. I'll ride in the primary position, at a wonderful average of maybe 12mph.

So Grant the idiot, he's going to be seeing huge snarl ups of traffic, creeping along at a snails pace, and given most roads are effectively one lane of moving traffic, then every main road, especially during rush hour and going to at least double a cars journey time.

RIDE TO RULE We can even get riding clobber made with BLAME GRANT emblazoned across the back. I'm sure if such a policy were to be implemented, it would die a rather quick death when his email inbox is stowed out with hate mail, employers and large businesses sending complaints direct to the transport secretary. And no doubt complaints from the police. But don't worry about road rage, because there likely to be 20 fellows looking to get involved.

We can bring the roads to near standstill given there is now enough of us to clog up the traffic, all slowly pottering along, and with cyclists on both sides of the road, overtaking is going to be near impossible.

Can you imagine what it would be like at traffic lights, slow to start cyclists would likely mean nothing behind gets through before the lights change.

It might have the Daily Mail gammon's cheering him on, but once every one of their journey's to anywhere takes twice or three times as long, I'm sure they'd backtrack rather quickly
They may take our anonymity, but they will ... NEVER ....TAKE ... OUR ... FREEDOM!!!!!