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Last week on the live blog, you may recall, we focused quite a bit on Cycle to School Week, including a selection of the sometimes questionable (or, to be uncharitable, “victim blaming”) bike safety tips and advice dolled out as part of the festivities, alongside the often harsh realities for children riding their bikes to school in a car-dominated world.
> Protected bike lanes on school routes must be urgent government priority, says Sustrans
Unfortunately, this morning’s blog will be focusing on the latter, as road safety campaigner Adam Bronkhorst reported on Twitter last night that a child cycling to a nearby school earlier that morning was struck by a motorbike rider – who failed to stop following the collision:
A child was knocked off their bike cycling to school this morning and the person failed to stop. This is on a road we’ve been trying for years to be made safer for our children.
There was a post on Facebook about it. These are the kind of comments posted. pic.twitter.com/aL1F0wnAO6
— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) October 11, 2022
According to the person who posted the original news on a local Facebook group, thankfully the child did not appear to be seriously injured in the collision, and the police were called to the scene.
“I think there were some witnesses,” Bronkhorst, who has long campaigned for increased safety measures on the road in question, added this morning. “It was a person on a motorbike with someone else riding on the back who knocked the high school kid off. They knew they had done it as the person on the back was seen to be looking back at the kid.”
“Before anyone starts blaming anyone I just want to ask, do we have to wait until someone dies to make the roads safer for the most vulnerable?” the original Facebook poster asked.
> Green Party: Government’s “anti-cycling narrative” creates danger for cyclists
However, that rather pertinent question was blatantly ignored by several other Facebook users in the comments, who decided to use a hit-and-run incident involving a child to score off a few numbers on their anti-cycling bingo card.
One victim-blamer-in-chief commented: “Was it one of the stupid kids mucking about again?”
“Should walk to school so we can get to work without trying to dodge all the stupid cyclists on the road. If you want to cycle, cycle up the Downs and get out of my way. Thanks,” wrote another particularly charming motorist.
I wonder if this lot are the “stupid cyclists” to which the commenter was referring?
Especially when there are this many kids using the route. (this is on the way home) pic.twitter.com/sGVRta4LAm
— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) October 12, 2022
Another wrote: “Well the Highway Code now says that cyclists can ride side by side on a non-busy road, I wish they’d listen, how many points do I get for knocking off two Tour de Shoreham muppets?”
Very classy.
Worryingly, Bronkhorst says that those comments weren’t even the worst examples, with some apparently even more distasteful remarks swiftly removed by the group’s moderators.
Thoughtless and repugnant comments aren’t solely the domain of Facebook, of course, evidenced by this baffling response to road safety campaigner Bronkhorst’s tweet:
If what you claim is true then an offence has been committed & I deplore the FB comments you have shown. But show me some evidence of the incident or I might conclude that you are just another disgruntled cyclist making unsubstantiated claims to start an argument!
— Marshian7 (@Marshian7) October 12, 2022
And this one:
I’m really sorry to hear this. However when we walk around our LTN we experience issues with cyclists failing to stop. Last weekend two cyclists turned left at speed without indicating, nearly hitting us and a cyclist racing while carrying a tyre swore at and nearly hit my son.
— Jane Alaszewski (@JAlaszewski) October 11, 2022
The lack of empathy shown towards a child struck in a hit-and-run incident – simply because, I assume, the kid can be simply and crudely pigeonholed as a “cyclist” – has been described as “depressing” by other Twitter users:
This makes me sad. Sorry to hear that Martin.
— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) October 12, 2022
I’m sadly beginning to lose hope.
— Adam Bronkhorst (@AdamBronkhorst) October 11, 2022
We had someone write to the School wanting an apology as his wife was upset after he knocked a child down in his car.
What can you say
— RhinoFive 🦏 (@RhinoFive) October 11, 2022
This is what happens when you “other” cyclists. Even knocking kids off bikes seems reasonable so drivers can get to work – read the comments.
The media has a part to play in this and the comments below are a reflection of how the argument is being shaped. https://t.co/HrAo97ivYC
— Harry Webster (@Hold_my_cider) October 11, 2022
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