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I’m a cyclist, but I give way to cars. Maybe you should too… I explain why in @spectator: https://t.co/ptVk7FoopY
— Jake Wallis Simons (@JakeWSimons) May 31, 2022
“I’m a cyclist, but…” rarely ends well…
Today (or yesterday rather) that foreboding phrase popped up in The Spectator in an opinion piece written by Jake Wallis Simons, titled: ‘The cycling habit most hated by drivers’…
In the following 1,000 words we’re told: “while everyone loves a knight, everyone hates a cyclist.” And despite admitting to being a “member of the brotherhood of Lycra” who has “ridden thousands of miles and competed in several amateur races”, Simons goes on to say he believes the new Highway Code changes have made the roads more dangerous. So, what other nuggets can we find?
“Before taking up the hobby myself, I hated the middle-aged man in Lycra as much as the next man. So unlike some of my fellows, perhaps, I feel I can relate to drivers. Think about it from their point of view. Suddenly, we live in a world in which cyclists are entitled to hog the highway, even two abreast, while ignoring the very cycle lanes that were created – at great public expense – for their own benefit. What could be more infuriating? It’s as if the government was intentionally designing a policy to stoke the fires of hate.” Right…
Simons cites a 2002 Department for Transport study which found that being unable to overtake a cyclist was a “key source of rage” for motorists, and concludes that is why he does “not follow the new Highway Code” when he rides and “rather than riding in the middle of the tarmac, I trace my line along the margins.”
Interestingly, having earlier said, “cyclists are entitled to hog the highway, even two abreast”, Simons now adds: “although my cycling partner and I form up two abreast when there are no cars about, we fall into single file immediately on sight of one. To do otherwise would feel deliberately obnoxious.”
Perhaps he does ride to the Highway Code after all, because rather than entitling cyclists to two abreast road hogging, the Code actually states:
Be considerate of the needs of other road users when riding in groups. You can ride two abreast and it can be safer to do so, particularly in larger groups or when accompanying children or less experienced riders. Be aware of drivers behind you and allow them to overtake (for example, by moving into single file or stopping) when you feel it is safe to let them do so
Maybe Simons is a fan of the Highway Code after all?
Anyway, the reaction has been…well, as you’d expect really…
It’s also worth noting that academics *have* looked into the causes of some drivers’ ire towards cyclists and their resultant actions, and that it doesn’t seem to be connected to how anyone rides. It’s much more fundamental and complicated.
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) June 1, 2022
I’m not saying don’t be courteous (though spending all ride hogging the verge is perhaps less courteous than self-harming). But if you do, you’ll still get nasty incidents. I once had a driver steer deliberately at me when I had my then-infant son on the back of the bike.
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) June 1, 2022
Sadly, it will be read by people who want their prejudices confirmed, and someone who claims cyclists status justifies their prejudice.
— Tim on two wheels (@2wheelsgoodBrum) May 31, 2022
And by me, I’m afraid…
I’m sorry, Jake, but that’s an appalling article. It perpetuates all of the worst myths & misunderstandings about the recent HC changes. If you carefully read the new guidance, & the research behind it, you will see that your approach is actually more dangerous.
— Andrew Thompson (@Xymbl) May 31, 2022
But I guess we’re used to this by now…
> Press misrepresents Highway Code changes – just days before they come into force
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