-
Repost 😃
-
The Charlie Alliston case (which on appeal with a competant set of briefs/addmission of their own expert evidence/concentrated refutation of CPS 'expert evidence' I believe should be thrown out) is just a smokescreen to further justify the anti-cycling hatred present in our society.
Good post though the verdict didn't justify the anti cycling hatred but was symptomatic of a section of UK's society's fear and misunderstanding of cycling.
Riding a bike is contstrued by different people in different ways:
A childhood activity the bike being a toy (as opposed to a 'grown up' car)
An environmental statement which critiques people who burn fossil fuels to get about
A transgressive act where the lawbreaker gets away with many minor infractions
A slow form of transport which get in the way and slows down real vehicles (cars)
A sport
A poor persons, lower class transport
An expression of a rich persons mid life crisis (mamils)
A practical fun way to get about quickly
A dangerous activity that only the brave or the fool would engage in
An abnormal activity to be feared because it isn't normal (like driving)
...And people's response to this will depend on their construing of cycling. Unfortunately, as Oliver said up-thread, due to many historic factors, around why the UK chose motors over cycles and designed the systems (physical and legal) to accommodate this.
Perhaps, particularly in London, we are in transition with the huge rise of people on cycles which may be construed as a threat to the status quo by the many people who don't understand/fear cycling, leading to more hostility and perhaps (as Patrick Field once said) to blood on the streets, to even more anti cycling bile and to examples being made of 'transgressive' cyclists like Charlie.
You are reading a single comment by @|³|MA3K and its replies.
Click here to read the full conversation.
dancing james
skydancer
@|³|MA3K
The needy hyperventilating and hand-wringing on this platform from the cycling world's Victor Meldrews is a disgrace to our community.
The Charlie Alliston case (which on appeal with a competant set of briefs/addmission of their own expert evidence/concentrated refutation of CPS 'expert evidence' I believe should be thrown out) is just a smokescreen to further justify the anti-cycling hatred present in our society.
I have been riding for 20 years in London with no front brake and no issues; my daughter of 12 years has also comported herself well with respect for her surroundings and personal safety. Navigating poorly though out junctions, dangerous road conditions, errant, erratic pedestrians, dangerously driven/parked private and commercial vehicles.
As a young girl she has been subject to hatred filled verbal assaults and dangerous manoeuvring from vehicles, including ironically by those displaying 'baby on board' stickers.
Even fully compliant cyclists are routinely abused, threatened or endangered (wilfully or through inattention) by frustrated drivers full of entitlement on our roads.
Any driver of a vehicle, who is chuffed to do a cheeky 25 in a 20 zone or regularly cruises along at a steady 33MPH through posted limits disqualifies themselves from this conversation.
The froth, bile and rank hypocrisy of these upstanding members of the community wilfully increasing their potential stopping distance puts them squarely in the camp of the young Alliston.
Every mile over the posted limit a driver chooses to drive is no better than some kid removing his front brake on a low speed fixed-wheel bicycle.
So open your eyes and get the fuck down from that high horse you intend on riding side-saddle.
You have no case for schadenfreude or moral superiority over this immature kid who got tangled in a web of foolish mistakes and unfortunate circumstance; regardless what you heard, he will spend the rest of his life dealing with it.
#savethefixeh