This morning's commute and other commuting stories

Seems about right.

You can often send them a bill if they use your content without asking you (which is obviously disgraceful behaviour typical of our gutter press), but not sure in this case as it's not your video... Maybe someone on here knows?

Copyright will be owned by Stagecoach, who shot it, or perhaps TfL if their subcontracting contract stakes a claim on it. That’d be my guess.

It’s certainly not my copyright.

Aye, that's what I thought. I still find it pretty disgraceful that they can take your tweet and responses of your friends etc. and publish it without notifying you at all. Can certainly imagine that Stagecoach would have an interest in having the video removed... but then they're getting off free when they're perfectly deserving of the negative attention. Rock and hard place.

Similar thing happened to me once, I did an interview about a paper I wrote with a legitimate magazine and eventually the content made its way to the Express, Daily Mail, etc. Hated the idea that my work was being used to generate money for those scumbags but had no recourse.

Edit: I kind of assume everyone on here dislikes the tabloids, apologies if that's not the case

I’m an ex-journalist. Never worked on tabloids but do believe they have a vital function and carry out some good work, although sometimes their behaviour is despicable.

In this case I’m pretty laid back - would be nice to see Stagecoach grilled for their driving rather than just hinting that it’s the cyclist’s fault. Even Stagecoach admitted fault in an email to me...

If anyone’s on Twitter, you can give the author a constructive nudge to include Stagecoach response here:

https://twitter.com/sparkes/status/1015309030754017280?s=21

they can take your tweet and responses of your friends etc. and publish it without notifying you at all

Feel free to return the favour to the DailyFail churnalist that published it.

I don't have a hoard of rabid readers behind me though - present company excluded

Just followed a cop car doing about 30 in a 20 continually weaving over the speed bumps along with the van in front. I see this shit everyday and my road is a fucking nightmare because of the way people aim there cars over or through the gaps. Turning into my dad moment i pulled up along side him at the end of the road where everyone ends up having to wait and asked "are you supposed to do that?". "Do what" he asked. "Are you suppose to weave over the speed bumps so you don't have to cut your speed?". His response - "but there's bumps in the road?". He then said "i don't understand?" to which all i could say was "clearly".

Drive at 20 in a 20 and there's no impact on pollution due to heavy breaking and accelerating, your car won't explode when it goes over the bumps (mine hasn't), you'll have less time to wait at the end of the road/junction and you won't look like such a stupid inconsiderate cunt.

cops

Get the journalists name, turn up at DM office saying you have a meeting with them, and it's urgent.

When they turn up wondering wtf is going, punch them square in the face.

He wasn't wearing hi viz.
He ran into my fist.
He ran a red light into my knuckles.

Go & hammer frozen sausages into Paul Dacre's lawn.

"I've a meeting about impact media with x"

"If he didn't want to get hit by my fist, he should have been one metre to the left"

He’s just a bloke doing his job. I’m trying to get him to see that writing this stuff has a negative impact on cyclists. Probably won’t work but you never know. It’s more likely to create change in editorial policy than thumping someone on the nose, I’d guess...

The article isn’t even awful - it’s just a bit shit.

just a bloke doing his job

So were the Nazis.

#sharkjump

A police car over took me yesterday. Left lots of space, and took it slowly.

Then he turned on his siren and waved at my son who was enjoying seeing the "nee naw nee naw".

They aren't all bastards you know.

Still with busted collar bone and wrist. Bought a car last week and drove it in to work today. Even turning the dumb steering wheel sucks. I can't wait to get back to bike and train lifestyle.

That said, if you are driving a longish commute, adaptive cruise control and lane assist is pretty nice. It is also nice that my cheap honda Fit has those features.

They aren't all bastards you know.

S(ome)CAB

Daily Mail journalist asked me on Twitter to send him some more details. So I’ve emailed the screenshot where the bus company admits fault, along with this email....

===

Hi Rod,

Thanks for agreeing to look at this. I appreciate it - I know how busy you’ll be.

I don’t know if you’re a cyclist yourself but there are some dangerous drivers out there, and I worry that media coverage can cause those drivers to act even more aggressively if it reinforces the idea that cyclists are always at fault.

In the video I was riding in a bus lane that’s on the right-hand side of a car lane. It’s a weird setup because of the Catford Gyratory. It’s not fair to say or imply that I was in the wrong. Hinting that I was “riding centrally” as though it’s something dangerous is also unfair. The lane isn’t wide enough for a bus to overtake a bike, so you have to ride centrally. There’s no bike lane. And the lane is signposted as a bus AND cycle lane.

Maybe you could approach London Cycling Campaign or the Met’s Cycle Safety Team for a quote on whether or not I was riding safely, and whether the bus driver was driving appropriately?

Stagecoach London, who run the service on behalf of TfL, admitted fault. Maybe you could go to TfL or Stagecoach for a quote?

Or perhaps you could approach Lewisham Council, or the Mayor’s cycling tsar Will Norman, and ask why there isn’t a safe lane for cycling there?

Screenshots below. I can provide contacts for any of the people or organisations listed above if you need them.

Thanks,
Matt

Good stuff; not sure if I'd have the patience for this, but hopefully little bits of fighting the good fight will eventually add up...

For the last few years I’ve worked in PR for various cycling groups. This is kinda what I’ve been doing for a living: chipping away at the negative stuff and promoting the good stuff.

I admire your optimism that a mail hack has any interest in the facts when they can just stoke division and hatred, like normal.

Thanks for trying to make my life safer and easier. That's a far more coherent and non-ranty reply that I'd ever be capable of.