The War on Britain's Roads (BBC Documentary / tabloid tv)

I discuss the ethics of alleycat organising here: http://www.movingtargetzine.com/article/chicago-alleycat-backlash

Cool, thanks for the link - I shall have a read.

All the quiff m exers round my ends all ride slow and with one foot out like Valentino.

Finally sat down and watched this last night.. I say watched but I could only stick 10 minutes of it.

What utter fucking crap..

And speaking as some one who works in the TV industry, lazy, lazy, lazy programme making.

Sorry if I missed something.

I discuss the ethics of alleycat organising here: http://www.movingtargetzine.com/article/chicago-alleycat-backlash

Great article! Knew some of the back story, and know of a couple of the riders in that LC, but this really fills out the story.

Does also ask some questions about this blog post by Samantha Anstiss, Executive Producer of The War on Britain's Roads.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/blogaboutthebbc/posts/A-range-of-opinions-and-perspectives-in-The-War-on-Britains-Roads

Just remember--people who make this sort of stuff are delighted when they excite 'controversy' or 'get the national debate going'. There is nothing worse for them than when you just ignore them.

^. This 100%

Just remember--people who make this sort of stuff are delighted when they excite 'controversy' or 'get the national debate going'. There is nothing worse for them than when you just ignore them.

I agree. I just feel so bad that that footage showed up in the same programme as Cynthia talking about her daughter. Ashamed doesn't cover it.

I agree. I just feel so bad that that footage showed up in the same programme as Cynthia talking about her daughter. Ashamed doesn't cover it.

I'd see having Cynthia on the programme as a win, regardless of what she is pitted against. I'm sure she holds her own there in the opinion of viewers who'd never heard of her before. I haven't watched it, though, so can't feel anything about it myself, and it's facile for me to say the above.

Now I'm wondering what comment Bill put on that BBC page that it's been refered for moderation...

Now I'm wondering what comment Bill put on that BBC page that it's been refered for moderation...

Nothing abusive or offensive. That's not my (online) style.

Lies!

I'd see having Cynthia on the programme as a win, regardless of what she is pitted against. I'm sure she holds her own there in the opinion of viewers who'd never heard of her before.

I know Cynthia needs help from no-one to get her point across!

Lies!

Except on the polo forum.

It's a good post, but I would argue that the problem isn't that alleycats are filmed, it's that they happen at all.

Almost every profession and craft has competitions to find the best in their field.

That's all an alleycat is IMHO. Never viewed it as much more or less, perhaps I'm naive.

It's certainly no wilder than the many TTs that occur on Britain's roads in traffic every week.

I'd say a cmwc / ecmc is more the equivalent of a lifeguard or lumberjack competition, if this is what you mean...

One reason I've avoided organising alleycats is for reasons of liability, now there are two guys whose full names are linked to organising this event.

The alley cat in question took place in 2006.

The Hammerfall music on the original made it.

I'd say a cmwc / ecmc is more the equivalent of a lifeguard or lumberjack competition, if this is what you mean...

One reason I've avoided organising alleycats is for reasons of liability, now there are two guys whose full names are linked to organising this event.

I have avoided naming names that weren't already out there.

certainly not saying that you were, but interesting that the actual community involved have maintained their anonymity. Great piece by the way Bill, completely agree with you.

certainly not saying that you were, but interesting that the actual community involved have maintained their anonymity. Great piece by the way Bill, completely agree with you.

Thanks, I felt it needed saying.

That was deliberate. I'm comfortable being public, because I feel that I can protect myself, and if I can't, I'm willing to take whatever comes, but not everyone necessarily feels the same. I know at least one person contacted by the film-makers who was told by his girlfriend that her reputation could be damaged by his participation. He was very skeptical anyway, but that made his mind up.

I spoke privately to 3 or 4 people before the show was made, and in different degrees, they were all skeptical. I didn't have to say too much to them to convince it was a bad idea.

I wonder what the many people who did the race back then are thinking.

that is was a good laugh and that they didn't imagine it being used as an example of bad cycling on a BBC docu most likely!

Having said that I know one of the main race protagonists regrets taking part and he did indeed foresee wider distribution of the footage.

http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/that-war-on-britains-roads-the-statistics/

The other attempts to even up the tally were quite laughable. A taxi driver unburdened a series of anecdotes, telling us that ‘many cyclists take diabolical liberties’, before inviting us to ‘look at this wally’ – a wally unfortunately cycling quite legally on a marked shared use pavement.

Not content with this, the taxi driver is then shown pointing out a cyclist going down a street where, he alleges, cyclists aren’t allowed to cycle.

The only trouble is… this isn’t true at all.

The distinctive Smith & Sons umbrella shop at the corner of New Oxford Street and Shaftesbury Avenue in Bloomsbury, visible behind the taxi driver’s wagging finger. It’s perfectly legal to cycle south onto Shaftesbury Avenue. The taxi driver is talking out his arse.

http://aseasyasridingabike.wordpress.com/2012/12/12/that-war-on-britains-roads-the-statistics/

Taxi drivers are the biggest hypocrits ever. The sheer amount of times they have done a dodgy uturn and swung round in front of me, or just swung into the curb for a fair without indicating to get a fair is unreal. Happened every single day when I was working.

Then they give out to you for absolute nothing. Plus they get away with almost everything in the eyes of the law because the police like every other fucka often see them as some iconic british thing that we should all just respect.

Dont get me wrong there are some nice cabbies, but far too many of em are absolute scum bags. Ive heard stories of them deliberately knocking people off bikes and even chasing a cyclist down the road with a knife.

Everyone always seems to see them as these cheeky chappy londoners when in reality loads of em are just a bunch of scruffs that cant deal with the fact london has changed.

Cabbies = The Scousers of the south.

Don't be fooled by the cheeky chirpy myth. The reality holds much more menace.