'I'm actually quite angry because I looked at the road furniture and thought nobody can crash here and get up. This was way past technical, this was dangerous.' Chris Boardman, multi million pound profiteer of killer cycling's response to the horrific Rio Olympic road race cycling crash. See it here.
This is a classic Cycle Lobby denial that, the concept of cycling, to be high off the ground, unprotected and travelling at speeds which are bound to cause injury and often death by crashing, is in any way to blame for anything. In this case it's all down to the organisers. How typical of him. See the Economist on this.
Here is the multi millionaire cycling profiteer, enjoying a 5 star jaunt to Rio, whilst still presumably mourning his recently killed mother who died from cycling, and possibly whilst riding one of his bikes too. So clearly people, dying from cycling, doesn't deter this man from promoting it, whilst his machines are still being sold in large numbers then. In the name of unnecessary road death and road safety, I did ask Chris to join with me to discourage this killer concept. But it seems that even the death of his mum, by cycling, isn't a strong enough reason for him to discourage road cycling. See the blog here.
But it is in this story about Boardman riding without a helmet that his dangerous, unrealistic and irresponsible nature, to encourage people to do more cycling and buy more bikes, is revealed.
He says: “[Helmets] discourage people from riding their bikes,” he said. “You are as safe riding your bike as you are walking.'
So traveling at four or five times the speed of walking, unable to stop instantly, on an unstable machine is just as safe?
And here is the typical Cycle Lobby denial by blaming others for their death and injury.
"I won’t promote high vis and helmets; I won’t let the debate be drawn onto a topic that isn’t even in the top 10 things that will really keep people who want to cycle safe.”
“It’s a bit like saying people are sniping at you going down this street, so put some body armour on.” - He says.
See more at: http://www.roadsafetygb.org.uk/news/3413.html#sthash.N6577MKe.dpuf
The anti driver group BRAKE, seemed to reiterate Boardman's view here: 'Brake encourages cycle helmet use as an easy step to protect yourself from head injury in the event of a crash.
'However, cycling injuries can take many other forms, which is why the most important thing to focus on is making sure people on bikes aren’t being hit in the first place'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2818854/Olympian-Boardman-refuses-wear-helmet-BBC-clip-cycling-safety.html#ixzz4GlxAMRHV
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And here we have the syndrome: 'It doesn't matter how dead I am or how paraplegic I am so long as we can blame someone.' Come in through my Pearly Gates Mr Boardman' says St Peter. 'You didn't have to wear a helmet and you didn't have to ride a bike and you didn't even cause the accident and I am not going to stop you going into heaven for being silly. You are welcome'.
There were only cyclists involved in the Rio crash Mr Boardman. No drivers. You are so keen on bike sales, that you say that cyclists, often at speeds faster than mopeds, are never going to crash into trees, parked cars, fall off and hit their heads on kerbs all on their own?
How can anyone take this utterly self promoting dangerous man seriously when it comes to road and cycling safety?
And yet a cycling sympathetic Select Committee, listened to Boardman & without any interrogation, recommended his demand for £10 per head per year from every man Jack of us. Nearly 3/4 £ billion, some £650,000,000 for road cycling from which he profits. How on Earth has this escaped comment? See the story of the meeting here.
Dear Keith What a splendid article. I didn't know there was a war on between cyclists and drivers until 2013 when I soon was educated but only a fraction as comprehensive as yourself and no doubt many other astute drivers. The rot has set in here in Nottingham and the Council are to attend a meeting tonight as are a rep of the Police the Councillors and I believe a representative of the Council and the press. The meeting is to discuss road Junction Alterations that took place after a week after receiving an undated letter from the Council advising of improvements to the Estate. The message given by the new give way to cyclists double broken lines is a direct attack on motorists without a shred of road safety adhered to.
ReplyDeleteI feel that this menace should attain National Publicity without delay. These designers who are supposed to have road safety in their remit are lunatics because any driver stopping at the new white lines cannot possibly see any cyclist that chooses to bomb across all the junctions that lead onto the main Ring Road. Middleton Boulevard is our section. The Sun newspapaer published an article 18th July 2016 where it said Nottingham Council chiefs blasted for a pointless cycle lane. These new alterations have I've been told been designed by a 23 year old & I am of the impression it's the same nutter in the Sun article.
This latest stupidity is dangerous to cyclists by incitement to not slow or stop at these junctions right along the main Ring Road. I've seen many cyclists before and after these alterations that bomb across these junctions locally but now the driver will be cited as the causation of any accident involving cyclists due to the new give way lines.
I telephoned a nice chap at ABD but he said he did not want to get involved in a cycle versus car argument but like it or not this is what is fact. Nottingham Council hate motorists and will do all they can to degrade their existence. ---- Go to work on a bike ! forget about the egg.
That's a major problem with ABD. They refuse to fight against and challenge anything patently anti driver in case they cause offence. They forget they are a driver's group not a bloody cyclist & horse rider's group. ABD should learn, 'The Devil only wins when good men stand by and watch'. They haven't learned that when you sup with the enemy, they just take the piss out of you. There may even be gongs in it for some of them for being such good boys.
DeleteHow on Earth can't ABD understand that there is no war between drivers and cyclists, there's only a relentless war by the cycle lobby on drivers? This includes more punishment, less space, more driver liability by a minority group that not only isn't needed by the community, when drivers are, but reduces 35 million needed drivers to the level of a tiny unneeded minority lobby group. How can any drivers group ignore all this? And this is the only drivers' group supposed to be fighting all this.
Fact is that, since the creation of ABD, things have progressively got worse and worse, in the bullying, oppression and penalising of UK's drivers.
Sorry ABD but it has to be said.