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Nikki Sinclaire 1West Midlands MEP calls for cyclist registration, compulsory high-vis & helmets
West Midlands European parliamentarian Nikki Sinclaire has called for all cyclists to wear registration markings so that they are “accountable” for their actions.
The former UKIP MEP, who now sits as a member for the We Demand a Referendum Now party, told BBC West Midlands yesterday that cyclists should wear fluorescent vests with registration numbers.
She said: “I think cyclists need to be accountable. They need to observe the Highway Code.”
I’m certainly not anti-cyclist, I’m a cyclist when I can get the time myself.”
Ms Sinclaire tweeted the above picture of herself wearing high-vis.
She told presenter Adrian Goldberg: “I see, time and time again, in Birmingham and London, cyclists running red lights and putting pedestrians in danger.
“I’m not saying the cycle itself should be registered. What I’m seeking is a registration of cyclists - not on all roads, just on main roads in the city.
“We need to encourage more cyclists, but we also need accountability.”
Adrian Goldberg said he had recently had to dodge a cyclist who had run a red light.
Ms Sinclaire said: “Had you hit that cyclist, you would have been prosecuted.”
Graham Hankins, of Birmingham cycling campaign Push Bikes, went on the show to explain why cycling campaigners think registration is a bad idea.
He said: “The registration system would be seen as a barrier to people cycling.
“There are lots of people out there would like to cycle but, the more rules you put in front of them, that would be seen as a barrier to cycling in the first place.”
Ms Sinclaire followed up her comments yesterday afternoon on BBC Hereford and Worcester.
She said: “For a start I think we need helmets, I should it be compulsory for people to wear helmets.”
She said that she only wanted cyclist registration plates in towns and cities, where it would be effective because of pervasive surveillance.
“The reason this would work in the UK, I don’t think it would work anywhere else in the world, is that we’ve got the most cameraed cities and towns in the world.”
Ms Sinclaire’s attitude to cyclists mirrors that of her former UKIP colleagues. In its 2010 election manifesto, the party said: “There needs to be a better balance of rights and responsibilities for pedal cyclists” and claimed there was “too much aggressive abuse of red lights, pedestrian crossings and a lack of basic safety and road courtesy.”
At the time, Chris Peck, policy co-ordinator at national cyclists’ organisation CTC, said: “UKIP are living up to their reputation with their cycling policy - it’s classic anti-cyclist third-pint-in stuff.”
John has been writing about bikes and cycling for over 30 years since discovering that people were mug enough to pay him for it rather than expecting him to do an honest day's work.
He was heavily involved in the mountain bike boom of the late 1980s as a racer, team manager and race promoter, and that led to writing for Mountain Biking UK magazine shortly after its inception. He got the gig by phoning up the editor and telling him the magazine was rubbish and he could do better. Rather than telling him to get lost, MBUK editor Tym Manley called John’s bluff and the rest is history.
Since then he has worked on MTB Pro magazine and was editor of Maximum Mountain Bike and Australian Mountain Bike magazines, before switching to the web in 2000 to work for CyclingNews.com. Along with road.cc founder Tony Farrelly, John was on the launch team for BikeRadar.com and subsequently became editor in chief of Future Publishing’s group of cycling magazines and websites, including Cycling Plus, MBUK, What Mountain Bike and Procycling.
John has also written for Cyclist magazine, edited the BikeMagic website and was founding editor of TotalWomensCycling.com before handing over to someone far more representative of the site's main audience.
He joined road.cc in 2013. He lives in Cambridge where the lack of hills is more than made up for by the headwinds.
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113 comments
That is the quote of the year, this man deserves a pair of sox
Just to clarify, in slightly more than 140 characters, that my reference to Nikki Sinclaire's sexuality or gender weren't meant as a piss take or with any malice, it was more to highlight the way technology has changed. The younger me didn't come into contact with so many people from different walks of life as we all do now via the internet. That's what I find mental.
This comment has since ended up on Twitter, which kind of reinforces my point about communications.
And yes, John Stevenson, feel free to say/think/believe that I am a twat.
Ha lush mate, the power of twisting of a comment strikes again. Twitter is great.....not.
Ha lush mate, the power of twisting of a comment strikes again. Twitter is great.....not.[/quote]
Poor Carlton Reid is being accused of all sorts for retweeting it!
I was merely musing on how complicated the world can be and people have taken it as a hate piece.
That's I way I read your comment. There was no malice in it. It was a time travel and use of technology thing.
So, as an update:
Two cycling journalists have fallen out via Twitter because of what I have written, one of whom is the 'Editor-at-Large' of this website and author of this article and who has publicly decreed that I am a twat and has since blocked the other journalist, Carlton Reid.
One other person is seemingly certain that my sole intention was to 'call out' Nikki Sinclaire purely for her gender and/or sexuality due to my latent homo/transphobia. Said person has conceded that you could, *could*, read what I have written in such a manner that it could possibly be construed as perhaps not actually being a hate piece. Which was nice of them.
It has been suggested that what I had written could be, amongst other things, any of the following:
Erring towards homo/transphobic
Inane predjudice bait
Cultural voyeurism
An analogy of cyclist oppression
A reflection of the opposite direction of changing attitudes to gender and cycling
Tired and flawed
Contentious and messy
And my personal favourite and possibly the most accurate: Irrelevant toss.
All being discussed, analysed and semantically tore apart to find the "true meaning" of a second hand repetition of what I had written by at least seven (7!!) people I have never met, on a completely separate platform, none of which it seems have bothered to actually come to the source and read it.
I'm going to swing back to my original point here and say, whilst not referencing any specifics about any organism that may be living or dead (or even undead), that the internet is a confusing and strange yet wonderful place that offers up constant surprises with who it puts you in contact with. People that may be completely different to yourself and completely off your radar.
It also has a lot of hate and I mean tonnes of it, including bucketloads loads of homo/transphobic hate. It's dead easy to find if you look but you won't actually find any from me, because I'm just not into hating anyone really.
I just want to ride bikes.
Read this earlier today.
http://cyclingfront.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/questions-for-anyone-proposin...
So a reg number on a vest, is it front or back. I wear a backpack and ride in a tucked position so who is going to see.
To stay away from any slander towards her I would just point out her point, she cycles when she has time...
Commuters cycle out of choice/necessity not because we have time.
http://www.copenhagenize.com/2010/03/folly-of-bicycle-licences.html
Yeah, I don't like that idea, especially the helmets compulsory idea. If you look at Australia, there were twice as many cyclists as there were after the compulsory helmet law was brought in.
Sure, lots of cyclists and commuters will wear the helmet.
The License plate idea is a good idea, however, I don't want it on a hi-vis jacket, I already wear a hi-vis rain coat to help keep the wind and cold off me. So if you put it on the bike, even better! But then again, one person could ride many bikes, or it's a rental bike, so it's more to the owner of the bike that the license plate should be, however, they should be small, don't create wind drag, or be easily removed for thieves
I think she is jumping on the anti cyclist bandwagon, there must be an election coming up, be prepared for more rubbish
Incredible that someone who herself is in a minority group - she is transsexual - can be so ignorant and state such badly thought out policies. Idiot.
mad
So there is a party more made than UKrap?
That's not a woman in the pic is it?!!
I will happily register as a 'cyclist' and wear a mandated stupid peice of clothing when pedestrians have to do the same. As this is about safety, I would like to make the following, unconnected statemnts:
I have never been mugged by a cyclist.
I have never seen a cyclist attack someone for apparently no reason
I have never had a cyclist throw things at me as i pass them.
I have however, seen or experienced all those things from pedestrians.
In London my biggest hazard is anonymous pedestrians walking out into the road in front of me busy on their mobiles. Hi Viz vests with registration numbers on are the only solution. Black cabs, no Hi Viz cabs, makes sense. How many motorist die from head injuries compared to cyclists, compulsory helmets.
the helmet looks right, its her stupid head thats out of proportion
Call me paranoid, but a fascist political group demanding registration of certain parts of the community concerns me
well what do you know... the Nazis inflicted compulsory bycycle registration upon occupied countries so they could trace dissidents more easily.
http://ipayroadtax.com/licensed-to-cycle/licensed-to-cycle/
That video is brilliant
Her head is too big.
Is that her in the pic, helmet dosnt look very well fitted?
Agreed. The helmet is not down low enough on the brow. Whether the head is too fat or the helmet too small I'll leave as an exercise to the reader.
The magic nature of the helmet talisman (not just a prophylactic, but also an indicator of some sort of morality) never ceases to amaze me, but it does give me a good chuckle when I see someone blethering about them wearing one incorrectly.
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