Channel 5 documentary next week asks if cyclists are “Scourge Of The Streets”

And as if by magic:

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/bike-blog/2019/jul/08/channel-5s...

Apparently its going to feature Dave Sherry for the cyclists, and then Every Single Piece Of Dashcam Footage Ever showing (some) cyclists doing stupid things on the roads to explain why Cyclists are Evil.  I'm not entirely convinced its going to be a balanced piece of broadcasting...

I have a small adiction to Police Intercepters, catching wrong'uns, in motor vehicles mostly, Bettany Hugh's The Nile has been excellent, and their art stuff (when it is on) is excellent, done on the cheap so just shots of the picture, with voiceover.  I watch it more than ITV, except for ITV4 in the month of July.

Does anyone still watch Channel 5?

"Cyclists, scourge of incompetent drivers with anger management problems." -- probably wouldn't attract so much attention, I guess.

It'd be a real bummer if someone posted the production company email addresses online, I'm sure someone might send 'em a stern telling off and all... 

Ruth Palmer, Head of programming, C21Media Events:  ruth [at] c21media.net

Jason Olive, Head of Television  jason [at] c21media.net

Mark Rowland, Chair of C21Media mark [at] c21media.net

Andrew Chitty, Chair of the Board of Directors, andrew [at] c21media.com

I wonder if BTBS will get a positive answer to that very damning letter sent to C5, we must live in hope I suppose.

All of thus furore I fear is exactly what the C21Media (producers) will want, it'll equate to extra viewers and will help their production company to get more programmes. If it gets banned (fingers crossed) then they'll probably get just as much publicity, which might end up 'worse' for us as the title is the catalyst. They are in a win win here, and typically, us cyclists are in a lose lose situation. 

What happened?

Maybe persecution complex? A backlash to the "war on the motorist" as frequently quoted in MSM and illustrated in terms of the taxes that motorists face, perceived harassment from parking wardens and a general feeling that drivers are not getting a fair deal as they sit in yet another traffic jam caused by congestion or roadworks. Then they see cyclists whizzing past, clearly enjoying themselves more, looking fitter "not paying anything" and, it has to be said, a noticeable number of cyclists in urban environments do take liberties with pavements and red lights*. We all know it's bullshit, but to many drivers who are ignorant of the benefits of cycling, that has to boil your piss.

*No more than drivers using their phones which is a factor in many serious collisions, but you know..cyclists eh?

I grew up with bikes in the 50's and 60's - its what we did in those days, bikes gave us kids the freedom and ability to go out and explore, we enjoyed the freedom of it all and just loved cycling. As a 13 and 14 year old I went out with my friends on our 3-speed uprights - after school, in the evenings, maybe a 10 mile round trip along the country lanes to Elmdon to watch the planes, all in perfect safety. Cycle across from Small Heath to Sutton Park as a twelve year old with my mates - just a routine fun thing to do.

In my early 40's I was getting a bit unhealthy, so I bought a bike. Joy!

Now knocking on 70 and still enjoy riding - but - when did cycling become something that a section of the community thinks is anti-social or whatever?

When did my hobby, and the thing that as a by-product keeps me healthier than most of my contemporaries, become so unpleasant occasionally?

When did headlines and TV programs start to have this type of subject?

In my teens - and even in my 40's many years later -I simply do not recollect any of the unpleasantness I experience almost every time I go out. Nor the plethora of potholes and dangerous road surfaces for that matter.

What happened?

driver who crashed into a passing freight train at a level crossing spared jail,claimed he was being pursued by angry cyclists...

https://www.eadt.co.uk/news/james-wheeler-suspended-sentence-trimley-lev...

Somewhat lengthy but this is what I have sent to CH5, I have sent it to Jeremy Wright and also to the head of OFCOM Sharon White, her email is 

sharon.white [at] ofcom.org.uk and JW email is huntj [at] parliament.uk

Dear sir/madam, I wish to address a rather serious matter with respect to your future programme broadcast named 'cyclists, scourge of the streets' which is due to be aired Tuesday 9th July on Channel 5.
It is somewhat concerning that you choose to firstly make such a programme given the current anti cycling/hate filled climate that costs lives of those that ride cycles, not to mention the thousands of serious injuries, the vast majority of which (according to the police STATS19 figures) are the direct cause of an at fault motorist.

It is even more concerning that you have chosen to broadcast such at all and to add insult to injury use an inflammatory title accusing a group of people of being a 'scourge of the streets', this is tantamount to inflaming hate toward an out group. You would not contemplate making a programme called 'Muslims/Black men scourge of the streets' or 'Gay white men, scourge of nightclubs' or any number of groups of people being described/highlighted in this manner, it would be shut down instantly even if it was ever made and never make a public airing, even if you had clear evidence of such which you do not with regards to people on bikes.

So, why have you chosen to target a clearly vulnerable group in society, one where the evidence is already clear that people who cycle ARE NOT a scourge on the street, in fact are the group that causes the LEAST harm on the streets including that from pedestrians!

We already know that from the last government review (Dept for Transport Cycle Safety Review 2018) led by Laura Thomas, that people on bikes have been at fault for only four deaths in the last 7 years, this figure is in fact FEWER than at fault pedestrians who collided into a person on a bike causing their own death. The number of at fault serious injuries to pedestrians when there is a collision between them and a person on a bike paints a similar story. This is the reverse to the situation with regards to motorists who according to the police (via STATS19) are the biggest at fault group for deaths and serious injuries on our roads and streets, this amounts to tens of thousands of deaths and serious injuries EVERY YEAR ... ON OUR STREETS!

Additionally this does not even include the fact that on UK streets, people on foot are involved in thousands of assault crimes, a significant portion of which are using weapons such as knives, this dwarfs even the tiny fraction of at fault cyclists who cause serious injury or death, by multiple factors, as is the case also when it comes to motorists causing harm ON OUR STREETS!
This suggests that your programme breaches Section Five of the OFCOM Broadcasting code with respect to accuracy, the fact you have even posed the question when the evidence is already clear from the government that cyclists are NOT the scourge on our streets suggests that you are impartial as well as avoiding the facts as given by the government, this again is a breach of section five of the OFCOM Broadcasting code.

As you are well aware there is a distinct and well known amount of anti cycling/anti cyclist feeling in the UK, we already know that programmes and media articles such as yours stir up that hatred even further and by targeting a vulnerable out group you directly cause further division, anger and hate which in turn results in greater harm to that group, (those that chose to go about their lawful business by cycle) as well as the increased fear on a daily basis, particularly when programmes such as yours will be short on facts and have plenty of speculation and hearsay. Therefore your programme would also be in breach of Section Three of the OCOM code of 'Crime, Disroder, Hatred and Abuse'.
Therefore I ask you to desist from broadcasting the programme named on the basis that it breaches at least two aspects of the OFCOM Code of conduct, that it is socially irresponsible and that the title/programmes central focus is already proven to be inaccurate by the UK government and UK police as I have mentioned previously.

I await your immediate response.
 

Cheers HP (I have many things against the mail), shocking story, entilted driver, even claiming that he couldn't use his vehicle as a weapon because it wouldn't let him...

I'm not going on the mails website, what did he do?

If the post below on an RAC forum is genuine and from one of the researchers working on this program then it definitely is going to be anti-cyclist and likely to create a shitstorm. I like the short response the d1ckhead who posted it received.
https://www.rac.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?26181-New-programme-for-chann...(UK)-looking-for-contributors!

Scourge of the streets? They should be looking at ar5ehole5 like this...

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7212597/Bury-company-director-M...

I have a bit of a habit, in that I love watching Police Interceptors, though mostly it's wrong'uns in cars.