Do lower speed limits make you feel safer?; Cycling Mikey claims texting motorist assaulted him; Plant with the Pidcocks; Dowsett's new deal; Wacky bike sculptures; Westminster weirdness; Memorial for Devon’s ‘Mr Cycling’ + more on the live blog

There have been plenty of serious, potent questions asked this week in the House of Commons. This query from the Conservative MP for Bosworth Luke Evans, however, is not one of them:

PQ from @drlukeevans

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage cyclists to use (a) high visibility clothing in the dark, (b) cycle helmets, (c) bicycle bells and (d) other safety precautions when out on the road.https://t.co/5FE4SSglEF

— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) January 13, 2022

Needless to say, Evans’ question has went down on Twitter about as well as a Downing Street “work meeting” at the height of lockdown:

This isn't about being concerned about the safety of people cycling.
It's just anti-cycling nonsense which just raises the barriers of riding a bicycle and suppress demand.
How does a bicycle bell improve the safety of someone? https://t.co/irpRm3HaqK

— Real Gaz on a proper bike #fbpe (@gazza_d) January 13, 2022

Tell me you don't understand the causes of road danger without telling me you don't understand the causes of road danger https://t.co/YkiPp0dx4h

— Stuart Johnson (@stuartj0hnson) January 13, 2022

@drlukeevans what is the purpose of this please?
More suitable use of time and effort would be to push for safer INFRASTRUCTURE where cycle & vulnerable road users, as well as pedestrians, are protected from dangerous drivers... https://t.co/YMz6QsxCWs

— Rob Callender🏳️‍🌈🤘💚 (@london_rocklad) January 13, 2022

Focusing on these measures puts people off cycling.

It pushes safety responsibility towards the cyclists, and away from the drivers who hit them.

True concern for cyclist safety means advocating for proper segregated infrastructure. https://t.co/2rwYgeHx9L

— Guy Schofield (@DrGuySchofield) January 13, 2022

And finally, this cracker from road.cc's own Simon MacMichael: 

You'd think that the MP for Bosworth, of all places, would be aware that helmets offer only limited protection #RichardIII

— Simon MacMichael (@simonmacmichael) January 13, 2022

Replying to Dr Evans’ question, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Transport Wendy Norton said:

“Rule 59 of The Highway Code already says that cyclists should wear a cycle helmet which conforms to current regulations, is the correct size and securely fastened. It also recommends they should wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothing to help other road users see them in daylight and poor light, as well as reflective clothing and/or accessories in the dark. Rule 66 says that cyclists should use their bell when necessary to signal to other road users that they are nearby.

“Changes to The Highway Code are due to come into effect later this month which will clarify and strengthen this advice. 

“The Department has established a working group of key organisations to ensure that these changes are disseminated as widely as possible and understood by all road users. Our well-established THINK! campaign will ensure that as many road users as possible are aware when the changes come into effect, and will also highlight the importance of cyclists following the strengthened advice.”

Maybe they should just stick to organising more work meetings…

Overheard in the pressroom:
"This omicron wave is like the 1998 Tour de France — everyone is positive"

— Andrew Hood (@EuroHoody) January 13, 2022

I asked earlier if lowering the speed limit on certain roads would make you feel safer on your bike. Here is a selection of your comments:

Lower speed limits won't help at all.  Drivers ignore existing ones.  Just the other day my daughter said that she had a man raise a middle finger to her to express his dissatisfaction that she had crossed the road too close in front of him.  He was doing 45-50mph according to her, and she misjudged his speed as it is a 30 limit.

She is 15 years old, crossing the road outside her village school.

People like him don't just need a ban, they need a punch in the face.

Do (most) motorists take any notice of lowered speed limits? Fairly recently the road through my (urban) village had the speed limit cut from 30 to 20. When I drive along it at 20 I am always tailgated; when I ride through at 20 or a little over, I am invariably (and, given the traffic lights, pointlessly) overtaken.  

The only situation I see people sticking to a reduced speed limit is on the motorway, in an average speed check roadworks section.

Possibly one of the biggest impacts of smart motorways could be the collisions prevented by the years of heavily enforced speed limits whilst they're being constructed!

We're confusing "ignore" with "obey". The majority of motorists won't obey a speed limit but they do take notice of it as one of the factors that decides their speed. Just as they might cruise at 80 on the motorway (when they think there are no cameras etc), so they'll drive at around 40 in an urban 30 limit – and around 30 in a 20 limit. They also take cues from other things, of course, one of the biggest of which is other drivers.

Speed limits by themselves aren’t really the determining factor that make you feel safer. I often feel safer on some (note not all) 60mph roads more than I would on a 30mph road, because it's about volume of traffic, traffic mix and how that traffic interacts with you.

Yep, what makes me feel safer are careful drivers. You can still have a scary pass at 40mph.

Reducing the speed limit moves the odds more towards serious injury rather than death. Beneficial, but hardly encouraging.

Australian national championships, new kits, riders announcing their schedules… the 2022 road season is nearly here folks! All we need is a quick blast of ‘Wheels in Motion’ and we’re good to go (controversial opinion klaxon – that theme tune is probably the thing I’ve missed most about the Tour Down Under’s Covid-forced hiatus… ducks for cover).

It seems that Julian Alaphilippe is nearly ready for the new season as well. The world champion announced today that he would begin his second year in the rainbow stripes at the Tour de la Provence, which kicks off on 10 February.

The Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl rider also debuted at the four-day stage race last year, and was his usual frisky, flamboyant self on the way to second place behind Colombian Iván Sosa, then riding for Ineos.

Alaphilippe will then head to Italy to race Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico and Milan-Sanremo, before tackling April’s Ardennes classics, where he will be hoping to finally break his duck at Liège–Bastogne–Liège. The world champion has finished in the top five of La Doyenne four times in his career so far, and will be hoping to improve on last year’s runners up spot behind Tadej Pogačar.

“Liège–Bastogne–Liège will be the biggest goal in the first part of the year”, said the French fan favourite. “It is a race I love and hopefully I will be up there again, fighting for victory.”

Did a thing
Bought a ring
Just enough bling
Chanel liked it pic.twitter.com/KKsfps2Z9f

— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) January 12, 2022

Congrats Alex and Chanel! 

Remember ages ago I promised to get 1,000 trees planted? I’ve done 250. Anyone want to help my family plant 500 more. I won’t be there as I’m on training camp.
From 10am, 16th Jan, Cyclopark, Gravesend.
Email: sharper50 [at] hotmail.co.uk if you’d like to help out. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/dQPcOObAy7

— Tom Pidcock (@Tompid) January 12, 2022

 He may be used to pulling up trees when he’s racing, but off the bike Tom Pidcock has pledged to plant them.

Way back in October 2019 (remember then? That’s about four lifetimes ago…), Pidcock raised £4,000 by selling off his old kit.

He planned to use the money to plant as many trees as possible in a bid to offset his carbon emissions accrued during the racing season.

In December 2019 his mum and girlfriend planted 250 trees at the cyclo-park in Gravesend. Tom was told by his coach, however, that he couldn’t help out with the planting due to the threat of injury. Typical cyclists, eh? Maybe some of you could use that excuse when you’re asked to bring the tree down from the attic next Christmas…

Anyway, Pidcock announced yesterday that his family would be planting 500 more trees at the cyclo-park this Sunday, and called for volunteers to help out. So if you’re near Gravesend and free at the weekend, you can do your bit to nudge pro cycling’s environmental impact in the right direction.

Unfortunately Tom won’t be there – he has the small matter of an Ineos training camp on this week. Anything to get out of some work…

Anyone else’s Thursday morning feel like this? Just me?

This particular photo, taken at last week’s Irish cyclo-cross championships, in many ways encapsulates the beautiful brutality of existence – that harsh, relentless but ultimately evocative give-and-take between man, machine and nature.

Or maybe it just tells us that cyclo-cross is really hard…