“The car rules”: Parent branded an “apologist for car violence” after blaming dad and kids on cargo bike for collision; Zebra crossing fiasco; Dodging drivers in the cycle lane; Big metal box beauty contest; UCI’s climate charter + more on the live blog

“Just to point out…”

When you see those four small words crop up in a conversation about cycling or road safety, whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter (RIP), or even the local parents’ WhatsApp group, you know it’s never going to be pretty.

Well, we’ve got some Victim Blaming 101 to kick off the last live blog of the Twitter era (before we all revert to fax machines and Teletext, I presume) and this one is a classic of this most unfortunate of genres.

A father cycling his child to school - wearing reflective great, nee cargo bike, everything - was hit by a car outside school just now. Both came off bike - not sure how injured. It is so extremely upsetting.

— Pauline von Hellermann 🌳🌴🌹🌻🌍 (@PHellermann) November 17, 2022

Yesterday, Pauline von Hellermann, a lecturer in environmental anthropology, tweeted that a father riding a cargo bike to school with his two children in Eastbourne was struck by a motorist pulling out of the school’s car park.

According to Pauline, the dad and children were knocked off their bikes in the collision and taken to hospital by ambulance. They are reportedly fine but, understandably, left “very shaken” by the incident.

It was in fact two children, and the father and his children were hit by a car coming out of the school car park. I just raised it in one of the parent whatsgroup and instantly got this back: blame the victim!! The car rules pic.twitter.com/eE3IOuIYA5

— Pauline von Hellermann 🌳🌴🌹🌻🌍 (@PHellermann) November 17, 2022

However, after alerting other parents at the school in their shared WhatsApp group, Pauline was met with the following – rather startling – response: “Just to point out the bikes race down that hill and if a car pulling out onto the road with cars parked up either side dropping off as they can’t possibly park safely to drop off makes it very difficult to see a bike coming down the hill especially at speed.”

The message continues: “Unfortunately or fortunately the lady in the car had just pulled out. I agree something needs to be done but equally bike riders need not all but some[!] to slow down and equally be traffic aware.”

> “You couldn’t make it up”: Driver mounts pavement on wrong side of the road… then chastises six-year-old for cycling on same footpath

Wow, a lot to unpack there. But it gets worse.

Pauline replied to our victim-blamer-in-chief: “To be honest I would be surprised if a father with two children on a cargo bike would have been racing down the hill.”

Victim-blamer-in-chief’s reply?

“You would be surprised.”

> Sajid Javid blames father of five-year-old cyclist for letting child ride on road in viral video

Needless to say, the last of the Twitter users weren’t impressed with this response, described as “revolting” and “soul destroying”, with one branding the victim-blaming parent “an apologist for car violence”:

Oh, that's a soul destroying response 😔

— Clare Tweets 📚🗺⛺️ (@ClareCJJames) November 17, 2022

What an apologist for car violence

The posting of a fool

— Jez Briggs (@Jezter1982) November 17, 2022

It's just bizarre that people think like this. It's as if cars have more 'rights' than people

— 💧George Crisp (@DrGCrisp) November 17, 2022

No, no, no, no! Cyclists cannot ever cycle in a way that justifies someone pulling out of a school park in a way that hits them without it solely being the driver’s fault. A school car park is hazard awareness zone taught in every driving lesson.

— Leonie Troke (@TvHLeonie) November 17, 2022

That's how they're taught to begin missives when studying at Karen University.

— *Big sigh* (@CouldntBeArsed1) November 18, 2022

You should agree and "just point out" that this is a strong reason to have cars banned within 500m of the school grounds.

Then thank her for her support in championing such an excellent safety Initiative.

— *Big sigh* (@CouldntBeArsed1) November 18, 2022

Appeal to trace cyclist following a collision that occurred on Shorton Grange Road

Cyclist has illegally ridden on the pedestrian crossing causing minor damage to a passing carpic.twitter.com/1gk3ovpLux

— Sandford Police (@Sandford_Police) November 17, 2022

NB. Before you get the pencil sharpener out to complain, Sandford Constabulary is the fictional police force from Hot Fuzz.

Though, sometimes it is hard to tell…

Round-the-world cyclist Leigh Timmis completed his latest record-breaking adventure last weekend – by cycling a mind-boggling 2,230 miles in seven days… three of which were slap bang in the middle of a hurricane.

“In the early hours of Sunday 13th November, the team and I broke the seven-day cycling world record,” Timmis wrote on Facebook earlier this week.

“With a total of 2,230 miles, we added 19 miles to the existing record set by Arvis Sprude in July this year.

“What makes this record so impressive is that for three days of the record attempt every mile was affected by Hurricane Nicole. A storm of this magnitude has not made Florida landfall in November for many years, but this one dumped some of the worst wind and rain on Highway 41 since 1932.

“Despite this, we dug deep, dynamically changing strategies to bring home the world record.

“It was a gargantuan effort by all involved and I owe a huge thank you to the road team – Christian Aucote, Sally Carter, Dan Smith and Jack Hague. Four amazing, professional, passionate, and enthusiastic people.”

I feel shattered just reading that…

The UCI has today confirmed that 80 stakeholders – including race organisers, federations, and teams – have signed the world governing body’s new Climate Action Charter.

ASO and RCS Sport, the organisers of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia respectively, are among the charter’s most notable signatories, along with Belgian race chiefs, Flanders Classics.

> “Reinforcing the point that bike racing isn’t exactly green”: Giro d’Italia organisers criticised for rumoured Rome finale – and 700km transfer

By signing the charter, the organisations have committed to reducing professional cycling’s harmful environmental impact, by promoting active travel to combat climate change, reporting and measuring their climate footprint according to international standards, reducing waste and energy demand, and increasing sustainability.

WorldTour teams Bora-Hansgrohe, BikeExhange-Jayco, Trek-Segafredo, Bahrain-Victorious, Israel-Premier Tech, and UAE Team Emirates have all committed to the new charter.

The Ineos Grenadiers are not among the 80 founding signatories.

> “They’re protesting about a good thing”: Tour de France riders, organisers and journalists react to climate protest

“I am delighted that so many stakeholders have already committed to our UCI Climate Action Charter,” UCI President David Lappartient said in a statement today.

“Our aim when adopting this Charter was to unite cycling’s stakeholders to reduce our sport’s emissions and help slow climate change. We need to work together, learn from each other and collaborate on solutions for the shared challenges we face to achieve climate neutrality for our sport.

“It is clear from the early response that our stakeholders share our concerns and desire to contribute to a better world, and I look forward to seeing the list of signatories lengthen.”

The UCI’s Climate Action Charter, and its eight key commitments, can be viewed here.

Thousands of delivery cyclists in Australia are scrambling to find work after Deliveroo suddenly shut up shop in the country earlier this week.

The Guardian reports that the food delivery company announced that it would go into administration and stop operating in Australia immediately on Wednesday. Deliveroo’s Australia website was wiped overnight, while its app no longer functions, shocking partners, customers and even its employees.

Delivery riders told the Guardian that they had been given no notice of the plans to close the company. The decision, which comes after the business ceased operations in Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, and Taiwan, has affected up to 15,000 delivery workers.

“I was working in the morning, stopping at midday and then suddenly when I wanted to start working again, this notification pops up on the screen of the app,” Deliveroo rider Rodrigo told the Guardian.

“And I went to the emails [to] check [and they said] that they cease immediately, effective immediately. So, I couldn’t even finish the day yesterday.”

A member of the Transport Workers’ Union, Rodrigo said that the Australian government should do more to improve the rights of delivery cyclists and other gig workers.

“We’ve been fighting so hard against these kinds of companies,” he said. “They are exploiting us and they are not treating us like workers. So we don’t have rights. We don’t have any benefits, nothing at all. We are not even considered workers for them.”

> Deliveroo cyclist attacked by knife-wielding teenager after collision

Dr Rob Nicholls, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales, noted that delivery workers will likely suffer the most from the company’s abrupt closure.

“No restaurant is going to say ‘well, if Deliveroo is out of the game, we’ll stop using a delivery service’,” he said. “They’ll shift to one of the other big three services almost certainly.”

The Transport Workers’ Union was also scathing of Deliveroo’s approach to its two-wheeled employees.

“Deliveroo’s sudden and cowardly act, treating workers as callously in exit as it did in operation, highlights the urgent need for the federal government to enact gig reform,” the union’s national secretary, Michael Kaine, said this week.

“Transport workers were hit first and hardest by the gig tsunami and are now being left high and dry by Deliveroo at the first indication that it can’t rely on exploitation to make profits.”

It’s almost impossible to extract your bike from Oxford station bike park. And there’s usually something stolen off it. When can we have an upgrade? pic.twitter.com/tkrBBszsm8

— Kate Seal (@ktclcb) November 17, 2022

You should speak to Utrecht. They have a few ideas: https://t.co/e04w1eRbfW

— Karim Dia Toubajie (@karimtoubajie) November 17, 2022

Got myself some new wheels, eBay special.

Unfortunately it's not electric, I have to use the hefty power in my left leg. pic.twitter.com/FaHQu4BOiH

— Daniel Lloyd (@daniellloyd1) November 17, 2022

Hopefully the GCN presenter’s new set-up is safer than his cyclocross bike…

> Dan Lloyd tries cyclocross… and breaks ankle