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Mail on Sunday
Good to see Kate Hoey (ex sports minister) slagging off cyclists in the MoS
today. Whilst I have sympathy with the viewpoint that cyclists running red lights etc gives us all a bad name, this sort of thing can only harden motorists attitudes. And Hoey was objecting to cyclists not riding in cycle lanes (ever tried riding over a drain cover, Ms Hoey?) and to cyclists 'who ride down the middle of the road and object when I sound my horn' (perhaps they're turning right?). |
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#2
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Mail on Sunday
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/perso...,-2458,00.html
Contact details for the mini-driving ex-sports supremo (just in case you fancied getting in touch). "andy w" wrote in message ... Good to see Kate Hoey (ex sports minister) slagging off cyclists in the MoS today. Whilst I have sympathy with the viewpoint that cyclists running red lights etc gives us all a bad name, this sort of thing can only harden motorists attitudes. And Hoey was objecting to cyclists not riding in cycle lanes (ever tried riding over a drain cover, Ms Hoey?) and to cyclists 'who ride down the middle of the road and object when I sound my horn' (perhaps they're turning right?). |
#3
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Mail on Sunday
Good to see Kate Hoey (ex sports minister) slagging off cyclists in the MoS
today. Whilst I have sympathy with the viewpoint that cyclists running red lights etc gives us all a bad name, this sort of thing can only harden motorists attitudes. And Hoey was objecting to cyclists not riding in cycle lanes (ever tried riding over a drain cover, Ms Hoey?) and to cyclists 'who ride down the middle of the road and object when I sound my horn' (perhaps they're turning right?). My understanding is that cyclists don't have to use cycle lanes. Isn't this correct? |
#4
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Mail on Sunday
Nope - aprt from a very few isolated places where cycles aren't allowed on
the road. But Hoey's comments can only serve to reinforce some motorists' view that if a cyclist chooses not to (and I've emailed her and pointed out that lanes are often full of rubbish and also have drain covers in them which aren't much fun to ride over) then they're fair game and anything that happens is their own fault. ouch wrote in message ... Good to see Kate Hoey (ex sports minister) slagging off cyclists in the MoS today. Whilst I have sympathy with the viewpoint that cyclists running red lights etc gives us all a bad name, this sort of thing can only harden motorists attitudes. And Hoey was objecting to cyclists not riding in cycle lanes (ever tried riding over a drain cover, Ms Hoey?) and to cyclists 'who ride down the middle of the road and object when I sound my horn' (perhaps they're turning right?). My understanding is that cyclists don't have to use cycle lanes. Isn't this correct? |
#5
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Mail on Sunday
A quick search on their website foun da discussion board:
http://www.femail.co.uk/pages/standa...&in_page_id=25 |
#6
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Mail on Sunday
andy w wrote:
Good to see Kate Hoey (ex sports minister) slagging off cyclists in the MoS I was feeling belligerent so I sent an email, as below. Right, I'll admit it, I didn't read your piece in the Mail on Sunday. I never read the Mail any more, it's too much like the BNP's house rag. But I read a large selected quote from it, and I've seen the quote on their discussion board. And I'm not happy. As an MP you should know that red light jumping is very much the province of youths and London cycle couriers - most adult cyclists have more sense. Youths as a group are not known for their slavish devotion to the law - especially when they graduate from relatively harmless bikes to that most dangerous of toys, the motor car. And the 50% of cyclists the RAC claim jump red lights compares favourably to the 90% of drivers who admit to speeding. Of course cyclists who jump red lights mainly endanger themselves, whereas speeding drivers spread the danger around and transfer much of it onto vulnerable road users. The truth is, if you ride a bike in a dangerous manner you end up dead sooner rather than later. If you drive a car in a dangerous manner you are more likely to kill someone else. No, the real problem with cyclists is one of envy. Drivers stuck in their mobile death greenhouses burning expensive petrol and priceless time see the ability of cyclists to bypass congestion and take control of their journey as an effront to their lifestyle choices. The driver knows that their choice is fundamentally selfish, that the problems they experience are largely of their own making, but they cover it with a whole raft of self-justifying excuses about the impracticality of using more environmentally benign modes. And then a cyclist leaves them standing in the traffic. Above all you should know that the hysterical Daily Mail anti-cyclist bigotry which you have helped to fuel is a significant part of the car supremacist agenda which is responsible for the fact that most large towns and cities these days are nigh-on impassable. Except on a bike, of course. Yours, Guy Chapman -- Guy === WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting. http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk |
#7
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Mail on Sunday
Ms Hoey stinks. It's not cyclists who kill some 3500 people every year on the
roads. and injure thousands more. Ms Hoey should be metaphorically shot. Cheers, helen s This is an invalid email adress to thwart spammers To get my correct email remove the dependency on fame & fortune from h*$el*$$e**nd***$o$ts***i*$*$m**m$$o*n**s@$*$a$$o* *l.c**$*$om$$ Any speeling mistakes are as a result of cats on the keybrrrdd |
#8
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Mail on Sunday
"Just zis Guy, you know?" wrote in message ... andy w wrote: Good to see Kate Hoey (ex sports minister) slagging off cyclists in the MoS I was feeling belligerent so I sent an email, as below. I too was moved to write to the hurrying Ms Hoey. If we get a reply we should post them here. "I write with regard to your article in today's Mail on Sunday. You appear to regard cyclists as some sort of obstruction that stop you from whizzing around London in your mini (very trendy, I'm sure). Have you ever considered that you as one who insists on driving your little metal box into London are one of those who cause delays and congestion? People who cycle to work should be applauded not slagged off in some crass 'get the motorists on our side' stunt. You state that cyclists should be forced to ride in cycle lanes where they are provided - can I suggest that you try riding in a cycle lane before you begin pontificating? Cycle lanes are painted by the kerb - the gutter is (a) full of rubbish and (b) has grates and drain covers in it. If you've ever cycled you would realise that riding across these things causes punctures and damage to your bike - so some of us exercise our legal right as road users to cycle on the main cariageway when we feel it is safer to do so. If that causes you to be held up for a few seconds then tough - my life is more important than a few seconds of your time. I was interested that you were careful to make the point that not all cyclists are 'lycra louts' - but you must surely be aware that articles like yours will make the large number of motorists who drive dangerously near cyclists feel justified in their behaviour. "It's alright - I might have broken his legs but he was one of them lycra louts that Kate Hoey was on about." If anyone wrote an article trying to smear an ethnic minority with such broad generalisations ("but of course - there are some law abiding black people - they're not all crack dealers") there would be an outcry - well I for one hope that you have lost your party the support of a large section of the population - you've ceratinly lost mine. Oh - and by the way - sounding your horn to tell someone to get out of the way is illegal." |
#9
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Mail on Sunday
"John Hearns" wrote in message news A quick search on their website foun da discussion board: http://www.femail.co.uk/pages/standa..._id=200212&in_ page_id=25 What ****es me off about that is this bit: "Do you agree with Kate Hoey? Do you think cyclists regularly break the law and deliberately wind drivers up? Or, are car drivers to blame? Do they think they own the road and show little regard for vunerable cyclists?" HELLO! there are bad apples in both barrels! Pete |
#10
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Mail on Sunday
But Hoey's comments can only serve to reinforce some motorists'
view that if a cyclist chooses not to (and I've emailed her and pointed out that lanes are often full of rubbish and also have drain covers in them which aren't much fun to ride over) then they're fair game and anything that happens is their own fault. I've emailed her in pretty much the same light, pointing out it's not cyclists who kill 3500 annually on Britain's road and injure many more. I've also invited her out on a cycle ride. Cheers, helen s This is an invalid email adress to thwart spammers To get my correct email remove the dependency on fame & fortune from h*$el*$$e**nd***$o$ts***i*$*$m**m$$o*n**s@$*$a$$o* *l.c**$*$om$$ Any speeling mistakes are as a result of cats on the keybrrrdd |
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