“Medieval town ‘overrun’” screams The Telegraph; GB News follows up with “cyclists ride into row”; the Metro copies The Telegraph with “overrun”. No, these are not inflammatory headlines about migration, but classic scare stories about cycling in the right-wing media. It’s not a slow news week, but these are reliable sources of web traffic, as, for whatever reason, people love hating on us cyclists.
Dig down into the story, though – and it is just one story, rewritten – and there doesn’t appear to be much to get upset about. One café in Windsor, England, offers a discount for people arriving by bike, as it does for locals, and members of the armed forces, too. The discount has been running for 15 years, Ian Jones, the owner of the Cinnamon Café, told CW on Monday. It seems like it’s good for business, which is surely good for everyone. As for the idea that cyclists clog up roads, a dose of patience would be good for everyone behind a wheel. It’s rare that a couple of bikes will hold you up from your important drive for that long.
News editor at Cycling Weekly, Adam brings his weekly opinion on the goings on at the upper echelons of our sport. This piece is part of The Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. As ever, email adam.becket@futurenet.com – should you wish to add anything, or suggest a topic.
All this hot air is over a long established discount scheme which doesn’t affect anyone, it’s just been hijacked to feed into the narrative of the motorists vs cyclists debate. It started in The Telegraph, which only the day before, had published a story saying that cycling reduces the risk of dementia. So should we all be cycling for our health, or shouting at cyclists ‘getting in the way’? It’s hard to keep up.
I don’t know what it is about our hobby which attracts so much opprobrium. Is it because we are happier and healthier on two wheels? Is it because we’re spending less by commuting by bike, and contributing less to the climate catastrophe? Is it envy, fear, or just a cynical ploy for website traffic? I suppose it could be all of these things.
It is easy to get sucked into the culture war, to rush to the battlements in defence of our sport and our pastime. The idea that it’s cyclists that might ruin a medieval town, as opposed to two-tonne SUVs, which cause congestion, air pollution, and roads to break, is laughable.
As vulnerable road users, it’s true that we could suffer if anger against cyclists is constantly fuelled in parts of the press – all it takes is one irritated driver to make a bad decision and it could result in life-changing consequences for a rider. However, it is not worth thinking like that. Roads are there for all of us, and if you dodge the potholes, there’s nothing like going for a good bike ride. Even better if you can grab a discounted pastry on the way.
When confronted with these levels of idiocy, the best thing to do is breathe, remember that we are doing a good thing for ourselves and the world by getting out there on two wheels and going for a bike ride. There’s nothing better than feeling the wind on your back, and exploring our sceptered isle. Let’s continue to show people that we have the right idea.
And you know what the funniest thing is in all of this? At least one of the writers of the above anti-cycling articles is a cyclist themselves.
This piece is part of The Leadout, the offering of newsletters from Cycling Weekly and Cyclingnews. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here.
If you want to get in touch with Adam, email adam.becket@futurenet.com.
