Edinburgh Cycle Chic

A wee spot of cycle-watching again this morning (almost went with a blip at the other end of the cycling day as I got home and realised I'd left my keys in the office - still might be tempted to change).

Other riders:
Spotted
Zip
Booted
Should have gone to Spoke Savers?
Coming to a Halt

Work was... Work. Night was... Taiko! Woo, and, hoo. Difficult tonight though, there's one beat I just cannot get my head, hands or arms around. Nice meal in Izzi beforehand, I really like my Mondays once the office bit is out of the way.

Oh, and riding home tonight my cycling-ire was directed not at motorists as with the past few days (though this morning I did have a private hire cab (need I say more?) but rather at half the cyclists I saw who were devoid of illumination. There are certain things that I agree with the mass about on cycling, and one of those is that if you're riding at night get yourself some bleedin' lights.

Last year I rode past a guy in the pitch-black Holyrood Park. I told him he should get some lights and he apologetically said he'd been caught out and they were at home. Well walk the bike, or get the bus and leave the bike chained up somewhere. Whatever. Just don't ride in the darkest bit of the city, on the road, dressed in black, with no way of spotting you. Muppet. (and yes, for the record, I've been similarly caught out, and yes, I did walk the 4 miles home instead of riding - but then I'm perfect. Obviously).

One of the other things I agree with the mass on is red light jumping, though not, probably for the same reasons. I wrote about it in the last citycycling issue, and what the hell, I'll paste the piece below. Cos I'm giving like that...

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I've become something of a stroppy red light enforcer recently. That makes it sound more exciting than the truth of the matter - which is basically that if I'm on the bike and see someone running a red I'll give them my tuppenceworth.

What gives me the right? I hear the cry. It doesn't harm you! I have thrown at me. Well, this is kind of my point, I think it does.

I'm not one of the pedestrians who you might hit; nor am I the motorist who might hit you assuming the way is clear because he has a green light (okay, yes, we should never assume the way is clear, but by the same token, if I ride through a green light and get sideswiped by a car going through a red I'd be most annoyed if someone suggested I should have anticipated that happening). But what I am is a cyclist. And that matters. Even more so, I'm a cyclist who tries to campaign to change people's views and improve the lot of cyclists. Can you see where I'm going with this?

Yes, actually, I can understand that the danger posed by running a red light is usually more to yourself than other people, and it's your inalienable right to put yourself into a position that could see you squashed by an artic. But in so-doing what you also manage is backing up and cementing that opinion in a relatively large number of people that cyclists don't abide by the rules. And we start to play knock-on with that theory.

Anyone who has tried to campaign about cycling will know that if you raise the subject of bikes with non-cyclists there are things that always come up. Running red lights; riding on pavements; not having lights. Without fail. You start from a point of no return. Cyclists are already up against it. 'Why bother trying to make things better for cyclists if cyclists are just going to do whatever they please and run about as if the rules of the road don't apply to them?' I've heard it too many times.

Of course it's just an excuse. Absolutely. But it's an excuse that, especially if backed up by the actions of a minority who are confirming that excuse, can be used to remarkable effect not to put infrastructure in place for cyclists. A recent Edinburgh consultation on 20mph zones requested submissions, and a couple of these, however seemingly random, made mention of cyclists running red lights. It had precisely nothing to do with the consultation, and yet these people thought it worthwhile to add.

Would that excuse be replaced by something else if all cyclists stopped at red? Of course it would, but the more we can knock back by our actions the better, because excuses such as cyclists looking stupid wearing lycra start to sound more and more desperate. But in the meantime the excuse has a misplaced legitimacy, and a legitimacy that influences every cyclist on the roads every day.

That is why I would like you to stop at a red light. Because a one minute wait is a lot less inconvenient than arguing against years of ingrained excuse-making.

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And finally finally. I have reason to doubt the BBC's match analysis from tonight. Pondering how, with only two shots on target all match, Demba Ba managed to score a hat-trick...

But then typical BBC. Apparently Demba Ba 'shoved' Crouch for their penalty, whereas for our penalty there was a 'tame push' on Best. I've seen both. And both were soft (the ESPN app coverage stated that the referee was 'consistent' which I think is damning with faint praise).