BBCi hates cyclists?

Arthur Clune said:

martin <[email hidden]> wrote:

Quoted message said:

:> I agree; I was thrown off my folding bike at 12mph head first into the base of a steel lamppost
:> on an exceptionally badly designed cycle path in Croydon. The result:slightly dented hat; major
:> concussion.Anyone care to try same without a hat? Did we not have this argument with motor cycle
:> helmets in the 70's?

Quoted message said:

2) This is also the sort of accident that experienced cyclists don't tend top have, not least cos
we avoid [censored] bike paths.

I think cycle paths encourage silly behaviour by risk compensation,
i.e., in this case the paths are felt to be safe, so the cyclists behave like idiots. I probably
spend 90% of my bike time on fairly congested urban roads, 10% on cycle paths. I think I see a
bicycle accident about once every few years on the road, and several a year on bike paths. Most
of those I see on bike paths are due to cyclists being very silly, e.g. cycling right off the
path while looking backwards at a girl, falling off trying to hand a drink can to a fellow
cyclist, toppling over when stopping because wearing a huge heavy rucksack, falling off because
not noticing the brick in the middle of the path, falling in tangled heap because riding much
too close to friend, falling off trying to cycle too quickly through piles of bikes abandoned on
their sides (apparently the fashionable way for kids to "park"😉, etc..
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[dai.ed.ac.ukcamOpen ↗ ] DoD #205

(Chris Malcolm) said:

I think cycle paths encourage silly behaviour by risk compensation,
i.e., in this case the paths are felt to be safe, so the cyclists behave like idiots.

Also they self-select idiots: more experienced cyclists are less likely to use them, being aware
that the roads are geenrally safer and quicker.

Guy
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"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(Chris Malcolm) said:

I think cycle paths encourage silly behaviour by risk compensation,
i.e., in this case the paths are felt to be safe, so the cyclists behave like idiots.

Also they self-select idiots: more experienced cyclists are less likely to use them, being aware
that the roads are geenrally safer and quicker.

Harsh. They self select the inexperienced and those lacking in confidence -- who may well have a
greater propensity to fall off.

There may also be some risk compensation -- not having a high chance of getting a juggernaut up the
jacksey certainly reduces my concerns about falling.

Then, of course, there are the terminally stupid ----

Tony W said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I think cycle paths encourage silly behaviour by risk compensation,
i.e., in this case the paths are felt to be safe, so the cyclists behave like idiots.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Also they self-select idiots:

Quoted message said:

Harsh. They self select the inexperienced and those lacking in confidence

I was reusing the original term, but yes it is inexperience more than idiocy.

Guy
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"Richard Burton" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Ni" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Richard Burton said:

On a visit to the BBCi website to make sure that they had dropped the

crass

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

story about P*** S*****'s impotence, I looked at their new NBW page. Contacts for Sustrans and
NBW webpages, but not the national cycling organisation the CTC! They also have a health page,
dedicated to

cycling

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this week, with lots of contacts, but not the CTC!? see
bbc.co.ukcycling.shtmlOpen ↗

I see a link to CTC website at the bottom of this page.

After three days of ringing the Beeb, I finally got put through to the

right

Quoted message said:

person for the health page, who was charming and was quite willing to put

in

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a link to the CTC today, the 18th. I have had the electronic response

from

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the emails I have sent, but nothing else. And I still haven't been able

to

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get the right person for the weather site on the phone; this morning I was refered to the Beeb
inquiry service, and they didn't know either, but took my number and promised someone would ring
me back. Would anyone out there care to wager a large sum of money on whether someone did ring
me back?

If anyone else wants to try, the Beeb inquiry line is on 08700 1002222,

and

Quoted message said:

the best of luck.

Just had an electronic reply about the lack of CTC contact on their webpages:

"The BBC's Charter and Agreement allow it independence from political pressure and the licence fee
gives it independence from advertising, shareholder or other commercial interests. The BBC is not
allowed under the terms of its Charter to actively promote political parties or activities"

So that's it, the CTC is a political party. I'll be voting for them at the next election.

Quoted message said:

cheers

Rich

Daniel Wilcox said:

James Hodson said:

True. "100,000 cyclists travelled safely to work this morning and they have all have just
impregnated their wives." wouldn't exactly be stop-press hot news.

So maybe that siren call most of us regularly hear is, in fact, a compliment. :-)

James

--
homepage.ntlworld.comDscf0632.jpgOpen ↗

Richard Burton said:

"The BBC's Charter and Agreement allow it independence from political pressure and the licence fee
gives it independence from advertising, shareholder or other commercial interests. The BBC is not
allowed under the terms of its Charter to actively promote political parties or activities"

Might be worth pointing ut to them that there is a precedent in that other news sites have linked to
the CTC, that the CTC is not affiliated to or a contributor to any political party or organisation,
and that it is botht eh oldest and the largest cyclists' organisation in Britain. It was the
progenitor of the Caravan Club - they might like to reflect on whether this offspring, perhaps the
Provisional CTC, is also a political organisation?

Guy
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"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Richard Burton said:

"The BBC's Charter and Agreement allow it independence from political pressure and the licence
fee gives it independence from advertising, shareholder or other commercial interests. The BBC is
not allowed under

the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

terms of its Charter to actively promote political parties or activities"

Might be worth pointing ut to them that there is a precedent in that other news sites have linked
to the CTC, that the CTC is not affiliated to or a contributor to any political party or
organisation, and that it is botht eh oldest and the largest cyclists' organisation in Britain. It
was the progenitor of the Caravan Club - they might like to reflect on whether this offspring,
perhaps the Provisional CTC, is also a political organisation?

The BBC news site is quite happy to link to pressure groups such as Friends of the Earth and
Greenpeace who are by definition political so their 'excuse' for ignoring the CTC doesn't stand up.

[OT] I wonder why the CTC is a ltd company instead of a charity when it doesn't seem to be
political at all?

In message id <[email hidden]> on Thu, 19 Jun 2003 20:27:11 +0100,
Richard Burton wrote in uk.rec.cycling :

Quoted message said:

Just had an electronic reply about the lack of CTC contact on their webpages:

"The BBC's Charter and Agreement allow it independence from political pressure and the licence fee
gives it independence from advertising, shareholder or other commercial interests. The BBC is not
allowed under the terms of its Charter to actively promote political parties or activities"

So that's it, the CTC is a political party. I'll be voting for them at the next election.

Surely they are as political as the AA or the RAC. They represent the interests of a particular
group. I expect in the interest of equality that there are no links to the motoring organisations.

--
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"Pauline" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:bcuv4n$klm$1 @titan.btinternet.com:

Quoted message said:

[OT] I wonder why the CTC is a ltd company instead of a charity when it doesn't seem to be
political at all?

I don't know if the CTC was a charity previously, but I think there was some sort of change in the
law/regulations in the last couple of years. I know of several sporting organisations which changed
to limited companies recently, perhaps to give themselves an element of protection if sued?

Have fun!

Graeme

Graeme said:

"Pauline" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:bcuv4n$klm$1 @titan.btinternet.com:

Quoted message said:

[OT] I wonder why the CTC is a ltd company instead of a charity when it doesn't seem to be
political at all?

I don't know if the CTC was a charity previously, but I think there was some sort of change in the
law/regulations in the last couple of years. I know of several sporting organisations which changed
to limited companies recently, perhaps to give themselves an element of protection if sued?

Can't it be both? I used to be on the board of an arts centre that was a charuty and also a company
limited by guarantee.

In article said:

"Pauline" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:bcuv4n$klm$1 @titan.btinternet.com:

Quoted message said:

[OT] I wonder why the CTC is a ltd company instead of a charity when it doesn't seem to be
political at all?

I don't know if the CTC was a charity previously, but I think there was some sort of change in
the law/regulations in the last couple of years. I know of several sporting organisations
which changed to limited companies recently, perhaps to give themselves an element of
protection if sued?

Have fun!

Graeme

Being a limited company does not prevent an organization from being a charity. It provides
protection for the trustees/board members, who would otherwise be personally liable for the
organization.

AC

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I don't know if the CTC was a charity previously, but I think there was

Quoted message said:

some sort of change in the law/regulations in the last couple of years. I know of several sporting
organisations which changed to limited companies recently, perhaps to give themselves an element of
protection if sued?

As I understand it the CTC has a subsidiary that is a charity, so it cAn get the appropriate tax
advantages etc. when it does charitable things, but is still free to do non charitable things

Jeremy Parker

Richard Burton said:

After three days of ringing the Beeb, I finally got put through to the right person for the health
page, who was charming and was quite willing to put in a link to the CTC today, the 18th.

Thanks for bringing it to their attention Richard.

Anthony Campbell <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Being a limited company does not prevent an organization from being a charity. It provides
protection for the trustees/board members, who would otherwise be personally liable for the
organization.

Yeah, I probably picked it up wrongly there. It was a while back that the Scottish Canoe Association
changed to a limited company from a something or other (not sure if it was a charity, think it
probably wasn't). At the time they sent out a whole load of blurb saying that a lot of similar
organisations were doing this for various good reasons and could we please vote yes. I ticked the
yes box and sent it back like a good little paddler.

Have (charitable) fun!

Graeme