UKC

http://road.cc/content/news/130080-councillor-says-birmingham%E2%80%99s-cyc...

I'd love to know what the UKC massive makes of this. It's made my head hurt.

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

"Stupid c*nt" was my initial reaction.

I'll let you know in a few minutes if the passage of time changes my opinion.

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

I think she's talking out her ass. Cycling is one of the least discriminatory forms of tranport there is. It allowed poor people (that includes women) to venture further.

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

When I was younger, it was all old people and kids on bikes. What stops old people from cycling? It's a nice form of gentle exercise. And as to being dangerous?!!! Where did she get that from?

I wonder why she was like that about it?

In reply to tlm:

I think it's massively, massively offensive and patronising to say that about older people. That they don't ride bikes and it's too dangerous for them to learn.

Stupidity on a f*cking galactic scale.

In reply to ThunderCat:

yeah - my step dad still goes out most days and he is 84 and I know LOTS of older people who cycle regularly..... I just think it sounds like she really doesn't actually know what she is talking about, to the point where it wouldn't even worry me what she actually says - it is just a bit embarrassing for her.

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

I genuinely thank you for letting us know about this. I'll tell her what an arse she is when I have time (and was she really a cabinet member for sustainability?).

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

What the @!?:-

Stupid bint.

Women who want to cycle without wearing revealing clothes could always try these new fangled trousers for wimmin.

Old people could probably show her a thing or 2.

Obviously black people can't cycle, they don't look right on a bike. (Sarcasm sign)

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

I sincerely hope that they are not spending any money on transport by private car, driving only benefits sighted people with at least one arm.

In reply to Clarence:

I know a few people with no arms who drive! But I grant you, they are sighted...

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

I'll refrain from expressing myself fully.

In reply to tlm:
Do they have at least one limb to the elbow? I used to sort out car modifications for the DHSS (as it was then) and drivers pretty much all had at least one arm even if they had no hands. Driving with no arms is pretty impressive.

Anyway she is confusing the wish to look like a lycra clad loon with the need to do so in order to cycle. Cycling nude is great but just because it can be done does not mean that cycling is only suitable for nudists.

In reply to Clarence:

My cousin's husband is 70, has only one arm (severed at the shoulder in a farming accident) and cycles. Wonder what she'd make of him?

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

She is an idiot. No further explanation needed.

In reply to Clarence:


No - they used their feet - my sister is thalidomide, so I know a few people with adapted cars. But now they are getting older, the misuse of their bodies is starting to take it's toll...

Here's a video (not of anyone I know):

youtube.com/watch?v=e2vdwDf3GLk&

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

In fact, my sister, who has got very short arms, and whose legs aren't quite right either used to cycle when she was younger.

It isn't an extreme sport!

I'm going to be very brave and suggest her point of view is not unreasonable (although I disagree with the word discriminatory. And disagree strongly with the implications of what she thinks ).

Nothing about cycling directly discriminates against anyone apart from the non able bodied.

However, culturally - look at the evidence you see every day - cyclists are disproportionately male, white and youngish. And any spending on it is likely to benefit those groups the most.

Hopefully the scheme will massively increase cycling, which obviously benefits everyone. Good infrastructure will make many more people choose to cycle, and a far from representative proportion of those will still be young white men, even if the proportions improve somewhat.

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

I've spent a good deal of time in Hamburg over the last few years where they have an outstanding cycle network around the city. It really is a legitimate means of transport over there which thousands of people, including the elderly, use on a regular basis.

In reply to Malcolm Tucker's Sweary Aunt:

surely more people cycling benefits all those of us who breath

maybe some council members don't need to...

white male cyclist old enough to get stupid letters from saga

In reply to tlm:

Thanks, TLM that is very interesting. Most of the cases I came across were ex-services or industrial accident survivors, never had a case like that.

In reply to Dan Arkle:


Correct


Incorrect


Correct


OK, the stereotype she is working on is that most cyclists are lycra clad and pumped with testosterone. In reality this will just be the ones she notices and who annoy her, because they are bold enough to get mixed up with the traffic. In some cases, these will be just the sort of person you don't want driving in a city ! But more importantly, the safer you make it, the less brave you need to be to cycle.

In reply to Dan Arkle:

Many cyclists are young white men. This doesn't make any of her ridiculous comments true though. Birmingham Council knows perfectly well how to spend money on Black wheelchair using lesbians. Its one of the worse councils for pc nonsense (not sensible equality which I am all in favour of).