'Plague of mosquitoes': The best and most concerning quotes from Parliament's cycling debate
Here's what the House of Lords had to say, from cat-chipping bikes to citing Mario Cipollini
You probably missed it, but yesterday lunchtime, the UK's House of Lords met to debate cycling safety.
It wasn't so much the safety of cyclists they were discussing, around 100 of whom are killed on UK roads every year, but more the havoc cyclists are said to wreak themselves. From red light jumping, to speeding and mobile phone pinching, a rather sketchy impression was painted. Anyone playing anti-cyclist bingo would have quickly seen their card fill up.
The point of the debate, of course, was to come up with solutions for stopping lawless cyclists. You've almost certainly heard them all before. Some of the Lords proposed licences, bike registration and even obligatory high-vis jackets. Others warned that overregulation may (see: will) lead to fewer people riding bikes.
Without wanting to trivialise the debate – I, for one, believe that all road users not only owe, but should prioritise a duty of care to each other, whether they're behind a steering wheel, holding handlebars, or simply walking on the pavement – here are some of the best, and most nonsensical, quotes from the afternoon.
A bit of context before this next one: Lord Hogan-Howe was the person who secured and kicked off the debate. Below, he suggests that cyclists should be tried under laws that predate the invention of the modern bicycle.
There was, of course, some balance to the debate. The following quotes show a particular solidarity towards cyclists.
The first comes in response to Lord Hogan-Howe's remark that "for fit people, through muscle power, 30 miles an hour is easily attainable on the flat".
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Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.
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