In tomorrow's citycycling....
It's not really a paragon of Pulitzer-prize-winning journalism (which is not to say citycycling is either, but you get the point), but every now and then the Edinburgh Evening News really does open up to rail against cyclists. Perhaps it's the job of the local press to stir up the restless hate-driven mobs in their distribution area, or maybe circulation is dropping a bit, but every story about cycling in this publication seems to have a negative slant. Or if it didn't beforehand, just watch the comments pages on the website fill up with bile.
So the editor must have been rubbing his hands in glee when it was reported that Inspector Andy Gilhooly of Lothian and Borders Police had indicated there was to be a crackdown on bad cycling because some cyclists felt, "they could get away with murder." Yep, you heard that right, it appears that in the eyes of the police transgression of the rules of the road on a bike is tantamount to homicide.
Okay, so hyperbole is in stark evidence in the statement, but when you've got a baying mob ready to pounce on anything that suggests that cyclists are evil it's really just an ill-conceived choice of words. And one which we're not sure would have been applied to other sectors who are doing wrong: "Taxi drivers believe they can get away with murder," would never have made it as a headline. "SUV drivers believe they can get away with murder," likewise.
And so the comments page overflowed with 'road' tax and insurance and licencing and the danger that cyclists pose to everyone. We weren't going to get anywhere fast by adding to the tit-for-tat discussion there, so we figured, what the hell, let's write to the police that started this all.
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Dear Chief Constable David Strang
Reading the Edinburgh Evening News on Thursday 6th November I came across a story regarding a crackdown on errant cyclists within the city. I shoud begin by saying that I have no particular problem with such a crackdown being undertaken, as anyone who uses the roads should be subject to the rules put in place for their use, whether on bike, driving a car or a bus, or on foot.
However, the quote attributed to Inspector Andy Gilhooly struck me as a little over the top. While he was obviously using a figure of speech to suggest that cyclists thought 'they could get away with murder' can only be seen as inflammatory in the context of such a quote being used within a newspaper. The comments section on the Evening News' website following this story serves to highlight the simple base hatred that many people reserve for cyclists.
Equating transgression of traffic rules with homicide might just be taking things a little too far, and I wonder if he would have said the same thing about other road users who break the law. "Drink drivers think they can get away with murder", would perhaps be more accurate, but I actually doubt such a statement would be released. Cyclists, however, seem fair game.
As stated above I actually welcome any initiative which sees those breaking the law brought to book. A further query would be whether the cycle police, out looking for cyclists on pavements and so on, will also take the time to stop and speak to motorists they see running a red light, or stopping within a hash-marked section of the road? That only 12 cyclists were caught at the start of this initiative on Saturday suggests the problem is one which is perceived to be large, but in reality (and in effect) is minor. That equate to just over one cyclist every hour, and I would hazard a guess that as many cars could be caught speeding on, say, London Road in about ten minutes. "Speeding drivers think they can get away with murder"?
I wonder if a Freedom of Information request could be made for the figures which must have been drawn up to support commencing such an initiative, together with a request for numbers of offences and accidents within the force's area concerning motor vehicles? Just because a problem is small obviously doesn't mean it shouldn't be dealt with, but a sense of proportion in dealing with things would be welcomed, as would not being compared to some of the worst criminality possible.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely...
