Oh very smart Rob , touche .
Does the cycling press rise to this obvious passive attack and blatant call to defend our right to be on the roads ? As we should ; but i see no actual wrong doing on his part , he has spent too long carefully phrasing anything we could have a concern with . "If I'm about to turn left or right and I see cyclists in my wing mirrors tearing up from behind on either side, I pause to let them past". this could be any turning situation . Is he going across incoming traffic ? Thats not whats written , hes just given enough description to put the cyclists in the wrong but leave himself in the clear and how could anyone put his driving in disrepute when he would "rather not use my daughter as a roadblock" while out for a walk .
So now with the anti cycling stage set he steps onto the box to rally his troops and goes into the real point of the article . That first blurb was of course the editor telling Rob " that fat chef has shown were a bunch of arses , I need you to make drivers look like the angels of the roads with the cycling environmentalists endangering our children , make it pukka , fukka ; and make sure theres no recourse with this one , you have as long as you need "
And hes done just that . I cant see anything in the opening or latter parts that a cyclist could take offense to and argue without being whiney or looking a reckless fool and/or condoning the path riding and door kicking .
Aggravated driver is now set to read the real point of the article and any cyclists comments will just reinforce the mindset that we are anti car ranters , hell bent on carving through the streets in RoadRash rage .
"Now, if Mr Darnton was just another evangelical cyclist, I'd not be too bothered. " But hes not , hes a man in power with a big fat wad of cash that could actually make something happen and has people listening who would . So an article needs to be written in the national press posing all cyclists as vandalizing amoral warriors . Now a contingent of motorists need to be rilled up to oppose anything the bated cyclists say , all very smart , Clarkson might even be brought in on this one !
" Please sir , could you stop running us over in your 2 ton status wagons , we are but small and simple folk unable to afford the late model Range Rovers . Could you please become accountable for the mass you swath across the land ? "
" How very dare you ! hurumpff ; i read in the paper , a fine NATIONAL PAPER you tried to EAT POOR ROBBIE'S BABY , tried to snatch it from his golden pram and gobble it whole you did ! "
"Now I am certainly not antibicycle." cough , maybe not in the written word ; hes no fat chef and the whole daily drawl writing staff will have been briefed in not dropping clangers like his again . But certainly in the thought process .
Were going to have to take this one on the chin and play the " hey not everybody is a saint " card and hope the red light evaders and pavement riders don't lose us the chance of making the arrogant people in cars pay attention and acknowledge were there to stay .
