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There’s a bit on the Mail website but I won’t put a link here.
If he is/was(?) so bright how does he think that is going to work? More people get assaulted by pedestrians than cyclists. Why not license plates for shoes?
Mail website eh?
Ignore it.
Beat me to it, it's on the evening standard too. It amazes me that intelligent people dont think it all through. He is also quoted on the same article as saying cyclists cause more pollution. But hes a lord, so he must be right.
And of course thugs never use stolen bikes for their nefarious purposes...
Maybe pedestrians need licence plates too, pretty sure most violence is carried out on foot....
Still, it'd stop the blighters running red lights.
Lord Winston is odd. He used to come across as a reasonable bloke when he was on telly years ago. I suspect dementia.
Should be paying road tax too.
Has he raised it again as I remember this topic being discussed last week? Conclusion then was that he was a bit of a ****
he does seem to have a blind spot in this respect. I'd have thought as a scientist, he'd approach in a version of the scientific method
Question - gather info - hypothesis - test - confirm / refine hypothesis - conclusion
yet he is ignoring the info from expert sources like the police and cycling organisations and has leapt straight to his conclusion
He is still a great scientist, and a national treasure for his work and for his general communication of the importance of science, but sometimes great people do stupid things. Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water.
Should be paying road tax too.
If I get an electric bike, as well as having all the extra fun will I be exempt from road tax like a Prius?
As someone has already said it's pretty embarrassing coming from a scientist, who should be able to see logic and reasoning.
It's just a person that's getting old, doesn't react or hear/see as quickly as they used to and so is looking to blame a surprise or near miss on anything and anyone other than their own possible failing.
Just a shame that being a peer means this kind of old person cloud shouting gets media coverage.
he has an irrational dislike of cyclists, this isn't the first time
he's clearly been out on his brand new pinarello with the full sky kit and been left for dead by a commuter on a track bike with a messenger bag
Fing idiot.
I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him. He has form for denying the the facts about cycle lanes & making up anecdotes then presenting them as fact.
An obvious bias & precedent for distorting the truth do not make him a reliable source.
It may be that he's reacting emotionally, following an assault. If he was assaulted, I suggest that a camera or cctv is of far more use than a licence.
Based on his previous form, I'd like to see some independent evidence that he's telling the truth about the alleged incident, and not just making it up or misreporting what happened.
His proposals are foolish, as a scientist his evidence free prejudice is embarrassing, and he should be doing some proper work in the Lords, instead of wasting everyone's time with his anti cycling nonsense.
Very convenient to happen upon an aggressive cyclist just days after having your licensing proposals roundly rejected in the HoL. Fortunately we know that Sir Robert would never stoop as low as to deliberately engineer a confrontation to win support for his idea...
Sounds like he was assaulted and his phone possibly damaged. Why hasn't he reported the incident to the police?
Why hasn’t he reported the incident to the police?
Because without a licence number he can't identify them! Which helps prove his stupid suggestion in his mind.
God help him if he is ever attacked by a random pedestrian, then.
God help him if he is ever attacked by a random pedestrian, then.
But why would a random pedestrian attack him? Unless he started to politely pick them up on not paying attention when on their phones, or crossing the road when the light is red, or whatever. I mean, I assume he's going to start doing that, rather than just choose to confront people on bikes?
No point in me having one. It'd get knocked off when I'm out enjoying the trails 🙄
earned dogmatism
Perhaps people using cars to carry out theft or assault should have license plates and insurance.
Oh, wait a minute...
Sounds like he was assaulted and his phone possibly damaged. Why hasn’t he reported the incident to the police?
‘Cos his phone was damaged? Everyone knows you can never find a bobby or a working phone box when you need one.
I hit a pedestrian yesterday*. It wasn't Lord Winston though.
* she stepped right out into the segregated cycle path - blue paint, kerbs, signage, the works - without looking (earphones in, looking at phone), fortunately I was on a hire bike and wasn't going fast and managed to just swerve enough to only give a glancing blow. We were both uninjured, she was extremely apologetic. Matter resolved.
No-one even took the number plate clearly displayed on the back of the hire bike.
No-one even took the number plate clearly displayed on the back of the hire bike.
You don't think they did but Robert Winston got you on his long lens and is now going to be hunting you down.
If you are an Important Person and a Bad Thing happens to you, the least that should result in is a change in the law.
The only people giving this any publicity have been cyclists complaining about it, it was all over my Facebook when it first broke. I'm just disappointed that we keep doing this to ourselves.
And somewhat shocked that a man who lives by evidence based science could be so dumb!
I used to think I had an irrational dislike of old Winston. Now I know why and that it’s quite rational after all!