Following the Telegraph’s headline “Lycra-clad cyclists doing 52mph in 20mph limit”, a columnist for the Independent claimed there was a large overlap between “the almost-killing walkers and the head-to-toe Lycra-clad red light violators doing 40mph in 20mph limit”.

The column is by Ellie Harrison, TV Editor at the Independent, and is titled “I cycle to work – but I’m fed up with reckless cyclists ruining it for everyone”. It begins by depicting herself crossing the road on her Monday morning walk to work, holding a pint of flat beer, only to be dropped on her leg by a cyclist as he speeds past – an experience she claims “anyone who has lived in a UK city will know all too well”.

“If you walk anywhere in central London these days you will see hordes of cyclists whizzing by. Pedestrians are suffering. Something needs to change,” he writes.

Harrison, however, has a caveat, saying he “mostly cycles to work”, sometimes wearing Lycra shorts. But as a perfectly responsible and normal person, he feels genuine shame most mornings when he comes across cyclists who nearly mow down pedestrians as they speed through red lights.

I cycle to work – but I’m sick of reckless cyclists ruining everyone’s fun https://t.co/GO3Rs4FOx5

— The Independent (@Independent) July 23, 2024

The column states: “In the Venn diagram of types of people on bikes, there tends to be a big overlap between those who nearly kill walking commuters and those who are red-light violators wearing head-to-toe Lyrca (sic). Those who are going 40 mph in a 20 mph zone. These speed freaks make the rest of the good guys look bad — they tarnish the cyclist brand and take away everything that’s great about cycling.”

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But Harrison admits he’s no saint — in fact, he says he occasionally runs a red light — at about 5 mph, when no pedestrians are trying to cross and no cars are in sight. He’s even argued in favor of “head starts” for cyclists at traffic intersections, which would allow cyclists to get ahead of traffic and hold up left-turning traffic longer.

But the most dubious claim in the article is the singular one about cyclists going 40mph in a 20mph zone, which is very similar to the headline in the Telegraph on Friday, May 17 this year: “52mph in a 20mph zone… Rude cyclists in Lycra are setting death traps across Britain.”

The headline provoked a huge backlash and the publisher eventually changed the headline on its website, but the newspaper headline was now definitive, as it was quickly realised that reaching 85km/h in London traffic was a little too incredible, given that six-time Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy’s fastest speed was 80km/h on the best indoor velodrome in keirin, a track cycling event where riders slide behind a derby to reach even faster speeds.

However, it appears that the Independent has reduced this ridiculous speed to a slightly more believable figure of 40mph or 64km/h, although we would like to echo the comment made by one cyclist on social media below the Telegraph post: “If you can cycle around London, 52mph 40mph, please contact your local pro cycling team. They may be interested in your skills.”

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By the way, running red lights can of course be dangerous and also illegal at any speed, as another commenter below the column pointed out. They also wrote: “I question the comment about the Lyrca(sic) clad red light violators going 40mph in a 20mph zone. How can he be sure they were doing 40mph? That’s not a speed that a moderately skilled cyclist could reach on a flat road. Perhaps he had some sort of radar device? How can he be sure he wasn’t recording a motor vehicle?

“This has all the hallmarks of a classic anti-cycling tirade. The fact that the author claims to have sat on the saddle (as is sometimes assumed) is no excuse.

“I almost got run over by a bus today. The driver saw fit to overtake a parked car and swerve directly into my path. I had to slam on the brakes – especially since it was a slight downhill. I guess it was my fault for going downhill in the first place, wasn’t it?!”

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According to the Road Traffic Act, cyclists are prohibited from violating red lights, and according to data published by the police in May, the number of pedestrians hit by cyclists has increased by a third since 2020. However, road accident statistics show that cyclists are involved in only 2 percent of pedestrian accidents reported to the police.

There has also been recent controversy surrounding the “dangerous bike laws”, which received cross-party support from both Labour and the Conservative Party under the previous government and are expected to be passed under Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

If passed into law, it would specifically criminalise “causing death by dangerous, careless or reckless bicycle use and causing serious injury by careless or reckless bicycle use”, leading to tougher penalties for those who cause death or injury while using bicycles, e-bikes, electric scooters, unicycles and “personal transporters”.

Almost two-thirds of people in the UK are in favour of encouraging others to cycle more, with 70 per cent of respondents wanting to see more cycle-friendly routes across the country, according to a recent survey by active travel charity Cycling UK.

The charity also called on the Labour government to show its commitment to improving active travel in the country, allocating 10 per cent of the total transport budget to cycling and walking, while also ditching the “culture war” and “divisive rhetoric” launched by the previous government around the issue.