Reader's letters

we are forwarded a letter from "luke".

From: luke
Date: 10 June 2012 11:18

what the deal with that blog?
is it written by sub-human Jeremy Clarkson wannabee's with sense of humour bypasses and a desire to kill people on bikes? I only read a few entries and came across 3 express wishes that people on bikes were run over. WTF?!!
sad sad fuckers

Luke, your opinions are noted. You may considers us cyclist-hating psychopaths but we try to be consistent with the rest of the local media. As for wannabes, yes it really frustrates us.

Look at this BBC report on cycling in London. Full of defensible data about how to improve cities. And who do they wheel out to explain why Britain's cities are going to stay the way they are? Jeremy C? Not worth his time? Us: we'd love to get the money from appearing plus the fame. No, they pull in Stirling Moss to patronise them.

If the BBC wanted ill-informed opinions by people who don't have a clue -we charge less than stirling moss and tell the hard truth in a far more entertaining way that Stirling M explaining to the cyclists that its time to grow up, put away the toys and buy a grown up car.

We'd have been far more controversial, and made sure that those campaigners and MP would never come on TV again. And afterwards we'd get the thank you call from Boris saying "thanks, now the elections over those troublemakers think I'd actually fulfil my promises. We need to start setting their expectations right".

But they didn't' come to us, so we are sulking. Your letter has shown us that at least one person appreciates us.

Thank you Luke!

Feedback: the Southsea Cycle Lane

We like to track that we are on message by the mail and comments we get back: if people aren't upset by the truths, well, we aren't writing the right truths. Our Portsmouth Seafront Update upset someone, so it must have been good.

We criticised someone for cycling down the (admittedly wide) seafront, arguing that their actions were not only endangering themselves, their child and pedestrians, but the entire Southsea seafront economy.



This triggered some feedback from Byron of Southsea, who said

"There are a few cheap stalls and a run down arcade along the front...so how much do you think the economy of Southsea is really affected? Of course the real sensible solution is (like many other seaside towns in the UK) to paint a cycle lane along the promenade. It has ample width. We must try harder to get people out of their cars and (safe) walking or cycling."

Well  we looked back through our photographs, dataset, as we like to call them, and concluded that yes, the arcade is a bit run down, as is the funfair at the end of the pier.



The photographs hide the 20mph wind which made the crazy-golf a bit more problematic than usual, but you get the general flavour. Room for improvement.

Similarly, the clubs along the seafront do appear to have seen better days. All that was up and running over the bank holiday was the Southsea Folk and Roots Festival, and even there the bar on the South Pier let the side down by running out of all beers  -even Fosters- by Sunday evening.



However, note that these photographs were taken on the same day we saw the man and his child cycling down the seafront. There is no way to disprove our claim that the cause of the problems is in fact the intermittent cyclists and their families on the sea front, scaring off people from the arcade or the night clubs.

Byron! We thank you for your feedback but we refudiate it!