USED TO LIKE HIM ON RADIO CAROLINE AS WELL.

As thousands of cyclists, from families to pro racers, take to the streets of London on their bikes today as part of RideLondon’s festival of cycling, veteran DJ and TV presenter Tony Blackburn has claimed that the mass participation events should be replaced next year by an event “for car owners” – because “there are more of us and we do pay to go on the roads”.

The former BBC Radio 1 DJ and Top of the Pops host was replying to a tweet from London mayor Sadiq Khan, who described RideLondon as the “world’s biggest city bike festival”, after organisers confirmed that 50,000 riders would take part in today’s mass participation events, including the RideLondon-Essex sportive and the family-friendly FreeCycle, which took place over eight miles of traffic-free roads in central London earlier today.

That festival of cycling ends later this afternoon with the finish of the third and final stage of the RideLondon Classique on the Mall, with Lizzie Deignan – making her return to British roads following the birth of her second child – sitting in second place overall heading into today, behind American Chloe Dygert.

However, cycling’s one-day takeover of central London has appeared to irk 80-year-old Blackburn, who tweeted this morning: “How about having an event next year for car owners in London instead of cyclists? After all there are more of us and we do pay to go on the roads.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the DJ’s tweet has been widely criticised online, with one cyclist replying that “every day is an event for car owners, Tony”.

Others questioned Blackburn’s claim that motorists pay to use the roads – an allusion to Vehicle Excise Duty or, as it’s often mistakenly referred to as, ‘road tax’ – with Twitter user Phil asking Blackburn to “direct me to where you pay, and what you pay”.

“Cyclists very often are car owners. So are many marathon runners at a marathon ‘event’,” wrote CyclingInASkirt. “How much more do you pay exactly to use the road than either of these? You’re aware general taxation pays for roads – which we all pay – aren’t you?”

Blackburn’s tweet comes less than two months after another post (link is external) in which he criticised what he views as Britain’s “ridiculous obsession with 20mph speed limits everywhere”.

He continued: “Who is it that decides that we motorists now are overtaken by cyclists?”

Of course, the winner of the 2002 edition of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here isn’t the first to take aim at RideLondon’s annual use of the roads.

Back in January, a local council in Essex claimed that the majority of locals “don’t particularly want” the sportive to return to the town this year as residents “can’t get out of their own road” during the popular mass ride event, which moved to the county for 2022 following seven editions in Surrey.

Members of Ongar Town Council also argued that the apparent benefits of hosting the sportive – particularly for local businesses – were unfounded, and that the money made available to charities thanks to the event could be exceeded if all households in the area donated a “pound or two”.

Despite the concerns of DJs and some local authorities, this year’s RideLondon – which marks the tenth anniversary of the event – has continued to prove a success, attracting a record 25,000 participants for the 30, 60, and 100 mile sportive rides, and the same number for the closed roads family ride through London.

The glorious sunshine and sight of thousands of cyclists riding through the centre of London prompted a much more upbeat and enthusiastic tweet from Olympic champion and Active Travel England chief Chris Boardman:

https://road.cc/content/news/tony-blackburn-calls-car-event-replace-ridelondon-301527

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> The glorious sunshine and sight of thousands of cyclists riding through
> the centre of London prompted a much more upbeat and enthusiastic tweet
> from Olympic champion and Active Travel England chief Chris Boardman:

> https://road.cc/content/news/tony-blackburn-calls-car-event-replace-ridelondon-301527

Boardman lets it slip

"We know we won't make our carbon targets, our legal targets, unless we
drive a lot less”.

<https://road.cc/content/news/chris-boardman-shuts-down-cycling-registration-debate-296551>

There you have it - the reason for talking up cycling despite the fall in
cycle usage.

--
Spike

TheAdebo | 3 posts | 18 hours ago
16 likes

Tony is such a massive petrol head that he isn't aware of Formula E, which shuts down much of London for several days.

Or the London to Brighton car rally, which clogs up much of South London for the day.

Or the London Concors, which closes down Savile Row for the day.

Or..

On 29/05/2023 11:32 am, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> USED TO LIKE HIM ON RADIO CAROLINE AS WELL.
>
> As thousands of chvs on bikes, from families to pro racers, take to the streets of London on their chav-bikes today as part of ChavRideLondon’s festival of fairy-cycling, veteran DJ and TV presenter Tony Blackburn has claimed that the mass participation events should be replaced next year by an event “for car owners” – because “there are more of us and we do pay to go on the roads”.
>
> The former BBC Radio 1 DJ and Top of the Pops host was replying to a tweet from London mayor Sadiq Khan, who described ChavRideLondon as the “world’s biggest city bike festival”, after organisers confirmed that 50,000 chavs would take part in today’s mass participation events, including the ChavRideLondon-Essex sportive and the family-friendly FreeChavCycle, which took place over eight miles of traffic-free roads in central London earlier today.
>
> That festival of chav-cycling ends later this afternoon with the finish of the third and final stage of the ChavRideLondon Classique on the Mall, with Lizzie Deignan – making her return to British roads following the birth of her second child – sitting in second place overall heading into today, behind American Chloe Dygert.
>
> However, chav-cycling’s one-day takeover of central London has appeared to irk 80-year-old Blackburn, who tweeted this morning: “How about having an event next year for car owners in London instead of chav-cyclists? After all there are more of us and we do pay to go on the roads.”
>
> Perhaps unsurprisingly, the DJ’s tweet has been widely criticised online, with one chav-cyclist replying that “every day is an event for car owners, Tony”.
>
> Others questioned Blackburn’s claim that motorists pay to use the roads – an allusion to Vehicle Excise Duty or, as it’s often mistakenly referred to as, ‘road tax’ – with Twitter user Phil asking Blackburn to “direct me to where you pay, and what you pay”.
>
> “Chav-cyclists very often are car owners. So are many marathon runners at a marathon ‘event’,” wrote FairyCyclingInASkirt. “How much more do you pay exactly to use the road than either of these? You’re aware general taxation pays for roads – which we all pay – aren’t you?”
>
> Blackburn’s tweet comes less than two months after another post (link is external) in which he criticised what he views as Britain’s “ridiculous obsession with 20mph speed limits everywhere”.
>
> He continued: “Who is it that decides that we motorists now are overtaken by chavs-on-bikes?”
>
> Of course, the winner of the 2002 edition of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here isn’t the first to take aim at ChavRideLondon’s annual use of the roads.
>
> Back in January, a local council in Essex claimed that the majority of locals “don’t particularly want” the sportive to return to the town this year as residents “can’t get out of their own road” during the popular mass ride event, which moved to the county for 2022 following seven editions in Surrey.
>
> Members of Ongar Town Council also argued that the apparent benefits of hosting the sportive – particularly for local businesses – were unfounded, and that the money made available to charities thanks to the event could be exceeded if all households in the area donated a “pound or two”.
>
> Despite the concerns of DJs and some local authorities, this year’s ChavRideLondon – which marks the tenth anniversary of the event – has continued to prove a success, attracting a record 25,000 participants for the 30, 60, and 100 mile sportive rides, and the same number for the closed roads family ride through London.
>
> The glorious sunshine and sight of thousands of chav-cyclists riding through the centre of London prompted a much more upbeat and enthusiastic tweet from Olympic champion and Active Travel England chief Chris Boardman:
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/tony-blackburn-calls-car-event-replace-ridelondon-301527

The chav illiterates of road.cc at it again, eh?

Mungecrundle | 2964 posts | 19 hours ago
15 likes

Why doesn't he head off to the M25 for an enjoyable day out with thousands of other motorists? There's even a taxpayer funded reserved route that cyclists are banned from. Entry is free (though a small charge is made if you want to do the Thames crossing section in Essex) and there are even special service areas for a welcome snack as you make your way around.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> Mungecrundle | 2964 posts | 19 hours ago
> 15 likes
>
> Why doesn't he head off to the M25 for an enjoyable day out with
> thousands of other motorists? There's even a taxpayer funded reserved
> route that cyclists are banned from. Entry is free (though a small charge
> is made if you want to do the Thames crossing section in Essex) and there
> are even special service areas for a welcome snack as you make your way around.

Cyclist feeding stations are free. Service areas aren’t.

--
Spike

On Monday, May 29, 2023 at 12:05:42 PM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Mungecrundle | 2964 posts | 19 hours ago
> 15 likes
>
> Why doesn't he head off to the M25 for an enjoyable day out with thousands of other motorists? There's even a taxpayer funded reserved route that cyclists are banned from. Entry is free (though a small charge is made if you want to do the Thames crossing section in Essex) and there are even special service areas for a welcome snack as you make your way around.

JohnP_SM7 replied to Mungecrundle | 7 posts | 13 hours ago
5 likes

I think maybe he did just that. A couple of hours ago, cycling up the A23 at Merstham, where it crosses the M25, I glanced down and saw 4 lanes of nose-to-tail traffic, trundling very slowly clockwise, with 40 limit signs on the gantries. Is that the "event" the old dinosaur wants for his "car owners who pay for the roads"?

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Monday, May 29, 2023 at 12:05:42 PM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>> Mungecrundle | 2964 posts | 19 hours ago
>> 15 likes
>>
>> Why doesn't he head off to the M25 for an enjoyable day out with
>> thousands of other motorists? There's even a taxpayer funded reserved
>> route that cyclists are banned from. Entry is free (though a small
>> charge is made if you want to do the Thames crossing section in Essex)
>> and there are even special service areas for a welcome snack as you make your way around.
>
> JohnP_SM7 replied to Mungecrundle | 7 posts | 13 hours ago
> 5 likes
>
> I think maybe he did just that. A couple of hours ago, cycling up the
> A23 at Merstham, where it crosses the M25, I glanced down and saw 4
> lanes of nose-to-tail traffic, trundling very slowly clockwise, with 40
> limit signs on the gantries. Is that the "event" the old dinosaur wants
> for his "car owners who pay for the roads"?

No. Cyclists are, thank goodness, banned from motorways in the same manner
they are banned from footways. So there is no point in having an exclusive
driveout there.

Such an event would take place on ordinary roads, and following the modus
of the cycling world vis-a-vis motor vehicles, be arranged to inconvenience
the maximum number of cyclists.

--
Spike

eburtthebike | 4406 posts | 15 hours ago
10 likes

Tony Blackburn calls for RideLondon to be replaced by “event for car owners”

No need to organise that Tony, it happens 364 days every year.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> TheAdebo | 3 posts | 18 hours ago
> 16 likes
>
> Tony is such a massive petrol head that he isn't aware of Formula E,
> which shuts down much of London for several days.

The area is limited to Docklands and around the Excel area. A tiny part of
London.

>
> Or the London to Brighton car rally, which clogs up much of South London for the day.

Are you claiming they don’t go to Brighton?

>
> Or the London Concors, which closes down Savile Row for the day.
>
> Or..
>

How many cyclists buy their Lycra in Savile Row?

omments
Avatar
STiG911 | 445 posts | 1 day ago
6 likes
'We do pay to go on the roads'

Says the owner of an electric car. Twat.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> omments
> Avatar
> STiG911 | 445 posts | 1 day ago
> 6 likes

> 'We do pay to go on the roads'

> Says the owner of an electric car. Twat.

What about e-campers? Are they somehow different?

--
Spike

ooldbaker | 197 posts | 2 days ago
0 likes
Has Just posted

"This idea of a car day in London was meant to be a joke but people didn’t seem to get that I was joking. Obviously a Car day in London would bring everything to a halt."

I personally believe it was meant as the joke he says. He was never one for making controversal comments.