So, it seems that yesterday’s blog story on Kevin McKenna’s, ahem, somewhat inflammatory column in the Herald, in which the writer called on motorist to channel their repressed “pulsing” rage “directly onto cyclists” (yes, really), has stirred up quite the debate on social media. Quelle surprise, indeed…

One of McKenna’s many, many questionable suggestions in the column – which ranged from boring, outdated tropes about hardworking drivers to head scratching environmental conclusion – involved the journalist telling his readers that when he’s driving behind a person on a bike, he now takes “a deep breath before gently edging out and around the cyclists and taking up a position directly in front of them. And then slowing right down to about two miles an hour”.

That manoeuvre, McKenna says, “will lead to better mental health outcomes, knowing that you’ve given these insidious and sanctimonious weapons a taste of their own medicine”.

As ridiculous as the whole column is, it appears that some drivers on social media have latched onto that particular suggestion, regarding it as a serious solution to the pesky problem of cyclists, yes cyclists, bringing the UK’s cities to a standstill.

“Drivers should do a slow protest. Bring the cities to a slow crawl,” Tony posted on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, with no apparent hint of irony at all.

The response? Just what you’d expect.

“They already are.”

“They do everyday.”

“Let me know when the protest is over!”

“Call it something cool like ‘rush hour’.”

Ah, Twitter may be a raging cesspit these days, but every so often it can still come up with the goods…

Interesting to note that the author calls the article being reviewed
‘inflammatory’, and then criticises each part of it by being, well,
inflammatory.

Cyclists, eh? Not the sharpest tools in the box…

uk.rec.cycling <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> So, it seems that yesterday’s blog story on Kevin McKenna’s, ahem,
> somewhat inflammatory column in the Herald, in which the writer called on
> motorist to channel their repressed “pulsing” rage “directly onto
> cyclists” (yes, really), has stirred up quite the debate on social media.
> Quelle surprise, indeed…

<snip remainder of unattributed article>

--
Spike

peted76 wrote:

A slow drive protest, you couldn't make this up!

Ah! That explains it! I've been caught up in these before, I just never knew what they were about. I'm not sure why they needed to last 12 hours, or why they happened on the M4, but still - Bloody cyclists, eh?

brooksby replied to NickSprink | 12177 posts | 2 hours ago
9 likes

I do wonder sometimes whether some people have absolutely no idea how fast things travel... Perhaps he genuinely thinks that cyclists are travelling everywhere at 2mph and motorists are travelling everywhere at 40-60 mph?

Anyway, when I'm riding through town I am regularly held up by stationary motor vehicles (which are of course now built wide enough to fill the entire traffic lane.)

(which are of course now built wide enough to fill the entire traffic lane).

Reminds of Saturday on a narrow lane. Start to go round the corner in the car and 2 wankpanzers the other way. Of course had they been narrower, it would have been easier for us all to pass.

I reversed back to where I knew it was wider, only I had to reverse on a bend. Not impressed when I moved off to find they could have reversed in a straight line to a wider bit !