Velophobia

Westminster Council has a scrutiny committee. It is chaired by Angela Harvey. And she's on the case - “So many people are frustrated with it [errant cyclists endangering the world at large]. We’re always getting little old ladies who are knocked down and abused by a cyclist, who leaves them on the ground as they ride away.”

In an article from The Times, the bête noire that is the 'lycra lout' finds itself on the receiving end of yet another witch hunt. Fiona Hamilton's article suggests Westminster Council is seeking to become the first local authority to have its own velo vigilance squad - empowered to distribute penalty enforcement notices to any transgressing cyclist.

Which is a worrying development. One we have hinted at already, and in some way sets the wheels in motion for a new form of traffic warden - taxing the very form of green transport this government (and its Mayor) champion so vehemently.

The fact that the majority of riders who may skip from road to pavement do so because the cycle path is blocked by illegally parked vehicles, is perfunctory. The biker is the bad guy. The maverick wolf in our midst. All very evident with our media obsession with bike bashing. Such activity duly fosters an ignorant hatred and mistrust of cyclists within the rag-reading citizens - those who have a tendency to avoid developing their own, experience-driven, or evaluated opinions. The cyclist as anathema. Simple. You ride. You ride into persona non grata and parochialism.

Such hostility is, on the whole, city-centric behaviour. Which is, in its effect, quite difficult to fully comprehend and decipher. To wit, it would seem, one's zero emissions come at a cost. What we do understand - the only way forward is to play the role of the spear carrier - adopt a taciturn stance, and simply ride your bike.

To that end, we've closed our NÖ Twitter feed. Talk is Cheap. Cycling is free.