In case you aren't aware,  the cycling lobby is desperate to remove the Petition for Compulsory Single File from Change dot org.  At the moment,  the playbook they're reading from involves a claim  (a false claim it should be noted)  that the Petition incites violence towards cyclists  -  hence,  by extension,  the Petition is a form of hate speech,  therefore the Petition needs to be removed from Change dot org.

Clearly,  that particular series of dots is a pretty long bow to draw,  and it raises two obvious questions. 

Firstly,  how can the cycling lobby claim the Petition incites violence towards cyclists when the official data shows (provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics no less) Australian cycling fatalities per capita are consistently among the lowest of any nation?  And when you define that figure by "cycling deaths per million registered vehicles"  Australia is almost the lowest nation on the planet.

Official OECD figures relating cycling deaths among leading nations in the OECD.

ABS November 2018 Safety Bulletin:  Refer Page Two, Table 2.1

Secondly,  why is the Australian cycling lobby so obsessed with making Sally Rugg responsible for what gets said on social media platforms which aren't related to Change dot org?  

It seems the cycling lobby is perfectly happy to support free speech,  unless that free speech contains commentary the cycling lobby doesn't like.  The moment anybody says something the cycling lobby doesn't agree with,  the "go to" playbook is to immediately label that "something" as hate speech.  

Labeling something as "hate speech" when it isn't hate speech tends to trivialises those occasions when something truly hateful is being said.  This is especially true when the underlying motivation to make the claim is a desire to remove a Petition for cynical reasons.  To give you an idea of what we're driving at here....  consider this Twitter exchange between Ed Hore from the "Australian Cycling Alliance" and Sally Rugg.  

"It amazes me that @Change still wont talk to me in person about the petition that risks peoples lives, but they promote it. The group running the petition put up images like this on Facebook, yet we have a facebook page doing exactly that which is being supported by @Change.  It is time @Change had a change in management." 

 -Ed Hore, Twitter exchange with Sally Rugg

If you think about it,  Ed's comment is pretty scary.  Essentially what he's saying is an image that he put on Twitter,  an image which he could have obtained from anywhere,  is sufficient reason for Sally Rugg to lose her job. Talk about poor people skills. 

Clearly,  if we apply that logic,  nothing is allowed on social media  (with regards to cycling) unless the cycling lobby first approves of it. 

No satire,  no criticism,  nothing.  Again,  this is what happens when we let people with a vested interest claim something is hate speech  -  when it isn't.

Make no mistake,  cyclists loathe the idea of Compulsory Single File because it means they won't be able to chat while riding.  But that's precisely why motorists want it,  and they want it with good reason. 

It's a myth that cyclists are incapable of being distracted road users.  The more they chat while riding,  the less situational awareness they have relative to their fellow road users,  which is why they're so often accused of "being all over the road."  

Let's take a look at another false claim being offered by Ed Hore as to why the Petition should be pulled off air.  Again,  there is no evidence offered to support it except anecdotal opinion.

"This is what we have been saying, and we know from our members and followers that every time the page goes live the attacks on bike riders increase."   -Ed Hore, twitter exchange with Sally Rugg

In reality,  For the past 25 years in Australia the average number of cycling fatalities per year has hovered right on 37 per annum,  which is exactly what the Australian Bureau of Statistics keeps saying. 

Why does the Australian cycling lobby keep claiming our Petition promotes violence towards cyclists when the official evidence by the ABS shows it clearly isn't true?  It's because they really want the Petition to go away.

"Come on @sallyrugg - how long until this petition finishes? It is well over a year now. Time to close it off."  -Ed Hore, Twitter

So dear followers,  let's keep the pressure up!

Kind Regards,  Ian Mayberry

Single File Please