2 Mar 2014

Bicycles on Top Gear - but where are the lorries?!

Tonight on British TV, Top Gear took on bicycles. By firstly producing safety films, Jeremy Clarkson and James May, showed a stereotypical cyclist hating opinion. Their videos were thrown in front of Chris Boardman, his beard, and a couple of fellow cycling experts. To their expected disapproval.

It all felt forced, tired and predictable. You hate cyclists. We get it. Tell us something we don't know.

Anyway, Clarkson and May eventually took to the roads of London to explore the city on two wheels. They reacted to hideous right turns by only taking left turns, decided cycling was perfectly safe, wondered what the fuss was about. And then almost get killed by a bus. It was like 'Cycling in London - 101'. 

It's hardly spoiler stuff, and to be honest I would have switched the whole show off if it wasn't for Aaron Paul being the "Star in the Reasonable Priced Car" later in the programme. 

What was so shocking about the whole segment was the lack of lorries. Not a shot, not a comment, not a reference to the biggest killer of cyclists on London roads. 

Now, this is Top Gear, I wasn't expecting an exposé about the state of cycling in London, but the ansence of lorries makes Clarkson look even more idiotic than usual. Maybe the following comment about lorry drivers, which previously caused a furore, got BBC compliance got a bit hot under the collar. 


Whatever the reason for the lack of lorries, he's proven he's clueless about cycling before, and he's done it again.


Cycling in London without mentioning lorries - crazy. It's like talking about Jeremy Clarkson and neglecting to mention cars, or dad jeans, or racism.

Oh well, at least it was a brief opportunity to see bicycles on both BBC One and Two at the same time.


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