Cycling groups and MPs condemn BBC1 documentary about road users

MPs have joined motoring and cycling groups to condemn a BBC1 documentary which purports to show the “war” between cyclists and other vehicles on British roads, with some warning that it could actually endanger cyclists by wrongly stereotyping them as reckless.

They have also questioned why the programme, scheduled to run on Wednesday evening, presents excerpts from a professionally shot commercial film of cycle couriers staging a breakneck race through central London as ordinary footage, saying this seems deliberately misrepresentative.

Ian Austin, the Labour MP who co-chairs the all-party cycling group in parliament, said he feared the programme could make cycling more dangerous. He said: “I’m not in favour of banning things but I don’t really see the point of broadcasting something so stupid, sensationalist, simplistic and irresponsible. It doesn’t reflect what Britain’s roads are like for the vast majority of people who use them.”

BBC publicity material for The War on Britain’s Roads, promises to put viewers “into the middle of the battle that is raging between two-wheeled road users and their four-wheeled counterparts”. Made by an independent company, Leopard Films, it is based on footage shot by cyclists using helmet-mounted cameras, an increasingly common accessory for riders to both share video of their journeys and, if needed, document dangerous behaviour by drivers. It includes scenes of cyclists being almost crushed by lorries and cars and of confrontations and assaults, as well as interviews with drivers, cyclists and a woman whose daughter was killed by a cement lorry while on a bike.

The BBC, which insists the programme is “fair and balanced”, has refused to let pressure groups see it in advance, including one cycling organisation which assisted the producers but became concerned its advice was being ignored. However, some of them were able to view a copy sent to the Guardian.

Austin said he was deeply worried by the divisive tone: “I think it’s dangerous to promote this culture of confrontation on the roads. It makes cycling more dangerous. The image of cycling the show presents doesn’t really represent what it’s like for most people in Britain. If that’s the impression motorists get of Britain’s cyclists it’s not going to help road users treat each other with respect.”

Austin was particularly concerned by the footage of couriers weaving at high speed through traffic and pedestrians. It was shot in 2006 by a US film maker, Lucas Brunelle, who sells DVDs of his footage, something not mentioned in the programme. Austin said: “I cycle in London every week, and have been for years. I’ve seen lots of car drivers driving badly, lots of cyclists doing things they shouldn’t, and everyone should obey the rules of the road. But I’ve not seen cycling like that. The idea that they present that as normal cycling is mad, irresponsible and dangerous.”

Charlie Lloyd from the London Cycling Campaign also said he was worried by this sequence: “The programme’s integrity is destroyed by the use of six-year-old commercial video footage of professional cyclists doing reckless stunts, endangering themselves and everyone else. Showing this as real behaviour is as false as presenting a James Bond car chase as how average people drive to work. The programme makers chose to fan the flames of aggression on the roads, that can only increase the risk for all of us.”

Roger Geffen, policy director for national cyclists’ group the CTC, said they met the film’s producers a year ago and provided statistics showing a long-term increase in cycling safety. He said: “Instead of covering this good news story the BBC has instead chosen to portray cycling as an activity solely for battle-hardened males with helmets and cameras. This hostile stereotyping merely scares mums, children and others back into their cars.”

Martin Gibbs, policy director for British Cycling, said he had not been able to see the film but found the tone of the publicity material worrying: “It sounds like they’re taking what is a serious issue and making it into drama, which is disappointing. What disturbs me is that it’s creating an artificial distinction between cyclists and motorists. Our figures show that nine out of ten British Cycling members drive cars.”

Edmund King, the AA president, pointed out that a survey for his organisation this month found almost two-thirds of drivers want to see improved road infrastructure for cyclists, and that 1.5 million AA members cycle regularly: “Why should my personality change when I get out from behind the steering wheel of a car and on to my bike? We are the same people. I do think the problems can be blown out of proportion. We need to talk to each other in a civilised manner, and I don’t think a programme like this really helps. It’s not a war out there.”

A BBC spokesman said the courier race sequence was genuine footage shot by a cyclist taking part and uploaded to YouTube. He said: “The footage has since been released commercially, but the fact remains that it depicts real behaviour on the streets of London.”

The spokesman added: “The programme is intended to be a serious examination of the relationship between cyclists and other road users. It uses actual footage of real incidents to provoke discussion and investigates the outcomes and consequences of several of the incidents captured. Raising awareness of these issues, on a primetime BBC1 programme, can only be a positive thing for both cyclists and other road users.”

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