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City News in 250 Words: Wednesday July 6 2011
Charity cyclists snubbed, Utd starlet U-turn, city apartments full, and more phone hacking
THE FAMILY of an Oldham man killed in the 7/7 bombings may have had their phones hacked by the News of The World. Graham Foulkes, whose son David died in the Edgware Road explosion, was contacted by police after he was named on a list of potential hacking victims. News International journalists were allegedly attempting to access messages left by family members desperately awaiting information in the week following the attack.
THE JUDGE threatening to cause dramatic changes to the police bail system has performed as U-turn on his sentencing of Manchester United’s promising youngster Ravel Morrison. District Judge Jonathan Finestein had fined the player £600 in May for criminal damage, causing a 12-month referral order for a previous offence to be automatically cancelled. Now Finestein has told Morrison that the fine was a mistake, and has replaced it with an absolute discharge, which allows the referral order to continue.
CYCLISTS completing the Christie fundraising ride from Manchester to Blackpool have been banned from getting the train home. Northern Rail and First TransPennie Express have both brought in one-day bike bans to prevent riders from boarding return trains following the 60-mile charity ride.
MANCHESTER CITY CENTRE is almost at capacity according to new statistics, which show 93 per cent of flats and apartments are occupied. The council tax records show only 642 empty properties from 9,425 – 149 fewer than last year. The figures appear to allay fears that the housing boom had created an over-supply of apartments in the city.
Fact of the day: This week in 1882, the Dalton Hall of Residence was opened for Owens College students. It was named after John Dalton, pioneer of atomic theory.
For more Manchester daily facts check out @revealmcr
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Im one of those nauseating holier than thou smug cyclist types you read about and am constantly annoyed by public transport's inability to deal with cyclists but in this case i have a bit of sympathy for the train operators. There are 1000s of cyclists doing the Mcr - Blackpool and even if just a small proportion want to bring their bikes back it will be uncomfortable and potentially dangerous for all concerned.
Modern train units just arent set up for lots of bikes - not like the good ol days when trains had a guards van.
I suppose the train operators could have laid on a 'cycle special' just for the cyclists with one carriage for bikes and one for their owners and they would then have lots of new paying customers and happy train users - but that would just be a stupid idea wouldnt it?
Eddy do you reckon that cyclists should be able to go through red lights at junctions, or when the green man is showing? As a cyclist I do. A human on a bike is as weak and unprotected as a pedestrian, so should be allowed the intelligence to cross roads, negotiate junctions when safest to do so - unless we also think pedestrians should never cross roads when it's empty but there's no red man showing.
I am one of those bad cyclists who give others a bad name.
I hate cyclists. They flout the rules of the road regularly and make life difficult for motorists.
Wait at red lights. Cars have to. If you want to use the road, abide by the same laws.
Otherwise, get on the pavement and annoy pedestrians instead.
Bad cyclists give all cyclists a bad name unfortunately.
Rob Green the England goalkeeper is on here? Taking pot shots at cyclists. And then dropping them. Typical. The thing is with drivers is why are they always so angry?
Because they have to avoid cyclists clogging up their blind spot every day.
Drivers are gernerally very angry because it has taken over 80 years for them to figure out that cars are a stupidly inefficient way to navigate the urban jungle...jealously is a mean spirited condition.
I particularly enjoy sitting in the middle of the green box at the lights and then progressing through all 27 gears on my MTB to get up to speed...I've just fitted a hooter to my handle bars so I can honk in harmony with all the traffic!
It's particularly efficient when the urban jungle you work in is connected to the town you live in by a motorway, with only a terrible bus service as an alternative.
I gave that Rene Higuita a backie once. Although then again I may just had some drugs so I'm not sure
So park and ride on brother!
Ah, spoken like a true-non driver Rene.
I once took a WAG for a backie down ze cobbled lane. Ah za squealz.
Im a fair weather cyclist and i have to say it does grind my gears when cyclists go through pedestrian crossings on red when people are clearly crossing them. I agree with Charlie Butterworth that cyclists should engage their brains and cross junctions etc when safe but i also think pedestrians should be allowed to push them off if they come flying through when your trying to cross.
Whats this i hear about Manchester City Council charging for parking your bike until 8pm?
Rob - I used to drive my team mates mad with outlandish acrobatics and incredibly risky goal keeping stunts but then I realised that there are too many drivers in the world and not enough passengers...so now I ride and I ride through the city's backside.
I did hear you liked riding through backsides.
A cyclist was killed outside my house in Manchester the other day. That's because he/she wasn't following road rules. I think cyclists should follow road rules like cars - they're both forms of transport. If cars didn't follow the rules, then how many more would be in danger? Lots! (And Manchester drivers don't to be honest) But pedestrians need to take care as well and cross at the right places at the right time. If we all worked together and all followed the rules it'd be a lot easier - much better than going on about who is in the wrong.
I've jumped red lights on my bike for decades.
I reckon what started me doing it was seeing so many motorists breaking rules as a child - speeding, parking on the pavement and on double yellows or zig zags, sounding their horns for other than the allowed reasons, obstructing entrances and exits etc.
Seeing so many adults behaving like that on the roads set a bad example to an innocent child and now I can't break the habit.
Why do some motorists get annoyed when cyclists jump red lights? When I'm in my car I'm never annoyed by cyclists doing it.