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At a time when islanders are being urged to turn to sustainable transport options to reduce emissions, could the threat of social media abuse could be discouraging people from getting on their bikes? And to what extent is online aggression leaking onto the roads and causing danger?
Several cyclists and politicians think the problem is more serious than many accept, and that urgent action should be taken, as Express found out...
Deputy Jonathan Renouf said social media posts about cyclists can create an atmosphere that enables dangerous driving and verbal abuse on the roads.
“We all have a responsibility to counter this kind of negativity around these forms of travel,” he said during a States Assembly question session with the Infrastructure Minister last week.
While the Minister, Constable Andy Jehan, said he felt the issues were being "generated by a minority", he revealed that the Government was now "working with the police to ensure we can address this."
But how bad is the abuse?
Just days after Deputy Renouf’s comments, a video was posted by a cyclist on social media that quickly gained over 100,000 views and attracted comments such as "intolerable cultist" and "get off the road”.
Other comments included: "Shut up you stupid b****!", "no one gives a f***", and "grow up you entitled idiot".
Pictured: Screenshots from a video posted on social media by a cyclist who wished to remain anonymous due to fears of further abuse.
The cyclist – a working mother who cycles to get around – wished to remain anonymous due to fears of further abuse.
However, she told Express that regularly faces harassment both online and from aggressive drivers in person.
She explained: “I had a scary experience when a van overtook me on an accident blind spot, on double white lines.
"And just last week, I had a driver revving his engine at me and acting aggressively with his car."
The woman added: “It made me think how often this is happening to me and how nothing is done about it.”
She explained that she posted the video on social media to highlight the dangers cyclists face and to “show people who don’t cycle how scary it can be”.
While this online abuse contributed to making her feel unsafe on the roads, the woman said the island's lack of cycling infrastructure was more of a deterrent.
She said: “I’m personally more worried about getting hit by a driver whilst cycling, rather than getting a negative comment on social media for doing something I enjoy so much.”
In response to the video, Deputy Renouf said in a statement: “This kind of hostile and frankly outrageous language encourages aggressive behaviour towards cyclists who are seen as a problem, and whose very right to occupy space on the road is called into question.
“It is no wonder that it is hard to encourage more people to cycle when such attitudes are still common.
“It is really important that people challenge and call out unacceptably nasty comments on social media."
Pictured: Deputy Renouf said abusive comments are creating a culture of animosity between drivers and cyclists.
He added: “The problem with aggressive, anti-cycling social media posts is they lend support to risky or dangerous driving behaviour.
“Things like close passes, sometimes called 'punishment passes', beeping at cyclists or yelling abuse at them are all dangerous in themselves, as well as acting as powerful deterrents to people who might want to take up cycling or cycle more.”
Regular cyclist Tom Brossman, who regularly shares his experiences on the roads in videos posted to X, said that online abuse is a "real issue" that disproportionately affects women.
Jersey has many safe and courteous drivers. The vast majority, from what I observe.
— Tom Brossman (@tombrossman) June 7, 2024
Sadly this isn't one of them. Why overtake here? Why so close when overtaking? Why buy a vehicle so large, you can't even turn it onto your street?
Cyclists beware.#mgif #wankpanzer #ClosePass pic.twitter.com/wa8vAhQoLa
He said: “Social media abuse is definitely still an issue, and I experience it frequently.
"It is far worse for women, who get much more abuse when posting nearly identical content.”
However, cycling campaigner Alistair Mitchell – a member of the advocacy group Cycle 4 Jersey – said that "blaming social media is pretty lame”.
He referenced a recently published report that showed that Jersey has a greater proportion of road casualties involving pedestrians and cyclists than Great Britain.
Pictured: A breakdown of the key road traffic collision and casualty figures for 2023.
In 2023, Jersey police responded to 932 collisions, costing an estimated £1.7m in police resources.
There were 214 total casualties, of which more than two-thirds were vulnerable road users such as motorbike riders, cyclists or pedestrians.
“I’d have thought it was this danger amidst our crazy car culture on the island that puts people off rather than social media,” he said.
Do you think cyclists face too much abuse? Is online aggression leaking onto the roads? What else could the island be doing to become a safer place for cyclists online and offline? Email editor@bailiwickexpress.com to share your view.
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