Did an MP really call for slow cycle lanes for ‘pootling’ women?

In the same week that Red Bull and Danny MacAskill have stirred up some sexist-based controversy in the cycle world, a Labour MP has reportedly called for slow cycle lanes for women to ‘pootle along at a normal pace’.

In truth, the Labour MP in question – Meg Hiller – didn’t actually single out women as those who might like to ‘pootle along’, but instead called for more room on the roads for those who didn’t want to take part in the cycle rat run (as pointed out in The Guardian). That’s despite the Telegraph’s rather more controversial headline – "Let women ‘pootle’ in the slow lane while cycling, a former Labour minister says".

Coincidentally, Red Bull and the much loved Danny MacAskill have (unwittingly?) stirred up controversy by filming his latest stunt video in the Playboy Mansion, with various sides of the internet debating whether it was just harmless fun or yet another case of reducing women to objects and potentially alienating them from the great world of cycling.

Meanwhile, this week saw England’s Emma Pooley score a silver in the Commonwealth Games time trial and Laura Trott win the women’s 25km points race in Glasgow. More on the success of the home nations and their female and male riders here.