Birmingham Conservative Councillor objects to cycling funding because it targets young, white men

A Conservative councillor in Birmingham has complained about the British government giving the city £16m to promote cycling because it mainly targets "young, white men".

Cllr Deirdre Alden has defended her comments in the face of a barrage of heckling and criticism, telling Cycling Weekly she thought most people would agree with her. She says that cycling is discriminatory because most Asian and elderly women don't cycle.

Perhaps Cllr Alden can explain why funding cycling is wrong because it mainly benefits one section of society but groups like the Bangladeshi Multi Purpose Community Centre, Birmingham Chinese School, Birmingham Pakistani Sports Forum, the Council of Black Led Churches, Muslim Educational Consultative Committee, the Sikh Community and Youth Service, the Ward End Asian Elders Welfare Association and Yemeni Day Centre that have had funding off the city council are acceptable? Is it perhaps because they are young, white men that Cllr Alden finds it unacceptable rather than the fact it mainly benefits just one section of society?