ASA back-pedals on cycle ad ban

The ad watchdog has performed a major U-turn following its ban on a Cycling Scotland campaign featuring a woman not wearing a helmet, after admitting there was “a potential flaw” in its reasoning.
Yesterday the Advertising Standards Authority banned the controversial cycle safety TV ad which aimed to encourage motorists to give riders the side room they would a horse rider, under the strapline “See Cyclist. Think Horse”.
But the ruling sparked outrage from cyclists and campaign groups, and an online petition to reverse the ban attracted more than 3,400 signatures in less than 24 hours.
The ASA said it has now withdrawn the ruling after a request from Cycling Scotland, who have asked for an independent review into the decision.
In a statement the regulator said: “The ASA has withdrawn its formal ruling against a Cycling Scotland ad pending the outcome of an Independent Review.
“That followed a request from Cycling Scotland, in which it argued that the ASA’s criticism of the positioning of the cyclist was incorrect. The decision to withdraw was made by the ASA chief executive in light of a potential flaw in our ruling.
“Once the Independent Review process is complete we will publish our decision on our website.”