Reclaim Motorways for Cyclists!

The M32 Cycling Club



Image from On the Level: Car Free Blog

I still think there should be cycle lanes down the side of the M32, along with a 30 mph speed limit and speed cameras.

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cycling, cycle lane, cycle path, cycle track, bristol

What Pavements are for...

Keep death off the roads, drive on the pavements...



and park in the contraflow cycle lane...



...a normal Monday in Croydon.
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cycle lane, croydon

Why Cycle Campaign Groups Become Weak

Have a listen to Bristol: Cycling City broadcast on Radio 4 today.

In 2008 Bristol won the bid to be the demonstration 'Cycling City' for the rest of the country, despite having lots of hills, narrow roads and a huge level of car dependency.

A year into the launch of Cycling City, Miles Warde bikes round Bristol to find out how the initiative is working on the streets, where the 22.8 million pounds that has been ringfenced for the project is going, and the chances of reaching the highly ambitious target of doubling the number of cyclists in the area within three years.

He hears from a range of cyclists, some of the people responsible for the budget, and a couple of cycling visionaries who sense that a better world is within our grasp.

Pay attention to who is the representative of Bristol Cycling Campaign on the Cycling City Project. The thing is that Veronica isn't just a cyclist, she's a professional cycle trainer, and her work is part funded by the council. Veronica can hardly express negative opinions of the orgainisation that funds her work! Many years ago I wrote an article in the Bristol Cycle Campaign newsletter that was very critical of the poor quality work being done by the then Avon Cycle Project team. The council's main cycling officer was very embarrassed, as he was also a member of the cycle campaign and thought he had some influence over the group. He resigned from the cycle campaign leaving us free to take a harder line with the council.

And so the once radical Bristol Cycling Campaign has, like Cyclebag before it, become professionalised, whilst many of the true radicals have moved to Bath, leaving me to ask whether this is simply the normal pattern of life. Conditions for cycling in Bristol have got worse in the 10 years since I left the city, and Bristol City Council simply do not care. Much of the Cycling City project money is being wasted on projects which have little or nothing to do with cycling and will have no measurable impact.

Still, one old soldier of cycle campaigning has re-emerged as a continual thorn in the side of council crap and complacency - Chris Hutt. Perhaps it's time Bristol had a new radical cycle campaign - time for Cyclebag II?

Edit

On second thoughts I seem to remember the name Cyclebag becoming a flag of convenience for Chris Hutt long after the group had died and been replaced by BCC, which is one of the problems with Croydon Cycling Campaign. Any new radical group needs to steer well clear of what's gone before and strike out in a new direction.

Also sadly we are not getting any younger and some of the true radicals are no longer with us :(

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cycling, cycle lane, cycle path, cycle track, bristol

New Artwork on South Croydon's Roads

Some fresh council graffiti in the area, this one is a left turn only, shame I always want to turn right here - lots more to follow.




View Larger Map

Satellite Image

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cycling, cycle lane, croydon

Motorbikes are a danger to walkers and cyclists

Especially when ridden by Boris's mate.

Mayor's transport czar held after hitting man in motorbike crash



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Motorbikes are a danger to walkers and cyclists

Dunmail Raise is a wide open road, so this biker must have been doing something pretty stupid to run into the back of a bicycle.

CYCLIST SERIOUSLY INJURED IN A591 CRASH

26th July 2009

A cyclist's in a serious condition in hospital after getting hit by a motorbike and side-car between Ambleside and Keswick.

It happened just after 11 yesterday morning on the A591 at Dunmail Raise near Thirlmere, when the motorbike hit the cyclist, travelling in the same direction.

The motorcyslist and his passenger were unhurt.

The road was closed for five hours.

Notice how this 'official' version of events fails to point out the obvious fact that the motorbike must have hit the bicycle.



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cycling

Bollards in the Road - Old Town

Have you ever seen cast iron bollards placed in the middle of a road?

I doubt it.

But the sight of a bollard in the middle of a cycle track is commonplace.







The reason is that the people who plan these sorts of routes don't care about the safety of cyclists - most of them don't even ride bicycles.



This particular example is a footpath conversion on a route called Old Town.

Satellite Image

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cycling, cycle path, cycle track, croydon

Works Delayed - East Croydon Station

The cycle related works to the east of East Croydon Station have been delayed yet again.



However, the black plastic bin liners have now degraded and fallen off the signs to reveal the routes, and they are not too encouraging - I strongly suspect there will be dismount signs at the crossing, and the rest of the route to the station will be on a busy pavement.



It has even been the subject of an exchange of letters in the local papers, with the council making some pathetic excuses about unexpected problems. However, since it is not that long since the building of the tram tracks in the area this excuse does not hold water.

Satellite Image

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cycling, cycle lane, cycle path, cycle track, croydon

http://croydon.cyclestreets.net/

A project originating from Cambridge Cycling Campaign, arriving in Croydon.

It's only in Beta form at the moment, but it looks promising.

http://croydon.cyclestreets.net/

Funny what you come across at Open Tech...

The best news for this site is the ability to add photos of crap cycle facilities :)

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cycling, croydon, open tech

More secure cycle parking a must for London

from http://www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release_a.jsp?releaseid=22598

More secure cycle parking a must for London

Report available at http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/transport/stand-deliver-cycle-parking-report.pdf


The Mayor wants to see a million journeys made by bike every day in London by 2025, but a lack of secure cycle parking will hold Londoners back from getting on their bikes, a London Assembly report today warns.

‘Stand and deliver: Cycle parking in London’1, by the London Assembly Transport Committee, assesses cycle parking provision in London – at stations, in public areas, and in residential developments - and finds it falls far short of demand.

A survey2 of Londoners conducted as part of the investigation also revealed that the security of parked bikes remains one of the most serious concerns for cyclists3. Almost three-quarters (71%) rated the security of cycle parking facilities in London as poor; only 2 per cent said it was good.

Poor security is contributing to the tens of thousands of bikes stolen in the capital each year. The number of bike thefts reported in 2008/09 was just over 18,000 but research4 indicates only one in four thefts is reported, making the real annual figure likely to be more than 70,000.

Although Transport for London (TfL) has installed over 53,000 new cycle parking spaces across London since 2000, the number of trips by bike has almost doubled over the same period – and the Mayor wants to see the rate double again by 20255. He is making £2 million available to fund an increase in secure cycle parking – but even TfL is concerned this might not be enough.

The report calls for TfL to publish a clear strategy that covers every aspect of cycle parking provision in London, including an assessment of demand, proposals for new locations, and how available funding will be allocated.

The Committee’s survey asked Londoners for their views on how easy it is to find somewhere to park their bike at a range of locations. More than three-quarters (77%) said there was not enough cycle parking on the high street, and almost 70 per cent said Tube stations have inadequate facilities. Over half said the amount of cycle parking provided in new developments is insufficient.

Joanne McCartney AM, who led the investigation on behalf of the Assembly’s Transport Committee, said: “In virtually every area I looked at, from new residential developments to mainline stations, the situation was the same: there is not enough secure cycle parking in the right places to meet the soaring demand in London.

“Boroughs, Transport for London, rail operators and the private sector need to work together to find innovative solutions to increase cycle parking, or the wheels will come off the Mayor’s commendable aspirations to encourage more Londoners to cycle.”

Specific findings and recommendations:
The report makes a number of recommendations to improve provision, including calling on boroughs to conduct cycle parking audits and for Transport for London (TfL) to publish a cycle parking strategy for consultation by the end of the year.

In line with Transport Secretary Lord Adonis’s comments earlier this week, the report found there is a woeful lack of secure cycle parking at mainline stations. This is despite the efforts of some operators, including First Capital Connect, South Central and South West Trains, to increase provision. The eleven central London mainline stations share a total of 1200 spaces6 for the half a million people they serve each day. The report says that improving cycle parking at stations will require conditions to be built into train operating companies’ franchise agreements.

Central London Tube stations present a significant challenge because of space constraints. The report notes TfL’s plans to install cycle parking in carparks at six outer London stations, but urges them to bring work forward at further locations.

Secure spaces at new office buildings also fall short of demand. Developers are typically required to install one cycle parking space for every 25 employees - while at some businesses one in five employees is already cycling.

To accommodate the growth in cycling, the report notes that the number of spaces required at new developments, including residential, will need to be increased from those in the current London Plan. As well as numbers, specifications should cover design, layout and security standards so boroughs can more easily apply and enforce the guidelines when considering planning applications for new developments.

New standards should be developed in advance of the revised London Plan, which is due in 2011: TfL should produce a draft standards document for boroughs by the end of this year and publish agreed standards as supplementary guidance by the end of June 2010.

Other opportunities to increase cycle parking are also highlighted in the report. These include the Velib docking stations which, when introduced, could incorporate general cycle parking if designed appropriately. Vacant underground car parking spaces may also have the potential to be converted to cycle parking. The report urges TfL to explore both of these possibilities.

Notes to Editors

1. The embargoed report: ‘Stand and deliver: Cycle parking in London’ is available at: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/transport.jsp#cycle-parking
2. The survey results are available in full as Appendix 1 of the report (p.29)
3. Research by Steer Davies Gleave (for TfL), Cycling in London, May 2008, p. 32, showed that the security of parked bikes is one of the two biggest cycling-related concerns, along with availability of spaces.
4. Evidence from Bikeoff at a stakeholder meeting on 25 March 2009.
5. Mayor of London, Way to Go!, November 2008, p. 24. This would mean journeys increase from the current rate of 1.6 per cent of trips made in London, to 5 per cent
6. See table on p.22 of the report for cycle parking by station.
7. The report will be considered for formal agreement at a Transport Committee hearing on 8 July 2009.
8. Joanne McCartney AM, who led the investigation on behalf of the Transport Committee, is available for interview. See contact details below.
9. As well as investigating issues that matter to Londoners, the London Assembly acts as a check and a balance on the Mayor.
For more details, please contact Dana Gavin in the Assembly Media Office on 020 7983 4603/4283. For out of hours media enquiries please call 0207 983 4000 and ask for the Assembly duty press officer. Non-media enquiries should be directed to the Public Liaison Unit, Greater London Authority, on 020 7983 4100.

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cycling