E-bike injuries are lower even though trips are up — plus Specialized drops e-MTB prices, Estarli’s new fleet packages + more

When was the last time you had a groundsheet with a built in mattress? The point is predictable comfort.

My old boss loved his 2nd hand trailer tent.

Is it because cars and driving are about convenience (for a price), so there is mileage in selling more (quite expensive) related things that are about convenience?

@FionaJJ that's the crux of the issue i guess. Minority causes can have this where the mainstream has the power to steamroll you (figuratively and literally). There's always "fear of angering the giant" (or alienating the decision makers / majority, where any politician has the temptation to gain attention by criticising this. And business salespeople stand to gain by selling "convenience and status" instead). But ... it's also easy to keep getting "small wins" while losing the main argument. (That would be where rules and public space remain suited to or are further modified to reinforce motor dependency and thus reduce active travel - even if perhaps it's now autonomous vehicles and "they're more efficient / much safer than human drivers").

@Secret_squirrel If you put it on the ground, you don't need a "giant solid base". I still don't get the point of it.

@chrisonabike I'd personally prefer it if she were bolder, but on the spectrum of terrible to brilliant options for Transport Secretary, having someone who believes in cycling, but is a bit timid about it, is a net positive. Yes, those of us who can see opportunities missed or delayed will be frustrated, but it could easily have been much worse. That doesn't mean there's not a role for encouragement and constructive criticism. Agreed Chris Boardman has a good approach. He is ambitious, but communicates it in a way that is meaningful to the majority, and makes it hard for all but the most brazen anti-cycling activists to disagree with his ambitions.

There isn’t a ground based version. Because the whole point is the giant solid base that doesn’t fit in a car. The next nearest thing is a trailer tent which is dearer and requires a towbar.

I presume the main sticking point is the cost, and assuming budgets remain tight, perhaps the level of subsidies needs to be reviewed. At £42 subsidy per person per year, and assuming six per hanger, that's over £200k for the existing provision. I'd argue that's excellent value for money when you factor in the benefits to society of a healthier population that comes with more cycling, but being mindful it's not all about me, and that councils are struggling to fund their basic and pressing statutory requirements, it may be they need to reduce the per person subsidy, or restrict the subsidy to particular groups, freeing up budget for more units. But I'd also argue that maintenance costs to Bikehanger reduce as more units are installed in one area, so there may be an opportunity to negotiate a better deal for subsequent units.

@bensynnock given the facts of this case, does your argument work if she had stepped out in front of a car on this road? Would you have expected a motorist to beep whenever they saw some people standing beside a road? Or should cyclists always ring their bells to compensate for their lack of "motor car audio/visual signature"? And would pedestrians know what to do? What about deaf pedestrians? I think we generally have to assume people shouldn't step out into a road in front of a vehicle. That can be qualified though - but I think that is done by "better infra". We already sometimes take measures to block pedestrians crossing "busy roads", provide signalised or even "grade-separated" crossings. And keep them completely away from motorways etc. And I guess there may be expectations that when people see "park" they drop their guard a bit? I do think some kind of "what about cyclists using spaces for racing / training?" argument could be made though.

@FionaJJ "I’d say that being visible is still very useful in a lot of locations where effort has gone into safe systems (like railway tracks). " Indeed ... but while we *do* operate a "safe systems" approach in the railways (and indeed in shipping and air transport) we don't do this in the same way on the roads. So unfortunately what should be the final backstop - given we've also addressed hazards at higher levels - ends up getting promoted as a first line safety measure. And of course safety is mostly out of cyclists' hands * so it's something people *can* do themselves. * After deciding whether to cycle at all, route choice (can I avoid roads altogether / what are the quieter routes), basic road skills. Individuals can't change road layouts and rules, so we simply have to hope that drivers do their part...