“Thanks Essex, we love you, from Surrey x”: NIMBY locals love RideLondon relocation; Lance’s controversial Zwift ride; School run not LTNs the real traffic problem, says Cllr; Contador hails golden generation; But cyclists + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Thanks again Essex, we love you, from Surrey x": NIMBY locals love RideLondon relocation
RideLondon is back in May, but will not be heading out to Surrey to take in Box Hill and the route made famous by the 2012 Olympic Games. Essex County Council has replaced the county as partners for the event, something some of the home county NIMBY’s have been loving…
Surrey Live’s story on the news, plus social media posts, have been full of comments from joyous locals glad to have an extra 12 hours of no road closures to drive their cars…there’s even a hint of anti-cyclist bingo to some of the replies…
One said, “Great, hopefully all the weekend Wiggins will discover the joys of Essex too!”
Another particularly pleasant one, “Thanks Essex, good luck dealing with the dangerous cyclists as they race on roads to practice weeks before the race day. Good luck with the burden on the NHS when they fall off and helicopter and ambulances are needed as happened in Surrey two years running. Good luck with closed roads for the day and not being able to go to do normal stuff so they can race about. Thanks again Essex we love you from Surrey x”
And one more for good measure: “Essex is welcome to the event on a permanent basis. Goodbye, good riddance.”
There was a similar picture on Facebook…
Michael Day replied to Surrey Live’s ‘are you glad to see the back of it?’ post…”That’s great news let someone else have the problems caused by this. It’s bad enough with all the road races every weekend without having this.”
Christine Johnson called the event, which caused around 12 hours of local road closures on a Sunday each August, the “bane of my life”. It’s tough in Surrey. Darren Smith added: “Thank goodness for that it might get rid of the wannabe cycle races.. every weekend.”
It wasn’t all negative NIMBYs however…
Victor Keech argued: “It was one day a year, but a fabulous group event. The marathon on wheels. Surrey CC lack vision, empathy and common sense in failing to support this.”
Matt Hancock (stop laughing at the back) said: “Strange how people get so anti stuff that happens once a year – a bit like fireworks and Halloween. Very very odd.”
Stephen Mander commented: “Surrey CC bowing down to a few who can’t go one day a year without driving their car ooh it really is an inconvenience, the dimwits that panic bought fuel. Simple-minded.”
Phil Hall added: “I used to love doing that event, just because it came through Surrey, through all the places I lived when growing up, it was a brilliant event…shame it has been ruined by a bunch of NIMBYs who can’t put up with a bit of inconvenience for half a day a year while thousands of people raised some money for charity.”
That’s a lot of reaction…
No flash kit here...
2020 and 2021 … Geoff Ware of the Minehead Cycling Club in the same club colours for the two Hill Climb Championship events 😂👏🌟 pic.twitter.com/l7Sma1xL92
— VeloUK Cycling Mag (@AussieLarry) November 2, 2021
You can have all the kit in the world but you’ll still have the same legs.
Here’s the second part of that video from yesterday as promised…
Where have all the cars gone? Oxford councillor defends LTNs — blames school run for congestion
I recorded the at about 8:30 this morning and the whole of Oxford was like a ghost town. 👻 pic.twitter.com/aOFr0QYlZE
— Cllr Tim Bearder (@timbearder) October 26, 2021
An Oxford councillor was so sick of people blaming the city’s LTNs for traffic problems he went out for a little experiment…in the video shared to his Twitter followers Cllr Tim Bearder shows off the miraculously empty roads. He says, “It’s half term week and those ‘bloody LTNs’ are ruining the traffic in Oxford.
“Hang on – there is no traffic in Oxford. Hmm, half-term, no traffic in Oxford. Is it really the LTNs? The LTN – we only have one LTN.”
The video was recorded at 8.30am on a Tuesday, peak morning rush hour time, but Cllr Bearder said the city “was like a ghost town”.
We’ve covered Oxford’s LTN struggles before…back in May a mystery music producer put up a £1,000 reward for the safe return of a garden gnome stolen from a planter. Scaramanga Silk put up the sizeable reward for the safe return of ‘PC Plod’…who, as far as we know, was never returned.
Nobody cycles when it's cold...
CS4 appreciation 😍 pic.twitter.com/PoFukDp44B
— Rory McCarron (@CyclingLawLDN) November 3, 2021
More busy commuter scenes this morning…
2 vans x 29 cyclists (and that’s the ones just in front of me)… pic.twitter.com/c2BGqOMVhp
— Rory McCarron (@CyclingLawLDN) November 3, 2021
Have you earned a slice of cake? Wiggle opens pop-up cafe where currency is miles travelled
Wiggle has opened a pop-up cafe for one day only where cyclists, walkers and kayakers can pick up coffees and cake…if they’ve ridden, walked or paddled far enough. The Wiggle Adventurer’s Cafe is open for business today and has been devised by Great British Bake Off finalist and outdoor sports enthusiast Steph Blackwell. Payments will be charged in the form of miles travelled — the more distance travelled, the more snacks you’ll get.
The cafe is at Boughton Mochelsea Place, Maidstone, in Kent and is sat “on its very own remote island in the middle of a lake” in the deer park here. Once at the lake, Wiggle teams will be on hand to provide attendees with their currency card, which will be stamped to validate the miles travelled and used as payment at the cafe. Wiggle will provide kayaks and paddleboards to those that use them, who can show they’ve earned their coffee and cake stop for the final leg of the journey.
Mysteriously, Wiggle hasn’t told us how far you’ll need to ride, so set off now and pray it’s enough for more than a crumb of carrot cake…
Alberto Contador: Cycling is in one of its best moments. We are before a golden generation
Seven-time Grand Tour winner Alberto Contador sung the praises of the current state of pro cycling, saying it’s a “golden generation” of talent. Speaking to Spanish newspaper Ultima Hora, Contador said that double Tour de France champ Tadej Pogačar is the standout performer, but stressed it will be hard to stay on top during an era with so many top riders.
“Cycling is living one of its best moments,” Contador said. “We are before a golden generation. In whatever race or stage, we’re seeing ambition, with the big names fighting for victory.
“Pogačar dominates the Tour and he’s the man to beat, especially after what he did last year. But every edition is different and there’s competition. Roglič had problems, so we’ll see how he is in 2022. But I see a very strong Pogačar, with room to improve, and becoming more confident by his results, and he shows a spectacular level when he tries to win.”
The two-time Tour de France winner saved a special mention for the women’s side of the sport, saying it’s “booming” in terms of talent and media coverage. “In Spain we have the case of Mavi García,” Contador continued. “She reflects that step forwards has been taken in Spain, and worldwide. The great professional teams have a female structure and there are more and better races shows the way and will surely motivate the younger riders.”
Phones 4 U billionaire John Caudwell blasts "horrendous" Italian hospital experience after "horrific" cycling crash on holiday
Phones 4 U tycoon John Caudwell was left “badly smashed up” with a punctured lung, 12 displaced fractures in his left shoulder and ribcage, and a concussion after a cycling crash on holiday in Italy. Speaking to OK! magazine. The billionaire and husband to former Lithuanian Olympic cyclist Modesta Vžesniauskaitė’s main gripe was the Italian hospital he was treated at.
Caudwell described the hospital as “barbarian”…
“I was in Italy for a week and then transferred to Monaco for a week,” he explained. “It was horrendous because I was really badly smashed up – a punctured lung and all these fractures, and I still tested positive on a PCR test from Covid five weeks before, so they put me on a Covid ward.
“Everybody was dressed in hazmat suits and Modesta was not allowed to visit me, and very few people spoke a word of English. The Italian hospital, for lots of reasons, was a real nightmare. It felt quite barbarian. I’ve never been treated so badly in my life by a hospital or staff. I was in horrific pain.”
More bike hangars on the way to Portsmouth
Portsmouth City Council cabinet members have approved an extension to the city’s bike hangar scheme, The News reports. Almost 200 requests for more storage facilities have been made since the council launched a pilot in March. Eight more hangars will be installed as the project is expanded.
“This city is predominantly terraced houses, even if you’ve got a forecourt, very often there’s no way of locking your bike and people take it over the wall quite easily,” Lynne Stagg, cabinet member for transport said. “These bike hangars are a brilliant way of encouraging more people to use bikes but also for those who’ve already got them to store them safely.”
The hangars will be funded through £30,000 of government grant funding and will be installed on Methuen Road, Worsley Street, Binsteed Road, Lennox Road South, Lumsden/Ferry Road, Collingwood Road, Landguard Road and Francis Avenue.
"The WTAF moment from this morning's commute": Bus driver just has to get in front
Trying to understand how this can happen. The WTAF moment from this morning’s commute, in @LBHF. pic.twitter.com/k0puzVZjnO
— Jeremy Vine (@theJeremyVine) November 3, 2021
Jeremy Vine was one of the thousands braving the cold this morning. This driver seemed to think he should be on the bus instead…
But cyclists...
Honestly, it’s not ALWAYS a BMW.#WorldBollardAssociation pic.twitter.com/se80XjmPtd
— World Bollard Association™ (@WorldBollard) November 3, 2021
At this point ‘but cyclists…’ could become a daily feature on the blog…there’s probably enough material for a morning and afternoon edition.
Enhance your performance by training on Zwift with Lance Armstrong
I know it’s only Monday, but you should plan for this. Come ride @GoZwift with me this week for WEDŪ Wednesdays! @wedusport >> https://t.co/fvzA12tYh7 pic.twitter.com/tYP5O62M33
— Lance Armstrong (@lancearmstrong) November 1, 2021
Here’s your one-hour warning if you want to ride with Lance Armstrong. The polarising former pro is hosting “an easy 60-minute cafe ride” on Zwift and what’s more he’ll have discord open if you want to drop him a message…
For some unknown reason Zwift hasn’t promoted the ride on social media, but it’s happening in just over an hour’s time. Just don’t get caught cheating if you’ve put your weight down as 34kg…get involved if you want, I’m sure it’ll be dope.
Richard Carapaz to set up Ecuadorian cycling team, according to reports
According to Marca Colombia, Tour de France podium finisher Richard Carapaz is to set up a Continental-level pro racing team to support Ecuadorian and Colombian riders. The team could be up and running as early as 2022 even with the relatively short time remaining until the new season.
Carapaz’s venture comes off the back of the most successful season of his career, with the Ineos Grenadiers rider adding an Olympic Games gold medal, Tour de France podium and Tour de Suisse to his glittering palmares which already included the 2019 Giro d’Italia, Vuelta podium and three stages of Grand Tours.
2022 Giro d'Italia Grande Partenza announced with race start in Hungary — uphill finish on stage one, TT on second day before first sprint on stage three
This is the Grande Partenza of the 2022 Giro d’Italia!
.
Questa è la Grande Partenza del Giro d’Italia 2022!
.
¡Esta es la Grande Partenza del Giro d’Italia 2022!
.
Voici la Grande Partenza du Giro d’Italia 2022 !#Giro #girohungary2022 pic.twitter.com/92OYf8rUcn— Giro d’Italia (@giroditalia) November 3, 2021
Dreaming of pro cycling back on the telly? The first three Grand Tour stages we’ll see next year have been announced — and the Giro is finally getting its Hungary Grande Partenza two years after it was first scheduled. Stage one will leave Budapest on May 6 with an uphill finish in Visegrád after 195km of racing. Stage two is back in Budapest: a 9.2km individual time trial, before the first sprint stage of the race comes on stage three.
The rest of the stages will be released in batches next week. First, the flat stages on Monday, followed by the medium mountain days on Tuesday, before finally the high mountain stages on Wednesday. The final stage, expected to be a TT in Verona, will be announced on Thursday.
More NIMBY reaction to RideLondon changes...
Come on let’s have some more NIMBY moaning for your afternoon entertainment. Gorden Seth didn’t actually mind the event, he just prefers playing bingo…”Don’t mind this event, raises a lot for good causes just the massed groups of cyclists that go out week in, week out unsupervised that cause problems on Surrey’s roads, especially at weekends.”
Sounds like we need some of that Dubai AI monitoring cyclists over here…
Tasha Dykes was delighted at the move, saying it’s finally a sensible decision from Surrey County Council. Michelle Bland isn’t so sure and reckons it’ll mean the potholes will be getting ignored…
Mohammed Humza Mazar took issue with the ‘it’s once a year’ line and had a pop at anyone and everyone who cycles in the county…”People keep saying this is once a year but what about all the cyclists that spend weeks before the event trying to get used the route if you drive for a living and timing is important for your job you wouldn’t be happy with these wannabes ruining the road for everyone else.”
And in the most bizarre response, Tony Stilwell was just glad he doesn’t have to walk to the pub (for a non-alcoholic beverage we assume) and can drive as usual…
Once again, it wasn’t all bad… Marie J Nicholls said her family loved seeing it come past their door, while Brenda Simmins called the haters “miserable”.
On the SurreyLive story, one reply commented: “This is a huge world-facing event that raises a large amount of money for charity. It should be able to showcase Surrey but a number of miseryguts feel it inconvenient. Let’s move the Epsom Derby to Kent shall we?”
Another added: “No other UK event provided a county with such valuable exposure, which was well worth a small element of inconvenience.”
Maybe we’ll try tracking down some welcoming Essex residents for their thoughts…
"Have the UCI banned PowerUps?" Approximately 1,500 Zwifters join Lance Armstrong for 'WEDU Wednesday' group ride
road.cc editor Jack here, having just joined in the first WEDU Wednesday Zwift ride led by a certain Lance Armstrong. For those who didn’t know (myself included before I googled it) WEDU is a company founded by Armstrong and is “a content destination designed to provoke and equip people to embody an endurance lifestyle”… me neither.
The ride was was supposed to be ‘an easy 60 minute cafe ride’ at 2.5 -3.1W/KG. I strongly suspect it was quite a bit tougher than this, so didn’t really get close to Lance’s avatar and the rest of the front group. There were surprisingly few digs about the Texan’s past popping up on Zwift and the Discord chat open during the workout, with hundreds popping up to say hi to their hero. Things weren’t quite so civil over on Twitter…
Promote indoor cycling with the the biggest doper of all times. Well done @GoZwift someone from your marketing teams deserves a huge bonus!
— MK (@KempkaLeon) November 3, 2021
Lance gave us plenty of encouraging messages during the workout on Watopia’s Flat Route Reverse, and also revealed on Discord that he was a Zwift newbie who was unfamilar with the Zwift Power website, or Zwift ‘PowerUps’ (the latter leading to a few disparaging comments).
It seems that these rides will become a regular thing at 4pm on Wednesdays, if you want to join in next time.
3 November 2021, 08:48
3 November 2021, 08:48
3 November 2021, 08:48
3 November 2021, 08:48
3 November 2021, 08:48
3 November 2021, 08:48
3 November 2021, 08:48
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Would you ride this folding bike with folding wheels? The Tuck Bike with wheels that fold into thirds hits Kickstarter
Despite its full-size geometry, the new Tuck Bike manages to fit into small spaces thanks to its wheels that fold into thirds
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[Citation needed] For several reasons. If you amend that to "*existing keen cyclists* would mostly ride on the road..." that might be better but I'd still question it. For one - the statistics say it *is* "safe" - we could all ride for several lifetimes before our chances of being killed were "significant". What it isn't is "safe-feeling" (because few of us base our behaviour on analysis of stats). And that isn't changed much by policing. It's the fact that most humans aren't happy mixing it with (lots of) fast- moving motor vehicles (increasing with the relative speed difference / size / noise of those vehicles). What has been found in many places is the key blockers to remove / attractive factors to increase are reducing traffic volumes and speeds sufficiently wherever cyclists will mix with motor vehicles, and to keep cyclists moving (even if relatively slowly) in a "legible" direct route. To a first approximation both the safety AND attractiveness are simply "fewer interactions with motor vehicles". I don't disagree that the current lack of seriousness around road policing is really unhelpful though, and something that could be addressed in addition.
Perhaps the answer is "you can't get there from here" and "do more with less"? As in maybe the effort to actually *network* (even with planters / making some roads one-way and even if picking a limited area to start) wins? Again Bristol has less in favour of cycling (lots of sharp gradients, narrow spaces, serious car- sickness) and I found some of the infra clearly questionable - but I saw far more people cycling there, including the 8-80 (well, maybe 12 - 60s...) - unaccompanied kids cycling to get places seem rare in Edinburgh (apart from previously noted scrotters on the paths). Edinburgh is making new infra (Leith Connections) which is good... But still not Dutch *and* it's doing it a glacial place. AND we're still building in nominally "walkable and cycleable" new estates which are in fact just car-dependent places with some window dressing - they're not connected (aside from still being poorly done in detail).
I don't know Edinburgh, but presumably Mr Fraser's claims that cyclists are given more space than pedestrians apply to those relatively few pieces of dedicated / shared infrastructure - i.e. where a shared path or segregated cycle path exists, he notices that pedestrians seem to have the worse deal. But doesn't that overlook that many urban roads have pavements (admittedly, not always wide, good quality or free from parked cars), but not cycle facilities?
While I agree with much of this (particularly on the "needs better demarcation / separation)" some notes on the specifics of Edinburgh: There are in fact sections of actual "separate *cycle* path" (where there is also a pedestrian footway): Leith Walk, parts of the CCWEL * (Melville Street, Portobello Road to the east of Jock's Lodge, and notably from Roseburn to Haymarket, the latter getting "near Dutch") etc. Unfortunately while these are workable the main issue is these are all fragments. (The width and junctions wouldn't pass Dutch approval either but are less problematic at current cycling levels - eg still very low). Then: the former railways-turned-paths are *mostly* very workable for cycling because at "normal use levels" in my experience the "faster mode dominates" - eg. the few pedestrians cede to cyclists. Yes, aggro types, gangs of yoof and dog walkers can be exceptions, and this doesn't mean I can just blat along without consideration. I mean I can make good progress *including* sometimes slowing right down a few times on the journey, just not all the time. This accords with experience in other "shared spaces". The exception is when there's an event on or it's a really nice holiday day - at which point the numerically dominant mode (pedestrians) control the flow. (Part of the reason I rarely cycle on the Water Of Leith path). I've just been visiting Bristol and the contrast is interesting - while the traffic volumes seem much greater and there are real "narrow streets" they actually seem to be trying. Yes it's very variable and "rough and ready" but they're building infra and making *routes*. * City Centre West East Link
Absolutely ludicrous from the police. I would file a formal complaint. I reported this driver for phone use and left hooking another cyclist. The phone use was not actioned due to the dark tint of the window making it too difficult to see (I should have reported the tint too). But the left hook definitely was actioned. https://youtu.be/h0oseufAhFg
@Mr Blackbird And the Dominic Cummings type Tory policy wonk in The Thick of It. I don't think it was the BBC having a dig at cycling though, there was a time when there was a very identifiable type of person who chose a Brompton and they were making fun of that rather than cycling per se.
Yes, why can’t we edit or delete our comments if we make an error?
Reputable retailers? Well, I suppose it's true that Amazon do have a certain reputation...
Lol. At least he doesn't feel guilty for very long as that path is so short.
This news is definitely one for the "no news" category: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj3g20yxvm4o Reputable high street retailers blurring the lines you say? Shocked, I was... actually, not.
65 thoughts on ““Thanks Essex, we love you, from Surrey x”: NIMBY locals love RideLondon relocation; Lance’s controversial Zwift ride; School run not LTNs the real traffic problem, says Cllr; Contador hails golden generation; But cyclists + more on the live blog”
Just seen that Parliament is
Just seen that Parliament is going to debate the Ryan’s Law petition (https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/575620) on 15th November.
The offence of causing ‘death by dangerous driving’ should be widened to include: failure to stop, call 999 and render aid on scene until further help arrives.
A hit & run driver left my brother Ryan in the road & he died. Hiding for 36 hours, charged with failure to stop, the driver received a suspended sentence/fine. Failure to stop/careless driving offers lighter custodial sentences & focuses on fines/suspensions. Drivers should STOP, ring 999 & render AID until help arrives. If they do not they should face charges for death by dangerous driving. The Law should require this & aim to reduce the number of hit & runs & roadside deaths. With this definition, a minimum 10 years-max life sentence, citizens would be better protected.
I put my name to that
I put my name to that petition, but I look forward with some tepidation to the usual bingo from the usual wingnuts.
We can only hope for an educated, reasoned discussion, because all recent experience suggests that reasonable expectation of that is forlorn and hope is all that’s left.
Think it will be killed by
Think it will be killed by politeness and courtesy – “we certainly understand the feelings brought up but this case but there is a more fundamental principle we must uphold …”. I doubt that this will bring failing to stop up to “dangerous”. I think the best might be some extra conditions added to the normal “failure to stop”.
Fundamentally I believe politicians assume that most stuff – outside of crises or their particular interests – just works, more or less. There already is a defined offence for failure to stop. So the assumption is that this will be detected and prosecuted and presumably will lead to penalties at somewhere a litlle below the maximum level the tariff is set. In this they’re the same as the rest of us – give a thing a name and it exists and is managed and the figures for maximum penalties act as a mental “anchor” (like speed limits…). I just don’t think it’s easy to keep in mind that:
rate of detection times rate of charging times rate of conviction times average penalty actually given times standard parole, reduction for good behaviour, minus any time served
…means that the actual number punished and the size of punishment can be a tiny fraction of what you imagine. As an example witness all the “expert” commentators on that RDFR thread about the Alliston case who were sure – certain – that because similar or “more serious” charges exist for motorists that these would be dealt with with at least equal severity. Any counter examples were anecdote or not comparable.
Whilst I support the overall
Whilst I support the overall aim of the proposed legislation it will never succeed with that wording.
They’d be better off targeting the law on ‘Failure to Stop’.
Tightening definitions, increasing punishments and removing loopholes there would have far more chance of success.
Presumably, they’ll be
Presumably, they’ll be debating whether they consider that the legislation needs amending (which they dismissed in their initial response) and if so, then they’ll be debating the wording. Petitions are for guaging the public’s desire for a change rather than just accepting the wording as-is.
I doubt they’ll get much into
I doubt they’ll get much into the specific wording – it’s not like they’re debating something that they’ll then vote on whether to put it into law. It’s really just a general discussion on the topic, and, as often as not, an opportunity for individual members to exercise their personal, very loosely related, bugbears.
If the goverment subsequently decides it would be a good idea to bring forward legislation (doubtful, since they’ve already rejected it), that would then go through a scrutiny and revision process which would finesse the wording. (Although that’s no guarantee that it ends up as good law.)
I accept that the wording of
I accept that the wording of the petition is in no way binding but by wording it so poorly they give the government a very convenient way to dismiss it as it’s proposing a breach of some rather fundamental rights and as such is impossible to implement in the way suggested.
I too hope the debate will tackle the wider picture but I’m not going to hold my breath.
What a great victory for the
What a great victory for the people of Surrey (well, the 42% who objected to continuing for another five years, not the 58% who responded in favour), not only binning the estimated £50 million benefit the event brought to the county each year but reaffirming their right not to be “imprisoned” in their houses once a year, now they can go and sit in a fume-filled metal box in a traffic jam and be imprisoned there instead. FREEDOM!
“Matt Hancock (stop laughing
“Matt Hancock (stop laughing at the back) said: “Strange how people get so anti stuff that happens once a year – a bit like fireworks and Halloween. Very very odd.”
Fireworks only once a year. Where does he live?
Bungle_52 wrote:
In an ivory tower in the sunlit uplands of Brexit, where the unicorns (any colour available) roam free, undisturbed by explosions or reality.
eburtthebike wrote:
…or instructions not to get hot and heavy with people outside your household.
Five plus years, now.
Five plus years, now.
Need to let it drop, for your own mental health if nothing else.
YW.
called the event, which
called the event, which caused around 12 hours of local road closures on a Sunday each August, the “bane of my life”
What a priviliged life they must have, that this is the biggest issue they face.
wycombewheeler wrote:
REAMIN INDOORS
wycombewheeler wrote:
Yep – the roads are closed for approximately 0.1% of the year.
As I recall (as a participant
As I recall (as a participant and Surrey resident – the route went past the end of my road), a lot of roads weren’t closed for 12 hours and a lot of closure time was when people were still in bed on a Sunday morning (yes, there was some inconvenience for people but a bit of forward planning would solve a lot of issues). Nearly 2/3rds consulted by SCC said they wanted the event to continue in Surrey – a huge amount as it’s usually the objectors who get involved in consultations. But the council, as usual, didn’t listen.
Essentially, there was a small group of very vociferous moaners and by the final event there was next to no media co stage about being trapped etc, etc – it was largely being accepted in the same way the London Marathon is.
As I have stated before on
As I have stated before on this website, greedy selfish motorists want all the roads all to themselves all of the time. They had the Hasting 10k running race stopped because as the police said “it was too popular”.
kingleo wrote:
Yeah as bad as cyclists really
Most of the time cyclists use
Most of the time cyclists use a small part of the road at the side – not all of the road, apart from professional competitions and some sportives cyclists do not expect to have all of the roads to themselves.
Sad the NIMBYs have won, but
Sad the NIMBYs have won, but glad the ride will be coming to my neck of the woods. Now, the question is will Zwift add Essex (and the Olympic Park) and a new route? Hoping it would be more interesting than the PRLFull route which is more a mental than physical challenge dealing with the monotony
I wonder if Zwift is going to
I wonder if Zwift is going to add Essex to the London map now.
Or just rename Sussex, most people won’t notice.
…especially if they haven’t
…especially if they haven’t noticed that Sussex and Surrey aren’t the same thing in the first place.
It’s easy to tell the
It’s easy to tell the difference – if you just hit a pothole, you’re in Surrey. If you’re under salty water, you just left Sussex, heading south.
RE LTNs / traffic in Oxford –
RE LTNs / traffic in Oxford – had to laugh. There’s no traffic where he is because it’s all been blocked by the LTN or got stuck behind a bike. Totally missing the point with the half-term thing – of course what matters is the traffic on a busy rush-hour morning. But no, selfish people want their cul-de-sacs…
I agree that comparing half
I agree that comparing half term and term time traffic seemed to miss the point. But he could have been making a much broader point that congestion is fundamentally caused by volume of traffic, and if fewer people choose to drive (which LTNs are surely designed to encourage) the roads could start to look more like half term all the time. If so, I agree it wasn’t particularly well articulated.
As I understand it, the
As I understand it, the Councillor is saying that it’s too much traffic, much of it school run traffic, that causes congestion – not LTNs. He is right.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
Quite. I notice a distinct difference getting to work out of term time – much of my commute ( and the notable difference) is on the motorway, and can bring a journey that is typically 30 mins hol time to 45 mins term time (25mins off peak)
No matter how we cut it, congestion is always “too many cars being driven”
Yes – the stretch of road in
Yes – the stretch of road in the video is one of the ‘arterial’ routes into Oxford, that would normally be heavily trafficked – it’s not in this shot, because there’s there’s no school run.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
Yes – clearly I wasn’t being satirical enough – I meant to emphasise his broader point of “So you’re sat in a traffic jam (whenever it is) complaining about all the traffic…?”
HarrogateSpa wrote:
We have to be careful about labelling all the traffic as school run traffic, as parents are also more likely to take time off work during school holidays.
Traffic is noticably lighter between 5pm and 6:30pm in school holidays, and this is not parents picking their kids up from school as they would have finished earlier.
The difference in number of vehicle movements between free flowing roads and traffic jams might be as low as 15% extra.
Although I do notice at 15:40 every day sigificant traffic near me just after the school has closed. There are plenty of people who do pick their children up by car, even from as close as half a mile.
chrisonatrike wrote:
oh these entitled people who don’t want their resdintial roads used as through routes.
There will never be enough space to meet the demand from car drivers. Stop providing more space. You get the behaviour you encourage if we encorourage car use for every journey by opening up all roads as through routes, widening roads and building new roads, then that is what we get.
If we design cities so that journeys within the city are best undertaken by foot, bike or public transport then it’s possible the modal shoft can be changed away from cars first, second and third.
How about a everything withint he ring road, is guarnteed efficient access to the ring road but nto to other parts of the city (other than by the ring road) People would still be able to drive between towns and cities, but it would be pointless drving between locations within the town.
wycombewheeler wrote:
All of the above. (The ring-road / cell solution is certainly in use – Groningen is a good example). The truth is that people in more urban regions and people in more suburban / “residential” places both would like to avoid the negatives of vehicle flow but currently those in the more suburban position are a) protected to a degree by their position (e.g. you’re not going to have through-traffic in a cul-de-sac) and b) are often heavier users / more reliant on said vehicles because those areas tend to have more wide-spread residential development and a lower concentration of amenities.
chrisonatrike wrote:
Large amounts of traffic funneling through a previously quiet area can have a hugely negative effect on the lives of people living there. Anyone in a quiet area, suddenly exposed to large amounts of traffic due to nearby roadworks will say the same.
Re the “no one cycles when it
Re the “no one cycles when it’s cold” How awesome is that to have so many cyclists in London. As student I found it by far the best way to get around the capital (and i had tube/bus pass).
Mr Cauldwell’s gripes appear
Mr Caudwell’s gripes appear to be that staff in an Italian hospital speak Italian (one is irresistibly reminded of Basil Fawlty, “That is Torquay, madam. May I ask what you expected to see from a Torquay hotel bedroom window, the hanging gardens of Babylon?”), that he tested positive for Covid and so was put on a Covid isolation ward (standard practice almost everywhere in the world) and that the Covid ward didn’t allow visitors (again, standard practice). It appears also that the Italian hospital successfully reinflated his lung and stabilised him, saving his life. Obviously billionaires are used to receiving rather better service than we mere mortals, but a bit of gratitude and humility wouldn’t go amiss.
Who’s Mr Cauldwell?
Who’s Mr Cauldwell?
Gosh well done Nige, that was
Gosh well done Nige, that was the main point. Not by any chance offended by criticism of Tory donor and anti-vaxxer Caudwell?
Oh sorry, you meant working
Oh sorry, you meant working class boy-come-good John Caudwell, the major philanphropist and the UK’s biggest taxpayer? Who built a business empire employing thousands of people, from scratch, by tirelessly working day-and-night with the then nascent mobile phone technology?
The guy who at the age of 69 still cycles 100 km a day, and founded Caudwell Children to transform the lives of disabled children across the UK?
The guy who was cycling down a mountain when his front tyre exploded in a freak accident and who is lucky to be alive? The guy who was fortunately wearing a helmet at the time of impact, which saved his life?
That guy?
The guy who maybe should
The guy who maybe should acknowledge that the fact that he is “lucky to be alive” is due to the very Italian hospital at which he is bitching for following standard Covid protocols and for not having the foresight to employ English speaking staff?
The guy who gave £500,000 to the Tory party in 2019, the party that has done more than any other to disdvantage and limit the opportunities for members of his own class?
The guy whose Caudwell Children charity, in the words of the far-left Times newspaper, “has been directing families towards alternative medicine practitioners who claim that vaccines are toxic,” the charity that the National Autistic Society forced to remove false claims that it had their support from its publicity, the charity that (again in the words of the communist London Times) “made money available for families to see Finbar Magee, a Belfast GP who resigned his status as a doctor last year after a film crew recorded him prescribing a bleach “supplement” to the parents of a three-year-old autistic boy.”
Yeah, that guy.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Which UK nation has seen the biggest increase in disadvantaged children applying for a university place?
Wales? Scotland? Northern Ireland? England? Have a guess Rendel?
Those bloody Tories…
https://www.theguardian.com/science/the-lay-scientist/2016/jan/28/the-evidence-suggests-i-was-completely-wrong-about-tuition-fees
Thank you for providing a
Thank you for providing a source, which includes this statement:
The high ability kids start off about the same, but over time the rot sets in. The gap grows and grows, with a dramatic decline for the less advantaged kids between key stage 2 (7-11) and key stage 4 (14-16). The same gap opens up between the average ability kids too, to such a large extent that by the time the four groups of children reach their GCSEs, the average ability rich kids are pulling ahead of the high ability poor kids, who by the age of 16 are already stuck in a long term rut that will affect how the rest of their lives unfold.
Creating a system of artificially inflated grades to allow more people to take up low-quality university places where the grades are once again artificially inflated (35% 1st class degrees, anyone?) creates an illusion of equality but does nothing to address fundamental inequality in education, as your helpfully-provided source shows. Both Tories and Labour have been guilty of this sort of window dressing.
You claimed that the
You claimed that the Conservatives were taking opportunities away from the working class yet the Conservatives have been far more successful in getting children from working class backgrounds to University.
That significantly undermines your statement.
The gap discussed in your quote seems to occur at the point that children enter secondary education and wealthier families are able to buy access to the best schools.
Maybe we should allocate places on ability rather than wealth?
Rich_cb wrote:
If children of any class are getting into university as a result of false grade inflation and the creation of meaningless degree places that can be attained with DEE then that’s not an achievement to be praised.
Which is precisely what doesn’t happen at the moment, given the vast overrepresentation of private and public school students at Oxbridge and RG universities.
You’ve deliberately ignored
You’ve deliberately ignored my point there Rendel.
The attainment gap opens at secondary school age.
Should secondary school places be allocated on ability?
Or should we stick to doing it based on parental wealth?
The overrepresentation of private school pupils at the top universities is, ironically, overstated.
Should bring back grammar
Should bring back grammar schools, disgraceful that under a Tory government they haven’t done more to help intelligent children from all backgrounds.
Nigel Garage wrote:
Anybody who has a year six child who has just taken grammar school tests will know that it is a complete myth that grammar schools help social mobility.
What would help in your
What would help in your opinion?
Rich_cb wrote:
Lots of stuff here – https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/about-us
Any chance of a pointer to
Any chance of a pointer to the specific stuff on social mobility?
There’s a hell of a lot of content and it’s not the easiest page to navigate.
Rich_cb wrote:
It’s all about social mobility – as breaking the link between income and educational attainment is their whole purpose. I’m not sure I can give a short, sensible answer – there’s not a magic bullet – and I’m not sure this is the best place for an in-depth discussion on pedagogy.
Edit – this page may help https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/education-evidence/teaching-learning-toolkit
Rich_cb wrote:
6% of students are privately educated, yet they take 25% of the places in Russell Group institutions, and 30%+ of Oxbridge places. That’s not over- or understatement, just a fact.
I can always rely on you to
I can always rely on you to parrot widely held falsehoods Rendel. Thank you.
That 6% figure is the first inaccuracy.
What percentage of 16-18 year olds go to private school?
18%.
The 6% figure is designed to overstate the disparity. It is repeated by those trying to mislead and by their gullible followers.
Do private schools outperform state schools academically? Yes.
If they did you’d expect to see their pupils overrepresented by about the margins seen.
Rendel Harris wrote:
While I agree with your othe points, it could be argued that Mr Caudwell made his fortune depsite his class under a conservativbe government.
Although it sometimes seems to me that the comparing the current tory party to the tories of the 80s is like comparing the boston tea party movement with the republican party.
Actually Phones4U opened in
Actually Phones4U opened in 1996,and sold for £1.4BN in 2006, so it could be argued that the vast bulk of Caudwell’s fortune was made under a Labour government!
Rendel Harris wrote:
fair enough, although he would have had to generate enough wealth pre 1996 to start his own business. I remember phones4u being pretty widespread in the late 90s. so the preceding tory years certainly didn’t prevent him from succeeding.
wycombewheeler wrote:
John Caudwell was originally a car dealer, and he started off in the 80s going around car auction sites with big bulky transportable packs that looked like suitcases. Other car dealers would laugh at him as it all looked so ludicrous and impractical at the time – in those early days you didn’t even buy a mobile phone, you’d rent a Motorola at an extortionately high price. In those days car auctions were like the Wild West – some proper ridiculous characters, another that springs to mind was John Fury (Tyson Fury’s dad) who’d walk around BCA Manchester with a big bag of cash in his pocket to pay in readies if he bought something.
Where it really started taking off was after the “Gordon Gekko” movies, the “brick” Motorola phones. My old man traded cars before he retired which is why I know all this background, he bought a Motorola 8500X as his first phone – if he used it for business out and about people would tut and glare at him (the very same people now use them in Tesco to check if they have enough tins of baked beans, lol).
Caudwell (note he hasn’t been ennobled or knighted? No doubt from personal choice) built his empire in those early days (and therefore a Tory government – although I’m sure it was coincidental, he could have also achieved the same under Blair)- it was his first mover advantage and contracts that put him in prime position to benefit from the initial boom in mobile telephony.
Now now Rendel, you have been
Now now Rendel, you have been told. It wasn’t the staff at the hospital that reinflated his lung and made sure he didn’t die, it was his helmet that reinflated his lung and made sure he didn’t die. At least that is what I can take from Boos claims that the helmet saved his life.
Yep, second takeaway being it
Yep, second takeaway being it’s also OK to be rude about, and ungrateful to, a bunch of foreign johnnies who saved your life provided you make a lot of money.
RideLondon – as a Surrey
RideLondon – as a Surrey-resident regular cyclist, I’m delighted the event is moving.
On the years I participate, it makes no difference, since both the start and finish are in central London. In fact, since I ride the Surrey Hills every weekend anyway, seeing somewhere else is great.
On the years I don’t get through the ballot (most of them), I still get to ride in the Hills instead of being shut out. On balance, PRL has reduced my cycling over the years.
PRL is one of my least favourite long sportives anyway: I see far more serious accidents than on any other event (certainly any other closed-road event), and because they are always oversubscribed (as is the London Marathon, their only other event) I don’t feel they treat participants very well. For example, obliging participants to go trek out to ExCel beforehand is a real pita.
Economic impact analysis for the event is not easy to find, but in my estimation there is more downside than upside. Restricted trading for shops in Kingston, Leatherhead, Dorking etc, but no really inbound tourism since everyody stays near the Olympic Park or the finish. In any case, whether you believe it’s a benefit or a blight, it’s fair enough to move it around. If the great Tours can change route every year, so can PRL.
MattJames wrote:
I’ve never seen any accidents on any sportives, although I’m sure they happen. I wonder what you are doing to see so many, that you can judge the relative safety of events?
Or do you mean you see more reports of accidents on ride london? which is less surprising since it is by far the largest field of any UK sportive.
IME the bigger the field size
IME the bigger the field size,the more accidents occur, and closed roads seems to increase that level further.
I saw alot of people riding in ways at the last Velo Birmingham that caused alot of accidents as a result, that actually made me quite nervous to be anywhere near any other riders, Id also passed the scene where the rider who crashed, sadly died as a result of their injuries whilst they were still being treated.
That was certainly something that made me question doing Ride London, as colleagues I’ve spoken to who had done it told me similar crash experiences, but that it was actually worse as it happened more frequently.
And its certainly something that would concern me on a much flatter, faster course through Essex.
I passed the same location
I passed the same location after the unfortunate person was removed by ambulance at the velo, I think that was more down to a very fast sweeping downhill suddenly going into a steep uphill. Sudden speed reductions from the ones who get their gear changes wrong or who slip a cog and the accident was there. It didn’t help it was in the special starts group which mixed the people who would complete it in 4.5 hours at 24mph average in a chain and the people who got the early start because they were from a big company.
Absolutely want to be clear I
Absolutely want to be clear I wasn’t linking the crashes I saw and the rider who died as connected in any way at all. It was more the impact it had on me personally, as it was clearly a very serious incident, but then seeing other riders still constantly crash, all day,often right in front of me.
it just made me more nervous than I’ve ever been on a sportive around other riders, and when I spoke to my colleagues who had ridden Ride London who pretty much went,yeah it’s the same if not worse, you kind of think is it really worth doing these kinds of rides.
The other closed road event
The other closed road event where I have seen a couple of serious crashes – although it is still one of my favourites – is the London Duathlon in Richmond Park. Some slower, less experienced athletes forget to keep left and shoulder check as they overtake, and I’ve twice seen them move straight into the path of much faster competitors. That bothers me because it could be countered by drumming reminders into everybody before and during the race.
Other events have their moments, but most are just bad luck.
You’ve been lucky. On my last
You’ve been lucky. On my last outing in 2019 I saw 4: 1 directly, 2 aftermaths of ambulances etc, and I believe the huge hold-up on that saw us held at the bottom of Leith Hill for about 20 minutes was another. The direct one was nasty – just too many bikes as the road narrowed for a tiny bridge over a stream somewhere near Cobham: a lady I had been chatting to a little earlier just didn’t see the railings through the crowd, clipped them and flipped over into the ditch. It was like a Tour crash on kerbs etc.