Cycling world reacts to Gino Mäder’s tragic death at Tour de Suisse; Cyclists blast Berlin’s “scandalous” decision to “suspend bike lanes if even one car parking space is lost”; “Dangerous” claims about LTNs by Oxford Mail + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Gino Mäder airlifted to hospital after horrific Tour de Suisse crash
First the crash marred stage at Belgium yesterday, and now we’re hearing reports of cyclists crashing out horribly at the descent before the finish line after the final Albula pass climb.
Besides Mäder, who alarmingly lay motionless in water before being resusciated, Ineos Grenadiers rider Magnus Sheffield was also injured in the incident, with the team confirming that he will be kept in hospital overnight for observation after suffering a concussion and soft tissue damage.
Even Evenepoel, who finished tenth yesterday, has hit out on social media at what he saw as a dangerous finish to the stage.
While a summit finish would have been perfectly possible, it wasn’t a good decision to let us finish down this dangerous descent. As riders, we should also think about the risks we take going down a mountain
My thoughts & strength is with @ginomaeder and @MagnusSheffield!
(2/2)
— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) June 15, 2023
Tour de Suisse stage 6 to be shortened due to rock landslide
More briefings from the Alpines…
⚠️START 6. ETAPPE IN CHUR⚠️Official Statement of TdS Organisation regarding rock avalanche in Brienz (GR) pic.twitter.com/2aUjo6VCgW
— Tour de Suisse (@tds) June 16, 2023
The stage, which was supposed to be the longest, starting at the foot of the Albula Pass and and tracing the descent which was the site of two frightening crashes and has been called “dangerous” by world champion Remco Evenepoel.
Instead, the race will now begin at Chure, eliminating both the Albula Pass and the Lenzerheide climbs, making the first 55 kms of today’s stage a very low-gradient descent.
The decision to shift the start was taken after the village Brienz — which was evacuated last month due to an avalanche threat as well — had the warning meter moved up to the highest danger level.
Team Q36.5 doesn’t seem to be minding the views though…
Stage 6 @tds has been modified and shortened due to a landslide. The new parcours will link Chur to Oberwil over 143km.
We’re on our way to the start and the views aren’t half bad 😍#RacingTheFuture pic.twitter.com/ArLjX9Xg0Q
— Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team (@Q36_5ProCycling) June 16, 2023
Caerphilly Mountain to host spectacular finale for September’s Tour of Britain
YES! Just a few miles from my place! Which reminds me I should really head out with my bike to Caerphilly, maybe this weekend?
> Caerphilly Mountain to host spectacular finale for September’s Tour of Britain
Cyclists blast Berlin's "evil" and "scandalous" decision to "suspend bike lanes if even a single car parking space is lost"
Berlin has devised an ingenious way to stop drivers from parking on cycle lanes with their latest policy announcement: “No more bike lanes if it means even a single car parking space is lost”.
According to German daily Der Tagesspiegel, emails from the Senate of Berlin’s Traffic Administration Department to the borough of Lichtenberg reveal the new decision, which cyclists have called “evil”, “scandalous” and “likely to cause more road deaths”.
“The new management of our Senate administration will set different standards for the street layout in the future,” says the mail. “All projects that endanger even one car parking space or result in the loss of one or more lanes are to be temporarily suspended.”
In addition, the 30 km/hr speed limit introduced last year in the city is also said to be suspended for long journeys or when closing the gap, and only special applications such as those from daycare centres and schools will continue to be considered for implementation.
Paris (left): “We will remove 72% of on-street parking spaces to create room for cyclists” https://t.co/wtGNFxtjZs
Berlin (right): “We will not build bike lanes if that means taking away even a single on-street parking space” pic.twitter.com/WlVsTrVvER
— Giulio Mattioli (@giulio_mattioli) June 15, 2023
Senator for Transport Dr Manja Schreiner had said that she will question the cycling infrastructure projects after assuming office in April. “From my point of view, it does not always make sense to deprive motor vehicles of lanes in order to transform them into cycling facilities across the entire width. In any case, it must be analysed how this affects the traffic flow,” she said.
Cyclists, road safety campaigners, academics and even a few politicians, have naturally, been gravely disappointed at the new developments from the Senate jointly run by a coalition of CDU and SPD.
Lichtenberg’s transport councillor Filiz Keküllüoğlu criticised the decision during the district assembly on Thursday, saying that she was “concerned for the most vulnerable road users”.
“In Berlin, cars take up MUCH more space than bicycle lanes. In Mitte there is 23 times more space for cars than for bicycles. And yet more distances are covered by bike than by car. What the senator is doing is pure ideology without facts.” https://t.co/7kQmL74Cti
— Bookowlnews (@BOOKOWLNEWS) June 16, 2023
Another Berlin councillor Saskia Ellenbeck tweeted: “I’ve been stunned since yesterday! Every year 30-50 people die on the streets of Berlin! Main roads need protected cycle paths! And now projects that have been planned, politically approved and backed with a lot of funding are to be stopped!? This is madness!”
Meanwhile, the Berlin-based urban mobility think-tank tank Changing Cities lambasted Dr Schreiner. “The new senator has turned out to be a car traffic senator. She calls for safer coexistence of all road users, but her heart clearly beats for the car-friendly city,” said Ragnhild Sørensen from the think-tank.
Cyclist and campaigner Pascal Striebel wrote: “It is an evil, dangerous policy that
@SchreinerManja and the government of @cduberlin and @spdberlin are implementing here. Safe cycle paths and a speed limit of 30 are not an ends in themselves, but protect the lives and health of Berliners. The CDU prefers to protect parking spaces.”
Es ist eine üble, gefährliche Politik, die @SchreinerManja und die Regierung aus @cduberlin und @spdberlin hier machen. Sichere Radwege wie auch Tempo 30 sind ja kein Selbstzweck, sondern schützen Leben und Gesundheit der Berliner*innen. Die CDU schützt lieber Parkplätze. https://t.co/XnIdbFv9u7
— 🌻 Pascal Striebel 😷🚲 🏳️🌈 (@PascalStriebel) June 15, 2023
Jakob Zimmer wrote: “It is a scandal that the CDU & SPD are stopping all cycle path projects. Many new, protected cycle lanes, some of which have already been arranged, will thus be blocked.”
Another transport safety campaigner said: “A policy against road safety! Dangerous to life for pedestrians and cyclists and certainly not a new coexistence, let alone the best for Berlin”, while another cyclist lamented: “A city worth living in with safe cycle paths for children and adults? Not with the @cduberlin!”
Germany has a notorious weakness for automobiles that by now is not only a pain but a real danger in terms of hitting climate goals. Berlin has a progressive soul but the new CDU mayor is a conservative. 🤷🏻♂️
— Slow Travel Berlin (@slowberlin) June 16, 2023
Swiss pro cyclist Gino Mäder dies after horrific Tour de Suisse crash
Gut-wrenching news from Switzerland…
> Swiss pro cyclist Gino Mäder dies after horrific Tour de Suisse crash
"Today is about Gino Mäder": Tour de Suisse stage 6 neutralied following Mäder's tragic death
Tour de Suisse organisers have announced that today’s stage 6 has been neutralised to commemorate the 26-year-old Swiss rider Gino Mäder, who passed away today morning after his horrific crash yesterday.
The stage had already been shortened following a landslide. Now, the peloton will ride the final 30km of the course together, as per the wishes of Mäder’s family. The expected finish will be in Oberwil-Lieli.
We are heartbroken! Gino you’ve been an excellent rider but even more a wonderful person! Always smilling and making people happy arround you! Rest in peace! Our thoughts are with Gino’s family!
Below you can find the official statement of @BHRVictorious pic.twitter.com/hqLF8FF5nQ
— Tour de Suisse (@tds) June 16, 2023
If you are just tuning in now, the cyclist was involved in a very high-speed crash at the descent of the Albula Pass towards the end of yesterday’s stage, where Ineos’ rider Magnus Sheffield also crashed and sustained serious injuries
World champion Remco Evenepoel had yesterday criticised the race organisers, saying that “it wasn’t a good idea to let us finish down this dangerous descent”.
"Squillions"
The U.K road-building budget is £27 billion.
National Highways is spending £1.4 billion on a single junction of the A1 at Bedford and £250 million building four M25 slip-roads.
Meanwhile, we’ve spent £4.46 per head on walking and cycling in England since 2020.
“Squillions”. https://t.co/nnTLpLMcYF
— Jon Burke 🌏 (@jonburkeUK) June 16, 2023
"A dark day for cycling family": The peloton remembers Gino Mäder
The peloton was sombrely clapped along in Switzerland as riders cycled in solidarity to pay their tributes to Gino Mäder in today’s neutralised stage 6 at the Tour de Suisse.
We ride for you Gino!❤️
.#tds2023 #tourdesuisse #rip @BHRVictorious pic.twitter.com/fyt3eF1LCf— Tour de Suisse (@tds) June 16, 2023
Meanwhile, pro cyclists poured in with heartfelt messages remembering the Swiss rider.
Devastated by the news. My heart and strength is with Gino’s family, friends, teammates…
May you rest in peace Gino 💫❤️ https://t.co/pcC5dy9IL3
— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) June 16, 2023
Rest in peace my dear friend. My deepest condolences to all your family and friends.
We will miss you ♥️ @maedergino 🤍 pic.twitter.com/eIe3EUk1G1— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) June 16, 2023
it‘s horrible news today from @tds our thoughts are with @ginomaeder s closest, his family. his friends. his team. his mates. a dark day for the cycling family. may he rest in peace. #dege #dgnklb
— John Degenkolb (@johndegenkolb) June 16, 2023
During the Vuelta 2021, Gino Mäder donated one franc to sustainability for every rider who finished behind him in the stage. Donations were made to the following campaign: https://t.co/lOUwF4OGYP
he would certainly like it if we donated in his name now. pic.twitter.com/OdpNDZZUXd
— Tao Geoghegan Heart 🍇🍇 (@__mc1r) June 16, 2023
I can’t believe what I’m reading. Such a sad sad day. Thoughts with everyone who knew and loved Gino. https://t.co/kjh2jC1xP6
— Geraint Thomas (@GeraintThomas86) June 16, 2023
Mother jailed after carrying two-month old twins in a milk crate on a bicycle
Guess who’s not winning any Parent of the Year awards…
36-year-old Blossom Kirby from Indianapolis arrested last July after a string of witnesses called the police to report the shocking situation. One of the witnesses allegedly believed she had toys in the crate until he saw one of the babies move an arm.
The man and his coworkers at a pizzeria approached Kirby and found two unrestrained babies laying in the milk crate. The witnesses called medics and told officers that Kirby struggled to stay awake as they waited for police officers to arrive.
The Independent reports that she has now been jailed for a year for neglect, and will spend another year on probation.
Court documents state that Kirby told officers that she transported the babies in the crate as she did not own a car and that she did not see what was wrong with it.
Police said that the crate was attached to the front of the bike with a bungee cord and that the babies were wearing only diapers, despite temperatures being around 30°C.
Medics told investigators that the infant girl had “sunburns, abrasions on her left hand, and minor scratches to her body.” The infant boy also had sunburns and minor scratches, a wound to the groin and an extreme rash.
Both babies were taken to a children’s hospital in the city for treatment, and the Department of Child Services had been notified of the case.
"Deeply misleading and irresponsible journalism": Oxford Mail faces criticism after wrongly claiming that pollution has increased... and then blames it on low-traffic neighbourhoods
Another episode of the culture war against low-traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs). Oxford Mail shared its front cover for tomorrow’s edition, featuring the headline: “City pollution spikes, as LTNs blamed”, and boy did it not go down well.
According to data publicly available on Oxford City Council’s website, air pollution levels across Oxford saw an overall improvement during 2022, with overall NO2 levels down by 8.3 per cent, and a 24 per cent drop when compared to pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
This is deeply misleading and irresponsible journalism.
Overall air pollution in Oxford is DOWN by 8.3% across the city, or -24% vs pre-pandemic levels.
Please stop spreading FUD about low traffic neighbourhoods @TheOxfordMail.https://t.co/vwFW0EmjEz https://t.co/8LIgzHO73U
— Dr Jan Rosenow (@janrosenow) June 16, 2023
But the baffling headline from Oxford Mail claims the exact opposite and then goes ahead and blames it on malicious, good-for-nothing, always-the-culprit LTNs.
The subheading reads: “Safe air quality levels breached in six locations”.
But even that has been proven wrong! In fact, Oxford’s councillor from Green Party Emily Kerr replied saying that she was “baffled”. “Only one of the six locations is near an LTN. And that location had 25% higher pollution in 2019, before the LTN was in place (not mentioned in the article, why?),” she said.
I’m baffled by this headline. Only one of the six locations is near an LTN. And that location had 25% higher pollution in 2019, before the LTN was in place (not mentioned in the article, why?).
Overall pollution is down 8.3% across the city, or -24% vs pre-pandemic levels.— Cllr Emily Kerr 💚 (@EmilyKerr36) June 15, 2023
Others were equally baffled (I am others, others is me), with several people lambasting the publication for the blatant misinformation, while some even questioned whether this was a violation of IPSO’s first editorial code: ‘Accuracy’.
Are you actually actively trying to get IPSO complaints now?
— Cowleyforniadreaming 🌻💚 (@HolyBollards) June 16, 2023
Well, at least someone found a way to fix the apparently unfixable front page:
FIXED pic.twitter.com/76OEC48blZ
— Floki: CEO, besti to Elon (woof) (@JulesBywaterLee) June 16, 2023
Emergency response times fall for the first time in ten years in Paris due to cycle lanes
I had shared an interesting dichotomy pointed out by transport researcher Giulio Mattioli between the cycling infrastructure policies between Paris and Berlin in the morning. Both European capitals, but with a significantly different approach to traffic.
While on one hand, Paris announced in 2020 that it was building 650km of cycle lane by removing 72 per cent of the car parking spaces, reports from Berlin today revealed that the Senate has decided to suspend any bike lane building, if it means even a single car parking space will be lost.
I don’t know about you, but I feel that whenever two ideas are at such an odds with each other, more often than not it usually means that one is the correct way to go, and the other, not.
And in a completely coincidental case, academic David Zipper shared the French daily Le Parisien’s report that in 2021 and 2022, for the first time in ten years, the firefighters’ average response time has fallen below seven minutes, and the cycle path network in the French capital is one of the explainations.
In Paris, emergency response times have fallen b/c firefighters can use the city’s growing cycle lane network. (H/t @theoverheadwire)
Something to share with bike lane opponents who claim to be worried about emergency access. https://t.co/g2quhTzLFC pic.twitter.com/t3fxrKufvY
— David Zipper (@DavidZipper) June 15, 2023
Well, I always thought cyclists would be easier to disperse than drivers for some reason, don’t know why but maybe I was right? But I’ll leave you all to discuss whether the French way is right, or the German.
Let me see if I can find some escargots escyclegots for dinner…
"Terrible blow to cycling": Amidst inconsolable grief, tributes pour in for "massively talented" Gino Mäder
I am genuinely in a state of disbelief, this is such an incredibly sad day. I wish all the strength to Mäder’s family.
Everyone in the cycling world has been left shaken by the tragic death of the 26-year-old cyclist. Here’s some of the tributes that have poured in for the rider.
> Swiss pro cyclist Gino Mäder dies after horrific Tour de Suisse crash
🙏🏻 Gino, thank you for the light, the joy, and the laughs you brought us all, we will miss you as a rider and as a person.
❤️ Today and every day, we ride for you, Gino.
🔗 https://t.co/CSx5BsWfRz pic.twitter.com/caBmfmWwyg
— Team Bahrain Victorious (@BHRVictorious) June 16, 2023
💔
Today we lost a colleague, a man, a rider, & most of all, a friend.
My heart is broken, as are all at @BHRVictorious
We #RideAsOne & we #RideForGino#ginomaderLove you man. Rest good. You were 1 of the good guys
Today & every day, we ride for you, Gino pic.twitter.com/7jdBb5q9SK— Ashley House (@AshleyPresents) June 16, 2023
David Lappartient, President of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), said: “Deeply saddened to hear of the tragic news that professional road cyclist, Gino Mäder has passed away. This is a terrible blow to the whole cycling community and I send my heartfelt condolences to Gino’s family and friends.”
Adam Hansen, President of President of the Cyclistes Professionnels Associés (CPA), the body representing pro riders, wrote on Twitter: “In loving memory and deep gratitude for Gino Mäder. You touched our lives, and your presence will forever be cherished. Rest in peace. 🙏”
This is truly a terrible day for all of us. We stand by the family, the team and Gino’s many friends on this day of sorrow. You will always remain in our hearts and memories. RIP #GinoMader ❤️🙏
— CPA Cycling (@cpacycling) June 16, 2023
The UCI is devastated to learn of the death of professional cyclist, Gino Mäder.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends and everyone connected with Gino who was a rising star within the professional ranks of cycling. pic.twitter.com/DFhBR4J0mK
— UCI (@UCI_cycling) June 16, 2023
Tour de Suisse race director Olivier Senn said: “We’re all devasted – the organisers, the teams, the riders, everybody. What happened is really terrible and it’s difficult for me to speak because Gino was a wonderful person who didn’t deserve to leave this world in this way. Everybody knew him and everybody loved him. We won’t race today but we want to remember him and pay tribute to him by riding the finale of the stage. We’ll all ride together as a group to the finish line in memory of Gino.”
Mihai Simion wrote: “Unfortunately, the worst thing has happened. Gino Mader passed away after the terrible crash on Albulapass. I can’t believe it, one of the nicest guys in the peloton. My condolences to his family, friends and team. RIP Gino. 😭💔”
Ginooo, I will never forget your big smile. 💔 pic.twitter.com/gmmvntQRHf
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) June 16, 2023
Aged just 26, Mäder had established himself as perhaps the leading Swiss riders of his generation.
In 2021, he won stages at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de Suisse, and later that year topped the young riders’ classification at the Vuelta in 2021, a race in which he also finished 5th overall.
Last year, he was second overall in the Tour de Romandie week-long stage race, held in French-speaking Switzerland. He was having a great season this year as well. At the Paris-Nice stage race in March, he finished fifth, just under three minutes behind the winner Tadej Pogačar.
Mäder was also an ardent climate change activist, fighting to stop global warming and preventing glacial melting. In the 2022 season, he announced that he was donating 1 Swiss Franc for every rider who finished behind him in a race towards fighting climate change.
That’s why I donate 1 CHF per rider that finishes behind me in every race of this 2022 season towards the fight against climate change.
So far 3341 riders have finished behind me. #raceforacause— Gino Mäder (@maedergino) August 19, 2022
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £2.49. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
23 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
It would appear that going forward, the Definition Integrale version will be the only model available, meaning that electronic groupset is the only option. There’s still stock available of the Definition 3.0 as of now and I’ve just ordered one with mechanical 105 to replace my aging winter sh*tter.
This is why genuinely I only expect my front and back time stamped bike cameras to ever be used in the event of my death on the road, that is if I don't get killed as pedestrian on a crossing with these bloody taxi drivers who keep stopping on the crossing... as I'm crossing it. It seems to me someone is going to have to take extreme and over the top measures for this constant harassment to been seen as the public danger it is, I'm not saying I or anyone else should do it but it would be great to see a bad driver leave court with a conviction with the word 'kryptonite' embossed backwards on their face... just a hypothetical...
I usually wear a folding helmet - a Hedkayse ONE. What I've learnt from this report is that the Newlane with MIPS is one of the best helmets around. But that's not what the headlines say. It would be a shame if miselading headlines led to yet another folding/alternative design for commuters disappearing from the market (Hedkayse no longer make the ONE and Hovding - the airbag alternative - went bust).
I bought one of these in 2015 and I still ride it. Bought specifically for Paris-Brest-Paris (which I had just failed) and I rode this bike (successfully) in the 2019 edition. Then I changed the tyres on it to 38mm and rode North London Dirt very happily on it a couple of months later. Super versatile. The only box it fails to tick these days is the aero one, but I can live with that. I keep thinking I need a new bike and I list what I really need - fast enough, mudguards, comfortable, disc brakes and think I should buy a Defy or Synapse, then I realise I already have that bike! 15mm front axle and QR rear is a total PITA - you can sleeve the front to 12mm bit even so. Luckily it is flat-mount so there is an upgrade path on the groupset - I have upgraded groupset once and I think only the seat post is original now, but a great find from Genesis' heyday. I had a flyer about this time too and loved that as well.
@eburtthebike Well there's (at least) a third thing - we're letting too many people drive who should never have been on the roads in the first place.
@chrisonabike Something to do with existing in a liminal world between cooperation and competition where every action has multiple meanings, even to the same person, perhaps?
I have given my thoughts on this in the forum thread "Derbyshire: action on close pass reports only in “exceptional circumstances”". My first attempt with links was submitted on 30/10/26 and is STILL AWAITING MODERATION so I resubmitted replacing the links with descriptions. It is copied below : Gloucestershire Constabulary is way ahead. They never took any action on close passes but in September 2024 they started sending out advisory letters to close passers. Note that in Gloucestershire an advisory letter merely asks the driver to refresh their knowledge of the highway code and is not a warning letter. search : close-pass-isnt-offence-says-police-officer on roadcc for the article I have had action taken for a close pass since. In one I am convinced that action was taken because an oncoming driver was inconvenienced. near-miss-day-of the day 946 In the other I suspect someone on the team slipped up and the driver was sent a NIP. I was told afterwards that the driver was going to go to court to challenge the decision but changed their mind when shown the footage. near-miss-day-931 The link also shows that a very similar close pass a year later was back to advisory letters and I have had many similar outcomes since. Some on here think advisory letters are a waste of time and I agree that for some drivers it will be as water off a ducks back, but I have noticed a distinct improvement in driving around me since the policy started. I think most drivers genuinely think they have done nothing wrong but a letter from the police is a real wake up call. In answer to your question then in Gloucestershire someone has to be inconvenienced for action to be taken. Inconveniencing an oncoming driver is one possibility but having to swerve or brake to avoid being hit is another. Obviously this rarely happens with a close pass, especially those at speed which are the most dangerous, you simply don’t have time to do anything. As far as I can make out being frightened out of your skin doesn’t count as inconvenience either. They now seem to have stopped sending even advisory letters for close passes as they are short staffed.
If the police are overwhelmed with evidence showing dangerous driving, then that shows that the dangerous driving is endemic: the graveyards and hospitals are full of the victims. If it is endemic, then one of two things must be true, or both: the detection rate is not high enough, and/or the punishment is not sufficient to deter. So in this case, we have the victims providing the evidence, in most cases all the officers need to do is view that evidence. If the officers don't have time, then the process should be automated, possibly by AI. If the driver disputes it, then a real person could view it, but if they consider the driving to be dangerous, the driver should pay for the officer's time. Then we have the lack of punishment, or punishment which doesn't fit the crime, because it does not deter people from offending. The current system of points and fines is clearly not working, and something rather more effective has to be done, like confiscating the car for instance. ".......the Chief Inspector recommended that road users use a rear-facing camera and evidence their own speed at the time of the overtake." I fail to see what the speed of the vehicle being overtaken has to do with the overtaking vehicle passing too closely. Would it be ok if you were doing 5mph, or 25mph? Baffling.
In principal, driverless cars have the potential to be much safer than human drivers, by virtue of the fact that they should be intent on following the rules of the road, nor driving whilst drunk/drugged, never be tired, frustrated, irrational etc, etc. Another advantage is that mistakes can be corrected and rolled out across the entire fleet (try that with humans. Add to that the resulting reduction in car ownership, increased car sharing, and the sheer amount of street space given over to parked cars will plummet. The key factor, however, is how much of those principles the owning companies are prepared to commit to. (Altruism isn't their strong point)
I'm going to take a close look at some of the lights mentioned. For reference: I extensively used the following: - Nightrider lumina (don't recall the exact model): horrible temperature control and after 18 months it bricked up on me and they refused to honour the warranty, will never buy anything from them ever again; - Lezyne 1600 XXL, two issues, firstly the strap that attached it to the handlebar never kept in place really well over rough terrain. Secondly: a cop stopped me and although -to me riding the bike- it appeared well adjusted, he claimed I was blinding oncoming traffic. He actually held the bike so I could check for myself from inside his car and he was simply right: the light level on the ground was ok but indeed, I was blinding oncoming traffic. That's a hard no, it had to go even though he didn't fine me. I don't want to annoy/be a risk to other road users; - Then the Lupine: solid as a rock, mounted on a GoPro mount, USB-C charging, StVZO compliant...but alas not enough oomph considering terrain and desired speed; Thinking back, it somehow seems like a light I had on my bike back when I was riding long distance events (Audax, crazy distances but lower average speeds) might have been ideal, that was a Son Edelux and it ran on a Son hub dynamo. But I don't want to install a dynamo and again, lower speeds.
23 thoughts on “Cycling world reacts to Gino Mäder’s tragic death at Tour de Suisse; Cyclists blast Berlin’s “scandalous” decision to “suspend bike lanes if even one car parking space is lost”; “Dangerous” claims about LTNs by Oxford Mail + more on the live blog”
I’m surprised about Berlin. I
I’m surprised about Berlin. I thought they were a progressive city and from what I’ve seen, they’ve got cycle lanes on both sides of the road, typically on the pavement but clearly colour coded to separate them from pedestrians. However, it is built on a swamp, so maybe some swamp-life are re-emerging.
The more people that cycle,
The more people that cycle, the less cars will be used and therefore more will need to be parked up.
At some point they will hit peak cycling and start taking from car lanes to make space for parking….
hmm I clearly started drinking early today.
Takes my breath away
Takes my breath away
As bikes lanes (and cyclists)
As bikes lanes (and cyclists) are usually a more efficient form of tranport than even buses and walking (in terms of numbers of people per area of space and speed), will they also remove bus lanes and pavements on the same grounds?
Oh Berlin.. that’s a really
Oh Berlin.. that’s a really bad signal to the world…
The Germans seem to be
The Germans seem to be surprisingly poor on environmental issues for a country with Greens in government – see also generating most of their power from brown coal, and the FDP, a party in (national) coalition government who seem anti any driving restrictions including speed limits.
I still have a copy of the
I still have a copy of the objection my local councillor wrote when there was a proposal to upgrade and extend a nearby painted cycle lane. She objected on the grounds that it would mean the loss of a couple of parking spaces outside some shops. She’s a Scottish Green!
Motornormativity writ large?
🙁 Motornormativity writ large? Or is it “absolute power corrupts absolutely, but even a little bit goes a long way”?
The good thing about the Green party, they’re keen on localism. So maybe someone should have reassured them this was a way of increasing trade not damaging it? (Hard to get the shopkeepers to believe though).
“All projects that endanger
“All projects that endanger even one car parking space or result in the loss of one or more lanes are to be temporarily suspended.”
I wonder if Senator for Transport Dr Manja Schreiner has had her DNA tested for English genes?
Wer hat uns verraten?
Wer hat uns verraten? Sozialdemokraten!
There was a majority to continue the green-red-red coalition but former SPD mayor Franziska Giffey preferred to go into a coalition with the Conservative, so as not to be obliged to implement social housing policies and such like.
Looks like Bristol is getting
Looks like Bristol is getting a bit of cash for 5 cycling/walking projects:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/bristol-gets-36m-boost-make-8527492
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for sharing.
“the council also recently announced an extra £11 million funding will go towards helping drivers buy cars to comply with the Clean Air Zone — more than three times the amount planned for making walking and cycling safer”
Just in case anyone was confused about the new zone being about promoting active transport.
I really hope the greens can move the needle when they’re not being restricted by marvellous Marv.
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
I can appreciate that some drivers need some help otherwise they’ll carry on poisoning our air, but the figures seem disproportionate when compared to the cycling/walking investments. The return on investment for active travel projects is insanely better than subsidising people so that car companies can continue to make profits.
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
From some angles it really does look similar to being held hostage by someone else’s addiction…
Interesting that the URL
Interesting that the URL makes it look like £36m when it’s actually £3.6m…
I wonder what “construction in the Old City and on King Street” means…
URLs will be auto-generated
URLs will be auto-generated based on headline, but will be parsed for disallowed characters, which will include full stops, because it would break the URL.
ShutTheFrontDawes wrote:
URLs can contain full stops – obviously they’re allowed in the domain section, but they can also be used in the directory/path section and the resource can also contain a full stop e.g. robots.txt
They also have a couple of special meanings with a lone full stop meaning the current directory and just two full stops meaning the parent directory (c.f. unix directories . and .. ). So “https://www.example.com/pictures/of/../squirrels” would be equivalent to “https://www.example.com/pictures/squirrels”
I thought that full stops
I thought that full stops indicated a change of path, but I stand corrected. Thank you.
brooksby wrote:
I found it:
https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/bristol-news/old-city-king-street-pedestrianised-7147136
So, in May last year
I hope that they think it through more, though. During King Street’s temporary pedestrianisation it was almost completely impassable to cyclists – the pubs had all expanded their outdoor seating, leaving 2-3 metres down the middle, and the end of that was blocked with berms to make sure no motorists sneaked down there…
RE: Squillions –
RE: Squillions –
“The facts do not support my anti-cycling claims as much as I like so I will use a made-up word of a sensationalist value that will get my point across.”
£4.46pp x Population of England (according to ONS 2021, Census recorded at 56,490,048) puts the value estimated at just shy of £252 million. Around the same as the 4x M25 sliproads alone, where only a few tens of thousands of people will probably use. Compared to cycle infrastructure money spread across the whole flipping country, where anyone can benefit.
I also struggle to see what point they are trying to make. So the use of cycling has increased by 13%. What are you comparing it to? Has car use gone up 5, 15 or 35% in that time? Absolute laziness.
Sums up the Anti-Cycling movement.
Will this be the same Berlin,
Will this be the same Berlin, that as the capital of Germany has been trying to push back the date when all new cars sold must be electric?
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-takes-the-eu-hostage-on-cars/
In this case it’s the Land
In this case it’s the Land Berlin, which is a federal state as well as the capital.
But you’re not wrong, same neoliberal destructive politics.
Almost wrecked my bike on
Almost wrecked my bike on hols. Forgot they were on the roof going into a surface car park.
Very lucky to miss the fixed bar and only hit the chain suspended one ! Low speed though.