New cycle lane has “ruined village”, made it more dangerous for drivers, and leads to cyclists “nearly taking children off their feet”, angry locals say; “People with penny-farthings need parking too!”; Massive fancy dress helmet + more on the live blog

> Driving instructors less likely to believe collisions “are usually the cyclist’s fault” and that cyclists are “nuisances” after cycle awareness course, new government pilot study finds

I wonder if Ashley Neal took part?

Sticking with bizarre Scottish inventions for the moment, we’re heading up to Inverness, where last week police stumbled upon the kind of ingenious, groundbreaking design even Graeme Obree wouldn’t have dared attempt during the mid-nineties – an e-scooter with an exercise bike attached on top.

No, your eyes aren’t deceiving you. And, as far as I can tell, it’s not the world’s weirdest Halloween costume ever, either. And no, I have no idea how it works.

“Highlands and Islands Roads Policing officers spotted this adapted e-scooter being ridden around Inverness last night without relevant docs,” Roads Policing Scotland posted on social media (though what the relevant documents would pertain to in this case, I have no idea).

“Yes, that is an exercise bike welded to it. Rider reported, vehicle seized.”

Let’s just say, the people of Scotland were not impressed by the authorities clamping down on their nation’s latest mould-shattering breakthrough.

“Scottish innovation stifled by overzealous officialdom!”

“Imagine punishing someone for top class Scottish engineering.”

“10 out 10 for ingenuity.”

“That is some talented recycling.”

“They are just exercising their rights…”

Can’t wait for Inverness to introduce a PSPO clamping down on these being ridden through the city centre.

The irony deficiency is strong in this photo:

“The cardacity of suburban drivers knows no bounds,” wrote Matthew Lewis, the California-based cyclist and writer who spotted the sign calling for all Hunt wheel owners to keep the whirr to a minimum, wrote on Twitter.

(By the way, ‘Cardacity’ – great word, I’m going to steal that.)

“‘Please bike quietly’ – gonna bring my air horn next time,” he continued. “I was sure this was a Halloween prank and went back to look and, nope, they actually mean it.

“What’s amazing about this sign is, this exact spot overlooks eight lanes of the 24 freeway — droning at brain-damaging decibels 24/7 — less than 200 metres down the hill, but this pathetic suburbanite is bothered by… people on bikes talking to each other.

“Car noise is a leading cause of premature death in cities, and approximately zero drivers care about laws regarding same, so naturally, violent drivers come out of the woodwork to hate literally the quietest form of transport ever invented besides walking.”

Only in America… Then again, maybe not.

> “If we can get to the end of this year, we’ll be okay”: British bike manufacturers hoping to make it through industry woes

The cyclocross season may have got off to a bang at the weekend for newly crowned European champions Fem van Empel and Thibau Nys, but it’s already over for one of Van Empel’s biggest rivals, Shirin van Anrooij, who won’t race again until May after undergoing surgery to widen her external iliac artery.

Van Anrooij, who had a successful classics campaign, finishing third at the Tour of Flanders, before placing second in the young rider’s classification and 13th overall at the Tour de France, endured a more troubling second half of the season, with her Lidl-Trek team revealing today that the 22-year-old experienced “unusual sensations in her left leg” during her final few road races of 2024.

The Dutch rider was then diagnosed with iliac artery endofibrosis – a narrowing of her external iliac artery (the same problem that plagued her compatriot Marianne Vos’s 2023 season) – and underwent surgery on 31st October to widen it.

In a statement this morning, Lidl-Trek said Van Anrooij will now take an extended period of rest before returning to training, meaning she will miss the entirety of the cyclocross season, as well as the first few months of the 2025 road campaign. She is expected to return to competition in May, in time for the grand tour season.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Shirin (@shirinvananrooij)

“My off-season is going to be a little longer this year,” former U23 cyclocross world champion Van Anrooij posted on Instagram this morning. “After some hard months on and off the bike, we finally got to the bottom of what was causing me problems in my left leg. I have had successful surgery to repair a narrowing of my external iliac artery.

“It was definitely a scary discovery at first, but everything went well and I am back to having a big smile on my face now that I can finally start my recovery.

“I’m grateful to be back home in Zeeland already, but I still have a long journey in front of me! It will be around six months until I can properly think about racing again so, sadly this will mean no CX for me in 2024/2025, but I’ll be watching and cheering for everyone all season.

“All the support I have received from my friends, family, team staff, and teammates has been incredible! It’s made this process a lot easier so, I want to thank everyone who has been with me every step of the way through this.”

Grimsby’s quiet in the afternoon,

But the councillor’s singing the same old tune,

‘Bike are banned, there’ll be a business boon,

‘I’m sure someone will be around here soon.’

> Controversial cycling ban that saw cyclist ordered to pay £1,150 has “rejuvenated” town centre, claims councillor behind it… just days after ‘no cycling’ speaker message cut to twice an hour because “it was too repetitive”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by honor (@honorelliott)

Somewhat surprisingly, that isn’t the actual size of Visma-Lease a Bike and Giro’s outrageous Aerohead time trial helmet (I know, I was shocked too).

It’s just cyclocross rider Honor Elliott’s inspired fancy dress take on cycling’s sartorially challenged approach to marginal aero gains, which, in a worrying development, helped her to second place at Saturday’s annual Halloween Muddy Hell event at Herne Hill Velodrome.

I’m concerned some helmet boffins will be checking the results and taking notes – the bigger the better, and all that.

Thanks to Hilary Evans for reminding us that, for all its many, many, many flaws, Twitter is still worth checking from time to time, for gold like this:

Now that’s what I call niche.

> Five winter essentials coming soon from Gorewear, Velocio, Jack Wolfskin, Oxford and Ciovita

The clocks have gone back, the afternoons are getting shorter, and everything feels that bit darker – which means one thing: We’re about to be inundated with often well-meaning but usually misguided videos, police social media posts, and council press releases calling for cyclists to ‘be safe, be seen’ on the roads by wearing certain clothing and accessories.

In Worcester, where plans to modify a town centre bike ban have dominated discussion in recent months, the hi-vis season has already begun, with a letter to the Worcester News last week, from resident Roy Clarke, urging cyclists to make sure their lights are working, as it’s mighty difficult for drivers to see them otherwise.

> “Hi-vis distracts from the real issues on our roads,” says makers of bike camera warning signs

So, it was only a matter of time before a retort from the cycling perspective made its way into the newspaper’s letters section.

“May I ask through the letters page, now the clocks are changing and as we go into darker days and nights, that drivers of all abilities check the headlights are working on their vehicles. It is difficult for drivers to see cyclists in the dark if their headlights are faulty,” came the perfectly executed reply from Bike Worcester’s chair Dan Brothwell yesterday.

“Joking aside, this is an important issue,” he continued. “I agree with Roy that everyone cycling at night should have working front and rear lights in accordance with the Highway Code and the same applies to drivers.

“I’d also recommend everyone takes time to refresh their Highway Code knowledge and drive to test standard.

“When cycling my lights are on continuously (dynamo), bags have reflective panels, and I’m usually wearing bright colours. I’m still close passed by, on average, five per cent of drivers on my commute to work and witness illegal driving and parking whenever I’m travelling, notably speeding and phone use.”

Well said.

16 Bee Bike stations across Greater Manchester will be closed for the next month to “address issues with bike availability” as problems with anti-social behaviour, vandalism, and theft continue to plague the cycle hire scheme.

Last October, mayor Andy Burnham said the scheme, launched in November 2021 and operated by bike share firm Beryl, has proved a “victim of its own success” following “higher than expected levels of bicycle theft and vandalism”.

And this week the Manchester Evening News has reported that several bikes are understood to be missing, with 16 stations – spread across the boroughs of Manchester, Salford, and Trafford – closed to allow staff to find them.

Beryl has also deployed staff to search for the seemingly stolen bikes, while the police are also involved in the search, Transport for Greater Manchester’s Starling Bank Bike hire manager Iain Baxter confirmed.

> Recovery plan for Greater Manchester’s Bee Network hire scheme gets more bikes on the streets

“Due to recent issues with anti-social behaviour, we will be temporarily suspending 16 of the 225 total bike hire stations. This is a precautionary measure to help improve bike availability for all customers,” Baxter said in a statement.

“Getting more bikes available is our top priority and we are working alongside both the operator Beryl and Greater Manchester Police to recover any missing or damaged bikes quickly and get the stations re-opened as soon as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause cyclists during this period.

“The Starling Bank Bikes remain incredibly popular as a key part of the Bee Network, providing people with easy and affordable access to a bike and our growing walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure. We have seen record levels of use in recent weeks and the vast majority of bikes and stations remain available for use.”

The Pro’s Closet, the specialist used bike and gear retailer founded in 2006 by former professional mountain biker Nick Martin, is set to re-open today – a month after closing its doors and selling off its remaining inventory and other physical assets, another victim of the cycling industry’s post-pandemic struggles.

The company’s demise in October came amid online grumbles about customer service, a string of lay offs in recent years, and heavy discounting, including 75 per cent off across their entire range of pre-owned bikes, wheels, and clothing.

However, according to Bicycle Retailer and Industry News today, Elshair Companies, a private investment firm, acquired the American company’s digital assets last month, including its trademarks, website, software, and customer database.

Elshair has hired two long-time managers of the Pro’s Closet to run the company: Justin England, who was with TPC for 15 years, is the new company’s Chief Revenue Officer, while JP Gage has taken over as Chief Operating Officer, after 12 years with the brand. The new CEO, meanwhile, is Yassir Elshair, who e-commerce business Elshair two decades ago.

England told BRAIN that the Pro’s Closet planned to resume buying used bikes, wheels, and frames this week through its existing website, while also leasing a website and rehiring employees let go over the past year.

“It will be a bit of time before we have a healthy amount of inventory, but our aim is to fill the void that the closure of TPC created,” he said. “We will build back the dealer trade-in programme in a way that provides value to dealers across the country and which hopefully is never viewed as a competitor.”

“TPC is back!” the brand’s relaunched website says. “We took a bit of a spill, but TPC is back on track to being the destination for selling and buying pre-owned bikes. It will be a bit before we have bikes for sale, but our doors are open for sellers.”

Nick Martin, who founded the company originally as a personal venture to resell used cycling gear on eBay, is not involved in the relaunch, having stepped down as CEO in 2020.

“If you have to see anything today, it is these hundreds of cyclists bringing supplies to the affected areas that are not allowed to be reached by car. There is still hope.”

Si tienes que ver algo hoy es a estos cientos de ciclistas llevando suministros a las zonas afectadas a las que no se permite llegar en coche. Aún hay esperanza ❤️ pic.twitter.com/4GkhvveJYa

— Alejandro Cencerrado (@AlejandroCence2) October 31, 2024

Last August, you may remember, a new batch of bike stands in Edinburgh came under scrutiny after one local cyclist, along with a city councillor, pointed out that the Leith Walk racks were both extremely light and – worryingly – incredibly easy to unscrew from the ground, having already fallen victim to one tool-wielding (and I imagine pleasantly surprised) thief, within a month of being installed.

Of course, City of Edinburgh Council told us not to worry about the fact that the parking facilities used by cyclists in the city could be handily removed within seconds (along with our bikes), telling road.cc at the time that the racks “meet the project’s design requirements and use standard fixtures”.

So, it’s all grand, then.

> Cyclist raises theft fears as bike rack easily unscrewed… but council says cycle parking “meets design requirements”

Fast forward a year or so, and Glasgow has responded to Auld Reekie’s flimsy take on cycle parking by installing their own unique brand of Sheffield Stand, the design requirements of which – while looking extremely secure and even including a horizontal tapping bar for cane users – are anything but ‘standard’…

“Anybody know what is with Glasgow’s new cycle parking?” asked cycling campaigner Thomas Cornwallis on Twitter over the weekend.

“I got someone to stand there for scale… and she is only 5’6”.”

“Someone went with inches rather than centimetres,” suggested Robert, which may be bang on the money, you never know.

Meanwhile, everyone else in the comments was busy joining in on the merriment, and the possibility that Glasgow could soon be at the (Victorian) cutting edge of cycle commuting, thanks to the introduction of these new, skyscraper bike stands.

“The tall bike trend has taken off in Glasgow?” asked Cameron.

“People with Penny-farthings need cycle parking too!” noted Peter, along with about a dozen other commenters.

It’s so one can adequately secure their penny farthing pic.twitter.com/0FpW4gP7HI

— Not.Found (@Pingman28) November 4, 2024

Too right, maybe Jeremy Vine is planning a Scottish move in the near future, and Glasgow is just laying the groundwork for his much-feted arrival?

And after all, as tall as those stands may be, they are perfectly fit for ordinary cycles… (I’ll get my coat.)

> “They are supposed to keep bikes safe”: Councillor disappointed at “extremely light” cycle racks leading to bike thefts

Christopher then described the racks as “ordered from Temu (other discount retailers are available)”.

But then John came along to spoil the fun by chipping in with: “So you get your cycle infrastructure and you moan about it.”

There’s always one…

When it comes to local newspaper reports on active travel infrastructure, I’m not sure there’s a headline more commonly used than the tried and trusted ‘This cycle lane has ruined EVERYTHING!’ trope.

It works for almost anything you could ever imagine a bike lane affecting: Businesses, seafront views, mile-long commutes, and – my personal favourite – Christmas (It’s always those pesky cycle lanes ruining Christmas for the kids!).

> “Christmas is ruined,” claims business owner… who blames cycle lane for “massive negative impact” on trade

So, this morning, we were treated to a classic of the genre in the New Forest village of Dibden Purlieu, where a collection of angry residents – complete with disgruntled group photo for the front page of the local rag – told the Southern Daily Echo that a new bike path has “ruined” the area and made things more dangerous for drivers and pedestrians.

Earlier this year, a new cycle lane and pedestrian crossing was installed by Hampshire County Council on the village’s Beaulieu Road.

However, some residents claim the nine months of work led to gridlock and local businesses “losing huge profits”. And since it’s been finished, they say the bike path is not clearly marked on either side of the road, failing to delineate between the cycling and pedestrian areas, and that the new crossing has been placed between three busy junctions and a petrol station, leading to a number of near misses.

“Hampshire County Council have ruined the village with all these unclear cycle markings,” Dibden Purlieu resident Janice Chalmers told the newspaper.

“When the school kicks out the children take up all the path and cyclists have nearly taken them off their feet.”

“We have seen accidents happen due to the number of junctions, the position of the traffic light, and the cycle lane markings,” noted fellow resident Steph Osborne.

“It’s like the council just threw it all together – prior to that we had a traffic island and that worked really well.”

Meanwhile, local councillor Malcolm Wade added: “I have been a county councillor since 2013 and prior to that a district councillor since 1991 – in all those years I have never had so many complaints as I have about this cycle lane.

“So many people have written to me with their complaints. I have to agree with them: the scheme was poorly planned and badly executed resulting in us being left with a number of issues.”

And “keen cyclist” John Laurence, a member of the Waterside Action Cycling Group, has claimed that “one of our members is so worried of the dangers across this stretch of road he gets off and walks his bike through the area”.

“This scheme has absolutely made it more dangerous for both drivers and pedestrians – our group did make recommendations to HCC before, during and after their consultation,” he said.

> “A bike lane doesn’t close a village”: Dame Sarah Storey defends cycle lane blamed for “ruining business” and “killing village”, calls shops closing “a coincidence, not an unexpected consequence”

Responding to the claims that the cycle lane has ruined everything, a spokesperson for Hampshire County Council said: “The local cycling group and residents have been actively involved throughout the implementation of the cycle lane to ensure the route meets the needs of all users.

“The Beaulieu Road section is part of the Eling to Holbury cycle route improvement scheme. On completion, the entire route will be subject to a post-completion review and monitored to identify any areas where additional improvements may be needed.”