Horrifying footage of man kicking girl's bike on path; Phil Gaimon breaks Everesting record; No LDN congestion charges for 3 more weeks; Claims 'Stay Alert' has led to more dangerous parking; Anger over council's cycle lane snub + more on the live blog

Great result! Unanimous support across all parties for new e-bike legislation. From tomorrow e-bikes will be treated just like a normal bike. No more barriers of having to register & license it beforehand. Get peddling 🚴‍♂️🚴‍♀️ https://t.co/lEMmTMsfhB

— Nichola Mallon (@NicholaMallon) May 12, 2020

Residents of Northern Ireland were subject to extra stringent e-bike laws that forced them to register and insure any pedal cycle with a motor; but from tomorrow, new legislation will bring them in line with the rest of Europe which allows Northern Irish cyclists to ride e-bikes with up to 250 watts of power and a top assisted speed of 25km/h without needing a licence or insurance.  

The Evening Standard report that the London Mayor doesn't plan to reintroduce the London congestion charges for at least three weeks; despite TfL expecting to lose an estimated £4 billion in income this financial year. Campaigners have also said that the suspension of charges doesn't tally with Westminster's urge for people to walk and cycle when they return to work, and that the suspension of the £11.50 daily congestion charge and £12.50 ULEZ charge could lead to more commuters heading back to work in private vehicles. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps made it clear that the government expect commuters to walk and cycle where possible in parliament today:

.@grantshapps "the 2 metre rule will only leave capacity for 1 in 10..it is crucial to serve those who need it... if possible people should walk or cycle" pic.twitter.com/qxUMD8zag5

— Transport for the North (@Transport4North) May 12, 2020

Both the congestion charge and ULEZ were suspended on 23rd March, with the intention of making it easier for key workers to commute by car. Khan told ITV: 

“For the time being, we are not lifting the changes. But we will be reviewing that. The key thing is from the Prime Minister — this road map in the medium to long-term. It gives us a route out of the lockdown.”

NHS manager Jonathan Kelly, who is also a member of Better Streets Kensington and Chelsea, told the Standard: “We risk the car becoming the default mode of socially-distanced transport. I am very aware that NHS workers are increasingly switching to walking and cycling to work in response to the pandemic.”

Hi Andy. To be clear we're not against investment in cycling or walking. But we are furious that the Government can find money to make this investment while the airline industry is in a jobs death spiral and there is no sign of the bespoke support we were promised.

— BALPA (@BALPApilots) May 12, 2020

Some false equivalency here perhaps? We've a feeling BALPA aren't doing themselves any favours... 

Very happy to see Govt supporting cycling and walking schemes. But the Govt is not giving similar support to the aviation industry which is facing a jobs death spiral.

— BALPA (@BALPApilots) May 12, 2020

'Choosing to Live' details Sarah Hornby’s journey through the Canadian Rockies,​ put together from a bikepacking guidebook with ten epic routes written by husband Ryan. Hornby says she originally had no real intention of riding them herself, but did so in tribute to Ryan after he pased away. A huge cut above most bike brand promo videos, this is well worth 7 minutes of your time. 

I am going to stick my head above the parapet. I am an airline pilot, a BALPA member, a BC coach and married to the Cycling & Walking Champion on our county council. I am ‘aghast and frankly furious’ by this ill thought out rant by my association. I have told them as much too.

— Peter Smith (@Pinarello_Pete) May 12, 2020

The press release from BALPA claims that "British pilots will be absolutely aghast and frankly furious" at the £2 billion earmarked for cycling and walking when the aviation industry is "dying before our eyes"; but many people in the airline industry themselves have strongly distanced themselves from the stance, including pilots. We'll have a full story on this later today. 

The virtual ride starts at 6pm tomorrow and will be led by Wiggins, with special guests promised for a catch-up at various points. You can sign up here, and also join in the chat on Wiggins' Instagram page. 

Astana are one of many teams facing huge difficulties because of the pandemic, and their manager Vinokourov claims that if racing doesn't resume this year then it may inevitably mean that the team will fold. 

Vinokourov described the UCI's efforts to devise a new calendar as a miracle and "better than nothing"; but with Astana's funds coming mostly from state-owned companies in Kazakhstan, finances are dwindling for the team with no revenue coming in. Vinokourov told Cyclism Actu:  “There is a crisis in Kazakhstan, the oil and gas market is complicated. I think if there are no races this season, our team will disappear."

Patrick Lefevere of Deceuninck - Quick-Step also said his team could fold if competition doesn't resume this year, while Het Nieuwsblad report that Mitchelton-Scott riders have had their pay cut by up to 70% since April. The same publication also claimed that CCC will end their sponsorship of the team that bears their name, with riders taking 50% pay cuts to get through 2020. 

The group received a response to their earlier letter regarding the ban in April, with Director of the Parks Tom Jarvis writing that the measures were in place to ensure the park was not "overwhelmed with visitors". 

Richmond Cycle Campaign have now sent another letter to Mr Jarvis - titled 'Still Not Good Enough' - questioning the basis for closing the park. They question that any sufficient data was used to show that people were travelling from far afield to cycle in the park, and say that their suggestions to deal with overcrowding at gates weren't considered. They also question the claim that cyclists travelling at speed were "endangering wildlife", and say that similar incidents have been reported of dogs chasing deer and endangering visitors with no action taken. 

There is no indication that Royal Parks intend to lift the Richmond Park cycling ban currently. 

To all Haringey residents, I will not stop demanding better walking and cycling infrastructure for our borough. Before & after Covid this has not changed.

A shift to active travel could be the greatest health and environmental leap forward for a generation. We need to be a part!

— Cllr Luke Cawley-Harrison 🔶 (@luke_harrison) May 11, 2020

Councillor Luke Cawley-Harrison says he got an email response from Haringey Council saying that there's no need for additional segregated cycle lanes during the pandemic because the roads "have never been quieter"; with some pointing out that speeding and the number of fatal incidents involving cyclists have both gone up:

Might be worth getting @SuptAndyCox on the case. The problem with quieter roads is it allows the significant minority to drive dangerously. I know a lot of extreme speeding has resulted lately on the A10 and surrounding area

— duncan platt (@dhpwilmington) May 11, 2020

The unavoidable major junctions in the borough are dangerous for cyclists when they’re busy and the traffic is slow moving and also dangerous when it’s quiet and the traffic is moving fast. They’re just dangerous.

— Tom (@Pacowac) May 11, 2020

It's said that the government's new statutory guidance means councils are obliged to make additional space for cycling and walking, with Coventry's Bicycle Mayor Adam Tranter saying that the government have power to take over control of roads from councils who fail to comply:

Please do share with them the Statutory Guidance. In the case of non-compliance, central Government have the power to take over the highways management to put this right. https://t.co/g5AVFXdszf pic.twitter.com/gUhWCOqFMI

— Adam Tranter (@adamtranter) May 11, 2020

It comes after an email was shared with road.cc from Councillor Geoff Driver, the leader of the Tory-controlled Lancashire County Council, who described the emails he received based on Cycling UK's pre-written form to lobby for additional cycling infrastructure as "childish antics". The draft from Cycling UK to ask your council for temporary cycle space during the lockdown can be found here. 

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