‘People on their bikes should be left alone’: Lord Blunkett dismisses Sky News question about police stopping cyclists; TfL to create 2,000 new cycle parking spaces in London; Penny farthing sales double; More car-free city centres + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Brighton residents call for car-free city centre
The Argus reports that creating a car-free city centre and prioritising cyclists over cars are two of the proposals that have been put forward to the city council’s first Climate Assembly as part of their drive to become carbon neutral by 2030. Also on the ten-point list is the creation of healthier, low traffic or pedestrianised communities (LTNs) and introducing mobility hubs where people can access cycle hire.
The proposals were suggested by a group of 50 randomly selected residents who have been tasked with learning about climate issues, debating them and making recommendations to the council. A reader poll conducted by the Argus found that 67% supported the proposed measures.
Green party councillor and council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said: “Today, we are extremely proud to share the feedback from the city’s first climate assembly. Given that later this year our country hosts the next UN climate talks our timing could not be better.
“With a whole third of our city’s toxic emissions coming from transport, residents have been clear that we must take action and support our city to make changes. We now have less than nine years to play our full part in bringing down toxic emissions, and the assembly has helped us keep a sharp focus on the challenges ahead.”
Here it is.
The top recommendation from the climate assembly
Car-free city centre 🚶🚴🏃
For the full report and recommendations (as well as to check out the videos from the assembly) 👇👇👇https://t.co/I5BNb40Mck
📸 @BenJamesPhotos pic.twitter.com/ummFWIo03o
— Brighton & Hove City Council (@BrightonHoveCC) January 11, 2021
'People on their bikes should be left alone': Lord Blunkett dismisses Sky News question about police stopping cyclists
The former Home Secretary, Lord Blunkett, dismissed a question during a Sky News interview that asked whether police should be stopping cyclists to ask how far they’d cycled. To a question asked at 3:30 in the video above, Lord Blunkett said: “I think people on their bikes should be left alone. They’re not interfering with anyone else, they’re breathing fresh air and they’re not going to infect you. I couldn’t give a damn how far Boris Johnson goes on his bike — I care a great deal about whether he’s actually running the country properly.”
In an earlier answer he also said: “If they’re clearly not putting others at risk, even if they’re on their bike seven miles away from home, then leave them alone. That isn’t the issue.”
Since the PM was accused by some of breaking lockdown guidance, although no law was broken, there has been much debate about whether the guidance and laws are clear enough. Yesterday, road.cc news editor Simon MacMichael wrote a piece suggesting that the real story about Boris Johnson’s bike ride is that it highlights confusion over lockdown rules.
Dublin active travel infrastructure to be made permanent
DCC Central Area Committee has voted to make the filtered permeability trial at Grangegorman permanent, increasing safety for pedestrians and cyclists in the area. They’ve also committed to carry out reviews on a number of items. #cycledublin #walkdublin pic.twitter.com/pmlYufGYyg
— Dublin City Council (@DubCityCouncil) January 12, 2021
TfL to create 2,000 new cycle parking spaces in London
Transport for London (TfL) will install 2,000 new cycle parking spaces in the capital as part of a new £1 million boost for cycling infrastructure. Recent data from TfL showed that walking and cycling accounted for half of all journeys between April and June, compared to 29% before the pandemic. The first 900 spaces will be built on routes that have been upgraded or created as part of the Streetspace initiative. A further 1,100 spaces will use a mix of: on-street cycle parking, residential cycle hangars and cycle hubs at stations. In Merton, Sutton and Kingston the plan is to create more than 500 cycle parking spaces across 37 schools.
“Safe and secure parking is key to enabling many more Londoners to cycle,” London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner, Will Norman said. “I’m delighted that up to 2,000 more spaces are set to be created across our city in the coming months. We know that a lot of people have started cycling as a way to get a bit of exercise over the past nine months, and secure bike parking means these trips can also double up for shopping for necessities or other essential journeys.”
Deliveroo to expand to 100 new towns and cities this year
Deliveroo hopes to serve almost two-thirds of the UK’s population by expanding to 100 new locations in 2021. The takeaway delivery app has seen a surge in popularity during the pandemic due to restaurants being forced to shut their doors. Sky News reports that although the full list of new locations hasn’t been announced, it will include Yeovil, East Kilbride, King’s Lynn, Scarborough, Llanelli and Exmouth.
Thanks to the increase in demand in 2020, Deliveroo said it created work for an additional 25,000 riders, taking its overall number to more than 50,000.
Egan Bernal's getting on a bit...
Please join us in wishing a big Happy Birthday / Feliz Cumpleaños to @Eganbernal 🎉🎉🎉 pic.twitter.com/2GYSGaXlEf
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) January 13, 2021
24 today…
Record 146mph winds recorded on Mont Ventoux...but all is not as it seems
The KOM is on lads. https://t.co/TNFp1zUzWv
— Simon Warren (@100Climbs) January 12, 2021
Rumours of 235km/h winds at the top of Mont Ventoux surfaced on Twitter last night with amateur cyclists everywhere considering launching a KOM attempt (wind direction dependent of course). However, the fun was short-lived as the Twitter account of the observatory that perches at the top of The Bald Mountain’s quickly revealed the high recording was in fact due to a deactivated anemometer causing overestimated readings.
In 2016, the Tour de France summit finish at Mont Ventoux was shortened due to 100km/h winds. That of course meant thousands of fans cramming onto the lower slopes and congestion for the riders and motorbikes accompanying the race… The moto couldn’t get through, Richie Porte crashed into the moto, Chris Froome crashed into Porte and one of the most memorable images in recent cycling history was born…Run, Chris, Run!
Penny farthing sales double since the pandemic began
The Independent reports that penny farthing sales experienced a revival in 2020 with demand more than doubling since the pandemic began. In recent months they have been selling out faster than manufacturers can produce them. UDC Penny Farthings, Britain’s biggest retailer of the bikes, says they sell one every day in the UK. Jeremy Vine is a famous penny farthing fan and was pictured taking his out for a ride on the new Cycleway 9 cycle lane in Chiswick over the weekend.
The owner of UDC Penny Farthings, Roger Davies told The Independent: “The vast majority of people wanting them – around 95 per cent – are middle-aged men, though there are a few women. Vine is typical of the market.
“Since the pandemic, people have had time to think about their lives and what they do and taken on challenges they had always wanted to, and we’ve seen a lot of interest. It’s a very aspirational item – a lot of buyers have dreamed of them since childhood. And they are harder work than normal bikes, so excellent for staying fit.”
Deceuninck-QuickStep take cafe stops to the next level
Enjoying a great coffee and a stunning view at @QuickStepFloor’s Bar Velo 😁 pic.twitter.com/M2ZHQLgwbM
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) January 13, 2021
Plenty of positivity about Lord Blunkett's message on Sky News
Rare but nice.
— 𝐹𝒾𝓍𝒾𝑒 𝒞𝓎𝒸𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉 🚴♂️+🌉 (@ViaTowerBridge) January 13, 2021
Unsurprisingly there’s been plenty of love for Lord Blunkett’s answer on Sky News earlier…
On Facebook, Ed Gibbons wrote: “Hit the nail on the head. Solo cycling has zero contact with others. Just make sure you’re self-sufficient and able to repair your bike if you have any problems on the road. Would be good to see more people out exercising when health is such a key topic right now.”
Andy Bell added: “Wow. A sensible response. Hallelujah!”
New LTN in south London funded by an urban health charity with links to two local hospitals
There’s a new low traffic neighbourhood in Brunswick Park! Thanks to @GSTTCharity for funding these wonderful changes that will enable safer and healthier travel in the area, particularly for school children!
Have your say here: https://t.co/VkXGwHLymW pic.twitter.com/yDjCx4Gwjv
— Better Streets for Southwark (@BtrSts4Swk) January 11, 2021
This new LTN in Brunswick Park, near Camberwell in London, has been funded by the Guy’s and St Thomas’ Charity. The independent urban health foundation works with Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospital and their Foundation trust to improve health in the London boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark…
Mark Cavendish says relationship with Specialized helped unlocked Deceuninck-QuickStep return
😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/34UrlF1916
— Deceuninck-QuickStep (@deceuninck_qst) January 13, 2021
Speaking at a virtual press conference from Deceuninck-Quickstep’s training camp, Cavendish explained how his relationship with the bike brand and team boss Patrick Lefevere helped secure his return to the team.
“I have an incredible relationship with the sponsors, with the staff, with the riders, and obviously with Specialized,” Cavendish explained. “I helped develop the Venge. It’s a bike that was made for me, it’s a bike that proved was the best bike for me to win on. I know because of all that, that I can talk about the products as sponsors do.
“It went the same as most contracts go-between riders and teams. You speak, you sign a contract, you race. It’s pretty much the same with most cyclists. When I left the team in 2015, I kept a really close relationship with Patrick. For me, he’s someone I take inspiration for as a leader, I took advice from him and have thought ‘what would Patrick do in this situation?’ I’m happy I could maintain that relationship because I know if you ever leave this team, it’s hard to get back again.”
Cavendish revealed that following his interview at Gent-Wevelgem he started to receive offers from teams, but that Quick-Step was the only place he wanted to ride.
“Straight away that same day I started to receive communication from teams. But I think ultimately there was really only one place I wanted to go”, said Cavendish.
“Like I keep saying, I spent the best part of my career with this team, and I tried something else, and in hindsight and you know, I wish I would have stayed to my whole career I guess.
He added: “Even if I’m not winning, I can still add something to the team, I did that last time I was here and the team did the same for me. I was the happiest in my previous spell with the team and having the opportunity to be here again is a dream.”
13 January 2021, 09:03
13 January 2021, 09:03
13 January 2021, 09:03
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris You know damn well what I mean, Rendel. The bikes here are just a nice angle to make their point about how tech has changed over the years. They could have easily used two other bikes for exactly the same purpose. They chose these because they already had an article that looked at the old bike in depth, and because Seixas' bike is new. You keep cherry-picking, to try to win this silly argument on semantics, but the intro actually says it quite clearly: "We compare Jaan Kirsipuu’s early-2000s AG2R race bike with Paul Seixas’ latest machine TO CHART A QUARTER OF A CENTURY OF TECH PROGRESS". The article is not ABOUT these bikes, it USES these bikes to illustrate that tech progress, hence, the article is about that tech progress.
@Sreedlums That's hilarious, the article is literally about two Decathlon Tour de France bikes and comparing them. It says that everywhere, in the headline, in the subhead, in the body text. It says it's "a good excuse to look back at how Decathlon’s top-level race bikes have changed over the last 25 years", how on earth can you get from that to "this article was *not* about these two bikes"? Go on swearing black is white all you want, but you are totally wrong.
@Sriracha They have got what makes bicycles be recognized by the public as bicycles, and what motorbikes haven't got - pedals, that's why.
@Rendel Harris Oh wait, so now the article is only about Decathlon's TdF bikes? Because that's in the headline? That's funny, because in your previous comment you said "I think if you look really hard you can see this is an article about how Tour de France bikes have changed",. So, which is it? You can keep cherry-picking snippets of text, but it doesn't change the fact that this article was *not* about these two bikes, nor was it about TdF bikes. This article took these two bikes as examples of top road bikes of their time, to take a broader look at how road bike tech has changed in 30 years. And my original comment was about exactly that; road bikes then and now.
@Sredlums Did you miss this bit? See the words "Tour de France bikes" there? Easy to miss, only being in the headline and all...
@Rendel Harris Except of course, Rendel, it is not. This sentence is in the intro of this article: "We compare Jaan Kirsipuu’s early-2000s AG2R race bike with Paul Seixas’ latest machine to chart a quarter of a century of tech progress", and this is the sentence with which they end the article: "Would you like to have a soft spot for bike tech of the past? Or is it best left to history?". Nowhere does it say they are looking only at bikes from the TdF. They honed in on these two specific Decathlon bikes to compare bike tech then with bike tech now.
@Sredlums Well, Sredlums, I think if you look really hard you can see this is an article about how Tour de France bikes have changed, so if you were talking about road bikes in general (which you did not make clear) it was your comment, not my reply, that was not pertinent.
Looking at Google shopping results for 'road bike', and then at a variety of retailer sites (Halfords, Decathlon, Sigma Sports, Ribble, Winstanleys, etc. etc., plus a couple of our local shops with ecommerce presence), on none of them are more than about one in eight black or dark grey, and often that's just one of a number of colour choices. So if there are a preponderance of such bikes around, it seems like it's less because bikes have become more 'boring' than it is because the people buying them have.
@Rendel Harris Well, Rendel, I think if you look really hard you can see that I wrote "how much more boring road bikes have become" and not 'how much more boring road bikes IN THE TOUR DE FRANCE have become". Simply look around you, when you see a group of road bikers pass by. Look in the bike shops. It's black, black, more black, some dark grey, more dark grey, matte. And black parts, like on all the bikes you showed as an example.
Exactly. Agree. But that doesn’t give ProCycling a free pass – instead the UCI and all pro teams should be leading the way as ambassadors for cycling as the greenest sport. Pro cycling could be green, but it will take significant change. Frighteningly however, it’s greenwashing that is still the aim and motivation for the majority of pro cycling sponsors. It’s not good enough. Such sponsorships should be banned. Like tobacco and alcohol. It’s as simple as that. Our planet is sending a very clear message through ProCycling – not sustainable.
46 thoughts on “‘People on their bikes should be left alone’: Lord Blunkett dismisses Sky News question about police stopping cyclists; TfL to create 2,000 new cycle parking spaces in London; Penny farthing sales double; More car-free city centres + more on the live blog”
This was reported on a fb
This was reported on a fb page, with the usual howls of protest from the usual suspects “all the local businesses will close, what about the disabled….” etc, etc.
I pointed out that in places where this has been done, local businesses thrive, but I couldn’t better this response about the disabled:
“Gavin Bottomley
When any possible restriction on motoring comes up people suddenly get very concerned about the disabled when the rest of the time they don’t give s**t about them !”
Thanks Gavin.
On my rides I frequently come
On my rides I frequently come across a local club member (I’m not a member) on her recumbent e-trike. She is able to walk also, with difficulty. Of course being in a recumbent is a risk with traffic all above, so the trike is festooned with lights and flags. I’d imagine things would be a lot better for her without the traffic.
One of my concerns with ideas
One of my concerns with ideas like this is they never take account that places like Brighton are as much about visitors as they are residents. If I’m visiting Brighton for business or leisure chances are high I’d be billeted in a hotel in the city centre and that I’ll have had to drive to get there from another distant part of the UK,so what’s going to be the solution to deal with that or the estimated 11million other visitors to Brighton, a gigantic park & ride on the south downs ?
When I visit Brighton I try
When I visit Brighton I try not to take the car as it’s not a great place to drive or park. I usually take the train. Actually, a protected parking facility on the edge of the city would be really useful.
There is a park and ride at
There is a park and ride at the Withdean Stadium, right at the bottom of the A23, which is ideal for those who want to use their cars but will be inconvenienced by Brighton going car free.
Awavey wrote:
Although I like the SMP seat
Although I like the SMP seat the lack of chainstays, bent crank and invisable rear mech concern me.
i think it does have
i think it does have chainstays – they’re just extremely thin. And connected to the chainring instead of the bottom bracket for some reason.
There seems to be an awful lot of slack in the chain as well.
mdavidford wrote:
Drawn by someone who has seen bikes, but is not looking at one while they dra. The forks also look suspect as they are curved and have the axle in front of the fork centreline. Either is normally sufficient to get the wheel in front of the headset axis.
Derk Davies wrote:
“Compliance” innit, and “deadspot elimination”, they were ahead of their time!
Ahhh! ‘deadspot elimination’!
Ahhh! ‘deadspot elimination’! That must be the reason for the eccentric rear wheel.
Trains are great, I like
Trains are great, I like travelling by train, I dont argue against the need for HS2 for instance, but I recognise they dont suit or fulfill everyones needs, either by convenience,timings or costs and its foolish to pretend they currently do.
Next time I want to go to Brighton on holiday I’d like to take my bike to ride around that part of the world,but it would be a total nightmare trying to get a bike and luggage there by train.
the need for HS2
Ha ha.
the need for HS2
Ha ha.
HarrogateSpa wrote:
The very definition of cognitive dissonance.
Awavey wrote:
^This. Trains currently are not designed to carry bikes, which is a huge frustration for me. My wife and I have taken the step of going car-less after over 40 years of car ownership. We are very happy to cycle for all local journeys and would love to go further afield with our tandem or solo bikes using trains. It’s an utter nightmare. Many years ago when the term “active travel” didn’t exist, yet alone was officially encouraged, we could just turn up at a station with our bikes, or a tandem, and put it in the guards van. Now, with all the awareness of global warming, it is increasingly difficult to take bikes on trains and it is a juggling act of different operators’ policies, what rolling stock they’re running on a particular service, which can vary from day to day. Oh how I wish the railways were re-nationalised and we had a government that would impose the provision of “proper” accommodation of bicycles.
As for HS2, I’m all for investing in the rail network but we should be investing it in better local services IMO.
Awavey wrote:
I would suggest York is as dependent on visitors as much as Brighton is. The way they dealt with it was to put a Park and Ride on each of the main routes into the city. It is now literally decades since I even attempted to drive my car into York.
But are they long term park &
But are they long term park & rides like airport car parks, or just catering for day trippers ?
The problem is banning the cars and not providing the something to fill the gap that enables people to move around as easily, and it bugs me people dont get that part.
No one will stop you driving.
No one will stop you driving. Maybe you won’t be able to drive right to your hotel door – never mind.
We can’t have everything, sometimes it’s either or. We know that cars everywhere prevents people having other options, because most people are too scared of traffic to ride in it.
Awavey wrote:
You’ve surely noticed that the whole point of preventing cars from accessing city centre streets is that those places are then safer, cleaner, quieter and available for pedestrian and cycle access.
Places like Brighton, York and Edinburgh won’t stop vehicles entering the entire city, that’s not realistic but closing specific areas is a strategic way to open up those areas for people.
If, instead of embracing the change and enjoying its benefits you want to carry on driving into the middle of cities simply because that’s what you’ve done previously without consideration for anyone else, and don’t want to change your habits, then you are definitely part of the problem.
I raise my concern that maybe
I raise my concern that maybe this idea hasnt been wholly thought through properly,which it hasnt,and that somehow automatically pigeonholes me in your view, as someone not willing to embrace change and that Im part of the problem ?
well youll win over lots of people who arent on board with it by taking that line with them for sure.
Yes, you’ve hit the nail on
Yes, you’ve hit the nail on the head. You are, indeed, part of the problem. Take your car and your sense of entitlement and f*** off.
Yes awavey the renowned
Yes awavey the renowned petrol head and anti cyclist.
Makes you almost pine for soctwati – don’t think even he stooped to telling people to f off.
Best to have a binary debate and no scope for any nuance or implementation issues.
I’d take an honest F**k off
I’d take an honest F**k off over Socrati’s mealy-mouthed, wheedling, needling, BS any day of the week. Why Awavey’s belief that his desire to drive to Brighton to enjoy cycling around it takes precedence over the desire of the city’s inhabitants not to choke on traffic fumes is beyond me. How on earth did we get to the point where even people that enjoy and value cycling think it’s their right to drive their super-sized metal box to another part of the country to ride their bike? Be the change you want to see – don’t drive.
Perfectly reasonable, legal
Perfectly reasonable, legal and practical to use a car when appropriate and usually at less cost than public transport. Perfectly reasonable to ask about arrangements for travel by car to places with restrictions.
The answer might well be, “Don’t” but I suspect the more pragmatic approach will be arrangements for drop off of guests at hotels then remote parking or access during certain hours. The car free area is likely to be restricted to the city centre and most likely no great hardship to anyone who can walk a short distance with provision for those who cannot.
I can suggest looking at Tenby as an example of how to create a pedestrian friendly and thriving tourist town.
In 20 years time I expect to see a very high percentage of “clean at point of use” electric cars which also have the welcome ability to feck off and park themselves having dropped you off where you want to go.
In this binary world then how
In this binary world then how does the following work:
The weekly shop
Deliveries
Domestic plumbing, heating, electricty repairs
Domestic appliance repairs
Taxis
Blue Badge Holders
What do existing Residents do with their car ?
Hotels – deliveries, maintenance
B&B, AirBNB – having built up an economy with significant tourism how do these work?
In your binary world I take it you still will allow an ambulance to get through ? Or will it be ‘sorry for your loss, but we all have to make sacrifices’?
Not condoning the previous
Not condoning the previous comment, but SophisCyclist did resort to telling people to ‘f* off’ or ‘f* that’ on a couple of occasions when their usual sophistry failed them in the face of people clearly demonstrating what transparent nonsense it was.
“The problem is banning the
“The problem is banning the cars”. No it isn’t. It’s the solution. I don’t give a tinker’s cuss if it means you can’t move around as easily. How on earth does your desire to get around easily outweigh the desire of myself and others not to breathe in the pollution produced by your ton of metal, not to put up with its noise, not to have our children’s development impaired by its fumes? Not to mention having to avoid being run over by you. You selfish so and so!
Awavey wrote:
You poor thing. Walk, maybe? I’m sure it wouldn’t be an insurmountable issue. In any case, the traffic going into Brighton along the A23 is usually an enourmous pain in the @ss anyway, so closing the city centre off would be a boon.
You’re asking the wrong forum
You’re asking the wrong forum .
very true
very true 🙂
You’re asking the wrong forum
Duplicate
“If I’m visiting Brighton for
“If I’m visiting Brighton for business or leisure chances are high I’d be billeted in a hotel in the city centre and that I’ll have had to drive to get there from another distant part of the UK,so what’s going to be the solution to deal with that or the estimated 11million other visitors to Brighton”
Ummm, trains?
Siena? Venice? Doesn’t seem
Siena? Venice? Doesn’t seem to be a problem for the millions of visitors to those places does it?
eburtthebike wrote:
In the unlikely event that you are not familiar with it, there is loads of evidence here:
https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/3/shopkeepers-rely-on-people-driving
https://cyclingfallacies.com/en/6/people-with-physical-disabilities-can’t-cycle
Sriracha wrote:
Muchly useful; thanks.
Re Brighton and the ‘what
Re Brighton and the ‘what about the disabled’ issue that is often raised.
Well, the motorists who say this are just pissed that they won’t have disabled parking spaces to illegally use anymore. Tough titties!
Wow, Lord Blunkett, whoda’
Wow, Lord Blunkett, whoda’ thunk it? Cut the Sky guy down to size and preached the message – It doesn’t matter a jot how far anyone cycles, so leave ’em alone. And on yer bike mate!
Perhaps I better not mention
Perhaps I better not mention my last trip to Brighton involved a car and using the hotel’s car park. I did have 2 bikes on the roof though !
I’ve always liked David
I’ve always liked David Blunkett. I like him even more now.
Good point from Blunkett.
Good point from Blunkett.
“Penny farthing sales double
“Penny farthing sales double since the pandemic began”
So, they sold two?
Tuppence ha’penny then?
Tuppence ha’penny then?
My father has an original
My father has an original penny farthing tucked away at the end of their garage. It looks a long way up and I’ve never had the courage to have a go! Perhaps I should… any tips? Starting off looks problematic.
Starting, stopping, turning,
Starting, stopping, turning, spare parts.
serious question – are they road legal these days?
PRSboy wrote:
The real problem is, it’s a lot further on the way down.
If there were any brain cells
If there were any brain cells in the LTDA, they would be well and truly fried by the new cycle parking. This LBC late night presenter Cristo is a bit of anti-cycling rallying point at the mo – the taxi men and Fair Fuel so far.
Dear Fair Fuel re: ” the most heavily taxed motorist in the world” – given that cars appear to be getting bigger, more numerous and are being used for more trips, often quite short, I’m really not sure what point you’re trying to make. And if motoring did get cheaper, there’d be even more cars, more jams and no-one would get anywhere. Or am I missing something?
Finally, I wanted to share a snip from today’s Galibier email – it’s full stream ahead in the EU, it would seem.