Are “borrowed” Lime bikes pushing London to Dutch levels of cycling?; Toronto’s “bicycle mayor” arrives to be sworn in leading hundreds of cyclists; Fabio Jakobsen abandons Tour de France; Park Lane cycling scenes in Hyde Park + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Fabio Jakobsen abandons Tour de France to recover from the stage 4 crash, to leave Soudal Quick-Step next season
Dutch sprinting specialist Fabio Jakobsen has announced this morning that he is going home from the Tour de France, after a tough edition of the Grand Boucle with his team Soudal Quick-Step, which he is set to leave next year.
He said: “Due to my stage four crash, and after discussions with the team, we decided it’s better for me to stop my Tour de France journey here. At this point it seems impossible for me to get to Paris, as I am not recovering, and my body is not healing from the crash.
“I’m very sad to leave the Grande Boucle, because I had big goals for this race and wanted to be at my best with the team. I will now take some time to recover and clear my head, and hopefully be back at my best later this season.”
Unfortunately, @FabioJakobsen will not start stage 12 of the #TDF2023.
Read more about it here and join us in wishing Fabio a speedy recovery: https://t.co/gprrpP3a1M
Photo: @GettySport pic.twitter.com/qHLxT2rZOP
— Soudal Quick-Step Pro Cycling Team (@soudalquickstep) July 13, 2023
A stage winner in last year’s Tour, beating the likes of Wout van Aert and Mads Pederson in a sprint to the finish line, Jakobsen hasn’t had the best of times in Bilbao and France so far this year.
> Fabio Jakobsen quickly edits Instagram post to remove sight of broken Specialized
He was expected by many, including our esteemed panel, to at least compete for the green jersey this year. However, the Wolfpack man has failed to win any stage so far, always a spectator from the back to the gripping action the four sprint stages has provided this year.
To add more to his miseries, he unfortunately was involved in a bad crash right at the final corner before the straight for the sprinters on stage four, leaving him bloodied and bruised. Oh, and his Specialized bike snapped in half, a photo of which he had posted on Instagram. And which we spotted with our keen eyes on the live blog before Jakobsen was presumably told to edit the post so as not to bring any bad name to the all-important bike sponsors of the team.
Speaking of the team, Jakobsen has confirmed that he will leave Soudal Quick-Step, who after some very strong showings in the Tour have failed to make an impact this year, struggling to offer the Dutchman opportunities to place himself in the bunch.
Reports suggest that team boss Patrick Lefevre wants to strengthen the climbing aspect of his team to support world champion Remco Evenepoel, who is not here in the Tour but set to ride in the Vuelta.
Jakobsen said: “If I stayed another two years, I would have to share my spot with Remco and another top sprinter. I want to go to the Tour, I want to sprint, that will not work at Soudal Quick-Step in the coming years.”
“I did talk to Patrick here in the Tour, on the bus,” he said. “At the end of the conversation, I got a hug. However, unfortunately, I can’t stay. I have to find another team.”
“It was coming beforehand, but I hadn’t seen Patrick after the spring. As the boss of the team, he also has to take stock and I can also talk to Patrick. We don’t want to break up with a fight.”
> Jakobsen’s team to proceed with legal action against Groenewegen over Tour de Pologne crash
The timing of Jakobsen’s decision to go home could also be based around the fact that none of the next six stages offer anything for the sprinters, as the already quite difficult Tour heads into the even more gruelling Alpine territory.
Which also leaves Soudal Quick-Step’s chances of getting a stage win looking very slim, with the only realistic way to victory through a breakaway. And from what we’ve seen so far, it could be incredibly difficult to get in one and make it all the way to line without being caught. But crazier things have happened so let’s not count them out.
Meanwhile, well wishes for the sprinter’s recovery have flooded on social media. road.cc wishes him a speedy recovery too!
Get well soon Fabio, so sad that that crash has ended your Tour ambitions. ❤️🩹
— Anna Mac 👑🪱 🌈🖤 (@AnnamacB) July 13, 2023
That’s a shame, I thought he was climbing really well in stages 1 and 2 so the shape was definitely there. Get well soon!
— Alexandra G (@_alegatz) July 13, 2023
Mark Cavendish avoids Tour de France comeback speculation, says recovery should be "number of weeks"
Speaking from beside his hospital bed back in the UK, Cavendish confirmed he successfully underwent surgery to fit plates to his fractured right clavicle, an injury slightly complicated by the screws from his 2014 Tour crash in Harrogate being affected.
Park Lane in Hyde Park, London is now permanent
Joy! Will Norman, London’s Walking and Cycling Commissioner has revealed that the cyclepath in Park Lane in Hyde Park, London is being made permanent.
Hyde Park is a much loved London gem, which gets v busy with people walking.
With more Londoners cycling, our Park Lane cycleway provides a safe alternative for bikes (accessible at night), prioritising the park for walking & slower cyclists.
We’re making Park Lane permanent. pic.twitter.com/E3mfmLNPGe
— Will Norman (@willnorman) July 13, 2023
"Arriving like a true queen": Toronto's "bicycle" mayor arrives to be sworn in, leading hundreds of cyclists on her first day
Now that’s what you call a city mayor! Olivia Chow, who made history last month, becoming the first ever Chinese-Canadian mayor of Toronto and ending over a decade of conservative rule in the city, had her swearing in ceremony yesterday.
And would you look at the scenes!
New Toronto mayor Olivia Chow arrives to be sworn in, leading hundreds of cyclists on her first day. pic.twitter.com/4Dc7XuAeph
— dave seglins (@cbcdaveseglins) July 12, 2023
> Toronto elects ‘bicycle mayor’ Olivia Chow
Nicknamed the ‘bicycle mayor’ for her ardent passion for cycling (she doesn’t even hold a driving licence), Chow led hundreds of cyclists on her first day to the swearin in.
The 66-year-old – who spoke in the run-up to the election about the need to create more cycling infrastructure in order to support Vision Zero – was notably up against right-wing anti-cycling candidate Anthony Furey, who even made removing all bike lanes on Toronto’s major roads a key part of his campaign.
Arriving like a true Queen!!!
— Matrraka (@Matrraka) July 12, 2023
Let’s see who can answer this question!
Wow. What politician in the UK would do this?
— patrickwillcocks (@patrickwillcock) July 12, 2023
I’ve got two…
You had one … pic.twitter.com/fHGPl75Oco
— Sunny Giron (@sunny_giron) July 12, 2023
— realJohnKotyk (@realJohnKotyk) July 13, 2023
The British democracy, ladies and gentlemen!
Chris Froome "let down" by Tour de France snub, blames "frustrating" equipment issues
Equipment issues again? At least no disc brake complaints this time…
> Chris Froome “let down” by Tour de France snub, blames “frustrating” equipment issues
"This stage is out of control!": Tour de France stage 12 so far...
What drama, what spectacle. A day that was expected to be one for the breakaway has not really developed into a clear one, because the peloton just won’t let them go!
We had Van der Poel attack and Wout van Aert follow (is there a better love story?), we had van Aert lead solo, then Skjelmose at the front, who was then joined by Kelderman and Soler, and just few seconds behind the ever-inseparable Vingegaard and Pogačar, sticking to each other’s wheels and not giving an inch. Okay, there might be a competitor for the MvdP and WvA love story.
MVDP ATTACKS, WVA FOLLOWS! It doesn’t matter when you read this. #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/fW1HXqR6Je
— Mihai Simion (@faustocoppi60) July 13, 2023
“This stage is just out of control. I don’t even know where to look!” said Eurosport GCN’s on-scooter expert Jens Voigt.
Jonas Vingegaard is riding like a crazy person and I absolutely love every second of it. 😍 #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/lIgWy3yAZX
— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) July 13, 2023
Has someone cracked UAE's code? Tigers = Jumbo Visma, Crocodiles = Bora??
Remember yesterday’s cryptic team radio from UAE Team Emirates?
“Everybody jump the tiger, when the crocodiles have to swim, you jump!” … WHAT?
Looks like someone’s cracked the message and solved the mystery of why were tigers and crocodiles roaming on French roads.
I think I’ve cracked the code! 💡
Tiger = yellow & black = Jumbo-Visma (Vingegaard)
Crocodiles = green = BORA-hansgrohe (Hindley)
“Jump the tiger” = position yourself ahead of TJV
“When the crocodiles have to swim” = when BOH are vulnerable in crosswinds
“You jump” = push on for… https://t.co/0y8yzqUxzd— Lukas Knöfler 💙💛 (@lukascph) July 12, 2023
Now wouldn’t it be funny if UAE’s DS just did it again for the laughs?
E-bikes and e-scooters to be banned from part of Thames Path
Hammersmith and Fulham Council says the PSPO will be in effect soon, with exemptions for disabled people using mobility aids and parents transporting children, with riders soon facing a £100 fixed-penalty notice if caught riding along parts of the Thames Path in London.
> E-bikes and e-scooters to be banned from part of Thames Path
Some more uplifting cycle lane news...
Some live reporting from road.cc stalwart Simon MacMichael with images of the C9 extension westwards from Kew Bridge in west London, which he says is “starting to take shape nicely”.
You can see Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium poking its head up immediately above the road narrows sign to the right of the petrol station.
He added: “Once this is built through to Brentford, it will be possible to pretty much cycle all the way from Stratford to Brentford on protected or off-road cycle lanes (and beyond those, off route paths either end eg River Lea to the east, Syon Park/Thames Path to the west).”
“Except for Kensington ******* High Street.”
First the Park Lane in London and now this today? Which one of you has made a deal with the devil…
How do you make sense of that stage?! Cofidis gets second win in 15 years today through Ion Izagirre
After 15 winless years, Cofidis has done it, and not just one, twice!
It was a long time coming for Izagirre but he performed a master piece with a solo win from 30KM out. Relive the last KM ⤵️
Elle aura pris du temps, mais Ion Izagirre retrouve enfin la victoire sur le Tour, après un run solitaire spectaculaire ⤵️ #TDF2023 @continental_fr pic.twitter.com/DYYjouXe3l
— Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 13, 2023
After Victor Lafay’s shock win in stage two which saw him wear the green jersey, the French cycling outfit has won another stage, as the brilliant rider from the Basque country, Ion Izagirre broke away solo to close off a fitting finale to what was a thrilling day for fans, but a brutal day for the riders.
In a stage fuelled by a flurry of non-stop attacks, which saw several brilliant riders like Van der Poel, Van Aert, Ciccone, and Skjelmose trade in leads, go for solo breakaways, pace the peloton and not give anyone more than a few minutes of breathing space, it was Izagirre who came out on top.
Until the final 30km, it looked like Van der Poel had things under control, going solo first and then joined by Pinot and Jorgensen. However, as the trio allowed the chasing pack to close off. It was then that Izagirre put the hammer down and decided to go off solo, diving down the steep descent of Col de la Croix Rosier.
He soon put 30 seconds, then 40 and then eventually won the stage with a lead of astonishing 58 seconds; the final kilometre or so a mere procession as he basked in the French sun of a Tour which started from his home region.
BRAAAVOOO ! 🥇#TDF2023 📸 @GettySport pic.twitter.com/BH0Es3YKJT
— Team Cofidis (@TeamCOFIDIS) July 13, 2023
In the GC, no changes at the top, but home hero Thibaut Pinot jumps into the top 10, moving up five places after what was a strong performance in a very difficult stage.
Today’s podium was rounded up by TotalEnergies’ Mathieu Buegaudeau and Movistar’s Matteo Jorgensen.
Oh and just in case you missed it, never count out Van der Poel to bring elite cyclocross skills to the Tour.
Mathieu van der Poel risking life and limb to get the largest possible gap before the next climb. 😳 #TDF2023 pic.twitter.com/ZjYUI6xLx4
— Benji Naesen (@BenjiNaesen) July 13, 2023
10 ways to make the Tour de France even better — no weight limits, eliminations stages, tandems + more
Another top video from Jamie! Hey, I’m not watching YouTube videos while blogging if it’s made by road.cc!
New Specialized road bike leaked with unique oversized head tube — is this the new Tarmac SL8 or a revamped Roubaix?
Come on now, where are all those who were going on about this being a TT bike?
Back in January, we had already speculated that we may see a new Tarmac SL8 this year. Although our predictions were for before the Tour de France, after some course correction, we now expect the new bike to show its face just in time for Remco Evenepoel to defend either his World Champion title or the Vuelta.
However, some of his teammates might have gave the game away prematurely though, as these leaked images appear to show a new Specialized road bike that is certainly different to anything we’ve seen previously.
Read more about the yet to be released bike here:
"Click-clack of anti-capitalism" or "free-range bikes": Are teens "borrowing" locked Lime bikes pushing London to Dutch levels of cycling?
Click-click-click-click-CLACK. Click-click-click-click-CLACK.
No, I’m not humming the intro to some Dutch techno-anthem, neither is it the noise made by the zombies from The Last of Us. It’s the sound of a ‘hacked’ Lime bike hurtling past you.
But Guardian journalist and cycling campaigner Peter Walker believes that the with more and more teenagers “borrowing” the locked Lime bikes pushing London to the levels of biking seen in the hallowed, mythical land of the Dutch?
The rate at which London’s teenagers are “borrowing” locked Lime bikes at the end of the school day, some of my local secondaries are heading for near-Dutch levels of cycling modal share.
— Peter Walker (@peterwalker99) July 12, 2023
If you didn’t know, the lime-coloured, well, Lime bikes are the e-bike hire scheme popular in several boroughs of the capital (as well as Manchester and Milton Keynes). They are supposed to be unlocked using the smartphone app and dropped off at the designated parking bays after use.
Supposed to be.
However, there are ways to get around the unlocking, which went viral a couple months ago on TikTok, as people hacked them to ride without the battery assistance, which resulted in users “dumping the bikes with impunity”, according to one council.
> People have been hacking Lime e-bikes to ride them without power
Peter Walker, however, says that this ‘hacking’ has allowed schoolgoing teenagers to use them at the end of the school day, with him claiming that some of his local secondaries are “heading for near-Dutch levels of cycling modal share”.
“Lime should get some sort of NHS grant for their contribution to teenage activity levels. Manually pedalling a bike that heavy definitely falls into ‘strenuous’ exertion,” he added.
I’ve heard it called “the click clack of anti capitalism”. Personally I call them “free range bikes”. I live on a hill, and I often see (or hear) quite slight youngsters pedaling up the road unassisted. Those bikes are bloody heavy without the motor, credit to the kids.
— Georgina Wilcox (@GeorginaWilcox) July 13, 2023
Twitter user and frequent cycling advocate @BobFromAccounts wrote: “Unpopular opinion: The next mayor should be funding free bikes for the young ‘uns, thus creating a whole new generation of bike people, fewer cars and cleaner air whilst in turn positively annoying many of the car-brained.”
While Andy Hillier, a journalist wrote: “I hired one the other day. My teenage son was shocked I actually paid to use one.”
As long as we are discussing popular and unpopular opinions, here are my two cents, echoed by @CHAIRRDRF.
Unusual (and unpopular?) opinion: Evidence for me that if more people had access to convenient and secure bike parking, + subsidised kit/accessories for low income people – there would be a lot more cycling!
— CHAIRRDRF (@CHAIRRDRF) July 12, 2023
Walker said that the clicking noise they make can be a good thing as it alerts others of their ‘arrival’ — they can’t stop pedalling or the back wheel locks up, hence the waywardness; others were far less forgiving of the sound.
Had two booked today that proceeded to head off all on their own before I got there. Very disconcerting – feels like you’re going mad.
— Chris Davies (@crd37) July 12, 2023
It does make one wonder though, how is Lime making any money off these things?
A Lime spokesperson’s said that the company was aware of a “limited issue related to unlocked bikes being ridden without any power in London, and have worked to identify hardware solutions to prevent it, which are now being tested”.
The firm also said that it is encouraging users to report any videos of tampering or vandalism to its e-bikes to the relevant social media platform, and is “seeking to work with the likes of TikTok to implement a process where they are removed”.
Apparently, a fix should be coming later this year, and with the increasing rates, you’d expect the bosses at Lime’s lime-coloured office and wearing lime-coloured suits to be working on something to deal with this.
Until then…
Future tour de france winner in there somewhere….
— Ben Williams (@WaldoMumbles) July 12, 2023
13 July 2023, 09:06
13 July 2023, 09:06
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@jackcycles What a coincidence! I was at my local bike shop only last week, a Tuesday I think it was. I'd been watching my tomato plants not growing all morning so I said to my pal "it ain't no use to sit and wonder why Dave" and off I went. On the way back two cyclists were approaching and the wind began to howl. I'd seen them earlier knocking on Evans's door so I invited them in to take shelter from the storm. After the idiot wind had subsided and one more cup of coffee they were on their way again.Anyway, I don't think I saw any e-bikes at all, just a bloke on his way to a cello class. I'll tell you what though - I ain't buying any plants from Maggies farm no more. No sirree Bob.
And again- looking like photos don't work on ebiketips. Take my word for it- Marcus Wright's Transit is shown just up the road from the Old Garstang Police Station with his gear outside, on a joinery job
@chrisonabike wtjs here with examples of some other powered “illegal vehicles” for which drivers *do* need to have insurance (and tax and MOT) but where that hasn’t happened in some years? As if by magic! With the connivance of Lancashire Constabulary officers up to the rank of Inspector, HN21 VXB is today still driving around Garstang without being bothered by the police- despite being reported first on 28.8.25 for what is now the year without MOT (must be officially without insurance by now?) and over two years without VED. Edit- today's photo hasn't appeared and the editing system doesn't yet include a means of dealing with photos.
Crowd fund a court case against Birmingham Police. They need to be held accountable for the bike and their dodgy science
Looks wonderful. One minor issue with the article. I went to the Gloria website and it looks like the anodized is actually 400 quid more than the sand blasted finish. It's a bit confusing, though.
@darnac Richard Virenque and his French Festina colleagues didn't exactly get a free ride in '98.
That said - there are no shortage of delivery riders in my part of Edinburgh riding "clearly illegal" machines (because throttle being used at speed so almost certainly not EAPCs). OTOH I'm slow and they're not all blowing by me; so in practice perhaps less drama? I think the problems tend to be limited by "most delivery riders don't make much money". Indeed I believe the most common scheme is for several people to *hire* a bike together and then ride the heck out of it in shifts. The really high-power ebikes are (currently) more pricey. So ... i guess it's harm minimisation by capitalism? (Not that the sellers care even enough to eg. pass on "you can't use this on the road mate"). The real "looks like a motorbike to me" ones seem to be limited to those presumably on more profitable errands than delivering groceries. Or scrotty yoof - I'm guessing of the local "dodgy families". But maybe that changes around eg. Chelsea or Sloane and it's a plague of racing rahs?
If anyone wants to do something to help, the Cyclists' Defence Fund is appealing for donations. Can't post a link without ending up in comment purgatory, but easy enough to find if you just google (well, easy enough to find how to donate to the CDF; the specific appeal related to this case is a bit harder to find, but "cdf appeal e-bike" seems to work for me. If you go through the appeal page, you get a free mug featuring Dave Walker's drawings).
@jackcycles 1. No evidence that the rider was a delivery driver or carrying a "silly blue delivery bag"; 2. There is no legal requirement for bicycle delivery riders to have insurance any more than any other cyclist; 3. People who want illegally fast ebikes don't rent £6K Terns, which are difficult and expensive to hack to exceed 25 km/h, when they can get a cheap bike and conversion kit for about £400 that will do silly fast speeds. 4. Re bike shop owner dragged down the street by an ebike, I'll take things that never happened for $500; 5. Are you Nigel?
27 thoughts on “Are “borrowed” Lime bikes pushing London to Dutch levels of cycling?; Toronto’s “bicycle mayor” arrives to be sworn in leading hundreds of cyclists; Fabio Jakobsen abandons Tour de France; Park Lane cycling scenes in Hyde Park + more on the live blog”
The cyclist ahead of Mark
The cyclist ahead of Mark Cavendish in that photo, must be a giant – Mark Cavendish isn’t short.
More of this please, Cav is
More of this please, Cav is the same height as me, and the general consensus is that I am short!
Definitely not short.
Definitely not short.
You won’t be “dunking baskets” (I believe that is the correct sportsball term) but you also don’t need help reaching shelves in the supermarket!
Best I can do is dunking
Best I can do is dunking bagels.
SimoninSpalding wrote:
5’9″, 20 years ago that used to be average height for an adult male in the UK, but it seems like the younger generation is taller, so now we (you me and Mark Cavendish) might be slightly below average
HoldingOn wrote:
It’s Cees Bol who’s 6’4″ (194cm) and 83kg so yep, a big lad!
ETA Cav also likes a ridiculously small bike size (when he was on Specialized he rode a 49cm frame) which makes him look way smaller than he is.
Great, so I am the height of
Great, so I am the height of Cav, but the weight of Cees Bol
SimoninSpalding wrote:
You share the measurements of two professional cyclists – you must be amazing!
SimoninSpalding wrote:
Never mind the quality, feel the width…
SimoninSpalding wrote:
I’m 4 inches shorter than Bol but 3kgs heavier at the moment, so I feel your pain!
He’s 5’8, and his bike looks
He’s 5’8, and his bike looks like a kids bike compared to mine, so I’d say fairly short
According to wikipedia he is
According to wikipedia he is 1.75m (5ft 9″ for oldies and brexiteers)
Not many would consider him tall, I would estimate him to be below average height, but on looking that up its only by about 25mm or so
HoldingOn wrote:
Short arse and giant cyclist you say?
I think the fact that having
I think the fact that having a stolen lime bike is considered cool is a key aspect to the success that wouldn’t be replicated by a free bike system.
Lime’s losses from theft should be subsidised.
The kids are commendable for
The kids are commendable for their ingenuity. But the hire scheme, even with the “unauthorized use” is somewhat successful. The manner of its current operation should be re-evaluated whilst continuing, or even increasing, the actual service being provided.
I live in a corner of the West Midlands which has its own fleet of “boris bikes”, and I have been tempted to try them. The only reason I haven’t is that my own bikes are more than capable for what I need them for, and for commuting purposes I would need to go through an area outside the bikes’ designated travel area, so they would stop working. But I have seen them used a fair few times, so the scheme is being utilised. About the only decent thing Andy Street and Boris Johnson have ever done in their careers.
Yep. Doesn’t show any
Yep. Doesn’t show any special desire for cycling in the UK. (Other than “we know a large fraction of people will cycle if we only make it convenient enough, because they do in NL, parts of Scandinavia etc. even though there are lots of cars there, they have “weather” etc.)
It’s been a while since I’ve
It’s been a while since I’ve grumbled about the Park Row cycle lane in Bristol… 😉
On the Will Norman / Hyde
On the Will Norman / Hyde park cycle path – presumably that video is showing that the painted line and odd bicycle symbol is not working and they’re going to make a cycle path elsewhere / very clearly separate from pedestrian area, right?
Typical for the UK though – we’re stuck where we are because cycling is a very niche thing. There is certainly current pent-up demand for car-free walking space. And because cycling is niche much more of that than for cycling space. And that’s then made difficult because a) our “lump cyclists and pedestrians together” designs / policies and b) many people want to drive to the walk, or get irritated because their car journey is held up by others driving to a walk…
Reminder to Will – there are a (very) few places where “sharing” works, but here’s how to do pedestrians and cyclists:
I think Will Norman is
I think Will Norman is referring to the existing cycle path on Park Lane, Mayfair – the posh street next to Hyde Park with all the fancy hotels and car dealerships.
Introduced during Covid, it has been controversial (surprise surprise), with critics suggesting that cyclists already have the option to use roads and paths through the park itself. This Tweet is designed to counter those arguments.
Creakingcrank wrote:
Thanks – it wasn’t entirely clear to me that he wasn‘t saying “look! We’re even letting you cycle here (as long as you don’t go much faster than the pedestrians)!”
Sounds like Will Norman is coming on a bit. There was quite a bit of skepticism when he started (to be fair that was as much about the whole administration).
Particularly black cab
Particularly black cab drivers, with their legendary further driver training and their inability to find any sort of different route…
chrisonatrike wrote:
And you just know that all those pedestrians walking along in the cycle lane will be grumbling about “bl00dy cyclists”…
brooksby wrote:
They can actually often get quite confrontational, I was already eschewing that path in the spring and summer in favour of Park Lane even before the cycle lane was built. It is a ridiculous path, in the usual way of Royal Parks (as you can see in the video) there is a metre and a half for cyclists and about three metres for pedestrians, but there are big signs in the cycle path stating “Pedestrian priority”.
Dutch levels of cycling?
Dutch levels of cycling?
At a couple of schools at kicking out time.
Only a Guardian journo could come out with such tripe.
Owd Big ‘Ead wrote:
Yeah, tosser! Or… is there just the smallest chance that he might have been having a joke about the number of hacked lime bikes that are being ridden around our neighbourhood (and it’s huge, saw more hacked ones than legit hires this morning)? I know it sounds silly and probably he’s a complete idiot who believes that we have Dutch levels of cycling because of what’s going on at a couple of schools at kicking out time, but you never know…
Well I guess we’ll just need
Well I guess we’ll just need to look at the numbers.
Obviously things in a particular locality can be very different from the national picture (particularly in some areas of London – where there is cycling infra).
1) Sustrans (2021 survey) found that nationally 2% of UK children cycle to school.
2) “The web says” in the Netherlands, 75% of children cycle to school; in Belgium 30% – though i can’t find the original source for those figures (although if you want lots of details there’s here for example and the usual suspects have articles from longer ago…)
So I bet it’s somewhere between (1) and the Belgian figure in (2) – which would of course be great…
I’m sick of the sound of
I’m sick of the sound of stolen Lime bikes clicking past my window all night: they manage to get through the soundproofing better than the car noises.
More seriously, their riders are anti-social pricks: hopping on and off pavements without looking, weaving between pedestrians at (surprising) speed. When they’re done, the bikes are dumped: middle of the pavement, jutting into the road, basically wherever they stop and fuck anyone with visual or mobility impairments, or a pushchair, or just not expecting their way to be blocked.
Lime don’t seem to care much about this, so they need to be made to. Fine them for bikes dumped anti-socially, stolen or not. Take their licence to pollute the streets away if they don’t sort it out within six months. That might get them to take some action.