Sassy traffic report warns of major delays…or six-minute cycle; Jeremy Vine spots Uber driver taking bike lane shortcut; Eating with tyre levers; Cycle path news; Josh Quigley fan club; Tony Martin bags fifth world title + more on the live blog

54 thoughts on “Sassy traffic report warns of major delays…or six-minute cycle; Jeremy Vine spots Uber driver taking bike lane shortcut; Eating with tyre levers; Cycle path news; Josh Quigley fan club; Tony Martin bags fifth world title + more on the live blog”

1. An example all local traffic

   An example all local traffic reports could usefully follow.  OK, if the example of cyclists flying past the drivers hasn’t worked yet, it might not persuade too many people, but it reinforces the message and as we know, repeating the message is vital for changing minds.

   Maybe they could also reiterate that it’s the people sitting in their cars listening to the radio that are causing the problem?

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   • If anyone has a journey which

     If anyone has a journey which averages less than 10 miles per hour, it would likely be quicker and cheaper by bike, or e bike, I guess the problem is when people have driven 20 miles in half an hour to the edge of the city, then join the traffic, and I’m not sure the solution is building huge car parks around the edge of the city where people can park and then cycle the rest.

      

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     • Maybe we shouldn’t be
       Maybe we shouldn’t be building new car parks but we should definitely be making use of existing ones.

       Most cities have stadiums or shopping centres on the outskirts which could be used for parking in the week allowing people to cycle the remainder of the way.

       A bit of revenue for the owner of the car park, exercise and time saved for the commuter.

       Win, win?

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       • Many towns and cities have

         Many towns and cities have Park and Ride, just make it Park and Cycle.

         Have been tempted in Cambridge before now.  Plenty of P&R and the car parking is free (as they expect you to pay for the bus).

         However I long ago worked out that P&R becomes expensive when the number of occupants increases so family/group of 4 will cost £10+ to effectivly park (4 bus fares) yet I can park in the City centre for less for a couple of hours.  So for your averyage Saturday shoppers it is not always cost effective and even I will sit in the queues to park in the centre is I have a car full.

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         • Ipswich has one of those http
           Ipswich has one of those http://www.suffolkonboard.com/cycle/Martlesham-park-cycle/ you have to apply for a free cycle locker to leave your bike overnight and I’m not sure how secure it would be even if Suffolk police HQ is notionally a neighbour.

           In theory a good idea but in practice the scheme breaks down because the routes into Ipswich from there aren’t that good or safe to ride on the road and there isn’t anything approaching safe secure bike parking in the town, so unless you are commuting and your office has its own storage facilities, its a non starter really.

           Plus I’d say 30minutes, even if their 10.7mph average speed calc is slow for an average cyclist, its beyond the tipping point of most people’s just hop in the car reaction to it, and its slower than the park & ride bus,though regular buses often take twice as long on a similar route.

           It’s barely been advertised/promoted either so I suspect uptake has been minimal.

         • DoomeFrog wrote:

           P&R becomes expensive when the number of occupants increases so family/group of 4 will cost £10+ to effectivly park (4 bus fares) yet I can park in the City centre for less for a couple of hours.  So for your averyage Saturday shoppers it is not always cost effective and even I will sit in the queues to park in the centre is I have a car full.

           — DoomeFrog

           And the externalised costs of driving are hidden and subsidised for drivers, whereas the costs of bus or tram into the city centre a usually paid by the passengers. For mass public transport, it isn’t a level playing field at all.

           I am surprised that people need to travel in to a city centre from outside for the weekly shop (as a whole family).  But then I don’t know Cambridge.  If it’s for more occasional, disrectionary spend like clothing or entertainment, is it so frequent that the convenience of P&R is outweighed by the cost?

         • Winchester has a Park & Ride

           Winchester has a Park & Ride scheme with a Park & Cycle option (£130 vs £644 to park and get the bus). The car park is next to a National Cycle Route so it’s a nice ride in to the city centre.

           https://www.winchester.gov.uk/parking/parkandride/season-tickets-park-and-ride

            

         • I used to use to Nottingham

           I used to use to Nottingham tram park and ride car parks for exactly that. Free to use car park at Toton and then a nice 25 minute cycle into the city centre along the canal path.

       • Which major UK cities are

         Which major UK cities are these?  London’s major Stadiums are all 5 miles + inside the M25 and very few have that level of parking.

         Maybe reduce train fairs to less than the incremental cost of driving may help.  Colleague at work dives into NW2 from Luton as the daily train fair is £20 than the incremental cost of using his car.

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         • Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester,
           Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield.

           I’m sure there are plenty more but you get the picture.

           Given that the cost is essentially zero you don’t need to have tons of parking at each site, any reduction in car journeys is useful and welcome.

         • Rich_cb wrote:

           Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester, Sheffield. I’m sure there are plenty more but you get the picture. Given that the cost is essentially zero you don’t need to have tons of parking at each site, any reduction in car journeys is useful and welcome.

           — Rich_cb

           Maybe if they designed these shopping centres and stadia with good traffic free cycling/walking routes into the city centres this would be a good deal.

           As it stands most places with free parking have restricted times, 2 hrs max or similar, so they’d need to change something but it wouldn’t take much to do a quick traffic survey to determine their spare capacity and implement some sort of long term permit system.

         • Cardiff are doing just that.
           Cardiff are doing just that.

           Fully segregated cycle path from the CCFC stadium to the city centre and beyond (*Buzz light-year voice*).

           I’ve been genuinely impressed with Cardiff council’s approach to cycling infrastructure recently, it’s not all perfect but some of it is incredibly good.

         • Don’t that team play in the

           Don’t that team play in the Cardiff arms stadium? If so I always classed that as being in the city centre. It if definitely closer then the main train station is to it. 

         • That’s the Cardiff Blues/
           That’s the Cardiff Blues/ Cardiff RFC (Rugby), they are right in the city centre.

           Cardiff City (Football) are on the outskirts, a few hundred yards from the (not quite complete) ring road.

         • Ahh, good to know. I knew

           Ahh, good to know. I knew they had moved grounds to a short distance away and had also seen the smaller ground next to the Millenium (or whatever it is titled now) when visiting the office we had there at the time, just put 2+2 together and ……

         • The new football ground is

           The new football ground is literally next door to where the old one was, as shown in this picture (the old ground has been demolished now).

            

         • rct wrote:

           Which major UK cities are these?  London’s major Stadiums are all 5 miles + inside the M25 and very few have that level of parking.

           Maybe reduce train fairs to less than the incremental cost of driving may help.  Colleague at work dives into NW2 from Luton as the daily train fair is £20 than the incremental cost of using his car.

           — rct

           London is probably an exception, because the stadia are not on the periphery of the city, and are generally well served by public transport, so no need for parking or space for parking

           West Ham  – Stratford on multiple lines

           Chelsea – Fulham broadway or Earls court

           Arsenal – Finsbury Park, Caledonian Road, Highbury and Islington, Arsenal

           Tottenham – a few rail stations

           Wembley – wembley stadium, wembley north, wembley park

       • There was someone who used to

         There was someone who used to park on a car park next to us and get his bike out to cycle the mile or so more he had to travel into the city centre. He only used to do it because the building was empty so didn’t have to pay for parking. The Morrisons across the way does all day parking permits as they have more spaces then needed. Those people are told to park on the top level as most shoppers use the lower two. I count 6 cars up their on a good day whilst watching all the cars jam up the road into the city centre. So good idea but most people won’t take it up as they prefer door to door (or at least less then a 15 min walk) if they have to pay for parking. 

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         • I think more people would do
           I think more people would do it if they were aware quite how much time it could save, stuff like the traffic announcement in the blog would certainly help with that.

           My street is regularly bumper to bumper with cars in the morning yet there’s free non resident parking and town is 5 mins away by bike. I find it crazy that people would rather sit in their car for half an hour!

         • Rich_cb wrote:

           I think more people would do it if they were aware quite how much time it could save, stuff like the traffic announcement in the blog would certainly help with that.

           — Rich_cb

           I suspect that traffic announcement will merely wind some motorists up even more, rubbing salt into their psychic wounds by reminding them that they didn’t actually have to be sitting in stationery traffic.

         • My boss, when time is

           My boss, when time is available, takes his bike in his car, drives to somewhere he can park for free, gets his bike out and rides the rest of the way in.  Joins my morning commute ride a bit in, which is wonderful and mostly off road. He even did it with the mud too…

         • Admittedly I don’t know how

           Admittedly I don’t know how much further the person in question travelled, however as mentioned, our office to the the city centre is 1 mile max. He probably spent as much time getting the bike in and out that walking it might have been almost quicker and definitely would have been more useful for fitness. 

       • An interesting and

         An interesting and constructive idea.  No fundamental reason why this shouldn’t work but I suspect that this may founder more on the “bike” part.  There’s “convenience” and “resistance to change”. There’s no reason why people can’t already do this with park and ride – albeit ideally you’d have good secure storage at the “park” so you can keep your short distance transport there (e.g. bike – or increasingly scooter).  Indeed I see from the comments that park and bike is official in a couple of places.  But I’m not aware that this is a major growth area. We’ve got a long way to go before the relative convenience of car over bike is low enough to make this mainstream.

         Wonder if there’s also a psychological barrier in that for many people their car is an extension of home – indeed sometimes “better” as it gives your own “space” away from those you live with.  It’s difficult to persuade people out when they haven’t finished the journey. If it was e.g. train and cycle or tram and cycle then you’ve already “left home” at the door.  Obviously the same applies to park and ride although there you’re still mostly “sitting inside your transport” for more of the journey.

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     • A lot of cities already have

       A lot of cities already have “park and rides” – it would just be changing the “ride” part from a bus to a bike. And I do in fact already know some commuters who use the park and ride exactly like that. I do recognise that a lot of park-and-rides are currently located in pretty awful locations for cycling (i.e. along trunk roads with no proper cycling infrastructure) so there’s definitely still work to be done. I also wonder if there are financial issues (i.e. parking is currently free but covered by the bus fare) – although I daresay those shouldn’t be insurmountable. 

       Edit: just saw that DoomeFrog had the same idea a minute before me!

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       • York has P&Rs where you’re

         York has P&Rs where you’re already allowed to park and cycle.

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     • wycombewheeler wrote:

       If anyone has a journey which averages less than 10 miles per hour, it would likely be quicker and cheaper by bike, or e bike, I guess the problem is when people have driven 20 miles in half an hour to the edge of the city, then join the traffic, and I’m not sure the solution is building huge car parks around the edge of the city where people can park and then cycle the rest.

       — wycombewheeler

       But most commuting car journeys are less than five miles, which could easily be ridden, and they are the ones causing most of the congestion, pollution and danger.

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       • The distance should be easily
         The distance should be easily rideable for most,once you get over the psychological feel it’s a long way for newbie cyclists, but is the route easy to ride ?

         5miles of near death experience every day is going to have you rushing back into your metal box safety cell quicker than you can say it.

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       • eburtthebike wrote:

         If anyone has a journey which averages less than 10 miles per hour, it would likely be quicker and cheaper by bike, or e bike, I guess the problem is when people have driven 20 miles in half an hour to the edge of the city, then join the traffic, and I’m not sure the solution is building huge car parks around the edge of the city where people can park and then cycle the rest.

         — eburtthebike

         But most commuting car journeys are less than five miles, which could easily be ridden, and they are the ones causing most of the congestion, pollution and danger.

         — wycombewheeler

         this is true, so anyone in congestion on their long commute should be looking first at any colleagues that live locally and still drive and not the one cyclists they were stuck behind for 30 seconds.

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     • I tend to agree.  Ideally

       I tend to agree.  Ideally bicycles and mobility vehicles etc. would be a “no brainer” solution to extend the “catchment area” of public transport such as trains, trams and buses.  So you have several networks – long (train), medium (bus) and short (walk / cycle).  Currently for many areas (even within cities) there’s either a lack of public transport or it has insufficient capacity / frequency or reliability. Most stops / stations lack the ability to securely store your bicycle and / or rent one as needed.

       Obviously people’s working locations and patterns change though.  Indeed in the Netherlands the average commute – already long – is going up (as of 2019).  (The car is also still overwhelmingly the major commuting mode there too). But multi-modal transport is much better understood and integrated.  They have a national network of rental bikes based at most stations.

       Bicycle Dutch has good posts on this including his commute.

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   • The bottom line is private

     The bottom line is private car ownership is too cheap, it is subsidised by us all and the planet to a huge extent. Until the real cost is passed on to the owner, nothing will change.  Obviously a very bitter political pill to swallow.  Otherwise the best amelioration is to take out as much of the upfront motoring costs as possible and pass them down to fuel, taxes etc. easily said than done, I’m no economist 🙂

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2. When I rule the world, riding

   When I rule the world, riding lost distances on a warm day and then taking the train home will be banned unless the rider also has a change of clothes and some wet-wipes with them. 

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   • Fursty Ferret wrote:

     When I rule the world, riding lost distances on a warm day and then taking the train home will be banned unless the rider also has a change of clothes and some wet-wipes with them. 

     — Fursty Ferret

     What does “riding lost distances” mean?

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     • When he rules the world it

       When he rules the world it will mean whatever the hell he wants it to mean!

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       • Typo. Riding *long* distances

         Typo. Riding *long* distances. Would have thought it was obvious?

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3. Couldn’t really take in much

   Couldn’t really take in much of the Netherlands news – I was far too distracted by the flapping shoulder strap / epaulette thingy that needed doing up.

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4. Taxi/Uber driver being a

   Taxi/Uber driver being a complete dick shocker! 

   I presume the inscrutable Mr Vine will be reporting this dangerous nobhead?

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   • Kendalred wrote:

     Taxi/Uber driver being a complete dick shocker! 

     I presume the inscrutable Mr Vine will be reporting this dangerous nobhead?

     — Kendalred

     He tagged Uber in the tweet – that might be the most effective form of reporting, if they bin the driver off the app (and they’ve been known to do that with much less cause).

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5. Am I missing something, how

   Am I missing something, how does JV know it is an Uber?  We don’t have Ubers round here so I have no idea how you can tell.

   Could be anyone performing multiple violations.  Surely this is one to submit to the police, I am sure CyclingMikey would be straight onto that.

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   • If you see a black Prius

     If you see a black Prius being driven shockingly badly in London, ten will get you one it’s an Uber, but also under local London regs they have to display an Uber sticker in the front and rear windscreens when working.

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   • Ubers are licensed as private

     Ubers are licensed as private hire vehicles, so will definitely have a plate on the back for that. Different councils have different requirements for PHVs, but in many areas they are required to identify the operator. Here in Southampton they have to have a large white sticker on the side of the car.

     It is however legal for PHVs to operate in areas other than where they are licensed, and so there are Ubers licensed elsewhere which don’t meet the local requirements and it may not be obvious that they are Ubers.

     The vast majority of non-Uber PHVs are working for a large local operator and would have some advertising for them even if they’re not in an area like Southampton that requires it. If you see an unbranded PHV, it’s quite likely to be an Uber.

      

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   • My wife and I were crossing

     My wife and I were crossing the road yesterday, on our way back from walking the dog in the park. We had to jump out of the way of a white Prius Uber being driven on the wrong side of the road as the driver jumped a queue at a set of of traffic lights. He went round two traffic islands on the wrong side of the road before making a right turn. I wish I’d stopped and taken a photo of his reg plate now. It would’ve been more amusing still if I’d waited long enough for the traffic coming in the other direction to face the driver head on. That would’ve made for an interesting roadside discussion.

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6. Anybody noticed the

   Anybody noticed the celebration that is World Car Free Day 2021?

   https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/world-car-free-day/

    

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   • I’m suprised the @roadcc

     I’m suprised the @roadcc folks haven’t picked this one up.  Does seem there’s a bit happening – in:

     Milton Keynes: https://getaroundmk.org.uk/events/world-car-free-day

     Harrow: https://www.harrow.gov.uk/news/article/10980/harrow-gears-up-for-world-car-free-day

     London: https://londoncarfreeday.com/

     And groups such as:

     Living streets: https://www.livingstreets.org.uk/about-us/our-work-in-action/world-car-free-day

     Shell oil! (Alright it’s their “energy” company but seems legit). Hmm… https://www.shellenergy.co.uk/firsttelecom/the-utility-room/take-part-in-world-car-free-day

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7. Over the weekend I had to do

   Over the weekend I had to do my commuting ride/train/ride, but for social reasons, and was disappointed that there was a bus replacement for some of the journey, and far too long just to ride.

   So I had to use the alternate trains, changing at Basingstoke, well if you have “luck” you can get the fast cross country from reading to Basingstoke, so I discovered that my 3 inch plus tyres don’t fit into most of the hooks and the tiny cubicles don’t apprecaite the narrower Jones H bars.  And if I do use the one useable hook, no-one else can use the cubicle.  First time I had taken the Ultimate Commuter on a voyager, doesn’t bode well for ever using GWR’s Hitachis.

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   • I struggle to get 35s in an
     I struggle to get 35s in an Hitachi hook.

     Also no easy way to get your bike out if you’re on the innermost hook and someone uses the outer hook.

     Plus you have to book these superb ‘facilities’ in advance.

     Anyone would think they simply didn’t want bikes on their trains…

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     • Oh, you old cynic, you!

       Oh, you old cynic, you! 😉

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8. Any Bristolians like to
   Any Bristolians like to expand on what this “bad” public transport actually translates to ?

   given some of us live in locations that have no bus services or public transport at all,when I’ve seen buses in Bristol,I’ve even seen a sort of nascent metro rail system there, though I never used them,preferring to walk.

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   • Buses are infrequent and not
     Buses are infrequent and not much use if you want to cross Bristol. Trains are pretty similar and traffic in central Bristol is extremely congested.

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     • I was looking more stuff like
       I was looking more stuff like the buses only run every hour, you need to take 3 buses to get to the city centre,it costs more than it costs to park,they take twice as long because of the routes they take, they arent reliable on route times, dont run after 6pm. Those kinds of things that make public transport impractical as a choice.

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       • Sorry, I rarely get buses
         Sorry, I rarely get buses despite having a bus stop 2 minutes from my house which goes directly to the centre. I just walk or cycle instead (40 minute walk to the centre).

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         • Dont apologise, I just wanted
           Dont apologise, I just wanted to understand the issue in abit more detail

9. https://www.bristol247.com

   https://www.bristol247.com/news-and-features/news/cyclist-injured-in-lorry-crash/

   So why was a “HGV” being driven along Priory Road, Clifton, anyway?  It’s not exactly a big main road.

   EDIT (1): Answered my own rhetorical question.  Google streetview from March shows a tipper truck and containers, where there’s obviously major building work going on.

   EDIT (2): Taken from the Bristol Post website just now (16.10)

   In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said: “Emergency services were called at 8.50am today, Wednesday 22 September, to a collision involving a woman cyclist and an HGV.

   “Sadly the woman died at the scene. While formal identification has yet to take place she’s believed to be in her 20s and her next of kin have been informed. Our thoughts are with them in their loss.

   “Road closures remain in place while collision investigators examine the scene and pending recovery of the vehicle.”

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10. In a pr shined world,
    In a pr shined world, Lefevere is a gloriously unvarnished individual. You might not like or even agree with what he says most of the time,but you’ve got to admire someone not willing to sugar coat answers to an audience.

    We have 9 WWT level and over 50 CTW, I neither want a complete duplication of the mens teams, or feel we need another womens pro team at the moment in the mix,especially not run by someone completely disinterested in it.

    And like it or not he had a valid point,which maybe is more the social media outrage cue, there is a lack of quality riders in the pro ranks at the moment.

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    • There are plenty of great
      There are plenty of great female riders. But to become a professional, they need someone to pay them. At least with Bennett’s withdrawal from the Worlds, Lefevre can return to bitching about his employees.

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