Family told to remove bike shed due to planning breach; New cycle paths branded “unsuitable” and “dangerous” by locals; Charity cyclist riding Britain’s coastline; Cargo bike boom; African World Championships; Team car puncture + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
New cycle paths branded "unsuitable" and "dangerous" by locals
Only the path in your last image appears to be finished.
Unbound gravel is not an accessible surface, nor a surface suitable for cycling. https://t.co/L1lZMyK5iE
— Sam 🚴🌱🍻Ⓥ (@MCRCycleSam) May 4, 2021
Stockport Council proudly paraded the pictures of these new cycle paths that have been opened as part of their Town Centre Access Plan—an initiative to improve cycling and walking routes to the town centre. However, most of the paths between Bredbury Hall, Pear Mill, Woodbank Park and Cow Lane have been laid using unbound gravel which local riders have branded “unsuitable” and “dangerous”.
Peaks & Puddles gave us a closer look at the loose surface…
So can you confirm, is fully open the same as fully finished or is there still a finer top layer to go on? Surely?!
[inserts local newspaper style photo] pic.twitter.com/aUKZJY1Zk2
— Peaks & Puddles 🚲 (@peaksandpuddles) May 4, 2021
It has not just been seasoned cyclists who have complaints either. Matt Jackson pointed out the dangers of trying to teach his children to ride on it, while another commenter said it is terrible for wheelchair users.
Excellent to see the network progressing
The surface you’ve laid, as pointed out by others here, dangerous
My children have struggled to cycle on it…too loose…easy to fall off and become injured@cllrdavidm and @SMBC_chiefexec — I trust you have this in hand
— Matt Jackson (@doc_matt_jacko) May 4, 2021
Town Centre Access for who? I notice you’ve answered the question about location but you’re ignoring the many questions about surface choice and accessibility…
— Dr Sam Hayes is job hunting (@DrSamHayes1) May 4, 2021
UCI president confirms 2025 World Championships will be hosted by an African nation for the first time
Meeting today with HE President @PaulKagame and Minister of Sports @AuroreMimosa about the development of cycling in Rwanda and the potential hosting of the 2025 UCI Road World Championships.
Thanks a lot Mr. President for the attentiveness and support to our sport! pic.twitter.com/M7YO5fCwJz
— David Lappartient (@DLappartient) May 3, 2021
UCI president David Lappartient has confirmed that the 2025 UCI World Championships will be hosted by an African country for the first time in the sport’s history. Lappartient confirmed the news from Rwanda, where Sporza reports he is currently attending the Tour du Rwanda. That trip may turn out to be something of a scouting mission as the country’s capital Kigali is one of two cities being considered for the historic event—Tangier in Morocco is the other possible location.
“The UCI has decided that 2025 will be the year of Africa,” Lappartient said. “For the first time since the creation of the UCI on April 14, 1900, the World Cup will be held in Africa. We have two official candidates: Kigali in Rwanda and Tangier in Morocco. On September 24, the UCI will decide who will organise the 2025 event.”
The news has been somewhat overshadowed by the story that broke yesterday about the row between the UCI and WADA over the Chris Froome doping case. In a letter written in the days following the investigation against Froome being dropped, Lappartient told WADA president Sir Craig Reedie that it “appears to be placing full responsibility for the decision squarely on the UCI’s shoulders.”
Josh Quigley sets new date in July for second crack at seven-day cycling distance world record attempt
What’s the plan going forward?
We are now working towards a new date in July to make another attempt at the 7 Day Cycling World Record.
This gives us about 12 weeks and is plenty time for my knee injury to heal.
Another rapid fast rehabilitation is under way! 🔥
🚴♂️🥇🌎 pic.twitter.com/bgyKEk8zvE
— Josh Quigley (@JoshQuigley2026) May 5, 2021
Undefeated by being forced to pull out of his world record attempt on Friday due to a knee injury, Josh Quigley has set a new date in July. He is hoping the next 12 weeks will allow his injury to heal and he can get back to training for the epic 320-mile per day target he set himself to break the current record of 2,177 miles. So far Josh has raised £9,213 of his £10,000 target with all donations going to Arthritis Action.
It is not just the riders who suffer punctures
Are we doing this right @MercedesAMGF1 ?🤔
Follow @INEOSGrenadiers on TikTok for more: https://t.co/LidgN3XBQu pic.twitter.com/JULDVLY0PG
— INEOS Grenadiers (@INEOSGrenadiers) May 5, 2021
Cycling the entire coastline of mainland Britain for the RNLI
Harry Lidgley is cycling the entire coastline of mainland Great Britain to raise money for the RNLI. The 23-year-old’s route will take him 7,000km, the equivalent of riding from Land’s End to John O’Groats five times. Harry will be calling in at all 168 lifeboat stations along the route to raise money and awareness about the work they do.
He has set himself the target of completing the challenge in 42 days and will need to cover 65,000m of climbing to get back to the finish in Poole by mid-June. Harry has an interactive map on the challenge’s website where you can track his progress. He is currently coming back up the west coast of Cornwall having most recently reached the lifeboat station in Newquay.
Questions asked of Stockport Council's new bike paths' loose gravel surface
Hi Sam – we’re speaking to the team and will update this post when we receive a response. Thank you
— Stockport Council (@StockportMBC) May 5, 2021
Hopefully we will get some answers shortly from Stockport Council about this morning’s main blog story. The consensus on the original post and in the comments here is that loose gravel is a terrible choice for accessible paths and completely unsuitable for cycling, wheelchair users or families with prams or young children on balance bikes. All round not very useful then.
Here are some of your thoughts:
“Loose gravel is an appalling surface for any path users. Self-binding gravel can be very nice, there’s a wood near where I live that has a very pleasant path path that is some sort of self binding gravel path – it handles leaf litter extraordinarily well. The one place they’ve used asphalt is the one place you really don’t want it… under a bunch of trees. Unless they spend a fortune keeping it clear, that will become treacherous in the autumn,” jh2727 wrote.
eburtthebike commented: “Quite why a council would use such a blatantly obviously unsuitable surface is beyond me; does no-one on the council ride a bike, use a wheelchair or push a buggy? If such a glaring error can pass their conception, design and construction processes, there is something very wrong with them. Or was it a case of ‘it’s only pedestrians/cyclists, so we’ll put the freshest, least experienced, least knowledgable graduate on it’. Worse, they don’t appear to have consulted the people it was supposed to serve, and even Sustrans use crushed stone. Honestly, if this was Denmark or Holland they’d die laughing.”
Hopefully, we will have some answers from Stockport Council for you this afternoon…
Residents voice objections as workers attempt to remove historic bollards
Police are on the scene now after raised voices and scuffles. The residents have a point. This would be a daft place for any kind of through road – onto a back lane much used by dog walkers and young children pic.twitter.com/LF0q333CQD
— david whetstone (@DavidJWhetstone) May 5, 2021
These bollards have been in place for more than 30 years, according to local journalist David Whetstone. It is not entirely clear who has ordered the works, with Newcastle City Council insisting they are private contractors. Whetstone reports the workers will replace the bollards with collapsible ones, possibly justified as a means of allowing emergency services access. However, residents feel the road has existed as it is without problem for years and have concerns about any form of through road linking the quiet back lane, which is popular with dog walkers and families, to the busier next street.
Cargo bike sales up 354% in France as the country scales up its plans for cycling
🎆Cargo bike sales grew by 354% in France last year! I’d normally shout “incredible!” but this is indeed credible because this is a trend around Europe.
🇫🇷France has a plan for scaling up its cycle logistics – formidable! https://t.co/Jwg7tNJ0gH
— Philip Amaral (@AmaralPhilip) May 4, 2021
The French ‘Plan for the Development of Cycling’ is an interesting read this lunchtime. The government is putting a cyclology plan into action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport of goods, with cargo bikes at the heart of the strategy.
Accelerated by the health crisis of the past year, the development of deliveries in cities led to the statistic that in Paris, transport of goods represents 15-20 per cent of traffic but generates 45 per cent of fine particles emitted. To address this, the government plans to promote use of cargo bikes by offering employers financial assistance and improved infrastructure.
The full document with the extensive plans can be read here…
Remco Evenepoel realistic about his chances ahead of return to racing at the Giro d'Italia
— Remco Evenepoel (@EvenepoelRemco) May 3, 2021
Remco Evenepoel is looking forward to pinning a race number on his jersey for the first time since August. The 21-year-old star of Belgian cycling will make his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d’Italia this weekend in Turin. Evenepoel has not raced since the Il Lombardia crash where he was thrown off a bridge into a ravine and he is not putting any pressure on himself to be challenging for the maglia rosa in his first race back.
“I’m happy to race again after such a long period, during which I worked hard to be ready for my first Grand Tour,” he said. “Being my first race since last August means that we’ll need to see how my body will react. We will take it day by day and see how things go. The most important thing is that I am back with my teammates and staff again, which makes me very happy.”
Should Evenepoel be a touch shy of his prodigious best, Deceuninck-Quick-Step have a decent second card to play in last year’s fourth placed rider João Almeida. “Last year it was an incredible Giro,” Almeida said. “The team put in a huge effort in what was an amazing but at the same time hard three weeks. We fought for a good result, and in the end, I finished fourth on the GC.
“I would like to be up there again, fight for a nice result and keep a good feeling, which is the most important thing. Hopefully, things will go well and we’ll score some nice results. This year, the mountain stages are going to play a more important role in the final outcome, which means consistency will be the key.”
Brit James Knox will be part of the Quick-Step squad supporting their two leaders. Roll on Saturday…
UK's first cycling club for emergency service workers
Bluelight Cycling Club is the UK’s first cycling club for emergency service workers and stemmed from the idea of three Met Police officers—Colin Nye, Neil Turner and Dan Bryant—who planned to cycle from London to Paris to raise money for police charities following the death of a friend.
After plenty of interest from colleagues, the ride soon exceeded the capabilities of the organisers. Unfortunately, while that planned ride was ultimately cancelled due to covid, the underlying interest in cycling among emergency service workers has led to the newly-formed Bluelight Cycling Club.
“The enthusiasm of the co-founders, the original committee and our business partners has led to something truly amazing being created,” retired flying squad detective sergeant Neil Turner said. “Dealing with traumatic events and the wellbeing of others while juggling concerns for our families and our own personal safety has been a delicate balancing act. Our aim, going forward, is for the club to actively support wellbeing for those who work in the emergency service arena.”
The non-profit community club will welcome riders from the police, NHS, fire and rescue services, HM Coastguard, RNLI, HM Prison Service, armed forces, National Crime Agency and search and rescue organisations.
7mesh resumes shipping to the UK after opening new distribution centre
7mesh Cycling Apparel are resuming shipping to the UK after opening a new distribution centre in Thurrock. The centre will allow the brand to post clothing out to UK customers, overcoming the challenge of post-Brexit shipping. General manager, John Zopfi explained the news: “The United Kingdom has emerged as an important and welcoming international market for 7mesh. Making this investment helps ensure that 7mesh fans and partners in the UK will continue to be able to order from dedicated in-country inventory and pay in GBP with no duty or import costs added on.”
Brian Smith appointed as new pathway director at Scottish-based team The Cycling Academy
We’re delighted to announce @BriSmithy is joining us as our Pathway Director and will be helping us create the next generation of professional cyclists from Scotland https://t.co/oDIQA1Kdug #cycling #cyclingScotland #Powerofthebike #mongrelsatwork pic.twitter.com/76TIWbY5Ai
— The Cycling Academy (@TheCyclingAcad1) May 5, 2021
Cycling Industry News reports that Brian Smith will help bring through the next generation of Scottish cyclists in his new role as pathway director for The Cycling Academy. The new team based in Scotland has said its goal is to help develop Scotland’s first WorldTour rider in 25 years.
While David Millar has ridden in cycling’s top tier since, he was brought up in Hong Kong and The Cycling Academy wants to see Scottish cyclists coming through their home country’s system making it to the top.
“At the start of this project, we realised there is a 25-year gap since Scotland produced a domestically developed WorldTour cyclist. Brian and David Millar are in fact the only World Tour Scottish riders since the glory days of Robert Millar in the 1980s. Brian built a world-class palmares including two British Championships, before getting involved in many aspects of the professional sport. On and off the bike I always considered Brian to be the epitome of professionalism in sport, so it’s a huge achievement to have him support the work we’re doing,” team director James McCallum said.
Leicester City Council wants family's homemade eco bike shed removed because it is not in keeping with the Victorian character of the area
A Leicester-based family were disappointed to be told by the city’s council that they must remove their homemade eco bike shed as it is not in keeping with the Victorian character of the street. Kavi Pujara’s family has been told they are unlikely to receive permission from the planning department as they live in a conservation area and the family is now asking for help compiling comments of support in the council’s planning portal.
“We are a family of four cyclists who last September made an eco bike shed in our front garden,” Pujara wrote on Facebook. “It is made of sustainably grown wood and has a sedum living roof. Other houses in the same terrace have converted their front gardens to driveways for parking multiple cars—so there really isn’t a homogeneous Victorian look to the street anyway.”
Labour councillor Lindsay Broadwell urged people to support the family’s cause. “Today in Leicester putting a bike shed in your garden is apparently a planning breach, according to the council,” she said. “We simultaneously want to encourage cycling but want to make it hard for people to store their bikes safely? But cars on-street is fine?
“You can write in support of the family and I encourage you to do so. The council’s line is ‘it’s not in keeping with the Victorian character of the area’—the Victorians invented and popularised cycling. And sheds, for that matter.”
5 May 2021, 08:01
5 May 2021, 08:01
5 May 2021, 08:01
5 May 2021, 08:01
Help us to bring you the best cycling content
If you’ve enjoyed this article, then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99. Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist, independent reviews, impartial buying advice and more. Your subscription will help us to do more.
78 Comments
Read more...
Read more...
Read more...
Latest Comments
Same here. I have a helmet with built in front and rear lights and have a red light clipped onto my bag plus lights attached to my bike front and rear but still have drivers putting me in danger. My commute is about two miles and I normally have around four incidents a week where I have to brake hard or take other evasive action to avoid being hit by distracted drivers. A big percentage of these are drivers coming on to roundabouts when I am already on them.
Glasgow's South City Way sounds great, does it not? As a user from before and after I wholeheartedly welcome the construction of the segregated route, but so much of the detailed construction is poor, if not unsafe. I provide a link to a presentation I made when construction was half complete (a personal view) and the construction errors remain outstanding to this day: crossed by high speed flared road junctions, poor colour differentiation, car door zone risks and so on. And yet cyclists come because they feel safe. It's a complex subject but IMHO the feeling of safety (or lack of) is a critical component. https://drive.proton.me/urls/B67AK44G90#CFueBGjscoWr
I can only conclude that you haven't been into a city in the last few years. Food delivery riders in particular are riding overpowered "eBikes" that are basically mopeds ... powered only via the throttle without pedalling at significantly more than 15mph. Problem is they look like normal bikes/ebikes and not like mopeds so that is what people describe them as. My reading of the article is that it is those vehicles that are being talked about here.
I have the Trace and Tracer, which have essentially the same design, albeit smaller and less powerful. The controls are a little complicated but only because there are loads of options. In reality, once you've chosen your level of brightness, you'll only cycle through 1 or 2 options and it's dead simple. The lights are rock solid, bright, with good runtimes. The only thing I find annoying is charging them - if your fingers are slightly wet or greasy, getting the rubber out of the way of the charging port is a pain in the arse.
Dance and padel is all very well, but when is Strava going to let me record my gardening?
You can use it to check whether it's raining.
If it's dusk, i.e. post-sunset, then the cyclists should have lights on and thus the colour of their top is irrelevant. If you want to complain about cyclists not having lights when it's mandatory then by all means do but their top has nothing to do with it.
All of my Exposure lights with a button allow cycling through the modes with a short press. I have five of those; it would be odd if Exposure didn’t allow this functionality with the Boost 3. I also have two Exposure Burners if I remember correctly: they are rear lights for joysticks that clip on and are powered through the joystick charging port. They don’t have a button. None of my Exposure lights have failed. I looked at the Boost 3 review photos but none showed the button, so far as I could tell. I also have Moon lights. Good experience generally. One did fail, possibly because it was so thin it used to fall through the holes in my helmet onto the ground. Also, the UI and charge indicators vary for my Moon lights. Perhaps the latest ones are more consistent. My worst lights ever were from See.Sense.
Steve really doesnt like exposure products does he? Boost and Strada marked down for being too complicated. While the Zenith and Six Pack reviewed by his colleagues give them rave reviews (as most exposure products have on road.cc), the Zenith even touted as 'even more intuitive to use' with the same controls.
They are more interested in dog shit. https://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/news/people/lancaster-police-launch-search-for-person-who-sprayed-dog-faeces-with-pink-paint-5605519
78 thoughts on “Family told to remove bike shed due to planning breach; New cycle paths branded “unsuitable” and “dangerous” by locals; Charity cyclist riding Britain’s coastline; Cargo bike boom; African World Championships; Team car puncture + more on the live blog”
There was me thinking gravel
There was me thinking gravel was on-trend for cycling these days, but apparently not!
https://twitter.com/elizabeth_madge/status/1389634217823412225?s=20
Sriracha wrote:
Did someone in the council read an article about how hip gravel cycling was and thought all cyclists wanted to ride on loose gravel?
Call me old fashioned, but I like cycling on tarmac…
I’ll call you old fashioned
I’ll call you old fashioned then. Roads in the UK are surfaced with asphalt these days. We stopped using tarmac in the 1970s. Sorry, but couldn’t resist it! 🙂
Anyone else still waiting for
Anyone else still waiting for the OldRidgeback to show us his jumps?
Although, if you remember what happened in the 70s maybe its safer if you don’t jump. Road.CC think over 40s need to take it more easy these days.
I’ll be jumping on my BMX
I’ll be jumping on my BMX this afternoon thanks.
OldRidgeback wrote:
Not old-fashioned, just proprietorial. It’s like saying, “carpets in the UK are cleaned with vacuum cleaners these days. We stopped using Hoovers® in the 1970s.”
Meanwhile, Flexi-Pave® is fast replacing standard asphalt solutions, especially in environmentally sensitive locations, such as near rivers and where run-off needs to be mitigated.
Other brands of paving solutions are available.
Other brands of vacuum cleaners are available. But don’t get a Dyson: they’re not as good as they’d have you believe.
GMBasix wrote:
Plus Sir James Dyson, that ardent Brexiteer speaking from his office based in – er – Singapore (for tax reasons, dontcha know).
(Bit like Sean Connery supporting Scottish nationalism and independence from the Bahamas…).
GMBasix wrote:
Right – mine totally sucks.
Sriracha wrote:
Well that’s more than mine did. The last time I got it out it was very quiet, though. Until it landed in the skip.
Mine’s just gathering dust.
Mine’s just gathering dust.
Roads in the UK are surfaced
Roads in the UK are surfaced with asphalt concrete these days
FIFY
Flâneur wrote:
I am not convinced. The main road near me looks like it was recently resurfaced with a combination of balsamic vinegar and cat litter …
Jetmans Dad wrote:
What does it taste like?
eburtthebike wrote:
Hit a pothole on your bike at high speed and you can find out!
Stockport council should read
Stockport council should read LTN 1/20 Guidance:
Section 15.2 Construction Materials
15.2.1 Surface quality affects the comfort and effort required when cycling. Smooth,sealed solid surfaces offer the best conditions for everyday cycling.
15.2.2 Smooth surfaces also offer greater accessibility and safety for other potential users such as wheelchair users, mobility scooters and blind and partially sighted people.
15.2.3 Sealed surfaces should normally be provided within towns, cities and villages and on commuter routes from the immediate hinterland.
Loose gravel is chosen because it is the cheapest option.
I’m sure even a rubbish layer
I’m sure even a rubbish layer of asphalt is cheaper than the cost of time & effort it takes to lay gravel in quantities like that.
But how unbound is unbound though ? is it like pea shingle,riding on a beach, bad attempt at surface dressing a road or just a kind of ‘loose gravel’ trail ?
Bearing in mind locally to me the definition of a gravel trail is more like something made with discarded bricks & boulders which is only ridable on a MTB or a fat tyre bike.
So whilst ignoring the accessibility aspects for a moment and you wouldnt want to ride it on a road bike,that kind of surface looks reasonably ridable to me albeit probably quite slow…which may be more of a hint at why pristine asphalt smooth paths werent opted for instead.
It’s fine until you fall off
It’s fine until you fall off and cut yourself.
Loose gravel likely chosen as
Loose gravel likely chosen as it is the cheapest option, not the most suitable option.
Whilst you might find it “reasonably rideable”, whatever that means, the majority of everyday cyclists would find this surface awful to ride on.
I’m not debating for its
I’m not debating for its suitability or pleasantness to ride on, give me nice smooth asphalt paths any day of the week, I’m just saying I think thats a rideable surface for most people on most bikes, but it forces you to ride it slowly.
I think you are viewing this
I think you are viewing this from the perspective of a sports cyclist.
Anyone on a town bike, childrens bike, mobility scooter, etc who is not an experienced cyclist would find this surface awful.
This is why LTN 1/20 states that surfaces should be smooth and easy to ride on.
All tracks can be ridden on
All tracks can be ridden on slowly. Only if the speed is now walking pace, why would anyone use it? And if you have to change direction suddenly and slip, then you are less likely to use it again.
Give it a few months and that
Give it a few months and that gravel will all be scattered over the surrounding grass anyway, with the trail just a line of uncovered mud.
Gotta say I disagree with
Gotta say I disagree with your last statement. The image appears to show a loose virgin stone surface. A cheaper option would have been to use a MOT1 size crushed concrete with a 10mm to dust rolled surface. This cannot be cambered but is a better running option for cycles and othe NMU where a bitmac option (HRA or other) is not appropriate. I believe Sustrans are now requiring sealed surface on any NCN works they (or DfT) are funding.
Stockport council should read LTN 1/20 Guidance:
Section 15.2 Construction Materials
15.2.1 Surface quality affects the comfort and effort required when cycling. Smooth,sealed solid surfaces offer the best conditions for everyday cycling.
15.2.2 Smooth surfaces also offer greater accessibility and safety for other potential users such as wheelchair users, mobility scooters and blind and partially sighted people.
15.2.3 Sealed surfaces should normally be provided within towns, cities and villages and on commuter routes from the immediate hinterland.
Loose gravel is chosen because it is the cheapest option.— sean1
You could be right, I think
You could be right, I think you are more knowledgeable than me on this.
What would you think is the reason for the choice of this gravel? Is it just bad judgement on the planner or is there a motive?
I do hope LTN 1/20 will lead to better surfaces on cycle/shared paths.
Quite why a council would use
Quite why a council would use such a blatantly obviously unsuitable surface is beyond me; does no-one on the council ride a bike, use a wheelchair or push a buggy? If such a glaring error can pass their conception, design and construction processes, there is something very wrong with them. Or was it a case of “it’s only pedestrians/cyclists, so we’ll put the freshest, least experienced, least knowledgable graduate on it.”
Worse, they don’t appear to have consulted the people it was supposed to serve, and even Sustrans use crushed stone.
Honestly, if this was Denmark or Holland they’d die laughing.
From experience, I’d say that
From experience, I’d say that there is a distinct chance that this was a deliberate decision. I generally favour cock-up over conspiracy as an explanation, but I’ve come across instances where bad surfaces were deliberately chosen so as to discourage “antisocial fast cycling”.
I’d agree in fact I think it
I’d agree in fact I think it’s almost certainly the cause for the choice here
the little onion wrote:
FTFY
It also looks as though they
It also looks as though they’ve cunningly engineered a depression into the approach to the bridge so that it’ll provide the extra excitement of a giant puddle to navigate any time it rains, or a sheet of ice in the winter.
Surfacing seems to be a
Surfacing seems to be a chronic blindspot (intentional choice?) for ‘active travel’ planners (and Sustrans and the Greenway trust..). I’ve heard a few campaigners (people who are supposedly pro cycling) argue that gravel should be used to ‘deter roadies’ from using infrastructure. Planners and campaigners need to collectively acknowledge that people who want to get to a destination will need weather-tight surfaces that don’t turn to soup/spatter you in crap/throw you into a hedge every time it rains!
Fingers crossed the Stockport paths are just not quite finished. Otherwise they’re a slightly piss-taking joke at the expense of cyclists. “We gave you infrastructure, what more do you want!” If the M25 was surfaced like a 4×4 trail there’d be uproar…
£5 says that Sustrans
£5 says that Sustrans approved these gravel surfaces, either explicitly ,or tacitly by knowing about it but not criticising it.
“…not in keeping with the
“…not in keeping with the Victorian character of the street.”
Because, of course, Victorian houses were famous for not having outhouses (!)
Re the shed, apply for a
Re the shed, apply for a drive and park a rusty old van there to use as a bike store. That will enhance the victoriana of the area.
Or just park the van
Or just park the van permanently on the road. Make sure it is a 40 year wreck exempt from mot and ved. Should enhance the character of the area, especially when the road sweepings build up around its footprint and the weeds start to grow.
Quote:
Yeah, but: “cars”.
(edit)
Sorry, my point was that if they were the only household that had changed their Victorian front garden then I can see the council’s point.
But if other households have torn down their hedges, paved the front lawn, etc, as parking for their decidedly non-Victorian cars then doesn’t that set some sort of precedent? I don’t see what is wrong with their shed…
Their shed looks perfectly OK
Their shed looks perfectly OK. Nicely built, blends in fine.
If anything best represents the state of cycling in the UK this is it.
Their shed looks perfectly OK. Nicely built, blends in fine. If anything best represents the state of cycling in the UK this is it.
Agreed! This entirely unreasonable planning decision indicates hostility to cycling, while agreeing to the late Victorian BMWs on the late Victorian paved former gardens because (to the sort of people making the decision) the power-crazed charioteers appear normal and entirely respectable.
sean1 wrote:
just need to grow their hedge as high as th neighbours and it would be had to see from the road.
meanwhile across the road all
meanwhile across the road all the properties have been allowed to construct garages, which I’m pretty sure were not commonplace in victorian Leicester.
Some councils require
Some councils require planning permissions for front garden sheds whether it is conservation area or not. Whilst i do have every sympathy for them, and it will probably look a lot better when the roof has grown and covered the sides, rules are there at the moment.
Maybe they need to find out which one of their neighnours grassed them in in the first place as I doubt it was a council team who just happened upon it.
A google search showed Waltham Council have guidance to win their approval (non con areas) and there is a nice one which is built around the periphery of the garden with grass on the top and has the wood darkened to match the locale.
Either google maps is
Either google maps is unusually up to date or the shed has been there for ages.
Frankly the whole street looks like a horror mix of urban and commercial development and I fail to see how 1 small shed adds anything worse to it.
If they let their hedge grow like some of their neighbours it wont even be visible.
The google maps image has a
The google maps image has a date stamp of Nov 2020
Excellent link and shows a
Excellent link and shows a derelict car workshop and an electricity sub station at the end of the road, not exactly a leafy Victorian idyll.
I was trying to find the
I was trying to find the locale, thanks for that. The order has been in place for a while it seems and extended. Unfortunately most of them only work the actual buildings AND outhouses and not on the gardens but one document does bemoan the garden into drives and other work like that within the space. Only certain buildings come under the orders on the streets but there’s is one of them.
I would prefer it to stay and as others have mentioned, higher front hedge or having the roof grow down or even staining the wood a more muted colour might have meant it was kept. But if someone needs a planning order to put something in and they haven’t got one and went ahead and done it, then why have them? I do think the council should consider options to allow them to keep it or similar and rather then just dimiss it out of hand.
Strictly speaking, all
Strictly speaking, all councils require planning permission for sheds in the front garden, since any development in front of the front building line is not PD.
The problem for me is not so much that – retrospective PP is quite common to deal with people who ‘didn’t realise’ – but that they were advised it was unlikely to be approved.
But what constitutes
But what constitutes “development” if I put a car on my front garden is that development? what about a skip? or a bench? At the end of the day the bike shed is a temporary structure which is quite different to building a porch or laying a (perfectly acceptable) block paving driveway.
Loose gravel is an appalling
Loose gravel is an appalling surface for any path users. Self binding gravel can be very nice, there’s a wood near where I live that has a very pleasant path path that is some sort of self binding gravel path – it handles leaf litter extraordinarily well.
The one place they’ve used asphalt is the one place you really don’t want it… under a bunch of trees. Unless they spend a fortune keeping it clear, that will become treacherous in the autumn.
Hmm, what’s wrong in this
According to Leicester City Council planning, this picture shows the blight of bicycle storage on a conservation area.
Indeed, and just a few doors
Indeed, and just a few doors away this delightful Victorian driveway has been constructed for the storage of late victorian BMW.
And just a bit futher down
And just a bit futher down the road another masterpiece of Victorian Architecture……
sean1 wrote:
you missed the poperty opposite with a triple garage, when everyone knows any self respecting victorian would have kept their carriage in a mews round the back.
wycombewheeler wrote:
Is that where the bishop of Rome lives?
They just need to disguise
They just need to disguise the bike shed as a van. Or just buy a van, park it there, and sell off the motor, transmission, seats, etc. Not quite so eco though.
Something like this tent might work.
Point 1: Gravel paths – there
Point 1: Gravel paths – there is no issue with wheelchair users or prams, stop being such a bunch of spoiled babies. The path looks fine and perfectly usable, I’d plough through there on my road bike without even thinking, let alone on a casual bike with my son. Ffs councils don’t have infinite money – seriously some people would complain unless the path was finished to the standard of a snooker table.
“Oh but I might hit a loose piece of gravel”, diddums. Dangerous my eye.
Point 2: “Historic bollards” indeed sounds like a load of old bollards.
Why don’t the complainers just say “not in my back yard” instead? Pretty obvious they just don’t want the possibility of a through road there.
For someone who has advocated
For someone who has advocated that LTN’s should have had local peoples consultations before removal is now stating local people shouldn’t be listened to as they are just NIMBY’s on a remobal of an historic LTN.
You’ve missed the point – I
You’ve missed the point – I don’t know the area or if the complainants have a valid reason to keep the area sectioned off, but “the preservation of antique bollards” sounds ridiculous as a reason not to open it up.
If they’d cited active travel as their primary reason for opposition it would have made far more sense.
Well these are the points I
Well these are the points I thought you were making.
Point 1: You reckon you and your son could cycle on a surface you have only seen in pictures where multiple people there have said it is too loose and needed another layer / bounding / other work done to make it useable and ignore the local people who have used it and complained
Point 2: They don’t want fixed bollards that have done the job for 30 years with no issue to be replaced with flimiser moveable ones without any local consultation. I’m sure if the Amubulance / Police / Fire services explained to them why they suddenly need access from that end of the road they might relent. The Antique Bollards is probably just a spin added by the (off-duty) journalist. Why would they cite active travel for something that has been in place for 30 years so for them is just travel.
Nigel Garrage wrote:
Well, quite.
We’re just not getting the
We’re just not getting the same quality of trolls since Socrapicyclist left.
3/10, too bloody obvious.
TBH, I always thought Garrage
TBH, I always thought Garrage was Booboo reincarnated but as he didn’t make his awful arguments against TT bikes or general cycling clubs and not too fussed on posters politics in most cases, I haven’t bothered challenging them on it.
A member of my family is a
A member of my family is a wheelchair user, gravel paths are an absolute nightmare for them. My daughter has only very recently started cycling and she struggles on surfaces such as those.
You, I, and many others may not have a problem with such a surface but the aim should be a surface accessible to as many as possible not just the able bodied and experienced cyclists.
As for the bollards I think the issue is really communication, if the residents haven’t been consulted then they surely have the right to protest?
Obviously that doesn’t excuse abuse or violence towards the actual contractors. They are just doing their job.
Rich_cb wrote:
No, the aim should be a surface accessible to as many as possible in a non-discriminatory nature, but which is cost-effective.
I’ve no idea what the costings are for different surfaces, but the underlying assumption is that the council did a cost-benefit analysis of possible solutions and decided that this particular surface best served the path in question.
By rigorous cost control, more cycling paths and better solutions can be found for everyone, not just to provide one ultra-expensive solution for a small area.
Nigel Garrage wrote:
Nigel Garrage wrote:
You could have saved yourself a lot of typing there.
The cost-effectiveness
The cost-effectiveness approach you’ve described is likely unlawful.
If I were to build a new shop for example and decide that it was more cost effective to have steps rather than a ramp I’d almost certainly fall foul of disability discrimination legislation.
I’d imagine the same is true of this path if the reason for the gravel is simply cost.
Even if this path were lawful I’d still prefer shorter stretches of infrastructure accessible to all than longer stretches that exclude novice riders and disabled users.
“Gravel paths – there is no
“Gravel paths – there is no issue with wheelchair users or prams, stop being such a bunch of spoiled babies.”
This is a load of bollards – have you ever tried pushing a wheelchair on loose gravel? I am the carer of a wheelchair user, I’m the pusher man. It is not easy on loose surfaces. There is an inherent design fault in most wheelchairs in that the small caster wheels are at the front and dig in to a loose surface. Even thick pile carpets make it hard work.
youngoldbloke wrote:
According to your own words the problem is with wheelchair design rather than the path or surface itself. The solution would surely be to get a wheelchair with better wheels wouldn’t it?
I have to admit I haven’t pushed or used a wheelchair, but I’ve pushed a pram along very bumpy, uneven gravel paths, and apart from a complete idiot claiming I was giving my son brain damage (through the vibrations) it was absolutely fine.
Hint: it’s not about whether
Hint: it’s not about whether you can do it.
That is no answer. Please do
That is no answer. Please do a little research before posting. Better wheels indeed! Yes cross country ‘fat’ wheels are available, at a price, suitable for the beach, and gravel, and rougher stuff, but quite unsuitable for interiors, and demanding considerable adjustment of the chair’s brakes, axles etc when fitting. What do you suggest – somehow carrying spare sets of wheels?
youngoldbloke wrote:
N+1 of course…
Nigel Garrage wrote:
Perhaps your mum pushed your pram over too many bumps, too.
Give it up Gravel is not a
Give it up Gravel is not a surface for wheel chair or small kids to ride a bike. It not the fault of the wheelchair design or the kids it the gravel that the problem. Where else did you see gravel used for wheelchair acces no where why because it just a dumb idea.
Perhaps we should not pave
Perhaps we should not pave roads and just leave as mud or gravel tracks ? If your 4×4 cannot get through then use a tracked vehicle ? It seems all that money which goes on asphalt is just a complete waste.
From the Jesmond Bollard
From the Jesmond Bollard thread if you go right down the replies.
“”The people trying to remove the bollards were employees of Adderstone property; and were being instructed to do so by Mr I Baggett, CEO of Adderstone who believes (wrongly)that as he owns part of Jesmond Gardens he has right to change road use without permission””
“Mr Baggett was there in person – blue sweater- forcefully instructing his employees to proceed”
So presumably, Mr Baggett wants collapsable bollards for his own personal access only to avoid going the long way round from the City
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.9899088,-1.5981256,3a,75y,151.25h,69.25t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPQEjkfZJ-6YZpJ4xrjAVRQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192
Quote:
Eh?
[Edit] OK – I think I see what you were getting at now – David Millar has ridden in the World Tour in the last 25 years, but he ‘doesn’t count’ as a Scottish cyclist because he was brought up in Hong Kong?
he doesnt count as someone
he doesnt count as someone who came through a Scottish development programme for cyclists, because he I guess didnt.
but that then implies there are other home nation systems, which ok I know there is a Welsh Cycling body, but are they not all subsumed into British Cycling and wouldnt it be better to just have a UK wide setup that attracts more money and more high quality coaches/mentors, and pool the resources than try to regionalise it.
Yeah – I get that now – it
Yeah – I get that now – it was just really unclearly expressed. It says he’s ridden in the top tier ‘since’, but there’s no event in the first paragraph for that ‘since’ to refer to. What it’s trying to refer to is ‘in 25 years’, and that’s not really how the word ‘since’ is meant to work. And after that it was just really hard to make sense of that whole paragraph – it looked like some words had been missed out or something.
Malicious compliance
Malicious compliance
What this family from Leicester need to do is scrap their current shed but build a new one from victorian era styled cast iron gates welded together a bit like a giant victorian bird cage but a lot stronger then all you need to do is drill a few holes in some clear polycarbonate roofing from wickes or B&Q. ziptie them on inside and you’ll have some weather proofing!
That way these pencil pushes and box tickers at the local council cant say that it doesnt fit in with the victorian style of the local neigbourhood.