“Sheer incompetence or the continuing war against motorists?” Drivers claim cycle hangar is “deliberately” blocking two car parking spaces; Thieves caught taking hammer to Bee Bikes; (Don’t) paint the bike lane black; Froome plans + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
An American car in the Netherlands
And on the subject of car parking spaces…
An American car in the Netherlands pic.twitter.com/Iz7lT3sQEz
— Hackney Cyclist (@Hackneycyclist) November 7, 2022
Bike thieves caught hammering GPS trackers off Manchester Bee Bikes
While angle grinders have proven all the rage for malicious bike thieves aiming for a quick – but not always discreet – getaway with some poor soul’s pride and joy, it seems that in Manchester the good old-fashioned hammer still has its place in the robbery game…
The above clip, posted on Reddit at the weekend, shows two young men attempting to forcefully remove the tracking devices attached to the city’s Bee Bikes – in a park, in broad daylight, as (the poster noted) dog walkers strolled on by and people played football.
The Reddit user who uploaded the clip says that he alerted police to the attempted theft.
The Bee Bikes scheme, run by Transport for Greater Manchester on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, was introduced as part of the city’s Bee Network in November 2021, three years after the privately-run Mobike scheme pulled out of Greater Manchester citing high levels of vandalism and theft.
In August, the Manchester Evening News reported that 58 of the 201 Bee Bikes active in Greater Manchester have gone missing since the scheme was launched, while there have been 306 incidents where bikes have been damaged and later repaired.
The (other) Geraint Thomas strikes again…
Lush. https://t.co/RZEQrr8Egj
— Geraint Thomas (@geraintthomas) November 7, 2022
But which Geraint is real and which one’s the parody?
“This season is going to be the year of truth,” says Chris Froome
When he’s not showing off his rocksteady percussion skills, four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome has spent the autumn weighing up his future as a professional cyclist – though the 37-year-old is adamant he’s not going anywhere just yet.
Speaking to Spanish sports paper MARCA at the recent ASO-organised Saitama Critérium in Japan, the Israel–Premier Tech veteran said that he has been encouraged by his progress in 2022, three years on from his career-threatening crash at the Criterium du Dauphiné.
A strong third place on Alpe d’Huez at this year’s Tour de France, behind winner Tom Pidcock, arguably marked Froome’s best showing on the road since his recovery from that horrific Dauphiné crash. However, a bout of Covid-19 hindered his form ahead of the Vuelta a España, while the former Sky leader’s season was abruptly curtailed when he was doored by a motorist on the way home from a training ride in September.
> Chris Froome doored on way home from training ride, sustains minor injuries
Despite 2022’s bumpy ending, Froome remains pleased with his progress in training and in races, and said he felt like a “neo-pro” this year after two stuttering post-crash seasons.
“If we talk about winning the Tour de France again, I am not thinking about that,” Froome told MARCA. “The dream is still there, but it’s difficult. I am only focusing on following the process.
“I am a person who likes challenges and the process,” he told the Spanish sports daily. “I am on that road and I am working toward it. I suffered a terrible crash that almost forced me out of cycling and I have managed to come back.
“Now things are different. This year I was motivated by some of my performances, but for different reasons, I didn’t have the opportunity to truly show where I am at.”
ASO/Pauline Ballet
The 37-year-old, who last secured the overall victory at a grand tour in 2018, at the Giro d’Italia, continued: “This year was the first year since the accident that I haven’t had any problems. From my comeback to now, it was like I was a neo-pro. Now I want to have simple challenges, like having a long period without any problems or targeting a stage win.
“After the accident, I feel like I am taking some steps. I don’t know how far I will get, but I am still motivated to keep improving.”
Turning to 2023, Froome said: “This season is going to be the year of truth. To really know where I am.”
“I think ‘covered’ is stretching it slightly…”
While Weymouth’s cyclists have largely welcomed Dorset Council’s decision to install new town centre cycle parking facilities, some have noted the apparent lack of security measures and visible CCTV cameras around the bike stands – while others questioned the extent to which the covered bicycle parking is, well you know, covered…
“That ‘roof’ serves absolutely no functional purpose whatsoever,” complained one Facebook user. “When it’s blowing a hoolie like it is right now, that’s not going to keep a single drop of rain off. What a monumental waste of money.”
(Don’t) Paint It Black: Birmingham City Council criticised for painting cycle lanes black, despite signs advising drivers to ‘think blue, let cyclists through’
It’s all gone black and blue at Birmingham City Council, where one councillor has questioned the colour of paint used on the city’s new cycle lanes.
Conservative Shadow Cabinet Minister for the Environment, Deirdre Alden – who, in 2014, described cycling as a “discriminatory mode of transport” and claimed that “women who wish to wear modest clothing are not going to cycle” – says that the use of black tarmac, instead of the more-expensive-to-maintain blue, on the recently installed bike lanes on the Priory and Edgbaston roads represents a safety concern for the city’s cyclists.
> Birmingham MP takes to the Commons to protest that cycling is not just for ‘white young men’
“Birmingham Council uses the slogan ‘Think Blue, Let Cyclists Through’ in reference to the blue cycle ways introduced across the city,” councillor Alden wrote in a blog post at the weekend.
“However it’s now a year since I pointed out at Full Council that the tarmac on the Bristol Road cycle way in Edgbaston has faded to grey, and now the new cycle way installed in Priory Road and Edgbaston Road this summer wasn’t even blue to start with!
“Has Birmingham given up on blue tarmac for cycle ways?”
Raising the issue at a council meeting last week, Alden said that the new bike lane outside Edgbaston Cricket Ground, installed in time for this summer’s Commonwealth Games, was “only finished by the skin of its teeth basically – and I thought they would put the blue on afterwards.
“But we are now in November and it’s still not blue and since there are still posters around saying, ‘think blue let cyclists through’, it’s pretty pointless when the cycleway is not blue.”
> New Birmingham cycle lane turned into ‘VIP drivers route’ for Commonwealth Games
Responding to Alden’s concerns, the council’s minister for transport Liz Clements said: “I’m not aware of any policy decision to stop using blue tarmac but I will undertake to go and find out for you. I do know that maintaining a coloured surface like that is more expensive than the routine one, but I will check that out for you.”
Sonny Colbrelli’s Paris-Roubaix-inspired retirement tattoo
Back in the day they used to just give you a clock when you retired. But hey, it’s the 2020s now…
🇮🇹 Sonny Colbrelli had to retire from pro cycling. He had no choice, he was obliged to.@sonnycolbrelli loves this sport so much, he even put a tattoo on his arm with a special meaning to him. No one will ever take away his Paris-Roubaix victory.
Heartbreaking… 💔 pic.twitter.com/bDNAUb9DH4
— Domestique (@Domestique___) November 8, 2022
Cycling UK calls for government to prioritise local roads, as figures reveal pothole injury victims paid £32 million by councils in last five years
Councils in England and Wales have paid out more than £32 million in compensation to people injured in pothole-related incidents in the past five years.
The Times has reported that between 2017 and 2021, in the 157 councils in England and Wales who responded to a freedom of information request sent to the 173 local authorities responsible for repairing the roads, 5,596 personal injury claims due to potholes and road defects were settled by the council, with an average compensation bill of £5,746 per case.
Staffordshire, Manchester, Northumberland, Derbyshire and Lancashire councils accounted for over half of the total bill, paying out £16.9 million over the course of 1,865 claims.
The figures, obtained by a FOI request from Lime Solicitors, also found that just one in four claims related to pothole-inflicted injuries were settled by councils.
“Potholes are a plague on our roads and, as our findings show, thousands of people are injured by them every year,” Peter Jones, the personal injury legal director at Lime, told the Times.
“Councils have a duty to keep highways in a reasonable state of repair. If they neglect to do so, they may be liable for any injury or damage caused.”
At least 425 cyclists have been killed or seriously inured due to poor or defective road surfaces since 2016, data from the Department for Transport has shown.
“Hit a pothole when driving, and it could be an expensive trip to the garage, but cyclists could end up in the hospital or worse,” says Cycling UK’s chief executive Sarah Mitchell.
“British local roads have had more than a decade of underinvestment, leading to the poor state they’re currently in. With the government considering where its funding axe should fall, local roads, which are essential for everyone, need to be prioritised and maintained.”
Plans for Leicester-wide workplace parking levy scrapped
More car parking-themed news on today’s live blog, as Leicester City Council has confirmed that it is scrapping plans to introduce a city-wide workplace parking levy.
The scheme, a similar version of which has been operating in Nottingham for the last decade, would have seen firms with more than 10 car parking spaces obliged to pay £550 a year for each space.
However, the BBC reports that, following a consultation that garnered over 4,000 responses, the council has said that current economic situation has made the plans unviable.
Leicester’s deputy mayor, Adam Clarke, said scrapping the policy now means that the council “won’t have the funding needed to radically improve public transport”, but that it “will continue to focus on cleaning the air and reducing Leicester’s carbon footprint”.
“We could not foresee the political uncertainty and dire economic situation the country is facing today [when the levy was first proposed],” he said.
“We have concluded that we cannot implement a [levy] during this ongoing national cost-of-living crisis, which is causing such uncertainty and concern for so many people and businesses.”
I have nothing to say. 1.5C not feasible, cars an absolute menace for cities, poor health, poor productivity etc etc… https://t.co/OPpgNFthgn pic.twitter.com/p8wQKSrew4
— Cllr Damian Haywood 💙 🌹 (@bigdamo) November 8, 2022
Richard Taylor, from the trade union GMB (a firm opponent of the plans), welcomed the council’s decision.
“A workplace parking levy is a backwards and un-progressive solution to the problems Leicester faces, pushing the burden of Conservative government cuts to council budgets on to the working people that keep our city running,” Taylor said.
Italian ultra-cyclist hopes to cross Antarctica in 60 days
This time last year, ultra-distance cyclist Omar de Felice had just finished cycling the 2,000km from Milan to Glasgow, home to the COP26 summit, to demonstrate the bike’s potential as the vehicle of the future.
Next week, the 41-year-old will once again take on a 2,000km-long ride – but this time in slightly different conditions.
The Italian endurance rider will set off from Hercules Inlet, in western Antarctica, cycle to the south pole, before continuing on to reach Leverett Glacier.
If de Felice completes his journey, which he estimates will take around 60 days, he will become the first person to complete a coast-to-coast crossing of Antarctica on a bike (two people have previously ridden the 1,250km from Hercules Inlet to the south pole but no one has ventured further).
> Britain’s Maria Leijerstram becomes first person to cycle to South Pole
“I know that it will be a really hard challenge,” Di Felice told the Guardian this week. “I’m not sure I will be able to do so – because it’s very hard. But I just want to try, it’s an attempt. It’s a hard attempt, but why not try?
“I hope that I am ready for the most extreme adventure of my life,” says the Italian, who will be riding a customised Wilier fat bike, which has helped develop over the past 18 months, during his attempt.
“Everyone I speak with says I’m crazy, it’s impossible, the bike won’t go over because of the deep snow and the wind. It’s very hard for cycling – but I’ll just go and explore and find out for myself whether it’s possible or not.”
Di Felice, who will be pulling a sled carrying his tent, food, supplies and heaps of warm clothing as he rides alone, hopes his epic adventure will “raise awareness about climate change”.
“The bicycle is the best vehicle to tell the story of climate change and raise awareness about reducing our carbon footprint,” he notes.
“We can change the world if we use the bike every day. To go to work, to go to school, even to have some extreme journeys. My will is to show people that with the bike we can do everything – we can even go to Antarctica.”
Snow joke… (I’ll get my coat.)
‘What’s wrong with down tube shifters?’
If you’re shopping for a second hand bike, swerve any featuring these troublesome relics from the past… https://t.co/H8l3XNMEep #cycling
— road.cc (@roadcc) November 8, 2022
It seems that our latest feature on redundant bike technology hasn’t gone down too well with the lovers of all things retro (of which I count myself a proud member):
What is wrong with downtube gear shifters?
— Ely Cycling Campaign (@ElyCycle) November 8, 2022
Wrong. Snobbish and dismissive. My bikes beg to differ. All used regularly and perfectly rideable. I’ll give you steel rims though…. pic.twitter.com/hL1oWqGzQE
— Niallmo@toot.bike (@Niallmo) November 8, 2022
“Can’t believe no-one’s pointed out the obvious solution: two bike hangars”: Reaction to Brighton’s car parking crisis
Yeah and it don’t pay road tax !, I would have made it bigger like those horrendous wa*kpanzer suv thing’s that take up 10 spaces and park 3 miles from the kerb !
— paul kimmings (@paulkimmings) November 8, 2022
Today’s main story on the blog, about Brighton’s contentious overhanging cycle hangar, has certainly got people chatting in the comments section and on the soon-to-be dead bird app.
“The Cycle Hangar holds six bikes, so arguably it frees up four parking spaces, if residents do the right thing,” noted road.cc reader Legin (though I’m not sure that kind of solid maths work will catch on within the anti-cycling infra community).
While Rakia expressed little sympathy for Brighton’s residents and said that the new cycle hangar is “an eyesore”, Patrick9-32 responded: “Do you think a row of parked cars is anything but an eyesore? The bike shed is absolutely no uglier than a car sitting in that same space, we are just used to the cars so we don’t see how ugly they are. What the shed does is allow 10 people not to have a car which overall massively improves the aesthetics of the area and makes it easier for those who keep their cars to park too. Everyone wins.”
I mean, you could fit a smart car in there. Or a motorbike or two. Equally, it’s hard to understand why parking spaces are overlapping the dropped curb too.
— Lee Davies (@leejdavies) November 8, 2022
Car Delenda Est also clearly isn’t a fan of Brighton Bill and the others complaining about the hangar, writing: “When you’re so entitled you think it’s your parking space rather than the council’s, and you think your vehicle is the only valid road vehicle.”
“I would agree that if the hangar had been sited slightly further to the left, it might have reduced unnecessary conflict,” says OnYerBike.
“I would suggest the fact that the marked parking bay extend to partially block the path into the park is in itself a mistake – but judging from that photo the hanger could have been moved further left so as to not block the path but whilst still leaving (most) of the second parking space available.
“I daresay the Council knows better than Mr Young what the demand for the hangars is, and that if people are paying for permits to use the hangars, then I expect they will be using them. I find it telling that Mr Young thinks the public road is an appropriate place to store private motor vehicles, but not to store bicycles.”
Hard to disagree. It just breeds more division.
— Gracie Britton (@CyclingJoo) November 8, 2022
Moist von Lipwig also noted that “literally opposite that bike hanger there’s a parking space dedicated to 4 motorbikes – any complaints about that reducing car parking? Or is it just transport without engines that is a problem?”
Finally, Argos74 agreed with Brighton’s motoring community that the whole thing was “absolute madness”, and came up with a simple, effective elegant answer: “Two bike hangars. That’s what it needs. Can’t believe no-one’s pointed out the obvious solution.”
“It’s absolute madness”: Brighton motorists claim cycle hangar is “deliberately” taking up two car parking spaces
Who knew that the positioning of a bike storage unit could provoke such an outpouring of grief and righteous indignation?
Well, that’s what’s happened in Brighton this week, as local motorists vented their anger and frustration at the placement of a new cycle hangar in the seaside town’s Norfolk Square.
The hangars were first introduced in July, as part of Brighton and Hove City Council’s plans to install 150 of the storage units across the city by spring 2023.
“We’re delighted with the response we’ve had to our new cycle hangars. Residents have wanted them for a long time and this has been reflected in their popularity,” Steve Davis, co-chairman of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee, said at the end of October.
Here’s another of the new cycle hangars for #Brighton & #Hove residents.
They’re popping up all over.
If you see one, tag us in your tweet. pic.twitter.com/fqm2bz4sny— Brighton Active Travel (@BATBrighton) July 23, 2022
However, the creation of 900 new secure bike parking spaces for residents hasn’t gone down too well with some drivers, who have complained on social media and in the local press about the sad, incomparable loss of two – yes, two – car parking spaces in Norfolk Square thanks to the new hangar.
A photo of the offending unit (below) was posted in a Brighton anti-cycle lane Facebook group with the caption: “Deliberately sited to remove two paid resident permit parking spaces”.
“2 parking spaces lost. Sheer incompetence or the continuing war by BHCC against motorists and parking permit payers??? WHY DIDN’T THEY PLACE IT IN THE SQUARE?” another Facebook user and resident, Bill Young, replied.
72-year-old Young later elaborated on his misgivings about the hangar’s position (presumably in a less shouty tone) in an interview with the Argus.
“It’s just absolute madness,” he told the local paper. “I don’t have a problem with the hangars, it’s just the fact that it takes up two parking spaces.
“It creates this hate between residents and car owners. I think it should be removed and put inside the square and that way there wouldn’t be a problem.”
One resident, who wished to remain anonymous, added: “All of these hangars are unnecessary and they all take up paid parking spaces on the streets.
“This hangar would only take up one space but the thing is they could have put it in a corner of the park.
“I think they are being used to take up car parking spaces. I think people will always take their bikes indoors, so who are these actually for?”
Hmmm, for some reason I’m not convinced that particular interviewee has been keeping up to speed with the live blog’s reporting of on-street bike parking in Hackney…
> Hackney Council blasted for issuing more “nonsense” nuisance notices on bikes parked on pavement
Responding to the complaints, a spokesperson for Brighton and Hove City Council told the Argus this morning: “We are aware of concerns relating to the cycle hangar in Norfolk Square and are investigating.”
8 November 2022, 09:44
8 November 2022, 09:44
8 November 2022, 09:44
The ‘saga of the social media clip that makes everyone angry’ continues…
Viral video of driver refusing to stop for five-year-old cyclist debated on Jeremy Vine's Channel 5 show
During the 'Cycling row: Who's in the wrong?' segment Vine, journalist Mike Parry and the child's father were all critical of the driving
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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
109 thoughts on ““Sheer incompetence or the continuing war against motorists?” Drivers claim cycle hangar is “deliberately” blocking two car parking spaces; Thieves caught taking hammer to Bee Bikes; (Don’t) paint the bike lane black; Froome plans + more on the live blog”
Quote:
Not in Bristol it ain’t…
brooksby wrote:
Proper tipping it down, it be
Apologies, a few colleagues
Apologies, a few colleagues informed me that it was tipping it down where they are too. It’s that lovely autumnal Ulster weather, you see…
Ryan Mallon wrote:
Yeah, I imagine the Bath crew saw the same weather as us Bristolians
I thought it was just rain
I thought it was just rain with attitude our way
Squally showers were
Squally showers were mentioned on the weather this morning.
Squally showers we got.
I don’t know the area but I
I don’t know the area but I think Mr Young is confused. The original facebook post said; “Deliberately sited to remove two paid resident permit parking spaces”. Mr Young then said ““It creates this hate between residents and car owners.”
Do the residents that are car owners hate themselves for being car owners? If so there is a simple solution……….
The Cycle Hangar holds 6
The Cycle Hangar holds 6 bikes, so arguably it frees up 4 parking spaces, if residents do the right thing
Yes but if the residents are
Yes but if the residents are out on their bikes all the time, their cars will remain parked, blocking the parking spaces for the law-abiding, road-tax-paying drivists. How on earth will the drivists ever get their kids to school now!?
If they buy the right car,
If they buy the right car, they can keep the bike in the car for free…
I would agree that if the
I would agree that if the hangar had been sited slightly further to the left, it might have reduced unnecessary conflict.
I would suggest the fact that the marked parking bay extend to partially block the path into the park is in itself a mistake – but judging from that photo the hanger could have been moved further left so as to not block the path but whilst still leaving (most) of the 2nd parking space available
I daresay the Council knows better than Mr Young what the demand for the hangars is, and that if people are paying for permits to use the hangars, then I expect they will be using them.
I find it telling that Mr Young thinks the public road is an appropriate place to store private motor vehicles, but not to store bicycles.
https://twitter.com/davewalker/status/1417535302395179013
I agree, it should be where
I agree, it should be where you suggest.
So I could park my car in a space all year and not move and that would be ok because car but if it’s a hanger not ok because bike.
And if London prices are any judge, it costs more to have a bike space than a car !
(https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-21-april-2022-292103)
It would appear that that
It would appear that that price per bike is less than per car in this location (Zone Z) although the total across six bikes in a hangar would be more than a “standard” car:
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/cycle-hangars
https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/parking-and-travel/parking/resident-permit-charges-2022-2023
When you’re so entitled you
When you’re so entitled you think it’s your parking space rather than the council’s, and you think your vehicle is the only valid road vehicle.
As a Brightonian it often feels like we’re one of the most motorcentric anti-cyclist cities in the country. The local papers, and their comments sections, are often exclusively rabid anti-cyclists.
Car Delenda Est wrote:
It’s literally one of the most liberal places in the country and has been for a long, long time. The local paper has never reflected this. Bought and commented on by an ever decreasing number of local gammons. Which means they get ever more desperate for provocative, Dail Fail style headlines to reel them in…
Central Brighton is very
Central Brighton is very socially liberal, but also very apathetic to local politics.
Hove and the satellite towns tend to be the more typical Tory/Blairite sort and more active with local government.
Just my experience though.
Car Delenda Est wrote:
As a Boltonian, I’d beg to differ ?
Well butter my bum and call
Well butter my bum and call me toast, it’s not april fools is it? I did not think I’d ever feel in agreement with an article in the Daily Heil about cycling.. byt no other than that toad Hitchins <Edit – Removed link.. no need to promote LeHeil further than required, forum discussion abound.>
https://road.cc/content/forum
https://road.cc/content/forum/much-we-dislike-dm-297143
Ah..missed that. Ta.
Ah..missed that. Ta.
No sympathy for Brighton
No sympathy for Brighton residents. Vote Green, get… an eyesore. Hopefully the rest of the country is paying attention.
Do you think a row of parked
Do you think a row of parked cars is anything but an eyesore? The bike shed is absolutely no uglier than a car sitting in that same space, we are just used to the cars so we don’t see how ugly they are. What the shed does is allow 10 people not to have a car which overall massively improves the aesthetics of the area and makes it easier for those who keep their cars to park too, everyone wins.
The shed accomplishes nothing
The shed accomplishes nothing. You don’t need an eyesore bike shed to own a bike. This is going to amaze you, but I own 4 bikes… and don’t put any in a bike shed!
Motorists, on the other hand, pay a king’s ransom in taxes and create wealth for the economy. The least they deserve is a stressless experience parking up after a hard day’s graft… without arriving home to see a big hulk of redundant metal dumped on the street!
Literally everyone with a job
Literally everyone with a job pays taxes, and motorists only pay them relative to the type of car they own and how they drive it. Don’t give me that ‘cars pay for the roads’ shit – this isn’t Twitter. Motorists need to accept that owning a car costs money, specially when it comes to somewhere to park it. If they can’t do that, either get something more efficient or get rid of it.
I bought a larger house with
I bought a larger house with a drive rather than store my private possessions on the public highway.
The amount of space taken up by private vehicles is absurd and unsustainable.
I’m hoping rich_cb proves to be right in his predictions on autonomous vehicles and the effect on car ownership.
I did the same – moved into a
I did the same – moved into a house on a newly built estate with a drive long enough for two cars. House opposite has a garage with drive in front. First thing neighbours did when they moved in was to convert the garage into a utility room, even though they had two cars and a van. So now a car and van are parked on the road outside their house, van parked directly opposite my drive making it difficult to reverse onto my drive. Daughter has recently passed her test and finds it really difficult to drive in and out. They seem to regard the (very narrow) road in front of their house as their own private car park.
perce wrote:
Many people do. Reference all the local newspaper type stories where people are falling out with their neighbours or with strangers for the crime of “parking in front of our house”.
Well I take umbrage with
Well I take umbrage with people who dump their car on the pavement outside my house,the roads not wide enough for parking on both sides of the road, not because I view the space as my own, but because they block the pavement and often block my access to my drive. Especially when they can often park where there is space and are just too lazy to do it.
Unfortunately every household seems to own two or more cars and most have at best space for one.
Awavey wrote:
Pretty sure Rakia agrees with you. He seems to think it’s outrageous to find a hunk of redundant metal outside your property after a day at work.
Blocking the pavement such
Blocking the pavement such that you have to walk in the road to get past it, yes i do think thats wrong, dont you ? parked in the road not an issue, but the road would be blocked if they did that so it’s the pedestrians that suffer as a result of peoples addiction to driving everywhere and thinking it’s ok to just dump it where they like.
Exactly. My neighbours knew
Exactly. My neighbours knew how much allocated parking space they had and still decided to convert their garage. I know most people do it but I think it’s taking the mick when they just assume they can take over the road space. It’s selfish and inconsiderate. Modern life I suppose
perce wrote:
I wonder if that is when conversions are permitted developments. When we extended our place we designed it with two parking spaces on the drive and our planning permission had that being adhered to as a condition.
{edited – cannot be bothered}
{edited – cannot be bothered}
brooksby wrote:
Correct response.
Now imagine you’re not so
Now imagine you’re not so privileged to have four bikes, presumably a car, and the space to store all of them.
If you had one bike and lived in a tiny flat like the people who live where these get installed in Brighton you’d see the point.
Rakia wrote:
This is going to amaze you, but some people literally do not have the space to store a bike within their properties, or it is totally impractical/impossible for them to get a bike into their property (e.g. living in an attic flat in a four storey building with narrow stairs). The roads belong to the local council, people without cars pay exactly the same amount of council tax as people with cars; why should those who choose a car as their preferred transport be given publicly owned space to store their machines whilst cyclists (whose transport choice is incontrovertibly better for the local environment and takes up a good deal less space) are given none?
You are right, I am amazed
You are right, I am amazed you own four bikes
What nonsense from Rakia.
What nonsense from Rakia. Shock.
what about people who physically cannot store a bike inside? Can you consider that ?
nosferatu1001 wrote:
Anyone can store a bike inside. Show me someone who claims they don’t have room for a bike and I will show you a liar.
Rakia wrote:
I don’t understand how you can be so opinionated and yet understand so little.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Even a child knows this…
Bravo – but they did say “a
Bravo – but they did say “a bike”…
chrisonatrike wrote:
Dagnammit!
Here’s a better picture of a
Here’s a better picture of a two-wheeled handcycle
Tbh I don’t think any of
Tbh I don’t think any of these hangers are suitable for recumbent/adaptive/cargo bikes yet sadly (my street hasn’t received its one yet though so dunno) although iirc that is something that’s been promised.
Some landlords will not allow
Some landlords will not allow you to keep a bicycle in the property. Other buildings won’t allow you to keep your bike in communal areas. And even if there is an area for parking do not provide a secure bike shed or Sheffield stands. Time for you to waken up and look beyond suburbia and your driveway and quiet leafy avenues.
Good point. (Cul-de-sacs,
Good point. (Cul-de-sacs, was it?) This can make a big difference to people.
TBH unless it’s in your house or there’s actually a guard the thieves will get it if they want it. I’ve access to a secure bike storage area with racks to lock to inside. Great! Until someone realised that there was an easy way to reach the catch on the inside of the locked door. They had a happy night, removing bike locks in comfort and privacy. Next day several of us discovered we were out of pocket (including some hundreds of pounds worth of bike locks)…
Rakia wrote:
oof, lying yourself there.
small studio flat with no space for bike
Landlord bans storage of a bike
Flat is up 4 flights of narrow stairs and the bike physically can’t fit
youre a cyclist needing to use a hand cycle and can’t get it inside
and so on. You’re really not too clever at this. Apparently drivers can produce value but cyclists can’t…which, if we’re all like you Rakia I’d agree with….
nosferatu1001 wrote:
Well let’s see…
Turns out you’re the one who isn’t so clever…
.
.
Rakia wrote:
I see that you’re really not a troll, you’re on a campaign to get rid of all the on-road parking motorists. Lazy fuckers havn’t worked hard enough for a drive or garage. You really are turning out to be a little ray of sunshine.
Though it does suggest you’re not familiar with cycling if you’re not aware that some locations are a death trap for small wheels. As someone who is apparently not from this area, you may not be aware than London has nearly 10,000 miles of roads and the quality varies greatly…. if indeed the person concerned is from London.
Well let’s see…
Well let’s see…
• ableism
• classism
• more ableism
• more classism
Again: consider that others are not as privileged as you.
Rakia wrote:
ooof
– yes it is.
– classist
– ablist (again)
– classist again
damn. Stupid nige is back again. Please do fuck off.
Rakia wrote:
Create wealth for the economy?! Apart from the 67 ksis a day, which most of us would see as a drain on the economy. And the damage to buildings roads…what a lame thing to come out with.
Old news:
Old news:
https://rdrf.org.uk/2012/12/31/the-true-costs-of-automobility-external-costs-of-cars/
Short: politicians, councillors etc. say “the sum (of money, large) was in my pocket. I mean – eyes. Sorry, didn’t see all the costs distributed more widely”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Externalities_of_automobiles
However – war on the hard-pressed motorist, cash cows, we pay the most in Europe etc. etc.
Rakia wrote:
A friend’s girlfriend is a paediatric nurse in the NHS, so I don’t think she could be accused of not doing a hard day’s graft. She lives in an attic conversion flat (3rd floor) in a Victorian house. The stairs are so narrow that it’s impossible to get a bike up them in one piece, she has to take both wheels off in the hall, carry them up then come back down three flights of stairs to bring the frame up. She would love a “stressless experience” when bringing her bike home from work, but in our borough (Southwark) there is an 8500 person waiting list. Why isn’t she getting the “least she deserves”?
NB Before anybody says buy a Brompton she had a test ride and decided the small wheels were too unstable for her given the potholed states of many of the roads she has to ride on to get to hospital.
If she’s too frightened to
If she’s too frightened to ride a brompton, unlike the thousands of other people in London, perhaps she isn’t cut out for cycling.
NB Plenty of shirkers in the NHS. NHS employee ≠ saint
Rakia wrote:
She isn’t “too frightened” to ride a Brompton, she decided that it wasn’t her best option given the terrain she covers, and I agree with her.
She also definitely isn’t a shirker, I’ve seen how hard she works. If you want to address assumptions about people working hard, try your own risible statement that every car driver deserves a stress free parking experience when they drive home from “a day’s hard graft”.
“Plenty of shirkers in the
“Plenty of shirkers in the NHS. NHS employee ≠ saint”
Please come to my place of work and come out with that sh*te.
Rakia wrote:
Top drawer trolling on both counts.
You’re so incredibly full of shit that it’s now pouring through your fingers and out onto the internet. Again.
Obvs she should get a car and
Obvs she should get a car and car space.
Some people just can’t think outside the box !
Rendel Harris wrote:
Maybe she needs to try being richer (inheritance seems to be the best way, these days) and then she wouldn’t need to travel to work, or she could at least get her butler to put her bike away for her.
hawkinspeter wrote:
I could suggest that to her but although she’s a lovely woman she’s also a black belt at kickboxing and I wouldn’t fancy my chances…
Rendel Harris wrote:
Maybe you should try being richer too and just leave her to your bodyguards.
Rendel Harris wrote:
Rakis sounds like a previous user who was convinced that cyclists were guilty of delaying the hardworking motorist from getting to work and that cyclists didn’t work hard enough or had jobs that allowed them to run cars.
giff77 wrote:
I wonder how they reconcile that with the £600,000 p.a. earning Jeremy Vine? Your average troll is not a consistent beast, I recall Nigel used frequently to moan that cycling was the preserve of the white wealthy middle class and simultaneously, as you say, say that anyone who could afford a car wouldn’t cycle.
They’ve brought back the “fat
They’ve brought back the “fat” gibes as well now I see. Just waiting to see the shed they don’t keep their bikes in, to see if it’s been stolen again…
I do hope you are being
I do hope you are being ironic
It’s difficult to tell if it
It’s difficult to tell if it truly believes what it spouts, but it’s not irony.
hutchdaddy wrote:
it’s nige, again
No doubt they’ll start up with the racism agaun, and get banned. Again.
Here’s an older story
Here’s an older story
https://road.cc/content/news/shedgate-mcr-edition-bike-shed-causes-visual-clutter-285823
I did like
Yawn. Vote Green, get faster
Yawn. Vote Green, get faster incremental improvement to cycling infra.
I think upset local residents
I think upset local residents could take a leaf out of XR’s book. I’m sure a bit of superglue and skullduggery could soon put an end to this idea. After all, according to some commentators on Road.cc, direct action is always the correct action.
Rakia wrote:
Local residents are already taking direct action! They’re driving about in their vehicles and parking them where they like (in conservation areas, on the “public highway” – also on the pavements, otherwise illegally etc). It’s a 24 -hours-a-day mass protest!
I’m all for direct action – when I want to go somewhere further than walking distance I almost always get on a cycle. Be the change etc.
Rakia wrote:
Superglue in the locks of badly parked cars? You know, I didn’t have you down as the direct action type but maybe should all be less quick to judge the first 30 or so posts that look like trolling.
JustTryingToGetFromAtoB wrote
“Skullduggery” is an interesting choice of word from someone who claims to not speak English as a first language. That must be why you have misunderstood that the JSO approach is the complete opposite.
Now, supergluing locks
Now, supergluing locks clearly falls under the description of criminal damage. I am intrigued how the law would view removal of valve cores. As long as I leave them with the car I haven’t committed theft, and there is no damage done just a bit of inconvenience.
Hypothetically asking for a friend….
The tyres would be damaged
The tyres would be damaged, especially on 2.5 T wankpanzers.
Rakia wrote:
Seeing drivers supergluing themselves to cycle lanes or bike sheds would really make me laugh. Better still, have a go at it yourself.
Or were you proposing creeping out in the night and vandalising things that local residents have paid for and not taking direct responsibility for that action. That, I’m afraid, isn’t the same modus operandi as Just Stop Oil.
IanMK wrote:
Well the latter obviously. Motorists have jobs to go to.
Rakia wrote:
Most motorists. Same as many cyclists.
Why is everyone replying to
Why is everyone replying to such an obvious troll?
jpj84 wrote:
Sorry – I was blinded by their unprecedented levels of cluelessness. I shall recalibrate my clue-o-meter
I don’t know. Only a week and
I don’t know. Only a week and the forum is overrun with pointless replies.
Pretty sure they are a PBU too.
Ah – but motorists (by
Ah – but motorists (by definition?) are making genuine journeys. Cyclists are just indulging themselves by cycling round in circles. Probably holding everyone else up. Or was that someone else?
Rakia wrote:
some motorists. Same as some cyclists.
damn. Such a bad troll.
And folk who choose to cycle
And folk who choose to cycle don’t?
Gammon’s gotta gammon.
Gammon’s gotta gammon.
For those about to troll, we don’t salute you.
Hmmm.
Hmmm.
The cycle sheds seem to be raising a lot more revenue than an average resident’s permit.
Time to up the parking charges?
Not sure which location you
Not sure which location you refer to by OnYerBike’s links show bikes are cheaper.
Residents parking prices traditionally were to cover costs but who knows these days when LAs raise fees and charges across the board.
I don’t see how you came to
I’m arguing revenue benefit to the Council of bike hanagrs over cars. To quote OnYerBike:
It would appear that that price per bike is less than per car in this location (Zone Z) although the total across six bikes in a hangar would be more than a “standard” car:
Which is in line with my statement around a bike hangar with bikes in it makes more revenue than a car, especially as Brighton has significant discounts for low emission cars, which will reduce the car revenue further.
Which suggests that if the Council are about raising revenue, then even more bike hangars is the way to go – or higher charges for cars !
(Are we at cross-purposes here? I’m aiming to point out incidental factors in favour of more bike hangars – apols if I was not clear enough.)
No that’s fine. I’d mentioned
No that’s fine. I’d mentioned London prices so wasn’t sure if you were talking about that or Brighton ones.
I wonder if they overbook any of the car spaces and bike spaces on the basis that they won’t be fully utilised at all times ?
Literally opposite that bike
Literally opposite that bike hanger theres a parking space dedicated to 4 motorbikes – any complaints about that reducing car parking? or is it just transport without engines that is a problem.
If its blowing a hoolie
If its blowing a hoolie unless the cycle shed is completely sealed to the elements, the rain always gets in. I’ve seen cycle shelters like that covered one before, they work for the most part and people who use them are unlikely to be cycling if the rain is horizontal anyway.
If a thief is dead set on
If a thief is dead set on stealing some bikes. CCTV cameras arent going to serve as any deterrent at all. Unless the cameras grow arms and legs and physically able to intervene. It will be business as usual for the thieves.
Deirdre Alden has been
Deirdre Alden has been complaining about bicycles in Edgbaston and Harborne for as long as I can remember.
It’s actually quite refreshing to read that she’s complaining about the colour of the tarmac on bike lanes this time, not about them existing at all.
Am I missing something? They
Am I missing something? They haven’t “painted the cycle lanes black”, they just haven’t painted them…
brooksby wrote:
“I see a red door
And I want it painted black
No colors anymore
I want them to turn black
I see the girls walk by
Dressed in their summer clothes
I have to turn my head
Until my darkness goes
I see a line of cars
And they’re all painted black
With flowers and my love
Both never to come back”
Or possibly a blue door in this case.
All I can think about is that
All I can think about is that 80s series about the ‘Nam, now…
brooksby wrote:
The one with Nicole Kidman?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_Duty_(TV_series)
LT and Sarge.
LT and Sarge.
Unfortunately it had gone very downhill by the time the Six Million Dollar Man showed up.
Quote:
Absolutely right. Utterly bonkers. Stark mad-eyed and staring. Any more barking and it’d have to be cooked up by Truss and Kwarteng.
Two bike hangars. That’s what it needs. Can’t believe noone’s pointed out the obvious solution.
‘an American car in Amsterdam
‘an American car in Amsterdam’. Talking of which; years back I was working in the US and the company I worked for booked me a car to collect from Cincinnati airports. When I arrived the polite person at the hire car desk apologised profusely that the car booked was unavailable and I had been ‘downgraded’ to a smaller car. ‘That’s fine, no problem’. I walked to the car park expecting a Honda Civic or something. It was a 4.5 litre Cadillac. I thought, what were they GOING to give me – Hummer?
Smallest car we could hire
Smallest car we could hire there was 2.4 litres.
Think back to the sixties,
Think back to the sixties, when the VW Beetle was seen in ‘Merica as a small car. And yet it was the same size as – or even bigger than – many British cars at the time.
Why is there an argument in
Why is there an argument in this thread about whether it’s possible to fit a bike in a flat? That’s not relevant. If someone who has made the conscious decision to purchase a (or likely, multiple) 5x2m metal box (when they have nowhere to park it), is somehow entitled to hoard large chunks of publicly owned land to store their private property, how can you possibly claim that someone (who also pays towards the upkeep of the road) storing a perfectly valid road-vehicle that takes up a miniscule fraction of the space, in the same way is “unreasonable”.
I have no skin in this game, because all my bikes are locked in a secure barn on private land, but If I did live in a terraced house with no driveway – I would doubtlessly be able to physically fit a bike, or multiple bikes inside the house, but why should I have to sacrifice usable living space when my neighbours are apparently entitled to dump ~35 bikes’ worth of private property on the road? Why should I not also want on-road parking?
F*ck ‘em.
If the residents of Brighton feel so strongly about this, they can follow Rakia’s advice; knock down part of their front wall so that they can park their car in the living room, or show some aspiration and buy a house with a garage and drive.
BalladOfStruth wrote:
Quite, every house on my street has a front garden into which it would be just possible to squeeze a car if you didn’t mind having to breathe in to get to the front door, never seen anyone suggest they should though, yet on a local group I saw an anti-bike-hangar person suggesting that cyclists could keep their bike in the bath when not in use!
Because the resident trolls
Because the resident trolls see no reason to take up precious road space with bikes, but are totally fine with cars taking up space, and so will find any excuse they possibly can to say that having to store a bike inside is totally fine.