McDonald’s says it’s “unsafe” for cyclist to use drive-thru; Moving house by cargo bike; Carmageddon: Cycling down as drivers hit roads; Emergency cycle funding: winners and losers; The lightest bike you’ll see today; A lap of the Cyclops junction + more
SUMMARY
A full lap of Manchester's Cyclops junction
The Royce Road junction in Hulme in Manchester is due to officially open today.
It’s the UK’s first “CYCLOPS” design, which is similar to the traditional Dutch junction. Its layout and traffic lights allow cyclists to turn right without having to move across lanes of traffic.
It’s hard to explain. It’s easier to get your head round it by watching this video.
CYCLOPS FULL LOOP IN ONE GREEN STAGE 🟢 pic.twitter.com/JjwFlySy4V
— Harry Gray (@HarryHamishGray) July 1, 2020
They've announced the emergency active travel funding in your area
As we reported on Saturday, the Department for Transport (DfT) has written to councils informing them it wants to see “an even higher level of ambition” when it comes to proposals for emergency active travel measures.
Authorities have been given 100%, 75%, 50% or just 25% of their respective bids, “based on the extent to which they aligned with the criteria”.
Several who made especially strong bids have even received more than they requested.
Basically, those who were keen to build good infrastructure got money; those who weren’t, didn’t.
You can see what your local authority got here, along with an indicative allocation for the next phase of funding.
The lightest bike you'll see today
Okay, it’s not going to help you set new fastest times on your local climbs – but this is bloody brilliant, isn’t it?
After working as a kite maker for over 30 years, Feng Tsan Huang of Taiwan has created his masterpiece: the bike kite. It’s 2 meters tall and weighs just 0.8 kg, thanks to carbon fiber beam and polyester panels [source: https://t.co/yIxWTfTsHB] pic.twitter.com/Z1NasPT3QH
— Massimo (@Rainmaker1973) June 30, 2020
You'll need a driving licence to hire an e-scooter
A blanket ban on riding e-scooters on UK roads and cycle lanes will end on July 4 with a 12-month trial where insured rental scooters will be made legal.
As we reported yesterday, riders must be over 16 and hold at least a provisional driving licence.
Asked about the latter part of that earlier today, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps confirmed it was the case for the trial period.
He explained this was due to a quirk in legislation dating back to 1880.
Anyway, check our full story for details on what is and isn’t allowed.
Cycling and Walking Plan and updated Cycle Infrastructure Design guidance to be published “over the summer”
.@PutneyFleur asks a question about when the Cycling and Walking Plan and the updated Cycle Infrastructure Design will be published.@grantshapps answers that the plans will published “over the summer” along with a further tranche of money for local authorities.
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) July 2, 2020
Carmageddon: Cycling levels fall as more and more motorists take to the roads
A couple of weeks ago, we asked whether cycling had already passed its peak.
While cycling levels were still up by 70 per cent at that point compared to the period before the coronavirus lockdown, they had started to decline.
At the same time, motor traffic had already doubled compared to the lockdown low back in April.
Those trends have apparently continued.
Cycling levels are falling, and motor traffic is rising.
Trend line is a 14-day moving average.Thanks to @spmngr for plotting the graph. pic.twitter.com/NM8zCImGLL
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) July 2, 2020
According to research by the RAC, almost a third of drivers – some 10.5 million – will be using a car to get away for an overnight stay this weekend with lockdown being eased.
Named and shamed: Local authorites that failed to secure full allocation of emergency active travel funding
As we said further down the page, where authorities were awarded only a fraction of the emergency cycle funding they requested, this was because the Department for Transport deemed them to have put forward a weak bid.
Here are the local authorities that failed to get their full allocation: pic.twitter.com/nWmZbp6kRe
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) July 2, 2020
See here for more on how the DfT has written to councils informing them it wants to see “an even higher level of ambition” when it comes to proposals for emergency active travel measures.
Named and given a nod of respect: Local authorites that secured MORE than their requested allocation of emergency active travel funding
The corollary of the authorities listed in the previous update.
These ones basically put in extra strong bids for emergency cycle funding and were rewarded for doing so.
These local authorities got more than their indicated allocation:
In tranche 1 there was £39,999,000 available and £37,102,451 was allocated.
You can see the full spreadsheet here:https://t.co/wtu3mlnyPw… pic.twitter.com/ewbdAK201f
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) July 2, 2020
Vigil today for NHS COVID-19 nurse killed while cycling in Edinburgh
A vigil is being held today for an NHS nurse who volunteered to treat COVID-19 patients who was killed in a road traffic collision last week.
Very moving. Standing in the middle of the road with hundreds of others, feeling we didn’t belong in that space because of the needs of motorised traffic.
The emotion was palpable and real.#JamesHarrisonVigil pic.twitter.com/6AO7gcM4iZ
— Henry (@hank_chief) July 2, 2020
Full story here.
BREAKING: Kids on bikes turn right at junction WITHOUT having to mix with motor traffic
Might seem geeky (it is) but this is why this junction design is SO important: 2 kids (under 12) easily turning right, not having to mix with traffic.
When this is route is complete, they can ride to school.
Shouldn’t qualify as news….but it is https://t.co/jEFQ8rFGJr
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) July 1, 2020
PedalMe employee moves house without hiring a van
Yesterday I moved out of my flat in Surrey Quays to a new flat in Eastcote, a journey of about 20 miles. Luckily working for @pedalmeapp meant I didn’t have to hire a van. Some of the hills were a bit tough though! pic.twitter.com/7AdR5E0uAv
— maidstoneonbike (@maidstoneonbike) July 2, 2020
Last year Sustrans managed to move the entire contents of their Farringdon offices to a new place in Tower Hamlets using electric cargo bikes.
McDonald's tells cyclist it’s “unsafe” for him to use drive-through
A Stoke cyclist has accused McDonald’s of ‘discrimination’ after he was turned away from one of its drive-throughs.
The firm’s customer service team told James Owens its drive-through layout was “unsafe” for him – although apparently it’s okay for motoryclists.
The Stoke Sentinel reports that Owens was told he could not be served at the Meir Park branch at the end of a long warehouse shift.
In a letter of complaint, Owens wrote: “The main part of the restaurant was closed so I queued in the line of traffic waiting to be served in the drive-thru.
“When my time came to be served, I was shocked and embarrassed to be told that because I was riding a bicycle, I would not be served.
“I believe this is highly discriminatory against young people or anybody trying to do their bit for the environment by riding a bike. If cyclists are not welcome, why is this not made clear at the entrance to the drive-thru?
“Cyclists and motorists manage to share every other part of the highway so why does McDonald’s think they cannot negotiate a drive-thru together?”
Owens said he felt this was a “completely outdated and unacceptable position to take,” adding: “I should be grateful if you would please justify your company’s position towards cyclists.”
McDonald’s apologised to Owens, but then restated its policy that cyclists cannot be served at drive-throughs.
“We are offering a drive-thru service only due to the Covid-19 situation, and restaurants cannot serve pedestrians and vehicles at the same point,” said the firm’s customer service team.
“By the very nature of a drive-thru layout, vehicles need to pull up close to the service points and as there are no specific pavements or safe areas for pedestrians to use at the same time, safety becomes a concern.
“We are unable to permit pedestrians, bicycles and class-one mobility scooters to use our drive-thrus for these reasons. We are able to serve customers on motorcycles or those using a class-two or class-three mobility scooter.”
Last month Costa Coffee’s Twitter account manager received a fair bit of backlash after claiming that the reason cyclists weren’t allowed to use their drive-through service was because they aren’t “taxed and insured to be on the road”.
Costa Adam later admitted he got it wrong by assuming this was the reason why. He later said he believed it was because of “strict health and safety guidelines”.
He later claimed that the drive-through lanes are “designed for motor vehicles”, and that the speaker to place an order is somehow triggered by a motor vehicle when it pulls up.
Video: Peter Sagan cooks Italian
He has strong opinions about certain elements, as you’ll see.
The most loved cuisine in the world has its rules! Today, I turn into a @BORAGmbH chef to reveal them to you. Don’t miss the appointment with the #Giro 103!#PeterIsReady, October 3-25, are you?@giroditalia pic.twitter.com/GrKDMoDMMK
— Peter Sagan (@petosagan) July 2, 2020
Oakley is selling PPE
Oakley has released some clear eyewear with a wider coverage area that is certified as Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The Shield Your Eyes offering was apparently developed, “in response to a growing consumer demand for eyewear that provides extra coverage for everyday life and sport.”
World's second biggest bike garage opens in The Hague
The new bike garage at Den Haag Central Station has space for almost 8,000 bikes.
Dit is de nieuwe fietsenstalling bij Den Haag Centraal! 🚲 Zojuist in gebruik genomen. Er zijn 700 nieuwe OV-fietsen en er kunnen ruim 7000 andere fietsen gestald worden. #Denhaag https://t.co/lWuLE74C4i pic.twitter.com/cUor9dgBHX
— NS online (@NS_online) July 1, 2020
NL Times reports that the only bigger one is the underground bike garage in Utrecht, which can hold over 12,500 bikes.
Video: Alex Dowsett's step-by-step guide on how NOT to go tubeless
“Nothing’s happening. I probably should have checked the instructions.”
Cameron Jeffers rode to Barnard Castle for an eye test
Cycling YouTuber Cameron Jeffers’ latest stunt has seen him ride to Barnard Castle.
“Rumour has it Barnard Castle is the place to visit if you’re after getting your eyes tested,” he says, referencing that whole Dominic Cummings thing.
We’ve previously covered Primal’s Dominic Cummings eye test jersey and The Tour de Dom, a 610-mile virtual challenge equivalent to London to Durham to Barnard Castle to Durham to London.
Our own Dave Atkinson also recently completed a virtual ‘Cummings and goings’ ride from Big Ben to Barnard Castle with a stopover in Durham for the Genesis Trust.
Road rage motorist shot dead by cyclist in the US
Fox 2 reports that a road rage incident involving a motorist and two cyclists culminated in the motorist being shot dead by one of the cyclists.
The website reports that both a lawyer and “police sources” believe the woman was “likely justified” in using lethal force.
A couple were reportedly riding along East Jefferson Avenue in Detroit at around 11pm on Tuesday when a 34-year-old motorist shouted at them. Detroit police sources say he was upset with the cyclists riding there.
The male cyclist shouted back. The motorist then stopped and got out of his SUV before approaching with a knife.
The female cyclist then fired a single shot, killing the man.
Detroit police placed her under arrest.
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Latest Comments
@No Reply, ah I see which PBU you are now. Tiresomely familiar. Rather than waste any more time on you I’ll leave it to the good judgement of road.cc readers as to exactly how much credence to give the words of someone who claims that calling someone a “bum chum” is not a homophobic slur.
I'm sure everyone involved is very well intentioned but I'm sorry Scottish Cycling, young people don't need "confidence", they need safe infrastructure. They need a national government that doesn't repeatedly fail to live up to its previous promises on active travel spending and then tries to obfuscate that fact, while diverting huge obscene sums of money to road building and blocking attempts by councils to implement congestion charging. They need local councils that are actually incentivised to deliver infrastructure at pace where funding is available rather than soft-soaping and slow-rolling constantly to try and avoid bad press from deranged anti-cycling wingnut columnists in local rags. Most relevantly, they need people with access to power and politics who're willing to advocate for those things, certainly far more than they need a Tour-themed rebrand of the ineffectual Bikability scheme which is what this initiative seems to amount to.
@Rendel Harris "Did you have to have counselling after every game because of the hurtful things you heard on the pitch?" Great question. For a rational, steady, logical, response, sadly don't hold your breath. I say "sadly" because most cyclists have a dislike for linguistic accuracy and authentic meaning. I don't think Rendel has a wish to "live in North Korea" though. He's only expressing disdain for a two word lump that resides along the lickspittle spectrum. North Korea seems like an incredible leap. Do you use a TV stick a lot No Reply?
@Rendel Harris I have read your comments for a good while. What I see is someone who preaches tolerance but is completely intolerant to any other views which don’t align to yours. Many of your comments are personal slurs. You post some very personal and nasty responses. If someone gets so upset at a throwaway remark such as bum chum, the issue is with you. It’s an off the cuff remark, not a bloody homophobic slur. Get a grip. You can be offended. That is your right. But it is also my right to say something which someone else may find offends them. The remark is not offensive, no, you find it offensive. That my friend is free speech, enjoy it while it lasts in this country. People who go on forums looking for things to be offended at should not go on said forums. It is liberal views such as the ones you regularly show on here which are the reason why this country is such a mess. So you are a rugby player? How did that go? Did you have to have counselling after every game because of the hurtful things you heard on the pitch? And you are happy for someone to use the C word, but apoplectic if someone uses a term you don’t like. Have i touched a nerve Rendel? Is there something you’d like to tell me? For what it’s worth I didn’t get nasty and personal. You did. This forum is sadly going the way many forums have, where the liberals shout louder than everyone else to drown out a different opinion, and the result is a left wing biased forum where any dissent is frowned upon by those who feel superior to others. Perhaps you’d prefer us to live in a society like North Korea, where the state monitors and punishes opinions expressed? Maybe not, because you would be dealt with soundly.
@Rendel Harris Rendel Harris November 7, 2026 at 10:41 am @mark1212123 Thank you for answering my question. Get well soon. Hugs xxx Oh my. I wont address you again Rendel. You are discomforted. Please, accept my sincerest apologies, for making you feel like you are. I will, of course, from time to time, maybe mention your leaden effects upon the cycling community.
If Waymo are allowed to patent a system to detect fallen/falling pedestrians and cyclists, it means no-one else may use the same method without incurring licencing fees -- unless Waymo waives their rights. (If that is their intention, why don't they just publish the method without spending money on a patent -- they don't come cheap?) And they would be in a position to block anyone else using it. The method sounds pretty common-sense to me (rarely an issue with the US Patent Office), so other developers may find they have to remove parts of their software if they've already gone down that route. So safety research plus patent will end up costing lives. If your car swerves to avoid a tumbling pedestrian, its manufacturer could get sued. Still, I'm sure Trump would support moves to make such patent-abuse illegal...
@mark1212123 Thank you for answering my question. Get well soon. Hugs xxx
@No Reply "Vanthourenhart is a smacked ass cheat." You may not have noticed but cycle racing is built on the cheat foundation, homo sapiens. Witness, even, Rendel Harris trying to cheat you from your free speech flagpoles on this very thread. Rendel is a cyclist he's informed the forum before regarding his bike stable. If you are against cheating why do you follow cycle racing?
Not a lawyer, but not sure awarding a patent on a safety feature that only really benefits the non-contracted party (I.e. the cyclist) is the right way forward. Hopefully they do not make the proliferation of a feature restrictive, as it would benefit the greater good. I think Volvo did that with the 3-point seatbelt? PS. Having used Waymo as a passenger, I feel their city driving is waaaay better than pretty much any Uber driver - at least in the US.
@Rendel Harris I've been reading you hurl your curtain twitcher approach on many others. I think being grammar police around cycling is simply someone wishing to be publicly pompous. Your strawman argument highlighting "difference" and "appreciation" would be interesting to get into but they are two distinct areas, not one, as you implied by landing, bumpity, bump..........bump, on "problem." I'm wondering now, if you can explain the difference between "swearing and homophobic slurs" it will get us all on the same page? Don't just google it either, use your own strength so we can see.
29 thoughts on “McDonald’s says it’s “unsafe” for cyclist to use drive-thru; Moving house by cargo bike; Carmageddon: Cycling down as drivers hit roads; Emergency cycle funding: winners and losers; The lightest bike you’ll see today; A lap of the Cyclops junction + more”
Could they not have at least
Could they not have at least chucked in another £1k and made it a round £40 million? That’s almost as irritating as Froome’s strava effort.
well the All Party
well the All Party parliamentary cycling groups figures excludes London boroughs/TFL which is worth 5million according to the DfT in tranche 1,but the DfTs own figures then excludes West Yorkshire CA which is worth 2.5 million according to the APPGCW…so its a total upwards of 40million is all we can say for sure 🙂
The cycling boom was never
The cycling boom was never about cycling it was about an excuse to get out. That’s the problem. It was a means to an end.
Oxford, City of Cycling! 5th
Oxford, City of Cycling! 5th from last…
John Smith wrote:
Oxfordshire, rather than Oxford. Oxford’s cycling provision may leave quite a lot to be desired, but it’s way ahead of what you get in most of the rest of the county.
To be fair to them, though, they’re only 5th bottom based on the amount that wasn’t awarded, and that’s partly due to them having just asked for quite a lot in the first place (16th highest amount). If you rank them by what they were awarded they come in well inside the top half.
I think it’s a bit of a
I think it’s a bit of a stretch to say from that graph that ‘cycling is falling’. The downward section is only for about half a week, prior to which it was going up for about half a week, and it only brings it back to where it was about a week and a half previously. At the moment about all you can say from it is ‘cycling levels have been fluctuating’.
Edit: looking more closely at the individual data points, it looks as though the fall in the last few days is mostly due to a couple of days of exceptionally high cycling levels two weeks ago dropping out of the 14-day average.
I dont know how we can make a
I dont know how we can make a graph at all thats able to give us the appearance of an accurate rolling average datapoint as again you drill down into the data methodology and it is only “Estimated change in cycling usage in England”, thats all those cycling figures show, estimated data.
At least it tells us how they are estimating this time by using mobile phone data from a single network, as your phone moves to a different cell it registers a hit which shows you are moving around, but only if you stop moving for 30mins does that trip count as a cycling trip, and short trips of less than 1km in urban,5km in rural locations are excluded.
so they accept its best efforts (why dont they ask Strava to show them their data for more confidence in their data) but its no better than a finger in the air kind of yeah the roads were quiet people were still moving around, they must have been cycling, now more cars (which we can calculate and measure through various means) are around, people are still moving about,but they are probably not cycling anymore, and the baseline against this data is just the same methodology applied to the week before lockdown.
and from that people are using that data to start drawing graphs
For the Driver Comment Bingo
For the Driver Comment Bingo card, we have nice tweet chain underneath the right turn Tweet of :-
When is there going to be a levy on cyclists to pay for all this infrastructure? Seems only fair that the “user pays” principle is applied.
So tempted to reply with
So tempted to reply with “when are car drivers going to be charged for all the people they kill and injure – seems only right that killers and would-be killers pay the price”
Ha! That’s the first comment
Ha! That’s the first comment i noticed when I followed the link. I don’t do twitter but if i did I’d reply: ‘look again at the video – look at the jogger, look at the pedestrian crossings, the tactile pavement, the foot way, the pedestrian controlled lights . . . . When are blind people and joggers and pedestrians going to pay a levy for all this infrastructure?”
Looks like my local
Looks like my local authorities all failed to cover themselves in glory. Reading, Wokingham and Oxfordshire B- must try harder.
“We are unable to permit
“We are unable to permit pedestrians, bicycles and class-one mobility scooters to use our drive-thrus for these reasons. We are able to serve customers on motorcycles or those using a class-two or class-three mobility scooter.”
MacDonalds: oxymoronic or just moronic?
eburtthebike wrote:
More like “M, innit”
It’s almost as if Mcdonalds
It’s almost as if Mcdonalds missed the briefing that reminds everyone that bicycles are road vehicles and NOT pedestrians. just because it doesn’t have a motor doesn’t mean it’s dangerous to be in the drive-through.
IIRC there was a story in one
IIRC there was a story in one of the tabloids a couple of weeks ago, in which a McDonalds drive-through also turned away a bloke on horseback.
I admit to being confused – giving paper bag of food to someone on a motorcycle is alright but not to someone on a bicycle or a horse? Methinks they’re making it up as they go along…
I’m guessing it is insurance
I’m guessing it is insurance companies stating certain rules as all drive ins seem to be the same, but it does seem like they equate bikes with pavement transport rather then road as Dao states above. Maybe because Kids would be all there on their bikes.
Just checked their FAQs
Are bicycles allowed through Drive Thru?
McDonald’s supports the health and environmental benefits of cycling, however it is our practice not to serve cyclists using the drive-thru lane or drive-thru service windows.
Why? The drive-thru facility is designed for motor vehicles and, on balance, we are concerned that use by cyclists could compromise their safety through: the necessarily close proximity with motor vehicles; the limited visibility of cycles (particularly given the sharp corners of the drive thru lane); and the difficulties of carrying food and drinks and retaining full control of a bicycle. In reaching this view we have consulted with our own Hygiene and Safety Department, the Highway Code, and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA).
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
Because retaining full control of a car while extracting your Big Mac from a bag and balancing a gallon of Coke on your knees is easy, and far less disastrous when it goes wrong…
A bit like
A bit like
https://road.cc/content/news/241264-near-miss-day-133-breakfast-eating-close-pass-driver-fined
brooksby wrote:
They just ran out of hay for the burger.
It’s not safe for anyone to
It’s not safe for anyone to eat at McDonald’s. This was a blessing in disguise.
adamrice wrote:
I say we should boycott McDonald’s until they change their cycle policy.
(I’ve been boycotting them for a few decades anyway)
Yes, I am mystified by all
Yes, I am mystified by all this pent up desire for self-poisoning. Not by eating McDonald’s, but by joining a queue of exhaust pipes in preparation. And then what – put the fetid bag of burgers in your pannier to eat at home, cold and congealed? Or enjoy the hot treat in the cold comfort of the car park?
A drive-thru is for numpties in cars – why so keen to join them?
a high powered s-pedelec
a high powered s-pedelec ebike that’s registered with the DVLA is considered equivalent to a moped and therefore should be fine to use a McD drivethru – bet that would confuse them if someone tried it!
HoarseMann wrote:
Don’t tempt me.
I was once forbbidden to go
I was once forbbidden to go on foot to the McDonalds drive-thru. I came back with a bicycle and they let me order.
This was in Spain though and makes no sense either.
Oakley making PPE… I wonder
Oakley making PPE… I wonder if they will beat or match Bolle on price… or if they will stick to the tried and tested formula of charging 20-30 pairs of bolle’s for the one pair oakleys.
Thats what i love about Bolle’s. They are cheap and they are highly servicable. No love will be lost if they were to get absolutely destroyed or go missing. £10-12 buys me a new pair.
Not as stylish yes – but certified to the highest of safety standards when it comes to safety glasses.
Thanks for the Cyclops video.
Thanks for the Cyclops video.
I’d looked at yesterday’s (I think) article and I couldn’t work out how you would navigate it.
I’m unlikely to ever come across one, but if I do at least now I might have a clue.
What A surprise that Essex
What A surprise that Essex had one of the highest allocations available for funding and didn’t bother to request more than half of it. In a county that’s relatively flat and with a poorly designed road network you’d think actually putting in some cycling provisions would be a good idea.
That cyclops junction works
That cyclops junction works similarly to way we are supposed to use traffic light controlled junctions here in Japan, cross straight over, stop on the other side and rejoin the road you want to go down on the other side (bikes are not allowed to wait in the middle of the road to turn). That cyclops set up though is far better way as you are physically separated from the traffic, nice, am jealous.