What is going on in Richmond Park?; “Comedic planning”: Reaction to door zone bike lane; Cav’s magic year; UAE women’s team; Nobel Prize winner awarded special bike parking spot; Brighton Gin reunited with stolen delivery bike + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Council defends dangerous door zone cycle lane...says cyclists should stay alert
Why would you paint a cycle lane precisely where a cyclist should never cycle? pic.twitter.com/A43SBsYWfD
— The Department of Parks & Recreation 🦌 (@ldnparks) October 9, 2021
If you were to look at the road above and pick a foot-wide area that cyclists shouldn’t ride, it would be exactly where Richmond Council has this cycle lane. A touch of white paint and a bicycle on the ground and suddenly it’s fit for purpose…apparently.
South west London live blog regular The Department of Parks & Recreation took a well-earned break from filming speeding drivers in Richmond Park to share this less than ideal bike lane.
> Professional cyclist robbed of bike by Richmond Park machete gang
What’s more, Richmond Council got back to the video titled: “Why would you paint a cycle lane precisely where a cyclist should never cycle?”, with an attempt at an explanation…
Unfortunately there is not always space to ensure cycleways do not run alongside parking spaces.
Drivers must ensure they are always on the lookout for cyclists, especially before opening doors when parked next to a cycle lane. 2/3— Richmond Council (@LBRUT) October 11, 2021
Equally, cyclists should always be aware of parked cars and watch out for drivers opening their doors. 3/3
— Richmond Council (@LBRUT) October 11, 2021
Hmmm…that’s one way of looking at it. Maybe I’m wrong (I usually am), but I reckon most cyclists are “aware of parked cars” and do “watch out for drivers opening their doors”. It’s probably why most of us don’t ride in the door zone in the first place.
Enough of my ranting, I’ll leave that to the 136 replies on Richmond Council’s tweet…
I just want to make it clear that painting a picture of a bicycle exactly where someone must never ever cycle is manifestly incompetent and can (and has) got people killed.
— Jonathan (he/him) (@jrothwell) October 11, 2021
Then don’t put one there. Cycle lanes like this make drivers think that bikes belong inches from the parked cars and ONLY inches from the parked cars. These kinds of lanes increase abuse towards cyclists and increase dangerous close passes.
— Deanna Neutrois (@MxARivelin) October 11, 2021
At half nine last night someone from the council logged back on to address the criticism and offer an explanation to the explanation…
We want to clarify that the responsibility is ALWAYS with the driver to check before they open their door. Unfortunately, this is not always adhered to and our choice of words was intended to encourage cyclists to remain vigilant and not assume drivers are going to check.
That said, the word “equally” was a poor description, given the very different responsibilities and consequences involved in a car door collision.
We would also like to clarify that the cycle infrastructure in question was installed at least 15 years ago and will be reviewed in the future.
Elsewhere in south west London last night, we brought you the news that junior national closed circuit TT champ Mattie Dodd is the latest victim of bike theft by a moped gang — just 12 hours after he won the national title. Thieves were seen on CCTV leaving the family home in Wimbledon with six bikes. On Friday, Alpecin-Fenix rider Alexander Richardson was knocked off and threatened with a 15-inch machete by a gang who stole his bike.
UAE Team Emirates confirm women's team plans
Although I welcome the influx of new sponsors and professionalism into women’s cycling, there is also this in UAE:
“Laws still provide male guardian authority over women and loopholes allow reduced sentences for men for killing a female relative.”https://t.co/RcenEI465L
— José Been (@TourDeJose) October 12, 2021
UAE Team Emirates are hoping to step into women’s cycling next season and are partnering with existing women’s WorldTour team Alè BTC Ljubljana Team to find “the right opportunity and availability”. Team principal Mauro Gianetti said: “We are pleased to announce that we are working to create a female team to compete on the world stage as part of the UAE ambition to develop cycling, in support of a global project that started back in 2017.
“Together with the Alè BTC Ljubljana Team we have found the right opportunity and the availability we were looking for and, in collaboration with the UCI, we are preparing all the necessary documents for the completion of the acquisition of the World Tour license starting from 1 January 2022.
“In the coming weeks we will have the definitive framework and we will be ready to present the project.”
UC Berkley chancellor awards Nobel Prize winner David Card a "highly-coveted parking space"...but he commutes by bike
There’s nothing like achieving the greatest academic honour you can get, the award for a lifetime’s work — the “highly-coveted parking space near your office”. I’m sure David Card has already forgotten about his Nobel Prize…
However, the Canadian economist doesn’t drive to work, he cycles. So UC Berkeley chancellor Carol Christ told him: “let me see how we might go about creating a special place for you to park it in.”
Ten quid says he’d rather take to his office than lock it outside at a ceremonial bike rack…
Ealing activists put up alternative signs
Activists in Ealing have taken things into their own hands after the local council removed measures to make walking and cycling safer and easier in the neighbourhood. pic.twitter.com/cg2m4tpczz
— Sarah 🍓 (@SarahJ_Berry) October 11, 2021
Brighton Gin reunited with stolen delivery bike
THE BIKE IS FOUND!!! Huge huge thanks to everyone who has been helping to #findtheginbike – I can’t believe it, bit it’s happened! In need of tremendous TLC and repair but FOUND courtesy of one of our brilliant community spotting it and letting us know! Wow!! Thank you all!! pic.twitter.com/S0RrUvb4nl
— Brighton Gin (@BrightonGin) October 9, 2021
There was a happy ending for Brighton Gin, who have been reunited with their beloved delivery bike after it was spotted by an eagle-eyed customer. The bike, which Rachel Blake uses to deliver orders around the city, was stolen last Tuesday. But just days later, thanks to a social media appeal, the bike has been found — minus some of the branding which has been deliberately scratched off.
In the video Kathy Caton tells their Twitter followers: “Huge thanks to everyone who has been helping to find the gin bike. I can’t believe it, but it’s happened. It’s in tremendous need of some tender loving care and repair but it is found courtesy of a member of our brilliant community spotting it and letting us know.”
Team Delko folds... days after racing Paris-Roubaix in iconic 'Look 1985' jersey
The team behind that brilliant retro Paris-Roubaix kit is sadly no more. Direct Velo received the news of Team Delko’s imminent closure by sports director Benjamin Giraud, who said: “The decision was taken very recently but I preferred to wait for our last race before announcing it. I didn’t want the riders to think about it before the Tour de Vendée and Paris-Tours. Besides, we had a good week and we ended on a good note, that’s good.
“I had warned the staff and the riders that it started to spread on Sunday morning. I am proud of the boys.”
The team’s biggest win of this season came back in April at the Presidential Tour of Turkey, a race where Mark Cavendish reemerged, winning four stages. At Paris-Roubaix, in their striking kit, Lithuanian rider Evaldas Šiškevičius was the team’s highest placed, and only finisher, in 33rd place.
> The bikes that won Paris-Roubaix – Tubeless, disc and aero for Colbrelli and Deignan
Better?
Suggestion for Richmond Council (@LBRUT). Twenty minutes work, including a tea break? Idea credit: @ErnieMarples pic.twitter.com/dQOt71FZOk
— The Department of Parks & Recreation 🦌 (@ldnparks) October 12, 2021
Did someone say tea break?
Proviz jackets get tickled pink… and orange and turquoise
High-vis sports garment specialists Proviz has unveiled some new colour options for its classic Softshell Cycling Jacket. The men’s version now includes orange and pink colourways, and new for women are turquoise and pink versions.
The semi-fitted jacket is made from ‘triple layered 30D Interlock four-way stretch fabric with TPU waterproof’ according to Proviz and costs £99.99 – check ‘em out here…
Santander Cycles enjoys record-breaking month – the most successful September in the scheme's history
Transport for London’s flagship cycle hire scheme continued to go from strength to strength with the highest September hires in its 11-year history. There were 1,219,804 Santander Cycles hires during the month, an average of 40,660 per day, and well above the 37,917 average daily hires in September last year and the 32,323 average daily hires in the three Septembers prior to the pandemic.
TfL credited the record numbers, in part, to workers returning to the office. September saw the highest volume of Santander Cycles commuter hires since March 2020, with an average of 7,573 daily hires made between 7am and 10am on weekdays. There was also a noticeable increase in people using the Waterloo and King’s Cross hubs, as well as docking stations near railway stations.
Last month also saw a record-breaking number of hires by members on a single day as 29,046 hires were made on September 22.
Muc-Off launches spray-on re-proofer to restore your jacket’s waterproofing treatment
Muc-Off do much more than help you get the muck off your bike nowadays (‘Ludicrous AF’ lube, anyone?) and the latest addition to its range is the Rain Shield re-proofer spray.
Priced at £9.99 a can, Muc-Off says the spray has been designed to reduce surface tension of fabrics thanks to its ‘microscopically ‘spikey’ surface’: “The surface becomes hydrophobic, so water beads and rolls off the fabric, preventing rain, snow and mud from penetrating and saturating technical apparel,” adds Muc-Off.
Muc-Off also claims that Rain Shield will extend the life of your garment without affecting its breathability, and gets eco brownie points for forgoing the use of perfluorocarbons (PFCs) in the ingredients list. You can buy it over here.
Cav's magic year: From the verge of retirement to Tour de France stage wins record
📅 #OTD in 2020: An emotional @MarkCavendish admits he may retire from cycling after Gent-Wevelgem 😭
🇬🇧 Who could’ve predicted his 𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 2021? 💚💪 pic.twitter.com/stbdlndidr
— Eurosport UK (@Eurosport_UK) October 12, 2021
A lot has happened to Cav in the past year. He almost retired. Looked for a new team. Rejoined Deceuninck-Quick-Step. Began the comeback. Started challenging for wins again. Won his first race in more than three years. Won three more during that triumphant week in Turkey. Entered the Tour de France selection picture. Was ruled out of contention. Replaced Sam Bennett. Went to the Tour de France. Won once. Won another. And another. Matched Merckx’s record, before just falling short of the outright crown on the Champs-Élysées…
A fairytale story, now who’s going to bet against him again? Not us…
Who will be wearing the Santini yellow jersey next July?
Italian kit manufacturer Santini has been entrusted with supplying the next generation of Tour de France yellow jerseys. The sponsorship deal will start with next year’s race and includes the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift and L’Étape du Tour.
Of course they’ll also be making the mountains jersey, young rider’s jersey and green jersey too. The significance was not lost on brand CEO, Monica Santini: “Signing this agreement was a hugely emotional experience for us and we are genuinely thrilled to announce this partnership with the Tour de France.”
Santini and ASO have agreed a five-year deal for the jerseys which, as with all Santini products, will be made at its Lallio facility just outside Bergamo. The brand also said it is looking forward to making official replica jerseys for the public to buy.
Police presence at Richmond Park this afternoon
And then saw two more officers arrive ar Sheen Gate. pic.twitter.com/q96KZ0hvD3
— Richmond Cycling Campaign (@RichmondCycling) October 12, 2021
What is going on in Richmond Park? Photo of moped gang carrying bike surfaces on social media as Royal Parks Police confirm another bike-jacking incident (+ rumours of a third incident)
There have been some more quite terrifying police reports, photos and rumours coming out of the Richmond Park area this morning. First, the image above, of two people carrying a road bike on the back of a moped, surfaced on social media.
The pair were spotted in the estate just outside Richmond Park, near where pro rider Alexander Richardson was knocked off and threatened with a machete on Friday. The Alpecin-Fenix rider was dragged 100 metres along the road before handing his bike over when he saw one of the attackers had a 15-inch blade.
Then, this morning, Royal Parks Police confirmed armed officers had attended reports of a cyclist being assaulted by two males, one with a machete, last night on the High Street a short distance from the park (it has not been confirmed if this was Roehampton or Putney High Street as both are in the SW15 postcode, but we will update this once we get police confirmation). Once again, the offenders took the man’s bike and could not be traced when officers arrived…
An area search was conducted, however the suspects could not be traced. The victim was taken to hospital as a precaution but was not seriously injured. Any witnesses to call police on 101 and quote ref CAD 5688/11Oct (2/2)
— Royal Parks Police (@MPSRoyal_Parks) October 12, 2021
In a separate incident last night, messages on a WhatsApp chat for parents at Ibstock Place School reported there had been another bike-jacking just outside the school at 5pm. The school is less than 200m from the park’s Roehampton Gate and backs onto the road where the photo of the moped riders carrying the bike was taken. A parent snapped the photo at the left turning off Danebury Avenue onto Sherfield Gardens, just after passing Alton Primary School…
Parents reported seeing a cyclist being rammed from his bike by the moped gang and threatened with a machete. The victim was taken into the school while the police and an ambulance were called.
All this was unfolding on the same evening we brought you the news that a moped gang stole the junior national closed circuit TT champ’s bike – 12 hours after he won title. Thieves were caught on CCTV making off with six bikes from Mattie Dodd’s family home in Wimbledon.
12 October 2021, 07:54
12 October 2021, 07:54
12 October 2021, 07:54
12 October 2021, 07:54
12 October 2021, 07:54
12 October 2021, 07:54
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Latest Comments
Not sure how informative that is. I imagine for all most of us know it could be Europe's only 'volumetric modular building'. 🤷♂️
Yes, but they're copying the adults of today...
Indeed - but alas I think this is an effective argument for very few folks indeed. As for push-back, what else could we expect *? I think there are ways of selling this but we're far more likely to see headlines about the problems, while the successes are relegated to footnotes, because at that point it just works and there's nothing to see... * Given that this time there aren't politicians being persuaded to overlook thousands of deaths and the demolition of property by the billions from the motoring trades (and the excitement of being able to drive out with the bright things for a party at a roadhouse). Nor are we as tolerant of "accidents". (And noting that publicity about the cases of a handful of people killed by cyclists continues to reach the media; deaths related to motor vehicles not so much).
That rather ignores that the children of today are the adults of tomorrow.
@belugabob Arguably it's easier this way - we don't actually need to do anything to the streets except stop drivers driving down every scrap of tarmac. Where I live, a few well-placed bollards would make walking/cycling/scooting the quicker option and safer, while maintaining 100% vehicular access - just not allowing through routes in every direction.
Sweet dreams from Bike@bedtime! Thank you for featuring this classic beaut.
@jackcycles wait a minute... I'm getting a sense of déjà vu ... **Khan!** Also on Mr. Stops - despite being at Hackney (which have done some good work) I believe he's been ... skeptical... of cycle infra. Perhaps he's of the vehicular cycling "I can so why can't everyone else" cult? Apparently he's also been involved with the National Federation of the Blind UK - a fringe group who managed to get some of the bigger groups on board a campaign taking aim at bus stop bypasses. (They believe these will cause havok for the visually impaired, despite these uncontroversially working in many places abroad. And indeed in the UK, for decades - but just not under that name.)
@chrisonabike - I agree, but my point was more about the reluctance/pushback involved, rather than the effectiveness/safety of any schemes that are/might be rolled out
Trams would be great! Wonder what happened to them...
Serious injuries as defined in statistics span from an uncomplicated fracture of a forearm bone to catastrophic multiple injuries that result in death in subsequent weeks and months. Consequently without further analysis they may be quite misleading, it may be that the statistics disguise what would otherwise have been fatal injuries at the roadside due to effective early treatment by first responders and subsequent trauma care OR that they reflect an increase in injuries at the lower edge of the severity spectrum OR neither. From the numbers alone we do not know and so are not in a good position to draw inferences about the seeming fall in deaths and rise in reported serious injuries.
36 thoughts on “What is going on in Richmond Park?; “Comedic planning”: Reaction to door zone bike lane; Cav’s magic year; UAE women’s team; Nobel Prize winner awarded special bike parking spot; Brighton Gin reunited with stolen delivery bike + more on the live blog”
I believe this is a great
I believe this is a great idea and very helpful for some of the less wealthy local residents:
Instead of having to rent expensive scooters for earning a living through selling bikes “taken” from Richmond park or Wimbledon garages, they just need to place a stolen car next to the bike lane and open the door at the right time. No need for knifes – the victim will be stunned immedeatly – and with the right angle of the door, the bike will almost fall inside the car to be taken to its buyer.
Well done, Richmond council…
Someone needs to put a solid
Someone needs to put a solid diagonal line through the bicycle symbols on that door zone cycle lane. Not an official symbol, but most people would recognize that as “Don’t cycle in this space”. Could save a life which surely must be a defensible position if prosecuted?
I understand that there’s not
I understand that there’s not always enough road space, but why are parking spaces prioritised over safe cycle travel? Surely the purpose of roads is to travel along them and only once that job is fulfilled should space be given over to parking spaces.
hawkinspeter wrote:
As an independent observer from Mars, it seems to me that the most popular activity for motor vehicles on roads isn’t travelling, but huddling together at ceremonial times twice per each of your Earth days. Our top sociological minds are working on theories to explain this. We think it must be religious as we can find no rational explanation.
TheBillder wrote:
Wasn’t that why Ford Prefect was called ‘Ford Prefect’, forty years ago? He’d just assumed that cars were the dominant lifeform, and wanted to blend in.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Indeed, but the response is “but I travelled to where I wanted in my car and what am I supposed to do with my car then?!” Or “I would never have moved here if there wasn’t parking – you’ve lowered the price of my house!” (which as we know is the apocalypse right here right now).
Thing is in a couple of years people would be happily enjoying the new facilities having adapted to the new situation. But as soon as they look in that direction the councils just see angry business people and homeowners lined up with torches and pitchforks.
christonabike wrote:
A question often asked by cyclists, about their bike. All too often, for cyclists, the answer is, “nothing, not unless you want it stolen, wrecked or dismantled”. At which point you realise that you can not, in fact, cycle to your destination, since there is nowhere to park.
The problem is, this issue currently works against cycling, not against motoring, as there is invariably somewhere to leave your car, but seldom any thought given to proper cycle parking as an alternative.
Sriracha wrote:
Wait – you cyclists want parking? I’ve never heard the like! Parking is for cars. Which we don’t have enough space for anyway. No, no, just carry it with you. (You don’t expect us to do that with our cars do you?) Can’t? Well I’m sure you’ll find something to lock it to, you’re always saying how space-efficient cycles are. Anyway there’d be no point building huge bicycle parking lots everywhere which would just be empty most of the time.
Meanwhile:
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/tag/cycle-parking/
https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/tag/residential-cycle-parking/
Outsider perspective: https://turvec.com/blog/secret-behind-dutch-bicycle-parking/
Look at all those groups of
Look at all those groups of two abreast car seats blocking the part of the road that cyclists have to use. I reckon about 30% of the road space in London has been lost due to parked cars.
hawkinspeter wrote:
They aren’t; well, only in the case of cyclists, and they don’t count do they.
At least the council finally
At least the council finally rewound a bit on the “door lane”. I thought there was more in the Highway Code but I only see “Leave plenty of room when passing parked vehicles and watch out for doors being opened or pedestrians stepping into your path” (67).
They want to update their guidance. Presumably they also use the TfL stuff which does mention this on p.23? I think the current UK guidance is CD143 and CD195 (not waded through them though). The old 2007 manual for streets doesn’t seem to mention this but there’s a tiny bit (6.2.5) in the 2010 version:
“Where cycle lanes pass parking and loading bays sufficient margin should be provided to allow for doors being opened.”
Not ideal – which would be a cycle track on the inside of the parked cars, with a protective buffer.
Oh – just found this that
Oh – just found this that designers / councils can read, both “why” and “how” all in one handy page / PDF:
https://www.makingspaceforcycling.org/
For me the issue there is the
For me the issue there is the cycle lane is just too narrow by the parked cars, it barely looks wide enough for full width handlebars to ride in it, so you couldnt ride it centrally without hitting “door” mirrors or panniers denting things, so you could not be positioned in the lane at all to follow the councils advice.
But that road setup makes no sense there looks tons of room the other side where that Amazon van is parked, tons of room in the cycle lane before the parked cars, then theres a pinch point that doesnt look wide enough for bike and vehicles, so shouldn’t it be dashed advisory line, and then the lane reverts to being no more than handlebar width but no parked cars.
Awavey wrote:
You can’t really see from the video, but where the van is parked is the beginning of another section of ‘stationary car lane’, with a swervy death strip dodging out around it.
https://goo.gl/maps/qBP5x52V4d6qsm958
I’df assumed that was
I’d assumed that was standard civil engineering.
I’d like to draw the prosecution’s attention to this one, which has been on Lower High Street, Avonmouth for many years:
https://goo.gl/maps/ezhwaAYydshRjQki9
UC Berkley chancellor awards
UC Berkley chancellor awards Nobel Prize winner David Card a “highly-coveted parking space”…but he commutes by bike – isn’t there a Big Bang Theory episode about parking spaces…? Sheldon refuses to give up his space even though he doesn’t drive, and comes up with ever more ludicrous uses to prove that he does use it.
To be fair to Berkeley, they
To be fair to Berkeley, they’ve been giving special parking spaces to all their Nobel prize winners since 1980 (Czeslaw Milosz, literature) when there weren’t that many people cycling in California. Could be time to update the tradition.
Amateurs. Here’s how my
Amateurs. Here’s how my council does it.
Oh, my sweet summer child.
Oh, my sweet summer child.
adamrice wrote:
Wow! High points here – is it a skate park, is it some kind of military facility?
Police responds as expected.
Police responds as expected. No one gets killed? Carry on..
If only a police officer was robbed I bet they could find all the members of this gang within few minutes with enough attention and resources.
Not just in town where the
Not just in town where the council can make things worse by installing dangerous cycling ‘infrastructure’. I think they were trying to do a similar thing to the country road markings often seen in the Netherlands (as described in the view from the cycle path blog), but got it so very, very wrong… didn’t bother reducing the speed limit on this stretch either, still national limit.
“So, from these pictures it
“So, from these pictures it looks like if we paint the sides red and put some white dashes in, cars slow right down, nobody gets hurt and it keeps those whining cyclists off our backs?”
“Er… sorry, we’re out of red, councillor”.
“OK, skip that, you just paint the white bits and I’ll announce our major new safe road active travel initiative.”
Is the bike symbol in the
Is the bike symbol in the first picture telling me that I should be riding with my front wheel on the grass?
mdavidford wrote:
Only when riding sideways.
mdavidford wrote:
That’s what I’ve been doing wrong!! It’s abysmal – to make matters worse, as you get round the corner, the hedgerows in the summer grow into the ‘lane’, so you can’t even get a wheel in it, let alone the width of your handlebars. As you can imagine, I just ignore it and ride primary.
Transport for London’s
Transport for London’s flagship cycle hire scheme continued to go from strength to strength with the highest September hires in its 11-year history. There were 1,219,804 Santander Cycles hires during the month, an average of 40,660 per day, and well above the 37,917 average daily hires in September last year and the 32,323 average daily hires in the three Septembers prior to the pandemic.
Last month also saw a record-breaking number of hires by members on a single day as 29,046 hires were made on September 22.
It’s not mathematically possible for the average to be over 40,000, and the maximum to be under 30,000.
Depends – that could be a
The first number is all hires; the second number is hires to members only.
Ah, makes sense, cheers!
Ah, makes sense, cheers!
I think it’s because the
Edited as I think the above is correct but can’t delete.
If only we had a scheme where
If only we had a scheme where these mopeds could be forced to display some kind of unique identifying code visible from a distance – that’d curb this lawlessness!
Unfortunately, the moped
Unfortunately, the moped/scooter is usually also stolen in the first place.
The “moped gang” are not on
The “moped gang” are not on mopeds, they’re on scooters. They’re also not on motorbikes, as some people think.
nick h. wrote:
A scooter (and indeed a moped) is a type of motor bike https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/motor-scooter
The weather was wonderful in
The weather was wonderful in September, warm and dry.
After quite a wet and a bit chilly early and mid summer.
ktache wrote:
typical september.
Maybe it’s confirmation bias, but it seems very common to me to have a warm dry september. Always a good time to plan cycling trips in the UK. The only downside is the shortness of the days.