“Bloody bonkers — there’s no road left, it’s crazy”: Good to see the locals enjoying their new cycle lane; Pogačar vs Dan Martin: Twitter banter we never knew we needed; Rab Wardell tributes; But cyclists… + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
"Bloody bonkers — there’s no road left, it’s crazy": Good to see the locals enjoying their new cycle lane
Introducing, in the red corner, Raging Russell Porter!!! And, in the blue corner… Shelton New Road’s cycle lane…
The disgruntled resident, dubbed with a fantastic wrestling title by the Stoke Sentinel, took to the local press, furious with the council’s extended segregated cycle lane in Hanley.
“raging Russell porter” 🤣 Raging motorists slam council after ‘dangerous’ Hanley cycle lane eats up road https://t.co/WnJntheqz0
— Lee (@leegcook) August 22, 2022
Calling the lane a “bloomin disgrace”, Raging Russell added: “The cycle lane is dangerous and how it’s got planning permission I have no idea — when you come down to the bridge, two vehicles can’t pass.
“Cyclists don’t use the damn thing anyway. Why they have to make a cycle lane that’s 6ft with the kerb is bloody bonkers — there’s no road left, it’s crazy. There already was a cycle lane but it was lined and it was three feet, that’s all you need for a cyclist. They’ve extended that away from the kerb into the middle of the road and now the road is too narrow.”
How the lane looked previously…
(Stoke Sentinel’s story has better images of how the lane looks now, including the one further way up this post)
“It’’s a complete shambles and a waste of money. They plough money into anything which isn’t required,” Raging Russell continued.
“It was quite safe as it was and there was no need for this new cycle lane. If they get away with this, they are going to be doing it all around the Potteries. I feel like they just do what they want, it’s ridiculous. They didn’t put signs up asking people what they think and if we had said no they would’ve still done it anyway. The roads in Stoke-on-Trent are a disgrace and you need a Jeep to go around the city.”
It seems some at the council agree… the deputy council leader and cabinet member for regeneration, infrastructure and heritage said the lane is “not useful” and is “one of the worst government schemes of recent times because it was rushed, it wasn’t thought through”.
“We were told by the government that we had to bid for them. We bid for as little as we can get away with in Stoke-on-Trent because I was not convinced that the scheme would be useful. It wasn’t enough money to do something proper but we had to bid for it,” Cllr Dan Jellyman (another great name) said.
“We ended up having to do these little schemes like this because the government made us. The Active Travel Fund is one of the worst wastes of taxpayers’ money.” That’s the spirit…
“It doesn’t achieve what it’s meant to achieve. The point of the scheme was to try and encourage people to get out of their cars and onto bikes. Putting a bit of kerbing and white lines on a couple of roads doesn’t get people on bikes.
“The government rushed it and gave enough money so that they can say we’ve done something but it’s not enough to have a proper transformation so I totally understand why residents feel this way.
“I’ve seen it myself on Shelton New Road, it’s not very impressive. It could’ve been a lot worse if the city council bid for more money.”
But cyclists...
#ButCyclists are always jumping red lights. pic.twitter.com/FvRgtlAyl5
— Pharmacist on a Pushbike (@PPushbike) August 23, 2022
XCO racer Rab Wardell dies two days after winning Scottish Championship
> XCO racer Rab Wardell dies two days after winning Scottish Championship
We’ll have more on this shortly, including a round up of the widespread tributes pouring in from across the cycling world…
New bike day: Scott Addict 10 2022
Check out Stu’s review of the new Scot Addict…
For a teaser: “Smooth-handling endurance machine with a racy edge and plenty of stiffness.” But what did he score it?
Tadej Pogačar vs Dan Martin: Twitter banter we never knew we needed
Tadej Pogačar and Dan Martin have been sharing some back and forth on Twitter, like a cheeky little brother winding up his sibling…
First… there will be second? How many pages? 20? Or just al lot of pictures
— Tadej Pogačar (@TamauPogi) August 23, 2022
It should be exactly your type of book. There’s even a story about a little fat Slovenian kid I met. Here is a sneak preview pic.twitter.com/kFHeuwCNxk
— Dan Martin (@DanMartin86) August 24, 2022
Superb.
Local knowledge: road.cc reader's Shelton New Road review
Thanks to S13SFC for this comment about the state of Shelton New Road:
“I drive that bit of road every working day between Newcastle Under Lyme and Shelton in the morning after dropping my wife off and the reverse in the evening. It really is crap.
“Bits are segregated and bits aren’t. You come out of one segregated bit just as the road narrows and kinks on a downhill past the cemetery. Coming the other way it’s not quite as bad until the railway bridge where it chicanes from road to bridge to road just before the lights.
“It was previously just painted white lines the whole way. Now it’s a mish-mash of both and is a bloody mess and where it crosses the exit to the A500, just plain unsafe.”
"Utterly heartbreaking": Rab Wardell tributes
The cycling world is paying tribute to Rab Wardell who tragically passed away this week aged 37.
On Monday night he was on Scotland’s Nine programme, talking through his Scottish XC mountain bike win…
“To be honest, it was a bit of a disaster…”
Scottish XC mountain bike champion Rob Wardell tells #TheNine how he won the race despite suffering three punctures 🚴♂️ pic.twitter.com/drxZFVBsI8
— The Nine (@BBCScotNine) August 22, 2022
road.cc and off-road.cc contributor Matt Page said: “Rab was a rider who I looked up to, despite me being a year older. We raced several seasons together in elite XC races, but the closest I’d ever get to him in a race was lining up on the grid. When the starter sounded, he’d be gone!
“Incredibly talented, both physically but also technically and a rider who did best on the toughest courses. He was funny and witty, always smiling and a rider that the whole mountain biking community will deeply miss.”
Can’t believe this. Utterly heartbreaking. Rest in peace Rab ❤️ https://t.co/THGjakgD2U
— Sir Chris Hoy (@chrishoy) August 24, 2022
No! Surely this is not true…I’m stunned 😱
RIP Rab Wardell
— Brian Smith 𝕆𝕃𝕐 (@BriSmithy) August 23, 2022
If I’d suggest one thing today, don’t go reading comments under media reports of the sad passing of Rab Wardell. The first couple had me raging, and I’d rather remember Rab for what he was, a nice bloke who was bloody good at riding bikes. RIP Rab (Callendar Park 2018, winning) pic.twitter.com/I60t0mtfxA
— Anthony Robson (not so urban now) (@urbancyclist) August 24, 2022
Sorry to hear of the passing of another great Scottish cyclist. Some of my earliest memories in the sport featured @RabWardell a strong, witty personality who’d help anyone. Below is a video of one of his many spectacular achievements/projects. RIP https://t.co/hJoKbSP5jt
— Callum Skinner (@CallumSkinner) August 23, 2022
Aero shaving
Anyone noticing anything different about our World Champion? 😁#LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/Zsn85n9pHh
— Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl Team (@qst_alphavinyl) August 24, 2022
The goatee is gone…
New Shimano 105 Di2 vs SRAM Rival AXS eTap - which is best?
Not Near Miss of the Day...
Lovely patient driver this morning, thanks mate! pic.twitter.com/zC2Q8Jmx0d
— Jim’s Wheels (@JimsWheels) August 24, 2022
Reader reaction to our main live blog story of the day
“We bid for as little as we can get away with in Stoke-on-Trent because I was not convinced that the scheme would be useful. It wasn’t enough money to do something proper”
We bid for as little as we could, even though it wasn’t enough and are now angry as it is inadequate… 🤦🏻♂️
— Matthew Martin (@mattmartin82) August 24, 2022
S13SFC is very kindly offering the local knowledge on today’s main live blog story. Essentially, “it really is crap” with an unpredictable mess of segregation and unsegregated sections.
“It was previously just painted white lines the whole way. Now it’s a mish-mash of both and is a bloody mess and where it crosses the exit to the A500, just plain unsafe,” they told us.
“It’s certainly the best of the routes from one half of the city to the other but it’s still w***. The Potteries must be up there with the worst cities in the UK for cycling as well as just being up there in the worst city category!”
We’re not getting involved in the second part of that statement…
Scouting Google Maps OnYerBike added: “I’m sure we all agree, one stretch of half-decent cycle lane isn’t going to achieve much by itself — there are far too many examples of cycle lanes that are fine for their duration, but simply give up at junctions, no thought has gone into how cyclists are expected to join or exit from them, and do not form part of a cohesive network. This one appears to be very brief, and (as far as I can tell) offers zero protection at the various road junctions which are likely to be the biggest risk to cyclists.”
Secret_squirrel commented: “I love how the councillors abrogate all responsibility for something they had full control over. It will surprise no-one to hear that they also declared a climate emergency.”
brooksby noted Raging Russell Porter’s line about the previous painted lane being “all you need for a cyclist”, commenting: “And that right there sums up the attitude of the average motorist. Motorists must have three or four metres in each direction but cyclists just need a half metre and some white paint.”
Tom_77 wrote: “They’ve just put new cycle lanes in and the kerb is raised. Cars keep hitting them…If cars keep hitting them, surely that’s proof that the kerbs are needed.”
Comment of the day
Vuelta a España stage five: Breakaway to stay away?
🇪🇸 Mikel Landa – @BHRVictorious: “Correr en casa es especial. Conoces las carrera, los fans en la cuneta… Estoy feliz. Hoy puede llegar la fuga”
“To race at home is special. You know the roads, there’s a lot of fans… I’m happy. Today the breakaway can make it”#LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/w9Rywgp6ht
— La Vuelta (@lavuelta) August 24, 2022
The Vuelta peloton is in the Basque Country, heading towards Bilbao, led by dual escapees Lawson Craddock and Victor Langellotti. Those two have a very slim advantage over the main breakaway, including Fred Wright, Alessandro De Marchi, Daryl Impey, Fausto Masnada, Marc Soler and a few others. Is this finally Fred’s big day? After all that Tour de France breakaway heartbreak, could today be the day?
The group has 4:30 over the Jumbo-Visma led peloton with 36.5km and one more time up Alto del Vivero to go…
"So yeah, I crossed the line and got taken out by a flying bicycle...": Bizarre Tour de l'Avenir sprint crash
Nasty crash at end of Tour de l’Avenir #TDAV22 #cycling pic.twitter.com/haBUgxfGNI
— 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐎’𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧 (@johnboru) August 24, 2022
Over in the Basque Country we’ve got 7km to go…
Marc Soler pulled back Jake Stewart on the final climb and is now solo with 13 seconds advantage over the six remaining escapees, including Fred Wright and Rudy Molard, one of whom will be wearing red tomorrow. With just three seconds separating the pair, all that remains is to decide who…
Almost (F)Red Wright: Marc Soler wins stage five of La Vuelta a España — Rudy Molard takes red
The wait is over! 🇪🇸
Marc Soler becomes Spain’s first Grand Tour stage winner in two years 👏#LaVuelta22 | @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/6lL9e2b8Wt
— Eurosport (@eurosport) August 24, 2022
Netflix hero Marc Soler stayed away for a famous solo win on the fifth stage of La Vuelta this afternoon…
Attacking on the final climb, Soler rolled with the punches as the group behind split, came back together, chased, lost cohesion, before eventually giving up and saving themselves for the sprint. Rudy Molard is your new red jersey having taken six bonus seconds atop the climb. Despite Fred Wright taking third, and four bonus seconds, it was not enough to dislodge the Frenchman from the lead.
Unfortunately for Wright tomorrow is the first summit finish of the race, making it difficult to see how the powerhouse from London will be able to get those two seconds on Molard back. Can we all just agree to give Wright a stage?
A big solo win for Marc Soler on Stage 5 and it’s all change at the top of the GC as Team Jumbo-Visma decide to pass the red jersey on 🔴
________#LaVuelta22 pic.twitter.com/EBPrVRE6Ts— Velon CC (@VelonCC) August 24, 2022
Sam Bennett gets aero
When you don’t want to ruin someone else’s picture @Sammmy_Be pic.twitter.com/L68P8Pf5W6
— Cycling out of context (@OutOfCycling) August 24, 2022
24 August 2022, 08:05
24 August 2022, 08:05
24 August 2022, 08:05
24 August 2022, 08:05
24 August 2022, 08:05
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris ".....but the claim that wearing one is somehow to be accepting dangerous driving and poor infrastructure is silly." Not that silly. Demanding that cyclists wear a helmet is seen by many people as 'the answer' to cycling safety, so there's no need to put in infrastructure. The difference between infrastructure and helmets is that infrastructure works. Helmets are a distraction from what really works, and the more time we spend talking about them, the less time we spend on things that do work. Helmets should be consigned to the dustbin of history as a failed experiment, and we should cease even mentioning them.
@Mr Blackbird Hats off to George Hall My hat's not coming off- despite this touch of cycleway-washing, Hall still bears the Mark of Cain, until he repudiates his party altogether
Perhaps an article showing a) what is available in the uk as cargo bikes and) comments from real life scenarios from those already using bikes or cargo bikes as one gentleman has done in the comments. Perhaps road.cc could follow up with this. Even the MP said not every business should use cargo bikes but suggested a more nuanced approach suitable for certain trades or companies....
@mdavidford Clearly the end of the sentence got deleted by mistake and it's meant to finish "...devices in their pockets."
@Terry Hutt I don't support mandatory helmets either, but I always think that's a daft analogy (I realise you're not quoting it approvingly): if people shooting in the streets was a regular problem, I'd campaign against it vociferously and expect the authorities to do something about it, but I'd still wear body armour unless and until the problem was sorted out. It's perfectly reasonable for people to question the efficacy of cycle helmets, but the claim that wearing one is somehow to be accepting dangerous driving and poor infrastructure is silly.
“People who are wearing body armour get used to being shot at, when it’s the getting shot at that’s the problem.” People who are wearing body armour get used to being shot at because they survive. People not wearing it die the first time they are shot. So they don't really have much chance to get used to being shot at, do they? But seriously if you don't want to wear a helmet and you're an adult, no-one should have the right to make you wear one.
@lawrence18uk Occasionally I see tradies travelling with some tools on the train, compact tool bags, rucksacks and wheelie luggage, often carrying long spirit levels separately, but on a couple of occasions collapsible ladders.
Finally some proper Gravel for the UCI World Championships! …no dates in the article. Racing starts today 10/11 Oct. Watch it free on SBS. … Go well Matt…
@Aluminium can - as an alternative to vans, yes cargo bikes (plenty in Cambridge), and I've been wondering whether supplies could be delivered from retailers - using delivery robots. and it's possible I suppose that ladders could fall in the same category - you could, instead of just hiring a bicycle, hire a ladder and it would arrive of its own accord.
36 thoughts on ““Bloody bonkers — there’s no road left, it’s crazy”: Good to see the locals enjoying their new cycle lane; Pogačar vs Dan Martin: Twitter banter we never knew we needed; Rab Wardell tributes; But cyclists… + more on the live blog”
The pics in the Stoke
The pics in the Stoke Sentinal show it better, not a bad looking segregated cycle lane. I note that the footpath looks wider than the cycle lane and the central reservation too, does that bother raging Russ?!
HoarseMann wrote:
Pretty sure it will do if the pedestrians have the audacity not to use it continuously.
I see road.cc have done
I see road.cc have done swsdler (sp) and changed it from curb but as we know it should be KERB.
SWLDXER
SWLDXER
I almost got all the right
I almost got all the right letters !
Wordle+
Wordle+
Wing Mirrors FTW
Wing Mirrors FTW
“They’ve just put new cycle
“They’ve just put new cycle lanes in and the kerb is raised. Cars keep hitting them…”
If cars keep hitting them, surely that’s proof that the kerbs are needed.
Yesterday the Association of
Yesterday the Association of British Drivers insist that the only reason the Range Rover ended up on the railway was because the railings were not crash-proof enough to protect motor vehicles but these anti-cycling muppets are insisting that some white paint is all cyclists need to protect them from motor vehicles.
The mental gymnastics of these idiots knows no bounds… and yet they have a driving licence and are allowed to endanger the public at will.
I thought that tweet was
I thought that tweet was deleted but it’s hard to tell as the abd block so many people !!
Quote:
(removed)
I drive that bit of road
I drive that bit of road every working day between Newcastle Under Lyme and Shelton in the morning after dropping my wife off and the reverse in the evening.
It really is crap.
Bits are segregated and bits aren’t. You come out of one segregated bit just as the road narrows and kinks on a downhill past the cemetery.
Coming the other way it’s not quite as bad until the railway bridge where it chicanes from road to bridge to road just before the lights.
It was previously just painted white lines the whole way. Now it’s a mish-mash of both and is a bloody mess and where it crosses the exit to the A500, just plain unsafe.
Quote:
And that right there sums up the attitude of the average motorist. Motorists must have three or four metres in each direction but cyclists just need a half metre and some white paint. Despite the point, raised above, that if motorists keep crashing their cars into the protection/kerb then the paint will clearly not be enough…
I love how the councillors
I love how the councillors abrogate all responsibility for something they had full control over.
it will surprise no-one to hear that they also declared a climate emergency.
Thank you for not writing
Thank you for not writing abdicate!
Quick show of hands, please –
Quick show of hands, please – who is actually surprised by that twitter video clip for today’s “But cyclists…”? That sort of thing happens all the time – if the motorist had slowed and stopped, well then they would have been held up behind that bl00dy cyclist going through the roadworks, and might have even been held up after that. Far better to jump the light and risk a head-on collision with oncoming traffic…
It’s a fine example of the
It’s a fine example of the “safety overtake” where a driver must exceed the speed limit and ignore road markings and traffic lights to make sure they are safely past the cyclist in case the cyclist accidentally kills them with a slight wobble. Other rules include not needing to see round corners and it being acceptable to force oncoming traffic onto the pavement.
Nope, back end of last year I
Nope, back end of last year I was on a run, saw no fewer than 4 cars running the same red (after a couple had gassed it through on amber). I kept thinking – “well that’s a bit naughty… what another one? seriously” 4 of them. It was a good 10-15 seconds after the light changed.
Now, there are some temporaries near me that I swing past a couple of times a week on my bike, pretty much always see one of two flying through when its a legit red (again, after the usual bombing through on amber).
Just goes to show you can’t
Just goes to show you can’t please everyone all the time
The road isn’t for the sole use of Raging Russell and if he doesn’t like it maybe he could go another way or just shut up and get on with it
The driver had to get past
The driver had to get past the cyclists so they didn’t get stuck behind a cycle in a 10mile long queue going at 10mph or less…
Bloody cars again (three
Bloody cars again (three times!) dragging their poor innocent owners along as they knock down children.
I’m not familiar with that
I’m not familiar with that particular stretch of road, but looking at the Google Streetview of the area it looks like (prior to the new infrastructure) it was completely crap for cyclists, with an “advisory” painted cycle lane that was way too narrow and would just encourage close passing.
It looks like the road markings haven’t been updated yet – is the intention to convert that stretch of road to being a single lane for motor vehicles? That would seem sensible and of no significant loss – from the Streetview images the previous layout only had two lanes for a couple of hundred meters over the bridge (indeed on the photos on the Stoke Sentinel website you can see the “Merge” markings shortly ahead). So seems like a significant improvement to me.
That said, as I’m sure we all agree, one stretch of half-decent cycle lane isn’t going to achieve much by itself – there are far too many examples of cycle lanes that are fine for their duration, but simply give up at junctions, no thought has gone into how cyclists are expected to join or exit from them, and do not form part of a cohesive network. This one appears to be very brief, and (as far as I can tell) offers zero protection at the various road junctions which are likely to be the biggest risk to cyclists.
Not sure if it helps as their
Not sure if it helps as their proposals werent that detailed but theres some info on what they intended to deliver here https://www.stoke.gov.uk/info/20008/roads_parking_and_travel/472/active_travel_fund_consultation
whether the plan meets what they delivered , and who checks it does, I’d say is the biggest flaw of all the ATF schemes.
Interesting – the plans do
Interesting – the plans do state “Westbound carriageway to be reduced to one lane to provide space for segregated cycle lane” (Shelton New Road Part 1) which would suggest that was the intention.
See comment by S13SFC –
See comment by S13SFC – saying the same. Think the picture is maybe the bridge here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@53.0136686,-2.197914,3a,75y,277.21h,73.08t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sf_eRw_FDjnBmPiam9GNqPg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656
Looks like it’s the most logical cycle route from Newcastle Under Lyme to Hanley – also passes major destinations e.g. a college. Doesn’t look at all pleasant – parts are clearly busy / heavy traffic, closer to Newcastle Under Lyme the B5045 looks miserable.
In the article Councillor Dan Jellyman got one thing right, in the context of the active travel fund: “It wasn’t enough money to do something proper but we had to bid for it.” I’ve only Streetviewed it for a couple of minutes but doing something proper doesn’t look simple. Get rid of cars maybe – they have other possible routes to Hanley? Otherwise it doesn’t look at all cheap to bolt on *any* kind of active travel infra. Even pedestrians are poorly served (should any want to walk there). However given that the councillor seems to have a real downer on the Active Travel fund in general I suspect if there was more money he’d have just taken it more blatantly to fund motor infra (cycle lanes ARE motor infra anyway…).
It’s certainly the best of
It’s certainly the best of the routes from one half of the city to the other but it’s still wank.
The Potteries must be up there with the worst cities in the UK for cycling as well as just being up there in the Worst City category!
I certainly avoid riding here myself and thank god I don’t have to live here!
As it is now is how it is
As it is now is how it is staying.
Heading from NUL to Shelton it isn’t as bad although it’s only a murder stip between the 1st roundabout and the 2nd set of lights at Hartshill but that always has cars parked on it.
That is the busiest section.
It is decent enough where the NB traffic heads off the A500 towards Shelton, as that whole section of road has been restructured, until the bridge and then from the bottom lights there is nothing up the hill.
The other side is a mess.
The segregated part downhill past the cemetery rejoins the road just as the road kinks left over the canal, so the carriageway kinks exactly where a bike exits the segregated lane.
The segregated part starts halfway down a hill right next to a left-hand junction.
Just before it is an SEN provider and they always have cabs/mini buses parked outside so very often you would need to flick in across the cars waiting to turn to go down a bit of segregated lane that spits you back out into the traffic 200m further on.
It’s then a mixture of murder strips and segregated lanes past the two A500 turn-offs and up the hill towards Newcastle, again, the hill is just a murder strip.
I can’t say I’ve noticed any more bike use but I have seen a few scooters using it.
I would have preferred to see a segregated lane built from the Hartshill roundabout down into Newcastle instead of the murder strip but that comes under NUL and not SOT
Why I don’t use cycle racks 1
Why I don’t use cycle racks 1/n
If they’ve forgotten you
If they’ve forgotten you could help them out by locking their front wheel to the stand for them.
I did read someone saying “it
I did read someone saying “it’s amazing what portable things you can find to lock to cars”
They recommended always carrying cable ties eg to lock a trolley to door handles when the driver was obstructing bike racks or pedestrian access at supermarkets.
Wouldn’t you then have to
Wouldn’t you then have to wait to get the pound back for the trolley?
I don’t know what you’re
I don’t know what you’re complaining about – they very courteously didn’t park side on to the stands… 😉
/sarcasm=off
But cyclists….
But cyclists….
Cyclist killed in hit and run on crossing. Driver waited 2 days to ensure the drink and drugs were not in his system I suspect.
Bad link mate.
Bad link mate.
https://www.birminghammail.co
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/chester-road-tragedy-cyclist-dies-24843206
Ta, thought it might have
Ta, thought it might have been.
Is that a toucan? I see more width on the green crossing light. And an NCN label on one of the posts.
Poor bloke.