Cycle lane plans scrapped from active travel scheme – despite council identifying road as “priority route” for cycling; The UK’s most useless ‘cycle path’?; CiCLE Classic organiser speaks; Alison Jackson: Cycling’s best celebrator? + more on the live blog
SUMMARY
Road rage driver arrested for firing shotgun at cyclists on US charity ride
Police arrested a motorist in the US who allegedly fired three shots at two cyclists participating in a charity event, having earlier tried to run the riders off the road during a road rage attack.
The incident happened on Saturday morning in Maryland, on Hardesty Road in Huntingtown, the two cyclists part of the Ride to End Hunger event based out of the town. According to the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, at around 10.10am officers were called to the scene following reports that shots had been fired.
Read more: > Road rage driver arrested for firing shotgun at cyclists on US charity ride
Why don’t cyclists use the cycle path? #1,567,809
Cyclists in my area get moaned at for using the road, rather than this crap. I rode it on Friday to see how pants it really is. pic.twitter.com/QsoVORbeVJ
— Jim’s Wheels (@JimsWheels) April 29, 2024
A terribly surfaced shared path with pedestrians, a few completely unnecessary sets of barriers, random lampposts plonked in the middle, protruding hedges, and lots of parked vehicles…
I think we can call it now – we’ve finally found what could well be the worst, most useless cycle path in the UK, courtesy of South Gloucestershire, where, as Jim notes, motorists tend to get a bit cross and “throw shapes” if you venture with your bike onto the adjacent road.
Remember cyclists, stay off that road (it’s for drivers after all) when quality infrastructure like this exists right beside it…
Alison Jackson: Cycling’s best celebrator?
I think it’s fair to say that the Canadian champion – famous, of course, for her post-Roubaix victory dance (along with actually winning the race, naturally) – enjoyed coming out on top in yesterday’s sodden, crash-marred sprint at the Vuelta Femenina into Moncófar…
Think Alison Jackson is a little bit pleased with this win today? 😅#LaVueltaFemenina pic.twitter.com/yRdazcpoUz
— Mathew Mitchell (@MatMitchell30) April 29, 2024
Another lumpy 130km is in store for the peloton today between Lucena del Cid and Teruel, as SD Worx’s newly installed race leader Blanka Vas hopes to retain her red jersey and perhaps improve on her second place yesterday.
But with Jackson nipping at her heels eight seconds behind, we could well be in store for some more brilliantly enthusiastic ‘shapes’ at the finish line from EF Education this afternoon.
When you break out the Orange Justice…
🍊 Looks like Alison Jackson pulled out the Fortnite dance move after winning Stage 2 of La Vuelta 😅#InternationalDanceDay #Cycling #RoadCycling pic.twitter.com/mNnbQpbtWE
— SBS Sport (@SBSSportau) April 30, 2024
“It was a decision I never believed, or hoped, that I would ever be required to make”: CiCLE Classic organiser says race cancellation due to flooding was “dark moment”, thanks everyone for “overwhelming support”
This morning, two days after the CiCLE Classic was cancelled due to heavy rainfall and flooding, the race’s organiser Colin Clews has spoken about the “gigantic” efforts of his team to try to ensure it went ahead, while praising the “overwhelming support” they’ve received since Sunday’s cancellation.
The 18th edition of the Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic, the iconic Belgian classic-style race that thunders along Rutland’s farm tracks, was cancelled on Sunday as floods rendered some of the race route impassable.
I think it was the right decision although very painful for Colin @CiCLEClassic pic.twitter.com/pxkXVcahYA
— Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling (@SpiritTBW) April 28, 2024
After originally attempting to delay the start time, Clews and his organising team ultimately (and correctly) had to pull the plug due to the flooded roads and extreme weather – the first time, barring Covid, that the race has been cancelled, in what is a bitter blow for a struggling domestic scene and yet another example, as journalist and Halesowen Academy DS William Fotheringham wrote on Twitter, of “cycling in the era of climate breakdown”.
“Following discussions in line with the UCI extreme weather protocol, with the Organisation Commissaires Panel and representatives from teams and riders from Israel Premier Academy and Saint Piran discussing the safety and management of the route, it has reluctantly been decided to cancel the 2024 CiCLE Classic,” the organisers said on Sunday afternoon.
“The decision has been taken after the best efforts of the organisation to design a reduced route, but significant flooding at different sections of the routes have sadly made this impossible. The race organisation wishes to convey their thanks to the team’s riders, officials, volunteers and supporters for the patience and understanding.”
And this morning, posting a photo of his painfully ironically sunny back garden, Clews thanked his organising team and the UK’s cycling community for their support following the race’s cancellation.
“After the ‘deluge’ that was Sunday. On behalf of myself and all the organisational team at Sigma Sports /Schwalbe UK of (what would have been) the 18th Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic, I wish to thank everyone for the messages and overwhelming support for the event and the decision taken to cancel due to the extreme weather conditions,” Clews wrote.
“It was a decision I never believed, or hoped, that I would ever be required to make. But, inevitably it was, but only after gigantic, best efforts of my international and national commissaire colleagues to help keep the show on the road. You were all magnificent with your efforts and I’ll never forget that. THANK YOU.
“Many ‘dark’ moments for me, and the team since then; three days set up, one and a half days clear up; but a major void between.
“But, the messages received from friends here and abroad only demonstrate for me what our great sport is all about, and why myself and so many others DO what we DO! A massive THANK YOU to you all. You deserve a bike race in return, and not just any old race.
“Looking forward to seeing you next April, and the sun is shining!”
Keep the creative Giro announcements coming…
And while we’re on the subject of Giro team announcements and WorldTour social media admins working overtime, UAE Team Emirates have this morning officially unveiled their line-up for Italy – otherwise known as ‘Tadej Pogačar and friends’:
We’re going to race the first grand tour of the season! Here’s our lineup for the #Giro 🇮🇹：
🇩🇰 @mikkelbbjerg
🇦🇹 @gro_felix
🇳🇴 @VSLaengen
🇵🇱 @majkaformal
🇨🇴 @sebasmolano_
🇸🇮 @DomenNovak
🇵🇹 @roliveira57
🇸🇮 @TamauPogi #UAETeamEmirates #WeAreUAE pic.twitter.com/45qkj6mxw2— @UAE-TeamEmirates (@TeamEmiratesUAE) April 30, 2024
Meanwhile, Israel-Premier Tech have gone for the postcard approach, as Michael Woods looks set to lead a team that includes grand tour debutant Ethan Vernon:
All set for our three-week trip 👋 We’ll be sure to send you a postcard from the @giroditalia!
Race preview 👉 https://t.co/JzgEWyNaDZ #GirodItalia 🇮🇹 #YallaIPT pic.twitter.com/kpHu6tEnLX
— Israel – Premier Tech (@IsraelPremTech) April 30, 2024
“They promised me co-leadership for the GC”: Emanuel Buchmann hits out at Bora-Hansgrohe after missing out on Giro d’Italia
In the midst of all the creative, and weird spaghetti-based social media team announcements, Bora-Hansgrohe’s Emanuel Buchmann has hit out at the German team’s decision to leave him out of their Giro d’Italia squad, claiming that he was only told two weeks ago of his omission after spending time at altitude camp in Tenerife.
Bora will head to Italy with Dani Martínez as their main GC threat, after a last-minute change to the team following provisional co-leader Lennard Kämna’s horrific training crash, when he was struck by a motorist and seriously injured while training in Tenerife, earlier this month.
“Our strategy for the Giro d’Italia has changed radically in the last four weeks,” the team said, while a announcing an eight-man line-up that also includes Giovanni Aleotti, Jonas Koch, Florian Lipowitz, Ryan Mullen, Maximilian Schachmann, Danny van Poppel, and Patrick Gamper.
“Up until then, it was clear that we would go to Turin with Dani and Lennard as co-leaders. Our support team was heavily focused on the mountains.
“After Lennard’s serious accident, we were forced to reorganise. We now have only one GC leader and several versatile riders as back-ups who are looking for opportunities on the hilly terrain themselves.”
However, Buchmann – who finished fourth at the 2019 Tour de France but has so far underwhelmed this season, placing 32nd overall at the recent Tour of the Basque Country – clearly had a different perspective on Bora’s pre-Giro plan, taking to Instagram to vent his frustration yesterday.
“I cannot describe my disappointment and frustration [to] not [be] nominated for the Giro this year,” the 31-year-old German champion wrote, along with some, ahem, interesting hashtags, including #bandofbrothers (Bora’s team slogan) and #freeeumu.
“All year was planned for the Giro and even Bora-Hansgrohe promised me the co-leadership for the GC. The training went well, the shape is good. The last three weeks at [Mount] Teide I wanted to do the last preparation, but 16 days before the start of the Giro I got the call that I won’t be in the lineup.”
Bora management trying to stop Buchmann getting on the team bus pic.twitter.com/AEnZkbRo0E
— Joshua Carnn (@JoshuaCarnn) April 30, 2024
Buchmann’s very public display of frustration may not be the last time Bora are faced with team leadership issues this year, considering their squad is now stacked with potential stage race contenders (and big egos), including Giro winner Jai Hindley, Aleksandr Vlasov, Martinez, and new arrival (and obligatory Tour leader) Primož Roglič.
And even beyond the GC wannabes, Bora’s Giro squad also raised eyebrows due to the omission of sprinter Sam Welsford, whose lack of form at the Tour of Turkey saw him sidelined from his team’s Italian job.
Which also means that Danny van Poppel – arguably the best lead-out man in the world – will once again head to a grand tour… without a sprinter to lead out.
Make it make sense…
“Intimidating” cyclist angered by close passes should be investigated by police, claim mum and daughter... who both admit close passing rider
A mother and daughter who both admit having close passed the same cyclist two months apart, the younger motorist accepting a training course after driving “without reasonable consideration”, believe the cyclist on the receiving end should be investigated by the police for “intimidating and abusive behaviour”.
The pair have also accused the cyclist of “targeting motorists” and becoming “aggressive” when close passed, with the mother – who says she “pulled in a bit” to avoid a traffic island during the close pass – claiming it “should work both ways” as cyclists “close pass” cars when filtering.
Bingo cards at the ready…
Read more: > “Intimidating” cyclist angered by close passes should be investigated by police, claim mum and daughter… who both admit close passing rider
Emma Norsgaard abandons Vuelta Femenina due to injuries sustained in crash during yesterday’s stage
Por desgracia, hemos de informar del abandono de @emmanorsgaard1 durante el arranque de la 3ª etapa de @lavueltafem.
La danesa recibió ayer puntos de sutura por las heridas en su codo, amén de numerosos golpes, en las multitudinarias caidas del tramo final.… pic.twitter.com/9GDAmTi0aY
— Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) April 30, 2024
After Anna Henderson was taken to hospital with a broken collarbone following a nasty crash inside the last three kilometres of Monday’s second stage of the Vuelta Femenina, Movistar’s Emma Norsgaard has become the latest casualty of Spain’s slippery roads, abandoning the race today due to injuries sustained yesterday.
The Dane, a winner of a stage at last year’s Tour de France Femmes, injured her elbow after being involved in a crash that took place just a few hundred metres after Henderson, Marianne Vos, and Lizzie Deignan fell during yesterday’s wet and chaotic run-in to Moncófar, and which also involved Lianne Lippert, Georgia Baker, and others.
While Norsgaard attempted to start today’s stage to Teruel, she pulled out of the race soon after the stage got underway, her Movistar team confirmed this lunchtime.
“The Dane yesterday received stitches for the wounds in her elbow, in addition to numerous blows, in the massive falls of the final stretch,” Movistar posted on social media. “We will confirm Emma’s circumstances and condition as soon as we can.”
“I love it!” Moulton Double Pylon owner on the “super smooth” ride of the “the greatest work of twentieth-century British design” (turned up to 11)
After Suvi delved into the history of Moulton bikes and the brand’s New Series Double Pylon model, with its 20-inch wheels and £22,000 price tag, for Sunday’s Bike at Bedtime feature, one owner of the bike in question (albeit one from 2007, so we assume the price may not have been as astronomical back then) got in touch in the comments to share his views on one of cycling’s great designs – turned up to 11, as Suvi put it, channelling her inner Spinal Tap.
> Get a load of the Moulton Double Pylon, a 20-inch wheel bike with a £22,000 price tag
Posting a photo of his stainless steel Double Pylon, handily tucked away in luggage, showcasing one of its key traits, road.cc reader Colin Rose wrote: “Got it in 2007 and has been upgraded by factory to similar to current specs, it’s done a huge mileage yet still looks new (no paint to chip).
“It can easily be converted to long distance touring with purpose designed racks and luggage used on cross-Europe and camping trips as well as day/credit card touring with day rack and bag. Pack it in a suitcase and it travels as luggage.
“It’s surprisingly capable off-road, although gets put out by rutted roads, and on good roads it’s super smooth and untiring on long rides. It’s light for a steel bike, super-light for a touring bike. I love it!”
Anyone got £22,000 spare?
Is Cervélo on to a winner with its new Áspero gravel bike?
> Cervélo updates Áspero gravel bike to be “faster, more comfortable, and more versatile” – we’ve ridden it and here’s what we think so far
Cyclists and bike shops urged to take advantage of Local Bike Shop Day 2024, as Association of Cycle Traders promotes offers and events
This Saturday, in case you didn’t know, marks Local Bike Shop Day 2024, and cyclists across the UK, as well as the shops themselves, have been urged to get involved and take advantage of the events, activities, and good deals on offer at local independent bike shops up and down the country this weekend.
Sponsored this year by Cytech, the international training and accreditation scheme for bicycle technicians, the annual event aims to raise the profile of independent bike shops, specifically focusing on their particular levels of expertise and customer service.
For this year’s event, the Association of Cycle Traders has highlighted a number of ACT-affiliated shops, such as Summit Cycles in Aberystwyth, which will be celebrating Local Bike Shop Day by offering up to 50 per cent off on selected clothing and helmets, along with free bike health checks, e-bike test rides, and a prize draw to win a £150 voucher.
Meanwhile, Bicycle Links in Norwich will be hosting a small yard sale, showcasing their selection of second-hand bike parts and accessories, which they hope will act as a distinctive way to encourage people to visit the shop.
In East London, bike and repair shop Aztecs if offering 10 per cent discount on everything in the shop, while at De Ver Cycles in Streatham, Maurice Burton, Britain’s first black cycling champion, will be in conversation with co-author Paul Jones about their new book, The Maurice Burton Way. Visitors can also head out on a ride with Maurice at 9am, departing from De Ver Cycles’ Streatham shop.
“Independent bike shops across the UK have a particular culture, service and level of expertise that places them at the heart of their local cycling communities. Local Bike Shop Day the day we all get to celebrate that,” says the ACT’s Jonathan Harrison ahead of this Saturday’s festivities.
“Whether it’s for accessories, for servicing or repairs, for accessories, or just for specialist advice, independent bike shops provide a knowledgeable and invaluable service to cyclists of all ages, and this is a chance to support them and celebrate them. For bike shops it is a chance to reinforce their customer relationships and promote themselves to new audiences.”
Cycling UK launches new free cycle loan scheme in Greater Manchester and Inverness for disabled people and those with long-term health conditions
A new free cycle loan scheme has kicked off in Greater Manchester and Inverness, in a bid to help and encourage people with long-term health conditions and disabilities to enjoy the benefits of cycling.
Launched by Cycling UK and funded by the Motability Foundation, the Inclusive Cycling Experience features a variety of bespoke and customised cycles, including tricycles, e-cycles, recumbent cycles, and tandems, which the charity says will “help overcome many of the problems that prevent people with disabilities, such as visual impairment, limited mobility, or dyspraxia, from using a standard upright two-wheel bicycle”.
The loans, which first became available in Greater Manchester on 17 April and in Inverness on 19 April, also come with confidence-building taster sessions and expert support, ensuring each person gets a cycle that is right for them and their cycling needs.
“Cycling is not only a joyful experience that everyone should have a chance to enjoy, but it can significantly boost independence for people with long-term health conditions or limited mobility,” Cycling UK’s deputy director of behaviour change Jenny Box said in a statement.
“With the right support and the right cycle, almost anyone can benefit from cycling. The Inclusive Cycling Experience will make congestion-busting, healthy, and energising travel accessible to everyone.”
Lisa Jones, director of charitable operations at the Motability Foundation, added: “We’re excited to award Cycling UK with this grant to introduce inclusive cycling training programmes at mobility hubs for disabled people in Manchester and Inverness.
“We know that active travel, such as cycling, can benefit wellbeing for disabled people, by increasing mobility and reducing social isolation. Awarding grants to important organisations like these helps us to make an immediate difference to the transport needs of disabled people.”
Britain’s Natalie Grinczer involved in serious crash at Vuelta Femenina
More deeply worrying news from the Vuelta Femenina this afternoon, as Roland’s British rider Natalie Grinczer appears to be seriously injured following a crash inside the final 30km of today’s stage three to Teruel.
The 30-year-old fell after what appeared to be a touch of wheels in the middle of the bunch, which took down several riders. Grinczer, who didn’t seem to be moving in the moments after the crash, was treated immediately by medical staff and taken to hospital in an ambulance.
No other rider appeared to be injured in the wake of the crash.
We’ll update you with more information when we get it. We wish Natalie all the best.
Marianne Vos delivers (again) with stunning sprint ahead of Charlotte Kool after crash splits peloton inside final 3km at Vuelta Femenina
When Marianne Vos sets her sights on something, she very rarely disappoints.
The resurgent Dutchwoman, who has been on blistering form throughout 2024, continued her late-career renaissance with a stunningly dominant sprint on stage three of the Vuelta Femenina into Teruel – the 252nd pro road win of her unique, incomparable career – finishing bike lengths ahead of DSM-Firmenich’s Charlotte Kool.
Such was Vos’ confidence in her finishing kick at the end of a draining, lumpy day, she set her Visma-Lease a Bike team to work throughout the stage, keeping things under control before eventually reining in Mireia Benito, the courageous AG Insurance-Soudal rider who spent a long and lonely 110km as the sole breakaway rider out front.
The day 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙨 to Marianne Vos! 🟡⚫
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider storms past the bunch sprint to win Stage 3 at La Vuelta Femenina! 🙌#LaVueltaFemenina pic.twitter.com/14g9z5Qprt
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 30, 2024
Vos then found herself on the right side of a bunch splitting crash with just under 3km to go, before surfing the wheels to perfection, launching her sprint at the right moment – just as Kool, who fought hard to make the front after some poor positioning, began to toil – for one of the more straightforward sprint victories of the 36-year-old’s illustrious career.
“Yesterday we worked and tried hard, but had some bad luck in the final. And today we again went all-in. All the girls worked really hard for this, so it’s really nice to finish it off,” Vos said at the finish, her 2024 comeback tour continuing to reach new heights.
And… that’s enough internet for today
> Cyclists dumbfounded by bizarre online conspiracy theory claiming bike inner tube valve is a “5G antenna tracking device” inserted under skin after Covid jab
Cycle lane plans scrapped from active travel scheme – despite council identifying road as “priority route” for cycling
Just a month after it was told to “get its act together” and “step up its game” when it comes to cycling infrastructure, after a series of abandoned and much-criticised projects, North Yorkshire Council has this week decided to ignore that advice by scrapping plans to install protected, 1.5m-wide cycle lanes on Harrogate’s Victoria Avenue.
Yesterday, the council announced it was holding a month-long consultation on proposed changes to the wide avenue, which will begin in the autumn and include a new bus stop, improved pedestrian crossings, measures to prevent motorists from illegally driving straight ahead at a junction, the removal of some parking bays, and public realm improvements, the Stray Ferret reports.
However, despite the council last year identifying Victoria Avenue as a “priority route” for cyclists and announcing that it intended to install protected cycle lanes with buffer zones on both sides of the road, the new plans include no reference whatsoever to cycling infrastructure of any kind – a glaring omission the local authority has put down to “budgetary constraints”.
“Unfortunately budgetary constraints mean that the previously envisaged cycle lanes cannot be included within this initial phase of this Victoria Avenue scheme,” a council letter to residents announcing the consultation said.
“Following advice from Active Travel England, we have therefore concentrated on improvements for pedestrians and improvements to the public realm.”
Active Travel England awarded North Yorkshire Council funding for the Victoria Avenue scheme in November 2020, with the road regarded as a crucial part of plans to create a joined-up, off-road cycling route from Harrogate’s train and bus stations to Cardale Park.
However, since then, the Conservative-controlled council has come under fire due to its failure to implement safe cycling infrastructure in the town, after phase two of the widely criticised Otley Road cycleway was scrapped, along with a Low Traffic Neighbourhood on Beech Grove and a one-way system on Oatlands Drive – prompting Harrogate District Cycle Action to accuse the local authority of “failing our children” and failing to deliver any “significant cycling infrastructure for nine years”.
Last month, we reported that opposition councillors also took aim at the council’s apparently shoddy cycling record.
“To improve things you have to acknowledge there’s a problem. Active travel is absolutely terrible,” Liberal Democrat councillor Matt Walker said at a council meeting.
“Roads are gridlocked and full of potholes, buses are missed all the time between Harrogate and Knaresborough. We have to make improvements and the council needs to step its game up.
“It needs to get its act together so people can get out of cars and get around in a quick and environmentally-friendly way.”
Green councillor Arnold Warneken: “The frustration of people who want to cycle in Harrogate and Knaresborough isn’t being taken seriously.”
> Council scraps £500,000 Harrogate cycle lane expansions… even though majority support plans
However, in its letter to residents yesterday, North Yorkshire Council said it is still committed to delivering some kind of cycling infrastructure on Victoria Avenue.
“The works proposed support North Yorkshire Council’s desire and vision to increase active travel in and around Harrogate town centre by proposing a number of measures to increase pedestrian safety as well as improved bus provision,” the letter said.
“Whilst unfortunately is it not possible to include the desired cycle lanes within this proposed scheme, the proposed works will not prevent the installation of the cycle lanes in the future, and this will be the ambition within a future funding bid. North Yorkshire Council is committed to delivering a cycle scheme on Victoria Avenue.”
To be honest, I’m not sure cyclists in Harrogate are holding their breath…
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Likely due to the right wing oligarchs that almost all our media. Even the BBC is right wing and will even frame questions using a far right wing world view when interviewing Greens or Lib Dems (are they even still around?).
Alas, the immediate UK response to increased petrol prices after decades of "we have to drive" is more likely to be cycle lanes blocked by drivers! Those would be a) protesting about paying fuel taxes when fuel prices go up and b) parking in the cycle infra to avoid driving around looking for a legal parking spot. We collectively missed an opportunity in the 1970s with the oil crisis. That was one of the factors that propelled the course correction by the Dutch. (The outlines of that story told here. https://bicycledutch.wordpress.com/2021/11/17/how-did-the-dutch-get-their-cycle-paths/ They were primed by them being a bit behind the UK in the adoption of the car ahead of all other modes. And indeed the bulldozing of cities to make room for it, and the spike in road deaths resulting from it. Plus they still had mass cycling and reasonable public transport. Indeed they already had some "cycle infra" albeit the primary purpose may have been for the safety of moped riders.)
Give them the sugar sandwich treatment: 1) they have to cycle around London - as likely many / most have simply no idea of the cycling perspective, and the few that do are perhaps "cyclist myself" occasional roadies. 2) then send them for a few days in somewhere cycling is normal so they understand how or could be. So NL - or perhaps better Copenhagen, Seville etc. so they don't simply say "that could never work in the UK". 3) ... and finally they have to do some rides back in London to see just what all the blockers to safer, more pleasant urban areas are.
Straits of Hormuz closed. Petrol predicted to rise to £2.00 a litre. Let's see how underused cycle lanes are now!
exactly - cyclists generally don't need saving from themselves hopefully, this will mean more resources put into general roads policing
If a spell cycling around london were to be a prerequisite for traffic officer and video reviewer posts I suspect we would see a huge improvement in the police response to poor driving around vulnerable road users.
“ In 2026, I can get from almost anywhere in the capital to the various centres of London using separated bike paths” Sorry, but that’s not true. If you cycle in central London there are lots of separated paths. But they are far from contiguous. For example, Westminster and Kensington and Chelsea don’t offer much, if any. In some outer boroughs there are also CS lanes (but only in a minority of boroughs) and they are not ‘separated’. They are often ‘quiet ways’ or paint. But it is loads better, I agree. I started cycling to primary school in London about half a century ago, so I have experienced a lot of change, indifference, neglect and improvement.
Something nobody seems to have remarked upon is that the Cycle Safety Unit was primarily concerned with cyclist behaviour rather than taking action to keep cyclists safe. They didn't go around ticketing cars parked in the cycle lanes or reporting on how junctions could be improved to make cyclists safer; they generally gathered in groups stopping cyclists and telling them off for not having lights, riding through reds et cetera. I well remember seeing them in action a few years ago as I was riding through Elephant and Castle on the top deck of a bus: it was the day after a cyclist had been tragically killed through no fault of her own by a left-turning lorry driver. The cyclist safety unit was out in force, but rather than stopping lorries and checking their paperwork and advising them on how to drive safely around cyclists, as one might expect/hope, I saw three of them surrounding and haranguing a cyclist who had stopped at a red light with his front wheel over the stop line. The closure of the unit will make little or no difference to cyclist safety in London.
Key word is "combination". To be clear: their wheel with one specific tyre is tested as safe. When your first set of tyres wear out you'll very likely stick on a set of tyres that they haven't tested as safe.
I have just sent off for a helmet mounted mirror, partly because an average week’s riding includes town centre roads (food shopping) and the A603, a single carriageway road with 50mph traffic including eighteen ton lorries. If anyone is seriously interested I will post a description of how useful it is. I wrote the above in answer to to two people's comments, but re-post it here in case it is not accessible for everyone else.
11 thoughts on “Cycle lane plans scrapped from active travel scheme – despite council identifying road as “priority route” for cycling; The UK’s most useless ‘cycle path’?; CiCLE Classic organiser speaks; Alison Jackson: Cycling’s best celebrator? + more on the live blog”
Re Harrogate, what else do
Re Harrogate, what else do you expect? The Government have cut the level of support to councils year on year, mainly for political reasons, so that the Labour run councils (mainly big cities) can be pointed at when they collapse and labelled “incompetent”, unfortuantely an ebbing tide strands all boats, and Tory councils are suffering as well. Bearing in mind the damage done to the Economy by austerity and Liz Truss, the fact that Brexit is going to harm our ability to recover for decades ahead, then the monies for this type of projet will be cut.
As my father said before he passed away in the early 2000’s, “I’ve never voted Tory, you just can’t trust the b*stards”.
As much as I’d like to join
As much as I’d like to join you on this soap box the Active Travel funding is ring fenced afaik.
Thats not to say what you have said it not true, its just got very little to do with chosing to not build a cycle lane.
Thank you for the
Thank you for the clarification.
Or in some cases, like my
Or in some cases, like my council (Croydon) the Labour people were clearly incompetent. The one problem I have with people moaning about cuts is that would be fine if the Tories were cutting taxes left, right and centre. Instead we have a record highest tax burden, yet everything is apparently underfunded. My first question to people is where exactly should the money be diverted from? If so, which party will actually do that? Personally I think they are all as bad as each other.
Sadly money that does get spent is often wasted. In my local area there was a stretch of cycle lane created through part of the shopping area. It is literally 100-200m long, but apparently cost £200k (according to a friend working in the council) and is worse than what was there before.
One thing we could do is
One thing we could do is rejoin the European single market, and increase our GDP by around 5%.
I’m not attracted to the ‘they’re all as bad as each other’ argument.
It isn’t true in any other sphere – hairdressers, tennis coaches, accountants, for example – so why would it be true of politicians.
Mr Sunak does not support active travel, and after the Uxbridge byelection he calculated that there were votes in cutting funding and political support for it.
In my view, Labour are more committed to reducing greenhouse gases from transport, and that will have to include modal shift to active travel.
squired wrote:
Michelle Mone.
Dido Harding
HS2
Infosys
Etc…
squired wrote:
I’m certain “it’s more complex that this” but “paying the interest on our debt” I think. And from the little I understand (and each party will give a different story) that’s: “we finally paid off WW1 (2016?) (and WW2 2006?)” then 2008 banking crisis +
Labour’s wild spending+Brexit+Debts due to lack of “preventative medicine” because austerity+ Covid + Ukraine war +Liz Truss / Kwasi Kwarteng’s fling with “bringing down the deep state”https://www.statista.com/statistics/282841/debt-as-gdp-uk/
Don’t trust me though – here’s the briefing from the commons library.
It’s all choices and more or less subjective judgements. Even when some criteria for measuring “good use of money” are put in people are going to disagree massively on those.
While everyone seems clear on the good parts of automobility the economic case (at least for mass motoring) is looking increasingly shaky, whereas there is growing evidence that boosting active travel is a great return on money invested [1] [2] [3].
The problem is that cycling tends to save money and generate small, local sums – unlike more expensive / centralised industries like power and motor vehicle industries. It’s big bung theory – you can make far more happen for you with a big concentration of money…
The Victoria Avenue scheme is
The Victoria Avenue scheme is paid for by Active Travel Fund 2 – more than £1 million won by North Yorkshire in 2020 for 4 cycle infrastructure schemes.
None of those schemes have been delivered.
Ways to make the money disappear:
In this case, it is largely the fault of the council.
It is true that Sunak has cut active travel funding, so that won’t help in future.
Whether it is worth awarding active travel funding to North Yorkshire Council at all is another question.
https://www.sciencealert.com
https://www.sciencealert.com/study-links-preference-for-loud-cars-to-some-unsurprising-personality-traits
The concluding line is depressing even if the rest of the article isn’t too surprising.
Not cycling, but… https://www
Not cycling, but… https://www.bristol247.com/sport/cricket/video-cricket-pedestrianised-street-goes-viral/
“Unfortunately budgetary
“Unfortunately budgetary constraints mean that the previously envisaged cycle lanes cannot be included within this initial phase of this Victoria Avenue scheme,”
Because we all know that it’s cheaper to make changes afterwards…