Edinburgh cycle lane not gritted for 3 days after snowfall; 2.4m trips on CS3 in 2020; Congestion up after cycle lane ripped out; Matt Stephens quizzes Ineos signings; New name, kit, bike as Mitchelton-Scott becomes Team Bike Exchange + more on live blog
Congestion rises after cycle lane ripped out
A study of traffic on Kensington High Street has found that congestion worsened after the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea ripped up a temporary cycle lane there last month.
Campaign group Bike Is Best also said that its research shows that the space formerly taken up by the cycle lane is now blocked by illegally parked vehicles up to 80 per cent of the time, reports the Guardian.
More on this story on road.cc later.
New team name, new kit for Mitchelton-Scott - now Team Bike Exchange
It’s the first of January, and among other things, that means that riders announced as switching teams in recent months will now be able to go out in the kit of their new team – and of course, in some cases that will mean not only a completely different kit to the one the team wore last year, but also a change of name.
Among the teams to have changed name due to a change in sponsor is Team Bike Exchange – formerly Mitchelton-Scott – and besides a new kit, modelled in this video by Simon Yates and Teniel Campbell, there’s also a new bike sponsor, Bianchi.
Meanwhile, Mark Cavendish is back at Deceuninck-Quick Step, who have given their kit a bit of an overhaul – here’s the former road world champion sporting it, together with rainbow bands on the collar and cuffs.
New Kit Day 😎
What do you think?@deceuninck_qst @iamspecialized pic.twitter.com/UErXXDLhCb— Mark Cavendish (@MarkCavendish) January 1, 2021
Edinburgh cyclist asks why bike lane wasn’t gritted after snowfall
A cyclist in Edinburgh has asked the city council why a bike lane on a main road in the Scottish capital was not gritted for three days after a recent snowfall, forcing many to take to the main carriageway instead.
The cycle lane on Comiston Road, which runs from Comiston to Morningside in the south of the city, was put in place last year as part of the council’s Spaces for People programme to encourage active travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
Edinburgh News reports that one local resident, Paul Bailey, wrote to the council’s transport convener Lesley Macinnes to point out that while the main road had been gritted, the cycle lane had not.
“I notice to the council’s credit that some gritting has been done on some pavements on Comiston Road,” he said. “However I also notice that none of the cycle lanes on Comiston Road have been cleared at all. May I ask why the cycle lanes on such a major road are being left untreated – even after three days?
“On Wednesday, to my surprise, I met a cyclist attempting to negotiate the icy surface of the cycle lane. A few seconds later the cyclist left the dangerous cycle lane and moved out into the main carriageway.
“This of course leads to another problem; the overtaking car needs to straddle the central white line to give the cyclist room; further up the road where parking is allowed, the main carriageway is even narrower – 3.25 metres.
“Spaces for People was meant to help cyclists and pedestrians. Clearly the Orcas are creating a serious problem which needs to be addressed promptly. Waiting until the next review on January 28 is unacceptable when you know about the danger now.”
A spokeswoman for Edinburgh City Council commented: “Our gritting teams work 24/7 to respond to poor conditions on the city’s roads, cycle paths and pavements.
“We operate a priority gritting system, treating priority one routes first, which include principal roads, bus routes and roads and pavements leading to hospitals, fire stations care homes, in order to keep the city moving.”
It’s the second time in a month that the council has faced criticism for not gritting the same cycle lane, with one Twitter user saying after a snowfall in early December, “Looks like we may have to clear these ourselves.”
Looks like we may have to clear these ourselves. Was it beyond the ken o man to expect the snow not to fall in the cycle lane. The smaller machinery that does the pavement will fit the lane no problem. Not doing it is inexcusable.
— ShakeTheFoundations (@shaken_shake) December 4, 2020
Matt Stephens quizzes Ineos Grenadiers new signings
Three of Ineos Grenadiers new signings – Adam Yates, Laurens Ten Post and Ritchie Porte – have been quizzed by former British champion turned TV pundit and presenter Matt Stephens, and the questions are as quirky as you’d expect …
Cyclists made 2.4m trips on Embankment cycleway last year
Cyclists ,made 2.4 million trips on London’s Cycleway 3 in 2020 according to the cycle counter close to Embankment Underground station – while across the river, the Blackfriars Road cycle counter recorded 1.1 million bike rides on Cycleway 6.
Click through the tweet for a thread analysing of how riding patterns changed throughout the year.
** #CS3 and #CS6 cycle journey counters in 2020 **
The two counters recorded over 3.5 million journeys during 2020:
> #CS3 #Embankment 2.403 million;
> #CS5 #Blackfriars Road 1.135 million.Thread picking out some 2020 highlights
1/n pic.twitter.com/kvpgJnQVW2— London Cycle Route CS3’s Crowdsourced Count (@CS3Count) January 1, 2021
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I did a multi-day ride many years ago with someone who was a better cyclist than me by every conceivable measure but this one. I remember watching them up ahead on a quiet road trying to teach themselves - snatching brief seconds with their hands off the bars before losing balance and grabbing on again. 'Watch this' I said to the rest of my group, before I accelerated to catch them, then nonchalantly sailed past them uphill riding no hands. Very satisfying. I've been able to ride most of mine hands-free, but had a Specialized Allez that really didn't cooperate. Haven't been brave enough to try it on a Brompton or cargo bike though. And still can't do a wheelie, or any of the other things on Jo's palmares.
@Hamster now that is an exciting development. I do remove/amend signs but reporting them for flyposting is much more satisfying.
@Slartibartfast If the sign-maker can be caught in the act then the council Environmental Health can get a report for littering/fly-tipping. Hours of endless fun for that person trying to explain away a conviction. Don't report unless you're prepared to go to court though. Or remove the litter and put in the nearest bin with a sticker explaining how littering is a crime.
What would make driving safer for motorists is if they stopped driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol and driving faster than the speed limit.
Some good ideas there. One point tho. Whilst I love those Wera Allen keys for steel bolt heads, they can be risky on alloy socket screws. Not ideal, IMO, for Rochshox fork axles as they eat into the alloy and lock into the socket. Play soon results. The hex+ system seems to be based on an inside out adaptation of the Snap On “Flank Drive” spanner or socket - and that’s a great idea, but sadly the design seems to overstress alloy socket head screws. Could it be that the profiled section on the end of the tool doesn’t have enough penetration on a fork axle? Maybe. All I can say is my axles last a lot longer using a regular Allen hex key. (Ideally on a torque wrench I guess). Ooh and ChrisA is right - a “Vernier Caliper” relies an a sliding scale more like a slide tile. Digital is way easier, but battery dependent.
@Rendel Harris - ginger ale can be alcoholic when it's traditionally brewed. Not nearly as strong as mead, though.
@tomlew Don't disagree. That makes me at a system weight of 85kg more dangerous at 20mph than a 100kg rider on a 20kg eapc at 15.5mph! Except that I'm in control and only do that sort of speed on the road, not shared used paths etc
@Smoggysteve - I got a similar one from AliExpress advertised as a Xiaomi brand (I have my doubts) for under £30. It's great for drying my bike chain and also getting rid of coffee bean chaff from my roaster.
It can't provide any insights about things to follow up on as regards policy in the area of ebike usage, though, since it didn't study that. And yet it claims to do so. It might, as you suggested, provide insight that helps guide trauma response in a clinical setting, but it doesn't mention that at all. Generally, the way science works is you use a study to inform the thing that was actually studied.
@SecretSam I use the blower nozzle connected to my air compressor, but only to dry the chain so that I can lube it immediately.
18 thoughts on “Edinburgh cycle lane not gritted for 3 days after snowfall; 2.4m trips on CS3 in 2020; Congestion up after cycle lane ripped out; Matt Stephens quizzes Ineos signings; New name, kit, bike as Mitchelton-Scott becomes Team Bike Exchange + more on live blog”
That a damning study of
That’s a damning study of Kensington High Street – they’ve spent loads of money, annoyed both cyclists and motorists and ended up with even more congestion and still no active travel infrastructure. What’s worse is that they based their decision on a vocal minority rather than using data – we need to get rid of these dinosaurs and their out-of-date thinking.
hawkinspeter wrote:
“thinking” might be a little generous.
You mean the weathervane
You mean the weathervane councillors who change direction according to whatever blowhards puff hardest? Good luck with that, half the time they’re narcissists just looking to inflate their own popularity. For some reason unbeknown to me, their ilk seem to manage being re-elected. I suspect it’s because they’ve only got to swing a small number of voters, and it’s easiest to do with those most frightened by change?
I’m liking the post crimbo
I’m liking the post crimbo avatar.
ktache wrote:
Yarrr!
I’m sure Nigel Havers and the
I’m sure Nigel Havers and the other vociferous critics of the cycle lane will waste no time in admitting their mistake, and I look forward to multiple articles in the media highlighting this phenomenon and educating the masses.
Has anyone contacted Mr Havers for his views on actual facts rather than his misinformed perceptions?
Quote:
I do love the ambiguity in that construction.
https://quoteinvestigator.com/tag/moses-hadas/#return-note-5095-4
Sriracha wrote:
Delightful, thank you. I’m just glad someone spotted it.
I saw the article in the
I saw the article in the grauniad…
Live no where near London and I was raging.
Surely must be rules, scientific data and what-the-fuk-ever to stop this infrastructure vandalism!
Yes, because politicians are
Yes, because politicians are known to listen to scientists and data.
And not listening to scientists has never led up anything bad or 2020.
cdamian wrote:
“Fact based decision making.” Ho, ho, ho.
DQS kit – can’t work out
DQS kit – can’t work out whether it’s Gru’s Minions or Oompa Loompas it’s reminding me of. One of those that will look better on the bike than off it.
Bike Exchange one is awful but I was never really a fan of the old kit either
kil0ran wrote:
Can’t say it appeals to me but then I find most team kits pretty meh.
I really hope that Mark will get to put his hands in the air and crossing the line of a race in first place once more.
“We operate a priority
“We operate a priority gritting system, treating priority one routes first…”
It’s almost as if the cycle lane running the same priority one route is not counted as the same priority.
It’s clear that the priority
It’s clear that the priority list is buses, cars, pedestrians.
That’s right, cyclists aren’t even on the list.
Here in Southern Norway, we
Here in Southern Norway, we’re coastal and probably see similar days of snow to Edinburgh, local council has main cycle routes as Pri 1, along with bus routes. Clearly still falling snow can be an issue, but they aim for snow and ice free for 6am on weekdays.
First 2km from home can be a little dicey at times, then I’m on a cycle route and it’s bare asphalt to work the remaining 10km
I was delighted to see the
I was delighted to see the Kensington cycle lane story on the front page (so to speak) of the Guardian online. Fantastic placement!
Oh, and did nobody read the memo about feeding the troll? TL:DR please don’t.
Aghhh. Already the new year
Aghhh. Already the new year is contaminated by Twatcyclist and its pathetic posts. Ignore it. It is taking over the whole forum.