“Why not just paint white lines on the road?”: Locals claim £10 million cycle lane investment a “waste of money” despite previous scrapped schemes increasing cycling in the town; “Photo-finishgate” continues + more on the live blog
Middlesbrough moaning
Whenever Middlesbrough appears when sifting through the world of active travel news, there follows a slightly deeper breath. This is the town after all where Britain’s “most-hated” cycle lane, along Linthorpe Road, was ripped out with the cross-party support of Conservative and Labour mayors at a cost of £2.7 million despite being found to increase the popularity of cycling in the area.
The gripes? That it was depriving parking spaces for cars, and was a “clear getaway” for shoplifters and drug dealers. Using that logic we could always coat the roads with rocks and treacle, but I digress.
The strange thing is that the same authorities that ripped out those bike lanes are now set to spend quite a bit of money putting in new cycle lanes elsewhere across the town. Middlesbrough’s Local Democracy Reporter says the council is due to approve the creation of a £10.4 million “corridor”, comprising improved pedestrian facilities and a continuous cycle lane “running from the Mandale roundabout on the west side of the town, over to Marton Road, near the James Cook University Hospital”.
Funding would come from the Tees Valley Combined Authority rather than the borough council, and authorities are hopeful that, since the route passes more houses and schools than businesses, it will be less resented than the Linthorpe Road proposal. Children are the target for the infrastructure which fits with the ambitions of central government as well.
Unfortunately, public opposition remains. 64 percent of the people consulted (186 out of 288) said they didn’t support the proposal. And locals on the internet are similarly disenchanted…
“If they’re quick, I know where you can buy some second hand cycle lane furniture”
“Thought they might have learnt a lesson from the last disastrous cycle lane fiasco”
“They must be joking. Its a nightmare trying to get down green lane now without adding anymore restrictions. Cars parked on both sides already so narrowing the lanes will be a nightmare”
“Another waist [sic] of money what about fixing the pot holes”
Pleasingly, there were some dissenters including Paul Silver who pointed out, “Linthorpe Road is now more dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists with the removal of the cycle lane and the continuing blocking of pavements by “local” shopkeepers with food, trolleys, bins etc…”
Worryingly though, the most popular comment seemed to misunderstand the purpose of cycle infrastructure altogether:
“Why not just paint white lines on the road it’s cheaper and easier then when it doesn’t work you can just burn them off”
A work in progress, shall we say…
Tributes paid to Angel Arroyo
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The Spanish climber Ángel Arroyo, runner-up to Laurent Fignon in the 1983 Tour de France, has died at the age of 70.
Arroyo turned professional in 1979, with his breakthrough on General Classification coming at the 1981 Vuelta a Espana where he won a stage and finished sixth overall. The following year, he was leading the race and set for overall victory when he tested positive for the methylphenidate stimulate on stage 17. Rather than a disqualification, he was handed a 10-minute penalty (which was the style at the time) that saw him tumble out of contention.
He made his Tour de France debut the following year and began catapulting himself up on GC in the final week. After winning the Stage 15 TT up Puy de Dome, his consistent performances in the final week in the Alps catapulted him onto the podium, which would remain his best ever GC result in a Grand Tour. The following year he finished sixth overall and won a mountain stage to Morzine.
Having ridden most of his career for Reynolds, which later became Banesto, Caisse d’Epargne and now, Movistar, team boss Eusebio Unzue has written a tribute to Arroyo:
“I am deeply saddened, Ángel.
“I have always held you in special regard; you were a person of immense significance to me, both personally and in the history of this team.
“You arrived in 1982, when we were barely two years into this adventure, and you were one of those who showed us the way. That 1982 Vuelta and the podium finish in our first Tour in 1983 were pivotal in helping us realise just how far this team could go.
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“You made a lasting impression on me during those years when I was fortunate enough to share so many experiences and great moments with you. But above all, you helped lay the foundations of this team and established a philosophy of cycling that has stayed with us ever since: always being in the mix, contending for general classifications and the Grand Tours.
“Alongside our mentor, José Miguel, you played a fundamental role in those early steps and in building the foundation for everything that followed.
“We will remember you for countless details and moments, but above all, for the mark you left on all of us. You have ensured that we will never forget you, dear Ángel.
“Farewell.”
Bright lights for longer
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Latest Comments
@Rendel Harris A good point. That said, these bike lights have reflectors aiming those lumens generally in a forward cone-ish beam so most of lumens are going forward. And, given that generalisation, higher lumens == more blinding to other road users, and very very high lumens like that == very blinding. I had a 1200 lumens "night rider", but you couldn't use it in full power mode on the road. I had cars coming to a near stop as they'd encounter me more than once when I did try it. Even on lower power settings, you have to angle it downward it a bit to avoid dazzling other road users.
@Paul J Actually lumens aren't really an important measurement here, as it measures the total output of light from the device in all directions. A dipped LED car headlight can produce 4000+ lumens and it won't dazzle anyone. Far more important is lux, the concentration of light in a given square metre, that's what tells you how blinding it will be (1 lux = 1 lumen per m²). A light may have high lumens but dissipate them in such a way that the lux is relatively low compared to a light with fewer lumens but a more tightly-focussed beam.
2200 lumens. Jaysus... That's going to seriously blind any oncoming cars. Where does this lumens war end, when we have lights melting the tarmac as we go?
So in other words, as well as being hyperbolic, it's just inaccurate - it's not "300km in a week" at all - good ol' road.cc. If you flip that around, though, *because* it's so physically demanding, they're used to doing insane amounts of work in the gym to keep fit for it - had he flown to the next race, he might not have done a whole lot less in terms of effort - just no-one would have paid any attention to it.
The picture comes from here - where you can see the light in all its modes for a comparison (though not clear if they kept the same camera settings): https://www.cateye.com/intl/products/headlights/HL-EL2200RC/
as per other comments, and as a roadie who strays onto bridleways and light gravel when routes require, I would be a little concerned about the cracked rim - not clear how fast or hard that rock was hit or if a significant pothole might cause the same damage. Would help if the difference between this and the road version was noted - does that imply the latter would be less resilient?
@tomlew My first reaction to the park photo was wow, that does not look like a 2200lumen light. I have a Light & Motion Taz 2000 lumen light and it does not create that level of brightness ... up to the tree stump, the pavement is washed out. I do not know, but it does seem that the camera settings are suspicious. There used to be sites like MTBR that did really good controlled images and comparative reviews of lights. Personally, I think 2000 lumen is the minimum for road commuting and not really sufficient for MTB. So, likely this light is quite good for commuting.
@tomlew You claimed you were certain the photo was edited, now you're backtracking on that. It's really quite difficult to get a photo of a torch's performance without seeing it in person, as you have to balance for the darkness of the night and the brightness of the light. Obviously the two are really quite the opposite, so it's hard to get the middle ground which would represent the in-person experience. I know this article is an ad, which is a shame, but that's how RoadCC stays afloat. I can appreciate that without assuming the whole article is a con. Maybe have a bit more faith in people rather than assume the worst.
@tomlew "we’re talking about professionals" lol. "it tells a lot." What does it tell? Are these photographer's sneaky? or lackadaisical? Are you concerned many viewers don't possess the technical to unpack a photo? Or is your concern wider in the possible sense millions may be affected by viewing an unrealistic photo and this renders detriment on the public square? If its the last one I'm in because its an inquiry not too far from cycling through a busy city.
@mdavidford Though the official proceedings of the Grand Prix begin Thursday morning, guessing his team want him there at least a day in advance so he will have to arrive by the end of today (Tuesday) so presumably he will complete the final 82 km today. Whilst "insane" might be slightly hyperbolic it's certainly a mighty impressive shift considering that Formula One is (as far as I understand it, which is not very far) one of the most physically demanding sports around.