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Live blog: Leave vs Remain Poll – Paris-Roubaix special; Police ploy to tackle bike theft in Hull… a gold bike; Police wanted to counter Lord Winston's This Morning nonsense but didn't get chance; Costs & benefits of driving and cycling +more

All the cycling news from this site and beyond…
12 April 2019, 14:44
Bike Lane Symbol
A bit more on that painted cycle lanes story from earlier in the week

The gist is they actually make life worse for cyclists.

Full story here.

12 April 2019, 15:12
Friday Leave vs Remain poll: leave and take a smoother line or remain on the cobbles?
 

It's Friday, which means it's time for our weekly poll... but it's also Paris-Roubaix this weekend, so we've just about managed to find a way to intertwine the two. So, are you a hard knock through-and-through and think it's all good vibrations, or are cobbles just simply no fun and best avoided if possible? Do let us know your thoughts! 

12 April 2019, 14:11
New College Leicester (via StreetView)
School cycling competition cancelled after thieves steal 30 Chris Hoy bikes
12 April 2019, 08:27
Sounds like This Morning wasn't interested in the police view on Lord Robert Winston's demented ideas about bicycle licences

Earlier this week, Lord Winston continued his absolute non-starter campaign to get cyclists licenced and registered in an appearance on This Morning on ITV.

After the Government told him there was no prospect of requiring cyclists to be licensed and insured because the costs would massively outweigh the benefits, he floated electronic tagging as some sort of solution.

Chris Boardman described both Winston's stance and the fact that outlets give it airtime as 'shameful'.

The tweet attracted an intriguing and enlightening reply from West Midlands roads police.

12 April 2019, 12:29
The Smuggler
National survey reveals decline in cycling for leisure, sport and travel

Active Lives survey aims to provide snapshot of the nation’s sport and physical activity habits.

Full story here.

12 April 2019, 12:24
BERGAMONT_G_ELITE_D_230_01-sml-1116x744
TweedLove’s Transcend Bike Festival unveils full line up for 2019

For its tenth year TweedLove Bike Festival has undergone major changes with a new name, a new location, new partnerships and a major new line-up of events. The Gritopia gravel race is still on the cards alongside the Skinny Tweed sportive, a mega demo event over the three days and lots of family-friendly fun.
off-road.cc have all the details for the new Transcend Bike Festival with links to tickets for the 2019 event here. 

12 April 2019, 11:24
Swiss government says coffee "not essential" for life (we beg to differ)...
coffee  - 1.jpg

The Swiss have stockpiled coffee and other provisions since World War One in preparation for shortages should any other national emergencies break out, and now the government want to phase out coffee from the list by 2022 because they don't deem it essential. The explanation on the Swiss Federal Council website reads: "The national economic supply has checked the maintenance of today's compulsory storage of coffee. She came to the conclusion that coffee is not vital according to the criteria that apply today. That is, coffee contains almost no calories and therefore does not make any contribution to food security from a nutritional point of view. The risk of supply disruptions is also rated as low. The growing areas are spread over three continents and the harvests are possible all year round. The continuation of the compulsory storage of coffee is therefore no longer justified from a supply policy perspective." 

Who wants to tell them that they're wrong? 

12 April 2019, 11:17
But what if that gets pinched?

Hull Live reports that an increase in cycle thefts in Hull City Centre has led the British Transport Police in the area to deploy this gold bike to highlight the issue. Cyclists are being prompted to have their bikes registered to prevent thefts. Hopefully the gold deterrent will work rather than ending up in a cash converters with the other nicked bikes... 

12 April 2019, 09:42
New Amsterdam bike parking facility opens, with each row including a unique motif of a bird to help you find your bike

With room for over 1,300 bicycles, the new 'fietsenstalling' connects commuters to the city via the Noord Metro station. The handy bird-based guide to help commuters locate their bikes is a smart touch, and there are also dedicated spaces for cargo bikes.  

12 April 2019, 09:29
Peter Sagan recons Paris-Roubaix cobbles

All eyes will be on Paris-Roubaix this weekend, can Peter Sagan win it again? Here's a video his Bora team have shared from their recon ride yesterday.

Also check out Peter Sagan's' race bike in-depth look here. 

12 April 2019, 07:36
Cycling in Copenhagen (picture credit Ty Stange via Copenhagen Media Centre)
The costs and benefits of driving and cycling

A new study has calculated the per kilometre cost of driving, cycling and walking in the EU.

Eltis reports that the parameters used were:

  1. Environment
  2. Travel time and vehicle operation
  3. Health, accidents and perceived comfort
  4. Perceived safety and discomfort
  5. Quality of life, tourism and infrastructure

They concluded that each kilometre driven by car incurs an external cost of €0.11, while cycling and walking represent benefits of €0.18 and €0.37 per kilometre.

Extrapolated to the total number of passenger kilometres driven, cycled or walked in the European Union, the cost of driving is about €500 billion per year.

Due to positive health effects, cycling is an external benefit worth €24 billion per year and walking €66 billion per year.

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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19 comments

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... | 5 years ago
3 likes

Does nobody know the difference between "you're" and "your" anymore?

Avatar
burtthebike replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 5 years ago
3 likes

FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

Does nobody know the difference between "you're" and "your" anymore?

It is an infallible way to identify Brexiteers, so while it's wrong, it is extremely useful.  By their spelling shall you know them.

Avatar
madcarew replied to FluffyKittenofTindalos | 5 years ago
3 likes

FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

Does nobody know the difference between "you're" and "your" anymore?

Whats' your'e point? '

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
4 likes

Is it me, or does the latest L vs R poll read like one of Deckards tests in Blade Runner...?

Avatar
ConcordeCX replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
5 likes

brooksby wrote:

Is it me, or does the latest L vs R poll read like one of Deckards tests in Blade Runner...?

it's probably you. How did you get on with the tests?

 

Avatar
brooksby replied to ConcordeCX | 5 years ago
6 likes

ConcordeCX wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Is it me, or does the latest L vs R poll read like one of Deckards tests in Blade Runner...?

it's probably you. How did you get on with the tests?

 

They wouldn't tell me, and now I keep finding these teeny tiny tinfoil origami animals everywhere...

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
5 likes
brooksby wrote:

ConcordeCX wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Is it me, or does the latest L vs R poll read like one of Deckards tests in Blade Runner...?

it's probably you. How did you get on with the tests?

 

They wouldn't tell me, and now I keep finding these teeny tiny tinfoil origami animals everywhere...

.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
6 likes

brooksby wrote:

Is it me, or does the latest L vs R poll read like one of Deckards tests in Blade Runner...?

Describe in single words only the good things that come to mind about your bike

Avatar
Eton Rifle replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
2 likes
brooksby wrote:

Is it me, or does the latest L vs R poll read like one of Deckards tests in Blade Runner...?

Is this testing whether I'm a replicant or a lesbian, Mr Deckard ?

Avatar
Mr SciHub2 | 5 years ago
4 likes

For those that want to access the article referenced.

https://sci-hub.tw/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2018.12.016

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
1 like

You would think that the BTP could have locked that gold BSO up better.  There is plenty of really good advice online, or they could have just asked someone who actually looked like they knew what they were doing.  If you are going to set an example set a good one.

Rear lock, both seatsays, wheel rim to immovable object, front lock wheel rim to frame with bonus to the rack if possible.

There is a lot of  "that will do" going on there.

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
5 likes

I've got one of these cups at home which kinda sums up my relationship with coffee:

 

Avatar
Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
0 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

I've got one of these cups at home which kinda sums up my relationship with coffee:

 

Would you be good enough to tell me where you got that?   I think it needs to be added to some sort of 'wish list'... 

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to Legs_Eleven_Worcester | 5 years ago
1 like

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

hawkinspeter wrote:

I've got one of these cups at home which kinda sums up my relationship with coffee:

 

Would you be good enough to tell me where you got that?   I think it needs to be added to some sort of 'wish list'... 

I got mine from DieselSweeties: https://store.dieselsweeties.com/products/fucking-coffee-mug but you may find copies of it cheaper on Amazon or EBay etc (and avoid US->UK delivery charges).

Avatar
Simon E | 5 years ago
1 like

"Cyclists are being prompted to have their bikes registered to prevent thefts."

Waste of time and money. Much better to advise on weaknesses of cheap locks and advise what to use (or what not to use) if you want to keep your bike.

Regarding Winston, perhaps electronic tagging and live GPS tracking of members of the House of Lords would enable us to see just how many of them are in the House bar at any time.

Avatar
brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

I've never set foot in a Cash Converters, I'm afraid.  However, don't they ask for some proof that the item you want to sell them is actually yours to begin with?  If not, isn't that breaking some sort of duty of care or even a law??    Sorry if that sounds naive.

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
11 likes

West Midlands Police are right, and the biggest problem with cycling in this country is the media.  They are all over stories about electric cars saving the planet, teenage obesity bankrupting the NHS, pollution killing tens of thousands of people, but always, and I mean every time, they ignore the simplest, cheapest, quickest solution to all those problems and many more.

I've had many discussions with my local BBC radio station about cycling, and BBC R4, but neither will give the benefits of cycling any air time, despite having a cast iron guarantee of balance in their charter and editorial guidelines.  We all know what the rest of the msm, the DM, Telegraph etc are like about cycling.  I used to be media officer for my local CUK branch, but it was impossible to get positive coverage, even Sustrans struggled to get good stories, and they are much more media savvy than me.

Avatar
Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
3 likes

burtthebike wrote:

West Midlands Police are right, and the biggest problem with cycling in this country is the media.  They are all over stories about electric cars saving the planet, teenage obesity bankrupting the NHS, pollution killing tens of thousands of people, but always, and I mean every time, they ignore the simplest, cheapest, quickest solution to all those problems and many more.

They do this because the car industry, the Road Haulage Association and the multinational oil corporations spend billions every year on advertising in the British media.   They also contribute to the election fund of several high-ranking Conservative MPs - donations which are never registered as they take the form of free dinners, free holidays and other gifts.  

The BBC does little more than toe the party line, as the Conservative Party 'in-house magazine'.  

Avatar
janusz0 | 5 years ago
2 likes

> "A new study"

The authors have chosen to publish via Elsevier, so this valuable analysis is behind a paywall.

On the other hand, it means that the closure of Hammersmith bridge to motorised vehicles is now enhancing the economy of west London.

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