The report says that despite the rise and rise of the e-scooter and ride-hailing apps in countries where they are legal (they could be legal in the UK very soon), cycling, walking and public transport still remain the best ways to improve sustainable mobility in cities.
The EEA explain: “E-scooter sharing schemes appear to attract users that would have otherwise walked or used public transport. While the use of shared e-scooters generates few direct environmental impacts, their green credentials can be questioned by the substantial negative impacts associated to their materials, their manufacturing and their frequent collection for recharging purposes.
“Similarly, studies show that ride-hailing apps like Uber or Lyft do little to reduce emissions or congestion and actually draw people away from public transport.“
The EEA also found that transport emissions have continued to increase across Europe, and reiterate that for short city journeys, cycling and walking “provide the greatest benefits for both human health and the environment in urban areas.”
They report also says: “Shifting to walking, cycling and public transport will be crucial if Europe is to meet its long-term sustainability goals and policy objectives under the European Green Deal proposed by the European Commission in December 2019.”
...which seems a pretty good investment considering the event was watched by a record 329 million people in 124 countries according to Councillor Stanley Lumley, who told the Harrogate Advertiser: “They have now seen what a wonderful and accommodating place the Harrogate district really is and this will no doubt support our visitor economy for many years to come.”
In total the money pumped into the event was £1,305,660, but the council secured income totalling £27,000 and a £673,000 boost from the Leeds City Region business rates pool. The biggest single amount went towards the fan zone, which the council contributed £200,000 towards.
The electronics giants will no longer be selling cycling power meters and GPS units, with Shimano stepping in to take over their existing products and apps, and overseeing the development of new assets already started by Pioneer; this includes a new 'web service', essentially an interface between your head unit and the web. Putting two and two together and getting about three-and-a-half, does this mean Shimano could be developing their own GPS computer? As pointed out by DC Rainmaker on his blog, Shimano already have their own power meters so we're not sure this would be there main motive for buying out Pioneer... in any case, we've dropped them a line for some clarification.
Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme has welcomed an apology from the race's 1996 winner and now manager of NTT cycling Bjarne Riis over his involvement in doping during his racing years. He was also once dismissive of his Tour win and said it meant nothing to him after admitting to doping throughout his career in 2007, saying the yellow jersey he won was “in a box somewhere.”
According to Ciclismo Internacional, Prudhomme told a press conference: “Riis sent me a message yesterday saying that he regretted having said once that his yellow jersey was somewhere in a cardboard box in his garage. I'd rather receive a message like this now over nothing at all.
“That he has returned to the World Tour does not depend on the ASO. We can never change the past, but we can always expect tomorrow to be better.”
Cyclescheme have announced an exclusive partnership with Bikmo to cover cyclists' new bikes and kit against theft, accidental damage and more. To mark the launch of the scheme they're also offering 14 days free insurance, plus new and old customers will also receive exclusive pricing on full policies.
Bikmo CEO Dave George said: “The whole team at Bikmo is excited to be extending our rider-centric cycle insurance to Cyclescheme customers. With the £1,000 value cap removed, the timing could not be better as we know cyclists are more concerned about theft and damage of higher value bikes.”
Click here to find out more.
In the end it caused far less damage to me than to the planet! We, including me first of all, should be more careful to protect the Earth!🌏 https://t.co/nLsna8gwlh
— Matteo Moschetti (@moschettiteo) February 4, 2020
The 23-year-old Italian clearly wasn't too perturbed by the plastic bags remnants caught in his wheel at Challenge Mallorca on Sunday, as he powered to a second stage victory despite harbouring the bits of bag in his rear wheel for the last 15km.
What he is bothered more by is that the plastic wastage was there in the first place, and used the scenario to highlight the damage of plastic to the environment. Chapeau Matteo, and you might as well keep on sweeping those bags up because it's clearly not harming your performance...
Over on the forum road.cc user Melliott has flagged up this gem, it's hard even to know where to start with that. Got any great pics of less-than-great parking? Share them on the thread...
Have you ever tried to carry a computer on a bike? If you are working as a service engineer you need a car.
— Alan Billings (@StickEandBrown) February 5, 2020
Re the fridge fiasco below, we've recently been alerted to a Twitter thread sparked after the gentleman above said a car was imperative for carrying his computer (presumably he means a laptop). Plenty have chipped in to rebuff this claim and offer advice, including Chris Boardman himself...
A do that every day! 💻 https://t.co/sOnWOElWqQ
— Chris Boardman (@Chris_Boardman) February 5, 2020
How many? pic.twitter.com/GJoszXYjlS
— Tom Dereszynski (@tomder74) February 5, 2020
One word. Panniers. Take a look at how much kit a bicycle paramedic can carry. It’s 20 years since the first ones hit the roads. pic.twitter.com/exZwPKf3UA
— DaveB (@Dave_Blogs) February 5, 2020
The Murray Valley Standard report that police have arrested a man in Murray Bridge, South Australia after he was caught riding a bike while carrying a stolen portable fridge.
The 36-year-old suspect was spotted chilling out a bit too much on Monday night, with officers quickly establishing that the fridge matched with a power cord left dangling from a nearby car; the car's owner was apparently unaware that he'd been had by the Murray Bridge Fridge Bandit.
The crook was frozen on the spot as he was charged with illegal interference of a motor vehicle - not to mention his haphazard and potentially dangerous bike riding - and he appeared in court yesterday.
It's not the first case of someone spotted cycling with a refrigeration device; the still at the top of this post was captured way back in 2011 in Cambridge, and the video directly above was filmed in Brazil. For a comprehensive listicle of weird things people have carried while cycling, see this fascinating article from our archives.
EDP24 report that 19 people were caught in their latest undercover close pass operation - those snared include a taxi driver, an off-duty bus driver and a lorry driver.
The officers ran cameras on their bikes to capture evidence of the offences, and then when one was committed a uniformed officer on a motorbike would flag the car down and escort them to an educational workshop on road safety. Four couldn't be stopped, and police are considering opening separate prosecutions in these cases.
Sergeant Mark Barney of the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Roads and Armed Policing Team said: "Cyclists can often feel vulnerable on the roads, with vehicles driving too closely to them or cutting them up.
"What was disappointing about the 19 offences we detected in Norwich was that four of them were committed by professional drivers.
"These are people that drive for a living and who therefore we would expect much better from."
Jeff Jordan of the Norwich Cycling Campaign commented: "Drivers find it very hard to judge how much room cyclists need. If they come unwittingly too close as they pass this can be very dangerous, as it does not give the cyclist room to manoeuvre.
"You never know when something like a pothole or even a gust of strong wind will throw you off. Generally, one to one-and-a-half metres is suitable."
The story of our 'cycle network' in two acts:
1. Horrible muddy surface, no lighting
2. Poorly maintained signage, more rocky muddy surfaceOnly navigable on certain bikes in the best weather conditions. We cannot 'encourage' more people to cycle with routes like this. https://t.co/bFLNrm4wtQ
— Hannah 😈 🚲 (@theeyecollector) February 4, 2020
Yesterday's live blog ended with some harsh words regarding the Trans Pennine Trail, which numerous cyclists called out for being poorly maintained and too treacherous...
Thank you to everyone that has commented on our original post yesterday. It is great to see how passionate people are about the Trail, just like ourselves and shows that the work we do is definitely appreciated by everyone. 1/6
— Trans Pennine Trail (@TPT_National) February 5, 2020
This morning Trans Pennine Trail have replied under our post, saying: “Thank you to everyone that has commented on our original post yesterday. It is great to see how passionate people are about the Trail, just like ourselves and shows that the work we do is definitely appreciated by everyone.
“Please note this particular section has recently suffered from flooding so the surface is definitely not up to a good standard. The Trans Pennine Trail was the UKs first multi user route and is unique in the way that we cater for a number of different users on the same route (walkers,cyclists and horse riders). With this is mind when considering surfacing, we do have to ensure that the surface chosen is suitable for all users. However we do agree that the current state of the surface is not ideal for many users, including those with disabilities and we would like to reiterate again that we are aware and working frantically in the background to try and seek improvements and source funding wherever possible.
“We do have a charity the ‘Friends of the Trans Pennine Trail’ that work alongside us and are seeking new members to join for a nominal annual fee. The higher their membership, the stronger position they are in to work alongside Partners, landowners and external funders to secure upgrades and improvements to the route.
“If you do have any further concerns regarding the state of the Trail please do get in touch with us direct and we will respond to all emails individually.”
The ageless Italian will continue as a pro cyclist in 2020, after re-signing (that's sign up again, not resigning) with Croatian pro continental team Meridiana Kamen for another year. Wielerflits quoted their team manager as saying: “We are very happy with the arrival of Davide.
“We know Davide well and he is an important rider for the team. He will help the young riders with his wealth of experience, but he's also capable of performing himself .”
The expression "surfing the internet" was invented in the year Rebellin turned pro. At the time there were 26 known websites in the world.
— Daniel Friebe (@friebos) February 5, 2020
The fact above is a testament to Rebellin's extraordinary longevity. Rebellin rode through the final steel frame to win the Tour de France (Miguel Indurain in 1994) and the current world champion Mads Pederson wasn't born until three years after Rebellin signed his first pro contract in 1992.
He won his first and only Grand Tour stage at the Giro d'Italia way back in 1996, and also had success in one-day races and classics, winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège and the Amstel Gold Race in 2004; although it's unfortunate his career is blotted by doping , as he tested positive for CERA at the 2008 Olympics and was forced to hand back his silver medal from the men's road race.
The 24-year-old Dane and reigning road world champ will continue with the US team through to the end of 2022. He said: “"I want to keep winning races. I want to be more consistent and more on the top level in the classics, not just the big races but in all the races, instead of popping up occasionally. That's my main goal right now and then, of course, to honour and show respect for the rainbow stripes.”
Praise to all the cyclists out there who wear helmets. Saved this rider a lengthy stay in hospital! pic.twitter.com/pOLeWYdCNT
— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 1, 2020
It al began on 1st February, when PC Glen McArthur posted the photo above of a broken helmet. He said it saved the rider a "lengthy stay in hospital."
Maybe it is safer not to assume... Driver was reported for Careless Driving.
— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 4, 2020
Since then, numerous replies have questioned the emphasis placed on the cyclist's helmet when it's safe to assume the collision wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for the action of the driver that hit them; in the last few hours PC McArthur has said that although people "don't know the full facts", the cyclist was indeed hit by a motorist and they have been reported for careless driving. He also said the collision happened because of "a minor error of judgement on the driver's part."
That didn't save anyone's life. Stop with the nonsense promoting helmets. They can't even prevent concussions.
— ⚫ CyclingMikey aka Bike Gandalf (@MikeyCycling) February 2, 2020
'Love' the victim blaming. Hope the driver got charged for nearly killing someone.
— Gabriel (@Ezy_Ryder) February 1, 2020
So it seems that I have opened, what seems like, a huge can of worms with a tweet about the pic below.
Cyclists and other road users share the same space. How can YOU all help reduce collisions?? Sensible answers need only respond. pic.twitter.com/QXZzPgySHE— PC Glen McArthur (@slurpinpig) February 4, 2020
PC McArthur has since said he appears to have opened a huge can of worms, and has invited his followers to discuss the reduction of road collisions. He also said that he believes dedicated cycling highways are "the way forward"... are people being too harsh on the officer, or wa his original tweet misinformed? Let us know your thoughts as always...
If we would design our houses with the same principles as we use to design our streets.
Source: unknown#CycleMOOCpic.twitter.com/T5Mff6x5bh
— Cycling Professor (@fietsprofessor) February 4, 2020
We prefer Bruno's version...
Ok. My personal variation pic.twitter.com/cChSgaHDay
— Bruno Marche (@brunomarche) February 4, 2020