Good news! Councillors in Caerphilly and Chichester have backed plans for new active travel routes in their respective areas.
In Caerphilly, there are plans to install 135 miles of walking and cycling routes throughout the county borough. The proposals will be funded by the Welsh government and followed in-depth consultations with local schools, charities and community groups.
A six-mile walking and cycling path along the A259 between Chichester and Emsworth has also been approved by Chichester District Council.
While a majority of those consulted supported the proposals, local cycling groups worried that the new shared-use paths – which will be segregated from traffic on part of the route only – will not help reduce speeds on the road or encourage people to ride their bikes.
A new sculpture, crafted with reclaimed bike parts, has been installed outside Camden Town Station.
The massive artwork, named ‘Bi-High-Cycle’ for some reason, was designed by Bristol-based mechanical sculpture expert Jason Lane and launched by insurance firm Direct Line to highlight the 1,100 bike thefts which take place across the UK every day.
The installation includes broken parts from 45 different bikes, which incidentally is the same number of bikes stolen on average every hour across the country.
I quite like it. Not sure I would have it in my living room, but it’s better than most of the stuff you see on Etsy…
Did a thing
Bought a ring
Just enough bling
Chanel liked it pic.twitter.com/KKsfps2Z9f— Alex Dowsett (@alexdowsett) January 12, 2022
Congrats Alex and Chanel!
Last month Shetland Islands Council initiated a trial lowering the speed limits of roads south of the island’s only town Lerwick by 10mph.
The aim of the trial, which is to last 18 months and will see a number of roads reduced from a 60mph limit to 50mph, is to assess the impact lower speed limits have on the use of active travel.
The council’s environment and transport committee chairman Ryan Thompson said that “only then will be see if these reductions have made any significant difference.
“Shetland has seen a substantial increase in active travel during the Covid pandemic, so it would be wrong not to do everything we can to encourage this.”
However, Lerwick Community Council chairman Jim Anderson told a meeting this week that he was not convinced that lowering the speed limit would encourage people to walk or cycle more.
Anderson also said that new cycling infrastructure was impractical unless “a lot of money was stumped up”, a stance which was criticised by a fellow councillor as “depressingly unambitious.”
What do you think? Do lower speed limits actually make you feel safer when cycling on the roads?
Remember ages ago I promised to get 1,000 trees planted? I’ve done 250. Anyone want to help my family plant 500 more. I won’t be there as I’m on training camp.
From 10am, 16th Jan, Cyclopark, Gravesend.
Email: sharper50 [at] hotmail.co.uk if you’d like to help out. Thank you! pic.twitter.com/dQPcOObAy7— Tom Pidcock (@Tompid) January 12, 2022
He may be used to pulling up trees when he’s racing, but off the bike Tom Pidcock has pledged to plant them.
Way back in October 2019 (remember then? That’s about four lifetimes ago…), Pidcock raised £4,000 by selling off his old kit.
He planned to use the money to plant as many trees as possible in a bid to offset his carbon emissions accrued during the racing season.
In December 2019 his mum and girlfriend planted 250 trees at the cyclo-park in Gravesend. Tom was told by his coach, however, that he couldn’t help out with the planting due to the threat of injury. Typical cyclists, eh? Maybe some of you could use that excuse when you’re asked to bring the tree down from the attic next Christmas…
Anyway, Pidcock announced yesterday that his family would be planting 500 more trees at the cyclo-park this Sunday, and called for volunteers to help out. So if you’re near Gravesend and free at the weekend, you can do your bit to nudge pro cycling’s environmental impact in the right direction.
Unfortunately Tom won’t be there – he has the small matter of an Ineos training camp on this week. Anything to get out of some work…
Mike van Erp, better known by his online alter ego Cycling Mikey, has established himself over the past few years as the king of London’s helmet camera users.
Motivated by his experience as a teenager when his father was killed by a drunk driver, he has reported close to 1,000 law-breaking motorists to the police since 2006 and has proven a particular thorn in the side of those intent on using their phone while driving.
Mikey’s camera has even picked up a few famous scalps along the way, including ex-boxer Chris Eubank, film maker Guy Ritchie and footballer Frank Lampard (coming to a court near you soon).
However, last night it seems one driver – filmed while sending a WhatsApp behind the wheel – took exception to the two-wheeled videographer’s methods:
Wow just had a phone driver assault me. I’m fine, broken bits on the Brompton and cuts and scrapes on my legs that I’ve noticed so far. Tried to steal the camera. Called 999 and made a report. He was a huge bloke.
— CyclingMikey tired of road crime. 🇪🇺🇳🇱🇿🇼 (@MikeyCycling) January 12, 2022
Luckily no damage was done to Mike’s camera, so hopefully the enraged driver will have his day in court.
And one of my very smart friends has found out who he is already. I'm not going to contact him, and I'm not going to share details. Sorry. I'd much rather the justice system dealt with him and he didn't get off anything because of such contact.
— CyclingMikey tired of road crime. 🇪🇺🇳🇱🇿🇼 (@MikeyCycling) January 12, 2022
Anyone else’s Thursday morning feel like this? Just me?
This particular photo, taken at last week’s Irish cyclo-cross championships, in many ways encapsulates the beautiful brutality of existence – that harsh, relentless but ultimately evocative give-and-take between man, machine and nature.
Or maybe it just tells us that cyclo-cross is really hard…