Welcome to a new week on the road.cc live blog with Simon MacMichael, Jack Sexty and the rest of the team.
25/02/2019, 19:06
Unseasonably warm weather brings out naked cyclist ... in Warrington
Okay, we've been enjoying some unseasonably warm weather in the UK the past few days, with reports of people wearing summer cycling kit, scoffing ice creams, and sitting outside to eat - global warming FTW, eh? - but even so we were surprised to see reports that police in Cheshire are looking for a bloke seen riding naked near Warrington yesterday.
Currently dealing with a few reports of a male cycling naked near to the ferry boat yard and Penketh Mount, anyone with any extra info please contact 101 #alwayswearsunscreen#iwanttoridemybicyclepic.twitter.com/QG2FOdv4xQ
— Penketh and Cuerdley Police (@PenkethCuerdPol) February 24, 2019
25/02/2019, 13:09
All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group chair urges government to raise spend on cycling to get more people on bikes
The MP who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) has called on the government to increase the current level of spending on cycling in England, with Whitehall’s own projections revealing that under current policies, only a third of the stated goal of doubling cycling’s share of trips by 2025 will be achieved.
Writing in the parliamentary magazine The House, Ruth Cadbury, who is Labour MP for Brentford and Isleworth, highlighted that almost two thirds of adults believe it is too dangerous to ride on the road, with the figure higher among women.
“Only significant increases in funding to redesign urban streets will make them safer for all, whether that’s children getting to school, adults to work, or shopping and other short journeys,” she said.
Cadbury also highlighted that the cost:benefit analysis on cycling expenditure produces a much higher return – 20:1 for health benefits alone against money spent – far outstripping those found on major infrastructure projects with budgets of tens of billions of pounds, such as HS2.
“We need the government to go beyond the small stuff and, in partnership with local authorities, embark on truly making our cities fit for cycling,” she added.
25/02/2019, 12:40
Poll: Did you get your guns out in the sun this weekend?
In our Friday Leave Vs Remain poll 58 per cent of you said you’d be leaving the longs behind this weekend to get some flaming February sun on your legs. So who actually did?
Was it actually warm enough to risk your knees where you were or did caution getter the better of valour? You’ve only got one set of knees.
If it’s any help a quick straw poll of the road.cc office got a typically perverse result – with some of those who said they would get their legs out having second thoughts (it was chillier than expected in the Cotswolds apparently) and some of those who said they’d be keeping covered getting ‘em out - although he did keep his knees covered. On that bombshell over to you…
25/02/2019, 12:12
Magic bus…
Ah the Swinging Sixties the decade that had it all… mods, jangly guitars, The Beatles, the moon landings… specially adapted buses for taking cyclists over the Dartford Crossing.
Did you know back in the 60s cyclists were transported across the Dartford Crossing in our specially modified double-decker? #FunFact#TBTpic.twitter.com/K0YsBxdRmx
— Highways England (@HighwaysEngland) February 21, 2019
Highways England celebrated that last one (well it was their bus) with this tweet the other day, and it certainly does look cool - and suggests that back in the day plenty of people wanted to get across the Thames at Dartford by bike. These days although you're not allowed to cycle over you still can have your bike transported over - if you're a solo cyclist and you're bike will fit on a standard car rack you don't even need to book full details here. Not sure what the method of transport now is - although we're guessing it involves a car rack…
25/02/2019, 12:06
When the wheels come off...
After a rider's crank fell off on the local club run this weekend, we want to know; what's the worst mechanical you've had on a ride?
You can nominate a friend's mishap, points awarded for the most bizarre!
25/02/2019, 09:03
Danny MacAskill throws his mountain bike around Glasgow
Worth watching just for the double-take the Deliveroo rider does as he passes.
Here’s a few clips of me trying to be like @tonibou on the mtb yesterday
@dave_mackison#mountainbiking#street#glasgow#scotlandpic.twitter.com/imiR5wdPkQ
— Danny MacAskill (@danny_macaskill) February 24, 2019
25/02/2019, 08:52
Live blog: Ofo users out-of-pocket while complaints fall on deaf ears
UK users of the dockless bike-sharing service Ofo have been taking to social media to ask what has happened to the credit they had lodged with it – while others, unaware that the company has exited the country, have complained about the app not working or asking for abandoned bikes to be removed.
The company launched in the UK amid much fanfare in Cambridge in early 2017, expanding to a number of other cities as well as several London boroughs, but has now shut down its UK operations.
The last tweet from the @ofo_bicycleUK account on Twitter was posted on 18 December, nearly four weeks before it emerged that the company was pulling out of the UK and its wider international operations.
The Guardian reported last month that Ofo's 60 staff here had been made redundant, explaining the deafening silence with which Twitter users wondering about their money or why they can’t use the app are being met.
Withdrawal from international operations follows the news before Christmas that Ofo’s Chinese parent company was on the verge of bankruptcy.
25/02/2019, 01:32
French mountain biker reported to police after cycling down dam in Australia
Utility company The Water Corporation has lodged a complaint with Western Australia Police after French mountain biker Kilian Bron posted a video of himself riding down the wall of the Mundaring Weir near Perth.
“Not only is this act illegal, it is extremely dangerous and stupid,” a spokesman said. “At around 40 metres, the wall is very high. While it is unlikely to cause any damage to the wall itself, trespassing onto the wall would be an extreme risk to personal safety.”
Read the full story and watch the video here.
25/02/2019, 01:26
Near Miss captured on London’s Cycle Superhighway 7 as SMIDSY driver turns left
Our Near Miss of the Day 258, published on Saturday, grabbed attention – taking place as it did on one of the capital’s much-vaunted Cycle Superhighways (a term that Transport for London will now be dropping, though we’re not quite sure what will be replacing it.
It took place though not on the East-West or North South Cycle Superhighways – which have protected cycle lanes and early-start signals where needed – but on one of the earliest ‘lick of blue paint’ routes (and often lacking the paint), in this case CS7.
You’d think that with a major cycle route sharing the bus lane, motorists using the route would be extra vigilant for cyclists, but … well, watch the footage here and see for yourself what happened.