#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No. 113
Hello and welcome to this week’s dose of cycling news, which has own-goals, u-turns and, indeed, some pleasant surprises all in store.
LIFE IS A ROLLERCOASTER, JUST GOTTA RIDE IT
But seriously, the path to positive change never was smooth, and so it is with cycling. There’s ups, there’s downs and, sadly, there is the odd bump in the road. This week is a bit of a bumpy one - along with some good news.
BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY
WELSH LABOUR OWN-GOAL ON 20MPH? 20mph speed limits save lives and are popular. So it’s a disappointment to see Welsh Labour, under new leadership, apparently losing their nerve and scoring a political own-goal by pledging to reconsider its landmark 20mph policy. Cycling UK sets out some of the reasons this would be a mistake here.
WHY IS CYCLING BANNED FROM SO MANY PLACES? A lighthearted chat about a serious topic: why are there so many ‘no cycling’ or ‘cyclists dismount’ signs, and why do cyclists seem to get blocked more often than other road users? GCN unpicks the topic, including the phenomenon that riders with dogs seem to get a more positive response than those without.
CAN A TRAIN U-TURN? Speaking of which. A key cycle route was to be closed for two years, by LNER, until cyclists raised safety concerns. It’s good to see the rail operator has since reopened the link at York railway station, after only a month. Thankfully cyclists are no longer subjected to a lengthy detour on a busy road.
EDINBURGH’S UNLIKELY EMBRACE OF CYCLING. Some more good news. The Scottish capital finally seems to be embracing cycle routes, according to the latest from Bloomberg’s CityLab, by Laura Laker. After a decade of struggle it seems like the tide is turning for pedal power, in a seemingly unlikely place.
SCOTS NEED SAFE CYCLE ROUTES THOUGH. Countrywide research on Scotland’s transport habits shows commuting cyclist numbers have stayed static for three years now.
The research, part of a longitudinal study, shows people from ethnic minorities are less likely to have access to a bike than the general population. Unsurprisingly, road safety concerns is the biggest barrier, the Herald reports.
OTHER HEADLINES
BOURNEMOUTH CYCLISTS SHOW SUPPORT FOR 20MPH. Slower speeds save lives, and that’s one reason protesters in Bournemouth called for a new 20mph speed limit in the area. Slow-street supporters in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole cycled around and held a street party to demand an ‘all-at-once’ rollout of the measure.
INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK:
‘The key barriers to Disabled people's cycling will not be addressed by increasing maximum e-assist pedal cycle (EAPC) motor size and throttle speeds’ and could actually do more harm. Wheels for Wellbeing sets out its position in the final days of a government consultation on e-bike power thresholds, which closes on Thursday, along with this stark graph showing the relative power of different machines. Source: Wheels For Wellbeing
ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:
Cycling ban. Not a measure we should be seeing in most cases - not when there are preferable alternatives. Treating cycling like transport means making provision for it where people need to go.
Until next time,
Miles
Miles Baker-Clarke
#BikeIsBest
Thank you for the week's reviving news.
The chart comparing the power of bikes etc is illuminating, but reinforces my growing concern that electrically-powered bikes have become a safety hazard. Speed controls are clearly often over-ridden, unidentifiable machines are ridden by people in dark clothes, often with inadequate lights, quite probably uninsured; quieter than mopeds, these vehicles threaten both people on foot and ordinary ('real') cyclists. And that's without electric scooters on the pavements.
Your last paragraph amuses. My favourite such sign was one on a footway in central Cheltenham, there for years, now gone, which read CYCLISTS MUST bE DISMOUNTED.
JM
Edinburgh is planning a retrograde step by turning a popular path (the Roseburn path) into a tramline. It’s a key path for everyone, cyclists, walkers, runners etc).
https://www.savetheroseburnpath.com/