#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest - Edition No. 138

Hello and welcome to the great big e-bike-tastic edition of #BikeIsBest, where pedal-powered has superpowers. And no, it’s not cheating.

E-BIKES E-BIKES E-BIKES!

Or not, whichever your preference happens to be on a given day. We’re a broad church. Because cycling should be for everyone, all the time. Right? It’s also International Walk to School Month, if you fancy that.

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

BABY, MEET BATHWATER. Birmingham City Council is due to consult on a new Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to ban cycling in pedestrianised areas. This is both concerning and fruitless: police already have powers to seize the illegally modified e-bikes causing concern. Meanwhile, banning all cycling seems an odd move for a council whose stated aim is to increase active travel, not least because for some people, an e-bike is also a mobility aid. I expressed concerns when Coventry City Council proposed the same.

WHAT E-BIKES CAN TEACH US ABOUT WOMEN CYCLING. Cycling Electric’s Mark Sutton persuaded his partner to go cycling with him, using the power of an e-bike. He learned a few things about what stops women cycling - and how different things could be, were there safe, traffic-free routes. There’s plenty the industry can do, however, to make things easier. And a few traffic-free areas in cities wouldn’t go astray either. 

DIVERSIFY CYCLING IMAGERY. An analysis of 100 ‘family cycling’ images found larger bodies were rare, with a total lack of visible representations of disability, and a focus on nuclear families, while UK-based subjects were particularly white. Meanwhile most images showed unrealistic, empty rural paths away from traffic. "Those who don't see themselves may feel cycling is not for them", researchers found - adding images of modern urban bike lanes, and more diverse users, are needed to encourage uptake. 

CYCLING MINISTER: LONDON CYCLING IS SAFE. Cycling minister Simon Lightwood has said he would feel safe letting his kids cycle on London roads. Visiting a community transport provider in northwest London, he said Bikeability training was part of the toolkit kids need to develop the skills and confidence to cycle. He added the department is also looking into regulation of e-bikes and scooters. 

NOT EVERYONE AGREES, THOUGH. While there’s good practice in London, as with other city and city regions, progress is still patchy. Part lack of funding, part local politics, safe cycling shouldn’t be a postcode lottery, and London universities are calling for accelerated efforts to eradicate pedestrian and cyclist fatalities, following the deaths of two LSE staff and a PhD student in less than a year, and a student killed in Hackney last September.

OTHER HEADLINES

LEGEND, EILEEN SHERIDAN. Trailblazing cyclist Eileen Sheridan smashed record after record in her post-war cycling career. Sheridan, who died aged 99 last year, was nicknamed ‘the mighty atom’ due to her power and diminutive stature (4’11”). She broke 21 records across her career, some of which still stand today. A new plaque at Coventry’s Butts Park Arena, on the site where she won her first race in 1947, was unveiled by her daughter who called it “a great honour for me and the family”. 

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: One way to cut insurance premiums is to cut speed limits. Every 1mph speed reduction can cut collisions by 3-6%, depending on the road type, and after success with Wales’ 20mph rollout, insurers have pledged to cut premiums by as much as £50 a year if more 20mph zones are introduced, because of the substantially reduced risk of death, injury and damage at lower speeds. Source: https://agilysis.co.uk/2024/09/20/wales-20mph-one-year-on/ 

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:

E-bike smile. This facial expression depicts the sheer joy of cycling, which can be magnified with a little motor assistance. Usually it’s most marked on the first go, but it never really leaves. 

Until next time,

Adam Tranter

Founder, #BikeIsBest