#BikeIsBest Advocacy Digest No. 98

Hello and welcome to your BikeIsBest newsletter where it’s thoroughly bracing out there - but at least it’s stopped raining.

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OUTDOORS FOR EVERYONE

The outdoors can be out of bounds for many people, whether because of perceptions of who nature and adventure are for in the UK, or because some people can’t physically use the infrastructure that’s available. Things are changing, though not nearly fast enough.

BIG STORIES FOR CYCLING ADVOCACY

GOOGLE MAPS IMPROVING FOR CYCLING? Journalist Laura Laker digs into the sticky issue of cycle routing for CityLab. The piece describes how various apps struggle against prevailing conditions (and sometimes their own tech) to direct riders to safe routes. Google Maps’ improvements are a step forward, but as the piece points out we are often fighting against a patchy network composed of bits of pavement and painted cycle lane, as well as main roads. 

BETTER BY BIKE. London is the world’s slowest city to drive in, according to TomTom data - though Transport for London and the Mayor contest the figures, taken only from the very centre of the city, where high traffic speeds are perhaps least appropriate. TomTom state it’s bizarrely it’s because there aren’t 50mph limits in central London. We know private vehicles are an inefficient use of street space, and if we hope to serve growing populations in cities, cycling and walking are key. As are safe speeds.

STREETS AHEAD DOES BARCELONA. My Streets Ahead podcast co-host, Laura Laker has been busy, travelling to Barcelona where she interviews professor Mark Nieuwenhuijsen, who researches the impact of urban street design and transport on health and the environment. It’s a lovely recording with some really interesting insight from our guest. 

O’ER THE HILLS IN A WHEELCHAIR. Active travel provides more people with more health and transport choices. That’s the message Isabelle Clement, of Wheels for Wellbeing, gave to West Midlands transport professionals recently. Access to the outdoors is limited with rocky paths only accessible to the fit and the brave. The Lake District National Park is trying to change this by introducing accessible paths. And one Guardian writer beautifully describes his and his friend Anthony, a wheelchair user’s, adventure there, during a storm. 

IT DOESN’T NEED TO BE FANCY. Cycle magazines are known for their celebration of high-end bikes so this love letter to one journalist’s pub bike is refreshing. The cheap and clunky about-town bike is celebrated because it does the job, you can leave it locked up without fearing a theft, and it’s reliable. It’s a ticket to freedom, Cycling Weekly’s Alex Beckett writes, his pass to anywhere in Bristol, and saves him money.

OTHER HEADLINES

MUSLIM HIKERS OWNING TWITTER. Or X, as it is now known. It can be a terrible place, but there’s certainly pockets of inspiration, this week in the form of Muslim Hikers’ social media account. A place of celebration and inclusion the group, which brings together Muslim walkers for outdoor adventures across the UK, is refusing to let the trolls win, instead replying with kindness and positivity. All power to their walking boots.

INTERESTING GRAPH OF THE WEEK: 

Did you know, cycling mode share in Morogoro, Tanzania, is 23%? Me neither, but this X account, Bike is Best Kenya, shared the below graph this week, from the ITDP. According to this study Kisumu, Kenya, has 47% of trips by bike. The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) launched a cycle cities campaign at COP26 in Glasgow to push for more sustainable transport around the world. 

ACTIVE TRAVEL WORD OF THE WEEK:

Bidirectional cycleway: A fancy name for a two-way cycle lane. A 3.5m cycle lane is capable of carrying 14,000 people per hour, compared with a 3.5m traffic lane, which can carry just 2,000. Cycle lanes are very efficient, see.

Until next time,

Adam Tranter

Founder, #BikeIsBest