by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Kensington and Chelsea has shown its commitment to cycling in the borough with the appointment of its first Cycling Champion. Now let us hope that this is not just window dressing. The lady herself sounds fine but...
Councillor Maighread Condon-Simmonds has taken up the challenge to spread the cycling message throughout the borough and beyond.
Councillor Condon-Simmonds said: “I’m delighted to be the Royal Borough’s first lady of cycling. Two-wheeled transport is the future for a congested capital both in terms of health benefits and traffic reduction.
"I have been a cyclist for 44 years and prefer to use a man’s bike as the crossbar is handy when I’m carrying it upstairs.”
The Member Champion scheme is the idea of Cycling England and is intended to increase cycling, facilities and training throughout the country via local authorities.
“Cycling England was delighted at the recent announcement of £140m of funding to develop its programme over the next three years”, said Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England.
"Central to this will be the strengthening of our engagement with local authorities at a senior level and we have been very encouraged at the take up of the Member Champions initiative.”
A champion for cycling can create new opportunities for a council to deliver strategies covering three of the biggest current challenges to our society: congestion, health and pollution.
“I have always enthused about the benefits of cycling” Council Condon-Simmonds added, “this new responsibility will sit easily alongside my general responsibilities as a local councillor and I am happy to extol the virtues of the bike and bring more cycle-friendly ideas to the Royal Borough."
Innovations for borough cyclists include creating a more direct network of cycle routes. A trial will also be undertaken to allow cyclists to use a small number of specified local one-way roads in both directions.
There are also proposals to increase significantly the amount of free parking for bicycles, including pressing into service under-used pay and display bays for bikes.
The biggest problem everywhere for cyclists in the London Boroughs and elsewhere is the fact that the so-called cycle lanes are not separated from the main traffic and that motorist have absolutely no consideration for cyclists.
When, in contrast to that, we see the cycle lanes and paths in mainland Europe Britain really is not a bicycle and cyclist friendly country as far as road provisions are concerned.
If we truly want to have more people, a majority of the population even, take up cycling as a way of getting about, especially to work, going to the stores, to school, and such, we have to have a very close look at the provisions, or better the lack of them, and get some decent ones created, ideally in conjunction with people who know how things should be and who are cyclists. Most cycling facilities, it would seem, are designed by car drivers and not people who ride a bicycle day in day out as a mens of transport. Time those in power listened to the users of the schemes.
© M Smith (Veshengro), April 2008
Amsterdam Chooses Bicycle as Unique Selling Point
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands – Amsterdam, the world’s number one cycling city with some 60% of all trips in the city centre made by bicycle, wants to turn into the world’s centre of expertise on sustainable mobility. A program to reach that goal was launched on Tuesday 1st April.
Amsterdam City Council and various Amsterdam businesses and organizations have joined together in a platform for sustainable mobility: Amsterdam Cycling to Sustainability. A declaration of intent was signed on April 1st, which, hopfully is no April Fools, by Councillor Tjeerd Herrema and the initiators Jos Louwman of MacBike and Pascal van den Noort from Vélo Mondial. Prominent Amsterdam businesses and organizations such as the RAI association, JCDecaux, the Amsterdam Innovation Motor, the Fietsfabriek and Mister Green, also signed the declaration of intent.
Sustainable mobility will ensure that Amsterdam maintains its accessibility and quality of life. Amsterdam is on the right path. Bicycles are widely used in the city and there are all sorts of positive initiatives in the field of sustainable mobility. There is, however, a lot still to be done which is why the Amsterdam City Council and various Amsterdam businesses and organizations are working together to promote sustainable mobility in Amsterdam.
The aim of the initiative is to support and develop projects in which all sorts of sustainable mobility can be stimulated. In addition the platform would like to promote Amsterdam internationally as a sustainably mobile city. The bicycle has been chosen as Amsterdam’s unique selling point. Furthermore the platform aims to set up an Amsterdam centre of expertise on sustainable mobility, together with other expert bodies in Amsterdam.
For more: www.iamsterdam.com
Amsterdam City Council and various Amsterdam businesses and organizations have joined together in a platform for sustainable mobility: Amsterdam Cycling to Sustainability. A declaration of intent was signed on April 1st, which, hopfully is no April Fools, by Councillor Tjeerd Herrema and the initiators Jos Louwman of MacBike and Pascal van den Noort from Vélo Mondial. Prominent Amsterdam businesses and organizations such as the RAI association, JCDecaux, the Amsterdam Innovation Motor, the Fietsfabriek and Mister Green, also signed the declaration of intent.
Sustainable mobility will ensure that Amsterdam maintains its accessibility and quality of life. Amsterdam is on the right path. Bicycles are widely used in the city and there are all sorts of positive initiatives in the field of sustainable mobility. There is, however, a lot still to be done which is why the Amsterdam City Council and various Amsterdam businesses and organizations are working together to promote sustainable mobility in Amsterdam.
The aim of the initiative is to support and develop projects in which all sorts of sustainable mobility can be stimulated. In addition the platform would like to promote Amsterdam internationally as a sustainably mobile city. The bicycle has been chosen as Amsterdam’s unique selling point. Furthermore the platform aims to set up an Amsterdam centre of expertise on sustainable mobility, together with other expert bodies in Amsterdam.
For more: www.iamsterdam.com
Why use a bicycle for getting about?
Lots of people ride their bikes for lots of different reasons. Here are a few that might persuade you to do it too:
First of all it is good for your body as riding a bike offers many health benefits. Here are just a few:
Cycling
Cycling can be done by people of all ages, from childhood up even through the adult years when achy joints don't allow for more stressful exercise like jogging. It is also a much better exercise than is jogging. I have yet to hear of someone who after having ridden his bike had a heart attack. However, I have encountered more than one case where joggers, returning to their cars after having gone for a run in a Park, suffered a major cardiac arrest. In a number of cases those were, though in their forties, fitness instructors for the military and the police.
Secondly it is good for your state of mind
Riding a bike is proven to be a stress releaser. Regardless of if you are riding purely for pleasure or for a specific purpose, such as going to the shops or to school or to work, you will arrive at your destination feeling relaxed, energized and happier about the world and yourself. Unless you have ridden in the traffic in London or New York, I am sure. Cycle road range is known too.
Plus, being out on your bike is just flat-out fun. The more time you spend on two wheels, the harder it is to really take yourself too seriously. The kid comes out again, Ye haw!
Thirdly it is good for your community
Being out on your bike is good for the people around you as well. You are able to go the places you want to go and yet you put one less car on the road.
You do not bring with you the noise that a car generates and are actually able to interaction with people as you move. One of the reason that I do recommend cycling also for the likes of police officers and park and countryside rangers.
From my bike I can wave to a neighbor, say hi to a kid, smell someone’s dinner cooking and be a warm and friendly human presence on the streets, and as a community officer approachable by those around me.
Also, and this is quite a significant fact: operating a bicycling does not harm the environment. There is no polluting exhaust released, no oil or gas consumed; the energy and materials used to make one automobile could be used to create a hundred bicycles.
Another factor if simply convenience
There is an undeniable convenience factor you’ll discover when riding a bike. You do not need to worry about parking spaces and whether you have to pay for them or not. Traffic jams also are irrelevant to you as a cyclist, as are congestion charges, as the one introduced in London.
Cars, certainly, I admit, make better time on longer trips but you will find that for many shorter trips, or trips through heavy traffic, that you can travel just as fast or even faster by bike than you can in the car. I have been there and done it. In fact, I must admit that I do not own a motor car or any other motor vehicle so I am biased, maybe, but I have whizzed past long line of cars again and again and have arrived at the destination much earlier than did they.
Another reason to bike is for your wallet
It costs at least between 30 and 40 pence per mile to operate a car, depending on the vehicle. This is based on expenses like gas, oil, maintenance, etc., that go up when you drive more. And with the current increase in the price of oil this cost is likely to rise even further over time. This figure does not include the other, more hidden, costs of vehicle ownership such as road tax, MOT and insurance; let's not even talk of depreciation of the vehicle itself. These factors make the actual per mile cost to operate a car much higher.
When you ride your bike, you are doing a lot of good things, many of which are for the benefit of others, the environment, etc. But in the end, the one who benefits the most is you, through better health, peace of mind, increased confidence and self-reliance.
So get that bike out and get cycling. You may not, on your own, save the world in the process, but you may just be having lots of fun trying!
© Michael Smith (Veshengro), March 2008
...
First of all it is good for your body as riding a bike offers many health benefits. Here are just a few:
Cycling
- increases the fitness of your heart
- increases your strength
- increases your balance and flexibility
- increases your endurance and stamina
- increases the calories that your body burns
Cycling can be done by people of all ages, from childhood up even through the adult years when achy joints don't allow for more stressful exercise like jogging. It is also a much better exercise than is jogging. I have yet to hear of someone who after having ridden his bike had a heart attack. However, I have encountered more than one case where joggers, returning to their cars after having gone for a run in a Park, suffered a major cardiac arrest. In a number of cases those were, though in their forties, fitness instructors for the military and the police.
Secondly it is good for your state of mind
Riding a bike is proven to be a stress releaser. Regardless of if you are riding purely for pleasure or for a specific purpose, such as going to the shops or to school or to work, you will arrive at your destination feeling relaxed, energized and happier about the world and yourself. Unless you have ridden in the traffic in London or New York, I am sure. Cycle road range is known too.
Plus, being out on your bike is just flat-out fun. The more time you spend on two wheels, the harder it is to really take yourself too seriously. The kid comes out again, Ye haw!
Thirdly it is good for your community
Being out on your bike is good for the people around you as well. You are able to go the places you want to go and yet you put one less car on the road.
You do not bring with you the noise that a car generates and are actually able to interaction with people as you move. One of the reason that I do recommend cycling also for the likes of police officers and park and countryside rangers.
From my bike I can wave to a neighbor, say hi to a kid, smell someone’s dinner cooking and be a warm and friendly human presence on the streets, and as a community officer approachable by those around me.
Also, and this is quite a significant fact: operating a bicycling does not harm the environment. There is no polluting exhaust released, no oil or gas consumed; the energy and materials used to make one automobile could be used to create a hundred bicycles.
Another factor if simply convenience
There is an undeniable convenience factor you’ll discover when riding a bike. You do not need to worry about parking spaces and whether you have to pay for them or not. Traffic jams also are irrelevant to you as a cyclist, as are congestion charges, as the one introduced in London.
Cars, certainly, I admit, make better time on longer trips but you will find that for many shorter trips, or trips through heavy traffic, that you can travel just as fast or even faster by bike than you can in the car. I have been there and done it. In fact, I must admit that I do not own a motor car or any other motor vehicle so I am biased, maybe, but I have whizzed past long line of cars again and again and have arrived at the destination much earlier than did they.
Another reason to bike is for your wallet
It costs at least between 30 and 40 pence per mile to operate a car, depending on the vehicle. This is based on expenses like gas, oil, maintenance, etc., that go up when you drive more. And with the current increase in the price of oil this cost is likely to rise even further over time. This figure does not include the other, more hidden, costs of vehicle ownership such as road tax, MOT and insurance; let's not even talk of depreciation of the vehicle itself. These factors make the actual per mile cost to operate a car much higher.
When you ride your bike, you are doing a lot of good things, many of which are for the benefit of others, the environment, etc. But in the end, the one who benefits the most is you, through better health, peace of mind, increased confidence and self-reliance.
So get that bike out and get cycling. You may not, on your own, save the world in the process, but you may just be having lots of fun trying!
© Michael Smith (Veshengro), March 2008
...
ACT TravelWise Event alert
ACT TravelWise in association with Brighton and Hove City Council is organising a Masterclass supported by Sustrans and Cycling England; Promoting Cycling to Employees.This Masterclass is hosted by Cycle Demonstration Town Brighton and Hove City Council at Hove Town Hall on May 20th, and is designed to illustrate the best practice examples of how cycling can be promoted to employees.
During the day many of the pertinent issues that surround cycle promotion will be covered, such as health implications, cycle promotion to hard to reach communities, infrastructure design, and there will be case studies presented by large and small employers from the private and public sectors.
Keynote presentations will include Philip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, who will talk about the current and future plans for cycle promotion. We will also hear from the member for the Environment at Brighton and Hove City as to why the city sees cycling as important, and ACT TravelWise Director, Rose McArthur will chair the day and present her experience of promoting cycling through a Travel Plan.
For more information and to book a place please see the attached programme, or call Rory on 020 7348 1970
With a new Spring cycling season set to get underway ACT TravelWise is also running a competition with Evans Cycles Ride2Work and Dahon.
For your chance to win two state of the art folding bikes for your organisation for pool bikes, and a year's free membership of ACT TravelWise, email a photo & caption of someone where you work commuting without a car, or car sharing to:
Remember to send your name, role, company, contact details & the total number of staff with your caption.
Competition details can be seen on: www.acttravelwise.org/competition
ACT TravelWise members are requested to please email details of this competition to all employers in their regions, particularly ones who are just starting or interested in travel planning.
...
Britain’s Mushrooming Bicycling Boom
Since the year 2001 there has, apparently, been a 40% increase in Brits who regularly cycle.
Around 3.2 million British adults today regularly cycle compared to 2001 when the figure was only about 2.3 million. In fact, more people are now cycling regularly than participating regularly in football, golf, jogging or athletics or any other form of sports. For 1.2 million people cycling represents their only sporting activity, that is 30% more than in 2001.
According to a report of the 3.2 million regular cyclists, 1.5 million also use their bicycles as a method of transport, almost 20% more than in 2001.
According to Transport for London, the Tour de France's legacy to London was a 10.5% per cent increase in the number of people cycling on the UK capital's major roads in the six months April-September 2007, compared to the same period for 2006. That created an estimated 48,000 more cycle journeys everyday.
The biggest problem in the United Kingdom as far as cycling for business and pleasure is concerned is the lack of proper facilities for cyclists, that is to say, the lack of proper cycle paths.
James Smythe, head of British Market Research Bureau - Sport, said: "It seems adults are getting the message about cycling's health and transport benefits outweighing the risks."
“Cycle use rose throughout 2007 but not because of any shiny new infrastructure, not because of any huge financial commitment from central Government and not because of any sudden advertising campaign telling people to get on their bikes, and most definitely not because of fair weather, usually said to be the key factor for cycle use in the UK. Cycle use is up because the time is right.”
I do not think it is just a case of “the time is right” but also, and especially, a case of “gas is dear”, with over $8.50 per US gallon of gasoline. For an Imperial gallon, which is a wee bit more than a US gallon, the price is over $10. It is, therefore, no wonder that those that can are going over to cycles as means of transport, for public transport, as in buses, tube and trains, is far too expensive. (I shall be talking about trains and their prices shortly).
In fact if the British govt really wanted to do something about the environmental impact of all the cars and all that it would (1) make public transport nigh on free, including long-distance train travel and (2) do away with the 14% import duty on bikes, followed by 17.5% VAT. But that, I assume, would be far too advanced and novel an idea.
© Michael Smith (Veshengro), March 2008
Around 3.2 million British adults today regularly cycle compared to 2001 when the figure was only about 2.3 million. In fact, more people are now cycling regularly than participating regularly in football, golf, jogging or athletics or any other form of sports. For 1.2 million people cycling represents their only sporting activity, that is 30% more than in 2001.
According to a report of the 3.2 million regular cyclists, 1.5 million also use their bicycles as a method of transport, almost 20% more than in 2001.
According to Transport for London, the Tour de France's legacy to London was a 10.5% per cent increase in the number of people cycling on the UK capital's major roads in the six months April-September 2007, compared to the same period for 2006. That created an estimated 48,000 more cycle journeys everyday.
The biggest problem in the United Kingdom as far as cycling for business and pleasure is concerned is the lack of proper facilities for cyclists, that is to say, the lack of proper cycle paths.
James Smythe, head of British Market Research Bureau - Sport, said: "It seems adults are getting the message about cycling's health and transport benefits outweighing the risks."
“Cycle use rose throughout 2007 but not because of any shiny new infrastructure, not because of any huge financial commitment from central Government and not because of any sudden advertising campaign telling people to get on their bikes, and most definitely not because of fair weather, usually said to be the key factor for cycle use in the UK. Cycle use is up because the time is right.”
I do not think it is just a case of “the time is right” but also, and especially, a case of “gas is dear”, with over $8.50 per US gallon of gasoline. For an Imperial gallon, which is a wee bit more than a US gallon, the price is over $10. It is, therefore, no wonder that those that can are going over to cycles as means of transport, for public transport, as in buses, tube and trains, is far too expensive. (I shall be talking about trains and their prices shortly).
In fact if the British govt really wanted to do something about the environmental impact of all the cars and all that it would (1) make public transport nigh on free, including long-distance train travel and (2) do away with the 14% import duty on bikes, followed by 17.5% VAT. But that, I assume, would be far too advanced and novel an idea.
© Michael Smith (Veshengro), March 2008
The Bicycle – The World's Most Energy Efficient Vehicle, probably!
I know that I am always on about bicycles and also as to how efficient are as a means of mobility, but...
Recently the WorldWatch Institute published some intriguing figures on cycling. The compared the energy used per passenger-mile (calories) and found that a bicycle needed only 35 calories, whereas a car expended a whopping 1,860 with bus- and train travels falling about midway between, and walking, surprisingly, still took three times as many calories as riding a bike the same distance.
They also looked at a measurement called: ‘Persons per hour that one meter-width-equivalent right-of-way can carry’. In this case Rail scored tops with 4,000 persons, but ‘autos in mixed traffic’ still managed the worse rating with only 170 people. Bikes did pretty well, relative to cars, achieving 1,500 persons per hour.
This is the sort of impact that Critical Mass rides around the planet try to demonstrate on a regular basis.
The stats also inferred that cycling contributes to a nation’s health.
For example, they found – of which I am not surprised – that only 1% of urban travel in the US is by bicycle, a country with 30.6% of adults considered obese. This contrasted with the Netherlands where 28% of urban travel was via a bike, and only 10% were obese. I assume that the Dutch are either on a very lean diet (and no they are not) or that cycling must have a lot to do with this. In fact I am sure that it has.
I am surprised, in fact, that is it ONLY 28% of urban travel in the Netherlands that is done by bicycle. The amount of bikes you see in Amsterdam and elsewhere I would have guessed the figure to be much higher. In Amsterdam it is rather easier to get run over by a bike than by a car. This is also due to the fact that they call their cycle paths “vietspads” (sp) and to the dumb English like me with no idea of Dutch this means foot path, does it not? Well, walk on those at your peril.
Michael Smith (Veshengro), December 2007
Recently the WorldWatch Institute published some intriguing figures on cycling. The compared the energy used per passenger-mile (calories) and found that a bicycle needed only 35 calories, whereas a car expended a whopping 1,860 with bus- and train travels falling about midway between, and walking, surprisingly, still took three times as many calories as riding a bike the same distance.
They also looked at a measurement called: ‘Persons per hour that one meter-width-equivalent right-of-way can carry’. In this case Rail scored tops with 4,000 persons, but ‘autos in mixed traffic’ still managed the worse rating with only 170 people. Bikes did pretty well, relative to cars, achieving 1,500 persons per hour.
This is the sort of impact that Critical Mass rides around the planet try to demonstrate on a regular basis.
The stats also inferred that cycling contributes to a nation’s health.
For example, they found – of which I am not surprised – that only 1% of urban travel in the US is by bicycle, a country with 30.6% of adults considered obese. This contrasted with the Netherlands where 28% of urban travel was via a bike, and only 10% were obese. I assume that the Dutch are either on a very lean diet (and no they are not) or that cycling must have a lot to do with this. In fact I am sure that it has.
I am surprised, in fact, that is it ONLY 28% of urban travel in the Netherlands that is done by bicycle. The amount of bikes you see in Amsterdam and elsewhere I would have guessed the figure to be much higher. In Amsterdam it is rather easier to get run over by a bike than by a car. This is also due to the fact that they call their cycle paths “vietspads” (sp) and to the dumb English like me with no idea of Dutch this means foot path, does it not? Well, walk on those at your peril.
Michael Smith (Veshengro), December 2007
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