Better by bike

bike1
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Yes, we know it is! This story is about the Cycling and Urban Realm conference at Hove Town Hall, and about the £3million Brighton has received as Cycling Demonstration Town. I do so hope it won't be frittered away in red tape and beaurocracy - and jollies for council officials to visit Denmark!

Meanwhile, on the last friday of January (and every month) about 60 brave souls plus a handful of cycle bobbies and a CCTV van (to prevent multiple rotations of roundabouts) cycled around Brighton's snowy roads in the latest Critical Mass, taking a small detour through the railway station to see if we could get our bikes onto rush hour trains. Not possible I'm afraid!

eBay.co.uk: Cycle Lane (item 7213485137 end time 28-Jan-06 11:54:08 GMT): this link won't be here for ever so I'll rescue the photo and text!

http://static.flickr.com/15/92098960_b21805fc20_o.jpg

This auction is for an extremely useful cycle lane. Developed by Cornwall County Council at a cost of £123,014 grab yourself a bargain with no reserve starting at 99p.

Practicalities

At 12.32 metres in length, any cyclist, however fit, will never be able to gain sufficient speed to incur a serious accident. In pre-consumer trials I did try a standing fall and grazed my elbow.

Can be used for cycle lane training. Indicate left, pull into cycle lane, brake, check that nothing is coming, pull out and continue. Use it with your children to ensure correct cycle lane entry and exit technique.

I am currently working on a scheme to create a fold up version that could be slotted into panniers; this I think could prove very especially useful in city centres where taxis have no respect for cyclists. Pedestrians may be frustrated.

I am open to any other suggestions.

A forum will be set up at Cornwall County Council to assess strategic environmental benefit contingencies. A raft of cycle lane policy pre-implementation documents will be forwarded to the home office and a purple paper delivered to the offices of DEFRA for personal perusal by John Prescott to cross reference with his current transport initiative.

History

This lane was designed by a health and safety committee working to exacting European regulations. The committee presented proposals for a draught consultation exercise in October 1987, this was reviewed and a 20th scale model produced by a team of experts flown in from Seattle. On approval of the planning committee representatives from friends of the earth decided that the tar content of the bitumen element of the surface might introduce fatigue in the localities hump back toad population and so recommended the use of a synthetic compound subsequently imported from Nicaragua.

Councillor Imap Eddling added 'we here at CCC spare no expense looking after the safety of our environmentally aware commuters'.

Any funds raised will be donated to MENCAP

Please check out other useful devices on this site.

Bikes on Trains - For rail users that can no longer take their bikes on trains: another bikes on trains website.

Cyclists try to put a spoke in rush-hour train ban: "Dozens of cyclists staged a protest to mark the first day of a bicycle ban on trains. Southern trains is turning away bikes to create more space on its overcrowded rush-hour trains between London and Brighton."

Cyclists unite to protest bike ban: "Cyclist Richard Bates, a Mid-Sussex district councillor, has called for decommissioned carriages to be brought back into service as bike wagons, which could also be used for special events such as the London to Brighton Ride."

Cycle Train Commuter Group: The sole reason for providing this site is to co-ordinate efforts to try and get Southern to rethink their cycle carrying policies on peak time trains running from the South Coast to London Victoria.

Just added an interesting photo sequence to The weird cycle lanes of Brighton of how the markings on a new cycle lane by the Jubilee Library are made.

Rail bosses to enforce ban on bicycles: "Under the regulations, which have been in force for a year but have not been enforced until now, people with bikes will not be able to board trains at peak times between 7am and 10am and 4pm and 7pm."

Dangerous things about cycle lanes: a wiki.

London Road Station

London Road Station
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

The newly refurbished Italianate London Road got the Station of the Year award jointly with Ely, and Brighton & Hove Council was Highly commended in the Best Local Government Contribution category (West Sussex Country Council took the prize) at the ATOC National Cycle-Rail Awards in London on Tuesday 7 November 2005. Which is a bit odd, cos despite the 8 Sheffield stands outside, you can't get from one platform to the other without having to negotiate lots of steps over the (new) footbridge or under the (old) subway.

UK Indymedia - Amazing turnout on "banned" critical mass: photos and discussion on the most recent London critical mass.

100 cyclists ride out in protest over cars: missed this month's Critical Mass, but it looked like a good turn out! Next month...

Letter: Fine those who block bike lanes: Becky Reynolds writes: "Cyclists should be allowed to cycle downhill along St James's Street, towards the city centre - the logical route for most people with a bike who live east of the city. Cyclists shouldn't be expected to take devious routes away from shops and other facilities just because the road has been designated as a bus route in the opposite direction. If Brighton and Hove City Council wants to encourage cycling (and it has just received the promise of a grant from the Department for Transport to do so), one-way streets should be made two-way so cyclists don't come into conflict with vehicles."

Department for Transport - Press Notice: Six towns in England will share in nearly £17 million to promote cycling Transport Minister Derek Twigg announced today.

The new Cycling Demonstration Towns will lead the way in encouraging local people to use pedal power. The funds will be used to make the environment more cyclist friendly, offering safety training and promotion to encourage take up.

Under the scheme, the towns will receive a total of £8.4 million Government funding over three years and this investment will be matched by the local authority.

The new Cycling Demonstration Towns are: Brighton, Darlington, Derby, Exeter, Lancaster and Aylesbury.

In the Argus

In the Argus
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

On the day Brighton has become one of the new Cycling Demonstration Towns, with £500,000 a year for three years to boost local cycling, The Argus covers a story about people cyling the wrong way down St James's Street in Kemp Town and the police handing out 30 quid spot fines (when they can catch them!). I love the comment that: 'Some rogue cyclists spotted during the blitz were pedalling so fast that police patrolling on foot could not catch them'.

Ready for action

Ready for action
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Bike bobbies stand by in case of trouble on the cycle lanes at the Labour Party Conference

Labour Party conference

Labour Party conference
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

The Labour Party Conference is in town (begins tomorrow) and there's a ring of steel around the Grand, Metropole and Brighton Centre. Apparently any cycles found parked nearby will be blown up! I went down the seafront to take some snaps and was 'stopped' but not searched) and given a ticket by the Bill for taking a snap (on Flickr) of the bridge between the Metropole and Grand!

edinburgh9

edinburgh9
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Can this really be an official cycle rack outside the National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh? Very tasteful!

Jubilee Library cycle parking facilities

library1
Originally uploaded by fred pipes.

Do cyclists borrow books, or maybe DVDs? Of course they do, so where are the cycle parking facilities at our new award-winning library? We're not really supposed to chain to the railings!

A great site that uses Google maps to be able to plan and measure a route. This one is from my street to Carat's cafe and back!