cycleblog

Sunday Constitutional

2011-09-12T12:54:00.000Z

You only get one sunday a week so make it a good one I say. Did a 60-odd mile ride: Lodge Moor Strines-langsett-flouch-TPT to Worsbrough-Old Moor-Elsecar-Wentworth. First bit was mostly on-road, then switched to the TPT from Hazlehead on the A616.

Was interested to ride the Strines route, which the CTC have taken Sheffield City Council to court over as they say the poor quality of thr surfaces threatens a bid to get a Tour de France stage in Yorkshire. The Section just off the A57, which is in Derbyshire, was closed for repairs ands some mega patches had been put in. I was actually quite surprised how good the rest of it was - The bad bits were the valleys where the flooding and frost bridges had had a go at the surface. However the road through Upper Hopestones was appalling - literally a patchwork quilt.

After a cup of tea and a chip butty at Langsett Cafe, I took the TPT through to the south of Barnsley, which basically meant 5 miles or so downhill with the wind behind, stopped off at Old Moor for more tea and cake, and finished off with a pint at Wentworth before the run back into Sheffield. Altogether a great ride!

View route in Mapometer

max height 1191ft

min height:82ft
total asc:3159ft
total desc:3159ft

Fast track to the YSP

2011-09-05T15:21:00.000Z

Some pixs from our ride to the YSP on the 4th.

View the route here.

TROs & Home Zones

2011-07-30T13:33:00.000Z

Received a new batch yesterday - first tranche to come out of the new administration.

Lots of increases in the length of no waiting zones around junctions and near schools.
Prohibition of Driving on Club Mill Road - could be paving the way for the North Don Trail.
Wisewood 20mph speed limit zone.
Home Zone around Larkin Grove (Parson Cross) - new development.

Have supported all these.

By train to the Alps

2011-06-17T23:07:00.000Z

Every time I take my bike on the train to Europe it does seem to get a bit easier, so for those of you who want to give it a try here's how we did it this year. To get the cheapest fares you need to cut the journey into bike-size chunks - like this

(i) Sheffield - London. Booked online via East Coast
(ii) London - Paris. Booked online with Eurostar, then you have to call baggage despatch and book the bikes on. £30 each way per bike which is a bit steep I think. When you get to the destination station you can collect the bike straight off the train if you're quick off the mark down to the baggage car.
(iii) Paris - Grenoble. Booked by phone with Rail Europe. This is on the TGV which takes about 3 hours - 356 miles. How come people don't want High Speed Rail in the UK? The downside is that SNCF will only let you book your bike on certain trains, generally either very early or very late - however these tend to be the cheaper trains as well. Olaf our friendly guard was quite surprised to learn that we had actually booked the bikes on the train, so it seems SNCF are still getting used to the idea.

But it wasn't all sweetness and light - my travelling companion took her bike back by train from Briancon to Grenoble, but was caught by a strike and got her bike on the replacement coach with difficulty. In fact I got back to Grenoble only about half an hour after her having cycled the 112kms.

Plus we took a little side-trip to Italy (without bikes) which was slightly marred by one of the Simplon tunnels being closed, although that did mean we got a stunning coach ride over the Simplon pass.

And the cost? About £250 return each, which might sound like a lot in these days of cheap airlines, but if you take bikes the extra charges soon add up and you don't have to leave your bike in the tender hands of the baggage handlers, so it's worth it if only for the stress-free experience.

A week in cycling

2011-05-29T12:02:00.000Z

This week in cycling kicked off for me with a 20's plenty for Sheffield meeting on Monday. 20's plenty of course benefits everyone, not just cyclists. One of the items we discussed was how best to influence politicians - Cyclesheffield has kicked off the dialogue with the new Labour Administration in Sheffield through it's Manifesto for Transport in Sheffield but we need the support of local MP's as well. Danny Dorling suggested he might be able to pull a few strings and sure enough in a couple of days we had an appointment booked with Nick Clegg.

Tuesday night we had a Sustrans Volunteer Ride (photos here) We fixed a couple of problems and found some more we couldn't fix, so we've referred them to the council.

Wednesday night we went out to the Monsal Trail to explore the newly opened tunnels - photos here. A real mixed ride - some people car-shared, some rode out (44 miles round trip) and Jon got the train to Grindleford and cycled from there. This really is an impressive route - although open, there is some finishing-off work to do - and will be a real draw for the Peak District. We hope people will take advantage of the complete cycle route, eventually from Matlock to Buxton when it is all in place, to come by bike from the railheads rather than increasing the congestion in the Peak. There are opportunities for some circular rides as well using the High Peak & Tissington Trails and the Pennine Cycleway & Trans-Pennine Trail or you could make up your own on adjacent minor roads - the A6 isn't a particularly pleasant road to cycle on, especially with the quarry traffic in this area. Sheffield CTC have been out there as well.

Thursday night nothing much happened, but on Friday I popped off for a chat with Nick Clegg about 20's plenty. He was supportive, but thought it was something that was best decided at a local level - a fairly normal
Lib Dem response. I mentioned some of the areas that had introduced Total 20 and he did register that Lancashire has just done it across the county - a conservastive council at that!We promised to keep him informed, and also had a good chat about bikes - he'd visited the Brompton factory and was very impressed.
Richard Attwood has done a briefing paper - 5 Good Reasons for a Default 20 mph limit for Sheffield - which

Then I set off for St Marys for a debate about Climate Change organised by SCACC. Nick Clegg was on the panel, and I got in a question about sustainable travel - "Emissions from transport stand at 24% of the UK total, according to the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/Statistics/climate_change/1515-statrelease-ghg-emissions-31032011.pdf

Do you think the Coalition Government is doing enough to promote sustainable travel? "

Nicks response was no, he didn't think the government was doing enough, and of course was able to mention that he'd been talking to me about 20s plenty. One of the other panellists pointed out that the cost of motoring to the user has remained stable over the past 10 years, despite the rising cost of fuel (& the constant whining of the motoring fraternity) while the cost of public transport has gone up by 50%.Other topics covered were the need to invest in insulation and end fuel poverty, the impact of Climate Change on developing countries and the role of capitalism in all this. Nick Clegg I thought put up a spirit defence of the government's green policies and I hope he will take the criticisms that were levied back to Westminster and do something with them.

So the week ending, time for a couple of pints in the Rising Sun with friends and a chat about the joys of cycling in France!

A typical morning on Endcliffe Rise Rd

2011-05-18T16:50:00.000Z

(or crap cycling in Sheffield Pt II)

Work has started to put in a residents parking scheme on this road. Let's hope it sorts it out a bit.

Just a few photos from a sunday ride...

2011-05-08T21:03:00.000Z

Bluebell woods

2011-05-03T22:54:00.000Z

Sheffield has the best Bluebell woods in the World, and a fine selection of bridleways to allow you to see them by bike, on foot or on horseback. Here are some photos from a ride around the bluebell woods on
May 3, 2011.

Totley Brook Aqueduct

2011-05-02T20:14:00.000Z

If you were one of the 65 people on the FNR Stations Ride 1, you might recall me blathering on about the way the river was diverted and an aqueduct built across the railway. It was going to be a bit tricky to get everyone up to see the aqueduct so we only went as far as the end of the culvert. I popped back today and took some pictures:-

Spotted in West Sheffield

2011-04-06T15:28:00.000Z

Was out on my Sunday constitutional and noticed a few things:-

Good to see some thought about cycling going into the Bents Green School re-furb

New cycle stands outside the Norfolk Arms

Plenty of bikes of differing shapes and sizes parked outside as well

This is the footpath that is due to be upgraded to a bridleway - Stony Ridge car park to Piper Gate. RideSheffield the MTB group have complained about it. Sorry Guys, but I think this path should be accessible to all. It's only a short stretch, but it gives roadies a short respite from the endless traffic on Hathersage Rd as well as hosting the CTC memorial tree and might even be part of an off-road route from Whirlow to Fox House one day.

The next part of the ride was through the Peak Park to Litton - nothing to see there of course...

Nice rainbow over Whirlow on the way back

Someone in Copenhagen's telling porkies

2011-01-30T16:51:00.000Z

Levels of Cycling in Copenhagen are being massively over-stated according to David Hembrow-instead of 30% it's more like 18-20%. Still and all, they're doing a lot better than the UK, although maybe the gap isn't as big as some people are making out.

Vehicular cycling

2011-01-06T10:34:00.002Z

I found it amusing to be recently described on another blog as a "a vehicular cycling campaigner,(who) has become desensitised both to perceptions of danger and to infrastructure and road conditions which are threatening and potentially lethal." I found that a comforting thought as I inched my way down Eccie Rd this morning, scared stiff of wet roads, black ice and motorists who were likely to pull into my path without looking at any point.

Crap Cycling in Waltham Forest

2011-01-04T11:07:00.002Z

Crap Cycling (CCWF) of Waltham Forest has decided to have a go at me - see

http://crapwalthamforest.blogspot.com/2010/12/cycle-alienation.html

CCWF doesn't allow comments on his blog, so it is not possible to correct any of the misrepresentations of other people's views (of which there are innumerable) so I'm making a few comments here. Firstly I have a great deal of respect for the views of other bloggers such as Chris( sevenleagueboots) as I hope they do for mine. It's faintly ironic that CCWF attacks me as a proponent of vehicular cycling, when actually I am a big fan of Sustrans and other off-road routes as long as they are properly designed. I just think the bicycle is an amazingly flexible vehicle and can be used on and off-road according to the preference of the rider. With regard to his comments about Sheffield being a failed cycling city, we have actually seen cycling increase by 85% over ten years, one of the highest growth rates in the country. We are not complacent about this however, and want to see cycling increase further.

Segregation works in some continental countries, but is part of other measures that create a cycle-friendly environment - Cyclenation has listed these here. We have suggested that CCWF comes to a cyclenation conference to discuss his views in an open forum and eagerly await his response. Also with respect to CCWF's suggestion that we should hold a conference in a continental location - most of our groups have difficulty sending a delegate to a conference in the UK if it's a long way away, which is why we are planning regional conferences in 2011. We do send delegates to the velo-city conferences though - the 2010 one was in Copenhagen and the 2011 one is in Seville.

Cyclenation statement

2010-12-15T13:16:00.000Z

Cyclenation, of which I am Secretary, is the federation of cycle campaign groups in the UK. We have issued a statement regarding some disparaging comments that have been posted about ourselves and our groups on the "Crap Cycling in Waltham Forest" blog. The person who writes this decided in 2010 that segregated cycle lanes were the way forward (they may well be in Waltham Forest which is certainly an appalling place to cycle in my experience) and has launched a number of attacks via the blog on organisations that he considers promote "vehicular" (i.e. on-road) cycling. In doing so he has made a number of misrepresentations of cyclenation, our groups and the CTC.

Here are his comments on the Portsmouth conference:-

The conference, hosted by the Portsmouth Cycle Forum and organised in conjunction with CTC, is a chance to learn the secrets of successful cycle campaigning and meet other people who are passionate about creating a cycling culture in the UK.

Successful cycle campaigning? Er, exactly where, precisely? In the sphere of transport Britain is a barbaric and backward car-sick nation. I don’t know of a single town or city in the UK which can be called cycling or walking-friendly (and if you think York or Cambridge are, that exposes the poverty of your ambition; the majority of people in those cities don’t cycle, for good reasons).
Cycling infrastructure in Britain is a sick joke, cycle parking provision is laughable, and the CTC is an ineffectual organisation which declines to face the failure which stares it in the face.

And on Edinburgh:-

Unfortunately not a single U.K. cycling organisation displays any understanding of how the Dutch reversed their car-sickness. If you look at the digest of what was said by Britain’s leading cycle campaign groups at the recent Cyclenation conference in Edinburgh, you will see that for them it remains business as usual – rosy optimism about the future, enthusiasm for initiatives such asPoster with message to drivers – ''give me space", and an institutionalised failure to acknowledge the importance of campaigning for the one piece of infrastructure which will begin to bring about a serious, substantial modal shift across the towns and cities of Britain: bike grids designed according to the Dutch template.

The author of this blog hasn't enabled comments, so there is no direct way to challenge the statements he make..

That's why we felt it necessary to issue the statement that you can find at http://bit.ly/hVnLeZ

We welcome a free and open debate about the best solutions to get more people cycling, more safely, more often in the UK but we do take exception when people disparage the good work our campaign groups are doing, without apparently making any contribution to campaigning other than writing a blog and without giving the organisations he is writing about a right to reply.

Bike-rail to Norfolk

2010-12-04T18:07:00.001Z

Was invited to Norfolk for the weekend, so thought I'd try a different way of getting there - train to Boston in Lincs, then a bike ride over the fens. Was a bit trepitatious as the snow warnings had been issued, but nevertheless packed all my warmest clothes and set off on the 0805 to Nottingham, a clear but very cold morning. Due to carefully co-ordinated trains had about an hour to wait in Nottingham, enough time to buy some supplies and visit the bike shop. Then the Skegness train, with some rowdy student passengers - people getting drunk at 10 in the morning, still I suppose they were getting ready for the weekend. The train meandered down to Boston - noticed that the bike route signs still hadn't been fixed from the last time I was there, must tell Sustrans. If you take the wrong road you're on the wrong side of the river and there isn't another bridge until you get to the Humber, so be warned!

Got on to NCN1 soon enough and headed into the flatlands. I was grateful that Vernon had had some TLC and was running smoothly. Made it to Fossdyke bridge soon enough and able to use the cycle track to avoid busy bits of the A47. Wound into Holbeach, picked up some lip balm, and carried on on via Sutton Bridge (had lunch here - thanksgiving chicken, sorry to notice that the hotel has closed, but there are plans for a new marina here so hopefully it will revive.) To Kings Lynn, making reasonable time but getting a bit worried about how far I could get before it got dark & the snow arrived. Feet were cold, despite thick socks and rubber overshoes. Having got lost in Lynn a couple of times before I now know how to find the Sandringham railway path - follow the ridiculous one way system to the Station , head for the park and run parallel to the railway, use the level crossing and there it is. That's a great, straight, traffic-free route up to North Lynn & Castle Rising. Next is the Queen's estate at Sandringham with a gorgeous sunset over the Wash and the route follows the coast a mile or two inland, but I veered off it a bit. Saw a strange sight - passed a garden that was covered in snow, although the surrounding fields were bare. Soon there was snow on the side of the road, but none on the road or in the air.

Had a call from my friends who were driving, though, that there was snow ahead, and by now it was dark, so at Docking I had to decide what to do. A local farmer saw me consulting the map and advised me to head for Fakenham, and then to Sheringham "but you won't make it." and ended with the cheery note "why don't you go back to where you came from" I responded that Sheffield was quite a long way!"

Took his advice though, and took to the main road for the 10 miles to Fakenham in the dark. A gritting lorry pulled out in front of me, and soon there was a queue of vehicles behind it. At first I could overtake some of them, but there was black ice on the road and I was starting to slip, so there was nothing for it but to walk in the slush the last couple of miles into the town. I had called my friends and didn't have to wait too long for a ride the rest of the way. I mangled the brake blocks though, dismantling the bike to get it into the car, so thaat needed sorting out - fortunately the car spares shop in Sheringham also sell bike bits.

After a very pleasant day spent touring North Norfolk on the Saturday, cycled through a snowy Norfolk into Norwich on the Sunday for the train home -

The minor roads were passable though and even the Marriotts Way was usuable:-

Norwich had trashed Ispwich 4-1 so everyone in the Town Centre was in a good mood. There was time for a pint before the 1757 to Nottingham, and time for another one in the Cross Keys before the train back to Sheffield. The gear cable failed on Ecclesall Rd, so I had to push the damn thing up to Greystones Heights!

Verdict - this is a viable way to get to West Norfolk in a day, but you need to start early and getting into the heart of Norfolk is ambitious.

Route at http://gb.mapometer.com/en/cycling/route_930201.html

Cards anyone?

2010-11-09T09:47:00.000Z

This is how many tickets it take to get one-self and a bike to Edinburgh and back. Stick or twist?

Doncaster ridearound

2010-09-13T13:09:00.002Z

Had a ride-around on the B. of the Doncaster area on Sunday. Trains to London were taking three hours from Sheffield, while from Donnie it was the usual 1:45, so it made sense to run the brother-in-law, visiting from Jakarta, over rather than subject him to the usual Midland Painline.

Doncaster has more than its fair share of Crap Cycle Lanes - here's one:-

Finlandia Travel is a company I won't be booking my trip with.

However, I wanted to go over the viaduct at Conisbrough that is now open, so I headed for the Don Gorge, stopping at the Boat Inn, Sprotborough, open again after having been flooded out in the Great Floods a couple of years back and doing good business.

First view of the viaduct

Pretty stunning views from the viaduct.

The bike route continues and comes out at Warmsworth Halt

View Larger Map

The access barriers consist of these boulders placed across the path, but wide enough to allow trailers etc. through

Nearby off-road motorbikers in the quarries were annoying, but there none on the trail itself.

I continued back up the TPT, following the Doncaster Greenway, coming out in Bentley and then mostly taking to the Lanes until I reached the New Junction Canal at Braithwaite:-

Gliding along the canal - I was doing the same on the trail

Headed back to town via Barby Dun to a great sunset.

Getting back to Donnie, however, the crapness of the cycle provision on the main road was apparent. On one road there was a bus lane in the middle of a three-lane road that cyclists could use - what were you supposed to do when a bus came along though, veer off into the fast lane? Then when the lane ended you were stranded on the outside lane of the approach to a massive roundabout system. I also found myself going over Donnie's new high-level road bridge - spectacular but not the safest thing I have ever done! When off the TPT, signage and continuous provision for cyclists was sadly lacking. Still, it was a great ride, and pleasantly flat for a Sheffielder.

Resilient Places

2010-06-04T14:09:00.002Z

This report by Demos is worth a read - http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Resilient_places_-_web.pdf

Crap Cycle signs - Cheltenham

2010-06-04T12:22:00.000Z

This was spotted when cycling around Cheltenham the other day:

I expect the residents of this house were quite surprised to find that a cycle route ran up their
drive and through their front door! The signage for the route towards Gloucester from the Station was pretty poor, and the route itself isn't much cop either - the Honeybourne Trail, by contrast, is excellent. No doubt Cheltenham Cycle Campaign will want to address this.

Smog!

2010-05-13T09:56:00.000Z

It being a beautiful morning, and having got up a little earlier than usual, thought I would go for a quick bike ride up Ringinglow Rd before heading for work. boy what a mistake! My first encounter was with the bus that had just powered its way to Greystones Rd, radiating heat and fumes while waiting for the stream of cars to clear from High Storrs Rd. Then there was the traffic jam around Bents Green as kids got delivered to school, and plenty of folk willing to roar off up Ringinglow Rd. Respite came as I turned off ito Whiteley woods, using the bridleway to get to Forge Dam, then up the other side of the valley and back into Bus Smog! The route back in was pretty clear but by the time I got to work I felt like I'd smoked 20 Park Drives. A lovely morning ruined!

Cramp!

2010-03-25T15:26:00.000Z

First evening ride of the year, and I wake up with a howling pain in my leg at 5 a.m. - you know the one. Mental note - drink more water, eat some salty crisps and drink a bit less beer next time!

Birmingham pt II

2010-03-03T20:58:00.001Z

Got the following response from Graham of Birmingham Push Bikes from my post about cycling in Birmingham:-

Seems you were predominantly following or trying to follow NCN5. The Birmingham Cycling and Walking Map shows all the 'formal' cycle routes, plus roads 'favoured' by cyclists, canal access points, Rights of Way that permit cycling, et all. There were copies in FoE on Saturday. NCN5 and other NCN routes ARE signed on site but the signs are not always obvious - might be just a 'sticker' wrapped around a lamp column, or gone missing, or hidden by tree growth. Sustrans does have Rangers who look out for such things.

There is indeed "a lot of traffic" here but I am surprised that you saw "no cyclists". Birmingham is a big, busy city and some people have to travel great distances into or around the city at all sorts of times and the overwhelming majority of these journeys are (some would argue have to be) by car. There are rail services but public transport is largely served by the bus and we have no extensive Metro system. Yes, Birmingham does have the lowest percentage of journeys made by bicycle (less than 1%) and it is, historically, 'car city', yet those of us who see the city every day know that there are more cyclists. A few years ago I could travel for a day or more and never see a cyclist; now I see a cyclist every few minutes, usually. There are numerous cyclists in and around Moseley and 20% of Push Bikes' membership lives there!

"A distinct lack of cycling infrastructure". Depends where you are cycling. Several traffic light junctions now have ASLs but Bham is a big city with many thousands of traffic lights. I understand that the city council's policy is to provide ASLs at all new traffic light installations and there is evidence that is being done. Here in Birmingham it takes a long time to change an infrastructure but could only take a few days (I reckon) to train a cyclist to ride with what is already there......

Potholes. There is a direct telephone line to the council for reporting any dangerous pothole. Once reported, the council is obliged to repair it within a tight timescale. The phone number is on the Cycling Map.

"Peering down side roads I thought I might spot the odd 20mph zone but none were to be seen". There are a few 20 limited roads but none on the routes I use. From an entirely personal viewpoint that doesn't 'bother' me at all. Here, 20mph roads are usually engineered by speed humps across the full width of the road, un-bypassed chicanes and pinch points etc. which make MY cycle journey slower and more difficult! In any event, of all my many years of cycling in Birmingham I have never had any issue from the speed of a vehicle - impatience and poor observation maybe, but never speed of itself. I am usually held up by cars travelling slowly! Currently I understand that the council has no plans for city-wide 20 limits, although there are localised campaigns in some areas, eg. Moseley.

"Adventurous shared space sections, when you get to the Central Library things become somewhat confusing". Although there are no formal signs, the area Centenary Square, Victoria Square is by 'common accepted practice' 'shared' by cyclists and pedestrians and there are certainly no 'No Cycling' signs! Each should travel with observation and caution. The Central Library is to be moved to Centenary Square so building works and diversions are now present.

Of course I live here so I do not regard on-road cycling as 'crap' - yes, there are fewer 'cycling facilities' than some towns have but as an experienced cyclist I ride with attention to positioning and observation, and that is the advice I pass on to anyone who wishes to cycle. Push Bikes holds annual meetings where cyclists are invited to 'shout at' the council and we make notes of their issues on large maps. These notes are passed to the Cycling Officer for action or replies. Push Bikes also meets the council at the quarterly Cycling Advisory Group.

I am surprised that you make no mention of cycle lanes ie the lack of them. There are several stretches of lane in the city, and "more cycle lanes" is the most frequent call at the meetings just mentioned. But it was also acknowledged that there would never be a cycle lane along every road and that, in the words of the city's Cycling Officer, "there was no substitute for competent cycling" and I agree with that. Infrastructure changes take many months, usually years but if more adults took National Standard training and were made more aware of positioning etc we could increase the number of cyclists in a few weeks! Training is available and offered to the less-experienced cyclist but the take-up is very low indeed.

Musings about Sustrans

2010-03-03T16:53:00.001Z

There is still some antipathy towards Sustrans from other major organizations in the world of cycling. A lot of this seems to be aimed towards John Grimshaw, who is one of those charismatic characters that you either love or loath. John stood down as Chief Engineer (or whatever it was he called himself) around two years ago but his legacy seems to live on. The CEO of Sustrans is now a rather unassuming chap called Malcolm.

Talking to people who currently work for Sustrans, there seems to be two camps forming in the organisation – the engineers who want to continue building cycle routes and the newer people who favour ‘soft’ measures – training, and interventions in schools and with women and the like. Further controversy was caused when BikeBelles, a subsidiary organisation specifically targeted at women, organised a petition calling for more off-road cycle routes as a way to get more women cycling. When challenged on this Sustrans pointed out that this was what women they had surveyed said- not ‘the usual suspects’, but via the WI and the like - and that they were responding to this. Other groups believe that it is driver behaviour that needs to be tackled if we are to get more people cycling. Nevertheless, I am left with a feeling that there is a fair amount of sexism and patronising behaviour around cycle campaigning.

However, talking to other people about Sustrans is a bit like talking to Londoners about the Mayor. If you ask them what they think about Boris they have to preface what they are going to say with a ten-minute rant about Ken, either how great he was or how terrible he was depending on your point of view. Eventually you have to interrupt them and say “but I asked you about Boris!”Likewise, if you ask the old-school cycle campaigners about Sustrans you get a ten-minute rant about Grimshaw and what an autocrat he was.

It’s time people recognised that organisations can change, and recognised the role that all the cycle promotion groups can play in changing the hearts and minds of the UK population and getting them out on their bikes.

A pootle around Birmingham.

2010-03-02T00:06:00.005Z

After the last cyclenation board meeting, held at the excellent FOE Warehouse building in Digbeth, Birmingham (a short hop from New St station, and even closer to Moor St) I thought I’d go for a ride around Birmingham. I’ve found in the past that a great way to get to know a place is to try to find the National Cycle Network without a map, as this can often be somewhat obscure!

I’ve come into Birmingham on NCN5 before, so I’ve got a vague idea where it went, and thought if I headed south I’d be able to pick it up and follow the route back up through the City Centre. So I soon found myself on the Ring Road – not a particularly nice place to cycle although I found that the drivers were pretty considerate – but failed to pick it up, so found myself having a bit of a tour around Balsall Heath, Sparkbrook & Moseley. I have to say I found cycling conditions around this part of Brum pretty poor. There was a lot of traffic, a distinct lack of cycling infrastructure such as ASLs, no signage for cyclists & no cyclists! A noticeable feature was poorly installed speed cushions, with practically every one featuring a pothole just where you would want to cycle. Peering down side roads I thought I might spot the odd 20mph zone, but none were to be seen. OK, it was raining a bit, but it was the first day without snow on the ground, so I thought the occasional Brummie might have ventured out.

However, perhaps my mood was affected by the light but persistent spots of rain that had been falling ever since I left the Warehouse. Having taken what looked like a good bet I found myself pointing at the city centre yet again, so I checked the map, turned around and headed for Edgbaston as this looked like another good bet. Climbed up through Moseley and back down, avoiding small hooded kids who think it’s a good idea to walk out in the road and go ‘boo’ at cyclists, and found myself at the entrance to Cannon Hill Park.

This I recognised as part of Route 5, and in one of those twists of fate, as soon as I turned into the park it stopped raining, the sun came out, and the world seemed like a nice place again, Ignoring my original plan I took the Rea Valley path south to Bourneville, enjoying the sunshine and dodging the odd pedestrian and dog. Coming out near a derelict factory site (and how sad it is to see so many derelict sites in Brum) I turned around and headed back towards the Centre. All went well until I reached the centre, passing a spot where I could have picked up the NCN first time round, but the signage that would have enabled that wasn’t there, and going through the centre the route was not very clear. Although there were some adventurous shared space sections, when you get to the Central Library things become somewhat confusing.

I had an inkling that I needed to be on the canal, so heading for Brindley Place was the right thing to do, The route follows the canal towpath, nice and straight for a mile or so, until branching out, one route heading for Wolverhampton, and, eventually, the Welsh Borders (must check with Wolves on Wheels how that’s getting on) while route 5 veers to the north. The junction point is readily identifiable, being next to Smethwick Galton Bridge station, with two lines intersecting, and a Thomas Telford bridge spanning the valley, apparently the longest single span bridge when it was built - a remarkable place. So I climbed out of the canal cutting and found myself crossing the bridge which is now part of the cycle route, and taking some slightly dodgy paths around a large motorway junction found myself back on some residential streets before doubling back and getting into Sandwell Country Park. Although by now it was getting dark this did seem like a very pleasant place to cycle, and with decent surfaces underneath and a good light on my Brompton I felt confident to proceed. I did get slightly lost gong through the park, but as this took me past Sandwell Priory and subsequently on a long fast downhill on a minor road I felt this was par for the course. The route negotiates the M6/M5 junction successfully and coming out on the outskirts of Walsall I decided to head for the nearest train station. This turned out to be Tame Bridge Parkway (interesting how many rivers are called Tame, there being one in Manchester of course and I believe there is one in London with a similar name - then there are rivers called Teme, Team & Tamar. Another popular name for rivers is Afon, this being of course the Welsh name for river). A ticket back to New St turned out to be a mere £2 - a very fair price I thought - and I had time to find a decent pub and buy a kebab (sadly I didn't have time for a Balti) before heading home.

So this was an interesting day's cycling in Birmingham, but I was left wondering, why is the on-road cycling in the city so crap, while the Sustrans routes are memorable and pretty decent? Perhaps someone from Birmingham Push Bikes could explain?

(Please note that in this blog post I am not intending to criticise (or praise) anyone unduly, just reporting honestly what I found)

Travelling Light (2)

2009-11-11T12:46:00.003Z

This is how it's gone so far:

Friday night, had to carry a carton of grated cheese on the carrier. Tricky.

Tuesday, went swimming. Carying towel, trunks, goggles etc, again a bit tricky.
Seem to be having trouble keeping a lock in the right place.

Getting up the hill a bit easier - priceless!

Travelling light

2009-11-06T14:39:00.002Z

I'm quite well known for cycling round with 20kg of crap in my panniers. On a typical day the contents might include:-

Small saw & Secateurs (for doing sustrans-type maintenance on cycle routes)
Pump, bell spanner, multitool, spare inner tube, puncture repair kit (belt and braces approach)
D-lock
Waterproof trousers, overshoes.
Sandwich box
spare pair of shoes, socks.
spare lights

...etc etc.

However, recently, having moved up to Greystones Heights I'm starting to question why I carry all this stuff. We have a heavily fortified bike shed at work so why do I need a lock? (for going out at lunchtimes, duh - but I could keep a lock at work anyway. )

If I got a puncture or other breakdown on the commute, wouldn't I just walk home?

I could buy a sandwich at lunchtime...etc etc.

So yesterday, having lugged #139's worth of fireworks up to work from the fireworks shop, I thought , well sod it, I'm going to come back down in the c*r to get this anyway, so I might as well leave the panniers behind as well, and I have to say the ride home was a lot more pleasant.

This morning I just used the top box for sarnies and rain legs, so I'm cutting down!

We'll see how it goes...
leave the panniers

Back on the bike!

2009-09-13T21:35:00.006Z

Got the all-clear from the doc to start cycling again on Sept 4th. So that lunchtime, popped home and had my first ride for a month back to the office. This was notable for (i) number of cars in ASL's at red lights (ii) asian students walking out in the road while looking the other way- not a good idea!

That evening was the Sheffield Friday Night ride - Hidden Hillsborough. Mick who's imported this idea from London took us for a run up to the Birley stone near Grenoside, and then up the other side through to Loxley for a pub visit before heading back to Kelham Island. Mick has craftily scheduled the rides to be close to the full moon, and we were treated to beautiful, slightly pre-harvest moon as we crossed over to Loxley. I'm doing the next FNR, on the 2nd of October, on the topic of snickets, gennels and tracklements - why not come along?

Friday night riders check the view at the Birley Stone

The next day saw myself & the missus head up to Harrogate to join in the Sustrans
trailblazine ride for the Roses route - the next proposed Coast to Coast ride, joining the famous c2c and the trans-pennine trail. This route starts at Morecambe and will end at Bridlington.
If I hadn't broken my toe we would have joined the ride at Settle on the Friday, but we Settled
for Harrogate instead. So we caught the Northern Rail "fast" service to Leeds - normally no problem getting bikes on this train - and ran into Tony Gore, (big-T at Riding High) who was on his way to Scotland for a ride with his Airnimal in a bag. We continued to Ilkley and had a very pleasant ride over to Harrogate, climbing up to the Moors and passing the ominous domes of Menwith Hill.

Windfarm with Menwith in the background.

We found the Sustrans gang enjoying Pizza in Harrogate, and arranged to meet
the next morning. We followed the Beryl Burton way between Harrogate and Knaresborough - a bit in need of TLC I thought - stopped for coffee by the Nidd, had an exquisite run along the river and made our way through to York, where a Green Fair was in progress and lunch was provided by the council. From what we saw the route will be very attractive to tourists, and hopefully the improvements that will be needed to bring it up to scratch will benefit local cyclists too. Having a couple of hours to spare we also sampled Route 65 to the north of York, along with the York-Selby route one of my favourites. Caught the train back to Sheffield with no problems (Despite having the wrong tickets!) and had a quick turnaround to go to Oxford for a training course. (I suppose I should mention that in the meantime, Sustrans rangers were gathering to prepare work for a new walking and cycling route through Beeley Woods)

Although the course (PRINCE2) was quite intensive, I did get a few opportunities to stroll around Oxford, and what a pleasant place it is - demonstrating that if a town is plesant to cyclle in it will be pleasant and loveable for everyone. The riverside path was buzzing with walkers, cyclists (inluding the inevitable sculling coaches) and joggers, while the road were also busy with cyclists. Oxford has implemented a default 20mph policy and this has really made the city a very pleasant place to be. I certainly wished I'd had a bike with me!

Coming up to date, on Saturday, 12th Sept, probably the best day of the year for weather, I went to a Sustrans Liaison Ranger East Mids meeting. Although Sheffield isn't really in the East Mids, my "patch" as a Liaison ranger used to cover NE derbyshire, until I hived it off to Paul Balderson who is doing a fabulous job of putting pressure on Chesterfield and Derbyshire councils to develop a rational cycling strategy for the area - there is a glaring omisssion in the NCN map, between Langley Mill and Chesterfield Station where you can pick up the TPT, although the route for cyclists heading for Sheffield could be made more attractive as well - which decidedly is in the E.Mids. Cyclists particularly in the east of Sheffield do make use of NE Derbyshire, and Nottingham & Derby aren't that far away, so my presence at these events is legitimate I feel.

Sustrans Liaison Rangers gather at Newark Castle station.

Getting to Newark was straightforward enough, again using the Northern "Fast" service to Nottingham, and an East Mids trains service to Newark (this train had 5 bikes on which didn't phase the conductor, in fact he wanted to chat about what would be the best bike for him to buy)

Newark is quite well sorted for bike routes - we sampled route 64 which uses a crafty combination of on and off-road paths to get you out over the railway, under the A64 and away through the fields towards Lincoln, and in a South-easterly direction take you towards Nottingham. Following the meeting I set off along this route towards Nottingham - the first few miles are on disused railway, then you take to quiet roads, heading into the Vale Belvoir before heading east towards Nottie. It was hot and I have to say it was hard going at first, still suffering from my four-week layoff, and two pints and a bellyfull of sarnies probably didn't help - I didn't seem to be able to rehydrate

The last section runs alongside the busy A52, and I opted to hop on the train at Bingham instead. I needed to be in Derby for early evening and was running short of time, so got on the canal towpath in Nottie to head out to Beeston Lock before switching to NCN6, then on the main road into Derby - should have peeled off a bit before I did though because I got onto the A52 again which is scary! Soon got into Pride Park though and along the river path which takes you through the city centre and along the Derwent to Little Eaton, where I met the missus and we headed into town for a Steve Earle concert which was excellent.

Off the bike :(

2009-08-25T16:44:00.001Z

I dropped a tandem on my big toe (that's the easiest way to describe it) So I'm off cycling until Sept 4th according to the doc (although I might sneak on before then just to try it out) So I'm having an interesting time catching buses, walking and driving occasionally. Sheffield isn't too bad for driving around in August - however, when the schools and universities come back on stream it becomes a nightmare. (That's something everyone seems to be able to agree on!)

Northern rail & ride

2009-05-05T09:10:00.000Z

Spent a fair amount of time on Northern at the weekend - train Sheffield - Brockholes, then cycled to Homlfirth to pick up route 68 which we followed through to Sowerby Bridge, switching to 66 to get to Hebden Bridge & Heptonstall where our friend lives. There are some hills on that route!. It's pretty much all on road so there are no maintenance issues to speak of, although the sign at Pole Moor is obscured by bushes. The cobbled path up to Heptonstall is a bad idea if you are wearing SPD's

However, I was struck by the crapness of the crossing of the M62 at Scammonden. There you are faced with a multi-million pound highway and you have to creep down an steep, loose unmade path. Then there are no signs at the bottom, or if there are, we missed them - so we went through the wrong tunnel and had to make our way along a glass-strewn track - throwing bottles out of cars must be a major way to relieve the boredom of travelling on the M62. Surely the highways agency could provide a decent crossing out of petty cash, or even the Vulnerable User crossings budget? To my mind it shows the contempt that the HA holds for cyclists.

Monday, got the train from Hebden Bridge to Leeds and hence to Sheffield - no problems with bikes on the trains there. I got off at Wakefield and had a rather wet ride over Emley Moor, but that's another story. Was however very pleased to see that the TPT through the Oxspring tunnel has been resurfaced with tarmac and an alternative route for horses (& masochistic MTB'ers presumably) Where the tarmac ends and it does get a bit rough again, an alternative road route has been signposted - good to see the needs of all users being taken into account and it looks as though more improvement work is under way.

Up and down the P*nistone Rd

2009-05-01T14:19:00.003Z

Have been up and down the p*nistone rd a few times this week. The number of people using the cycleway has definitely increased - arriving at the Neepsend Lane there always seems to someone waiting on the other side. These lights take a long time to change in favour of cyclists, but when the traffic island is finished they will be quicker because it will be possible to only stop right-turning traffic to let cyclists & peds cross. Anyway the rule that you leave something in place for at least a year before Shefffield people will start using it seems to have been proved yet again.

Good to see Pedal Ready trainers teaching kids to cycle on the road at St Philips.
On the way back in this lunchtime, having picked up some spares from Butties and had a chat about the Next Bike project, I passed a lass on a mountain bike who was sticking to the road. She got caught in queueing traffic, then at a set of lights, and as a final insult had to stop for me as I crossed at Rutland Rd, she gave me a wave though, to say, OK you win this time! Off-road can be quicker.

Tram ride to Derbyshire

2009-04-21T09:36:00.004Z

Set off early sunday morning to catch the cyclists special to waterthorpe. There were a few punters, on the family & women's rides. I split off to take the TPT down to Barrow Hill, then crossed over via Whittington Moor and Sheepbridge, to head for Baslow and the peak.

to be continued...

Snowcar gets a ticket

2009-02-04T15:10:00.001Z

Spotted by one of colleagues...

London then and now

2009-01-22T09:41:00.005Z

This is the text of a speech by Jenny Jones, Green member of the London Assembly.

I have posted it here because I want to add it to my boriswatch site:

http://delicious.com/wildnorthlands/boriswatch

I think it shows why BJ is a very dangerous man indeed to have in charge of London. Apparently even the tories are a bit worried about him.

Green Transport for a showcase city
18th October 2008
Cllr Jenny Jones AM

(Slide 1) Some of you will be coming to London for the Olympics in the
summer of 2012. I had hoped that when the world's media turned their focus
on London in four years time, that they would be surprised by how green the
city had become.

(Slide 2) Our previous Mayor, Ken Livingstone, was not only full of
aspirations - his green words were slowly being turned into a physical
reality by four years of having to do a budget deal with the Greens on the
London Assembly.

We had hoped to continue that process right through to the 2012 Olympics and
to showcase all the pioneering projects and changes that we had made in
London.

Alas, that is not the case and the new Mayor does not need the Green Party
member's votes on the London Assembly in order to pass his budget. Boris
Johnson, London's new mayor, has already cut some of our pioneering projects
and may well drop others.

I want to take you through the main achievements of the first eight years of
the Greater London Authority and set out our vision for creating a
sustainable transport system in London.

Then I will bring us back down to earth and look at what is happening under
our new Mayor.

(Slide 3) London as we are now

(Slide 4) London's big challenges

·                    London's population is growing fast.
·                    The public transport system is already over crowded and
roads congested.
·                    We need to contain that growth within London and avoid
building on green field sites in the south east of England.
·                    Achieving less pollution, even with a higher
population.
·                    Not enough money.

(Slide 5) Big solutions?

·                    Build on brown field sites and increase density of
development;
·                    Build low or zero carbon developments and
infrastructure;
·                    New public transport infrastructure,
·                    Reducing demand and a switch to walking/cycling.
·                    Using technology and behavioural change to reduce
pollution.

(Slide 6) Achievements
We have many achievements to be proud of.

1) Zero growth in traffic across London since 2000, despite rising
population and associated car ownership. This compares with 1.5% average
growth per annum in the UK.

2) A 5% switch from cars to public transport. Includes a record number of
people using the tube system (over a billion a year) and a 40% increase in
bus passengers since 2000.

3) Over 80% increase in cycling since 2000.

4) The fastest decline in road casualties of any region in the UK. 40% less
people are killed or seriously injured on London's roads now, compared to
the mid 1990s and this is 65% less children than in the mid 1990s – that
adds up to 600 less children a year killed or seriously injured on our
roads.

5) In the first eight years we had major innovations such as the
introduction of the Oyster card and Transport for London's (TfL) takeover of
the orbital railway in London.

From the licensing of the mini cabs, to river transport, the funding of car
clubs and door to door transport, London is now running a comprehensive
system, with something for everyone. It is not yet an integrated transport
system, but the cracks are getting smaller.

(Slide 7) My personal favourite was the congestion charge. This is
campaigners drinking champagne on the first day.

(Slide 8) We should also be proud of our Climate Change Action Plan.

I'd like to take you back to the list of solutions.

(Slide 9) Five solutions

Slide 10) Planning policy

Over 90% of new developments are on brown field sites in London.

London has tighter restrictions than the rest of the country, on how many
cars are allowed with new developments. There are now more car free
developments, although these are still the exception – even near public
transport hubs.

Nearly all areas of inner London are subject to parking restrictions and/or
resident only parking schemes.

Housing in London is now three times the density of many other regions in
London.

From 2001 to 2006, London's housing density increased from 48 dwellings per
hectare to 84 dwellings per hectare, as the Mayor's planning strategy took
full effect.

It is worth remembering that much of the most expensive and desirable real
estate in London is also in the most densely populated areas of London.

(Slide 11) Zero/low carbon developments

New developments must include 20% on site renewable energy. However, more
emphasis placed on the creation of combined heat and power generation.

A new zero carbon development is being built at Gallions Reach in east
London, just down the road from the Olympics. However, other zero carbon
developments will be slow to follow.

Public buildings and offices in London will be retrofitted with energy
conservation measures as part of the investment by the Clinton foundation
and the alliance of 40 major cities around the world who want to take action
on climate change.

Public transport infrastructure

The previous mayor had plans for a massive infrastructure programme in
London worth over £60bn between now and 2025.

The overwhelming majority of this massive investment is in rail and tube,
which currently accounts for only 15% of London's modal share.

Infrastructure being built

Tube upgrade – we are finishing the first seven years of investment and
because of part privatisation have gone well over the £8bn budget agreed for
the work (original cost to 2010).

Docklands Light Railway (DLR) extension to Lewisham and eastwards through
the docklands.

East London Extension connecting the railway system in east London to the
tube.

(Slide 12) Infrastructure planned

Capacity improvements to the railway system in London (£7bn needed, but not
promised).

Tram schemes to replace over crowded bus services.

Crossrail connecting Heathrow airport with financial district of Canary
Wharf and also the poorer areas of East London (£13bn is latest estimate).

Creation of a green grid of new parks and inter-linked open spaces in East
London – making the new developments accessible by walking/cycling
(estimated cost £500m, still unfunded).

(Slide 13) Traffic reduction

Transport for London estimated in their strategy document 2025, that this
£60bn of investment still wouldn't be enough to meet the demand for
transport from a growing population. The gap between the demand for
transport and its supply would have to be filled by a combination of:

·                    More walking and cycling. Reversing the historic
decline in walking. Increasing cycling by 400%.
·                    Reducing the overall demand for travel.
·                    Road pricing (congestion charging) across the whole of
London.

The price of continuing to neglect pedestrians, the majority of road users,
will be severe overcrowding on buses, tubes and roads. My calculation is
that a 1% drop in walking could mean an extra 2 million motorised journeys
in London, compared to today.

Spending on walking and cycling in London has increased five fold since
2000. We are spending over £55m on cycling this year and due to initiatives
which greens put into place, that is likely to climb further next year.

Spending on traffic demand management measures has increased to over £30m a
year. These measures include mainstreaming school and workplace travel plans
throughout London – which have been very successful in reducing single
person car trips by an average of 5%.

We had received a commitment have modernised all 785 junctions which
currently have traffic lights that have either sub-standard crossings, or no
pedestrian signals at all.

The current mayor is trying to strike a balance between bring lights up to
national safety standards, whilst increasing motorised traffic flows.

I also hope that the Legible London project will have spread throughout the
capital, so that we have a consistent and user friendly signage system for
pedestrians.

(Slide 14) Technology and behavioural change

All the new buses coming into service by 2012 will be hybrids, saving over a
third on fuel and emissions.

(Slide 15) Talking people out of their cars

The budget for Travel Demand Management is £33m a year. Successes include:
·                    On target for every school to have a travel plan by
2009, average of over 7% reduction in school run – two million fewer car
journeys a year.
·                    TfL support for car clubs means that 85% of UK car club
members are in London.
·                    More than 150,000 additional people being covered each
year by workplace travel plans.

(Slide 16) The new Mayor

This is a Mayor without ideology, a philosophy, or a plan.

He has dropped the £25 emissions charge targeted at gas guzzling cars.

He is consulting on abolishing or watering down the western extension of the
congestion charge. If abandoned, it could cost TfL £70m a year and also lead
to traffic increasing by 15% as it returns to pre-charge levels.

Government has a deadline of end of October to go begging to EU for an
extension to the time it has to meet the EU limit values. This is a key
immediate issue for the mayor, who has a legal duty to improve air quality,
but he is currently on track to make things worse.

The Mayor is consulting on abolishing the mid year inspections for black
cabs, despite the 39% failure rate, the largest proportion of which is for
emissions

He is consulting on replacing the large capacity bendy buses, which would
mean a large increase in the number of buses on the road, and will increase
the cost to TfL, create more congestion and lead to a big jump in emissions.
Unless the consultation changes the Mayor's mind, Boris will be taking
decisions which make air quality worse, not better.

The Low Emission Zone has been retained and seems successful. However, the
big policy test for the mayor comes in 2010 with the extension of the scheme
to the huge numbers of light vans in London.

Boris has cut the hydrogen vehicle purchasing scheme – the biggest in UK, if
not the world. However, London is going ahead with purchase of ten more
hydrogen buses.

Emphasis is now on electric vehicles and creating more charging points
around London.

Conclusion

Unless the Mayor tightens up on planning and car parking standards then
London will be home to an estimated 400,000 extra cars by 2025.

The Stratford City development, next door to the Olympic site is one of the
worst examples of outdated and bad planning with over 10,000 new car parking
spaces.

The Olympic media centre was due to follow this car dependent habit with
over a thousand parking spaces, but this has now been halved in the legacy
plans.

Unless the planning and economic policies are changed in order to reduce
demand for travel, especially in central London, then over £60bn of
investment in rail and tube capacity will not be enough.

Unless the London mayor increases walking and boosts cycling by 400%, then
the roads and public transport system will clog up. London needs as many
people doing journeys by bike, as currently use the railway system.

We are likely to be spending over 70m on cycling next year as we bring in a
Velib style cycle hire and other cycle priority measures, but this is far
from enough.

Crossrail alone will be receiving an average of £500m a year in Government
subsidy for the next ten years. Yet, it will be used by a fraction of the
people who TfL is hoping to get on their bikes.

The Olympic visitors and documentary crews who come to London in 2012 and
examine our green credentials, will not be comparing London to how it was
four years before, but with how their own cities are in 2012.

Despite the fact that London was starting to lead the country in taking
action on climate change and sustainable transport, we are now going into
reverse gear. We are also falling behind what some other cities are
managing.

Whether it is the Paris 'velib' bike hire scheme, or the New York pledge to
get all their yellow cabs to become low emission hybrids, we should be
adopting the best from around the world.

Hosting the greenest games is one achievement, but being the greenest city
to ever host the games is a better one.

GREATER*LONDON*AUTHORITY

Find romance on a Supertram Cyclists Special!

2009-01-15T17:08:00.004Z

cue drippy music...

It's nearly a year since Chris and Richard met on a Supertram Cyclist's Special. They were both single at the time, discovered they had common interests, like cycling, and to cut a long story short, they have now set up house together.

Here they are on that tram ride a year ago, and to mark the occasion Chris and Richard will be leading a ride on this January's special.

Who will find romance on a Supertram cyclists special this year? Come along on the 25th and find out!

(Supertram special leaves Cathedral Tramstop at 10 a.m. on the 25th.)
(pic: l-r, Tim, Chris, Richard, Patrice)

Cycling to the inauguration

2009-01-12T14:36:00.002Z

Quite liked this story - this guy's riding across America to get to Obama's inauguration. Only problem is, he hasn't got a ticket! I need a miracle! (as the dead-heads used to say)

Cycling Paramedics in Sheffield

2008-11-09T10:57:00.001Z

There is a brand new city centre service provided by the Ambulance
Service. There are two fully kitted out bicycles with paramedics able to
get to people in medical trouble within the inner relief road far more
quickly than an ambulance. Because of this it has improved the chance of
saving lives (eg. cardiac arrests).

The new city centre bicycle ambulances service joins cycle mounted
police and fire prevention teams. It is a fantastic achievement for
Sheffield.

However there are several teething problems that need addressing urgently.

1. The need for the two of them to have a base in the city centre where
they can rest/have a drink etc out of the elements with a secure place
where their bikes can be parked. At present they are having to cycle in
from Middlewood.....beyond Hillsborough.

They have spoken with the services at Yorkshire House, which would be
ideal. However the people who own/manage the building say they cannot
have bikes within the premises. The police leave their bikes secured to
the safety railings in front of Yorkshire House (not ideal). With all
the paramedic equipment on the panniers of the ambulance cycles this is
not possible.

2. This newly launched service needs some high visibility publicity. I
am sure it would be good to have the City Council playing a part in
helping get media coverage.

Obstruction on Upper Hanover Way.

2008-11-04T10:53:00.005Z

This isn't on the cycleway yet, although it leaves very little room for pedestrians, but once
the re-design of the cyclepath takes place it will have to be moved (at the taxpayers expense ofg course) A little forward thinking would have helped here.

Obstruction on Eyre st.

2008-11-04T10:29:00.001Z

Sheffield council's latest attempt to kill cyclists.

The Beeching of model railways.

2008-10-14T10:50:00.001Z

The Carfield Ave branch is now closed.

Cycle routes – the Wakefield recipe:

2008-10-07T12:54:00.003Z

(Based on our experiences on the TPT link that follows the A655 in from Castleford)
1. Take one sub-standard footpath
2. Paint some cycle route markings on it
3. Allow to stand while shrubbery grows over it.
4. Sprinkle liberally with broken glass.
5. Finish with stepped kerb onto fast dual carriageway
6. Serve cold!
On the other hand the Rhubarb Route towards Horbury is quite good.

Castleford

2008-10-05T12:30:00.001Z

Sunny day, river in flood.

Derry

2008-09-13T11:29:00.001Z

Sunny!

Stall on the tram.

2008-08-31T06:58:00.001Z

Taxis on Castle St

2008-08-30T14:07:00.003Z

Since a taxi stand was installed on Waingate additional taxis
have taken to waiting for a place, firstly on the pavement
outside the taxi stand area, and then in the contra-flow cycle lane.

This area has a high volume of buses passing and this is putting cyclists
at risk - it's an accident waiting to happen. As you can see this cyclist has taken
to the pavement to avoid the problem.

Could something be done about this please?

More Pictures:-

This one is from Prof. Peter Marsh who says:-

Here is a taxi moving from blocking the contraflow, because I was photographing it! We really need to do something about this, it is disgraceful that they can flout the law in such an important area with such dangerous consequences.

It's Driving Me Crazeee!

2008-08-21T10:40:00.004Z

Traffic chaos in Sheffield - no wonder the drivers are up in arms about it...

(Sheffield City Council webcam still)

Helmet crash shock horror

2008-08-21T08:21:00.003Z

My helmet has already been in a crash and I should have
replaced it then, On Tuesday my bike fell over outside the Grouse (fear not, dear reader, I was safely ensconced inside)
- the helmet was hanging off the handlebars and broke in two. Good job I wasn't wearing it at the time!

A sign of the Times

2008-08-18T13:11:00.002Z

Hoarding at Longnor...

Cycle routes, double standards

2008-08-15T09:01:00.004Z

Some people have commented that I seem to contradict myself on the issue of what is necessary to encourage cycling. On the one hand I say that slower speeds and less traffic is what is required - on the other hand I am enthusiastic about cycle routes, on and off-road.

The answer is that I think you have to do what is appropriate in a particular location. Take the example of London. When I lived there and commuted from Camberwell to the City in the 80's,
the main problem was that you couldn't actually get along the streets becvause they were so jammed up with traffic. Then cycle and bus lanes started appearing, but the cycle lanes were frequently parked on and London buses are less than accommodating to cyclists. The problem was too big to be dealt with by enforcement so off-road cycle routes, as advocated by Camden Cycle Campaign, started to be built. These aren't ideal - often too narrow - but they do at least allow you to get around. That's an appropriate solution for that particular problem, given that congestion isn't going to disappear overnight, even with the congestion charge. Now that Boris is in charge congestion is going to get worse again.

I would still say that building a cycling culture is more important than infrastructure, but both are needed.

Boris reveals route for Freewheel cyclists

2008-08-14T09:05:00.002Z

I would urge all cyclists to boycott this event. Boris is turning back the tide of sustainable transport in London. He is looking at removing the congestion charge from West London, to suit his Sloanie friends; he's cancelled the pedestrianisation of Parliament Square; he wants to break the unions and introduce low-wage, low-quality public transport.

Cycle campaigners know that you don't increase cycling, or walking and public transport use, through tokenistic one-off events, or even through introducing more cycle lanes, but by slowing down and reducing the amount of motor traffic on the streets. Boris doesn't get it. Let him and David "Wrong way" Cameron freewheel all by themselves.

Daily Mile

2008-08-11T09:55:00.003Z

Some of us are using this to record our rides - seems quite good although a bit sport-oriented (when not commuting I ride for leisure personally) There are a South Yorkshire and Commuting groups to join.

It's still in beta at the moment so you need an invite to join. Leave a note in "comments" and I'll send you one.

Saxon Rd

2008-08-10T12:35:00.001Z

Saxon Rd has been re-surfaced to Clyde Rd. Hooray! Couldn't decide whether to email blog or twitter this - isn't technology wonderful?

Supertram

2008-07-27T09:31:00.001Z

Tandem plus trailer.

Putting bikes together

2008-06-19T17:40:00.003Z

Gare du Nord

PM's Forum

2008-06-19T17:40:00.001Z

Project handover

What's cool about Bike Week

2008-06-17T21:20:00.003Z

What's cool about bike week isn't the events, the ride that half-a-dozen people go on, the breakfasts of instant coffee and bacon sandwiches that ordinarily you wouldn't go near in a million years. What's cool about about it is the 7 O'clock start, hauling a stall down to the Town Hall, or printing 250 leaflets on the sly while no-one's looking at work. It's the late night return after a brilliant night out with a waxing gibbous moon and a beautiful dark blue sky, close to midsummer.
It's the feeling after you've made the effort that it was worthwhile, that you showed someone how they could cycle that journey. that there was an alternative to life in a cage.

That's what cool about Bike Week, and that's why, even after all the effort and the pain I want to say, let's do it again next year!

Long Causeway

2008-06-02T23:30:00.001Z

Not before time!

Green Roof

2008-05-20T17:31:00.001Z

The Cube, Shoreham St.

Sculpture park

2008-05-18T14:17:00.000Z

Sunday.

Journey's end

2008-05-11T17:30:00.001Z

The Wetherspoons in Leicester-full of people who talk like Ian.Cambridge to Leicester in 9 excellent hours of cycling!

Oundle

2008-05-11T13:21:00.001Z

Gateway to the Midlands I reckon. 5 hours from Cambridge-1 land ranger map from Leicester.

Tilney Fen End

2008-05-09T12:33:00.001Z

Here's where I leave NCN1-so long old pal. Got two hours to get to Ely.

Making good time

2008-05-09T08:58:00.001Z

Out in the fens past fossdyke bridge.

Camping up

2008-05-08T17:54:00.001Z

Just south of boston-not as far as I would have liked to have got but should still be OK to meet Andy in Ely at 3:30 tomorrow. It's a shit tent by the way-don't get one.

Greenway into Boston

2008-05-08T17:53:00.000Z

Longest flattest straightest road

2008-05-08T16:06:00.001Z

Outside the american midwest it must be! This pic taken on the 1st bend for about 10 miles. Nr Boston.

Tattershall Castle

2008-05-08T15:23:00.001Z

NCN1 Found at Bardney

2008-05-08T13:36:00.001Z

Tandem'eers-Bardney

2008-05-08T13:32:00.001Z

Branston...

2008-05-08T12:52:00.001Z

...but no pickle. No sign of NCN so far.

Cycle parking at the station.

2008-05-08T11:16:00.001Z

This bike parked on the rail near the booking office had a don't park here note on it . This rail was specifically put there so you could leave your bike while buying tickets. I had a word with station staff about it & ran into Andy Wild - how we laughed. I have the note :-)

Another Busy Week

2008-04-20T17:38:00.011Z

First off, the Green Drinks visit to the Ecclesall Woods sawmill on tuesday. Sheffield Cycle Campaign has linked up with Green Drinks to provide sustainable transport for their series of visits to green initiatives around the city - followed by a social in a nearby pub of course...

This house, made from local materials as far as possible, will be used as a showroom for products made of wood from Ecclesall.

A useful piece of equipment parked outside Cole Bros Sheffield, last Tuesday.

Went to the YHTAR AGM on Saturday - http://www.yhtar.org.uk

Used the 09:29 Northern service to York via Pontefract. This used to be a regular service linking
South, North and West Yorkshire communities together (at one time the lunchtime train extended to Chesterfield, giving the opportunity for a quick lunchtime trip to Dronfield - handy for visiting GB cycles, now sadly closed) but is now pretty much much a rump service, with only two trains a day in each direction. However, if you want to get to York with your bike, it's a good service to choose, with no reservations required and generally light loadings. More on Pontefract later.

Cycle Rescue stall in York - more sustainable than Northern Rock?

We continue to plug away for better public transport, walking and cycling across Yorkshire (with some success). Our co-chairs, Anthony Rae and John Hoare go to YH Assembly meetings and try to bang some sense into them. The latest round of approved schemes aren't too bad - here's a quick list:-

Yorcard, £28m
Leeds Station Southern Access, £10.798m
White Rose Way, Doncaster, £15m
A61 Penistone Road Quality Bus Corridor, Sheffield, £9.959m
East Leeds Parkway, Micklefield, Leeds, £19.4m
York Park and Ride - Askham Bar, £5.241m
York Park and Ride - A59, £10.401m
York Park and Ride - Clifton Moor, £5.212m
Rotherham to Sheffield Bus Rapid Transit Northern Route, £36.059m
A684 Bedale, Aiskew, Leeming Bar Bypass, North Yorkshire £ 31.388m

As you can see only two of the ten schemes are new roads. However, there is concern that the Assembly is not fully taking into account Climate Change in its approval process, and we are going to press for this to be fully integrated in future.

Ray Wilkes holds forth at the YHTAR meeting

Last time I went to meeting in York, I took the train to Garforth, and cycled down the greenway to Castleford, which made me realise that the West Yorkshire rustbelt was really not that far from the capital of Elmet. This time, I started off thinking I'd try to follow the Pedal Pushers Recommended Route from Sheffield to York in reverse, then I just decided to throw away the guide book and make up my own route. Things started well as I powered away out of York through Copmanthorpe, then as I threaded the lanes I realised that there were really not that many crossings of the Ouse and the Aire, and if I was going to make progress I was going to have to either go to Tadcaster or head back to the York to Selby cycle route. This is an area with many railway lines (but not many stations) and I followed some yellow jackets in front of me
along a bridleway that cut many miles of the detour. I had the advantage of a North-Easterly wind that was certainly pushing me along.

Tadcaster offered water in the form of a bottle of Vittel and a bridge over the Wharfe, not far from Wharfe's mouth where this river that has taken its course from the high areas of the Dales, through Kettlewell where my family have had many enjoyable times, to Bolton Abbey where the tourist likes to wade in the brown waters, avoiding Leeds to retain the water's purity until it can be delivered to the Ouse and subsequently the Humber.

From here the logical thing was to take the A162 straight down to Castleford and Pontefract. This being around 5, I wanted to be back in Sheffield for 8 so my only hope was the 18:09 from Pontefract (told you I'd get back to that place) The signs said Pf was 15 miles so I figured I'd have to make an average of 15pmh (duh) . This being a pretty flat part of the world that seemed feasible. Things went well with a good stretch of A road with not too much traffic.

At Sherburn-in Elmet the A621 takes a bypass so the obvious thing was to go through the village. Elmet is a concept that interests me, the ancient Celtic kingdom of Yorkshire. Previously I was aware of Ted Hughes 'Remains of Elmet' photo-poem - researching for the blog leads me to some interesting web sites which I will have to explore. Certainly the idea of Yorkshire as a Celtic kingdom is intriguing.

The road I was following was clearly part of the old A1, or Ermine St; something that fascinated my father, and he passed on his enthusiasm for the old roads of England, although I prefer to cycle them whilst he was enamoured by the newly ubiquitous internal combustion engine, in the days when it was still a means of freedom rather than an entrapment.

At South Milford there were vestiges of a cycle route, although as is so often the case it was on the wrong side of the road, so any safety advantages it many have given me were negated by the potential hazards of crossing a major road twice. After rejoining the A621 another off-road route was available to me, but with the same problem. this one had clearly been constructed to enable cycles to access some local lanes -all well and good, but longer-distance cyclists then had to rejoin the main road for another mile, where there was a roundabout for the A1 - could the off-road cycle route not have been extended for that paltry distance?

After that obstacle had been negotiated, one got the ominous feeling that something nasty was approaching - this would be Ferrybridge, where an enormous power station once fed with British coal, but now I suspect from Eastern Europe, just to add to the carbon footprint, lurks by the river. The A-road turned into a dual carriageway with nowhere for cyclists to go other than a stone-covered hard shoulder - the potential for punctures was high. I took the first available exit which took me through Ferrybridge village - not someone you would want to linger despite the riverside vista - and the road took me under where the A1 meets the M62, a modern river of steel and plastic quite different from Wharfe's Mouth.

Here I was was struck between the difference between this country and our European partners - a civilised country would ensure that our vulnerable road users were protected as they passed beneath busy motorway intersections, but somehow the Brits can't quite bring themselves to do that. Somehow I survived that experience, and soon found a road that would take me to Pontefract Monkhill with every chance that I would catch that vital 18:09 train. Sure enough I made it to that station, waiting in company with the original Fat Slags who were off for an evening of debauchery in Wakefield. I was able to drown out their raucous howling by turning up my ipod touch to the max, At Kirkgate things looked up as the Leeds-Sheffield 'Fast' Service turned up and got me back to Sheffield an hour earlier than expected. That's how public transport is supposed to work!

So was in good time for 'Happy-go-lucky', the new Mike Leigh film at the Showroom which I really enjoyed.

Gwyneth Dunwoody

2008-04-18T11:35:00.002Z
















Sad to hear of the death of Gwyneth Dunwoody. She was the scourge of New
Labour's transport policy when it was really at its nadir - thankfully
things seems to have improved, and I am sure that is at least in part
due to the work she did as chair of the transport select committee.
People like her are hard to find, but I hope there will be more in the pipeline
that are prepared to tell it like it is and not just stick to the 'party line'.

New Concept in Zebra Crossing

2008-04-08T09:17:00.003Z

From Namibia where the term "Zebra crossing" has a slightly different meaning.
Note: pic taken from 4wd with bull bars (those zebras are mean) Me? With my reputation?

Only fools & cyclists

2008-03-30T10:17:00.001Z

Where Del Boy ended up.

Cycle parking installed at Dore

2008-03-23T13:25:00.001Z

Not! If this is your bike please let us know what you think about the cycle parking and access at Dore. Incidentally the timetables are from Deutsche Bahn - someone showing a lot of confidence in National Rail!

Separated at birth?

2008-01-26T17:13:00.000Z

Cycle-squashing traffic island on Leopold St

The remote control for my telly. Spooks anyone?
(That's my CAMRA membership card on the right)

Just picking up some DIY...

2008-01-26T17:12:00.001Z

Bad morning

2008-01-08T12:55:00.000Z

Yesterday, had a meet with asst. director at 10 so made sure I set off in good time to prepare myself. Pumped up tyres before leaving -big mistake. Got to Chesterfield and the rear tyre was flat. Strong winds, raining. Decided to replace inner tube -first one failed, fortunately I had two. Set off again only to have gear cable break whilst trying to maneouvre round motorists who was trying to cut me up so he could get to the bus lane. Limped on on first gear, covered with dirt, not too late for meeting but not in good shape for it either. Quick wash and brush up, just about presentable by 10. Phew.

Comfort testing the bike lane

2008-01-01T17:55:00.000Z

Aarhus...

Moonrise over burbage

2007-12-24T18:43:00.000Z

About 3:30, Dec 23rd. Taken with phone.

quick trip

2007-11-12T12:12:00.001Z

Got to work on time, for once, and realised that although I had brought the works laptop in with me had neglected to bring power supply & mouse. Team leader needed it for high-level meeting so only option was to leap back on bike, go home and get it. Did the trip in under 30 mins (it's 2.2 miles each way) and am sitting nonchalantly at desk when TL wanders in at 9:35 to pick up the machine. It could only be done by bike! Only casualty was my shirt that was soaked and needed an airing.

Busted p.s.

2007-11-05T15:45:00.000Z

Further to my earlier post would like to say that an LBS whose name begins with L did a perfectly good job on my rear hub. It took them a while because they didn't have a campag hub in stock, but otherwise it was fine.

Derby to Sheffield the long way round

2007-11-05T15:29:00.000Z

Self & Spouse dragged ourselves out of bed on Sunday morning and headed down to the station. Having missed all the fast trains to Derby, we found ourselves on a very slow one, and 1 1/2 hous later we dragged ourselves & our bike off. The plan was to follow the Pennine Cycleway up as far as Parsley Hey and then head across to Sheffield - we would have liked to have got back before dark but with our late start this was going to be tricky, no matter, we set off on the bike route which bizarrely starts off heading south-west out of Derby - it's part of the route to Burton-on-Trent, which after threading through the houses finds a rail trail on the outskirts, and then splits off to head north.

The well-signed route takes you through pleasant countryside to Ashbourne, with its spectacular tunnel (complete with train sounds) taking you right to the start of the Tissington trail. 10 miles of steady climbing follows with the trail in good condition after the dry autumn we're having. We came off at Biggin, took to the main road for a mile or so before heading on thw back roads towards Bakewell. This takes you above Youlgreave and down to Lathkildale, with a stiff climb back out before the descent into puddingtown. By now it was dark and there was nothing for it but to grit the teeth and carry on to Sheffield, it being too late for the infrequent train from Grindleford.

The ride back was fine apart from the swine who won't dip for cyclists, and the chill factor you get from the long downhill from Fox House. Home around 7 and straight on to the next fireworks party. Endless fun!

The Good Ship William Wilberforce

2007-10-20T22:42:00.000Z

On the way back to Sheffield from Rotherham I travelled on the Good Ship William Wilberforce. This is not really a ship but a train, in fact a Class 158, and I do like the cut of its jib. The point I wish to make about this fair vessel is the excellent cycle storage facilities, a cut above many of its marque.

Here you see the main storage area:

Whilst opposite is a flexible space area, where you could fit another couple of bikes:-

The reason I blog this is that Northern, our excellent local rail operator, has taken delivery of a quantity of these class 158 units. They are certainly a cut above the Pacer trains, up with us poor Northerners have had to put for many years, but some of them have inadequate facilities for cycles. prams large suitcases etc. On this train the problem looked to have been solved, partly by cutting out the cycle cubby-hole that these trains used to have, where even with one bike you had to remove all bags before you could get it in the space, and partly by getting rid of the second toilet, not really needed on the local services these trains will now operate.

Well done Northern! For further ID here is the carriage number of that train:-

(The cycle sticker could be a little bit bigger, but at least there is one)

The Tale of the Lost Boy

2007-10-20T22:20:00.000Z

I was cycling along the Rotherham canal at dusk, (don't ask) when an elderly Glaswegian stopped me and asked whether I was looking for a boy. I assured him I was not, whereupon he explained that there was a lost boy wandering along the towpath just a but further ahead and enquired as whether I would be so kind as to look out for him. I assured him I would, and sure enough a little further ahead there was a little lad in a bit of a state. I asked him whether he was lost and he explained that he had been fishing with his da and somehow they had got separated (it did rather seem as though aforesaid Da had buggered off somewhere and left him.) So I called SY's finest and explained the situation. They had the usual problem that unless you are on a road with a name they can't locate you, but eventually they worked it out and we arranged that I would take him to the nearby road bridge and a police car would pick him up.

First though we had to look for his fishing gear, which seemed to have disappeared, so I gave him a lift on the back of the bike. Soon enough a young PC turned up, and I have never seen a kid get into the back of a cop car so fast! I hope he got back home OK, and that someone had words with his so-called Da.

Go east young man

2007-10-20T20:26:00.002Z

What is it about the East? West of Sheffield we have the fabulous Peak District, an easy ride with just a little tussock of a hill betweeen us and there, or the Hope Valley train if you want to cheat. To the North lies the Rust Belt, forty miles of post-industrial wasteland before the Dales beckon. South lies the Promised Land, where the cycle routes are paved with gold or at least tarmac. But east? East lies an hours (at least) worth of suburbia before you so much as see a hint of countryside. If you take the trail it's a litany of broken glass, stolen cars, roaring motorbikes and rough surfaces. On the road, the man with the biggest 4x4 rules. You'd take the train, but on a Sunday morning that train don't run here anymore.

Still the east calls to me. There's something about that corridor of green running along the Parkway, those patches of ancient forest amongst the urban squalor, the shoots of renewed vigour in an exhausted and depleted scene.

If you manage to make it out of town, Rother Valley will offer you a cup of your favourite beverage, and once you've made it up that last hill, there is rolling countryside to enjoy. Worksop might not have too much to entice you, beyond an easy canal route through town, and you might not want to linger long in Manton town, but beyond this Clumber Park and Sherwood Forest await, with plenty of off-road to tire you out and greenery to sooth your aggravated brain. Lincolnshire and the Wolds await you further east, and if you head south through Nottinghamshire you might just find yourself in Nottamun Town, sampling the ales in the Trip to Jerusalem or the Lincolnshire Poacher.

So I say - head east young man! you won't regret it.

Different trains

2007-10-14T23:24:00.000Z

Got a ride out to Gainsborough with my brother to look at the 'O' guage model railway. This is a quite amazing mythical re-creation of a muthical East Coast steam railway. There are a few anomalies like Hitchin being stuck between Leeds & Doncaster but it's great.

Then set off to cycle back towards Sheffield, since Alex was heading south. The National Byway runs alongside the A631 and takes you down towards West Burton before it heads off south, ;eaving you on the road to Retford which is quite reasonable. At the bottom of the hill there's a route avoiding a low bridge which takes you on a quiet road to Retford - particularly so at the moment since it's closed for sewer replacements. Then on through Retford towards Worksop, passing Ranby prison. At Worksop got on the canal which takes you through town, part of Route 6 . Stopped to replace some signs on the bridge. Onward to Shireoak, passing the Lock-Keeper where there is a spring ride next year. Stopped off at Shireoak station to see when the next train was, and it came in, so given that it's a two-hourly service I got on it! This is one of those free services that Northern like to run, no-one collecting fares although all the stations are unstaffed. It had just got dark (at 6:30) so it was just the right time to end the ride.

Enjoyed this video

2007-10-08T14:47:00.000Z

Busted

2007-10-04T10:08:00.000Z

Set off merrily for Huddersfield for the Northern Rail Cycle Forum yesterday morning. Having negotiated the City Centre I had the bike pointing north at Shalesmoor when I heard an ominous sproing from the back wheel. Had a quick look & thought "bust a spoke". Was not far from a bike shop who's name begins with L so thought I'd pop it in there for a quick repair - had booked it in when I realised that actually about a quarter of the spokes had come out of the hub. This sort of repair on my expensive touring bike is not normally something I would take to that particular shop, as I prefer a shop whose name begins with B. so it will be interesting to see what they do with it. Anyway, got the tram back to the station and and the next Pacer to H'field, so made the meeting in plenty of time.

Across the woodhead

2007-10-02T08:23:00.000Z

Friday 28th took the afternoon off, due in Litton early evening for caravan close-down party , thought I'd cross the Pennines on the TPT and work my way down to the White Peak.

Did the 5WW out to Meadowhall & up to Ecclesfield - this was OK apart from the closed Cobweb Bridge & Thessco sections, and the very poor surfaces between Warren St and Thessco. The Chapletown Greenway was particularly good.

Thought it would be a good idea to check out the state of the TPT through Parsons Cross - this really is very poor and not suitable for road bikes. I knew Iwas approaching PX as I heard the sound of gunfire and off-road motorbikes gunning up. If we are to maintain a bike route through this area I think it should be on Deerlands Ave, Hartley Brook Ave & Butterthwaite Rd.

Up into Greno woods which was fine as ever, then the Woodhead Rd down to Wortley - conscious I had wasted some time in the suburbs I stayed on the road through Thurgoland, down to Oxspring where I rejoined the trail. Stopped in Penistone for some snap - cycling culture seems to have taken off in this area, saw quite a few kids cycling home from school, either by themselves or with an enterprising dad who had cycled down to collect them. Headed onwards in the drizzle towards Dunford Bridge.

Up the hill and onto the Woodhead itself, with time slipping away I decided to stay on the road
and avoid the trail this time. It was whilst thrashing down the road I heard the familiar hissing sound that indicates a puncture. I ground to a halt and got out my tools, to discover a spare inner tube, a pump, a multi-tool - damn! no tyre levers! Managed to pry the tyre off, probably detroying the old tube in the process, and get the new tube in and the tyre back on by hand - my thumbs still ache though! Luckily the whole thing held and I carried on into worsening weather continuing on the Woodhead Rd into Glossop. It was around 6 and it was apparent Iwasn't going to get to Litton for my 7:30 dinner date by cycling. A quick examination of my rail optionds reveled that if I went to Man Picc I could get to Hope by 7:35 and up the hill by around 8, so that's what I did. The trains worked and I emerged into heavy rain at Hope, put on all the waterproof gear I had on me, and struggled up the hill in the dark, with drivers more than willing to put full beam in in my face. My fellow diners had already ordered a steak for me and rarely was a meal more appreciated!

August Rides

2007-08-23T21:20:00.000Z

No time for full ride descriptions but just to note where I've been this week :

Saturday Chilterns (in the rain)
Sunday Vale of the White Horse (in the rain)
Monday Derbyshire (Litton - Cromford & back on trails)
Tuesday Bamford Moor with the council
Wed Carr Walk

Phew!

Fat Cyclist Blog

2007-08-06T14:43:00.001Z

He isn't very fat really...

Cycling serendipity

2007-08-06T14:33:00.000Z

Spent all Sunday morning cleaning and fettling my bike, set off the peak only to find something was seriously wrong - the freewheel just wasn't freewheeling properly. So limped back to the garage, swapped it for my town bike, about three hours later than I should have been to get to my secret hideout. Imagine my surprise when, turning up on spec at Dore Station, there was actually a train approaching! Leaped on with a couple of other cyclists, ( there was one on already, no problem) popped off at Hope and was in the White Peak in under an hour. Serendipity!

Tour De France Blog V

2007-07-11T19:15:00.000Z

Saturday morning dawned bright and breezy - a lie-in, hooray! Actually I was woken up by Tim & Matt bickering about whether 6:45 was a lie-in - Tim is plainly an early riser! "Do you mind" I said "I'm trying to have a lie-in!" Staggered around a bit, had a wash, a couple of cups of tea and a sosmix & cheese sandwich and all was good. Tim packed up and set off for Maidstone, allegedly to meet up with us later. Matt and I sat around for a bit and took stock of the surroundings.

The Lea Valley Country Park campsite was actually pretty nice. Having been brought up in the LV I've always hada bit of an affection for the place, although I couldn't wait to get out when was 18. The entrance to the camp-site, in one of the grimmer parts of London, off the busy Meridian Way with the railway the other side of the road, past a multiplex cinema - there aren't many campsites with a multiplex on-site are there? - and a leisure centre doesn't look too promising but once on site it's fine, with a golf course behind to provide a bit of greenery. I imagined it would have barbed wire all round and a controlled access, which was why I was a bit concerned about getting there before it closed, but it was actually just like any other camp-site, and that doesn't seem to be a problem.

We decided it was time to head for town. A quick pootle up the Meridian Way and we found our way to the River Lea towpath, through some of the extensive parkland and marshes that border the river. We pedalled through Hackney Marshes & on towards Bow, unfortunately missing the cut-through at Victoria Park that would hsve got us onto the Hertford Union. Realising our mistake however, we got onto Mile End Rd and headed for town. A motley peloton passed us, plainly heading for Hyde Park, and we tacked on the back as far as the City, where I veered off for Euston whilst Matt stayed with the pack to get to the Prologue.

I got to the CCN Meeting where the salient points were as follows.

Next conference to be in Oxford = will we get Boris there? Maybe. Theme is "Changing the climate on our roads"

Some groups are struggling - Tyne bikes is on the way out, Leicester has become a social only group. Now that the board has a few members on it - Rod King from Warrington has just joined - perhaps we can do a bit more development work.

The National Cycle Planner project is making progress, with OS agreeing to supply base data.

Board was duly impressed that I had cycled down but unwilling to pay cycle expenses!

Following the meeting made for Marble Arch, the next meet-up point. Caught up with Mike Edgington, who having finished his course has moved to Birmingham - we'l miss you Mike, come up and visit sometime. Matt was stuck in the crowds somewhere but eventually made it and we went down to catch a bit of Prologue:

Eagerly waiting the next rider

Yes we made it to the Prologue!

Watched a bit of riders zooming past, then got bored and decided to head for the Pub,
as originally planned. Most of central london has been closed to motor traffic, so althugh it was still very busy it was a pleasure to wend our way through the crowds, and on to the embankment which was gloriously free of traffic. We got to the George, grateful for a drink, and Ruth and her friend Alexei turned up, so it all worked out pretty well for meeting people. They headed off for a bbq, and we headed up to a Turkish retaurant at the top of Brick Lane, which I would recommend to you if I could remember what it is called. We ate well and headed back up through Stoke Newington & Hackney to the riverside, witnessing some pretty hairy cycling on the way. Back on the river at Lea Bridge, and we stopped at a riverside pub for a nightcap, watching the moon rise over Hackney Marshes and the last trains glide over the landscape, before heading home.

Sunday morning I set off to see my brother - a mere 13 miles or so up the valley, nothing really - and then set off back through Broxbourne Woods, re-visiting some of the haunts of my mis-spent youth (I'm not kidding) got to Cuffley just to see the train leaving , so continuing over to Potters Bar (there are some hills in this area, I can tell you) for a train to Kings Cross, which meant I could just stroll over to St P. for the train back to Sheffield, in the company of Ruth and Trevor Mayne our fellow pp from Penistone.

Saw this couple of excellent Goths at St P.

That's all folks!

==posted by Simon

Tour De France Blog IV

2007-07-10T20:19:00.000Z

So we dropped Matt off at Leagrave station to make a train-assisted dash to the campsite and headed off around Luton. Tim navigated magnificently although I suspect we could have just followed the blue route 6 signs on the off-road path beside the ring road - the map I have for this area dates from 1976 I think. No matter, as we left Luton we passed the sign for Hertfordshire, and I knew I was near home, like Moley in the Wind in the Willows.

Herts did not disappoint, as we dashed down a pretty valley, stopping at a village store for more refreshment, passing by old Welwyn and the railway viaduct (Tim was convinced he started his survey of the New River here - I knew better but kept schtum) on up the hill and down the other side through Bengeo into Hertford. the country town treated us kindly and we were soon on to Ware, passing the real source of the New River (neither new nor a river, having been built by King James to bring fresh water to London, and not cyclable but a very pleasant walk) with the A10 viaduct rather than the railway as the landmark. We could see the results of the survey Tim had done as various parts of the New River embankment had been shored up, and at St Margarets we joined the River Lea towpath, part of NCN1 if I recall correctly and a good cycling route into London. It was 7:30 by now and I thought it was time to check up on how Mat was doing. It transpired he was a quarter of an hour from the campsite, so we still didn't know whether we were in or not, but we carried on as well as exploring other options. Soon enough though the call came from Matt that we were in, so it was time for a last spurt. I however was flagging by now as well as thinking we should get up to the camp site and keep Matt company so was strongly in favour of getting the train, so we called in at Broxbourne (my old home town, and we passed the house I was brung up in) to check out the trains.

Having 20 minutes to go before the next train we figured we could make it to the next station along, Cheshunt, and so we did. Tediously it looked as though they weren't going to lift the level crossing gates in time for our train, so we carried the laden bikes over the railway bridge, but then of course they did. De-training at Ponders End, the campsite was a short schlepp along the off-road route alongside Meridian Way, the campsite was far from rammed out and easy to cycle in, so why the person I spoke to had given me so much bullshit was beyond me.

Matt had popped up to the local store (a giant Tescos, and of course if you believe in shopping local you have to go to Tescos in this area, as they originated in Cheshunt and their Head Office is still there) and bought a large quantity of Meat (vegebangers for Tim) and a BBQ. So we ate well with no vegetables spoiling the purity of the meal. It was a beautiful evening, a hot shower was very welcome and we all slept well.

..to be continued...

Tour De France Blog III

2007-07-09T16:10:00.000Z

Well, the downpour did lift slightly and we moved along, Matt & me thinking we could always jump ship and get the train back from Harborough if things still looked bad. We did about 10 miles and passed a pub - it looked like a good bet for dinner, and we noticed a spacious beer garden, the landlord was very friendly and took pity on us - it was quite a smart pub and not everyone would have welcomed three soaked cyclists! But they were quite interested to hear what we were up to. A few beers and a meal and we were in better shape, and tucked down to a dark and squally night. My new lightweight tent proved not to be the best design ever, but stayed up most of the night!

The morning dawned, grey but not raining.Tim with his lightweight cooker fixed us hot drinks and Ready Brek, which got us into a fit state to hit the road. Leicestershire country roads rarely disappoint, and we got in a good few miles before finding a cafe for a spot more breakfast. Back on the road, we were soon reaching the outskirts of Northampton, on the main road which was getting a bit hairy. Tim wanted to head in and find a bike shop to replace his stock of inner tubes, whilst Matt & myself preferred a more leisurely route in on NCN6, so Tim sped off and we headed for the trail that takes you along an disused line that is being brought back to life as a steam railway. Where the disused railway joins the live one there was a subway that had turned into one enormous puddle, and then there was a bumpy track for a bit. We got a bit confused coming into Northampton but that was really our fault for not trusting the signs which were fine, and stocked up on sandwiches & juices in the town centre, chatting to a busker who had moved from Sheffield (he played "it's all over now baby blue" one of my favourite Dylan tunes).

Leaving town, again a certain amount of confusion ensued (sustrans routes do often seem to lose direction in town centres) , but once we had got to the river and pointed in the right direction we were fine. By this time the sun had come out & we came across some brave souls practicing river rescues:

...and there was certainly plenty of water in the Nene to go at. We pressed on, got a bit lost in the industrial estate at Hardingstone (first the signs had slipped down the pole and got overgrown, then there was an access barrier that was nor clearly signed - had to rein in Tim a bit who had developed a tendency to power off past junctions where we needed to check the route - apparently he has a tremedous sense of direction ) but soon we were off on the country lanes again. following the blue signs. Tim & I swapped again so I had the pleasure of his lightweight bike for the next few hours.

We called in at Salcey Forest which has a visitor centre, picnic tables & cafe, next to the M1 but still very pleasant, and worth hanging on for if you're doing this ride. It was at this point I thought it best to check whether we had a campsite for the night in the Lea Valley, and the conversation went like this:

"hello, just checking whether you've got room for three cyclists tonight".

"We're totally rammed out mate. Have you booked?"

"Well I did email you a few months back and you said it would be no problem"

"Oh well, I suppose we might be able to fit you into a corner. What time can you get here?"

"About seven?"(I said optimistically)

"Can you get here before that? only we close the shop at 7:30"

"Well it's a bit tricky because we're cycling, but we can always get the train I suppose"

"Alright mate, see you later"

So the time pressure was on. This was also where Tim, aka the Duracell bunny, for some reason decided he should take Matt's panniers instead of mine. Since Mat had been involved in an accident where one of his panners had come off in the path of a cycling companion who ended up in hospital, and we all know how we make adjustments to ensure that our own stuff all workd together wit the bike, he was a bit nervous about all this, & I don't blame him.

Things went well until we reached Castlethorpe where the route took us down a seriously overgrown path, got well nettled, then the next section had recently been flooded and ws covered with gravel - Matt & Tim found my attempts to control Tim's bike on this surface somewhat amusing, Vernon and Matt's converted MTB negotiated the surface with rather less fuss.

(Matt & Tim alongide the Nene)

Matt

Matt & Tim

...past the hairy bits, we were on the riverside heading for Milton Keynes. I have long wanted to visit MK and check out the controversial "redways", so this was my chance. The routes are certainly fine but there didn't seem ot be much utility cycling going on, while there was plenty of traffic on the roads nearby. We made made a slightly wrong route choice by blindly following Route 6, while Route 5 looks to be a better choice on the map - however we did power along an old railway line, stoping briefly to remove a fallen tree (Tim & self putting our Sustrans rangers hats on for a moment) and then followed the route alongside the Grand Union, pleasantly scenic if a little bumpy, and it did bring us out on the right side of MK, at Bow Brickhill, following the redways for the last part of the urban transit. From here we climbed up at 1:8 (what is that in percentages again?) into beech woods on the edge of the Chilterns, aligning ourselves with Woburn.

A fortuitious wrong turn saw us correctly placed for the spin past Woburn, and having got ompletely disoriented when we came out at the wrong place, I handed over the navigation to Tim (after all he already had my bike and I've got it set up so I can read the map as I go along on my own bike - see my comments above). With a strong following wind (We'd had a lot of that, the pay-off for the rough time we'd had on Thursday) we zoomed along towards Luton, aware of the need to get to the campsite in good time. Having discussed the options, it was clear that one of would have to get the train in to London, and Matt volunteered - I suspect he was ready for a break, the pace having been pretty hard over the day. As we approached Luton & crossed the M1, traffic got heavy, & some joker threw water at me from a van - I'm sure he though it was funny, but I didn't. We passed Leagrave station and this looked like a good spot to send Matt off on the train.

to be continued...

Tour De France Blog II

2007-07-08T22:29:00.000Z

Thursday morning dawned and I found Tim bright and ready for the off at my door at 8 a.m. After a spot of coffee we were ready to roll. Tim seemed to like to ride my heavily laden tourer better than his ultra-lightweight carbon racer, so I was happy enough with that so we swopped and took off up to Meadowhead. On the way down through Dronfield Tim realised he was only wearing one glove, and I was missing my SDP clips so we stopped in at James's Chesterfield where they were just opening the doors. I merrily fitted my new spd's while Tim inspected the stock and off we set, choosing the short section of the canal in preference to rush hour traffic to get us to the station, with only a slight glitch when I realise I couldn't get out of the SPD's as I negotiated the access barrier to the canal - quickly grabbing the wall was only to prevent a disastrous topple.

It transpired I hadn't done the bolts up tight enough and one had come out. A bit more adjustment had us on our way, emerging out of the canal, back on the road, negotiating the intimidating A61 roundabout and heading up towards Clay Cross (see my May 20 blog entry)
we enjoyed the ups and downs of this section, swopping bikes again near Ripley, stopped as is traditional at the co-op in Little Eaton for sustenance, and got onto the cycleway and through Derby in short order. Following route 6 now - what a blinder this route is, anyone who hasn't done this and still claims all sustrans routes are pants should really put up or shut up.

Following the route of a disused canal out of derby, then on a real canal for a bit before joining a disused railway, mostly tarmacced, then linking with the Cloud Trail and minor roads through rolling farmland, we kept up a good speed, despite a bit of headwind. Nevertheless our estimate of a 2 p.m. arrival at Leicester was optimistic - we saw off Loughborough in reasonably short order, chasing down the old A6, but it wasn't until 4 that we hit Leicester and found the Cycle Park, that excellent facility in the Town Hall where you can leave your bike, have a shower, get your bike fixed and buy some spares, meeting up with Mat who was to join us for the rest of the ride. We refreshed with tea & cake and as the market was closing I was able to pick up a tray of bananas which stayed with us for a few days.

However, as we left Leicester on the Great Central Way the heavens opened. Things got worse when, in the outer suburbs, Tim got a puncture which took 5 attempts to fix, and we spent 1 1/2 hours in a bus stop in in the rain trying to sort it out. Morale was low and both Mat and I were thinking of returning to Leicester (Mat would have been very happy to put us up) but Tim was determined to press on.

..to be continued..

Tour de France Blog

2007-07-04T18:38:00.000Z

The first leg of the ride to london for the start of the Tour De France was ignominiously cancelled due to the weather - not so much because of the rain itself but because all the camp sites in Derbushire are flooded. So me & Tim are going to set off early in the morning, either getting the train to Derby or cycling all the way depending on the weather.

Topiary cyclists in hyde park

2007-07-04T18:35:00.001Z

...for the tour de france london stage.

Source: bbc

Cycling to Derby

2007-05-20T12:42:00.000Z

Was going to go down on Friday for the conference drink and camp at Elvaston. However a call to the campsite revealed that it was flooded, so a quick rethink ensued & I decided to cycle down, have a drink and get the train back, returning in the morning.

Took the pedal pushers recommended route to Derby. A strong south-westerly blasted in my fact as I headed up Abbeydale Rd to Owler which I didn't lose until I turned left at Curbar Gap. Following that the route zig-zags so I was either blasting along with the following wind or struggling against the breeze. Suffice to stay that it took me an hour to get out of Sheffield, and I covered an equivalent distance in a quarter of an hour once I had turned. The last bit into Derby on the B6179 was particularly taxing - however , I soon found myself pootling along the river and ending up at the Brunswick about 9:15, where I met the first bunch of people who were "just leaving" going upstairs I found some more folks "just off for a curry" - however there were still enough folk around to have a discussion about the merits of Sustrans vs the CTC etcetera, and after a few beers headed off for the train home and the comfort of Myy Own Bed.

In the morning , up early to head to the conference (report to follow - it's stuck on my Palm at the moment) Had a good day and once again a couple of drinks at the Brunswick. Decided to take a different route home, following the B6179 out of Derby, but continuing up to Ripley, (which has a greenway that might be worth exploring) then via Oakerthorpe onto the B6013, which links up with the A61 at Higham and onwards through Clay Cross to Chesterfield. Looking at the map you might think that as this more or less follows the railway it would be fairly flat, but this is far from the case! the B6013 is a stonking road with plenty of ups and downs., and views looking over the Amber valley towards the route I had taken to get down.

The A61 is a road of character wih some great downhills and it was good to see ex-mining townss like Clay Cross obviously having recovered somewhat from the mine closures.

At Chesterfield where the big roundabout is being rebuilt I found myself in a throbbing town centre at 8pm, lots of revelry, but I headed to the station to pick up the TPT route out of town as recommended in another of our bike routes, Sheffield to Chesterfield.

The tow path whilst bumpy was reasonably fast & I was soon back on the road climbing up towards Dronfield. My dinner date at 9 in Nether Edge beckoned, and I made it for 9:15. The journey each way took 3 1/4 hours, regardless of the wind direction - anyone care to beat that? I hear it rained in Sheffield - I didn't see a drop in either direction, or in Derby.