This is what happens if you don't put the cycle parking in like you promised guys....

In the news

Jeremy Paxman on how britain has become a squalid filthy nation.
As a cyclist you spent quite a lot of time looking at road verges, and I certainly agree with him.
"We are a filthy island in which there is now an occasional oasis of cleanliness."

Also "Where cyclists dare" - Cycling in Birmingham & Manchester

Interesting article by respected journalist Christian Wolmar on road pricing

The Avett Brothers

I was driving back from the supermarket last night when I heard the Avetts for the first time on Bob Harris Country, When he said they were on in Sheffield that night I knew I had to be there! So I dumped the shopping and headed down. What a great show, what a great band. For an old fart like me the comparison was like seeing Old & in the Way or the Burritos for the first time. It's a sign of a great song when you can sing along with it even though its the first time you've heard it! Come back soon guys, I'll get the gang down.

Good article on why rail privatisation isn't working

Overheard in sainsburys

Sainsburys cash desk person talking to colleague: "I don't use my car for work any more, I walk to work and I feel a lot better for it".

That's the spirit!

Sunday ride

Just a little run-ette this Sunday: Set off with the thought of surveying Chinley/New Mills stations. Did a quick phone check* and the trains seemed to be running so set off up the hill to Fox House. At the Grindleford junction thought I'd check on train progress, so on to the GPRS again, but this time I did the correct drill down and discovered that what I thought was a train was in fact a bus. The buses don't carry bikes, so decided to divert, visited Grindersfoot which has not yet been covered, then enjoyed a Sainsburys taste the difference cheese&pickly sandwich on Froggatt bridge before pootling home again. Spent the afternoon clearing out the garage - what fun!

*You can check train times on Vodafone Live.

Adventures in Bassetlaw

Set off today to do a bit more station surveying. Those of you who follow my ramblings will know of my disquiet that the first train to the east of Sheffield on the Worksop line, on a sunday, is at 13:48. I had occasion to take this train and one thing I hadn't realised about it is that it runs fast to Worksop. My plan was to de-train at Kiveton Bridge, and take to the Chesterfield Canal into Worksop so I could check out Shireoaks and Worksop stations. However, I discovered that the 13:48 is actually FAST to Worksop. The first slow one leaves at 14:01 although I didn't twig that when looking at the departure boards. In the other direction, the first train from Worksop to Sheffield leaves at 15:01 on a sunday - small wonder then that people drive to Sheffield or Maadowhall for their shopping & sightseeing. Hardly what you would expect of a European city though is it?

Nevertheless a 20 minute journey time to Worksop was a pleasure and I decided to head on to Gainsborough to have a look at the stations there. Gainsborough Lea Rd is actually a Central Trains (CT) (shortly to be handed over to the East Midland Franchise) although more Northern Trains (NT) stop there than CT. Gainsborough Central, on the other hand, is a NT station, but actually no trains stop there at all. This is the most desolate station I've visited on the Northern network, located next to a steel stockholder and up a litter-infested track. However, there are signs of what we call re-generation in Gainsborough, with a shopping and leisure centre being build next to the station, so perhaps it will rise again one day. Surreally, there are oil derricks bobbing up and down next to the station.

So I headed out of town on the A631, which does have a cycle route alongside, starting off as bumpy pavement but getting a bit more professional -looking when the road turns into a dual carriageway. My attempt to use a bit of "old road" turned out to be a disaster when I came to a railway with no way across so I had to retrace my pedals. The A620, with some bits of off-road, took me down to Retford - the town has made a bit of an attempt to create a cycle route along the Chesterfield canal, but really, could do better.

Turning up at the station, I heard a train to Sheffield announced , so thought I might as well hop on and get down to Worksop to get with my original plan. This was a mistake. First-ly, the announcement had stated the wrong platform , so although I knew which platform the Sheffield train should go from I met a bunch of people off to find platform 1 - the fast platform for GNER expresses - then some people who had stayed uneasily on the right platform. Shortly after another anouncement advised us to switch to the opposite platform - always a pleasure whwen lugging a bike. A bunch of local youths had appropriated the adjacent field for a spot of off-road motorbiking, and I was joined by a chav family with double whining brats and yapping lap-dog (makes a change from child-killing pitbull I suppose) so the wait was less than relaxing. Anyway half an hour later the train arrived, already packed. No time left for a nice run along the canal, so back to Shef I went.

Reflective Jackets

Sourced without permission from the gmcc site, who reproduced it without permission from Private Eye

Check out the Couchbike!

Government as much to blame as First for Great Western fiasco

.. Says Christian Wolmar

Good ride today

Set off with Patrice and Martin the bus-man up through Holmesfield, down Cowley Lane to Commonside, then via Barlow and Pinfold up on to the tops. P & M set off home at that point, but I continued to Calver down the main rd (a few cars passed me but I passed them at the approach to the roundabout- quick search for a cafe in Calver, but nothing doing so settled on the Country Bookstore for lunch. Quick climb over the back road, down the main road and there you are! Good homemade soup as well. Was heading for the Hope Valley to do a survey of the cycle parking at stations (I am doing this for Northern Rail with Martin Bright) - so to get in the rail mood took the monsal trail to Gt Longstone and then Longstone Edge - starts as a punishing climb but gets better after a bit, big quarry at the top that doesn't add to the landscape at all. After you get over the top the world seems to tilt towards you, a bit like Google Earth (except this is the real thing) - down andacross to Foolow, skirting Gt Hucklow and then swooping down through Bradwell.

Did Hope, Bamford Hathersage & stations - would have done more but had to head for home as there were no trains. So it was up over Fox House and home via Dore where there is still no cycling parking. 52 miles total. Knackered now!

Reasons to be a Sustrans Ranger pt II

..the Decaux advertising sign at the top of Staveley Rd has been subjected to a sustained campaign of glass-breaking, presumably by local kids. This leaves bits of broken glass all over the cycle ramp leading to Abbeydale Rd. Streetforce are very good at coming out to clean up once its reported, but use a mechanical cleaner that leaves some bits of glass still on the ramp. Passing by with my Sustrans broom (kindly donated by Streetforce, and of a standard that leaves no prisoners) I was able to remove the remnants in a jiffy, so they won't end up lodged in your inner tube. Jobs a good'un!

Reasons to be a Sustrans Ranger, pt 1

Cycling home along the Upper Hanover Way cycle route (not a Sustrans route) on Jan 18th, the windiest, stormiest day of the year (transport chaos everywhere) my hat was grabbed off my head by a passing bramble (these are rampant despite it being mid-winter - nothing to do with climate change of course) Having my trusty Sustrans secateurs in the back pocket of my pannier, however, I was able to not only retrieve said headpiece, but give the bramble in question a right good seeing to with the old secs. There will be no question of another cyclist's hat being robbed by those anti-social brambles for quite a while now I can tell you.

Connoisseurs of the UHW bike route will note that not only has the broken-down tree been removed, it has been scrubbed clean and the fast growing nettles (nettles? in January?) have been removed due to my exhortations to Streetforce and their speedy response, as well as my own ministrations with the secateurs, particularly with regard to eye-level thorns.

First Great Western ARE shit

It's offiicially confirmed in parliament!

See this one also!

Blah Party

A refreshing bit of nonsense from Captain Sensible

SMS Trivia

I am sometimes amused by the predictive text on my phone. For example if you type in Simon

you can also get Phono - which as I have a passing interest in hi-fi & music I thought rather appropriate.

If you type Mal in, the name of a renowned trike-maker and carpenter, you get Oak.

Anyway, if you type in Awake, you get Cycle - which I thought was good.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

Some jokes

Wit of Richard Hawley last night:

People say that I'm as soft as a bag o'tits, and this song proves it.

Oh, you're from Rotherham? Gimme six!

After a stonking performance of The Ocean:

Christ! I feel like I've had a shag!

and from uk.rec.cycling:

Bloke in Paris, apparently caught short:

Gendarme: Monsieur, défense de pisser!
Bloke: Mais non, je m'abuse
Gendarme: Pardon monsieur. Vive la sport.

First Great Western are shit

Went to the Cycle Campaign Network board meeting in Reading on Saturday. Got to Paddington after an unfeasibly early start from Sheffield, and the same thing had happened as the last time I had been there - the Cheltenham train had been cancelled. That means the (In this case) Paington train is full of rich tossers (in the supposedly quiet coach) bleating down the phone to their posh friends "oh gahd, they've thrown off off our train, we don't know when we'll get there" What must make it all the more galling for these appalling ageing sloanies is that they will have to change in Swindon, the armpit of the West Country.

On the way back, the train was running late because one of the power cars had broken down. Now I'm sorry, but millions of motor cars are running up and down the roads that girdle the globe, and generally they don't break down. The reason? Maintenance, pure and simple. Maintain the trains properly and they won't break down.

So, three messages for First Great Western - firstly, you are shit. Secondly, I notice that you have managed to put ticket barriers up at many of your stations. This is all well and good, but if you want us to pay for your services you will First have to provide them. Run them on time, don't cancel them, make sure everyone has a seat and all will be well. Thirdly, don't cancel the Cheltenham train - it just makes life completely appalling for the rest of us.

We are not impressed by your (First Mainline) bus fares policy in Sheffield either. Just because 36% of the population of the city doesn't own a car doesn't mean you are entitled to fleece them for all they are worth.

LO, and the First shall be last...

What's needed for a cycle route, Sheffield - Dronfield - Chesterfield

Sheffield to Chesterfield – what’s needed.

(as promised in previous post)

Sheffield - Dronfield - Chesterfield rail services are set to improve with the introduction of Nottingham - Leeds services. With this a parallel cycle route is needed that will enable people to cycle along this busy commuter route, and mix'n'match with the rail service.

The implementation of the route will require co-operation between Sheffield City Council, Derbyshire County Council and local councils of Dronfield and Chesterfield.

Sheffield City Centre to Meadowhead has a signed route and Chesterfield Rd has some bus lanes/bike facilities, so unlikely to make any further progress here for a while (completion of the route through Meersbrook Park would be useful)

Meadowhead “squareabout” is due to a refurb but this has been postponed by SCC.

An off-road route is needed between Meadowhead & Bowshaw.

Speed limit reductions are needed between Bowshaw and Dronfield, and between Dronfield and Chesterfield. Dronfield itself has a 20 mph speed limit although better enforcement of this is needed.

Sign Mill Lane in Dronfield as a cycle route & improve surface at southern end– avoiding busy section of road. Cycle Stands needed for visitors to GB cycles, the Sidings and the nature park.

Unstone – investigate alternative route following river and avoiding the railway bridge. Note that the Nationwide boatyard has closed, could lead to development, hence planning gain funding.

Sheepbridge – imporove conditions under railway bridges, remove ridiculous cycle calming measure in bike lane. If you want to slow someone down slow the traffic down!

A61 Roundabout (James’s cycle shop) Signage in centre of roundabout subway system to include

Route should be signed from both City Centres and the three Railway Stations.

Feeder routes should be identified that will enable access to the spinal route from residential areas.

Note that the journey time, for an experienced and confident road cyclist between Sheffield and Chesterfield is approximately one hour.