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  • Sadly I'm now starting to wonder if the chaps that were out riding round Kings Cross every weekend during the election weren't on to something. At the time I didn't support it. The promises of support weren't there from the politicians.

    Those promises now are, and they are being broken. I don't believe for a second (although I freely admit that it's my own opinion, and as such is likely to be wrong) that Boris had read that much about "Love London: Go Dutch", or understood it's demands. I stongly suspected at the time that he only signed up at the point at which all other candidates had done so, and felt not doing so made him look bad. The LCC ride I think was also a big pushing point, as were Londoners on Bikes (LoB) - I know that Boris's team where in contact with them, and were slightly concerned by them.

    Things that might help? Weekly disruptive rides at points that LCC or someone else has identified as dangerous? These shouldn't all be central. Maybe after a couple of goes, a day where cyclists try to target as many as we can at once. Make the city stop.

    Sloganisation - something like "Boris - A mayor who cycles, not one for cyclists?", something snappy that sticks and hits at him personally. Boris will hit back, but he will do whatever you do if it paints him in a bad light. The evidence for that claim is there, make it stick.

    Flyering at junctions - This is a bit of a lost art in some way,s but LoB found it very effective. Get something together, have dispersed colletion points that people can pick things up for it, and it will happen.

    Get the cycle shops involved. When I spoke to them for LoB, many of them where cross that LCC seemed to want cash from them, but not offer a lot back (that might not be how LCC see it, but it was something that came up in chatting to LBS owners). They will display posters for you. Offer them something in return - we offered a spot on a map, which really pleased them. LCC should be able to do something much the same. Get the big chains to make pronouncements on how the roads in London aren't safe enough - Evans, Cycle Surgery, etc. have PR teams that are willing to help if they can see something in it for them, in this case, being associated with positive changes to get more people onto bikes, as the roads become safer. If deaths keep happening, new people stop wanting to ride, and current riders stop riding. If things are safer, the revers happens. You do need to sell it to them though, as they are risk averse. Having the LCC logo on artwork for it will help with that. They are also likely to want to be in on your map too.

    I'm sure that there are more things, but these are things that I don't understand why they haven't been done. Or have they and the advances where rebuffed?

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