Cycle campaigning

It's not old per se, just hardly use due to the new CS7 being more convenience, it's the perfect route for those who's not very confident in riding with heavy traffic.

I can't remember the route exactly as I and my dad followed the signage (Cycle Guide 14 I think).

I wonder what flash rides actually achieve

For me it's all about raising awareness, getting the message to a wider audience. 20 secs on local news is better than nothing I reckon.

How you translate public outcry/popular opinion into public policy is another kettle of chips altogether.

I have a few issues with segregation.

But the LCC line seems to be 'space to cycle' which in a way is a request for other road users to give us space, too. So I'm happy to support it. Ditto the chant 'blue paint not enough'.

I'd like to see all drivers required to take cycle training, for instance.

Hope to make this ride tonight. Can I call someone to help me catch up in case I'm a bit late? Jmf?

I have a few issues with segregation.

But the LCC line seems to be 'space to cycle' which in a way is a request for other road users to give us space, too. So I'm happy to support it. Ditto the chant 'blue paint not enough'.

I really don't like the LCC tagline 'clear space for cycling'. It doesn’t mean anything in the London context. If anything they should be, campaigning for making sharing space easier through reducing speeds, educating drivers and cyclists, creating places where it is pleasant to walk around, where people can cross roads, sit on a bench and watch the world go by.

There is a need to enforce risky behavior by drivers and make it harder, less accepable and much more expensive to drive so that fewer people drive and those that do are going slower and looking out more for other people.

I'd like to see all drivers required to take cycle training, for instance.

Driving instructor taking cycle training would make a much bigger difference IMHO.

(although I would support drivers taking cycle training as part of their lesson, but can be tricky if they don't own let alone ride a bicycle).

im gonna be there tommorrow.
will pass this on to all contacts, not many will come from dorzet but Ill try.
Felt today that there must be only this possible.
why in Spain and other countries can those societies show massive protests about serious issues like deaths! we need to come together for this to get heard.
Good on you J!

The answer to 'What good do flashrides do?' is best answered by the public reaction to last week's Shard climb by the Greenpeace ladies. A lot more people are now aware of Shell's adventures in the Arctic. Whether or not anything comes of that remains to be seen, but it's a necessary part of the process of changing people's minds.

I really don't like the LCC tagline 'clear space for cycling'. It doesn’t mean anything in the London context. If anything they should be, campaigning for making sharing space easier through reducing speeds, educating drivers and cyclists, creating places where it is pleasant to walk around, where people can cross roads, sit on a bench and watch the world go by.

There is a need to enforce risky behavior by drivers and make it harder, less accepable and much more expensive to drive so that fewer people drive and those that do are going slower and looking out more for other people.

I think the logic behind the 'space' line is that several of these collisions have happened in places where there isn't even a mandatory lane - Aldgate is just blue paint with no line to indicate drivers shouldn't enter it, and High Holborn has nothing. Given the volumes of bike traffic at these locations they need much better provision, but there's seemingly no acknowledgement of bikes there.

The debate over the merits of segregation vs shared space is a lengthy one, but the message for TfL/Boris is that the current default of doing virtually nothing for bikes isn't good enough.

How many people have been killed by HGV this year already?

I close the topic where I found the link by mistake but this one is exactly what I'm talking about;

The threat of a daytime lorry ban, almost universally dismissed as unworkable, might serve to concentrate minds, given that it would carry considerably greater costs, especially in the construction sector. I realise that there is currently a night-time ban on lorries in London, but this should be done away with. This ban dates back to 1982, and I have no idea at all why it was brought in. We want as many HGV movements at night as possible, surely?

I was annoyed by the TfL spokeperso on the news last night (can't remember the name) who said something along the lines of "we don't want our actions to be just a kneejerk reaction...over time we will see the changes".

I think that's an appalling statement.

Leon Daniels is the TfL spokesperson

Hope to make this ride tonight. Can I call someone to help me catch up in case I'm a bit late? Jmf?

yes yes,
sounds like its pretty central, and wont be fast moving, so bell me- have a spin together.

Why is banning HGV's seen as "universally" unworkable? Lots of other big cities such as Paris and Shanghai have managed it.

How many cyclists died in Paris last year....?

2011 - 0

Not sure what's 2012 was.

Banning HGV itself is unworkable, a different and better HGV restriction would be much more plausible.

Rush-hour HGV restrictions in Paris appear limited to Monday mornings and Friday evenings (with alterations made around public holidays).

That's from here, which seems to be reasonably up to date.

Also just noticed that article emphasises the ban is on HGVs entering and leaving Paris, which suggests there's no restrictions on their movements within the city itself.

There's not much a HGV can play with if it's can't enter and leave.

The issue at Holborn is that the Holborn gyratory needs to be returned to two-way operation. It's not the worst gyratory by any stretch, but it's pretty irritating.

I can't make the ride tonight, as I'm booked for something else. Hope it goes well.

Here's an interesting article from Christian Woolmar about changing public opinion into public policy

http://liberalconspiracy.org/2013/07/16/london-cyclists-need-to-make-themselves-heard-to-improve-safety/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+liberalconspiracy+(Liberal+Conspiracy

We clearly need more children to die for something to change.

Or a politican's relative/friend, that's highly recommended as it make the biggest difference.

The times are sending out e-mails asking people to invite their MP to the next Parliamentary debate on cycling safety. You can send an e-mail to your MP here:

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/pledge/

This is the text of my message incase you want to adapt it. Its just a quick message i'm sure it can be improved...

Dear YOUR MP,

Please attend the Get Britain Cycling debate on Monday, September 2.

3 cyclists have been killed in 3 weeks in central London and more deaths and injuries have occurred across the UK in the same time period. Almost 10 people per day are killed on UK roads and although this number is coming down, the proportion of serious injuries involving more vulnerable road users is rising.

A recent holiday in Denmark has shown me just how wonderful, enjoyable and safe both rural and urban cycling can be. In this country we need politicians to lead the way in achieving parity on cycling safety. So please attend the debate and speak up for cyclists and help remove the dangers posed by traffic, lorries and the unsafe road designs we are stuck with in the UK.

Yours sincerely,

YOU

^ they might cross check against tourism figures for recent trips to Denmark, text would suggest a spike of late...

Very well attended ride this evening. I understand that around 20 feeder rides to Russel Square were spontaneously orgainsed on Twitter. Good seeing many forum folk there. Still not sure of the slogan 'Space for cycling' and no one I asked could really say what it means.

Very sad cycling past the place where the person died just after passing the unfortunately named group of parked HGVs on Procter Street

http://www.killoughery.co.uk/images/Main%20pic%20log.jpg