www.lcc.org.uk
February/March 2009
£2/free to members
Health kick New London study
Winning smiles The London Cycling Awards
PLUS Organising bike tours for your group Win an Ortlieb LED saddle pack
■ NEWSMURPHY ■ RIDES ■ ■ EVENTS ■ PRODUCT ■ PRODUCTS ■ DERVLA & NEWS EVENTS REVIEWS ■■JOSIE BOOKS DEW
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Contents
February/March 2009 04
Issue 115
There's much to be said about democracy. You do, after all, get what you (collectively) vote for, which can work out well (Barack Obama, one hopes), or it can all go a little pear-shaped (his predecessor). For an example closer to home, we need only look as far as City Hall. Last year, London elected a mayor who cycles ahead of an incumbent who was not a cyclist but did have an excellent track record of supporting cycling and promoting (and funding) its growth. One could argue that the fact Mayor Boris Johnson is a cyclist has had little effect on his initial transport strategies. Sure, we get a cycle hire scheme, but we would have had that with Ken anyway. And we get 'cycle corridors' or 'cycle superhighways', which could help nurture new cyclists. And we get rid of bendy buses (though there's not evidence to suggest they were a threat to anyone anyway). And we get motorbikes in bus lanes (there's no evidence to suggest this is a good idea, either). And what about the changes to the congestion charge? Or the abandonment of the London Cycling Network+? Thankfully the determination to deliver pro-cycling projects is alive at grassroots level, as well as in some corporate and public sectors. In this issue, we profile the winners of the most recent London Cycling Awards, and pay tribute to the ideas, strategic thinking and dedication that saw these (and other) worthwhile cycling projects come to fruition during 2008. How similar projects fare in the future – given many are funded from City Hall coffers – remains to be seen. Lynette Eyb
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Product reviews
Features 12 The London Cycling Awards
COVER STORY
The 2008 winners profiled
18 Cycling and health Why medical professionals should encourage cycling
Technical 20 Staying on two wheels Advice to help avoid collisions
22 Workshops Maintenance courses across the capital
23 How to... make your school cycle-friendly
WIN!
an Ortlieb saddle pack
24 Let your bike take the load Bags, bags and more bags
26 Bright little things Solar-powered lights
Regulars 4 News, chief executive's column The campaign against motorbikes in bus lanes, and the Mayor's transport strategy
6 Your letters plus Zoe Williams 11 Opinion Oliver Schick on why the Law Lords' ruling on Critical Mass really matters
29 Members’ pages Make the most of your membership
london Cyclist
32 Local group news Reports from your part of town
36 Diary Rides and events for all cyclists
40 Books ’n’ things plus Josie Dew Includes our Fine lines extract
43 My Way Bermondsey to South Kensington
44 Outward Bound
COVER STORY
Organising tours for your local group
47 Outward Bound The Tour de France
49 Dispatches Braving the roads in Delhi
50 My bike & I Writer Dervla Murphy Cover: Marek Sikora
Editor Lynette Eyb Product reviews Ian Cleverly Design Anita Razak Marketing & proofing Mike Cavenett Advertising Mongoose Media, Anthon Linton (020 7306 0300 ext 112, lcc@mongoosemedia.com) ■ London Cyclist welcomes voluntary contributions, including photographs. All work is accepted in good faith. Content may be edited and reproduced online – see www.lcc.org.uk/londoncyclist You can contact the editorial team via 2 Newhams Row, London, SE1 3UZ (020 7234 9310, londoncyclist@lcc.org.uk) All views expressed in London Cyclist are those of the authors and are not necessarily endorsed by the editor, nor do they necessarily reflect LCC policy. Editorial content is independent of advertising. All material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the editor. London Cyclist is printed by Wyndeham Grange on paper made from 100% de-inked post consumer waste. London Cycling Campaign is a charitable limited company, reg no 1766411; charity no 1115789 See page 29 for information about London Cycling Campaign
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News Chief executive’s column Koy Thomson I take no delight in pessimism, so let’s get it over with: motorbikes in bus lanes; western extension of the congestion zone to be scrapped; cuts in LCN+ budgets for boroughs. It wasn’t a great end to 2008 for cyclists in London. Smoothing traffic flow through re-phasing traffic lights, designed to appeal to more motorists, was the ‘next big transport policy’. It seems the recession has cemented the perception of the hard-done-by motorist who needs to be appeased at all political costs, as well as reminding politicians of the economic centrality of the car industry which needs to be bailed out at all costs. Favouring cars makes public transport less attractive, and the resulting traffic growth dissuades cyclists and walkers. In addition, global warming, and noise and air pollution get worse. It’s bonkers! So what reasons do we have to be cheerful? I am optimistic. Let us not forget that Mayor Boris Johnson is a genuine and passionate cycling advocate. I have known of no other mayor who has commanded his transport team to cycle with him (and me) to see what can be done to improve cycling. Who else has used an appearance on Top Gear to promote cycling? His actions on motorbikes and congestion charging contradict this, but let the optimist say these were election obligations, rather than thought-through transport policies. This year we will have a new transport policy and a restructured Transport for London (TfL). Work will start on mass cycle-hire and the cycle corridors. LCC’s Bus Lane Watch is underway, and we will be pushing for new partnerships with local authorities, TfL and the health sector to boost cycling at a borough level. It may also be that despite cuts in LCN+ the overall cycling budget will increase. It needs to. The financial picture is complex, but again the man at the top seems committed to increasing spending on cycling. The place to look for real nourishment is LCC’s community cycling work. I only have to look at the photo of Gwen Cook and her AgeWell On Wheels ride (see page 5) to feel a surge of inspiration. As a member of LCC, you’re part of a movement for change that is hugely significant. That is reason enough to look forward with optimism in 2009.
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AN LCC CAMPAIGN
Cycle hire green light Mayor’s transport blueprint is released There has been a mixed reaction from cyclists to Mayor Boris Johnson’s Way To Go policy document, which maps out his transport plans for the capital. LCC welcomed plans for a mass cycle-hire scheme, while the proposed cycle highways have the potential to tackle key barriers to cycling, according to LCC chief executive Koy Thomson. He described as “intriguing” a plan to create cycle hubs in the outer boroughs, which he said could relieve motor vehicle congestion in surburban town centres, and increase cycle use at the local level. “But we have concerns about other aspects of the plans,” he said. “The proposals for ‘traffic-smoothing’ are likely
to favour the movement of motor vehicles, which will lead to more car use and congestion across the city. “LCC also believes the lack of support for the 500-mile London Cycle Network Plus (LCN+) will undermine plans for cycling growth. LCN+ was designed to link cycle routes dotted around the city to make a coherent whole. A vast amount of time and money has been invested in LCN+, with a significant input from LCC volunteers – we don’t want that to go to waste.” The LCC team is pushing for an open dialogue with the mayor on the completion of LCN+ and its future. LCC sent the mayor its response to the consultation process, which is now closed.
AN LCC CAMPAIGN
Motorbikes in bus lanes LCC has launched Bus Lane Watch in response to Mayor Boris Johnson’s decision to allow an 18-month trial of motorbikes in bus lanes. Road users should visit www.lcc.org.uk/campaigns and post details of any incidents or experiences involving motorbikes in bus lanes. By visiting the LCC site, you can register your opinion on the scheme becoming permanent. Comments during the first six months of the trial are particularly welcome as this stage of the trial is being slated as an initial consultation period – during this time there will also be an opportunity to fill in a survey on the Transport for London website at http://tinyurl.com/TfLconsultation
The colourful launch of Bus Lane Watch
AN LCC CAMPAIGN
LCC NEWS
Western congestion zone scrapped
Borough councils say yes to cycling
Mayor Boris Johnson will scrap the western extension of the congestion zone despite fierce opposition from LCC, which pointed out that the mayor’s own consultation document stated the move would lead to a rise in congestion and pollution, and a decrease in revenue. “The world envied London for its courage in introducing the congestion charge,” said LCC chief executive Koy Thomson. “Scrapping the western extension means more pollution and congestion, and £70 million less for improving transport: does the mayor think this is what people who are against the charge really want? It has been a terrible failure of leadership.” The extension will stay until the statutory instruments to allow its removal are put in place (spring 2010 at the earliest).
LCC and London Councils, the umbrella organisation of the 33 boroughs, have produced a joint policy document on how to bring down barriers to cycling and maintain growth in cycle use. The plan covers a range of measures including increasing cycle training, improving major junctions and gyratories, two-way access for cyclists on minor roads, cycle parking in new developments and on the street, better enforcement of cycling facilities and improved public realm. A similar document has been produced in conjunction with walking organisations – both documents are at www.lcc.org.uk/news. LCC chief executive Koy Thomson said the documents were clear messages to Mayor Boris Johnson and Transport for London that the boroughs believe cycling and walking must be central to the city’s transport plans over the coming years.
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News
Send items for the news pages to news@lcc.org.uk or write to the address on page 3
AN LCC CAMPAIGN
HGV campaign continues
in brief
Lambeth Council helps fight lorry casualties A cyclist was killed in Streatham in April 2008 as a result of a collision with a truck. “London has the potential to be a world-class cycling city,” said Cllr Sally Prentice, Lambeth Council’s cabinet member for the environment. “We hope other organisations follow our lead and run training schemes so we can make London a safer place for cyclists.” Charlie Lloyd of LCC’s campaigns team – himself a former lorry driver – said LCC had been lobbying for measures such as these for a long time. “Improving driver awareness can save lives,” he said. “We now hope other London boroughs and employers follow Lambeth’s example.”
LCC NEWS
LCC meets road safety minister to discuss lorry dangers LCC HGV group representatives visited Road Safety Minister Jim Fitzpatrick to discuss the implementation of the EU directives designed to make London lorries less dangerous to cyclists. The minister confirmed there would be no delay in implementing the EU directive, which demands all lorries registered from 2000 be fitted with downward-facing mirrors, as well as standard rear-view mirrors. However, the government will still not commit the haulage industry to fitting safety mirrors to lorries registered before 2000, and currently does not require employers to ensure drivers undergo cycle training. In the House of Lords, the transport minister Lord Adonis said retro-fitting mirrors was not possible as the new mirrors would be incompatible with some old lorries. However, this only applies to a tiny percentage of lorries and the EU directive shows how to make allowances for them.
AN LCC CAMPAIGN
Are you receiving the LCC email newsletter?
Eurostar carries record number of bikes
LCC’s email newsletter is sent out every two months, alternating months with London Cyclist magazine. Receiving the newsletter ensures you’re the first to find out about the latest LCC campaign and member news. The e-newsletter content is also posted on LCC’s website. If you are not receiving the e-newsletter, it could be because LCC does not have your most recent email address – to update your details, email your name and membership number (or postcode if you don’t have the lattter) to membership@lcc.org.uk. Your email program could also be putting the newsletter into your spam folder – to prevent this happening, add newsletter@lcc. emailmsg.net to your contacts list.
Eurostar saw a 300% rise in cycle carriage after LCC worked with CTC and other cycling organisations to campaign for better cycle access on trains. From April-August 2007, Eurostar carried 347 bikes on its trains, a figure that more than trebled to 1377 for the same period in 2008. April 2008 saw a change in the rules whereby passengers could reserve a place for their bike on their train, rather than having to either box up their bike or put it on a separate train. Under the old system, many passengers waited up for 24 hours for their bike, or decided to leave it at home. The new ‘Bikes on board’ booking scheme followed a demonstration outside St Pancras International by members of City Cyclists, Camden Cycling Campaign and other LCC groups.
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LCC NEWS
LC needs new editor After more than two years in charge, Lynette Eyb, editor of London Cyclist magazine, is leaving the magazine to move abroad. LCC is looking for an experienced freelance journalist/editor to take the helm of its popular magazine. More details are available from www.lcc.org.uk. Applications close February 10.
Community funding The Active Travel Consortium and Community Cycling Fund for London (CCFfL) grant allocation schemes are now accepting applications for 2009 grants. Community groups that want to set up a cycling project can apply for a grant of up to £5000. The initial funding round closes on February 6, with a second round March 16-27. Agewell on Wheels (pictured) is just one group to have benefited from LCC’s community cycling work. For more information, visit www.lcc.org.uk/ community.
Member wins £200 Tim Mitchell, from Tooting, won £200 in bike shop vouchers by filling in LCC’s online survey. “I’m saving up for a folding bike at the moment, and this will come in very handy,” he said. Tim was chosen at random from over 500 people who responded to LCC’s survey of members and website users. The survey was on cycling habits and membership interests.
Cars and phone use Many people still use mobile phones while driving, despite tougher penalties introduced over the last two years. In a What Car? magazine survey, 93% of respondents said they had seen a driver using a mobile in the past week, while 36% admitted breaking the law themselves – down only 6% since 2005. The results come despite increases in fixed penalties for phone use, and the increased likelihood of custodial sentences.
Photo: Natalie Pecht
Lorry and bus drivers working for Lambeth Council are receiving training sessions in cycling road safety in a bid to prevent collisions involving cyclists and HGVs. Drivers of refuse vehicles, school buses and other HGVs run by Lambeth are receiving classroom and practical on-road cycle training to highlight the dangers posed to cyclists caught in lorries’ blind spots. The council is also installing signs on all its lorries and buses warning of the danger of cycling on their inside. The training, in conjunction with Cycle Training UK, involves drivers themselves riding bikes. Lambeth is the only London borough to have so far adopted these kinds of measures.
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Letters Have your say
There’s no harm in saying sorry I thought your advice about how to deal with a collision was fine in the December/January issue, but I’m not sure I agree with your advice not to say sorry. An apology can take the heat out of a situation, dissolve anger and reduce stress. I’m no lawyer, but I do know that Section 2 of the Compensation Act 2006 states that: “An apology […] shall not of itself amount to an admission of negligence” (in England and Wales). Surely, where it is appropriate, saying sorry may help if there’s been a collision. I know I would appreciate it if the other party said it to me, but we can’t expect them to do it if we’re not prepared to do it ourselves. Michael Casey, Vauxhall Motorcycle debate continues “Motorbikes could use ASLs” read your headline in the December/ January issue. Motorbikes already use ASLs and, as far as I can tell, there is no-one telling them they shouldn’t. I’ve been attacked by motorcyclists and had my rear wheel buckled by a boot because I positioned myself in front of motorcycles in the ASL. I’ve been on the receiving end of similar treatment when I’ve been “in the way” of a motorcycle on a cycle path. We are used to hearing stories of cyclists being fined for illegal behaviour, so why are motorcyclists being allowed to get away with even more dangerous behaviour? PJ Crittenden, EC1 I find it unfair of Donald McCready (Letters, Oct/Nov) to describe the LCC campaign against motorcycles in bus lanes as misguided and mean-spirited. I agree that the initial reaction to the proposal might have been NIMBY-ish, but the campaign
has since been conducted sensibly, just criticising that: Boris Johnson is doing a group of road users a favour for getting him elected; he has ignored studies; some stakeholders were not consulted. Various groups did a good job getting Boris to push this through, so why should LCC campaign on behalf of motorcyclists? Just because some members can sympathise with motorcyclists does not mean we should support such an undemocratic stance. Opening up bus lanes is a way of making undertaking at speed legal for motorcyclists by using the safety argument, which of course nobody wants to disagree with. What I found riding my scooter (and my bicycle) is, as soon as I went much slower, the dangerous encounters I used to have almost disappeared. Bus lanes are probably the only places cyclists don’t get overtaken with centimetres to spare. This comfort is being taken away by mixing the fastest vehicles with the slowest. This is reason enough to worry and to campaign against it. Gerhard Weiss, E17 I’m disappointed that trials to allow motorcycles in bus lanes are to take place, but I’m particularly angered by Boris Johnson’s approach to a rational argument. Boris has suggested that, despite there not having been any fatal incidents involving cyclists and bendy buses, perception of safety was a strong enough argument to take them off the roads. If that’s the case, he’s showing a dubious sense of leadership by failing to acknowledge the weight of opinion of cyclists who feel sharing a bus lane with motorcycles will threaten their safety. It’s an incredibly hypocritical stance to take. If Boris is going to talk about perception of safety, he really needs to look beyond the areas where he thinks he can develop a legacy. Edouard Guidon, by email I was disappointed to see fellow cyclists being reduced to petty name-calling in Leigh’s letter in the Dec/Jan issue. I’m against motorbikes sharing bus lanes, but we shouldn’t be describing other minority transport groups such as scooter users as “delinquents”. Often cyclists are described in less than flattering terms by other
road users and all too often this is without reason. I appreciate there is a minority of motorcyclists who ride irresponsibly, but tarring them all with the same brush doesn’t do the cycling community any favours. Andy Hillier, Ealing Feature
Madesutore mea
one by one, by with bikes were made, line. To coincide Once upon a time, than on a production pays tribute to craftsmen, rather issue, Mark Mitchell LCC’s 30th birthday remaining bespoke bike builders last two of London’s in bicycles are sold ore than 3.5 million are each year. Not all in the United Kingdom A fraction are hand-built mass-produced. and made craft-based firms, this country by small, London two requirements. In to customers’ exact populated by from a world once such makers remain
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legendary names. Bates in Plaistow, emotive: like EG The names were stay fame) Hetchins (of curly Ephgrave in Clapton, the Barbican, Holdsworth of imperious in Tottenham, Hobbs in Homerton. The a brand of London, and Saxon lives on today as Claud Butler of Wandsworthremaining are Roberts two firms there in name only. The in Deptford. True, even – in in Croydon and Witcomb surviving – thriving, bicycles are other companies manufacture folding the capital: Brompton high performance Condor supplies in Brentford and few individuals machines, and a racing and but not in a sports or bespoke frames, make custom-made bicycle maker, the local, low-volume way that reflects
often a family business. makers stop? Why did many made-to-measure market saw a the 1970s the UK made in Partly because in low-cost products marketed flood of mass-produced, then came the powerfully So does the Far East, and today. so well established US brands that are exist now? It’s a bespoke makers that is handit matter that few do you want a machine or a factorymatter of choice: needs, for you and your dealers made specifically alternative? Bike built and made-for-many frame will meet most needs, claim that a factory-made of parts. That’s the beauty of coupled to a permutation common standards: on largely based the bicycle – it’s brakes, gears, tyres and seat fittings, think handlebar choose bespoke? is choice, so why and wheels. There a purposeargue that you get Custom builders investment an an exact fit, also It inspires made frame that’s riding style and habits. greater that matches your provides performance, and of owning confidence and plus there’s the sense comfort and control, There is less unique and personal. but some something truly Price is important, need to compromise. expensive than bikes can be more The annual mass-produced and value is relative. so a bespoke option, a car can be eye-watering, cost of maintaining In contrast, a a swanky restaurant. can eating out at as Roberts and may last for years, custom-made bike you. Witcomb will tell
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Cycles of change Tom Bogdanowicz looks at the rise, fall and return of the London brands Above: A classic fork crown on a Roberts track bike Right and main photo: The Witcomb workshop
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he butcher, the baker and the bicycle-maker: that was a typical London street back in the ’60s when Chas Roberts and Barrie Witcomb were not the last remaining London bike builders but just two among dozens. Not only did many bike shops have builders in the back like Roberts or in the basement like Evans, but you would often have a choice of builders within a couple of miles of each other. London was a showcase for some of the most innovative, stylish and beautiful bikes in the world. Italy could boast some of the best riders, and those riders made bike brands like Colnago, Cinelli and De Rosa world-famous, but for sheer quality of workmanship and attention to detail, London’s frame builders were ahead of the competition. It’s no surprise that London-built bikes of the ’50s and ’60s are now among the most collectible in the world. Individuality was inherent to London bike-making in the classic era. If you were having a bike made to measure, the sky was the limit in what you could ask for. What’s more, London bike-makers tried to outdo each other with their unusual lug designs, exotic frames and custom paint jobs. Among the best know was Hetchins with his trademark curly stays, hellenic stays and ornate lugs that boasted Latin names like Magnum Bonum and Vade Mecum that Alf Hetchins found at the local library. Distinctive stay designs were a way of identifying Hetchins bikes at time when racing bikes were not allowed to have transfers.
This is a Vic Lyons hand-built steel frame bicycle, Reynolds 531 tubing. The cycle, owned by Mark Knox, has recently been refurbished, and the rear stays widened to accept modern axle widths. The work was done by Mario Vaz of Vaz Finishes in Hither Green (020 885 0711). Mario used to do Vic Lyons’ stove-enamelling and believes he may have done the original spray work on this bike. The refurb includes the application of new, original, decals/transfers and some neat gold lining along the edges of the lug-work. Mark Knox himself did the dis- and re-assembly
All images Rob Ainsley
Making a noise about music While I agree with Koy Thomson’s comments in his Dec/Jan column, there is another barrier to social cohesion. I used to chat to other cyclists, but since the rise of the MP3 player, you are more than likely to draw up next to another cyclist and find your conversation killed by those dreaded white plastic earphones. It seems more cyclists want to be as isolated from their environment as the drivers they otherwise look down on. John Williams, W1
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Interview
My bike & I Tony
Doyle MBE
bike, the to LC about his first wheels Champion chats perfect day on two The former World and his idea of the commuter cycling
development of
on a bike? your very first time Do you remember riding in the garden a three-wheeler The first time was I must have only brothers and sisters. at home with my years old. been about four first bike? What about your hand-me-down adult bike was a I was 12. My first my uncle. Royal Enfield from do you own now? How many bikes favourite is my new that I use and my I own five bikes bike. Pinnacle 2008 road a cyclist? thing about being What’s the best freedom. and air fresh the do For me, it’s or cycling for leisure, When you’re commutingcyclist? a good you think you’re of other road become very aware I like to let Over the years I’ve helps with safety. users and this certainly be seen on the bike. important it is to people know how on two wheels? of a perfect day What’s your idea and beautiful and park – it’s very green It’s great I love Richmond rides there with friends. I’ve had many happy as for a bit of training. for relaxing, as well to cycling? hate when it comes What’s your pet to cyclists and cyclists room enough Traffic not giving are great safety enough when there not being visible clothing and market, including accessories on the cantly enhance that would signifi lighting accessories, their safety. riding the most? and the Isle Where do you enjoy include Etape Caledonia My favourite rides challenging. scenic and can be of Wight; both are huge success in Prologue was a The Tour de France knock-on effects What long-term London last year. will have? do you think this in cycling. For much more interested it was the first People are now and Britons in general, many Londoners level. Since the road cycling at this time they had seen than ever before year, more people Tour de France last – it’s fantastic. are trying cycling to the future of is commuter cycling How important cycling in the UK? simple way for is one easy and cycling Commuter in cycling. people to get involved encourage more people to to What must be done or competitively? particularly ride either socially ts needs to be promoted, on obesity. The health benefi government statistics in light of the recent friendly and, it’s environmentally Cycling is healthy, ts need to be – all these benefi most of all, it’s fun
is one easy and simple “Commuter cycling involved in cycling” get way for people to
on or associated one more thing If you could do and why? what would it be – it was a with two wheels, track racing to London It’s bright, Bring back six-day cyclist. promoted. cycling. What life as a professional to promote safer huge part of my are safe for You’ve done much energetic and entertaining. to ensure the roads to ride? needs to be done more people Cyclists cyclists, thus encouraging must be made available.reflective Track More cycle lanes and four times European ABOUT TONY DOYLE wearing helmets World Pursuit Champion, rider ever. He is a need to realise that think about addiTony Doyle was twice successful six-day and they should isn’t and is the UK’s most and a former clothing are a must and rear lighting Championship winner which he helped found, their bikes. Front of the Tour of Britain, 2009 he will head up tional lighting for enables them to former event director an MBE in 1989. In have lighting that which Cycling. He was awarded blind spot for enough – they must for Pedalite International, president of British side, which is a major festival. He is an ambassador be seen from the the market that solve Newham’s first cycling are products on lights for bikes (www.pedalite.com) than pedal easier It’s motorists. There produces battery-free as battery-free lights. this problem, such safe on the roads. ever before to be
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Bespoke bike makers I congratulate Tom Bogdanowicz on his article “Made to Measure” in the October/November issue, however two points arise. Firstly, he forgot to mention the firm of Fred Higgins, based in South Norwood, the main builder of lightweight tricycles and pioneer of a more modern form of differential. Secondly, regarding racing bikes being allowed to have their maker’s name on the frame, the ruling from the Lords and Masters of the RTTC was that such names should not be prominently displayed. Hence the rash of ‘unusual’ frames – Galibier, Hetchins, Bates and Thanet made their mark by being distinguishable. This was supposed to separate the amateurs from the unspeakable (the professionals). One wonders if the staff employed by the NCU were classed as professionals, given they made their living from cycling. Sián Charlton, by email Being seen Tony Doyle, in the Oct/Nov My bike & I says one of his pet hates is “cyclists not being visible enough”. I know we can’t see the back of his top, but in the photo he has a small amount of white, a smaller amount of red and the majority of his clothing is black. Andy Bebington, Croydon Cycle hire support I believe the London cycle hire scheme will encourage more people to start cycling and help reduce bike theft. Having experienced VéLove in Lyon and VéLib in Paris, I am confident it will be a success here. While the bikes used in France are comfortable, have a front-mounted basket and are fairly aesthetically pleasing, they do lack a rearmounted cycle rack. As a seasoned pannier user, I found this to be a barrier and would urge Londoners to learn from this Gallic omission and address this need. Louis Chan, by email
Congratulations to our Dec/Jan prize-winner: James Robertson of Herne Hill wins a Solo Equipe jersey courtesy of Mosquito Bikes.
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Letters
Letters can be sent to letters@lcc.org.uk or to the address on page 3. Letters may be edited for legal or space reasons (please keep them short and concise)
Zoe Williams
LCC history Further to your coverage of LCC’s 30th birthday (Oct/Nov ’08), this picture is taken from the Times and Post newspapers (now known as Hendon and Finchley Times) in October 1983 shortly after the founding of Barnet Cyclists by John Silvertown and Sue Avery. The picture is of Barnet Cyclists, from left to right, Ron Cohen, John Silvertown, Peter Hale, Norman Burgess, Sue Avery, Bruce, person unknown, Robin Hoddeson. The ride led by Robin (Barnet’s cycling officer) started at Tally Ho, North Finchley, to inspect Barnet’s cycling facilities. It reads: “Among the facilities they examined were some cycle only lanes, and pedestrian and cyclists paths. Co-coordinator of the Barnet Group of the London Cycling Campaign, John Silvertown, said the Campaign was very pleased with what Barnet has done. “They have done a lot this year and it is a move in the right direction,” he added. “The Council is currently consulting members of the public about Dollis Brook cycle route.” John Silvertown, by email I was a founder member, rides organiser and magazine mail-out coordinator, as well as on occasion treasurer and committee member of LCC. I could go on (and usually do.) Anyway, I took many black and white photos of various events in the early days. One is taken at a London to Brighton stop featuring LCC tricycle teams (and trikes), the other at an LCC rally with the first unfurling of a demand for 1000 miles of cycle routes. John Howes, by email
Photo: Peter Dench
Dutch trains I’m not sure Matthew Wright’s comment “storage facilities are no more spacious than on British trains” is correct (Opinion, Dec/Jan). When we visited Delft in 2005, the trains had plenty of room. Most of the year cycles are carried off peak only, but in the summer holidays this restriction is lifted. Michael Poteliakhoff, by email
I would call my brother-in-law weird in normal life, but in the context of bespoke bicycles, he is as representative of the bespoke bike-purchaser as anybody has been since bikes were invented. He had a bike made by a gentleman in Forest Hill called TJ Quick. I have probably got one vital part of that wrong (perhaps Forest Gate? Or Kent? Or BA Baracus?), but not to worry. For some reason, this bike became unequal to his needs, and he had to get another one bespoked, only by now BA Baracus had died (or moved? Or become a monk?) and he got a Roberts. This has left him with a number of emotional problems. 1. There is a contention between he and my sister about whether or not he’s allowed to keep his new bike in the bedroom. He uses the old one for work, so the new bike doesn’t need to be that close to the door. My sister thinks this is a good reason to keep it in the shed, but this does not reflect the central role of the new bike in his heart. I suspect that, in an ideal world, he would keep the bike in the bed. 2. Since the bike is so special, it can only be taken out on special rides, but I get the feeling he has anthropomorphised the bike, and thinks it minds if it goes a week without an outing. He thinks it’s a horse. He has horseomorphised the Roberts. 3. As a result, he now has to go on a long bike ride every Saturday, which I think would normally be a source of conflict with his beloved, except for the fact that for three hours it saves them having to argue about what the bike’s doing in the bed. Or, if you want to strictly stick to the facts, the bedroom. 4. I think he feels guilty about the demotion of the old bike. He is more protective of it than he used to be, and when children play near it, he takes on a pained looked that reminds me of Aslan in the Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, when he is bound on the table and bad creatures dance around and poke him. The old bike, in other words, has taken the place in my brother-in-law’s psyche of a Christ-like martyr, while his own children, not to mention my one, are the demon servants of evil incarnate. 5. His cycling gear has become more serious out of respect for the new bike, or possibly for the dignifying of the old bike. When cycling gear becomes more serious that just means tighter. 6. I don’t think this new bike has quenched his thirst for bespoke bikery. If anything, he seems even more possessed by the wonder of the pushbike, so much so he seems to be at war with himself. Does he have room in his heart for another devotion of this magnitude? Conversely, does he have restraint to stick at two? And how many bikes can you have made for yourself before there is one bike too many that only really fits you? It’s not like a suit. I mean, you’re not going to get away with “I bought this one in case both those two get dirty”, even if you’re not intending to keep it in your bed. Or your bedroom. I haven’t actually had any of this verified from his own mouth. Perhaps he would even deny some of it. Luckily, though, I have kept him anonymous by calling him only my brother-in-law.
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Reviews request When you review lights, can you give information about the light output and/or the battery life? Some lights maintain the same output level even when the battery voltage is dropping. Manufacturers will make lights with longer life if magazines like LC tell us which those lights are. Also it would be great if we had an article about recharging light batteries. John Ackers, by email Ian Cleverly: A good point. We will endeavour to include this in future. Lights have improved tremendously power-wise, but rechargables always peter out with little warning, which is why it’s best to have two lights, both front and back.
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Letters Have your say Repairing punctures I endorse the comments by Colin Newman (Letters, Oct/Nov) regarding puncture repair and wheel removal. As Colin states, this is relatively simple if you have a derailleur gear or single-speed setup. However, if, like me, you run a hub gear, hub brake and full chain case, it can be a daunting prospect on a cold, dark, wet night. For this reason, compounded by Presta valve breakages (which could leave one stranded), I’ve gone one stage further and chosen to switch to Schraeder (automotive) valves. (Also much easier to inflate the tyres at home with a foot-pump.) It was only necessary to drill out the valve hole by 1mm, and my rims (Weinmann Zac19) are double-walled at that point anyway. My repair kit now consists largely of a canister of tyre foam to get me to my destination and beyond. With Kevlar puncture-resistant bands in my tyres, I hope I never have to try
Letters can be sent to letters@lcc.org.uk or to the address on page 3. Letters may be edited for legal or space reasons
it, but I feel more confident to venture out with it. May I also suggest a solution to the perennial problem described by Michael Stuart. It is my belief that, when installed immediately adjacent to a pedestrian footpath, a cycle path should always be set at a lower level, segregated by 45° chamfered tiles. Only about 5cm or so is necessary: just sufficient to invoke the psychological effect that all vehicular tracks at lower level have – after all, that’s what we grow up to expect. Coupled with colour demarcation, this seems to work very well. That’s what they do in The Netherlands, as you can clearly see by my picture, taken in the city of Breda. Despite the wealth of supporting evidence, try telling this to local authority highway engineers when they can’t see it depicted in their LCN ‘Design Manual’. David S Garfield, Havering
In the December/January issue, we asked you to send in your photos capturing the essence of cycling in London. Here is a selection.
These people were waiting at lights at Notting Hill Gate. I liked the contrasts: the burly, Lycraclad athlete; the guy with a wry expression and funny green glasses; the woman in her car. Duncan Holmes, E17
Cycling through Richmond Park is the highlight of my commute from Kingston to Tower Hill. It was so cold one morning that I could only keep my gloves off just long enough to take this picture. Chris Boulter, by email
Here’s my attempt at a London cycling photo for you to cast your critical eyes over. It was taken at the corner of Marchmont Street, Bloomsbury. The roadworks in the background were for the installation of a cycle lane. Ewan Shilland, by email
Here is one I took from a Barbican window near the Museum of London of a very damp cyclist. I love the yellow in it on a very grey day as it gives me a sense of misery with the wet (even though I love the rain), and yet light always shines through. Also, I would like to add a comment to the Dispatches article (Dec/Jan) regarding Sydney’s lack of cycling routes. It’s so true, and I always hated the way Australians (and I am one myself) have a wonderful scenery to explore in and out of the cities, but it’s all made for cars. I used to live in the Blue Mountains (west of Sydney) and it is so hard to walk from town to town, let alone cycle. Australians in general are geared towards the car. It’s horrific and out of control. Look at Adelaide: it has great roads and fantastic routes for cycling, and yet they keep building car parks, encouraging more people to drive. Sydney has some pretty areas to ride, and can be quite difficult on the large hills, but it would be beneficial for the whole health of the Americanised junk-food culture to have a ride and get out. Michael Channon, by email
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A very Critical ruling Oliver Schick reviews the House of Lords ruling on Critical Mass and argues that the rides remain vital to cycle campaigning in London November’s unanimous judgement by the House of Lords that Critical Mass is free to continue came as a surprise in both its clarity and its directness. By their ruling, the judges restored the independence of one of the most colourful splinters in the kaleidoscope of cycling in London. The Metropolitan Police served a letter to participants in September 2005 stating that Critical Mass was subject to Section 11 of the Public Order Act 1986. This section says that advance notice needs to be given in writing of any public processions “to demonstrate support for or opposition to the views or actions of any person or body of persons, to publicise a cause or campaign, or to mark or commemorate an event’ (subsection 1). There are a few exceptions, most notably under subsection 2 – the requirement to give notice ‘does not apply where the procession is one commonly or customarily held in the police area (or areas) in which it is proposed to be held”. While it was never clear what exactly the practical implications of this intervention might be, it felt repressive and illiberal. To any regular participant, the wording of subsection (1) alone will clearly indicate that Critical Mass could not fall under the auspices of the Act. The event defies convention, and the narrow wording of the law could not have anticipated Critical Mass and its ethos. Backgrounder Critical Mass started in London in 1994, inspired by the birthplace of the idea, San Francisco. The first London rides were actually called CHARM (Cyclists Have A Right To Move). The initiators, whoever they were, left no more than a legacy of a certain passion, as well as a regular meeting place and time. Some police officers have referred to Critical Mass as CHARM ever since, perhaps because some police literature has still not been updated. This may have given rise to the view expressed by some officers that Critical Mass must have organisers. The truth is that it has been running without any
appended their opinions that Critical Mass should most likely not be subject to s.11 at all. Why Critical Mass matters In a way, Critical Mass is the sole survivor of the apathetic Blair years when mass rallies seemed to become fewer and fewer. Groups like Reclaim the Streets, having started with a simple message attached to their street parties, gradually faded, their agenda becoming too wide, too complex. Critical Mass benefited from the anti-roads movement of the 1990s, but it endured beyond this, probably because of its lack of an agenda, and the fact that while people disagree on what it means, what it should mean, and what it should do, everybody finds it easy to agree to meet up and ride around. What can be said about it with certainty is that these discussions are built into its concept, and when people are discussing it, it is working. Because it has no organisers, it can broadcast the diversity of its participants, and is therefore simultaneously an event with a simple agenda, and an event with many complex agendas. While Critical Mass was never essential to cycle campaigning in London, there was a time when it seemed central. It is no longer central at all, but it still feels like a vital ingredient. Road-building is firmly ensconced on the agenda once more, and the urgency to campaign is stronger than ever. Meeting up is the most direct way of mass campaigning, however diverse the aims and interests of individuals are. Perhaps Critical Mass will become important again? November 26, 2008 – two days after the Lords ruling – saw the first Critical Mass for three years that was completely clear of the cloud hanging over its future. It was small – 250 riders or so – but the atmosphere was joyous and positive. Long may it continue. Oliver Schick likes to join Critical Mass quite often.
The April 2008 Critical organisation other than word of Mass ride meets on mouth for more than 14 years. the South Bank It brings together cyclists who enjoy each others’ company. Beyond that, there are no aims or messages on which many can agree. For some it is a protest, for others it is anything but. It is a joyous pluralism that both enchants and infuriates. Conflicts with motorists are not uncommon, but there is no aspect of the ride that could have been misconstrued as a threat to public order. The police letter prompted regular participant Des Kay to team up with Friends of the Earth’s legal team to challenge the police in court. By the time the final appeal arrived at the House of Lords, the legal questions had been narrowed down to considering whether the ride was customarily held, so as to be exempt under s.11(2). The police argued that it could not be considered to be customarily held, as there was no agreed route. Instead, the judges found that there were plenty of other customary features, such as a meeting place and time (under Waterloo Bridge at 6pm on the last Friday of every month), and upheld the exemption in this case. This ‘narrow’ way of considering the case was felt by the Lords to be a ‘straitjacket’ HAVE YOUR SAY imposed on them by the lower Share your thoughts by emailing us at letters@lcc.org.uk or courts, who should not have writing to the address on page 3. narrowed the case so far. They
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LONDON CYCLING
BREAKING NEW GROUND The London Cycling Awards celebrate projects that embody the spirit of cycling and help encourge more people to ride. Lynette Eyb looks at the winning projects in 2008 and chats to some of the people behind their success he great thing about the London Cycling Awards is that anyone and any project can win. From small school- or community-based initiatives to large-scale engineering feats, any project that helps make it easier, better and more fun to cycle can enter the awards, which are organised by LCC. The 2008 awards not only attracted a bumper crop of entries, but the quality of those entries was exceptionally good, according to the judges, was higher than in previous years. The community and children’s categories were among the most hotly contested, said LCC’s campaigns manager, Tom Bogdanowicz, who helps organise the awards. “The London Cycling Awards serve as an inspiration to others and help spread the great ideas that cycling enthusiasts in communities, schools, local authorities, and workplaces have developed,” he said. “Many award-winners have been able to grow their projects and have been an example to others.” (See page 16 for our case
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study on Wandsworth Cycling Campaign’s Movers & Shakers initiative, a previous award-winner.) He said the awards also recognise excellence in design and engineering: “Well-designed cycle facilities that win awards are a key way of disseminating good practice across London and beyond.” Chair of the judging panel, Clare Neely, said drawing attention to the less glamourous side of the development of cycling is key to encouraging more people to cycle. “Being a cycle officer in a local highway authority tends to be a Cinderella occupation,” she said. “Awards are loved by press officers and local councillors and generate publicity which boosts the status of cycling, focuses political and officer minds, and leads to applications for increased funding for areas that we all want – such as cycle training and cycle permeability measures.” On the following pages, we look at each of the projects that took top honours in 2008.
Best Cycling Initiative For Young People or Children Award STA Bikes and London Borough of Hackney The Saturday Family Cycle Club (pictured on our cover), run by the not-for-profit STA Bikes and supported by Hackney Borough Council, spent last summer turning non-riding mums, dads and kids from all sections of the community into proficient cyclists. Sally Haywill, a director at STA Bikes, explained how the project came about. The Family Club is a development from the schoolbased cycle training and the Adult Clubs for parents
that we have run ever since we got going in 2000 – parents recruited from the Adult Clubs now form the backbone of STA Bikes’ staff and trainers – but the inspiration to expand to train whole families at the same time came from Liz Bowgett over in Newham, who runs a Saturday family club (thanks Liz!) The reason for targeting parents (and in particular mums) was that many children in Hackney come from families where no-one cycles, and where there is no history of cycling. The consequence of this is that children cannot be well-supported to develop the cycling skills they learn in school. However if parents – and I target mums in particular because a high proportion of children in inner city
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schools come from single parent families, and overwhelmingly these are still headed by women – are themselves taught not only how to cycle, but given all the skills and information they need to keep cycling, then they will also support their children to do the same. They will also do this for free, adding significantly to the value of school-based training. It became clear to me several years ago that several of the children that we had trained to cycle confidently on the road could do so, but were not cycling to school because their mum wouldn’t let them because she didn’t know how to cycle and was therefore (unnecessarily) afraid of the risks. This means that children cannot practise or use the skills they have learnt, and are less likely to continue cycling. Moreover, if parents keep cycling, they will act as role models for other parents and children, and are much more likely to be influential in persuading people from the community to take up cycling. The social aspect of a club should not be underestimated: often someone will come along on the ‘I will if you will’ basis; secondly, friends made at club help each other practise (for example by arranging to meet up and cycle to a park). Although we specifically chose to call it a club to make it friendly and accessible, we structured the sessions carefully, assessing people and placing them in groups according to their abilities, but we still train them all at the same time. This means you need lots of space and lots of trainers, but it does mean you have appropriate training for everyone – and lots of fun. We have run three clubs so far. Each club ran for roughly six weeks, as the funding would only stretch to this, and also it was hard for families to make a commitment for much longer than this. The first was probably the biggest – we had 34 families of two or more who enrolled in the training, totalling 97 members. It’s hard to know what effect the club has had on the broader community, but I suspect there is a ‘ripple’ effect happening, whereby word gets around that Family Clubs exist, by word of mouth, and from publicity in the local press. We had lots of families come through word of mouth, especially parents of
autistic boys, who had heard how great cycling was for them. It is rare to find activities that families can do together. There are lots of clubs for children and also clubs for adults, but not the two together, and this was one of the big attractions for many of the families. The future of our Family Clubs depends a lot on funding. We were very lucky that Hackney Council and Team Hackney decided to fund some of the clubs, because to run them really well is not cheap, as you have to have so many trainers to be able to train several different ability groups at the same time, and it is really worth having very experienced trainers. However, in terms of the measurable outcomes, quite apart from all the social and health benefits, I worked out that our club cost a third of that of individual lessons, though of course individual lessons are essential for beginners, and give optimum individual attention. There seem to be a lot of great cycling projects developed in Hackney. Firstly, there are lots of cyclists here compared to other boroughs, so there are more of us to contribute a cyclist’s perspective to everything. Very importantly, there are also some key people in Hackney Cyclists who have quietly but steadfastly been instrumental in making good links with and between all sorts of people concerned with cycling. As much as he would hate to be named, I have to mention Trevor Parsons, the co-ordinator, as exemplary in the very open way he interprets his role. He is deeply knowledgeable about all sorts of technical things and so can influence important engineering and traffic management issues. He is also open to encouraging and supporting anyone who has good ideas. There are also some excellent people working in Hackney Council who are crucial in terms of funding and keeping us informed. It’s one thing to have the passion and the ideas, but harder to translate this into reality because that usually involves money. Any group or borough would benefit from running Family Clubs. If you really want to reach the local community, really want to get the best value from your schools’ cycle training, and really want to get people cycling and keep them cycling, then go for it.
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Best Community Cycling Initiative Award The Royal Borough of Kingston and the Kingston Metropolitan Police
The Royal Borough of Kingston and the Metropolitan Police won the community category for their Recycling Bikes Back into the Community project. The council’s Road Safety and Travel Awareness Unit works with the police and Refugee Action Kingston to help some of the borough’s newest citizens get around by bike. Kingston Police donate recovered and unclaimed stolen bikes, which are made roadworthy by council cycle instructors and then assigned to groups of refugees who receive training on the bikes. At the end of the lessons, the new cyclists get to keep the bikes. Cycle training co-ordinator Eric Chasseray describes the scheme as hugely rewarding. “To teach someone to ride is one thing,” he said, “but to give these people the means to travel and carry out journeys independently, people who otherwise simply could not do it, is a fantastic achievement.” James Parker, road safety and travel awareness manager for the Kingston borough council, explained how the project came about. In 2006 a Met officer called James Ellis approached me to see if we could work with them to recycle stolen bikes that went unclaimed. I met a chap called John Azah, who is the chairman of the Kingston Racial Equality Council. During 2006, a number of Council officers made a sponsored bike ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats in aid of the Pakistan
HOW TO ENTER THE LONDON CYCLING AWARDS The London Cycling Awards are launched each summer, with entries usually closing in the autumn. Winners are traditionally announced at the LCC’s Annual General Meeting in October or November. The awards, run by LCC, aim to recognise and celebrate the greatest and most innovative contributions to increasing and enhancing cycling in the capital. Anyone can nominate a cycling project or facility for an award – nominations can be made by an organisation involved in a scheme or anyone who
earthquake appeal, and John drove our support vehicle. Many friendships are made through cycling and wishing to take forward the police offer, I spoke to John and he put me in touch with the Kingston Refugee Action. We took delivery of our first batch of bikes, having made a written agreement with the police, our National Standards instructors made good the bikes and Kingston Refugee Action put us in touch with individuals who took part in the scheme. There have also been occasions where we have allocated a bike and training to deserving individuals – I remember a huge success we had last year with a 10-year-old lad who had significant learning difficulties. Even his teachers cried with joy when they saw the progress he made through cycling; a bike and the training he received made for a life-changing experience for young Ebere. To date we have allocated around 40 bikes to individuals who have taken part in the project. The project has shown that the council can make a meaningful contribution to the work of organisations such as the Kingston Racial Equality Council and Kingston Refugee Action, and it has led to other joint initiatives. It is a good example of how we contribute towards social inclusion. Some of the people who benefit from the scheme return to take part in other activities we run, such as our Women On Wheels social rides. We are also part of the council’s Environment and Sustainability department and recycling and waste minimisation are core to our work, and so the environment is always a key concern for us. As for the future of the project, we have been running two courses a year but we are consolidating our core instructor base and so I am now looking to run four courses a year.
considers a project or facility worthy of an award. “It might be an employer who has launched an innovative scheme to get people cycling or it could be a project to help children gain confidence on their bikes,” said Tom Bogdanowicz, LCC’s campaigns manager. “We are keen to see that they get the recognition they deserve.” To find out more about the 2009 awards, keep an eye on LC and www.lcc.org.uk as the year progresses, or contact Tom Bogdanowicz on 020 7234 9310 or tom@lcc.org.uk
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Best Workplace Cycling Initiative Award Newham University Hospital Trust The hospital trust won the workplace category for its Well At Work project, a large workplace scheme that provided subsidised bike purchase, safe storage, cycle lessons, pool bikes, showers, route information and maintenance. Phil Moss, of Newham University Hospital, told us about the project. Well At Work was a two-year national project led by the British Heart Foundation and the Department of Health. The project was one of the Government’s 2004 Public Health White Paper commitments and was set up in 2005 to test the effectiveness of health promoting interventions in the workplace, relating to physical activity and other lifestyle behaviours such as diet and smoking. Newham NHS was selected as the project for the London region in conjunction with St Mary’s College, Twickenham, which was awarded £100,000 to run the initiative. The project ran from September 2005 to August 2007 with the objectives of getting people to become more active, eat healthier diets and smoke less. Approximately one-third of the 2,700 members
of staff participated. The results showed that the number of staff cycling to work had increased from 113 (4.2%) in 2005 to 232 (8.6%) in 2007. The project demonstrated the Trust’s commitment to green issues and the health of its staff. It also enabled new and stronger partnerships to be made with external organisations such as the Newham Cycling Campaign. Many of the aspects of the cycling initiative resulted in structural changes (eg secure cycle storage) or the development of policies (eg updated green travel plan). The re-formed Bicycle User Group has continued to access funding, both internally and externally, to continue to run events and activities. WORKPLACE PROJECTS We asked Phil how other workplaces could succeed in setting up a similar project. “Ideally, any workplace cycling initiative would be part of a wider workplace health project that raises the awareness of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Such a project would need senior level management support, including a champion at Director (or equivalent) level. The financial benefits of a workplace health project to an organisation can be calculated using the Business Healthcheck tool available at www.workingforhealth. gov.uk.”
Best Cycle Facility Award (Joint winner) Frampton Park Estate Bicycle Users’ Group, Frampton Park Estate’s Tenants & Residents Association, Hackney Homes, London Borough of Hackney In 2006, residents of the Frampton Park Estate formed a Bicycle Users Group (BUG) as part of the Tenants & Residents Association (TRA), realising that there was a lack of decent secure, convenient cycle parking. Bikes were parked on balconies, walkways, or squeezed into flats; often they were carried up flights of stairs. This was inconvenient for everyone, made bikes easy bait for thieves, and caused a fire hazard. Senior sustainable transport planner at Hackney Council, Louisa Clarke, explained what happened next. BUG members Rachel Aldred, James Woodcock and Norman Davies and TRA chair Terry Edwards ascertained demand for secure parking and gained support among stakeholders. This enabled the TRA to secure £50,000 from Transport for London (TfL) for steel upright cycle lockers. The cooperation and commitment from the partners was essential to the success of the project. The Safer Neighbourhoods Police assisted with identifying safe locker sites, Hackney Homes were key to delivering the project on land they manage, Hackney Council (Streetscene) provided guidance, and were conduits for the funding, while Hackney Cyclists gave advice. The Frampton Park Estate project fed into Londonwide discussions on residential cycle parking during the Benchmarking project run by CTC (Cyclists’ Touring Club). This discussion raised the need for
Greater London Authority involvement, as well as the involvement of TfL and the boroughs, in wider implementation of estate cycle parking. The project has led Hackney Council to work with others to develop a boroughwide policy on estate cycle parking prioritisation. Cycling has also risen up the agenda at Hackney Homes, while on the estate itself, the TRA is considering using the rental income to subsidise cycling activities for those who do not yet cycle, as well as to fund extra lockers in the future. The project worked because it was easily understood by users. The 56 lockers are conveniently placed at 16 locations near the entrances to blocks, and with a bicycle symbol depicted on the door, their purpose is clear. They are rented at a simple rate of £30 per year plus £20 deposit for the lock. Take-up has been successful: three months after installation, over half are being rented. This indicates the number installed is appropriate and there is room for cycling to grow on the estate. Bikes are more secure and no longer need to be carried up stairs or chained to balconies or walkways, and the estate has a tidier, less cluttered feel.
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PREVIOUS WINNER FORGES AHEAD Since Wandsworth Cycling Campaign (WCC) won the community category of the 2007 London Cycling Awards for its Movers and Shakers project (M&S), the groups has not rested on their laurels. Bryony Evens, of WCC, writes: In Wandsworth, more councillors have been approached and have taken part in phase two, and WCC has entered M&S into other awards to raise its profile: useful publicity ensued. As a direct result of M&S, WCC was involved recently in a weekend of activities to promote cycling in the west of the borough, starting with a public meeting featuring LCC’s CEO Koy Thomson and Justine Greening, an M&S graduate and MP for Putney. The event forged strong links between WCC, the Putney Society and a local school. WCC received early expressions of interest from Lambeth Council, Hackney LCC and Tower Hamlets LCC regarding the possibility of adopting the M&S model. In September 2008, WCC gave a presentation on M&S to the Greater Nottingham Cycling Development Group (CDG), which resulted in the CDG deciding to run a variant of the project in Nottingham. The presentation has also been seen by Redbridge LCC, and by a workshop during the Warrington ‘Streets Ahead’ conference; M&S has been discussed informally with many more cyclists. WCC will be following up approaches from Waltham Forest LCC and a major cultural organisations in early 2009.”
Best Cycle Facility Award (Joint winner) Docklands Light Railway and Transport for London’s Cycle Centre of Excellence
The exemplary cycle parking at Shadwell Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station caught the judges’ attention in this category. DLR management wanted to improve its cycle facilities in the hope that more people would cycle to stations and continue their journey on the DLR. Karen Bain, the DLR’s principal planner, said around two-thirds of DLR stations already have facilities for cyclists, but that the standard across the network varies. “Our strategy identifies a number of criteria which cycle parking should meet and the aspiration is to have high-quality, consistent facilities at all stations,” she said. A survey was undertaken at the start of the project asking cyclists what was important to them and this fed into the design. “The DLR project team and the architects involved in the project are all keen cyclists, which has added to the understanding of cyclists’ needs,” she said. The result at Shadwell Station was nothing short of a textbook-design parking shed. DLR, working with the Transport for London’s Centre for Cycling Excellence, Bere Architects and Trueform developed
bespoke stands and a shelter which will now be rolled out across the network. The shelters have solar panels and also incorporate public art. Karen said the £600,000 commitment to providing cycle facilities across the network would focus on stations with no cycle parking before moving to stations where existing facilities need to be upgraded. “The strategy identifies a series of cycle hubs – with Shadwell the first – that aim to be more than just somewhere to leave your bike. A series of events is planned for the hubs, and some will also provide a covered area for light maintenance.” Hubs at Greenwich and Island Gardens will be rolled out in 2009, and cycle parking will also be installed on the London City Airport extension and at stations being improved as part of other DLR enhancement projects. Cycle usage has risen by up to 50% at Shadwell since the new facilities opened. “Prior to the shelter being in place, a lot of people secured their bikes to railings under the viaduct,” said Karen. “These cyclists now seem to be using the shelter.”
WHAT OTHER TRANSPORT PROVIDERS CAN LEARN FROM THE DLR’S EXPERIENCES We asked Karen Bain what other transport providers could learn from the DLR project to help provide more integrated transport links for cyclists. ■ Locate cycle parking as close to the station entrance as possible; ■ Space stands sufficiently so that you can comfortably lock and unlock your bike (without getting caught on the handlebars of the bike next to you); ■ Provide stands that you can lock both the front and back wheels, and the frame to; ■ Host events that raise the profile of the cycle parking for both cyclists and non-cyclists.
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LONDON CYCLING AWARDS 2008 All winners and shortlisted projects BEST CYCLE FACILITY Joint winners Tenants and Residents Association Frampton Park Estate, Hackney Homes and London Borough of Hackney for the Frampton Park Estate cycle lockers Docklands Light Railway for Shadwell Station cycle parking Shortlisted British Waterways for its access point upgrades along the Regent’s Canal towpath
LCC 30th Anniversary Judges’ Award for Services to Cycling Jenny Jones A special judges’ award for services to cycling was presented to London Assembly Member Jenny Jones, of the Green Party, to mark LCC’s 30th birthday. The award was in recognition of what the judging panel described as “tireless campaigning for cycling in London”. Among the achievements noted were her work with LCC to rescue the captial’s cycling budget when it was under threat in 2001, her efforts to push for more cycle training, and her work promoting Greenways. Jenny Jones reflected on a lifetime of cycling and a career of campaigning inspired by her love of riding. I started cycling as a child and, as my father cycled to work every day until he retired, I always thought of it as a normal part of life. One clear memory for me when I was about nine was the day I borrowed my dad’s bike to show off, then immediately crashed it. Bike fine, wrist badly sprained. I was part of the generation that got a brand new bike as my prize for passing my 11-plus and then used it to get to big school every day. In the summer of 1965, when I was 15, I cycled from Brighton to Eastbourne with a school friend of the same age and got told off by a bus driver for racing him between stops. I can’t imagine parents now letting two 15year-old girls vanish for the day on bikes, but at the time it seemed like only a small adventure. My children were also brought up to use their bikes and now I see them encouraging their children to cycle. It’s a comfort to think that my grandchildren will be healthier adults because of it. And, of course, the planet will be healthier too if we could all use sustainable forms of transport more often. Here in London, with a CO2 reduction target of 60% by 2025, and lots of low lying land with lots of houses, it has never been more important to get out of our cars, off the buses and tube, and be greener by cycling and walking. I’m very flattered, and very proud, to have been given the London Cycling Award and it has pride of place in my office. However I was well aware, as I was being given the model cyclist, that there were many people in the audience who have worked far longer and far harder than I have for cycling. My luck was to have been elected to the right place at the right time so that I could exert pressure on (former mayor) Ken Livingstone, Transport for London and now (Mayor) Boris (Johnson). For the future, I hope LCC will stay as fierce and tough as they have been in the past, so that all of us cyclists can make cycling normal, and valued, and very, very common in London.”
BEST COMMUNITY CYCLING INITIATIVE Winner Royal Borough Kingston Council and Kingston Metropolitan Police for the Recycling Bikes Back into the Community scheme Shortlisted London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham Council for Agewell on Wheels Hackney and Tower Hamlets borough councils for the Wheels and Heels fashion show BEST WORKPLACE CYCLING INITIATIVE Winner Newham University Hospital NHS Trust for Well At Work Highly Commended GlaxoSmithKline and WiZZ BiKES for the GSK House Cycle Centre Shortlisted Eversheds for the cycling facilities and other initiatives at its City headquarters BEST CYCLING INITIATIVE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE OR CHILDREN Winner STA Bikes and London Borough of Hackney for Family Cycle Clubs Shortlisted Bike It Team, Sustrans London for the Tour d’Afrique Challenge for Schools Christ Church Primary School and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for the Christ Church Primary School Cycling Programme LCC 30TH ANNIVERSARY JUDGES’ AWARD Jenny Jones for services to cycling
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of 13,375 women and 17,265 men aged 20-93 and randomly selected from a population of 90,000. The research revealed that those who did not cycle to work had a 39% higher mortality rate than those who did. A 1986 study from the Journal of Industrial Medicine did physiological measurements on a sample of male factory workers and correlated this with their reports of exercise. Cycling had the greatest effect on fitness; regular cyclists had the “biological age” of sedentary individuals 10 years younger. This observational evidence is striking, though not the gold standard of proof: a randomised trial of cycling versus inactivity. Such a trial would be unethical by condemning some human guinea pigs to inactivity. And there still remains the question: how to get patients to change their behaviour?. Advice from a health professional can have a modest short-term impact on activity, but this is unlikely to be maintained at one year. Self-generated strategies are likely to be more effective. Techniques of ‘motivational interviewing’ are important. Medical professionals are there to inform someone of the possible benefits of exercise, to support their own initiative, to offer them practical advice, to highlight any positive impact, to help set realistic targets, and to assist with overcoming any obstacles that may prevent them actioning the advice.
Government reports back cycling
Cycling really is good for you, says Dr Rachel Bower, who is conducting a study in Tower Hamlets to prove that taking to two wheels can improve our health ou may notice that cycling makes you feel fitter, more alert and motivated, clears your head and relaxes you. As a GP in Tower Hamlets, I have observed some patients whose physical and mental health has improved vastly through cycling, leading to a reduction in medication, in admissions to hospital and in consultation rates. An inspirational story of one individual’s success with cycling and healthy eating can be read at http://frank.kinlan.co.uk – see box out. But all this is anecdotal: is there really evidence of health benefits and, if so, how can these be enjoyed more widely through health policy?
Y
Photo: Rachel Bower
The evidence on cycling
Pictured above: Patients and volunteers on a guided ride in the Lee Valley as part of the Tower Hamlets pilot study
Regular physical activity has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease by about half in at-risk groups. It has also been been shown to halve the risk of diabetes in those with the impaired glucose tolerance over a 10-year period. Regular exercise can help with weight loss, is as effective as antidepressants for mild-moderate depression, protects against certain cancers (particularly breast cancer), against dementia and against osteoporosis. Strong evidence of the health benefits of cycling comes from a 15-year-long study in Copenhagen
Academics and health professionals are not the only ones who have looked into cycling for health. Numerous reports discuss the merits of persuading people to live more healthily. And these opinions are nothing new: 2004’s Wanless report Securing Health for the Whole Population quotes Dr Elizabeth Blackwell (1821-1910), the first female doctor: “We are not tinkers who merely patch and mend what is broken; we must be watchmen, guardians of the life and the health of our generation, so that stronger and more able generations may come after.” The report urges government to develop a more coherent strategy to reduce preventable illness caused by behaviour such as smoking and physical inactivity. It talks of a “fully engaged” public empowered to make healthy lifestyle choices, the role of government in shifting social norms, and of the importance of evidence and research to support public health strategies. This report was followed by the White Papers Choosing Health and Choosing Activity. The latter describes the social benefits of active communities: building social networks and community participation. It spawned a 2005 government marketing campaign, with ‘Everyday Sport’ posters and billboards extolling the virtues physical activity. In 2007, the government’s Tackling Obesities report, analysed the causes of obesity, and looked at four possible scenarios, according to how much public health strategy is left to the individual, and according to whether policy is reactive or anticipatory. The least public harm (and cost) of obesity would be if we adopted an attitude of social responsibility, anticipating and preparing. Individual choices are not enough, the report says. Our brains’ appetite centres, our diets, our ambivalence about healthy choices and our inactivity will make us passively obese. The report then describes the possible impact of various interventions. It concludes that the public needs to be informed, to have a shift in motivation, and to be provided with the skills to implement
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change. The report proposes numerous policy responses, one of which is to “increase the walkability and cyclability of the built environment”.
The influence of health professionals In encouraging exercise, we need to be patientcentred, mindful of the individual preferences of the patient, their level of motivation, what exercise they have enjoyed previously, what they might be most interested in taking up and most likely to sustain. Their physical complaints, cultural background, work and home circumstances, and what facilities or services are available locally might all be important. In Tower Hamlets, there is a ‘gym on prescription’ scheme (supervised gym sessions for those with several cardiovascular risk factors); leisure centres are open longer (with some single-sex facilities); and there is a Healthy Walks scheme. I often suggest cycling to patients as a means of taking regular exercise. Younger patients whose journey to work might be a pleasant commute are obvious candidates. They can be given information on cycle training if they feel they need it, and help with finding maps and planning sensible routes. They may not need much encouragement, and may give it a go. What I have been most struck by, though, is how wide a range of patients are interested in cycling: young women who didn’t learn as children; people in their forties, fifties, sixties or seventies who haven’t been on a bike since childhood in Peru or Mauritius or London; those who are overweight and would find it embarrassing to go to a gym or a pool.
Pilot study in Tower Hamlets With the support of the local public health department, Tower Hamlets Wheelers and LCC, I have set about asking people how they could be encouraged to cycle. Do they already own a bicycle; is it in working order? Would they like to have one provided for a training session? Are they interested in one-to-one training or group rides? Riding on or off road? What time of the week? In line with their responses, we have devised a pilot scheme. Bikeworks, a cycling on prescription local social enterprise scheme, coordinates training sessions supervised by one of their accredited trainers. Some 100 people with health problems that might benefit from exercise will be offered individual cycle training, and invited on leisurely group rides. Not
THE FRANK KINLAN STORY Frank Kinlan is a 49-year-old from Wirral who has lost 50.2kg (110.4 lbs) over four years through a combination of walking and cycling, (on-road and spin classes), a low-fat balanced diet and a Lifestyle and Weight Management course offered by his GP and local health service. His weblog (http://frank.kinlan.co.uk) illustrates, in his own words and in considerable detail, how he has defied obesity, hypertension and ill health.
ADDITIONAL READING AND SOURCES Securing Good Health for the Whole Population, Derek Wanless, 2004 (http://tinyurl.com/wanlessreport) Physical Activity: A National Perspective, Alison Giles, 2007 (http://tinyurl.com/choosingactivity) Choosing Health: Making Healthier Choices Easier (http://tinyurl.com/choosinghealth) NHS Improvement Plan, 1999 (www.dh.gov.uk) Foresight Report: Tackling Obesities: Future Choices, 2007 (http://tinyurl.com/foresightobesity) Cycling and Health: What’s the evidence?, Nick Cavill and Dr Adrian Davis, 2007 (Cycling England) wanting to reinvent the wheel, we have taken tips from programmes elsewhere: don’t make rides too regimented; have time for chit-chat and tea breaks; visit places of interest on the way. We tailor the programme to what individuals want, and we’ve provided them with local cycling maps, and a Tower Hamlets Wheelers newsletter. So far, just over 30 patients are involved, and the benefits have been various – and not all have been easy to anticipate. Some have had the satisfaction of learning something new, or rediscovering something they did in their youth. “I feel 10 years younger – I’ve lost my old gittishness,” said one participant. He said he was now more motivated in other areas of his life, and he was now taking on some volunteer work. Another participant does not yet cycle to work, but was inspired by the cycle trainer to walk rather than drive. One girl wants her mother to be able to cycle, so they will only come as a pair; she’s hoping that her boyfriend will also take it up. Another participant gets fed up with her partner racing ahead when they go cycling, so she is encouraged by the gentle pace of the group. Some individual choices have shifted, with some riders who thought they would never cycle on the road, would now like to do so, having discovered some quieter routes. I don’t want to prejudge the results of the pilot. Cycling may not become part of everyone’s life, but it should yield some interesting information about what the obstacles are for people. There are many potential cyclists out there, and helping them to take the first steps towards better health is important. We could learn from other public health campaigns, such as ‘Stop Smoking’. The message needs to go out loud and clear that cycling is good for you. And health professionals need to campaign for conditions that will enable people to cycle.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr Rachel Bower, a GP based in Tower Hamlets, is a regular cyclist. She would like to thank Tower Hamlets PCT Public Health Department, Bikeworks, Tower Hamlets Wheelers, LCC, and staff and patients at St Stephen’s Health Centre for enabling the pilot. Tower Hamlets has been awarded a Healthy Communities Challenge Fund, and some of this will be devoted to promoting activity in 2009.
Frank Kinlan is third from the left with a 46-inch waist and an 18-and-a-half-inch collar before he started his health regime. He is now down to 34-inch waist and a 16-inch collar.
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Collision avoidance Even the most technically perfect cyclists sometimes need to take action to avoid collisions. David Dansky has this advice to help with those sticky situations
Photos: Mike Wells, Michael Stenning
There are occasions when riding that you need to act quickly in order to avoid a collision. Being able to use techniques such as emergency stopping, swerving and even ‘bunny hopping’ may minimise the risk of a crashing. Avoidance is better than emergency manoeuvres Of course, avoiding situations where you may need to use such techniques is infinitely preferable than having continually to swerve/stop in an emergency. There won’t be any need to swerve around a car door opening, a driver pulling out of a side road or a pedestrian stepping off the kerb in front of you if you ride away from such hazards in the first place. Riding in a lowish gear (so you are spinning rather than pushing hard) is not only healthy for your knees and heart. It will also enable you to accelerate quickly away from hazards. Similarly, keeping enough room between you and a vehicle in front in order to slow down in good time would prevent the need to do an emergency stop. Scanning the road ahead may give you early warning of a pothole in your path which means you can
Be prepared to brake at any time
Take your place in the centre of the lane to avoid car doors opening in your path
manoeuvre around it without resorting to using any emergency technique. If you are unsure about general road positioning or feel a little nervous about riding on some roads, seek some cycle training (which is free or subsidised in all London boroughs). How to perform and emergency stop Normal braking involves using both brakes, slowing you down to a gradual controlled stop. Be prepared to brake at any time by riding with your fingers covering the brakes with your thumbs underneath the handlebars so your braking reflex will be slightly quicker. This is set out clearly in the Cycle Training Instructor’s Manual (Bamford/Carnegy). Emergency stopping happens at higher speeds than normal braking. When you pull either both brakes or only your front brake while moving fast, the front wheel locks and the back wheel may lift off the ground and throw you over your handlebars. If you only use the back brake, your bike may not stop and your back wheel may skid causing you to crash. In order to avoid this aim to put as much weight as you can over the back of the bike. This may prevent skidding and stop your back wheel coming off the ground. Do this by bracing yourself, locking your arms, which will push you backwards. Stay seated on the saddle even sliding your bottom backwards if possible. In addition you should also be able to push backwards with your feet if you have your pedals horizontal (parallel with the ground). If your back wheel starts to skid try
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See www.lcc.org.uk/info for more on city and commuter cycling, as well as information and advice on maintenance
‘pumping’ the brake by quickly releasing it then pulling it again to stop skidding. Once you have stopped check behind, set the pedal and start again when clear. You may wobble a little since you may have had to stop in a high gear. Swerving to avoid obstacles Some hazards, such as potholes and glass in the road, are best avoided by swerving around them. While swerving you move to the left or right of the hazard then back into your original line. Keeping the arc of a swerve tight will prevent you from either crashing into the kerb on the left or veering into a vehicle on your right. (Knowing what is behind you at all times while riding makes swerving to the right less risky so keep looking back while riding along.) The best way to swerve tightly and quickly is to use a technique called ‘counter-steering’, as outlined by John Franklin in Cyclecraft. Firstly, turn the handlebar towards the hazard which moves your body away from the hazard, and then quickly, turn the handlebar away from the hazard moving the bike back under you and around the hazard Using this technique will enable you to wiggle quickly around the object and back in line again in a tight swerve. Practise this in a safe area. ‘Bunny-hopping’ to avoid danger Riding into a pothole or a kerb may damage the front wheel or even flip the bike over throwing you off. It is often enough to lift up or at least lighten the weight of the front wheel to get it over the lip of the pothole. This is called ‘bunny-hopping’. Most people instinctively would pull up the handle bars in order to lift the front wheel over the lip of a pothole. This is difficult and can strain your arms. A technique used in mountain biking, which I learnt from Ian Warby, CTC’s off-road development manager, involves relaxing your arms dropping your wrists below the bars, then twisting your hands round and pushing through. This effectively pushes up the handlebars from below unweighting the front wheel and floating it over the pothole or kerb. If you bend your knees while doing this, it should lessen the impact of the rear wheel following through. If you are using toe-clips or cleats, you may be able to drop your ankles and push up your pedals lifting the back wheel off the ground too.
Pedestrians stepping into the path of cyclists and obstructions on the road are common causes of collisions
If you need to go over long obstructions such as tram rails, kerbs or have obstacles such as pipes stretching across your path, approach them at right angles to avoid slipping along them. Master manoeuvres in controlled conditions It is worth practising these emergency procedures under controlled conditions, ideally off-road, so if you ever need to use them in a real situation, your body will remember what to do. Riding a bike is generally a low risk activity. If you reflect on how you ride, practise and even get some training, riding your bike will become even less risky. David Dansky is a qualified trainer with Cycle Training UK (020 7231 6005, www.cycletraining.co.uk)
CYCLE SAFETY: LCC publishes a booklet called Cycle Sense: Skills And Confidence On The Road. The booklet can be downloaded by following the ‘cycle sense’ link in the advice section at www. lcc.org.uk, or by requesting a hard copy from the LCC office (£1 donation). LCC CVR cyclesense.indd
CYCLE SENSE
Skills and confidence
on the road
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IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION: The LCC website carries information on what to do in the event of a collision. See the ‘Advice’ section at www.lcc.org.uk INSURANCE AND LEGAL ADVICE: LCC offers all members free third-party insurance, as well as a free incident helpline. See page 29 for details.
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Workshops
Visit www.lcc.org.uk/info for more on bike maintenance. To list a workshop on this page, please email londoncyclist@lcc.org.uk
Want to know how to maintain your bike? Try a course or workshop near you Bexley What: Regular maintenance courses When: Call for dates At: Sidcup Cycle Centre, 142-146 Station Road, Sidcup, Kent, DA15 7AB Contact: 020 8300 8113 Bromley What: Hands-on beginners’ session. Bring your own bike. There are two courses: Basics (punctures, cleaning and lubricating); Brakes and Gears (tuning, cables, brake pads). A session on disc brakes may be run on demand Cost: £20 – includes a maintenance pack worth at least £9. When: Call for details At: Hayes Old Church School, Hayes, BR2 7BA Contact: Big Foot Bikes (020 8462 5004, roger@bigfootbikes.com) www.bigfootbikes.com Central London What: Camden Cycling Campaign runs regular courses covering punctures, brakes, chains, tuning gears and cleaning When: Call for details At: Velorution, 18 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 8BD Contact: Stefano (020 7435 0196, stefano@lamsam-casalotti.org.uk) What: Basic maintenance. Work on your own bike – no knowledge is assumed Cost: £72 (£66 for LCC members) When: Saturdays 10.30am-5pm At: Bikefix, 48 Lamb’s Conduit Street, WC1N 3LJ Contact: Patrick Field (www.londonschoolofcycling.co.uk, 020 7249 3779) Ealing What: Ealing Cycling Campaign runs ad-hoc courses throughout the year covering maintenance and repair Contact: See www.ealingcycling.org. uk or email info@ealingcycling.org.uk Greenwich What: Year-round maintenance classes by Greenwich Cyclists. Covers tyres and wheels; intermediate class covers brakes and gears. Bring your bike and parts Cost: £5 per two-hour class. See www.greenwichcyclists.org.uk When: Tuesday or Wednesday, 7.15pm-9pm. Call to confirm At: Armada Centre, Armada Court, 21 McMillan St, Deptford SE8 6PW
Contact: Julian Dobson (07771 692 344, 020 8463 0801, julian@jadobson.demon.co.uk) or see www.greenwichcyclists.org.uk Hackney What: Twice monthly two-hour workshops sponsored by Hackney Cycling Campaign. Work on your bike with advice from experts Cost: No charge – run by volunteers (donations to pay rent appreciated). Additional volunteers welcome When: 7pm-9pm on first and third Tuesday of the month At: The Kings Centre, Frampton Park Baptist Church, Frampton Park Rd, off Well Street, E9 7PQ Contact: Hackney Cycling Campaign (www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk), Adam (07940 121 513), Ross (rosscorben@blueyonder.co.uk) or Paul (paul.standeven@virgin.net) Hammersmith What: One-day cycle repair and maintenance workshops Cost: £40 (5% off for LCC members) When: First Thursday of every month and last Saturday of every month At: Emerald Centre, 2 Beadon Road, W6 0DA Contact: Gordon (07983 949 559, gordonk.pedalpower@hotmail.com) or Jon (07507 496 212) Islington What: Bicycle maintenance courses When: On demand At: Based in Islington but can travel Contact: Jonathan Edwards (07946 261 165, j.edwards530@ btinternet.com) What: 2.5-hour, self-help workshop Cost: £1 (50p unwaged) When: Fourth Wednesday of month (not August/December); 7pm-9.30pm At: Sunnyside Gardens, cnr Sunnyside and Hazellville roads, N19 Contact: Adrian (07810 211 902) Kingston What: Maintenance to help keep bikes in good order. One-day courses cover bike checks, brakes, punctures, gears. Evening course also includes chains, bearings and transmission Cost: One-day Saturday course is £26; evening course is £50 When: One-day course: 10am-4pm on March 7; evening course: six Mondays 7pm-9pm from June 1 At: North Kingston Centre, Richmond Road, KT2 5PE Contact: Kingston Adult Education
(adult.education@rbk.kingston. gov.uk, www.kingston.gov.uk/ adulteducation, 020 8547 6700) or Rob (020 8546 8865, mail@ kingstoncycling.org.uk). See also www.kingstoncycling.org.uk Lambeth What: Lambeth Cyclists’ workshops When: There are no plans for classes at the moment, but contact Janet Paske at janet.paske@gmail.com or on 07740 457 528 if you would like to be kept informed of any future developments What: Basic maintenance course Cost: £60 When: Call for dates At: Brixton Contact: Paul Lowe (020 7733 3070) www.cyclinginstructor.com Newham What: Workshop for Newham cyclists Cost: A donation to Cycle Club funds When: Saturdays, 9.30am-12pm during term time At: New City Primary School, New City Rd, Plaistow, E13 9PR Contact: Liz Bowgett (liz.bowgett@ btopenworld.com) Redbridge What: Redbridge Cycling Campaign’s course covers basic maintenance (punctures, brakes, gears, etc) Cost: £30 When: Please get in touch to register for the next course in the new year Contact: Terry (07795 981 529, terence.hughes@btinternet.com) or Jim (jimdalton24@hotmail.com, 07949 883 747), or see www.redbridgelcc.org.uk Southwark What: Southwark Cyclists’ fourevening course includes maintenance and cleaning, punctures, cables, brakes, truing wheels, when to get professional help, and when to replace what. Uses On Your Bike’s workshop and professional mechanics. 10% off purchases Cost: £48 per course. Pay online via Paypal after confirming place When: Tuesdays. 6.30pm-8.30pm At: On Your Bike, 52-54 Tooley St, SE1 2SZ Contact: Barry (07905 889 005, info@southwarkcyclists.org.uk), or www.southwarkcyclists.org.uk What: Cycle Training UK’s one-day courses. Basic and intermediate;
one-to-one or small group sessions; puncture masterclass Cost: £60/one-day course; £30/hour bespoke tuition; £20/puncture masterclass. 5% off for LCC members. Subsidised training available for those living, working or studying in Ealing, Brent, Lambeth or the City When: Phone or check website At: CTUK, Unit 215, Building J 100 Clements Road, SE16 4DG Contact: Call 020 7231 6005 or check www.cycletraining.co.uk Sutton What: Basic bicycle maintenance class plus free Dr Bike cycle check Cost: £10 per head (family discounts) When: Saturday, February 21, 9.45am-noon At: Sutton West Centre, Robin Hood Lane, Sutton, SM1 2SD Contact: Chris Parry (020 8647 3584, cyclism@blueyonder.co.uk) or Shirley Quemby (020 8642 3720), or see www.cyclismsutton.org.uk Tower Hamlets What: Hands-on workshops with Tower Hamlets Wheelers Cost: Free. Donations welcome! When: Last Saturday of the month (except December); 11am-3pm At: Boxing Club, Limehouse Town Hall, 646 Commercial Rd E14 7HA Contact: Owen Pearson (07903 018 970, workshop@wheelers.org.uk) www.wheelers.org.uk/workshop Waltham Forest What: Maintain or assemble a bike. Bike donations very welcome Cost: £3. Tea/coffee provided When: The workshop (when staff available) opens 10am-3pm Saturdays except the first Saturday of the month (when there is a bike sale) and the second Saturday of the month when the workshop is run by Waltham Forest LCC and therefore open 11am-1pm to members. Fridays it is open for volunteers only, 9am-4pm, to recondition bikes At: Council transport depot, Low Hall Depot, South Access Road, Walthamstow, E10 7A6. Stop at security for directions Contact: Christopher Rigby (christopher.rigby1@ntlworld. com, 07910 235 149) or call 07948 060 473. Also keen to hear from volunteers who are able to help keep this excellent service running
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How to... make your school cycle-friendly There are a number of steps you can take to make your school cycle-friendly, thus encouraging more kids (and parents) to cycle the school run. The advantages of kids cycling to school are numerous: they get daily exercise, are more alert for the day, and socialise en route with other kids who live locally, which breeds connections within their community. Travel plans Contact your school to find out if it already has a staff member liaising with the council on a school travel plan. Many local authorities and schools will have safe routes to school that have been developed as part of travel plans (these aim to reduce car use and improve safety on the school journey). If your local authority does not have a Safe Routes to School travel plan, put forward your suggestions (eg point out dangerous junctions or suggest lower speed limits), and lobby your school to develop a plan of its own. For information on Safe Routes to School, travel plans and creating improved cycle provision for the school journey, Sustrans (creators of the Safe Routes to Schools project) on 01179 150 100, or see www.sustrans.org.uk. Finding a route Whether there is a bike bus for your child to join (see below), you will be cycling with them, or they are at an age where they can cycle to school on their own, it is a good idea to find a quiet route. This may include back streets, be through parks or on cycle paths, and is often a quiet, slightly longer route that will be more enjoyable and safer than a short, busy route. The London
Cycle Guides show quiet and off-road routes, and can be ordered by calling Transport for London on 020 7222 1234. Bike buses These are an excellent way for childen to start cycling to school. A bike bus is simply a group of children cycling to and from school under the supervision of parents. Bike buses follow an agreed, quiet route and collect and drop children off at regular times each day, preferably with a number of parents sharing the duty over the week. They are normally organised by schools, in conjunction with parents who are interesed in encouraging their child/ren to cycle. By cycling in groups, children are safer than if they were on their own as they are more visible. If you are interested in starting a bike bus, contact your child’s school and discuss the idea with other parents. Cycle parking Schools with an approved travel plan (see above) that demonstrates demand for cycling may be eligible to receive cycle parking via the Mayor of London’s School Cycle Parking programme. Call LCC for advice on gaining grants. In the classroom Cycle training is not part of the National Curriculum, but under the Government’s Travelling To
School action plan, teachers are encouraged to use appropriate lessons to explain the benefits of sustainable travel, including cycling. Speak to staff about whether cycling is covered in any lessons. After-school club If a lot of kids in your area want to cycle, consider setting up a club where they can learn basic road skills and maintenance. You may be eligible for a grant to take this further: see the ‘Working with communities’ link in the ‘What we do’ section at www.lcc.org.uk. Training It is important that training be given to all children before they start cycling on the roads. More information and links to accredited providers can be found at www.lcc. org.uk or by calling LCC. MORE INFORMATION See the ‘Cycling with children’ section at www.lcc.org.uk for more on cycling to school, including a PDF version of LCC’s Cycling With Children booklet (members without internet access can call the office for a hard copy version, £1).
The LC Bike Surgery Which lights are best: dynamos, LEDs, rechargeables? Tracy Adams, West Acton Products editor Ian Cleverly writes: Dynamos – lights that lights up using energy generated by pedalling – seem to be out of fashion, which is a shame as they have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years. German company Busch and Muller make great systems that cover the age-old problem with dynamos, such as the lack of light when stationary
– a built-in standlight now kicks in and keeps the power on for four minutes. The dynamo is, of course, also the most ecological choice – no batteries, just good, old-fashioned leg power. Alternatively, a set of decent battery powered LEDs (short for ‘light-emitting diodes’, in case you were wondering) won’t break the bank and will pump out plenty of light for city riding. The run time for LEDs is very good, so only plump for a rechargeable front if you are doing lots
of night riding. If your bike is securely stored during the day, the dynamo is a good choice. If not, go for some easily removable LEDs. HOW TO SEND US YOUR QUESTIONS If you have a question on routes, campaigning, maintenance, safety or any other topic, send your question to londoncyclist@lcc.org.uk or write to the address on page 3, and the LC team will answer it for you.
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Product reviews Bag it Get the bag off your back and let your bike take the strain. Ian Cleverly looks at four options to lighten the load
Carradice City Folder
Carradice has over 70 years’ experience producing cycle equipment and the first look at this bag confirms that heritage. The cotton duck material and leather straps appear unchanged from the saddlebag of choice for touring cyclists for decades. They are still handmade in Lancashire to the same standards that made a Carradice bag a lifelong friend. The City Folder is specifically designed for Bromptons – you will need the Brompton front rack from the manufacturers. Scotchlite reflective panels on the lid and sides are subtle, perhaps a bit too subtle: I wouldn’t want to risk ruining
the aesthetics of the classic design but a bit more reflective material wouldn’t go amiss. A soft rubberised carry handle takes care of off-bike duties, alongside an excellent detachable padded shoulder strap. With a zipped compartment at the front and two massive pockets at the back, there are plenty of options for stashing your bits and pieces without delving inside. Flip open the top and a waterproof nylon drawstring skirt and accompanying Velcro straps give a good seal against the elements. Inside, you get a removable padded laptop bag, suitable for screen sizes up to 17-inches, and with three external pockets – a big hit with our tester. The City Folder also drew praise for its ease of fitting to the rack and spacious interior, although this could lead to the temptation to overfill it. We also tested the similarly priced CarraDry variation of the City Folder, with a silver waterproof wipe clean exterior and welded seams – a less traditional looking bag than the black or olive green versions but a fine alternative for the Brompton devotee committed to cycling in any weather, although our tester found the external mesh pockets rather pointless. Both bags are wider than Brompton’s own offering, so you get more carrying capacity but a slightly unwieldy load on the front of the bike when riding fully loaded.
Verdict Solidly built luggage that will last for years and Carradice has a full after-sales and repair service should the worst happen. The retro look of the City Folder is appealing but the CarraDry edges it for its wipe clean surface and water-repelling qualities. Either bag will be a boost to your Brompton. £69.95, Carradice (www.carradice.co.uk)
Photos: John Whitfield
Knog Frank’s Dog What’s this? A laptop bag with single shoulder strap? This test is supposed to be about bike-mounted luggage. Fear not. Australian company Knog make some fine products and Frank’s Dog is right up there with the best of them. Here is the clever bit: unclip the wide, soft shoulder strap and its chunky aluminium buckles, open a flap at the back of the bag and the universal hub beneath clips very neatly onto Knog’s rack or bar attachments – available separately. Well constructed from heavyweight 1200D fabric sewn into an EVA protective base, the Dog’s insides reveal a host of useful pockets and compartments, and the all-important padded compartment for up to 15in screen-size laptops Back on the outside, a rain cover stows away in the ‘emergency parachute’ position at the base and fits snugly over the whole bag. A waist strap keeps the whole thing steady when shoulder-mounted. The shoulder strap buckles proved rather fiddly to remove but that will no doubt improve with practice. The pannier attachment could be better – it doesn’t grip the rack tightly and there is no lower fitting so it tends to bounce around a bit.
Verdict As a shoulder bag, Frank’s Dog is the business: it looks great,
is well made and very comfortable, even fully loaded. As a pannier, it is not quite there, but you have to hand it to Knog for producing a versatile and cool bag. A little re-design on the pannier fittings and they will have cracked it. £84.16, Moore Large (www.moorelarge.co.uk)
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Product reviews
Ortlieb Office Bag 2 The usual rock-solid build and thoughtful touches you expect from Ortlieb are immediately apparent in this piece of kit. The plastic outer casing has some flex and seems – despite our best efforts – unbreakable. Yet pull back the excellent waterproof Tizip zippers to reveal a cavernous office bag with pockets, sub-dividers and a full size 17-inch laptop case, plus a whole load of carrying space. So far, so good, but how do you mount it on the bike? The Office Bag comes with its own rack adaptor that is easy enough to fit. An inconspicuous recessed fitting clicks satisfyingly onto the adaptor to hold the whole thing firmly in place on the back of your bicycle. It does sit width-wise on the rack, so initially feels cumbersome, but is no wider than your shoulders so there is no need to breathe in going through narrow gaps – it just seems like it. And once you get to work, you can unclip in an instant, and you have an excellent briefcase that won’t look out of place in even the smartest office.
Verdict The nylon carry handles and plastic hand grip were a bit of a let down, especially compared to the other luggage tested, but that
is as bad as it gets. Valuables will be safe and dry in the Office Bag, no matter what the elements throw at you. Another winner from Ortlieb. £101.70, www.ortlieb.com
Michaud 24 hybrid panniers buckles make for a couple of seriously professional-looking pieces of luggage. Open them up and the wider leisure pannier features one large compartment and two big separate zipped pockets, while the narrower office pannier has all the pockets, card holders and key clips you would expect, plus the ubiquitous removable laptop case. A clever buckle and strap arrangement binds the whole thing together when off the bike. The bags we had were prototypes, so we didn’t put them to a thorough test. Company director Matt Michaud sensibly used the Cycle Show crowd as a sounding board and the finished article will feature improvements, including elasticated storm covers, reduced weight and more secure rack fixings.
These bags caught our eye at the Cycle Show in Earls Court, as much for their unashamed opulence as anything. Beautifully soft water-treated leather trim, waterproof nylon and chunky blasted steel
Verdict If Rapha made bike luggage, it would be something along these lines. Super-luxury panniers for anyone who insists on form with their function – with a price tag to match. Around £210 for the pair, www.michaudapparel.com
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Product reviews
Product reviews Here comes the sun Solar power could be the next big thing for bike lights. Ian Cleverly looks at two early contenders
Anklelite and Baglite
Product news Santos Bikes Brixton Cycles has linked up with Santos Bikes to become the first London dealership for the Dutch manufacturer. Highly respected Santos operates a custom build service for its range of mountain, touring, trekking and utility bikes. Keep an eye out for our review of the practical-looking S.U.B. (Santos Urban Bike) in the April issue of London Cyclist. www.santosbikes.com
Satmap
Verdict Bright ideas from an ecological standpoint but the payoff from the Baglite does not outweigh the drawbacks. The Anklelite is pretty good, yet still feels like a work in progress. £25 (Baglite) and £12.49 (Anklelite), www.pedalite.com
Powabyke Electric-assisted bikes have come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, to the extent it is now tricky to tell them from the leg-powered variety. Powabyke’s X-byke features a bottle cage mounted lithium battery – the default position of rechargeable front light batteries just five years ago – giving a 20-mile range from a full charge. Available in six or 24-gear options, weight for the X-byke is less than 25kg, impressive stuff from this British company. www.powabyke.com
WIN AN ORTLIEB MUDRACER
Asgard bike storage
LC has one of Ortlieb’s newest products, the WIN! MudRacer LED, to give away. This variation of the excellent Mudracer saddle pack features a twobulb built-in LED light and silicone sealing cover to keep dirt and grime off the zip. Inside there is ample room for tools and spare tubes, and a small pocket for bits and pieces. To enter our prize draw please send an email to prizedraw@lcc.org.uk or a postcard to LCC (address listed on p.3), marking your email or postcard “Ortlieb prize draw” and including your full name, telephone number and postal address. Deadline for entries is March 27, 2009. For LC prize draw terms and conditions, please see www.lcc.org.uk
We checked out the range of outdoor storage units from Asgard at October’s Cycle Show in Earls Court, and very sturdy they are, too. The Addition bike store holds up to three bicycles and their accessories in a galvanised steel enclosure with a tamperproof handle and cylinder lock arrangement. It would make a very secure home for your prize steeds. www.asgardsss.co.uk
Photo: John Whitfield
A pair of innovative products from Pedalite powered by solar energy – no more wasteful batteries. Both lights will charge from artificial light sources should the sun refuse to shine, although it does take considerably longer than using the real thing. The Baglite bears an unfortunate resemblance to a flashing codpiece – think of Borat’s onepiece ‘mankini’ with lights on. It attaches to a backpack using Velcro straps, with two white LED units to the front and one red at the rear. Broad nylon straps with reflective trim link the whole thing together and a pair of fiddly little buttons control all three lights from one point, giving flashing or constant modes. The Anklelite can be worn on the leg or arm, although it is probably most effective in the rotating leg position. It is of similar construction to its bag-mounted brother, with Velcro fastening and one solar-powered unit powering two orange LEDs. Much as I wanted to like the Baglite, it fell short in several departments. The light units are understandably large (solar panels need a big surface area), but the cumbersome nature of the over-engineered mounting straps made the Baglite feel like an awful lot of messing around for what is, effectively, a couple of tiny back-up LEDs. The Anklelite fared better by being a neater design all round and lighting the all-important (and often neglected) side area when riding. It is still rather large and has the same annoying buttons, but does the job with less fuss than the Baglite.
A free online route planner has been launched by Satmap Systems enabling registered users to access Ordnance Survey mapping to print out or download onto their Active 10 sports GPS. There is also an aerial photography option for Great Britain, with plans for the rest of the world in the pipeline. Users can also upload their favourite routes to the site’s route share forum where they can be downloaded by likeminded cyclists, all for free. www.satmap.com
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LCC members’ pages
LCC members’ pages
You can contact the membership team on 020 7234 9310 or email membership@lcc.org.uk
These pages provide all you need to know about how to get the most out of your LCC membership BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP LCC is a campaigning charity significantly funded by your membership. We work to improve conditions for cyclists and to promote cycling throughout London.
INSURANCE & LEGAL Third-party insurance If you cause damage to a person or their property while cycling, they may make a claim against you. As a member of LCC, you are covered for up to £5 million. If such an incident occurs, phone the LCC office for immediate advice and assistance.
Free legal advice If you need any legal assistance on cycling-related issues, please phone the LCC office and we will put you in touch with a cyclistfriendly solicitor.
Theft and damage insurance The new LCC urban cycling theft and damage insurance comes with a benefit unique to LCC members. If your bike gets stolen, vandalised or accidentally damaged, there is up to £50 ‘getting you home’ cover. Theft insurance costs about 10% of the value of your bike. For a quote, see www.urbancyclinginsurance. co.uk or call 01514 279 529. Have your membership number to hand.
INFORMATION & CAMPAIGNING Local groups LCC has a local group in every borough, plus the City of London. Groups campaign on local cycling issues, and also organise events,
LCC’S VISION LCC’s vision is to make London a world-class cycling city STRATEGIC AIMS ■ To involve people from all communities in cycling ■ To improve the quality of life in London by increasing cycling ■ To bring about the best possible services for people who cycle or want to cycle in London ■ To be leaders in urban cycling
CONTACT LCC 2 Newhams Row London SE1 3UZ t: 020 7234 9310 f: 020 7234 9319 e: office@lcc.org.uk w: www.lcc.org.uk Contact the LCC Board: chair@lcc.org.uk
HOW TO HELP LCC GROW Ask a friend to join If you recommend us to a friend and they join, you’ll receive a limited edition T-shirt (while stocks last). The more members we have, the greater our campaigning voice, plus more cyclists get to enjoy the benefits of LCC membership. Ask your friend or colleague to call 020 7234 9310 and quote ‘recommend a friend’, and to give us your name.
Gift membership Registered charity number: 1115789
meetings, workshops and rides. See page 32 to find out what your local group is up to.
Maps LCC, in partnership with Transport for London (TfL), has produced free cycle maps that cover all of London. These can be ordered via www.lcc.org.uk or by phoning TfL on 020 7222 1234.
London Cyclist magazine This magazine is sent to members every two months. It is packed with news, features, cycling tips, products news and all the latest on our campaigns. It has been voted the number one member benefit.
Who needs eBay? Members who have bikes or accessories to sell can advertise in London Cyclist free of charge – see page 35). Your short and concise ads should be emailed to londoncyclist@lcc.org.uk. Free business ads are not accepted.
A gift membership to LCC will enable your friend or relative to enjoy year-round benefits. You will also receive a limited edition LCC T-shirt (while stocks last) – keep for yourself or give it away as part of the gift. Call 020 7234 9310, and quote ‘gift membership’.
Volunteer with us Much of LCC’s work would not be possible without volunteers. Much of our membership, administration and campaigning work is carried out by volunteers – if you have any spare time and and would like to put it to good use, phone Alison on 020 7234 9310. LC also relies on voluntary contributions. See www.lcc.org.uk/londoncyclist
How to join LCC If you like LC but you are not a member, why not join the campaign to receive the magazine every two months? Members also receive other benefits listed on this page. You can join on 020 7234 9310 or via www.lcc.org.uk/join Turn the page to find out about more members’ discounts
Have you been involved in an incident on your bike? Contact our partners, Levenes Solicitors, for free legal advice:
020 8826 1329 www.cycleinjury.co.uk Kevin O’Sullivan, head of Levenes’ Cycle Injuries Department, regular London cyclist and LCC member says: “We have been successfully providing legal advice for LCC members for eight years and are proud to support their campaigning and provide this free cycling incident helpline for the members’ benefit.” Levenes are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and your case will be dealt with on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis.
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LCC members’ pages
LCC member discounts Ongoing benefits open only to members: Maintenance Cycle Training UK (CTUK) offers LCC members a 5% discount on bike maintenance training. Call Araxi Djian on 020 7232 4398. Breakdown cover Get 50% off membership of the Environmental Transport Association (ETA), a breakdown service for transport users who care about the environment. For details, phone the ETA on 0800 212 810 or see www.eta.co.uk. You will need to quote your LCC membership number and reference 1061-9001. Bike shops LCC members get discounts on bikes, accessories and servicing at the following bike shops in the capital. Remember to show your membership card before you make a purchase or book your service. MAIL ORDER / ONLINE 50Cycles Ltd (www.50cycles.com) Quote m’ship no. ■ ➔ Exceptions: not on second-hand or ex display; not in conjunction with other offers Corridori Cycle Sport (01737 373227, www.corridori.co.uk) ▲ ✔ Cotswold Outdoor Quote ref 2115 at www.cotswoldoutdoor.com ♣ Evans www.evanscycles.com or 0870 600 0908 ▲ ✔ Loads Better Mail order. Suppliers of xtracycle and Kronan bikes (0845 8682459) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-5 Old Bicycle Trading Co Mail order only. Hub gears new and vintage parts (020 8306 0060) ● ✔ www.oldbiketrader.co.uk Outdoor Indoor Ltd Mail order clothing supplier. ● ✔ www.outdoorindoor.co.uk CENTRAL Action Bikes Dacre House 19 Dacre
St SW1H 0DJ (020 7799 2233) ✔ ▲ Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9.30-5.30 Action Bikes 23-26 Embankment Place Northumberland Avenue WC2N 6NN (020 7930 2525) ✔ ▲ Mon-Fri 8-8 Bikefix 48 Lambs Conduit St WC1N 3LJ (020 7405 1218) ● ➔ Mon-Fri 8.30-7 Sat 10-5 Bikehut 3-4 Ave Maria Ln EC4M 7AQ (020 7332 4160) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9-6 Sun10-5 Condor Ltd 51 Grays Inn Rd WC1X 8P (020 7269 6820) ● ✔ Mon-Tues Thurs-Fri 9-6 Weds 9-7.30 Sat 10-5 Cavendish Cycles 136 New Cavendish St W1W 6YD (020 7631 5060) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 10-5 Cotswold Outdoor 23/26 Piccadilly W1J 0DJ (020 7437 7399) ♣ (quote L2115 and show card) Mon-Fri 10-8, Sat, 10-6 Sun 11-5 CycleSurgery 3 Procter St Holborn WC1V 6DW (020 7269 7070) ▲ ✔ Mon/Weds/Fri 8.30-6 Tues/Thurs 8.30-7 Sat 10-5 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles 1 Farringdon St EC4M 7LD (020 7248 2349) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 18-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles Cullum St EC3M 7JJ (020 7283 6750) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Mon 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 12-5 Evans Cycles 51-52 Rathbone Pl W1T 1JP (020 7580 4107) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9-6 Sun 11-4 Evans Cycles 69 Grays Inn Rd WC1X 8TP (020 7430 1985) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Tues closed 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 12-5 Evans Cycles 178 High Holborn WC1V 7AA (020 7836 5585) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Tues closed 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-4 Fluid Cycles Mobile repairs and servicing in Underground zone 1 and the Docklands (020 7021 0742) ● ✔ (on servicing and repairs) Mon-Fri 8.30-6 Weekends by
Many of these shops have email addresses and websites. For details, see www.lcc.org.uk/discounts
arrangement Paul’s Custom Cycles 38 Mount Pleasant WC1X (07960 987 887) ▲ 10-4 Mon-Sat 11-4 Sun Velorution 18 Great Titchfield St W1W 8BD (020 7637 4004) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9-18.45 Sat 10.30-18.30 Also sells secondhand bikes EAST Bicycle Magic 4-6 Greatorex St E1 5NF (020 7375 2993) ■ ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 10-5 Bike Yard East @ The Hackney City Farm 1a Goldsmiths Row, E2 8QA (07949 764 631) 5% off parts TuesFri 8-6.30 Sat-Sun 11-4.30 Brick Lane Bikes 118 Bethnal Green Rd, E2 6DG (020 7033 9053) ✔ MonFri 9-7Sat 11-7 Sun 11-6 Chainlink Cycle Centre 140 Hornchurch Rd RM11 1DP (01708 470 007) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Cotswold Outdoor Ground floor, St Clements House, Leyden St E1 7LL (020 7655 466) ♣ (quote ref L2115; show card) Mon-Fri 10-7, Sat 10-5 CycleSurgery Brody House Strype St E1 7LQ (020 7375 3088) ▲ ✔ Mon/Weds/Fri 8.30-6 Tues/Thurs 8.30-7 Sat 10-5 Sun 10-4 CycleSurgery 12-13 Bishops Sq, E1 6EG (020 7392 8920) ▲ ✔ (excludes Marin bikes. Full SRP items only. Excludes Selfridges concession.) Mon-Sat 10-6 Sun 12-6 Ditchfields 792/794 High Rd Leyton E10 6AE (020 8539 2821) ▲ ✔ Not on promotional products. Mon-Sat 9.15-5.30 EA Cycles 783 Romford Rd, Manor Park, E12 5AN (020 8478 2540) 5% bikes; ■ ✔ 10% servicing Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 10-4 Discounts not on promotional or sale items Evans Cycles The Cavern 1 Market St (Off Brushfield St) E1 6AA (020 7426 0391) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing MonFri 8-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 12-6 Evans Cycles Unit B, Reuters Building, 30 South Colonnade, Canary Wharf E14 5EZ (0870 164
4037) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9.30-6 Sun 12-6 Fluid Cycles Docklands See ‘Central’ Heales Cycles 477 Hale End Rd Highams Park E4 9PT (020 8527 1592) ■ ➔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-5.30 London Fields Cycles 281 Mare St E8 1PJ (020 8525 0077) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-6 Sat 10-6 Wharf Cycles 21-23 Westferry Rd, E14 8JH (020 7987 2255) ✔ Mon-Fri 8-7; Sat 10-5; Sun 11-4 NORTH Bike and Run 125 High Rd N2 8AG (020 8815 1845) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9.30-5.30 Bike Mech The Castle Climbing Centre Green Lanes N4 2HA (07762 270 616) 10% discount on servicing only Mon-Fri 9-7, Sat 10-5 Bikes R Us Mobile repairs in north London (020 8882 8288, 07949 066 889) ● ✔ on servicing and most repairs Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30 CycleSurgery 70 Holloway Rd N7 8JG (020 7697 2848) ▲ ✔ Mon 9-6 Tues 9-7 Weds 8.30-6 Thurs 9-7 Sat 10-6 Sun 11-5 Cycle Store (The) 201 Woodhouse Rd Friern Barnet N12 9AY (020 8368 3001) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 (Closed Weds) Sat 9-5 Sun 11-3 Holloway Cycles 290 Holloway Road N7 6NJ (020 7700 6611) ▲ ✔ 10% servicing/labour Mon-Fri 8.30-6.30 Sat 9-6 Sun 11-5 Mosquito Bikes 123 Essex Rd N1 2SN (020 7226 8841/020 7226 8765) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8.30-7 Sat 10-6 Sun (summer only) 11-4 S & S Cycles 29 Chapel Market N1 9EN (020 7278 1631) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 10-6 Sat 10-5.30 Sun 10-2.30 Shorter Rochford 27 Barnet Rd Potters Bar EN6 (01707 662 332) ▲ ✔ on RRP Mon-Fri 9-6 (Closed Weds) Sat 9-5 Shorter Rochford 65-67 Woodhouse Rd N12 (020 8445 9182) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-6, Weds 9-7 (Closed Thurs)
WSLETTER? NE L AI EM C LC E TH ON T OU NG SI IS M U ARE YO NEXT ONE OUT 25 FEBRUARY
hs to the magazine) helps keep you Our e-newsletter (sent out alternate mont and member news. But if we don’t aign camp LCC t up to date with the lates won’t receive it. Please update your have your current email address, you cc.org.uk’. ss email addre by sending it to ‘office@l by spam software. The e-newsletter might also be filtered ailmsg.net’ to your To prevent this, add ‘newsletter@lcc.em ve your email email contacts to make sure you recei ber offers mem containing all the latest LCC news and
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LCC members’ pages
Many of these shops have email and websites. For details, see www.lcc.org.uk Top Rider 210 Baker Street, Enfield EN1 (020 83638618) ✔ Closed Wed & Sun Mon-Sat 9-5.30 Two Wheels Good 165 Stoke Newington Church St N16 (020 7249 2200) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 8.30-6 Sun 11-5 Two Wheels Good 143 Crouch Hill N8 (020 8340 4284) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 8.30-6 NORTH-WEST Broadway Bikes 250 West Hendon Bwy NW9 6AG (020 8202 4671) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30, Sun 11-1 Broadway Bikes 5 York Pde NW9 6BE (020 8202 4671) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30, Sun 11-1 Chamberlaines 75-77 Kentish Town Rd NW1 8NY (020 7485 4488) ■ ✔ Includes shop discount Mon-Sat 8.30-6 Cycle King 451-455 Rayners Ln Pinner HA5 4ET (020 8868 6262) ■ ♣ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 9-4.30 Cycle King 173 Hillside Stonebridge NW10 8LL (020 8965 5544) ■ ♣ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 10-5 Cyclelife Mill Hill 8 Bittacy Hill NW7 1LB (020 8346 5784) ▲ ✔ Thur-Fri 9-5.30 Sat 9-5 Sun 10-3 Mon 9-5.30 CycleSurgery 44 Chalk Farm Rd NW1 8AJ (020 7485 1000) ▲ (except Marins) ✔ Mon/Weds/Fri 9-6 Tues/ Thurs 9-7 Sat 10-6 Sun 11-5 CycleSurgery Hampstead 275 West End Lane NW6 1QS (020 7431 4300) ▲ ✔ Mon/Weds/Fri 9-6 Tues/Thurs 9-7 Sat 10-6 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles 240 Watford Way, NW4 4UB (0870 142 0108) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8, Sat 9.30-6, Sun 11-5 Simpson’s Cycles 114-116 Malden Rd NW5 4BY (020 7485 1706) ▲✔ (Birdys ■) Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-5.30 Sparks 5 Bank Buildings High St NW10 4LT (020 8838 5858) ●✔ MonSat 9.30-6 SOUTH Bikes Plus 429 Brighton Rd CR2 6EU (020 8763 1988) ▲✔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Cycle King 26-40 Brighton Rd CR2 6AA (020 8649 9002) ■ ♣ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 9-4.30 Evans Cycles 5 London Rd CR0 2RE (020 8667 1423) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 9-6 Thurs 9-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 SOUTH-EAST Bigfoot Bikes 50 Hayes St BR2 7LD (020 8462 5004) ● ➔ Inc servicing; exc labour Tues-Sat 9-5.30 Bike Shop (The) 288-290 Lee High Rd SE13 5PJ (020 8852 6680) ▲ ✔ on items over £10 Mon-Fri 9-5.30 Sat 9-5 Blackfen Cycle Centre 23 Wellington Pde Blackfen Rd DA15
9NB (020 8303 3761) ▲ ✔ (Incl labour) Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-5.30 Sun 10-3 Bromley Bike Company 27 Widmore Rd BR1 1RW (020 8460 4852) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30 Thurs 9-8 Comptoncycles.co.uk 23-25 Catford Hill SE6 4NU (020 8690 0141) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 9-6 Sat 9-5 Deens Garage 439 Croydon Rd BR3 3PP (020 8650 0630) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 8.30-5.30 Edwardes 221-225 Camberwell Rd SE5 0HG (020 7703 3676) ▲ ✔ MonSat 8.30-6 Evans Cycles 111-115 Waterloo Rd SE1 8UL (020 7928 2208) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 10-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles 77-81 The Cut SE1 8LL (020 7928 4785) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Weds 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles 6 Tooley St SE1 2SY (020 7403 4610) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing. Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Herne Hill Bicycles 83 Norwood Rd SE24 9AA (020 8671 6900) ● ➔ Tues-Fri 9-6 Sat 10-5 (Closed Sun & Mon) London Recumbents Rangers Yard Dulwich Park College SE21 7BQ (8299 6636) ● ✔ Variable discount on bike hire. Mon-Sun 10-6 On Your Bike 52-54 Tooley St SE1 2SZ (020 7378 6669) ▲ ✔ Sat 10-6, Sun 11-5 Also has bike hire. Discounts don’t apply to sale items or cycle scheme bikes
ReCycling 110 Elephant Rd SE17 1LB (020 7703 7001) ▲✖ Only sells catalogue returns, renovated and secondhand bikes Robinsons Cycles 172 Jamaica Rd, SE16 4RT (020 7237 4679) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-6; Thur 9.30-2pm Sidcup Cycle Centre 142-146 Station Rd DA15 7AB (020 8300 8113) ✔ Mon-Fri 9-5.30; Thurs 9-7; Sat 9-5 Witcomb Cycles 25 Tanners Hill, Deptford SE8 4PJ (020 8692 1734) ■ ✔ Mon closed; Tues, Wed, Fri 9.305; Thurs, Sat 9.30-4 Wilsons 32 Peckham Rd SE15 5EB (0207 639 1338) ▲✔ Mon-Fri 10-6; Sat 10-5 Xadventure Bikes 25-29 Perry Hill, SE23 2NE (020 8699 6768) ▲✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30 Not on servicing SOUTH-WEST Action Bikes 221 The Broadway SW19 1SD (020 8540 0313) ▲ ✔ Action Bikes 437 Upper Richmond Rd SW14 7PJ ✔ (020 8876 5566) Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 11-4 Bicycle Warehouse 214-216
Kingston Rd TW11 (020 8977 2925) ▲ ✔ 10% servicing Mon-Sat 9-5.30 Sun 10-4 Bonthrone Bikes/SBR 917-919 Fulham Rd, SW6 5HU (020 7731 5005) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 11-7; Thurs 11-8; Sat 10-6; Sun 12-5 Brixton Cycles 145 Stockwell Rd SW9 9TN (020 7733 6055) ● ✔ Mon-Wed & Fri-Sat 9-6 Thurs 9-7 Cowley Security Locksmiths (Locks and key cutting) 146 Colne Rd TW2 6QS (020 8894 1212) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-5 Cycleworx 20-30 Buckhold Road SW18 4WW (07970 615 171) ✔ also 10% off servicing Cyclopedia 256 Fulham Rd SW10 9EL (020 7351 5776) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 9.30-6 Sun 10.30-5 Dialabike 30 Strutton Ground SWIP 2HR (020 7233 4224) ■ ✔ Mon-Fri 9.30-5.30 Evans Cycles 13-15 Jerdan Pl SW6 1BE (020 7384 5550) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8am-8pm (Closed Mon 11-12) Sat 9.30am-6pm Sun 11am-5pm Evans Cycles Clapham Unit 2 65-79 Clapham High St SW4 7TG ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8 Sat 12-6 Sun 12-6 Evans Cycles 320-320b Vauxhall Bridge Rd SW1V 1AA (020 7976 6298) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Tues 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 11-5 Evans Cycles 48 Richmond Rd KT2 5EE (020 8549 2559) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 9-6 Thurs 9-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 10-4 Evans Cycles 167-173 Wandsworth High St SW18 4JB (020 8877 1878) ▲ ✔ Incl servicing Mon-Fri 8-8 (Closed Thurs 11-12) Sat 9.30-6 Sun 10-4 London Recumbents Staff Yard Battersea Park SW11 (020 7498 6543) ● ✔ off hire only. Open weekends and school holidays Luvbikes.com 175 Widmore Rd, BR1 3AX (020 8460 0433) ▲ ✔ Mon-Sat 9.30-6 Luciano Cycles 97-99 Battersea Rise SW11 1TW (020 7228 4279) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-5.30 Sun 10-3.30 Mend-a-Bike 19 The Arches 33 Munster Rd SW6 4ER (020 7371 5867) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9-7 Sat 9-6 Mike’s Bikes 27 Aberconway Rd SM4 5LN (020 8640 1088) ▲ ✔ MonFri 8-5.30 Sat 9-4 BIKES
ACCESSORIES
0%
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✖
5%
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➔
10%
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✔
15%
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Moore’s Cycles 61 London Rd TW1 3SZ (020 8744 0175) Mon, Sat 95.30; Tue-Fri 9-6; Sun 10-4 ▲ ✔ Moose Cycles 48 High St SW19 2BY (020 8544 9166) ● ✔ Mon-Fri 9.30-7 Pitfield Cycles 137 Kingston Rd KT3 3NX (020 8949 4632) ■ ➔ Mon-Sat 9-5.30 Prologue 232 Upper Richmond Rd SW14 8AG (020 8878 6266) ▲ ✔ 15% servicing Mon closed Wed 8-8 Tue/Thur-Fri 9-6 Sun 12-5 Discount applies to BH brand bikes only Psubliminal 17 Balham High St, SW12 9AJ (020 8772 0707) 5% off servicing. Tues-Fri 9-6.30 Thurs 9-7 Sat 9-5.30 Putney Cycles 337 Putney Bridge Rd, SW15 2PG (020 8785 3147) ✔ Mon-Fri 8-6.30 Sat 9-6 Sun 10-4 Siecle 789 Wandsworth Rd SW8 3JQ (020 7978 2345) ❋ ✖ (only to bikes) Mon-Fri 9.30-5.30 Sat 10-4 Smith Brothers 14 Church Rd SW19 5DL (020 8946 2270) ▲ Also has bike hire Mon-Sat 9.30-5.30 South Bank Cycles 194 Wandsworth Rd SW8 2JU (020 7622 3069) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Stratton Cycles Ltd 101 East Hill SW18 2QB (020 8874 1381) ● ✔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Triandrun 53 Wimbledon Hill Rd SW19 7QW (020 8971 2065) ■ ✔ 10% labour/servicing WEST Action Bikes 101 Uxbridge Rd W12 8NL (020 8743 5265) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 10-4 Action Bikes 176 Chiswick High Rd W4 1PR (020 8994 1485) ● ➔ Mon-Sat 9-6 Sun 10-4 Bikewise 61 Swakeleys Rd UB10 8DQ (01895 675376) ■ ✔ Mon-Sat 9-5.30 Sun 10-2 Cyclopedia 262 Kensington High St W8 6ND (020 7603 7626) ● ✔ MonFri 8-8 Sat 9.30-6 Sun 10.30-5 Evans Cycles 548-550 Chiswick High Rd W4 5RG (0870 060 5489) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 8-8, Sat 9.30-6, Sun 11-5 Moore’s Cycles 3-5 St John’s Rd TW7 6NA (020 8560 7131) ▲✔ Mon, Sat 9-5.30; Tues-Fri 9-6; Sun 10-4 WIZZBIKE.com 113-114 High St TW8 8AT (020 8326 2819) ▲ ✔ MonSat 9-6; Sun 11-5 Woolsey of Acton 281 Acton Ln W4 5DH (020 8994 6893) ▲ ✔ Mon-Fri 9.30-6.30 Sat 9.30-6 (Closed Wed) • Show your LCC card to claim your discount. • The discounts vary and are not negotiable. ● ➔ means no discount on a bicycle and 5% discount on parts and/or accessories. • Discounts don’t usually apply to special offers or sale items.
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Local groups News BARKING & DAGENHAM
Photo:s Bromley Cyclists, Enfield Cycling Campaign, Camden Cyclists, Keith Macfarlane
Members with email will have had a message saying that the stibasa Google Group (GG) has disappeared from the internet. At the time of writing, it had not reappeared, though from my research I know that other GGs that disappeared have re-appeared, so fingers crossed. The consequences of this are several. First, the archive of emails since I set up the GG is not available, though I hope it isn’t lost for ever. Secondly, I’ve had to set up the GG again, and if you want to access its web page, you need to join it, which requires you to have a Google account. You should still get group emails if you don’t join the group on the web. Thirdly, the GG’s email address is Stibasa2@googlegroups.com. It used to be plain old Stibasa@googlegroups.com, but Google say that address is taken! It is, but it doesn’t work. The GG’s name is still stibasa. Lastly, everyone is a new member of the GG, though most of you should have been members of the GG of the same name that disappeared. I’m sorry about this, but as the service is free, I don’t suppose the geeks at Google will be running up and down trying to put it right. I’m going to contact the BBC’s technology programme Click to see if they’ll do an item on the phenomenon. www.stibasa.org.uk is alive and well, thank you, so musn’t grumble, and so is ‘our’ blog www.stibasa.blogspot.com, so there’s a bit of cyberspace with a local transport flavour. I say “our” blog, but your contributions are noticeable by their absence. Welcome to any new members – please get in touch, by email if possible as that makes my life easier. Contact: Colin.Newman@stibasa.org.uk Website: www.stibasa.org.uk Blog: www.stibasa.blogspot.com Egroup: http://groups.google.com/group/ stibasa2/ BARNET
Our pre-Christmas lunch and ride were uniquely successful in that it didn’t pour with rain as it normally does, and the lunch was good too. The latest crazy idea connected with the massive Cricklewood/Brent Cross redevelopment concerns getting north/south cyclists along the Edgware Road across the North Circular. It appears at one stage someone suggested using lifts or escalators to get cyclists up and then across. Thankfully a more conventional bridge is being proposed instead. Our February meeting is an auction (bring and buy for cycle bits and pieces, or a chance to recycle all those Christmas presents you don’t really want). Proceeds to group funds. Oh, and earlier in the evening there is the minor matter of the (brief) AGM. New volunteers for the committee are always welcome, but don’t be deterred – you won’t be ‘volunteered’ against your will. Meetings: The last Thursday of the month (February 26), 8pm at Trinity Church Hall, Nether Street, N12 7NN Contact: Jeremy Parker (020 8440 9080) Website: www.barnetlcc.org BROMLEY
Bromley Cyclists is on track for encouraging new riders in the borough. We have been working
Bromley Cyclists’ Rainham Circular Ride in November
with community groups to encourage youth cycling, and expect two new community clubs for children (Penge and Hayes) and at least two new after school clubs (Penge and Chislehurst) to begin this spring. For adults, we have been encouraging the traditional cycling clubs to offer beginner rides. These rides will be promoted this spring in borough schools through the council’s Road Safety Team. While having only a small active membership, we hope to enlarge our influence in a borough with the highest car use. Bromley Cyclists is offering a series of beginner rides, seven miles in length, on the first Sunday of each month, called the New Year’s Resolution Rides. When the after school children’s clubs begin, we hope to offer introductory family rides on Saturdays from the schools. Meetings: 7.30pm on the second Wednesday of month at Bromley College, London Road, Bromley BR1 1PE Contact: Charles Potter (07951 780869, coordinator@bromleycyclists.org) Website: www.bromleycyclists.org http://groups.yahoo.com/group/bromleycyclists/ CAMDEN
In 2008 we ran three series of maintenance workshops and more are planned for 2009 – please get in touch with Stefano (email below) if you are interested. Following two complex consultations on changes in the Bloomsbury area, we are pleased to hear that Russell Square is to revert to two-way working all round. However, we are disappointed that the proposals for Byng Place are so weak; what originally sounded like a shared-space scheme makes no attempt to reduce the traffic flow. Several papers published the interview with Alan Bennett on Regent’s Park Broad Walk (LC, Dec/Jan). He said: “There’s plenty of room for everybody on
Imogen Gunner on fiddle and Dave Carugo on keyboard at Camden Cyclists’ Music and Bicycles evening. In the background is the statue of Edward Elgar and his bike near Hereford Cathedral
the Broad Walk.” See www.camdencyclists.org. uk/newsitems/clippings/alan-bennett-10-08. We rounded off the year with a winter party with a Music and Bicycles theme. The music – Irish folk – was provided by Imogen Gunner and friends. This was preceded by a presentation on an idea for cycling to school in Fitzjohns Avenue. See www.camdencyclists.org.uk/newsitems/ ccc/ccc-party-12-08. Meetings: February 9 at Primrose Hill Community Association, 29 Hopkinsons Place, (off Fitzroy Rd) NW1 8TN Contact: Stefano Casalotti (020 7435 0196, stefano@lamsam-casalotti.org.uk) or Jean Dollimore (020 7485 5896, jean@dollimore.net) Website: www.camdencyclists.org.uk EALING
You would think that seasoned campaigners know not to count their chickens before they hatch – in the December/January issue, we reported that wheeling ramps had been approved for Ealing Broadway. Now TfL deny that they agreed to fund the modest costs. Angie Bray and our members are working to resolve the impasse. Shoppers in West Ealing supported Waitrose’s ‘community matters’ collection, raising around £200 in November to fund ECC’s work with families. We have been awarded a grant by a local charity to get families with children on bikes. The grant will allow us to buy a child seat, trailer, etc that we can loan to families. We would be delighted to have more members help us with these initiatives. ECC is not just about commutes into London. Meetings: The first Wednesday of the month (see website for venue details) Social ride: The first Sunday of the month, meet 10am Ealing Town Hall (details on the website) Contact: David Lomas (020 8579 0805, david_lomas28@hotmail.com) Website: www.ealingcycling.org.uk ENFIELD
We had great turnout of over 30 members, from ages 7 to 77, for our first Santa ride, complete with tinsel, a musical bike trailer and a Christmas tree. I hope you had a great Christmas, that your batteries are recharged and you’re ready for some fun rides and campaigning. Thinking back to the early ’90s, when I first joined LCC, I used to enjoy reading this magazine and I appreciated being in touch with what was going on. However, at least another five years passed before I plucked up the courage to go along to a meeting. I’m so glad I did. So, you ‘armchair’ members out there, there’s still time to make a New Year’s resolution to get involved with your local LCC group. Why not come along to a meeting on the first Thursday of each month, or come on one of our Sunday rides? We look forward to meeting you. Meetings: The first Thursday of every month. February 5, 8pm, Winchmore Hill Cricket Club, Firs Lane, Winchmore Hill, N21 3ER. March 5, 8pm, King William IV pub (upstairs), 192 Hertford Rd, Edmonton N9 7HH. Contact: Richard Reeve (020 8363 2196, r.reeve@blueyonder.co.uk) Website: www.lccenfield.fsnet.co.uk
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See the ‘local groups’ section at www.lcc.org.uk for more contact information and news from your area
LOCAL GROUP PROFILE ISLINGTON CYCLISTS’ ACTION GROUP (ICAG) Rumour has it that ICAG predates LCC, having been set up in 1977, but no-one can find the documentary evidence (do let ICAG know if you were involved). ICAG has around 700 members. Campaigns ICAG’s recent Road Danger Watch campaign collected data on incidents of dangerous behaviour by drivers around vulnerable road users. The group made observations around the borough to record examples and will use the information to work with the council and police to improve safety. ICAG is also working with British Waterways on its Two Tings campaign to encourage considerate use of the canal towpath. Improving the busy cycle crossing at Colebrooke Row over Goswell and City roads near the Angel has been another long running campaign. Campaign success An early victory was keeping Owen Street near the Angel open to cyclists when a major development started there about 10 years ago, but the campaign continues to get the whole crossing improved. The installation of a northbound cycle lane into Highbury Fields from Highbury Corner came after years of campaigning. ICAG’s bike breakfasts during Bike Week are well known for the quality of the cakes on offer, while AGMs have attracted guest speakers including Jon Snow and Boris Johnson.
ICAG members regularly volunteer to help out with Dr Bikes or on ICAG and LCC stalls at events both large and small
How to get involved All are welcome – especially anyone who enjoys looking at plans of traffic schemes as ICAG currently relies on help from neighbouring borough groups. The group meets on the second Wednesday of the month at Islington Town Hall from 7.30. There are also regular cycle workshops, as well as the Little Green Ride on the third Sunday of the month; the last Friday of the month sees a feeder ride to Critical Mass. Contact See www.icag.org.uk or contact the coordinator, Alison Dines, on 020 7227 7012 or alisondines@clara.co.uk.
Meetings: The first Tuesday of the month – see our website for details or call the co-ordinator Contact: John Griffiths (020 7371 1290, 07789 095 748, john@truefeelings.com) Website: www.hfcyclists.org.uk HOUNSLOW
Enfield LCC take a well-earned rest at Forty Hall during their Santa ride
The Hounslow group is in need of a new coordinator. Anyone interested in this rewarding role should contact charlie@lcc.org.uk Website: www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups ISLINGTON
Rides can be found on the Edmonton CC website: www.edmontoncyclingclub.fsnet.co.uk To join the Enfield Cyclists email list, send a blank email to enfieldcyclists-subscribe@ yahoogroups.com HAMMERSMITH & FULHAM
Many years ago we originated a road layout for surface level crossings on the south side of the Hammersmith gyratory. It looks like this will now be happening in the guise of a bus priority scheme for the Fulham Palace Road. Let us hope that the Colin Buchanon Partnership will realise that this is an opportunity to make things better for cyclists. Fortunately Halcrow, the transport consultants for Westfield, are not involved. Will Halcrow be helping Westfield at Stratford? Hopefully someone at LBHF will realise that some snagging needs to be done at Shepherd’s Bush Green/Westfield before there is a casualty. Will you enjoy rubbing up against the odd motorbike or two in a bus lane near you? Remember it is only a trial, and let LCC know how it is for you. Our dinner at the Sufi restaurant organised by Sophie went very well, as did our ride to join the other local groups in Richmond for a seasonal celebration. Days are getting longer and brighter, so let’s enjoy the freedom of getting out on one of our rides. And we would like to see you at one of our meetings.
Last year Council secured £600,000 to develop a walking and cycling route connecting Finsbury Park to Highbury Corner – the route is part of Sustrans Connect2 Project which was awarded Lottery money. Now representatives of the local community and stakeholders are being asked to help design ideas for walking and cycling improvements, and if anyone would like to get involved, please let us know. After many requests, the Council has recently opened three estate secure cycle parking compounds (at Taverner and Peckett squares, and the Harvist Estate) and is undertaking a pilot study on introducing secure on-street cycle parking in residential areas for use by residents. It will probably only be at three sites initially, but there is scope to implement this type of cycle parking across the borough. Many thanks to all those who helped ICAG in 2008 – your support in 2009 would be wonderful and if anyone else would like to get involved, just get in touch. Meetings: 7.30pm on second Wednesday of the month (February 11, March 11, April 8) at Islington Town Hall, Upper Street, N1 2UD Contact: Alison Dines (020 7226 7012, alisondines@clara.co.uk) Website: www.icag.org.uk KINGSTON
On the Saturday before Christmas we fitted
Jon Fray of Kingston Cycling Campaign fitting bike lights as part of the group’s pre-Christmas activities
26 lights free of charge to bikes in an effort to improve safety and attitudes to cyclists – we got a very positive reception. The council has been allocated £740,000 by TfL for cycling projects in 2009/10, £120,000 for 20mph zones and £425,000 for safety schemes. London Road is to get a shared use cycle facility on the northern side as far as Wickes. No money was allocated to improve the hideous junction where the Skerne Road track crosses the access to the town centre car parks, secure town centre bike parking, improvement to the Norbiton roundabout or the proposed track on the eastern side of the Fairfield. The council has been asked by TRL for more locations to trial motorcycles in ASLs but to date the trial hasn’t started. Evans Cycles on Richmond Road has doubled in size – a good indicator of cycling’s popularity locally. Meanwhile, the Community Furniture Recycling project has expressed interest in working with bikes too. Last year saw a record-breaking number of cyclists on our Bread Pudding rides –the programme for this year is even more varied to suit all riders. Meetings: 8.30pm on February 10 at the Waggon & Horses Pub, Surbiton Hill Road, KT6 4TW, and March 10 for the AGM – likely the same place but check nearer the date >> LONDON CYCLIST February/March 2009 33
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Local groups News
Kensington & Chelsea Cycling Campaign’s ride along the Thames to Richmond Park.
Contact: Rob James (020 8546 8865) Website: www.kingstoncycling.org.uk KENSINGTON & CHELSEA
Our joint activities with the Westminster LCC group have proved to be very effective. As the winter gives way to spring, we shall be planning more rides, so keep an eye out on our website. Meetings: Thursday, February 5, 7pm, Heart of London Business Alliance, 53-54 Haymarket, SW1Y 4RP Contact: Philip Loy (07960 026 450, philip_loy@yahoo.co.uk) Website: www.lcc.org.uk > Local Groups > Kensington & Chelsea LAMBETH
Is the winter gloom keeping you off your bike? What better way to lift the spirits than a Lambeth Cyclists meeting or ride? Our popular Architecture Rides continue in 2009. If you missed the January ride, don’t worry, we’ll be running them monthly, usually the last Saturday of the month. Check the website for updates. Our recent move to a new meeting venue is going well. If you haven’t been, do pop along – the venue is cosy and our meetings are open to all and friendly. Meetings: Third Tuesday of the month (February 17 and March 17), 7.30pm upstairs at The Priory Arms, 83 Lansdowne Way, SW8 2PB. Contact: Philip Loy (020 8677 8624, lambeth_cyclists@hotmail.com) Website: www.lambethcyclists.org.uk
Photos: Philip Loy, Kingston Cycling Campaign
MERTON
No improvements yet on Martin Way, despite our appeals that urgent action is required. MCC is reassured that we will be consulted on the revised scheme, due to be put in place in spring. The current disastrous scheme has come to the attention of Warrington Cycle Campaign which every month features a daft “facility of the month” – see http://tinyurl.com/54t7td. We are delighted that our local cycling vicar and chair of the Merton Sustainable Transport Group, the Rev Andrew Wakefield, has picked up on our beef about the unfinished 20mph zone on the Wimbledon one-way system – a point we first raised with Council in December 2006. The limit is unenforceable while the signage remains incomplete, apart from, as Andrew says, “other than by traffic jams during morning and evening rush hours”. In light of 10 cyclists killed by lorries in 2008 in London, we are putting pressure on Council to get all its lorries fitted with mirrors and ensure drivers are adequately trained. We’re happy to be part of an education campaign directed both at lorry drivers and cyclists.
Cabinet member Cllr William Brierly has promised to discuss the proposal with officers. BoJo’s decision to allow motorbikes in the bus lanes is crass – they are the fastest vehicles on the road. This and other cycle-hostile policies beginning to emerge from City Hall have convinced local activists that BoJo is not a friend of cycling, despite the fact he rides himself. We have written to the chair of the LCC campaigns subcommittee to suggest it’s time for LCC to take the gloves off – LCC needs to adopt a more strident campaigning style. Contact me if you want to see our paper on this. And positive note: we won new grant funding to provide cycle tuition for children whose health will benefit by learning to cycle. Child obesity has almost doubled in the last decade – when I were a lad I loved my bike and went everywhere on it. I still do, and I’m not fat yet. So it really works! Meetings: 8pm on the first Thursday of the month (email or phone for details) Contact: Richard Evans (020 8946 0912, info@mertoncyclists.org.uk) Website: www.mertoncyclists.org.uk REDBRIDGE
The Redbridge Movers and Shakers project is going forward: we are looking at making a community cycling grant application and we have a provisonal Bike Week booking for Redbridge Cycling Centre for the final Mover and Shakers Bike Ride, which will probably be combined with a Redbridge Travel Awareness event on the same day. Next step is to get a database of contacts who have influence in the borough who we can persuade to do cycle training. We hope to be liaising to a limited extent with neighbouring East London boroughs.The next group meetings will be devoted to progressing this exciting project. Please join us. The next maintenance workshop starts March 4. Meetings: 8pm February 24 and March 24 at Wanstead House, 21 The Green, E11 (near Wanstead tube). Drinks in the bar afterwards. Contact: Gill James 020 8989 4898 gilljames@ btinternet.com and Chris Elliott 020 8989 6285 c.elliott@dsl.pipex.com Website: www.redbridgelcc.org.uk RICHMOND
The council will be running a bike buddy scheme in early spring. This project aims to encourage cycling by using the potential of existing cyclists to persuade their friends, relatives and colleagues to use their bikes more often. We have offered as much help as we can give, so please get in touch if you would like to be involved. The council are reviewing bike parking within the borough and we were asked our advice on places where parking could be improved or installed. We have yet to hear the outcome of our response. If you know of anywhere you think needs bike parking, send an email to highwaysandtransport@ richmond.gov.uk or write a letter to the transport department at the Civic Centre outlining where you think it should go. We were contacted by the Fontainebleau Cycling Club who intend to visit Richmond in June. Fontainebleau is twinned with Richmond. We will be working with them to help with routes and accommodation and there may be a reciprocal visit in coming years. There is a
project to create a cycle quest in London. A cycle quest is a series of places you have to visit to answer a question about that place. If you have an interesting question about somewhere in Richmond, get in touch and we can add it to our list of possible places. For details of our rides, to take part in the campaign or just to say hello, come to a meeting (details below). Meetings: Second Monday of the month at The Ship Inn, Richmond, at 8pm Contact: info@rcc.myzen.co.uk, 07976 294626 Website: www.richmondlcc.co.uk General blog: http://richmondcc.blogspot.com Rides blog: http://richmondccrides.blogspot.com SOUTHWARK
The Thames Estuary Path Survey from the Department of Communities and Local Government/Sustrans slipped out quietly last December. It’s a great piece of work whose 218 pages and 70 very detailed maps cover both banks of the Thames east of the Woolwich Flood Barrier where the official Thames Path stops now. The survey aims to help bring that world-class pair of paths into reality and shows what’s there now and what needs doing – just east of that Flood Barrier, for example. Order it free from 0300 123 1124. Quote: ISBN 9781 4098 08008. And that’s one of many reasons why a lot of our 2009 rides will again be ferry estuary. And on our December 21 Border Patrol Winter Solstice night ride with Peckham artist Ana Laura Lopez de la Torre, almost all had never ridden the diamond-shaped borough line or connected Camberwell/Crystal Palace/Millwall Path/Rotherhithe riverside/Oxo Tower/Imperial War Museum/Camberwell Green before. And back at the artist’s garrett we ate and drank and made merry to two very different documentaries: a ‘made in Peckham’ one on Brighton’s 2007 Naked Bike Ride, and 1936’s Night Mail. Bike rides, like life, should be about revelation. Meetings: 7pm-8.30pm, the second Wednesday of the month at Better Bankside Community Space, Great Guildford Street, SE1 0TF. Contact: Barry Mason (07905 889 005, info@southwarkcyclists.org.uk) Website: www.southwarkcyclists.org.uk SUTTON
More cycle parking will be included on Red Routes by April. Smarter Travel Sutton will focus on schools, commuters and leisure cycling. Muschamp Road is to be opened for cyclists, next could be Carshalton Park Road, Westcroft Road or Brunswick Road. In Beddington Lane, a central island is to be installed by Richmond Road for cyclists. Current year schemes include Redford Avenue, Queen Mary’s Park, Green Lane-Morden, Butter Hill, Lewis Avenue. Cycle maintenance is on February 21. Meetings: The second Tuesday of the month at 8.30pm at The Robin Hood Pub by Robin Hood Lane/West Street junction. Contact: Chris Parry (020 8647 3584, cyclism@blueyonder.co.uk) TOWER HAMLETS
Here in Tower Hamlets, we have some exciting projects going into 2009. Well done to our council for being nominated as one of the nine
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Local groups
APRIL/MAY: 6pm, Friday, February 27 Email news to boroughnews@lcc.org.uk – photos are welcome and will be published if space permits
‘healthy towns’ to receive funding for schemes to promote general health. Walking, healthy eating and green spaces will be featured as well as cycling. We will be working with Sam Margolis, the travel awareness officer, and hope that Tower Hamlets Wheelers will be involved. The ‘Cycling for Health’ programme being run by a borough GP (see page 18) is looking to be a great success. One of our members has played a key part in helping this scheme, but more volunteers to assist with the Saturday group rides would be welcome. Contact us if you would like get involved. We held a ‘strategy’ day for committee and interested members where we identified projects, campaigns and events we would like work on in 2009 – more details in our newsletter and via our egroup/website. One activity we will definitely be continuing is our rides programme. We plan to offer a wide variety in 2009, including a monthly Sunday Breakfast Ride. We also have another weekend away in April to Blackboys hostel in Sussex, offering the same mix of cycling and eating that has been very popular in the past. If you want to come along, get in touch as places are limited. For details of all rides, see our website or join our egroup. If you would like to lead a ride or have some ideas for places to go, contact us. We hold our maintenance workshop on the last Saturday of every month at Limehouse Town Hall, 11am to 3pm. If you want to meet the committee and other cyclists, or just talk about bikes and cycling in a relaxed atmosphere, come along even if you don’t have anything to fix. Meetings: The second Wednesday of the month (check website for time/location) Contact: Owen Pearson (07903 018 970, wheelers@towerhamletswheelers.org.uk) Website: www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk WALTHAM FOREST
We missed the deadline for submitting information to the borough news pages in the last couple of issues, but this doesn’t mean we have not been active. Some good news: Mayor Boris Johnson has made extra funding available for transport in Waltham Forest and the Council has decided to spend some of the money on initiatives that will benefit cyclists either directly (a new path between Lockwood way and Coppermill lane) or indirectly (repairing uneven surfaces). We can also report that the speed limit on Snaresbrook Road is to be reduced to 30mph. Cycle racks will also arrive in Walthamstow village in 2009. We have been planning a Bike the Borough event for Bike Week – we hope to get some key officers and councillors cycling around the borough to see first-hand what is good and what is bad about current cycling provision in Waltham Forest. Early reactions have been positive and we would welcome assistance from members, particularly with ideas about what you like and dislike about road layouts and other cycling facilities in the borough. We would also like to plan our social rides for the year. If you have ideas about where you would like us to go or, even better, if you are prepared to lead a ride, please let us know. We need extra volunteers to help with our maintenance workshops on the second Saturday of each month, so if you have maintenance skills,
we would we would love to hear from you. If you want to keep up with our campaigns and activities (and/or contribute to discussions), join our yahoo group: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/ group/walthamforestcycling/ or see our website (details below). Meetings: We meet at 8pm on the second Wednesday of each month at the Hornbeam Centre, 458 Hoe St, E17 9AH. Contact: Gerhard Weiss (gegiweiss@googlemail.com) Website: www.wfcycling.org.uk WANDSWORTH
WCC has been busy drafting a response to Wandsworth Council’s unimaginative planning proposals for the Roehampton regeneration project. We were dismayed by the seeming lack of interest in the needs of cyclists (and pedestrians and residents), and the high priority given to motorists and to car parking. A detailed response has been sent to the council, and we’re hoping to get at least some amendments. The same applies to the new traffic management measures at Southcroft Road, one of the council’s ‘safety schemes’. Despite our carefully considered suggestions to amend the initial plans, the council is set to go ahead with a cyclist-unfriendly set of proposals. We’re on the case, and will keep after them for something more cycle-friendly. If there’s anyone out there who’d like to add their voice – please get in touch! The council has finally taken our views on Queenstown Road into account. New proposals reverse at least some of the cyclistunfriendly highway engineering features installed (such as pedestrian refuges which create ‘pinch points’ for cyclists) and instead provide a decent pedestrian crossing outside the station. Strangely, when we suggested this previously, the crossing was deemed impossible. The southbound cycle lane from Chelsea Bridge will also be upgraded. If only the council had listened to us four years ago, taxpayers would be better off. Our main focus at present is persuading Boris Johnson to reconsider his decision to allow motorbikes in bus lanes on a trial basis. Does this issue press your buttons? If so, send your experiences of sharing bus lanes with motorcycles to us via our website. Meetings: The second Tuesday of each month Contact: Simon Merrett (020 8789 6639, coordinator@wandsworthcyclists.org.uk) Website: www.wandsworthcyclists.org.uk WESTMINSTER
We understand that the objection of a Council member to the cycle crossing of Bayswater Road (just west of Marble Arch) has been overruled
and the crossing is likely to be installed. This may be symptomatic of a welcome change of attitude among the Council towards cycling. As a result, a number of improvements we have been campaigning for seem to be back on the agenda, including west-to-east cycling past the Lancaster Gate gyratory system, along the east end of Long Acre and from Hanover Square to Great Marlborough Street. We have also seen plans for a scheme to allow cyclists from Westminster Bridge to turn right towards Whitehall. Cracks in the road surface can turn into dangerous defects over the winter, so don’t hesitate to report any scary holes on www.westminster.gov.uk. Meetings: Thursday, February 5 at 7pm at Heart of London Business Alliance, London House, 53-54 Haymarket, SW1Y 4RP Contact: Colin Wing (020 7828 1500, cyclist@westminstercyclists.org.uk) Website: www.westminstercyclists.org.uk OTHER LOCAL GROUP CONTACTS BEXLEY Contact: Frances Renton (01322 441 979, f.renton@gold.ac.uk) or Dave Reynolds (01322 525 481) BRENT Contact: Ben Tansley (07941 050 161, coordinator@brentcyclists.org.uk) Website: www.brentcyclists.org.uk CITY CYCLISTS Website: www.citycyclists.org.uk CROYDON Contact: info@croydon-lcc.org.uk Website: www.croydon-lcc.org.uk GREENWICH Contact: Julian Dobson (07771 692 344) Website: www.greenwichcyclists.org.uk HACKNEY Contact: Trevor Parsons (020 7729 2273, info@hackney-cyclists.org.uk) Website: www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk HARINGEY Contact: Adam Coffman (adam@tao.org.uk) Website: www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups HARROW Website: www.lcc.org.uk > Local groups HAVERING Contact: Bernie Curtis (01708 347 226, CurtisBernieS@aol.com) HILLINGDON Contact: Sarah James (020 8868 2912) or Steve Ayres (01895 230 953) LEWISHAM Contact: Ian or Paul (info@lewishamcyclists.net) Website: www.lewishamcyclists.net NEWHAM Contact: Bernie McDonnell (07947 236 965) Website: www.lcc.org.uk > local groups
Members’ adverts ◆ FOR SALE: Folding bike 18 inch wheels S/A 3-speed. Good condition. £25. Phone John Powell, 020 8504 7089. (Woodford Green, Essex.) ◆ FOR SALE: Puky Z2 child’s starter bike including stabilisers, £30; Co-pilot Taxi child’s seat (without rack), £25. Both in good condition. Contact Richard, SW2, 07950 107737. How to advertise Small, non-business ads are free to LCC members. Email londoncyclist@lcc.org.uk or write to the address on page 3, including your short advertisement, name, address and LCC membership number. The Apr/May issue deadline is 6pm, February 27. For larger advertisements, contact Anthon (020 7306 0300 ext 112 or lcc@mongoosemedia.com) LONDON CYCLIST February/March 2009 35
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Diary Rides & Events Your guide to events and rides that are open to all cyclists What you need to know about social rides Unless stated, train-assisted rides meet at the relevant ticket office. Lunch is at a pub or take sandwiches if you prefer. Don’t forget: water, lights, a spare inner tube and tools.
Armchair riding To keep up with late changes and extra information, subscribe to the London Riders email list. Send a message to lccrider-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Organisers To publicise your event, enter details onto the LCC database (www.lcc.org.uk/rides). To get events in the April/May issue, upload by noon, February 27, or email londoncyclist@lcc.org.uk
Member discount offered on London history book
Quest to discover London boroughs by bike
London: The Illustrated History is a hardback coffee table-style book, authored by experts from the Museum of London and packed with original photos, maps and paintings charting the history of one of the world’s most exciting cities. It is a wonderful source of useful information to help devise great London bike rides. The book is available to LCC members for the special offer price of £25, including free p&p, when you order from the Penguin Bookshop (0870 070 7717), quoting ‘LC/London’ and the ISBN number, 9781846141256. The offer is subject to availability and open to UK-based members only. To win one of five free copies of London: The Illustrated History, tell us your favourite ride to a historic place of interest within one mile of your home. The five most interesting and unusual examples (with a photo) win a copy of the book. Entry is by email to office@lcc.org.uk or by post to the LCC address on page 3.
LCC member Jonathan Edwards is compiling a list of nice places to go by bike: six places in each London borough. Do you have a favourite place in your borough? It might be a nice view, a historic spot, a favourite tree, a good bit of cycle facility, an interesting building or somewhere slightly weird or off-beat which deserves a wider audience. The place needs to be accessible safely and easily by bike and free of charge. It must also be possible to ask a question that you would only find the answer to by actually going there. Send your suggestions to j.edwards530@btinternet.com. Jonathan will visit every suggested spot and then compile a book with directions to and a question about the six best places in each borough. The booklet will then go on sale, with proceeds split between LCC and Afasic, a charity for speechimpaired children. Those who take up the challenge to answer all the questions in the book and post their answers back to Jonathan will receive a certificate, as well as a great deal of personal satisfaction.
Cycling the Western Lake District Five circular day rides on country lanes and cycle paths in the Western Lake District are showcased in a new fold-out map and guide newly released by a collective of regional tourist interests. The guide is printed on heavy cardboard that folds down to fit in a pannier or even a jacket pocket. All routes start and finish in the small towns of Cleator Moor or Egremont. Cleator Moor, an old mining village, is on the popular Sea to Sea (C2C) Cycle Route, while Egremont is on Hadrian’s Cycleway; both form part of the National Cycle Network. The guide is free of charge and is aimed at cyclists of all abilities. It can be picked up from local tourist information centres and bike shops, or ordered from the Western Lake District Tourism Partnership (01900 818 741, www.western-lakedistrict.co.uk).
The guide takes in the beautiful area around Loweswater
RIDES AND EVENTS Sunday, February 1 ◆ Snowdrops of Ankerwyke. Meet 10.30am at Twickenham Station forecourt for a 30-mile ride up the Thames to Wraysbury, then a short walk to where the ruins of Ankerwyke Priory are lost in woodland. Contact: Paul Luton (020 8977 4016, paul@pluton. eclipse.co.uk) Friday, February 6 ◆ South London Critical Mass. Peckham Library 6.30pm for 7pm start Saturday, February 7 ◆ Dulwich Paragon Ride. Every Saturday. www.dulwichparagon.com ◆ The Lea Valley Family Ride. 11am at John Ball Primary School or 11.30am at Cutty Sark Gardens for slow paced 22 miles. Contact: Tom Crispin (020 8318 1004, mail@britishschoolofcycling.com) Sunday, February 8 ◆ Bread Pudding Challenge Ride. 10.30am at Kingston Market Place, Queen Anne’s Statue for a ride with Kingston Cycling Campaign. Contact: John Dunn (020 8397 1875, johnedunn@blueyonder.co.uk) ◆ Waterlink Way Ride to Gatwick Airport. 10am at John Ball Primary School or 10.30am at Ladywell Fields. Ride aimed at people aged 10-18. Free children’s bike loan available. Contact: Tom Crispin (020 8318 1004, mail@ britishschoolofcycling.com) Tuesday, February 10 ◆ Annual General Meeting of Lewisham Cyclists. Lewisham Town Hall, 7.30pm. Agenda includes election of officers. All Lewisham cyclists welcome. Details: www. lewishamcyclists.net ◆ Bexley LCC meeting. 7.30pm-9pm at Hurst Place Community Centre, Room 12, Hurst Place, Hurst Road, Bexley, DA5 3HL. Details: f.renton@gold.ac.uk Wednesday, February 11 ◆ LCC retention evening. Help LCC with member mailout and meet like-minded cyclists in a fun environment. Contact: Julie Tublin (julie@lcc.org.uk, 020 7234 9310 ext 215) Sunday, February 15 ◆ Little Green Ride. Meet 9.45am Finsbury Park mainline station ticket hall for easy paced ride in Hertfordshire. 30 miles. Contact: Stephen Taylor (sltaylor001@yahoo.co.uk, 07977 235 735)
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Diary For last-minute rides, contact your local group (details page 32) or see www.lcc.org.uk/rides
The Celtic Trail This official guide to the National Cycle Network routes 4 and 47 from Fishguard to Chepstow follows Lochs And Glens and Coast And Castles, two other themed guides from Sustrans and publisher Pocket Mountains. It includes detailed route descriptions and maps, along with local tourist information and bike shop/repairs listings. As with its sister titles, it is designed to fit easily in your pocket or pannier. The guide is available for £6.99 from Cordee (www.cordee.co.uk, 01455 611 185) or Sustrans Explore the fishing village of Tenby, (www.sustransshop.co.uk). which is on The Celtic Trail
Holiday in Cornwall Cyclists can now discover Cornwall using one of seven self-guided routes researched by Cornish Cycle Tours (01637 880710, www. cornishcycletours.co.uk). The routes vary from two to eight days, with accommodation for each night provided (as well as daily luggage transfers for people who only want to pedal). Prices start at £170. Cyclists are supplied with maps showing the routes, tourist sights, lunch recommendations and accommodation providers.
Courses for kids Training provider www. cyclinginstructor.com is holding a series of free four-day Bikeability courses during school holidays and half-term breaks. Bookings are now being taken for the courses, to be held at Geraldine Mary Harmsworth (GMH) Park in Southwark, on the following dates: April 6 to 9; May 2629; and July 27-30. Courses run 10am–noon and 1pm3pm on each of these days. The courses are aimed at the primary years 5 and 6,
and are designed to give trainees the skills needed to make a journey to and from school on quiet roads. Trainees must attend either all mornings or all afternoons. Trainees must have a roadworthy bicycle. Booking packs can be downloaded from www.cyclinginstructor.com or call 0845 652 0421.
Spinning studio
LCC’s social nights
New to Putney is the Pedal Studio (www.pedalstudio. co.uk), which launched in December and provides spinning classes. Owner Andrew Clayton, who says he has a “lust for cycling”, has set up the independent studio with a key focus on delivering “an indoor cycling training experience that will shake your energy levels up”, whatever that means. There are no membership fees – the studio operates on a pay-as-you-go basis.
LCC’s monthly socials happen from 6.30pm on the third Wednesday of each month upstairs at the Leather Exchange pub, 25 Leathermarket Street, SE1. The evenings are open to all LCC members and those who want to find out more about the organisation. People who may not previously have considered getting involved can meet staff and active members to chat about LCC and cycling in general. For more information, call the LCC office (contact details page 29).
Lakes Ride. 10.30am Bushy Park by Upper Lodge on the park road to Hampton Hill. About 11 miles flat. Contact: Paul Luton (paul@pluton.eclipse.co.uk, 020 8977 4016) ◆ Thames Path to Erith. 11am at John Ball Primary School or 11.30am at Cutty Sark Gardens for slow-paced 15 miles suitable for children. Contact: Tom Crispin (mail@britishschoolofcycling. com, 020 8318 1004) Sunday, March 22 ◆ Bread Pudding Ride. See February 8 ◆ Thames Marathon. 10am at John Ball Primary School or 10.30amm at Cutty Sark Gardens for 26-mile ride. Contact: Tom Crispin (07899 757 257, mail@ britishschoolofcycling.com) ◆ William Morris’ Red House, Bexleyheath. 10am Cutty Sark Gardens for ride to celebrate artist, craftsman and socialist William Morris’ birthday. Contact: Ray Suomi (07963 349 993, rayfinland@googlemail.com) Friday, March 27 ◆ Critical Mass. See February 27 ◆ ICAG Feeder Ride to Critical Mass. See February 27 PLANNING AHEAD Friday, April 3 ◆ Spring Cycling Weekend in Sussex. Fun weekend of cycling with Tower Hamelts Wheelers. Contact: Caroline Fenton (07967 139 491, caroline@towerhamlets wheelers.org.uk) Sunday, April 5 ◆ Bread Pudding Ride. See February 8 Wednesday, April 8 ◆ LCC retention evening. See February 11 Sunday, April 19 ◆ Bread Pudding Spring Special. Contact: John Dunn (020 8397 1875) Monday, April 20 ◆ Bike to School Week. Until April 24 Tuesday, May 12 ◆ LCC retention evening. See February 11 Saturday, June 13 ◆ Bike Week 2009. Until June 21. See www.bikeweek.org.uk, and the April/May issue of LC Saturday, July 4 ◆ Tour de France. Until July 26. See page 47 Saturday, September 12 ◆ Tour of Britain. Until July 19. See www.tourofbritain.co.uk
Photos: BritainOnView
◆ Wandsworth Cycling Campaign’s South Circular Ride. Clapham Junction Station at 10.30am for an easy paced 20 miles. Contact: Martin (07946 354 852) Wednesday, February 18 ◆ LCC Social Night. See right Saturday, February 21 ◆ Richmond Rides For Everyone. 10.45am Mortlake Green lower end for 7-mile circular ride along the Thames. Contact: Paul Luton (020 8977 4016, paul@pluton.eclipse.co.uk) Friday, February 27 ◆ Critical Mass. 6pm National Film Theatre on South Bank. www.criticalmasslondon.org.uk ◆ ICAG Feeder Ride to Critical Mass. 6.15pm from Islington Town Hall. Contact: Chris Ashby (020 7609 5093) Sunday, February 22 ◆ Bread Pudding Challenge Ride. See February 8 Sunday, March 1 ◆ Olympic Site Ride. 9.30am Richmond Little Green for ride to 2012 venues. Contact: Paul Luton (020 8977 4016, paul@pluton. eclipse.co.uk) Friday, March 6 ◆ South London Critical Mass. See February 6 Saturday, March 7 ◆ Thames Bridges Ride. 10am at John Ball Primary School, 10.30am at Cutty Sark Gardens. All welcome, especially those aged 10-18. Free children’s bike loan available. Contact: Tom Crispin (mail@britishschoolof cycling.com, 07899 757 257) Sunday, March 8 ◆ Bread Pudding Ride. See February 8 ◆ Locks, Docks and One Smoking Ferry. 11am at John Ball Primary School or 11.30am at Cutty Sark Gardens for a slow-paced ride suitable for children. 18 flat miles. Contact: Tom Crispin (020 8318 1004, mail@britishschoolofcycling.com) Tuesday, March 10 ◆ LCC retention evening. See February 11 Sunday, March 15 ◆ Little Green Ride. See February 15 ◆ Wandsworth Cycling Campaign’s Kent & Darent Valley Ride. Clapham Junction Station at 10.30am for this moderate 30-mile ride. Contact: Martin (07946 354 852) Wednesday, March 18 ◆ LCC Social Night. See right Saturday, March 21 ◆ Crane River to Bedfont
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The marketplace
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The marketplace
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Books ’n’ things Reviews Fine lines Extract from Campagnolo: 75 Years Of Cycling Passion By the end of the 1800s the bicycle looked more or less like today’s bicycles and was becoming one of the lead players in a period on the threshold of enormous changes. The Wright brothers were trying to get an airplane to fly, Guglielmo Marconi was figuring out how to move words from one place to another, and Jules Verne lifted his characters off this planet and transported them all the way to the moon. Businessmen and adventurers experienced the Orient Express from Paris to Constantinople, while the automobile was steadily becoming the most revolutionary invention of a new century completely dedicated to movement and speed. All these novelties were restricted to the lucky few. Ordinary people dreamed of expanding their horizon by way of a bicycle. In 1894 the Touring Club Ciclistico Italiano came into being in Italy, an association that, by way of the bicycle, promoted a new geographical and territorial culture at the national level. Artisans were discovering how the two-wheeled vehicle could serve their profession: a knife grinder in Padua got rich by abandoning the donkey and using instead, even for trips to far places, a bicycle. Bicycle races had proven the toughness of this machine. The Tour de France (first run in 1903) and the Giro d’Italia (1909), carried out in sunshine or pouring rain, in mud or choking dust, on roads studded with holes or, at their very best, uneven, had turned out to be phenomenal testing grounds for bikes. Over several days, the racers had to cover distances that were not so much stages as journeys. They carried extra tyres themselves along with bags loaded with food, clothes, tools, bandages, and cures for fatigue that ran from wine flasks to chemical stimulants in tablet form. The cyclists of the early 20th century performed the roles of pioneers, sometimes also of missionaries. They travelled across the land, visiting new places while being followed by journalists who wrote about their marvellous deeds, thus awakening the imaginations of readers, who longed to experience such adventures themselves. Some of that missionary zeal was behind the creation of the Tour de France – its racers carried around the country the idea of the bicycle as a reliable tool for travelling and for gaining new experiences. In the past France had been travelled by artisan masters who went from city to city teaching crafts to the young. Bicycle racers now did much the same, spreading the word about this vehicle that was itself emblematic of modernity. Campagnolo: 75 Years of Cycling Passion by Paolo Facchinetti and Guido Rubino (£27.50, VeloPress) is available at good bookshops or direct from www.cordee.co.uk
Rouleur Photography Annual 2008 (£37.50, Rapha Racing) The quarterly glossy magazine takes its high production values even higher with its second photography annual, a celebration of bike racing in all its painful glory. The excellent regular image contributors are all represented with new recruit Taz Darling providing some particularly memorable moments. More commonly found on fashion shoots and working for street culture magazines, Darling’s eye for the unusual lends a new slant to an old subject in some spectacularly unglamorous locations. Introductions from the likes of The Guardian’s Matt Seaton and William Fotheringham set the mood for each section, capturing the riders and the fans at the side of the road in equal measure. One for the coffee table. Ian Cleverly A Dog In A Hat, Joe Parkin (£13.95, Velopress) ‘A dog in a hat’ is an old Belgian expression meaning something changes and stands out. At age 19, amateur bike racer Joe Parkin leaves his native USA and heads for the cobblestones of Belgium and the Flemish city of Ghent. Gritty by nature, he soon becomes accepted into Belgium’s tough professional racing scene of the mid-1980s, and stays for several years. He describes coolly and with wry humour what it’s like to contest kermis, classics, and stage racing, and best of all observes the people: ambitious competitors, pitiless team directors, wily soigneurs, and others. And he refuses to spare the reader the grisly side of doping. Although little known as a racer, Parkin stands to make a mark as an author. Don’t expect anything about chocolate, Tintin or the world outside cycling, but he offers engaging prep for anyone planning a pilgrimage to the legendary cycling places of the Benelux. Good pictures too. Mark Mitchell Mountain Bike Trails North Yorkshire, Paul Pickering (£11.95, X Trail) A guide to 17 routes spanning 317 miles, Mountain Bike Trails North Yorkshire is written in a very conversational tone. It opens with general riding advice, suggested equipment and clothing, and a a reminder of trail etiquette/rights of way. Each route guide begins with a reference to bike shops, pubs/restaurants, places to stay, hospitals and small route maps with keys to indicate levels of difficulty. Full colour photography captures the area’s natural beauty and the excitement of the trails with representation of women and younger riders throughout. While the maps are clear, I occasionally struggled with the small print – especially in low light, which might be a consideration when out on the trail. However, it consumes nominal space and represents good value. Michael Stenning NB: All books are widely available in the UK unless otherwise noted. American books by Van der Plas Publications and Cycle Publishing featured may be difficult to find in some bookshops. They are, however, distributed in the UK by Orca Book Services (01202 665 432, orders@orcabookservices.co.uk). Books by Velopress are distributed by Cordee (01162 543 579, www.cordee.co.uk)
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Technical guides Simple Bicycle Repair: Fixing Your Bike Made Easy, Rob Van Der Plas (£5.95, Van der Plas Publishing) This pocket-sized book is aimed at a novice audience, but makes a convenient guide for those not completely confident in repair. It covers bike anatomy, tools, component repair and troubleshooting. It includes basic suspension care and the re-touching of paintwork, and teaches fault diagnosis based upon mechanical understanding, empowering the reader. Photography is clear and the depiction of women tackling more complex tasks adds to its inclusive flavour. In terms of content, there is little separating this from many others on the market, but its size, price and presentation make it a worthy choice. Michael Stenning Cycling: Know The Game (£6.99, A&C Black) This book covers types of bikes, clothing and accessories, etc before exploring the various disciplines. Clearly written and with evocative colour photography to match, this is the most accessible beginner’s guide I have reviewed. It gives a detailed account of disabled cycling, along with definitions and competitive practice, adaptations and other technologies. There is also informed debate on doping and the consequences for both the athlete and the sport. This is a novice-friendly starting point that represents excellent value for money. Michael Stenning
Cycle sport Six-Day Bicycle Race: The Jazz Age Sport, Peter Nye (US$39.95, Van der Plas Publishing) Six-day racing was once bigger than American football in the US, filling Madison Square Gardens in the 1890s and attracting celebrities of the day such as Bing Crosby. In The SixDay Bicycle Races, Peter Joffre Nye tells the story of a gruelling sport that saw riders trying to race round the clock with the predictable outcome that they fell asleep and promptly toppled over. Legislation limiting the time spent on bikes to 12 hours led to the introduction of two-man teams. According to Nye, the sport began in Britain where the first six-day ride took place in Birmingham in 1875. In 1879, it arrived in the US and it was there that it made an impact with diamond frames and pneumatic tyres improving performances and wooden oval tracks becoming the norm. Its hey day in the US ended in the ’30s with the Depression, but it kept going in Europe and remains popular in Belgium and Germany. Shorter versions are called Madisons after Madison Square Gardens – the current Olympic gold medalists are Britain’s own Mark Cavendish and Bradley Wiggins. The attraction of this coffee table book are the photos which document riders, trainers and spectators from the 1890s to today. We get shots of crashes and injuries, as well as profiles of stars like Bobby and Jimmy Walthour. And single speed and fixie fans can feast their eyes on the plethora of ancient models used by the six-day riders. Tom Bogdanowicz
Backpedalling Josie Dew The other day I had to give a talk at Olympia. In the pre-Molly days I would have reached the venue by either cycling the 60 miles or taking the train part of the way and cycling from Waterloo. This time I had Mollies and mothers (well, one of each – which is quite enough) to add to the transport confusion. Putting my bike on the train was out owing to engineering works: it would have involved catching the train with a Molly, a mother, a push chair, a bike, five panniers full of books and nappies, then carting this load off the train where the engineering works started, boarding a bus to drive further up the line, and then catching another train the rest of the way. All this would have been possible, but thanks to our transport-integrated country, bikes were not allowed on the bus, so we had to get to London by alternative means. Enter a camper van and a wheelbarrow – the wheelbarrow being called into operation for bookshifting purposes. So with an excited Molly strapped in beside me, and an excitable Gran tethered to a rear pew, we trundled off up the A3. All went well until I stopped to fill up with diesel. Fuel paid for, the camper van then refused to restart. A queue of cars formed behind me. “Don’t panic!” I said to a panicky Gran, and set about searching the van for some jump leads and a spare battery. Following a swift unpacking and packing of the van (during which wheelbarrow, bikes and books were scattered far and wide), I started the van with a tangle of wires and we were off back up the A3. Several traffic jams later and with a motley assortment of pushchairs and bikes and wheelbarrows finely balanced with four big boxes of books, we crashed through the doors of Olympia with eight minutes to spare. A large show was going on of which I was a small part, but nonetheless I had a slot to fill and a talk to give. This is when things got tricky as I was set upon by two burly women on the gate who told me in no uncertain terms that I couldn’t bring a wheelbarrow into the building for health and safety reasons. I have in fact taken a wheelbarrow on tour before to Olympia – and met with resistance – and I told the women as much. “It’s new health and safety rules,” said one of the women brusquely. “Oh,” I said. “Have there been many deaths by wheelbarrow then?” A small time-ticking altercation then ensued. As I was getting nowhere fast, I thought: If in doubt, go back out and try another door. So I steered Gran and Molly out the door only to re-enter further down the street. Here I met with more resistance of a health and safety nature, but as I was now within striking distance from my talk spot, I managed to forge forth and weave through the crowds without – remarkably – causing a single injury or death by wheelbarrow. Josie Dew has written seven books about cycling around the world. For details, see www. josiedew.co.uk
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My way
Bermondsey to South Kensington For more than six years, Juliet Kemp has had the same commute across London, but the novelty has never worn off
Above: Juliet on Westminster Bridge
My commute starts in Bermondsey with a fairly trafficheavy first half. It’s then past Bermondsey Spa with a wave to our vet, then down Grange Road to Tower Bridge Road and the Bricklayers Arms roundabout. It’s busy, but safe as long as I pay attention and take the lane. There’s a useful bike/pedestrian path which enables you to avoid the queue onto the New Kent Road. I never use the next bike path on the pavement parallel to the New Kent Road – while it may look scary on the road, there’s actually a nice wide bus lane all the way up. I ride right in the middle of the lane, which at least discourages the taxi drivers from trying to squeeze past when there’s not enough room. I’m strangely fond of the Elephant and Castle, perhaps a result of being brought up in south London. It is a bit unnerving to the novice cyclist, but it’s mostly traffic lightcontrolled. You just need to know where you’re going – at rush hour most of the traffic is intent on getting to where they’re going as easily and quickly as possible. I pass the Imperial War Museum on the way to Lambeth North before tackling a slightly nasty junction by the tube and the very crowded Westminster Bridge Road. I’ve been watching with interest over the last year or so the progress of the new building on the roundabout by Westminster Bridge.
The demolition of the old derelict building was exciting, and now the new hotel is starting to go up. I liked it best when the roundabout was clear altogether – it made that area seem much lighter and brighter. It’s a shame they couldn’t put a few flower beds in instead of the hotel, but I’m looking forward to finding out what the hotel eventually looks like – hopefully it’ll be more attractive than the previous building. River of joy The second half of my commute is the scenic bit. A quick honk up Westminster Bridge, and then slow down to admire the river and Parliament. The view never fails to make me smile. I really love the river – Westminster Bridge isn’t quite as good as Waterloo Bridge (the best view in London?), but it’s still a great start to the morning. If I’m very lucky, I catch all the lights at green coming off the bridge: on to Parliament Square, a wave to Brian Haw and his band of tent-dwellers, and all the way around the square without stopping. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, leaning into the bend all the way around to the turn on to Birdcage Walk is great fun. Here I have the option of either riding straight down Birdcage Walk or turning right onto Horseguards and then up the Mall. In the spring, I occasionally stop and wheel the
bike through St James’s Park over the bridge. On a slightly frosty morning after the snowdrops and crocuses have started to appear, the view is incredible. Buckingham Palace is the next tourist sight – important to remember not to squash the tourists – and then up Constitution Hill. Green Park is the second of the parks I pass through; once in a while I’ve heard the strains of bagpipes in the back garden of the palace. It’s then under the arch at Hyde Park Corner – a very useful bike facility – and across into the park for either a gentle ride on the bike path south of the Serpentine or a two-minute lungs-out sprint on South Carriage Drive. The latter for training purposes; the former for pretty spring days or lazy mornings. Finally, I come past the Albert Memorial and the Royal Albert Hall, and down to Imperial College where I park up and head into work, full of the joys of endorphins. It’s a much better start to the day than the tube. I’ve been doing this commute in one direction or the other for over six years, and I still feel incredibly lucky – people come from all over the world to see London, and I ride through the centre of it twice a day.
JULIET KEMP “I’ve been riding regularly in London for six years, and last summer also started doing long-distance Audax rides outside London. I also do a lot of bike evangelising to everyone I know.” THE JOURNEY Distance: 6 miles; Time: 35 minutes; Low point: Heavy traffic along Grange Road; High point: Riding over the river.
Photos: Juliet Kemp
Above right: The Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens
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Leader of the pack
Photos: Gary Cummins
Running tours for your local group can be a great way to recruit members and even do a little fundraising. Gary Cummins has this advice for organisers Thirteen emails. 13! The day before we were to depart. I had heard nothing from most of the 16 participants due to go on this tour for weeks, and then 24 hours before we were due to meet in Stirling, a flurry of messages arrived. To be fair, most were only about rendezvous details, the odd request about bank machines en route (a little late) and another on the best brands of shorts to buy (very late). Avoiding the obvious questions of asking why one would even want to set up group tours, or what equipment to take, I’ll stick to my brief of passing on a few of the pros and cons I have experienced running group cycle tours. I’ve led tours since 1997, when 12 of us from Tower Hamlets Wheelers (THW) flew to Ireland to follow the Tour de France which began in the Republic that year. Wrong flight information given to me by telephone as I booked our 11 bikes on to a single flight meant that when the tickets arrived, they had a “bicycles are carried subject to space” caveat. Fortunately, I had written to the airline the evening of booking to confirm my flight details. We eventually got there in the end, via three separate flights on the same morning, and I received a letter and cheque to THW for £50 for the hassle from the MD of the airline as apology.
Getting a few people who want to go on tour together should be easy in the online world; back then we used word of mouth – the original voicemail. Asking around your borough group is the obvious place to start, but has its own pitfalls. Friends make all sorts of promises about committing to a trip, then expect a full refund when they drop out at the last minute, or worse, have failed to pay even a deposit leaving you with an empty pre-paid space. The nuts and bolts of organisation If you want to organise a trip, there are some important questions to consider. Is the tour piggybacking on a borough group’s account? Will you be using your group chequebook – therefore is the borough group happy to underwrite any losses? Check this with your co-ordinator. I have done this since 1997, and THW have had people drop out and expect refunds, others not pay at all. Lay down some ground rules about what deposit is required and what the rules are for people who drop out. I don’t think we have actually ‘lost’ money on my trips yet. Accommodation – this can be tricky and will consume a substantial portion of your budget. THW has group membership of the YHA (Youth Hostel
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example, or points of interest along the way. Setting a start time 15 to 30 minutes before you really think you need to set off makes sense. It’s normal for people to start some impromptu maintenance one or two minutes prior to leaving, fiddling, adjusting, tweaking, things that should have been done the night before, or at worst an hour before starting. These folk tend to be habitual types, and there is no easy answer, but see if a volunteer will hang back with them while you get the rest of the group moving. Herd instinct then takes over and tardy types may start moving a bit quicker. For very difficult sorts who are selfish enough to be regularly late, maybe offer them a destination address and a map and tell them to meet you all there.
Association), still very useful although the best and most interesting hostels are fast disappearing. Group membership means you avoid individuals having to join the YHA just for the tour. Note, the YHA requires payment in full around eight weeks before the tour commences (similar terms apply to the Scottish Youth Hostel Association). For independent hostels, hotels and B&Bs, payment requirements vary. If you are booking a group, try to negotiate rates. I had 16 people on a tour last May, and saved £10 per room from the advertised rates at two different hotels. That’s £160! Sunday nights in particular are quiet, and these can often be got for a very low extra fee if you are staying on the Saturday as well. The actual tour itself should be the fun part, but this may leave you with some unexpected responsibilities. If you have voluntarily set up the tour, an odd osmotic process occurs where you will be expected to act as shepherd and back-up to the group as well. I’m alright with this, as I advertise my touring credentials, but not everybody is. Are you as the group booker happy to spend every day of the trip at the back, helping strays, fixing punctures and encouraging folk? Make it clear from the start what yours and everyone else’s responsibilities are. Similarly with mechanics, do you have a person on the trip who is handy with a spanner? Check if they will contribute – most folk are happy to join in if warned at the start. There are elements of group touring where responsibility cannot be avoided. The dynamics of a body of people requires getting the group moving each morning – probably the hardest part of a ride. This is the time of the day that you want folk to give you their attention so you can give some verbal route details: warnings of upcoming steep descents en route, for
Dealing with the dirty washing An element of housekeeping that I think very important and one that so many seem to overlook is the headache of laundry. This is where YHAs are a real bonus, tending to have industrial-size washing machines, and drying rooms as hot as the Gobi Desert at noon. The trick is to advise your party to laundry as a group – once a machine is vacant, delegate somebody to monitor, collect all the individuals’ bundles of laundry and fill the machine with as much as possible. This way the whole group gets its laundry done in an evening and you avoid one person taking over a machine for just two pairs of shorts and an odd sock. Will your trip be by route sheets, or led from the front from scratch? Route sheets might mean a recce, and these can become expensive on longer tours. A one-day trip to East Anglia once cost me £57 in train fares – a train out to Cambridge on a Saturday morning and another back via Lowestoft the same night. Consider the cost of any planning trip, and the cost of not doing one – are you confident you can ride a strange route with a group of strangers? I hope this article doesn’t make organising tours sound terribly stressful. Group touring is incredibly good fun and really rewarding to organise, despite the headaches – and odd characters. I’ll leave the last word to someone who has been on a few of my tours: “Heartfelt thanks to all for making it such a wonderful week. Such very good company. I know that I always love being in Scotland but, as Gary said, it was the people that made it so fabulous this time. I hope I’ll make it back for another THW tour one of these days.”
TIPS FOR A TROUBLE-FREE TOUR Transport or accommodation bookings: Put everything (how many nights, how much per night, the total price, etc) in writing – don’t rely on emails. Lay down some booking rules at the start: no deposit, no place on the tour. Make it clear how much you will refund if a person drops out. Booking: Negotiate – if you are taking all the rooms in a B&B, they will usually be happy to discount; if you are staying a Saturday night, you may get the Sunday night for very little – or even free. Meals: Find out if there are any chefs who are happy cooking group meals – it can be great fun and catering costs can be reduced. Make sure those who don’t cook either wash up or help prepare the food. Riding: When in a close-knit crowd, encourage the habit of people shouting “SLOWING” or “STOPPING” if they are about to brake. Otherwise you will get riders tail-ending each other. If you need to stop at a junction, avoid ‘plugging’ the junction with the whole group spreading into a line, ask folk to halt in a line behind you, or get away from the junction. I ask members to alert at least one other rider if they plan to go off route and ‘freelance’ their own way. Another request I make is that everybody let me know that they have arrived at the day’s destination by 10pm. If it got to 10pm and someone was not safely home, I’d call the police and notify them.
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A grand departure Following the success of the Tour de France’s visit to London, LC sent Mark Mitchell to Brittany to experience the start of the Tour on home soil
THE 2009 TOUR The 2009 Tour de France runs from Saturday, July 4 to Sunday, July 26. It will start in Monaco and end, as is customary, on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The 96th Tour will be made up of 21 stages covering a total distance of 3,500km. There will be 10 flat stages, seven mountain stages, one medium mountain stage, two individual time-trial stages and one team time-trial stage. For details of the 2009 Tour de France, see www.letour.fr
transformed cars, vans, lorries and floats from which promotional gifts are flung to the crowd (a staggering 15 million items are distributed during the Tour). In the square, an impatient queue of publicity vehicles had formed and, at around 11 o’clock, the show hit the road. For nearly an hour, the parade rolled by, vehicles of all shapes and sizes promoting popular brands and set to discordant music. It was advertising gone engagingly mad, and everyone wanted to see the spectacle. As noon approached, the noisy conga wound its way off to form a 20km-long warm-up show on the Tour route itself. The riders mounted their bikes and casually rode up to the departure point. At 12.29pm, the 95th edition of the world’s most famous bicycle race, which has started in Brittany six times – three of them in Brest – sprang to life. The stage ended in Plumelec, some 122 miles away, with the 28-year-old Spaniard, Alejandro Valverde, claiming victory in just over four-and-a-half hours. In Brest, within as many hours, all trace of the Grand Départ had disappeared. The circus had moved on.
Visiting Brittany: For more on visiting Brittany, see www.brittanytourism.com. The Brest Tourist Office is at www.brest-metropole-tourisme.fr. Brest is in the Finistère region: www.finisteretourisme.com
Map: www.letour.fr; photos: Jean Yves Queffelec
What a contrast between London, where the Tour de France started in 2007, and the following year, when it started in the maritime city of Brest, in the Finistère department of Brittany. The Breton city may have lacked London’s world-famous landmarks, but it offered something just as dramatic: a coastal panorama and the backdrop of the Château de Brest, a centuries-old fortification guarding a massive harbour and a channel leading to the Atlantic Ocean. The Tour village was located in a compact area by the Château – in the lee of its walls, evoking a medieval pageant, the huge media entourage occupied an enclosure full of colourful tents. Nearby, a grassy slope showcased life in Brittany: musicians dressed in traditional black and white attire played distinctive local music on bagpipes, flutes and drums; busy catering stands with the region’s specialties offered a taste that made modern fast food seem second rate; stilt-walkers strode among the crowds, delighting children and grown-ups alike. In a large garden square nearby, the familiar signs of the Tour were visible: stands packed with logoemblazoned clothing; the prominent, yellow signing-on pavilion where some 180 riders would register their fitness to ride; gleaming team buses; support cars bristling with roof-mounted, high-tech bikes; a milling multitude of enthusiastic spectators. If the eye was assailed by dramatic variety, so was the ear: strident Gallic announcements and pulsating rock music blared from loudspeakers, everyone talked and joked, and seagulls squawked overhead. The race itself began outside the city, but the point of departure was just beyond the square. On a straight, sunlit and tree-lined road, a big inflatable structure that looked like a bouncy castle marked the start. With a spectacular view of the sea, the road ran along a high esplanade where throngs of people had gathered several deep behind the metal crowd barriers. For many, half the attraction of the Tour is the advertising cavalcade – nearly 200 outrageously
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Dispatches
Extreme cycling Dodging cows and sharing cycle lanes is all in a day’s cycling for anyone who dares commute to work in Delhi, says Laura Stone
The road ahead One of the biggest challenges facing cyclists in Delhi is their status on the roads. India’s highway code is baffling to outsiders. What appears to be chaos is in fact a parallel universe where ‘big is boss’. Elephants, bullocks, rickshaws, scooters with entire family trees teetering upon them, buses careering across lanes – all rank higher in the transport pecking order than the lowly ‘sykel’. In fact, the only lifeform lower than the cyclist is the pedestrian. Around Connaught Circus in central Delhi, you can see Westerners stranded on the pavements, waiting
for a gap in the traffic so they can cross the road. But Delhi traffic is a whirlpool on wheels; locals nip through the traffic on foot using extrasensory perception in a daily challenge to their karma. India has an appalling road safety record. In Delhi alone there are over 2,000 fatal road accidents a year and 10% of those killed are cyclists. Buses are the most lethal – one of Delhi’s bus companies has earnt its fleet the name ‘Killer Buses’ after repeated incidences of mowing down pedestrians. Lack of transport infrastructure, little regulation, no training of drivers and no law enforcement are all factors, as is overcrowding. No wonder Delhi’s new metro trains are so popular. Rewards for the brave Commuting by bike here is an extreme sport, though there are perks. At times Delhi traffic is like a surreal video game that gives a fantastic adrenalin rush. Accelerate past the mango seller’s handcart, nip back in to avoid the elephant turd, swerve around the pedestrian, refuse the offer of an auto rickshaw by pointing out that you are, in fact, already riding a bicycle; pump your air horn to join the honking masses and, whatever you do, give way to the Brahmin cow which is lying in the road chewing cud and watching the world go by. At night, many drivers turn off their lights to save batteries – handcarts and bullock carts are
unlit (even on motorways) – and drink drivers bribe their way out of trouble. Cycle couriers – a lesser-spotted species in Delhi – are in their element.
A rare leisure cyclist on the streets of Delhi
Not for pleasure Cycling isn’t a leisure activity in India; as in many developing countries, riding a bike simply means you can’t afford a car or, at the very least, a scooter. But things are changing. The Delhi Cycling Club, founded in 2006, runs events in the capital, but it has a long way to go: it has only 300 members in a city of over 14 million people. Dawn is the most serene time to see the city by bike as the wide avenues of New Delhi lie empty and in Old Delhi, in winter at least, the tang of smoke seasons the air. Low-lying mist makes the buildings appear as if they are floating, at least until the sun burns off the haze and the rising volume of honking heralds the arrival of another day.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Laura Stone, author of Himalaya By Bike (£16.99, Trailblazer), began her cycling career in Cambridge by speeding to Classics lectures by bike. She then graduated to the hillier regions of Holland, where she updated Rough Guide To The Netherlands. After returning to England and a collision with a bus on Putney Bridge, she booked a one-way ticket to the Indian Himalayas where she pedalled around very happily for five (accident-free) months to update the mountain chapters of Rough Guide To India. She spent the next two years cycling solo around the entire Himalaya to research Himalaya By Bike. Her website is www.himalayabybike.com.
Photos: Laura Stone
After a bad day’s cycling in London, spare a thought for commuters in Delhi. India’s capital is a teeming mass of gaudily painted trucks, bashed-up buses, cars, rickshaws and taxis all swarming over flyovers and squeezing through muddy alleys in temperatures which swing from below freezing to 40°C. And then, of course, there’s the monsoon. Few people commute by bike in Delhi, but that’s not to say there aren’t cyclists. There are plenty weaving their way through the traffic with their wares: thickets of mops or stacks of mattresses. There’s also the milkman with his metal pails clanking on each flank, and the more hazardous propane gas canister wallah. For many in Delhi, the bicycle is a beast of burden: better tempered than the oxen and easier to manoeuvre than elephants. (Inhaling fumes from a London bus is nothing compared to the fumes from an elephant.) Cyclist facilities are few. Cycle lanes are shared by scooters, rickshaws and whoever else needs space to get where they are going. The few who choose to commute by bike appear a throwback to an earlier age as they pedal in their suits on elegant sit-up-and-beg bikes, a steel tiffin containing their lunch dangling from the handlebars. India’s newly affluent are eager for the status of owning a car, but as in China, people are wondering if the consequences of car ownership – pollution, fatalities and gridlock – aren’t too high a price to pay.
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Interview
My bike & I Dervla Murphy
Photo: John Minihan
The globetrotting travel writer – who will go almost anywhere on her bike – shares her adventures with Mark Mitchell When did you start cycling? I got my first bike on my 10th birthday. When I was about 14 years old I bought a Rudge. I cycled to India for my first book on an Armstrong in 1963. The next long cycle ride was nearly 30 years after, to Zimbabwe, on my first mountain bike for the rough roads in Africa. I returned 10 months later and rode from Zimbabwe down to Cape Town, and then the next year all around the whole nine provinces of South Africa. Where did you like cycling best? Definitely the Karoo in South Africa. There is an extraordinary silence, absolutely amazing and it’s vast. It’s a desert, but not completely arid, and it has these extraordinary hills, small hills, emerging suddenly from the flatness, you know, at intervals and it’s strangely shaped. And then there is the Balkans, I cycled all around the Balkans and I loved Romania, Transylvania ... beautiful, beautiful landscape, wonderful mountains, and extremely kind and hospitable people. In contrast, what don’t you like? In rural Ireland, the pet hate is the great milk trucks that come around taking up the whole width of the road, and the driver not even able to see you if he wanted to – I mean it’s seriously dangerous. In your travels, has cycling been preferable to walking? No, it’s next to walking, but cycling is without question the best way to see a foreign country, or unknown territory, or indeed to enjoy familiar territory. What sort of distance do you cycle in a day? I have slowed up now, but until recently, I suppose a 100 miles a day would have been an average, say when I was in the Balkans, or in South Africa. That depended on the terrain, obviously. What were the roads like you travelled on? Well, I actually prefer bad roads, because good roads usually mean motor traffic; with bad roads you usually have the road to yourself, I mean seriously bad roads. What was your scariest cycle moment? It was in Laos, where I had meant to walk, but then I damaged my right leg and I had to cycle instead, so I bought this absolutely useless bicycle. It was extremely unreliable and going down a very, very steep, I mean seriously steep mountain track, with huge potholes and stones scattered all across it, and a drop of about 300 feet on one side, both brakes went. I have never been so frightened. Your latest book is about Cuba, is it a good country for cycling? I would definitely urge people to go – the island would be very good for cycling for anybody, unlike me, who doesn’t mind the heat, but I did see foreign cyclists who seemed to be perfectly happy. It is absolutely ideal from the point of view of the lack of motor traffic. Afghanistan is still in the news – can you tell us a bit about your time there? Oh, I can hardly bear to think about Afghanistan nowadays. And there’s so much misreporting about that country, you know, talking about its extreme poverty and so on. I mean, in 1963 it was not an extremely poor country; I actually saw less poverty there than I did in the countries on either side, Iran
“Cycling is without question the best way to see a foreign country” and Pakistan. And the people had a very good diet, plenty of meat, their own mutton, rice and fruit and vegetables. Gloriously beautiful country and now look at it. And you packed a pistol... On the first journey, and then I became an arms trader and sold it in Afghanistan. It’s extraordinary to think that back in those days – it was 1962 – all you had to go into a shop in Dublin and say you wanted to buy a tiny little pistol and then go into the Garda barracks in this small, little country town and show them the pistol and say: “Please may I have a licence?” And pay them something like half a crown, and you got your licence and that was that. And what will your next book be about? Well, for political reasons, I’m not going to say where I’m going next, you can read about it when I get back.
ABOUT DERVLA MURPHY Dervla Murphy is the author of over 20 books. Her first, Full Tilt: From Ireland To India With A Bicycle, was published in 1965 and her latest, The Island That Dared, about three visits to Cuba, came out in 2008. She has cycled in and written about dozens of countries. Born in 1931 in Co Waterford, Ireland, she still lives there in between her globetrotting adventures.
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