London Cyclist - Spring 2021

SPRING 2021

CLIMATE SAFE STREETS

HOW LONDON CHANGED IN A YEAR BECOMING A CYCLE BUDDY CYCLE TOURING IN SNOWDONIA NAME OUR LANES JACKETS REVIEWED

MAGAZINE OF

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SPRING 2021

contents

News | Features | Travel & Rides | How To | Bikes & Reviews FEATURE > 14

HOW TO 46

GUIDES HOW TO

FITTING A PAIR

OF PEDALS

John Kitchiner is the editor of London Cyclist and confirmed bikeaholic

Pedals are one of those bike parts that most people fit and forget, only to find they’re stuck solid when they need to swap them for new ones or remove them for storage. But a little TLC goes a long way, and a quick clean — with a dab of dedicated bike grease on the threads — will keep creaks at bay and prevent corrosion. And you probably have the tools already...

1: TOOLS FOR THE JOB Depending on your pedal type, you’ll either need a 15mm pedal spanner, or a 6mm or 8mm hex key. Long tools give much-needed leverage when pedals are

tight. You’ll also need some grease to add before fitting.

Most pedal ‘flats’ (the part of the axle near the thread) have ‘L’ or ‘R’ marks, to show which goes on which side.

2: REMOVE DRIVESIDE (RIGHT) PEDAL There’s several methods to right hand and push the do this, but we’re keeping spanner down anti-clockwise. it ultra basic. With the Some people favour shifting crankarm pointing forward the chain onto the biggest and slightly below horizontal, chainring to protect your hold the pedal with your knuckles if your hand slips.

3: REMOVE NON-DRIVESIDE (LEFT) PEDAL The technique is exactly the of the bike, this time more same for the left pedal, but horizontal with the ground. remember the thread runs in Grip the pedal with your left the opposite direction! hand and push the spanner Again position the crankarm down clockwise. Tighter pointing towards the front threads need more welly!

4: CLEAN & GREASE THE THREADS Once the pedals have been the threads. It’s such a simple removed, use a rag to clean and quick thing to do, but it both the pedal thread and will reduce annoying creaks, the crankarm thread. Once minimise corrosion and ensure clean, take a small dab of bike your pedals don’t get stuck grease and run it around all after weeks of wet riding.

★ DISCOVER THE FULL WELDTITE RANGE AT WELDTITE.CC ★

RIDE 51

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THE COTSWOLDS

Harvey Downard from Cycling for Softies guides us around a scenic Cotswolds loop

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IN COMFORT

ONG HAILED as one of the most scenic areas in the UK, the Cotswolds is a popular destination, welcoming thousands of visitors every year.

It’s a perfect place for cyclists who enjoy variety in their routes as the area is defined by its rippling terrain — ‘wolds’ is simply an old name for ‘hills’.

Known for its honey-coloured, quaint villages which are peppered with wandering streams, sheepclad lush hills, and local pubs that serve up welcoming gourmet plates, cycling through the area is a delight on all levels.

This circular route starting from

Barnsley in Gloucestershire takes in some of the best views and locations, running alongside the River Windrush and through villages like Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury before looping back.

There’s also the option of an extra trail to take in Upper and Lower Slaughter, two incredibly picturesque Cotswolds villages and some of the area’s most famous spots. The ride includes small country lanes, passing under the A40 to Farmington, and several inclines to keep things interesting.

This route forms part of a new Cycling for Softies e-bike tour (see page 52 for more details).

FACT FILE DISTANCE: 75km/47 miles (including the additional loop to Upper and Lower Slaughter of 8km/5 miles) ASCENT: 738m (with additional loop) SUITABLE FOR: any hybrid, road, gravel or e-bike. It’s almost all on Tarmac.

NEAREST STATIONS: the route can be slightly adapted to begin and end at Cirencester station, which has regular services direct to London Paddington.

BIKE HIRE: Cycling for Softies provides everyone undertaking one of their tours with a Scott Sub Tour e-bike, to provide a little extra oomph on the inclines.

Head to cycling-for-softies.com to find out more.

COTSWOLDS CLASSIC

1 2 BARNSLEY

NORTHLEACH 12km

3 BURFORD 50km

BOURTON ON THE WATER 29.5km

4 BILBURY BARNSLEY 67.5km

REVIEWS 56

LONDON CYCLIST Spring 2021 51

REVIEWS

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FEATURE > 19

How London has changed over the last year — and how this can help shape the future INTERVIEW > 24

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CYCLE TOURING IN WALES, 40

Cutbacks mean less investment in cycling and walking, electric buses and extending tube lines ASHOK SINHA, OPINION, PAGE 9

Adam Tranter talks about the Cycling Marketing Board and being Bicycle Mayor of Coventry FEATURE >30

#2

#3

What the next Mayor needs to do to achieve zero carbon roads

Become a Cycle Buddy and help get more people out on their bikes more regularly

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In Waltham Forest LTNs, we found a large decline in injuries and in injury risk RACHEL ALDRED, OPINION, PAGE 11 LONDON CYCLIST Spring 2021 3

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CONTENTS | Spring 2021

Cover image: Andy Donohoe Models: Alison & Philip Location: North London

EDITORIAL

From tragedy springs hope A

S THIS ISSUE lands on your doormat, it’s almost exactly a year since the UK went into its first lockdown as a response to the spiralling Covid-19 pandemic. Since then we’ve lost more than 125,000 fellow citizens — more than the entire population of Cambridge — to the tragedy and many millions more have been sick with the virus but thankfully recovered.

Now, with vaccination programmes rolling out, there’s the potential — if the best scientific advice is followed — that in a few months we might reach something approaching a form of normality in our lives again, what many people are calling the ‘new normal’. And while I’m not fan of that phrase, there’s no doubting some things will have to be very different.

Our main features look at what we’ve learnt over the last 12 months and how this once-in-a-lifetime crisis could become a springboard for a brighter, healthier future. With the mayoral election coming in May, we update on the Climate Safe Streets campaign, look at what the boroughs are doing in terms of safer cycling infrastructure, and explain how you can get involved in the new Cycle Buddies scheme.

On top of that we’ve got news, reviews, interviews and advice, plus a timely dose of cycle touring inspiration for you to enjoy.

Happy riding!

John Kitchiner Editor

LCC MEMBERS’ LEGAL HELPLINE Osbornes Solicitors is the official legal partner of LCC, providing members with exclusive access to a legal helpline. If you’re involved in a collision or have a cycling-related legal issue, phone the Cycling Team at Osbornes for advice on 020 7681 8672.

LONDON CYCLIST Unit 201 Metropolitan Wharf, 70 Wapping Wall, London E1W 3SS n 020 7234 9310 n lcc.org.uk

EDITORIAL

Editor: John Kitchiner (london.cyclist@lcc.org.uk) Design: Anita Razak Contributors: Fran Graham, Simon Munk, Tom Bogdanowicz, Ashok Sinha, Carlton Reid, Rachel Aldred, Katy Rodda, Richard Peace

ADVERTISING

Allie Gill (allie.gill@lcc.org.uk)

SOCIAL MEDIA

TWITTER: @london_cycling FACEBOOK: @LondonCyclingCampaign INSTAGRAM: @london_cycling Editorial, copyright, membership LCC is not aligned with any political party.

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. All material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced without the written permission of the editor. Editorial content is independent of advertising. All LCC membership offers and discounts are presented entirely at the discretion of the provider.

London Cyclist is published by LCC. OUR AIMS: lcc.org.uk/strategy MEMBERSHIP: lcc.org.uk/membership TO DONATE: lcc.org.uk/donate LCC is a charitable limited company, reg no 1766411; charity no 1115789

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Spring 2021

BISHOPSGATE LEGAL ACTION RUMBLES ON Ruling on City of London scheme could potentially impact all other Streetspace projects and wider design guidance

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TRANSPORT FOR London is set to appeal a legal ruling that could impact walking and cycling schemes delivered during the Covid crisis and beyond, in a case brought by taxi driver organisations.

Justice Lang ruled TfL acted unlawfully in restricting taxis from Bishopsgate in the City, while buses and cycles were allowed through.

But the judge surprised legal experts by also bringing into question the whole ‘Streetspace’ programme of walking & cycling schemes, supported by TfL, the government and boroughs.

Until the appeal is heard (which could be months off), Streetspace projects remain lawful (despite some boroughs using the ruling as cover to remove or modify schemes). But the final ruling could mean the Bishopsgate scheme, design guidance around schemes, even other Streetspace schemes, may have to change. The most likely outcome is some guidance and traffic orders may be modified.

Legal experts we have spoken to believe

the appeal case is strong because the judge overreached herself, calling Streetspace schemes “extreme measures” that went beyond what was needed. The two taxi trade organisations (LTDA and UTAG) had argued that taxis are a form of public transport and restricting them had severe impacts on disabled people. We would point out that only 3% of disabled people’s journeys are by taxi (according to TfL 2014-17 data); far more disabled people use buses. So while some disabled people can only get around in taxis, allowing all taxis access to bus lanes and ‘gates’ such as at Bishopsgate risks blocking roads disabled people on buses (and indeed cycles) also need to use.

Our solution would be a modified ‘Blue Badge’ system that enables disabled people, regardless of their vehicle, to pass through bus gates and LTN schemes, where buses and emergency vehicles can. Until then, every scheme must consider inclusive access — but not for black cabs above and beyond other transport modes.

Streetspace schemes: under threat due to recent legal ruling

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NEWS

GROWING SUPPORT FOR KENSINGTON CYCLE LANES KENSINGTON & CHELSEA council shocked Londoners in December by removing the borough’s only protected cycle lanes on Kensington High Street after just seven short weeks, despite cycle journeys leaping to 3-4,000 a day and strong support from local schools. But our allied local group Better Streets for Kensington & Chelsea took steps towards a judicial review with help from the Environmental Law Foundation – and the council decided to ‘revisit’ its decision to remove the lanes on 17 March.

Meanwhile Better Streets has been amassing public support for the lanes on its website. To date, over 80 organisations have signed up, including the Albert Hall, two universities, seven hospitals and 13 schools.

Go to betterstreets4kc. org.uk for the full details.

The group’s lawyers argue that the decision to remove the lanes was unlawful and to decide against reinstating them on 17 March could trigger a fresh judicial review.

Watch this space!

THE FACTS:

Cycle helmet use across major European cities

LCC’S LORRY SAFETY CAMPAIGN DELIVERS — THANKS TO YOU!

1.1 (9 capital cities researched)

% of Amsterdam cyclists using helmets was “almost zero”

60.9 London was the highest by far at 60.9%*, more than double other cities

26.7 Vienna had the second highest cycle helmet use % after London

19.9 Paris and, surprisingly, Copenhagen were both tied at 19.9%

*Researchers also found a high correlation between helmet use and hi-viz clothing use (Source: DEKRA 2020)

AS OF 1 March all heavy lorries operating in London will have to meet a one-star Direct Vision Standard (1-star DVS) which minimises blind-spots, or show evidence of specified ‘safe system’ mitigating measures, including video camera and audio alert warning systems.

Because of the Covid crisis, operators who have ordered new safety equipment will be allowed 90 days grace to install it. Lorry operators will have to show permits or face fines of up to £550.

LCC’s campaign to improve lorry safety dates back more than a decade, following recognition of the significant over-representation of HGVs in pedestrian and cycling fatalities (20% of pedestrian and 50% of cyclists fatalities). To reduce the danger, we first argued for a full set of six safety mirrors on all lorries, and subsequently made the case for much better ‘direct vision’ windscreens and side windows (not just mirrors or cameras), as now seen on refuse trucks and airport vehicles. Thousands of you supported our campaign and it’s thanks to you, London’s Mayors and those in the industry who helped develop new standards that the scheme will be in place from March.

TfL, both under Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan, strongly supported lorry safety and developed the Direct Vison Standard which will now apply across London rising from 1-star to 3-star in 2024 (the maximum is 5-star). In 2016 Khan made a commitment to LCC to get the most dangerous lorries off our roads and this is a significant step towards meeting that goal.

A version of the standard is now being developed by the UN Economic Commission for Europe and will apply to all new lorry types made in the EU as of 2026 and all new lorries as of 2029.

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OPINION

An unusual unity Unprecedented times call for unprecedented action, says Ashok Sinha. But which road will the Chancellor take?

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N OFT overlooked feature of green taxes is that they have obsolescence built in: taxing the bad and incentivising the good will lead to zero tax revenue when the bad is ultimately priced out of existence.

The Treasury has been fretting over this for years in respect of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED): scaled according to a vehicle’s environmental performance, VED revenues have declined over many years as cars have become more efficient. This trend will only continue as electric cars become the top consumer choice.

The Chancellor will, of course, find other ways to find revenue because, as Edmund Burke remarked, revenue is the chief preoccupation of the state. Yet VED is a battleground where political antagonists in London have united to clash with the government.

It’s a bellwether for the future of sustainable transport in our city, in particular for our chances of transitioning to zero carbon roads by 2030, as LCC is campaigning for.

In turn, this impacts materially on cycling’s continued renaissance.

Here’s why. It’s no secret that TfL is haemorrhaging money.

Total fare income has fallen 90% since the first lockdown. Social

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distancing measures seem set to extend even as societal restrictions ease. Remote working, for those who can, has proven largely viable with many Londoners seemingly keen to reduce their office hours on a permanent basis. Cutbacks in expenditure are unavoidable, all other things being equal — unless the government reverses its past decision and restores revenue support to TfL. And cutbacks mean less investment in cycling and walking, electric buses, and extending tube lines. Which almost certainly means more car journeys, and hence more pollution, carbon emissions, sedentariness and congestion. The diametric opposite of what we need.

What are the options?

This has led to the surely unique situation of the Mayor and the Assembly leads from all parties co-signing a letter to transport secretary Grant Shapps, calling for London to be permitted to retain

“Cutbacks mean less investment in cycling and walking, electric buses and tube lines”

Ashok Sinha Chief Executive of London Cycling Campaign

the VED paid by London-registered vehicles. This rare outbreak of collective agreement would be inspirational were it not doomed: a Chancellor already struggling with the Gordian Knot of restoring the public finances after huge volumes of money were printed to see us through lockdown is unlikely to find deepening the VED hole attractive. And even if he did, prioritising London would risk the ire of ‘red wall’ Tories who are increasingly agitated by the lack of something tangible from the government’s ‘levelling up’ agenda.

What next, then? Sadly, the cross-party political consensus on retaining VED dissolves when faced with the alternative: raising new money from London’s roads.

That takes us back to Smart Road User Charging. If we want more protected cycle tracks and safer junctions, more plentiful and affordable public transport, and people-centred neighbourhoods, then people will have to pay more for driving — even if in an EV. True, such charging will also eventually go the way of VED as unnecessary car journeys are priced out. But that’s for another day. For now, whether to keep the wolves from TfL’s door or slash carbon emissions, there is no convincing alternative.

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OPINION

Impacts of LTNs Rachel Aldred explains why it’s so important new schemes stay in long enough to be properly evaluated

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TNs — Low Traffic Neighbourhoods — stop motor traffic cutting through residential streets, using bollards, cameras, or other barriers. They’ve been rolled out across two-thirds of London boroughs as part of Covid-19 emergency active travel measures.

In fact 4% of Londoners were living in LTNs introduced between March and September 2020, around 300,000 people.

With LTNs being controversial, they must be evaluated. This is more than monitoring, when local authorities measure what’s happening in the LTN and boundary roads (like motor traffic flows).

Monitoring helps identify and deal with any problems, but it doesn’t prove the cause of those problems — or successes. Evaluation means using background trends, or control groups, to test whether any changes are linked to a scheme or due to wider factors. It’s even more important during Covid-19 times, as travel behaviour and traffic flows are so changeable.

Sometimes, no change is an impact. One study in Australia found when new cycling infrastructure was built, the number of cyclists didn’t grow.

A total failure? Perhaps not, because in control areas without

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any infrastructure, cycling fell.

So, the infrastructure stopped cycling levels from falling. Even without Covid-19, evaluation needs controlled studies that adjust for wider trends.

Promising findings With colleagues, I’ve been looking at impacts of LTNs across various outcomes. We’re starting to look at the new ones, as 2020 outcome data from crime to fire response becomes available — and with so many LTNs we don’t need years of data.

Before that, we’ve looked at a smaller group of LTNs, introduced over several years in Waltham Forest, comparing changes to wider trends in outer London and the rest of Waltham Forest. Fire response times didn’t change, apart from a slight improvement on boundary roads. Walking and cycling went up and car ownership fell. We found a decline in crime.

One of the most impressive findings was for road injuries. In Waltham Forest LTNs, we found

“Despite growth in walking and cycling, pedestrian and cyclist casualties fell”

Rachel Aldred is Professor of Transport at the University of Westminster

a large decline in injuries and in injury risk. Despite growth in walking and cycling, pedestrian and cyclist casualties fell. Casualties among car occupants fell more steeply than the fall in car use within the area. We didn’t find casualties were displaced to boundary roads.

Why such impressive improvements? Most pedestrian and cycle casualties are in collisions with motor vehicles, and there was a dramatic reduction in driving on many LTN streets. Speeds might have fallen too, with more traffic calming, and more walkers and cyclists. And we can speculate about a change in behaviour. Instead of drivers cutting through neighbourhood streets ill-placed to handle so much traffic, many drivers are now local and a passing cyclist or pedestrian might be a neighbour’s child.

Given these promising findings, it’s important boroughs leave schemes in place long enough for them to be evaluated, so we can measure and correctly attribute any positive or negative changes. If the new LTNs have similar impacts on injury to Waltham Forest’s, there will be huge benefits for people living and travelling there. But we won’t know either way if they don’t stay long enough for us to compare injury data ‘before’ and ‘after’.

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OPINION

An inside job It might raise a few eyebrows, but Carlton Reid argues his tabloid role could help change minds on cycling

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ET READY to hate me (or maybe love me; it takes all sorts). I don’t just write for London Cyclist, The Guardian and other titles that many conservative commentators unfairly deride as ‘woke’, I also write for the Daily Mail.

I was invited to contribute by a very polite fellow hack and I thought long and hard about the invite. I assumed — wrongly, it turned out — that I’d get a verbal kicking from those on social media who associate the newspaper with right-of-centre politics.

Given your current choice of reading material it’s reasonably safe to assume you ride a bike. I’d hazard a guess that my views on traffic congestion, climate change and a whole bunch of other contentious subjects tack closely to yours. We may not always sing from the same hymn sheet but we’re probably dipping in and out of the same wellthumbed hymn book. Daily Mail readers, you might think, not only sing from a different hymn book, but belong to an altogether different religion. I’m being broad brush here but, going by the usual fayre served up by the paper, the typical Daily Mail reader isn’t gonna be a lover of LTNs or a cycleway fanatic.

By writing on matters cycling for the Daily Mail, I’m therefore

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thrashing about in what many would consider hostile territory.

Why? I like to think I’m doing so to change perceptions and challenge stereotypes. With a fair wind, I may even make a few conversions.

Some of the articles I’ve written for Mail Online have been warmly received, showing editors that writing positively about cycling isn’t necessarily the passion killer they may have previously thought.

Several of the pieces have even briefly trended high on the site, and that’s a metric — the metric — that’s all-important to the powersthat-be at the Mail.

Bicycling beginnings One of the ironies over the almighty fuss kicked up by the removal of the Kensington High Street pop-up cycleway — a removal championed by high-ups at the Mail — is that many staffers used the cycleway on their bike commutes to the newspaper’s HQ in Northcliffe House on Derry Street. Staffers can’t easily gripe about the

“Many staffers used the cycleway on their bike commutes to the newspaper’s HQ”

Carlton Reid is a book author and leading transport journalist

company’s take on cycling, but as a freelance I can.

I’m not kidding myself, I won’t be making wholesale conversions to the cycling cause by writing for the Daily Mail. However, it delights me that the newspaper was founded by a bicycle journalist.

Alfred Harmsworth, later enobled as Viscount Northcliffe, started his long career in publishing by submitting freelance articles for the burgeoning cycle press of the 1880s.

A typical penny-farthing ride for Harmsworth would be to leave his home in St John’s Wood at midnight and, with a friend, ride 75 miles to Eastbourne for breakfast.

He later edited Bicycling News and his introduction of the “brief, pithy paragraph” into that woke-for-itsday publication (“its chatty articles will soothe your troubled hours”) went on to influence mainstream titles of all stripes, creating a less stultifying style of journalism and forming the modern tabloid press.

With £1,000 saved from his time as a cycling journalist, Harmsworth and his brother Harold (later Viscount Rothermere, whose family still owns the newspaper group) embarked on a publishing career that would see them create the Daily Mail in 1896. One of my future articles for the newspaper will have to explore its bicycling beginnings.

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O

N 6 MAY London will be electing its next mayor. It’s a crucial time, with the decisions taken now dictating the future of London.

More cycling or inactivity? A green recovery or gridlock? A zero carbon city or climate emergency?

We need to make sure that the next mayor sets us on the right path. They will need to build on the proactive response to the Covid crisis, transforming streets so that walking, cycling and public transport are the natural choices.

And creating a city where the air is clean, neighbourhoods are healthier and where we’re responding seriously to the climate crisis.

The alternative is losing our opportunity to avoid a growing number of cars on the roads as lockdown restrictions ease, with the lethal levels of air pollution, inactivity and road danger that brings. We’d also miss our chance

Safe and direct: the Cycleway through Rotherhithe is busy with cyclists of all ages

to avoid locking in a global temperature rise above 1.5 degrees, with the extreme weather events, food shortages and environmental damage that will accompany it.

It’s why, in the run up to the election in May, we will be calling on the mayoral candidates to show their commitment to a healthier, resilient and greener future for London by pledging to: n Use lessons learnt from the Streetspace programme to continue rapidly rolling out a high-quality cycling network across London, delivering 50% of the Strategic Cycling Network. n Improve transport options for all Londoners by providing access no further than 300m from their work or home to shared mobility options (like dockless e-bikes and electric car club bays). n Bring in fairer, simpler Smart Road User Charging to deal with congestion, climate emissions, and also to fund sustainable transport changes.

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CLIMATE SAFE STREETS

DECISION TIME

With the mayoral election approaching, Fran Graham explains why now, more than ever, LCC’s Climate Safe Streets campaign needs your support

Achieving these three goals by 2024, the next mayor will put the city on the path to zero carbon roads by 2030 and improve the quality of life for all Londoners.

Find out more about LCC’s latest campaign at lcc.org.uk/DecisionTime.

A critical election The mayoral election is always important, but this election comes at a decisive point for London’s future. The pandemic has had a devastating impact on our lives, and has compounded the problems that London was already facing. We just can’t wait for future mayors to solve these issues — action needs to start now.

The good news is that we know what steps need to be taken. Road transport is where this all intersects, with motor vehicles being a major source of air pollution, road danger

Streets for all: families cycling and scooting in Dulwich LTN

and carbon emissions in the city. The key to progress in all these areas is enabling many more people to cycle and, usefully, road transport is also a key area of responsibility for London’s mayor. That means they have the opportunity and means to change the status quo, ending the damaging over-reliance on motor vehicles and supporting the sustainable and healthier alternatives.

This time last year we’d been gearing up for the 2020 mayoral election, and had been focusing on the most effective steps the next incumbent could take to cut carbon emissions and air pollution by enabling more cycling.

We’d just published our Climate Safe Streets report (lcc.org.uk/climatesafestreets), setting out the urgent need to create a zero carbon road system by 2030 and how to achieve it. We were planning on pushing the candidates to commit to the actions needed to achieve that goal.

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Since then, the pandemic has caused radical change to our day-to-day lives. The first lockdown resulted in the 2020 elections being postponed by 12 months, as the focus rightly switched to combating Covid and trying to keep everyone safe. Despite the upheaval and new challenges the last year has brought, the actions needed by the next mayor haven’t changed that much. We still need to enable many more people to cycle and leave the private car at home if we are going to clean up London’s air, keep the city moving and avert climate chaos.

What the next mayor needs to do The result of the delay to the election will be a shorter mayoral term than usual — three years instead of four — which means the next mayor will have a lot to do in a short space of time. So in order to set us on the path to zero carbon roads, we need the candidates to commit to:

1

Use lessons learnt from the Streetspace programme to continue rapidly rolling out a high-quality cycling network across London, delivering 50% of the Strategic Cycling Network.

The pandemic has resulted in the fastest roll-out of cycling infrastructure ever seen in London. The government, mayor and boroughs funded and delivered emergency schemes to

Busier than ever: like other tracks, Cycleway 3 has seen record use in the last 12 months

provide Londoners with a way to complete their essential trips while the public transport capacity was low. (You can read more details about the success of the Streetspace programme on page 19).

This has involved a rapid and radical change to how cycle routes have been traditionally planned, with the process that usually took years taking just months. It may not have always been perfect, but the lessons learnt should be taken forward so that the pace of infrastructure delivery doesn’t slow to a crawl again, or that perfect materials and modelling aren’t the enemy of good schemes.

The progress in the last year on top of existing routes and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs) has created the beginnings of a cycling network emerging on London’s roads. The development of this into a dense, high-quality network will be vital to enabling many more people to cycle, giving them the confidence that they can easily and comfortably get from A to B by bike.

To maintain progress, the next mayor will need to make as many of these emergency, temporary schemes permanent. And — by continuing to build at pace — they should aim to deliver 50% of the Strategic Cycling network by 2024.

2

Improve transport options for all Londoners by providing access no further than 300m from their work or home to shared mobility options (like dockless e-bikes and electric car club bays).

The lack of transport options available to lots of Londoners became apparent during the first lockdown. With public transport capacity low, Londoners without access to a car or bike were stuck. But for those with access to shared mobility’s most visible scheme — the Santander hire bikes — it provided a lifeline.

During the last year, there was a 157% increase in memberships, and 18,000 people making use of the free trips for NHS staff and key workers since March 2020.

The government has also pushed forward with the legislative changes surrounding

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CLIMATE SAFE STREETS

e-scooters, giving the green light to trials of rental e-scooters in England last summer to provide “fast, clean and inexpensive travel that can also help ease the burden on transport networks and allow for social distancing”.

Learning from the experience of the dockless bike schemes in London, TfL and London councils have created an overarching trial framework, so there is consistency across the boroughs, as recommended in our Climate Safe Streets report. However, at the moment, only one third of councils have agreed to participate in the trial which is due to start this spring, which can cause confusion for users.

Shared mobility transport modes, like docked and dockless bikes, e-scooters and electric car clubs, can provide better, lower carbon, options for people that are an alternative to a private car. The next mayor will need to encourage as many boroughs as possible to take part in the e-scooter trial to support its success.

And they will need to take the approach they are using for the e-scooter trial and apply that to a London-wide dockless (e)bike scheme, and work with councils to free up space for shared mobility parking, to ensure that all Londoners live within 300m of an ‘access point’.

3

Bring in fairer, simpler Smart Road User Charging to deal with congestion, climate emissions, and fund sustainable transport changes.

Alongside cutting of ways to get around London for many, the lack of capacity on the public transport network caused by Covid has had a devastating impact on TfL’s finances. With TfL generating 47% of its funding from fares, the current mayor has had to negotiate two shortterm funding packages, the latest of which is due to expire in March 2021.

This has had huge implications for the city’s long-term planning and has pushed TfL to look more creatively at their funding options, such as creating a boundary charge for everyone driving into London.

London already has a current Congestion Charge covering central London, and the

Filtered streets in Dulwich: reduce danger by cutting down on throughtraffic

Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) will extend from the North and South Circulars starting in October 2021. As road charging is one of the most effective tools the mayor can use to reduce demand for the most damaging and unnecessary motor vehicle trips, it’s good to see options like the boundary change on the table.

We’d like to see the next mayor go further and implement the evolution of road charging, creating a single, fairer Smart Road User Charge.

By reflecting the true cost of driving it can reduce demand for motor vehicle trips, while freeing up the space needed for cycling, walking and public transport.

Time to choose for London’s future We have to act now if we want a London where public space is used by communities, trees and nature, rather than cars. Where future generations can enjoy the best the city has to offer, without the smog or noise or danger from the over-reliance on motor vehicles. In a city that has played it’s part in the global effort to avert the climate emergency.

By calling for the mayoral candidates to commit to rapidly expanding the cycling network, support shared mobility and introduce smart road user charging, we are pushing for a future Londoners deserve. n lcc.org.uk/DecisionTime LONDON CYCLIST Spring 2021 17

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YEAR of the TRACK

When the Covid crisis first hit, London responded in many ways.

It chose cycling. Simon Munk assesses the progress a year on...

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T THE start of last year, in the face of a global pandemic that was sending hospitalisation and death rates spiralling, it felt almost dandyish to talk about wanting safer cycling in London. But as lockdowns ensued, it very quickly became apparent that the way we get around our cities would be more critical than ever.

With public transport systems falling empty and silent, we pushed City Hall hard. And while the imperative was to save lives, initially London was slower to react to the emerging threat of car use than the likes of Paris, Bogota, or Milan. They all started talking about — and delivering on — active travel alternatives faster.

But even with hardly any action, during the

Winter on two wheels: near Highbury Fields’ LTN

first lockdown something magical happened: Londoners, overwhelmingly, embraced cycling.

Many of us took to local parks and green spaces to keep mentally and physically healthy, but it was the quieter roads that was the revelation.

Gone was the pollution and honking horns, swapped instead for bike bells and family fun.

From lockdown to freedom As our #lockdowncyclefreedom social media series attested, previously unused bikes were rapidly pressed into service. And for many who started, there was soon a desire to continue.

Faced with a bike boom and a call for real change, in May the Mayor announced the ‘Streetspace Plan’. At the time, he said it would LONDON CYCLIST Spring 2021 19

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lead to a potential ten-fold increase in cycling, and “enable millions more people to change the way they get around our city”. Walking & Cycling Commissioner Will Norman wrote that the plan was “unparalleled in a city London’s size”. It was bold, brave and clearly necessary.

Shortly thereafter, the government joined in. Transport minister Grant Shapps, PM Boris Johnson, with transport advisor Andrew Gilligan in the wings, called on England to embrace walking and cycling, and followed through with guidance, documentation and funding that saw not just London but many cities and towns embrace new cycling measures.

So it’s been exciting to see Leicester, Greater Manchester, Edinburgh and others fast catching up or, arguably, exceeding the capital’s pace.

Photo: Edward Seaton, Tim Barnes, Crispin Hughes

The day of the wands The first schemes to go in in London were pavement widening schemes, now sadly mostly abandoned rather than made permanent and improved. Second, though, were cycle tracks.

Some of the first to appear were made using large water-filled, Lego-style barriers. A few places even used old-fashioned traffic cones. But soon it was the bolt-in rubber ‘wands’ that won out. Across London you’ll now see tracks using these cheap, bendy protectors. They may not be amazingly photogenic, they may not feel as safe as proper kerb-separated lanes, and (if they’re spaced out too far) they can have issues with cars parking between them. But they can be placed in at an incredible rate.

Before and after: reader snaps of Chiswick High Road.

Note new cycle lane and lack of parked cars in ‘after’ shot.

Within weeks, significant parts of London featured them: Wandsworth finally got a long overdue upgrade to CS8 with wands along its length into town; while keen boroughs such as Camden, the City of London, and Waltham Forest started filling in gaps in their network.

What was amazing, though, was seeing boroughs (like Wandsworth) who had not delivered much for cycling before the crisis, moving with speed and being bold. When Barnet puts in wand-separated tracks along the A1000, you know the times are a-changing.

These schemes all need further consultation to make permanent and nearly all of them, often without proper bus stop or junction treatments, are far from ideal. But judging by social media, cycle counts and our inbox, they’re wildly successful — and not just with the usual suspects. We’ve seen huge rises in children and families cycling along key routes and in Low Traffic Neighbourhoods; data also shows massive rises in the numbers of women cycling.

Next will have to come upgrades: more permanent materials, more appropriate junction treatments and the like. But for now, these cycle tracks have proven that if you build it, they will come. TfL and boroughs built about 90km of cycle track by the end of 2020, while making another 90km of bus lane accessible all day.

Low traffic, high volume Yet despite the Mayor passing his pledge to triple mileage of protected cycle tracks in March (then going on to nearly quintuple it by December),

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2020 wasn’t, incredibly, the year of the cycle track. No, in 2020 three letters stole more column inches than cycle tracks: LTN. Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are areas of primarily residential streets bounded by main roads, where through motor traffic routes (or ‘ratruns’) have been disrupted. These schemes most often use planters or bollards, but increasingly also ANPR numberplaterecognition cameras, to block roads to motor traffic cutting through. People can walk and cycle through the area, they just can’t drive straight through. The result is far lower motor traffic levels, more people walking and cycling, and safer, healthier streets.

As the year wore on, more and more evidence emerged about LTNs and their benefits (and negatives). While they can temporarily displace motor traffic onto nearby main roads (or even worsen ratruns in other nearby neighbourhoods), the evidence is increasingly that these bedding-in issues don’t last.

The evidence, including studies by the University of Westminster’s Professor Rachel Aldred, suggests: pollution drops on main roads near LTNs; crime drops inside them; car use and ownership drops, while walking and cycling rates go up; road danger decreases inside them (while not increasing nearby); they’ve gone in where poorer people live; they have benefited everyone (circa 90% of us, regardless of ethnicity, live on residential roads); and they don’t delay emergency services. Indeed, just about every claim made against LTNs turned out

Covid crisis proved change is possible: Soho’s streets became outdoor eateries, while C8 saw wands installed to create cycle lanes

to be what you’d technically call ‘codswallop’.

This didn’t deter a coalition of far-right politicians, cabbies, professional drivers and folks who got upset at rapid and radical changes made without much warning, from collectively suggesting LTNs were far more of a pressing issue than, for instance, a global pandemic or the climate crisis. So, while it’s entirely right we listen to concerns regarding LTNs (particularly those raised by those least able to adapt to them), it’s also vital we understand how much hot air has been blown about them too.

The controversy in many boroughs rapidly tipped from spats on NextDoor and Facebook into vandalism of cameras and planters, even death threats to councillors. Thankfully, no-one has been attacked for supporting LTNs and most politicians have come out the other side realising the real importance of such schemes.

However, not everyone stood strong in the face of incredibly loud, toxic opposition.

The good, the bad and the ugly It’s perhaps unsurprising that already progressive boroughs such as Hackney, Lambeth and Waltham Forest delivered schemes through the crisis using Streetspace funding; it’s the boldness and bravery shown by Croydon, Ealing, Islington and others to push their boundaries that’s been particularly heartening.

Unfortunately, a few boroughs never got out of the blocks on schemes at all, including Barking, Bexley, Havering and Hillingdon; while others sent out very mixed messages.

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NIMBY residents’ association chairs and two local business organisations that (according to FOI requests) appear to have objected in part because politicians suggested they should.

Local Better Streets campaigners spoke to the businesses themselves on Kensington High Street and found staff totally disagreed with the trade bodies; many cycle to work and were steamingly angry. After the track was taken out the kerbside space just became a place for lazy business owners to park their cars — and, of course, traffic gridlock was as bad as ever.

Snow go for cars: planters prevent rat-running traffic in Highbury

Change is possible Legal actions were outstanding at time of writing on the case of the missing tracks — also by numerous anti-LTN groups against LTNs — and the controversy rumbles on. But looking back on the year, despite the noise, a different picture emerges.

In the run-up to COP26, what we’re seeing is a global population finally recognising how fragile the planet is and how the climate crisis demands really bold, rapid action.

We’ve gone from a situation where no London borough was (most likely) moving fast enough to hit the Mayor’s Transport Strategy targets for 2041 — let alone accelerate to deal with the climate crisis and a zero carbon roads transport system by 2030 — to a situation where we saw years or decades of progress on active travel in months. As well as that cycle track mileage, hundreds of modal filters have created over 90 LTNs, hundreds of School Streets have been implemented, and more. We’ve seen boroughs embrace active travel measures like never before. There’s been a seismic shift in Londoners’ ability to get about by cycling and, significantly, a massive shift in the public debate and level of political will shown around issues such as climate, pollution, disability access, engagement and consultation, and active travel and car use.

There is a lot still to be done. But we now know that London can move at pace if it needs to. The next few years, as our feature on Climate Safe Streets (page 14) shows, will be vital. This last year proves, however, that change is possible.

Photo: Tom Bogdanowicz

Bromley delivered minor schemes while threatening to sue neighbouring Croydon for its ones. Wandsworth delivered some good improvements, but simultaneously complained non-stop about TfL’s upgrade of CS8 and ripped out all its LTNs. Worst of all, as ever, were two central London boroughs that simply seem to be perpetually anti-cycling.

For once Westminster came across as the lesser offender. True, it did almost instantly renege on plans to introduce a trial LTN after announcing it, and its cycle routes were almost entirely made of paint and door zones. But it did turn Soho and Covent Garden into open air eateries during the summer.

It is the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea that grabbed supervillain status with gusto. It briefly considered one LTN before abandoning it, but worse was to come. It followed its previous derailing of the Holland Park Avenue cycle track scheme with a truly breathtaking Kensington High Street betrayal.

Here the council first implemented wandprotected tracks — a massive and hugely praised move — then weeks later, while the scheme was still in construction and despite evidence showing it was already a roaring success, ripped the entire thing out again.

Despite that scheme’s early success, and copious evidence of the issues facing those walking and cycling on Kensington High Street, it appears that a few privileged voices easily swayed the council. These appear to be Lord Rothermere, Daily Mail proprietor, a few very 22

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ADAM TRANTER The man behind #BikeIsBest talks to John Kitchiner about getting the trade involved in cycle activism and his role as Coventry’s new Bicycle Mayor Coming from a media professional background (CEO of Fusion Media), how do you think active travel backers can counter the billions of pounds spent annually by the auto industry promoting the purchase and use of cars?

I think we can learn quite a lot from the playbook of the motor industry and that, in essence, is what I’ve been doing in setting up the Cycling Marketing Board and the #BikeIsBest (bikeisbest. com) campaign. One of the things we can learn is about selling the dream: car ads don’t feature congestion or traffic, often selling an unrealistic lifestyle, but they do create a desirable and aspirational environment. For me it’s about normalising cycling, so we have to promote it in a way that people think ‘I can do that’, or ‘that’s for people like me’, and at the moment we don’t really have that. We have a stereotypical cyclist portrayal in the media and advertising, and that’s not reflective of the type of people taking up cycling during the pandemic — that’s been normal people wearing normal clothes, and we need far more of that.

What do you think is the most efficient (and effective) way of communicating improved conditions for cycling to those who don’t yet cycle but would like to?

Actually doing it out on the streets.

You might think my answer would be campaigns and marketing materials, and while that’s partially true one of the things I’m really interested in now is how we can make cycling infrastructure appeal to people who don’t

currently cycle. So when people see it from their cars, or when passing, they don’t think it’s for other people, they think it’s for them. As we’ve seen with LTNs, integrating things allows for better cycing, but at the same time it makes the community and environment better through parklets, planters and suchlike. I think that’s the best marketing you can do. Well thought-out schemes, of the best quality we can afford.

And those of us who already ride bikes are one of the most powerful tools, creating advocacy among fellow cylists and helping get more people in the saddle, as with LCC’s Cycle Buddies scheme. But it only works if we get good, safe cycling infrastructure; there’s no marketing campaign that can circumnavigate that.

Is positive marketing (eg #BikeIsBest) and reinforcing the fact that the public wants to cycle enough? What more needs doing? What do you want to do next in that area?

No, I don’t think just reinforcing that people want to cycle is enough in its own right. We mustn’t forget about all the people that started cycling during the first lockdown — and who will do it again if we allow them to by making it safe. And we’re probably not going to have those low traffic levels again, so we need to do something to ensure those people feel safe.

I think that’s where we’re going next with the Cycling Marketing Board and #BikeIsBest in 2021, and it’s to get people thinking about some of the consequences of their actions. For example, for short journeys to school or the shops a car is not the best tool for the job. I think we have to hit that message home and get people to realise that every action they take has a consequence.

Coventry has been called ‘Carventry’ because of its motoring heritage, so how has the city taken to a Bicycle Mayor?

I think the city has taken to it well, though it’s fair to say that at the start the council and other stakeholders didn’t quite know what to expect. But I’ve seen a real LONDON CYCLIST Spring 2021 25

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change in ambition and an embracing of the need for better active travel provision. And that’s been supported by changes we’ve seen during Covid, especially during the first lockdown; the mixture of a dedicated voice and the things happening all around us has led to the possibility of real change. It’s a way off, but I hope one day we can call ourselves ‘Covenhagen’.

You started the role as Bicycle Mayor at a very interesting time (Feb 2020) — what was the modal share for cycling at that point? And how did it change over the course of last year’s lockdowns?

As in most places cycling hovers around 2% of modal share, but we saw huge increases during lockdown — between 70% to 100% — and that really made people aware it was a great way to get around the city. People felt safe as there were 1950s’ levels of traffic. The city took a sensible approach to emergency measures, but has done a pretty good job, though there’s lots of tweaks that can still be done. We’ve learnt a lot about the communication around these schemes too. So it’s a start and looking ahead we have what I think are pretty ambitious schemes in areas that will make a massive difference in getting people out, being active and easing the chronic congestion. I’m hoping this can be accelerated into tranche two over the summer and I know the city is keen to explore ideas like LTNs more.

We’ve heard big changes are coming for Coventry — what’s happening there already or in the near future?

The signs of change are good: we’ve already got a high quality cycleway pretty much in the ground at the moment, with some really nice design features the council’s taken on board, and it’s being finessed over the coming months. It’s in Coundon and is part of the emergency response to Coventry’s air quality, which is mandated by goverment. We’ve had it ‘peer reviewed’ as it were and it’s shaping up to be one of the best schemes in the UK. I’m told it’s the first in the country to get 30-degree ‘Dutch kerbs’, which is very exciting. And there’s plenty of other plans coming on top of this.

Coventry has a population of about 350,000, so what can be learnt from bigger cities like London and Paris, and what

can you do better, or differently, as a smaller city?

I think we can learn a lot about how good schemes work and about how engagement works. Seeing stuff in London will always be a reference point to show that stuff can work and isn’t a pipedream. We can also learn a lot from Paris and the speed they’ve been able to transform their city into a cycling city.

But I think we can look more locally too and Leicester is doing some great things and they’re only 15 miles or so up the road. One thing Coventry needs to do, for the first time since the 1930s, is make it harder to drive. Right now it’s all so convenient with a ring road and everything’s geared to that. We’re going to struggle to gain the modal shift just from winning hearts and minds, we have to change policy approach as well.

You’ve written that after touring around Waltham Forest’s mini-Holland with LCC campaigners that you felt like you’d “never cycled anywhere in Britain and felt as safe and comfortable”. What particularly impressed you or could you take home?

I thought Waltham Forest was excellent and it was so amazing to see the results of years of hard work by Simon (Munk), Paul (Gasson) and many many others.

I was particularly impressed with just how achievable it all was and the modal filters and schemes just simply work. I went round huge parts of the borough without seeing any cars coming towards me, and I now appreciate this stuff is achievable and can be done for very low cost.

I’m hoping to get back down with some Coventry council officers and councillors, and I have a Starley safety bicycle available to me, so

Seeing stuff in London is a reference point... to show it can work and isn’t a pipedream

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I might try and take that along then.

To show people what we could achieve in Coventry while riding an old bike made in Coventry. [JK Starley, inventor of the modern bicycle, was born in Walthamstow and later set up his famed bicycle production business in Coventry].

Other than WF, where else have you been on your travels that’s fired up your ideas and inspiration for a cycling city?

It sounds clichéd but I do always like going to the Netherlands. I get a bit fed up when I hear people say “but we’re not the Netherlands” as a reason not to do things — but the Netherlands wasn’t the Netherlands until it decided to prioritise people over cars. And I think what they have clearly works and people there know what ‘good’ looks like. No one comes back from Amsterdam and says they had a lovely time but they wished there’d been more cars!

From something Brian Deegan once said, Centre Parks also gives me inspiration. People love those places: they turn up, park their cars, then use active travel to get around. Effectively it’s like the ‘15 minute city’ concept as all your amenities are within walking distance. I try to remind people that they can have a bit of that Centre Parks in their local community.

As you know, we see LTNs as a key to more liveable cities and support their introduction across London. When the long-term benefits clearly outweigh any temporary issues, why do you think there has been such a heated anti reaction?

If I’m being honest I think we, as advocates and councils, could have done better with communication, even with main guidance being driven by government itself. But like it or not we’re in a situation now where we need to keep schemes in because they work, we know the policies are good policies, and we need to make sure we have great monitoring and evaluation.

Road pricing is considered by many as an essential tool as we progress to decarbonisation of transport, but how can we persuade the public to accept it?

I feel that we’re in a position now where we have to make some hard decisions. People are generally sympathetic towards the climate issues but they want other people to make changes. So I’m not sure we will get people to widely accept road pricing, especially outside London. In our area where people are so heavily reliant on cars, to be charged is not going to be an enjoyable thing for them. But we also need leadership from government — at the moment the narrative and rhetoric behind decarbonisation of transport seems to have dropped. I think road pricing will become a necessity, but it’ll require political will and leadership to get there.

We hear about new madcap cycling schemes on a weekly basis, so what’s the nuttiest idea you’ve had wind of?

There’s actually one that’s pretty nutty locally. It’s the idea of Alan Denyer and it’s turning half of the ring road, a two-mile elevated section, into a New York-style cycling and walking ‘High Line’. It could potentially form part of a wider cycle network and become a tourist attraction, improving the way the city looks and feels. It sounds bonkers, but not too bonkers.

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Photo: TfL

I think there’s a couple of things. One is that people are home a lot which gives them a different approach to the intracacies of what’s changing in their area. And I think we’ve also hit this perfect storm of culture war and identity politics — and rapid changes in the status quo are obviously really hard for some people.

Home of the modern bicycle: Coventry has bold cycling ambitions

In the second part of our series on London’s independent bike stores, we pedal over to meet the team at De Ver Cycles

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EAD DOWN Streatham High Road a couple of minutes beyond the Common and one building grabs your attention like no other; its bright yellow facade is known for miles around. This is the home of De Ver Cycles, one of London’s premier bike shops.

The business opened here in 1977, but it wasn’t until 10 years later when British racing legend Maurice Burton took it over and expanded into the adjoining properties that things really took off. Maurice is well known to many as Britain’s first black cycling champion, having won national track titles and represented Team GB at the Commonwealth Games; he now runs training camps in Spain alongside the shop.

Proving cycling runs in their genes, Maurice’s son Germain is now a pro rider, who has also represented Britain at world championships.

Like 400 other independent bike stores in the UK, De Ver Cycles is part of the extensive Freewheel network. At each you’ll find friendly and knowledgeable staff on hand to help you answer any cycling-related queries you may have.

What you might not know, is that every bike shop in the Freewheel network earns commission from its associated sales on the Freewheel website. As a customer you can even use ‘Click and Collect’ to pick up your new accessories, components or clothing directly at the store itself.

And if you sign up to receive Freewheel emails (T&Cs do apply), you’ll get a 15% discount off your first online order. Just in time for spring!

Now’s the perfect time to get set for the season ahead, so we asked the team at De Ver Cycles to pass on their essential riding and maintenance tips...

Maurice

tham a e r t S 6 3 6 632- h Road Hig

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TEAM DE VER’S TIPS FOR SPRING Maurice - A lot of people might not have ridden as much over winter, so take it easy. Start slow, finish fast is my motto.

Mia - Check your tyre pressures.

If you let a bit of air out to cope with wet roads, now you can consider firming up tyres again.

Ian

Ian - As always, especially after a wet winter, give your bike a good scrub. Pay particular attention to chain, cassette and cables.

Steve - Swap out grips that look perished. A slippy grip is useless and can be dangerous.

store near you — there’s nearly 400 to choose from, so you can’t go wrong! FREEWHEEL.CO.UK 028029_Freewheel.FINAL.indd 29

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BUDDIES Tom Bogdanowicz and Toby Hopkins speak to a handful of the cyclists now enjoying time in the saddle thanks to a new LCC initiative

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YCLE BUDDIES is a relatively new scheme which connects people who want tips and guidance on urban cycling. It’s now live in roughly half of London’s boroughs, and we’re keen to encourage as many people as possible, from all areas and backgrounds, to sign up.

The scheme offers advice on how to meet and ride safely

together, and then it is very much down to the pair themselves to take things forward. Some participants are after help to plan a safe journey to their workplace, others want tips on cycling for exercise, or possibly to improve their riding technique in the park.

Cycle Buddies enables new (or returning) riders to see the latest infrastructure on our roads first hand and has brought together

Londoners from many different backgrounds. There’s even an NHS Cycle Buddies pilot scheme.

During lockdowns we have also been offering support through a virtual buddying scheme, though the full programme will pick up again after restrictions are eased.

Feedback has been fantastic, so if you think you’d like to take part, read about these inspiring pairs and get signed up.

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KHADHIJA & JULIE (Tower Hamlets) When Julie Plichon arrived in London six years ago one of the first things she did was buy a bike: “It was a great, affordable way to see the city.” But some routes where she lived were intimidating and she recalls being lucky to discover Tower Hamlets Wheelers and getting advice from their route expert Keith Jones. So when the opportunity to become a cycle buddy came it was an easy decision: “It reminded me of my early days in London and I wanted to pass on what I’d learnt with the Wheelers.”

Khadhija was the enthusiastic recipient of Julie’s expertise.

Already a proficient cyclist, she hadn’t ridden a bike for many

years until she and her husband bought themselves bikes for a recent anniversary thinking they would get some exercise during lockdown. But Khadhija found she lacked confidence on urban roads. A Facebook page for women interested in cycling provided a link to TH Cycle Buddies, who in turn put her in touch with Julie.

She says: “We met up and Julie taught me loads of different tips on planning routes, ways to stay safe, signalling, and she even inspired me to volunteer for an organisation called Cycle Sisters, a group which helps Muslim women learn how to cycle and get more road confidence.”

Khadhija thinks she’s lucky to

have a few protected cycle routes right on her doorstep (Cycleways 2 and 3 both run right across Tower Hamlets) and for leisure cycling there’s the Ornamental Canal and Victoria Park. But she believes that one reason why more Muslim women don’t cycle is that they don’t see too many others like them out on bikes. Khadhija says: “When you’re on a bike you mainly see people in skintight clothes and in my religion women wear more modest clothes, which does deter some people. But I’ve learnt that I can wear modest clothes and cycle, and I’m not compromising what I believe in, so I think I can share that with others.”

SIEW-CHING & JAMES (Brockley) Siew-Ching’s cycling story in London began with the Southwark Cyclists’ Healthy Rides. Led by Bruce Lynn, these took place regularly pre-Covid and offered her the opportunity to enjoy cycling in company and see routes she wasn’t familiar with. But when lockdown came and public transport was seen as a potential health hazard, she realised that she was not confident about riding an unfamiliar route to work: from Brockley, near Lewisham, to Holborn. And that’s where James stepped in.

James offered his services as a buddy after recognising the benefits gained when he assisted his wife, a less experienced rider, to ride locally during the first lockdown and then guided her up to her workplace in Piccadilly. He said: “It was really rewarding being able to impart some knowledge and I was able to show Siew-Ching

Quietway 1 and Cycleway 6 up to Holborn, which she had never seen before. Using Google maps she’d have been going up the Old Kent Road which is very unpleasant to cycle on.”

Siew-Ching added: “Having done that journey once with my buddy I found that I developed a lot more confidence in taking myself to other places on the bike and now I’ve explored a lot more of London too. I credit the scheme with giving me the start of that confidence to use my bicycle more widely.”

On one such journey she had a puncture and, while struggling with the repair, a familiar face from the Healthy Rides rode up and luckily provided an instant solution with some tyre sealant.

Not only did Cycle Buddies help Siew-Ching with her routes, but it also encouraged her to sign up for a Bikeability (cycle training) session when out of lockdown.

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TRISH & JO (Wandsworth) “I’m so glad I’ve met Trish — she’s really inspirational,” says cycle buddy Jo Mortensen. When Trish Gillett tells us how she achieved her goal of cycling the round-trip to her work, 14 miles each way, we have to agree.

After buying a bike through the Cycle2Work scheme, Trish didn’t feel confident to do more than local rides, and would sometimes even retreat to the pavement if traffic got too bad. Then lockdown came and she didn’t want to start driving everywhere, plus she needed exercise; previously she’d go dancing with friends several nights each week to stay fit.

“Signing up to Cycle Buddies was the best thing I could ever have done,” Trish explains. When the two first met up, Jo suggested

Trish led a ride she was comfortable with. Very soon they were trying trickier roads and Trish was not only building confidence but also developing her riding and positioning skills. “We took it in turns; I would lead for a while then Trish would lead. It wasn’t me ‘training’ her, it was us doing it together,” Jo recalls.

Trish was soon riding her bike every day she was able to, both with her buddy and increasingly on her own. In her 50s, she feels it’s the best way for her to get around; good for her heart and her whole body, and for her self-esteem too.

“I felt so elated cycling with my buddy”, she says. It helped her deal with emotions too — her father fell ill and passed away, and she was unable to see her grandchildren.

She feels cycling provided a relief from that stress.

Jo takes up the story of the ride to Trish’s work: “We would meet up and then not meet up for a bit, and she worked out some things for herself. There was a difficult hill on her commute and she worked out a way to get around that for herself without me.” When the day came to do the whole 14-mile route for the first time, it was a 90-minute journey — the same time as it takes by car in the morning peak.

“We only stopped for five minutes, then cycled straight back,” Trish adds. “When we got home, I was on such a high I nearly fell off my bike!”

Trish has now become an advocate for cycling among her friends. Before the last lockdown

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CAROL & SUSIE (Cycle Buddies for the NHS)

she would go to see them on her bike, with her heels in her panniers.

She’s a big fan of the new wands protecting cycle lanes on routes like her local Cycleway 7 and feels much safer without cars parking in the cycle lane.

Trish says: “For people like me, the Cycle Buddies scheme, together with all the new changes on the roads, mean I can cycle everywhere I want — to work, to the shops and to meet friends.”

Carol Egbuna is an NHS nurse who had gone nearly 50 years since she’d last ridden a bike as a child.

She’d often walk much of the way to work, but when she developed knee problems her physio recommended cycling. Carol asked her colleagues about riding to work and they told her she was too old to begin.

So she turned to her daughter and they hired Santander bikes together. When that worked out, she took the plunge to buy a bike, and while looking on the LCC website for advice she saw the Cycle Buddies story and called us straight away.

Carol met Susie Morrow, the buddy we introduced her to, the same day her new bike arrived.

Soon they were riding together once or twice a week, around the neighbourhood at first, and then going longer distances.

“Susie is so encouraging,” Carol says, “we’re more like friends.” In Susie’s company, Carol practiced her skills — signalling was initially a big challenge — but soon they were riding the new local cycling lanes and contraflows together, before heading to Morden Hall Park. “It was such a nice ride along the Wandle Trail and Carol had never been there,” says Susie.

Susie herself felt good about helping an NHS nurse during such a difficult year: “And I’m sure I’ve got as much out of this as Carol.”

Having started with a ride to the park, Carol is now doing her shopping by bike and has tried the ride to work a few times at weekends. “I’d recommend cycling to everyone, for leisure and exercise,” she says. “I feel happy when I’m cycling. One day when I was down riding really cheered me up. I miss it when I don’t ride now.”

HOW YOU CAN HELP n Spread the word — do you know anyone who might want help to start cycling? Can you share the Cycle Buddies story at work or on social media? n Sign up at lcc.org.uk/cyclebuddies. We’re particularly keen to hear from experienced Black, Asian and minority ethnic cyclists, who are currently under-represented.

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Name Our Lanes A recent competition hopes to honour some of the city’s great heroes and instil new names for our cycleways.

Tom Bogdanowicz looks at the winners and nominees

N

AMING CYCLE routes is ever a problem, even their generic titles: TfL experimented with ‘Cycle Superhighways’ and ‘Quietways’ (both discontinued) and finally settled on ‘Cycleways’. Before those we had London Cycle Network routes (discontinued) and National Cycle Network routes (still current). Confusion continues though and you can still encounter routes with signage displaying several different numbers (LCN22, Q1, NCN 4), or several routes with the same number (NCN 1, Q1 and CS1/C1).

Enter sustainability charity Possible, plus sponsors Brompton Bicycle and Covent Garden, to bring a human touch to the process. They created a competition, Name Our Lanes, to select regular, non-numerical, titles for London’s

prime cycleways. Organiser Hirra Khan Adeogun says numbers are for motorways: “If we want people to care about cycling, we thought let’s open it up to the public to name our lanes.”

A thousand people submitted suggestions, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of three choices per route by the juding panel: LCC’s Ashok Sinha; author, Jools Walker; Active Travel Academy’s Rachel Aldred; Brompton CEO, Will Butler-Adams; and Khan Adeogun. Then more than five thousand took the time to vote for their favourites from the shortlists.

The winners and nominees tell some inspiring stories about people who’ve had an impact on cycling and on London’s diverse culture, as well as highlighting a few less well-known places. n See the final map at wearepossible.org/name-our-lanes.

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CYCLEWAY 1 WINNER: Tao’s Route The surprise winner of the 2020 Giro d’ltalia, Tao Geoghegan Hart, began his racing career at Cycling Club Hackney and the route of C1 passes close to several TGH landmarks: his home manor, London Fields; Stoke Newington School, where he was a pupil; and the start point of the Dunwich Dynamo overnight ride to the coast, which he rode in 2008.

If you were wondering, Tao is the Irish Gaelic version of Tom, his father’s (of Scottish/Irish descent) first name. In his youth Tao used to work at Condor Cycles on Gray’s Inn Road and wore their kit, following in the footsteps of famous riders like Bob Downs and Bradley Wiggins.

Tao was inspired by the Tour de France’s first visit to London in 2007, an event also fondly remembered at LCC as we led dozens of rides there.

ALSO NOMINATED: n Bernie Grant Cycleway — after the long-time Tottenham MP and anti-racism campaigner. n Starley Freeway — after JK Starley, the local inventor of the first ‘safety bicycle’ in 1885.

CYCLEWAY 2 WINNER: The Beryl Burton Wayay Long before Laura Kenny, Kate Archibald and Nicole Cooke became 1

3 cycling heroes there was Beryl Burton (1937-1996). Despite health problems as a child, Beryl showed potential on club runs with her husband Charlie and was quickly leading all her male colleagues.

By the late 1950s Beryl was sweeping away the competition and becoming all but unbeatable in time trials. She won every possible honour in British and world cycling (90 domestic and 7 world titles), and set the world 12-hour record in 1967 at 277.25 miles, eclipsing the men’s record. The one honour Beryl missed was an Olympic medal — and that was simply because women’s cycling wasn’t included in the Games until 1984, when she was 47 years old. Hence the proposer’s idea to name the route in her honour.

ALSO NOMINATED: n The Eastway — after the muchmissed former Eastway cycle circuit and mtb race venue. n The Banglalyn — after the local

Bengali community and West Ham’s old stadium, the Boleyn Ground.

CYCLEWAY 3 WINNER: Cable Street Cycleway The protected cycle track of C3 (formerly LCN 13) was installed in the 1980s and now leads to Barking, but was originally known to cyclists as the Cable Street route after its (then) western-most end. For those who ride the route the historical significance of ‘The Battle of Cable Street’ is well illustrated with a house-size mural near Shadwell station (pictured above). Originally

by David Binnngton, it depicts the 1936 confrontation between Oswald Mosley’s fascists and more than 20,000 opponents of the march which sought to pass through what was then an area with a high Jewish population. The fascist march was abandoned as demonstrators clashed with police, leaving 175 people injured and leading to a similar number of arrests. The

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mural was restored in 2011 on the 75th anniversary of the clash.

The bike route was upgraded in the 2000s and later extended west to Paddington. It’s described as the longest urban cycle track in Europe.

ALSO NOMINATED: n Lamartine Lane — after Rose Lamartine Yates, the first woman elected to the CTC council in 1907. n Seacole Lane — after Mary Seacole (1805-1881), who topped the Greatest Black Britons poll; she lived in Paddington.

CYCLEWAY 4

CYCLEWAY 5 WINNER: The Effra Anyone who knows Brixton will know of Effra Parade and its wellestablished street market. But did you know that the street name originates from the Effra River that runs underground from Norwood to Vauxhall. C5 follows this alignment briefly and the proposer hopes it could be extended to provide a safe link to Brixton, Brockwell Park and West Norwood.

ALSO NOMINATED: n Bonnington Way — after the Square tucked away just off C5. n The Cricket Causeway — after the famous nearby Oval cricket ground.

teenager Tessie Reynolds did when she set a record cycling from London to Brighton and back (quite possibly passing C6) in 1893. This 120-mile ride took the 16-yearold a remarkable 8hr20, though sadly press focus was the ‘rational’ cycling outfit that she wore and which was, apparently, specially made by her sister, a dressmaker.

Cycling magazine described it as a “lamentable incident”, but Bicycle News, clearly a more enlightened magazine, described it as “suitable and graceful dress”. The choice of outfit, which was no accident, was welcomed both by supporters of Victorian Dress Reform and by the suffragette movement.

Tessie continued to ride in her rational attire and promoted several brands of bicycle wearing the outfit.

6

Photos: Possible, wikipediaCC

WINNER: Chaplin Chase Despite the absence of a birth certificate, Charlie Chaplin was clear that he was born in East Street in Walworth, near the central outlet of C4. The child of music hall performers, he was raised in extreme poverty and moved home repeatedly in the Lambeth area.

His most memorable link to cycling is the film of his failed attempt to ride a penny-farthing, but photos from his later Hollywood era also show him riding a cruiser on Sunset Boulevard and on a tandem with his wife, actress Paulette Goddard.

Southwark Cyclists has posted its fascinating Chaplin ride online (tinyurl.com/CharlieChaplinRide) and it visits the blue plaques at 39 Methley Street and Glenshaw Mansions which mark some of his

many early homes in the area.

ALSO NOMINATED: n Viking’s Channel ­— after a trench dug by Cnut the Great in 1016 to circumvent the defences of Edmund Ironside at London Bridge. n The Maritime Link — after London’s nautical heritage.

CYCLEWAY 6 WINNER: Reynolds Route It’s hard to imagine that a woman wearing a bulky coat and pantaloons below the knee could cause ‘outrage’, but that’s exactly what LONDON CYCLIST Spring 2021 37

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She went on to be a road safety officer in Barnet where she focused on accident prevention.

ALSO NOMINATED: n The Elephants Trunk — after the route’s southern end at the Elephant & Castle. n Winehouse Way — after the celebrated singer who lived in Camden Square, a few hundred yards from the route.

CYCLEWAY 7 WINNER: Maurice Burton Way Maurice became Britain’s first black professional cyclist in 1977 and has numerous links with south London, which Cycleway 7 traverses. He raced at Herne Hill velodrome as a schoolkid, he owns De Ver Cycles in Streatham, and he rode a locallybuilt Roberts bike. He also went on to compete at the Commonwealth Games. At the 2018 LCC Roberts Rendezvous gathering, Maurice joined the framebuilders (pictured above, on the mic) to celebrate many successful decades of London-based bike building.

Maurice’s son, Germain, followed in his father’s footsteps and in 2013 competed at the Junior World Championshipa alongside Tao Geoghegan Hart (see Cycleway 1).

ALSO NOMINATED: n Windrush Way — after the 9

7 Windrush generation of Caribbean immigrants who originally settled in this area. n Olive Lane — after Jamaican-born Olive Morris, an activist in the 1970s’ feminist, black nationalist and squatters’ rights campaigns.

CYCLEWAY 8 WINNER: The Commons If you’re cycling to the House of Commons from the south-west, you’d very likely use C8, as you would coming from either Clapham or Wandsworth Commons. So this winning name is just a simple wordplay by the proposer. It also echoes the ‘South London Commons’ route featured in the London Cycling Guide.

ALSO NOMINATED: n The John Archer Way — after London’s first black mayor in 1913. n The Generator Route — after the iconic power station.

CYCLEWAY 9

Photo: Tom Boganowicz

WINNER: Claudia Way Cycleway 9’s final stop is due to be Kensington Olympia, not far from Notting Hill where the eponymous annual carnival takes place. And it’s the Notting Hill Carnival that connects C9 to Claudia Jones. The Trinidad-born communist activist,

feminist and black nationalist established the precursor to what has become Britain’s largest and best known carnival, back in 1959.

She came to London after being imprisoned for ‘un-American activities’ in the US in the 1940s and was involved in a range of activist work, setting up the West Indian Gazette and campaigning for the release of Nelson Mandela.

Following the Notting Hill race riots of 1958 and similar disturbances in Nottingham, Jones came up with the idea of a Carribean-style carnival to “wash the taste of Notting Hill and Nottingham out of our mouths”.

The first indoor carnival held at St Pancras Town Hall was televised and was followed by five other indoor events — these ultimately led to the establishment, in the 1960s, of the Notting Hill Carnival as we now know it.

ALSO NOMINATED: n The Garden Way — after Kew Gardens and Kensington Gardens (proposed before K&C Council ripped out the cycle lane along Kensington High Street). n Cherry Tree Line — after the local area adjoining C9 where the cherry tree is the most prolific, according to the London tree map.

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Cycle touring can be accessible for all, says Tony Evans, and particularly fun if you head into one of the UK’s most beautiful landscapes

W

ALES: COUNTRY of castles, mountains, rugby, singing and sheep. And rain.

Sometimes lots of rain.

Surely not the ideal place for a few days’ cycle touring then? Well that rain is one of the reasons why the Welsh countryside is so stunning. And when you factor in the quieter roads, rugged coastline and its magnificent national parks, you start to understand why so many adventurous pedallers are attracted to the land of dragons.

Cycle touring can be many different things.

For some it’s setting off on a solo mission laden with panniers and camping equipment; for others it might be an organised trip using hotels,

SPANTASTIC: Barmouth Bridge is only for bikers and hikers

with luggage carried to each day’s destination.

Whatever your budget and whatever level of challenge you want to undertake, there is something for everyone — all you need to do is take the plunge.

For my brother Richard (a former LCC group co-ordinator) and I, having decided we wanted to escape the busy south-east corner of the UK for a few days, a Snowdonian odyssey on our bikes seemed just the ticket after lockdown and travel restrictions eased last autumn. We planned the trip ourselves — less daunting for us given Richard’s experience in route planning (he cycled around the world in 2014) — but that meant carrying our own luggage. Packing light was the order of the day: just one spare change of cycle kit (to be alternated and rinsed at our

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TRAVEL

Heading to Hay We rode cross-country from the capital and entered Wales at Hay-on-Wye, a picturesque introduction to our western neighbour. Our route then continued up the Wye Valley, climbing gently through Builth Wells and into the Irfon Valley to the small town of Llanwrtyd Wells and the modest hotel we’d booked.

A key point whether organising your own trip or booking on an organised tour is to ensure there is secure overnight storage for your bike — you don’t want to be locking it up outside and hoping for the best. Not only is there the risk of it being stolen, but you will also have to carry weighty locks with you, which isn’t ideal in the hills. If your resting place has the necessary storage, then you’ll only need a ‘cable lock’ for

VERDANT VALLEYS: from the Wye, to Elan and the Dovey, perfect touring country

the times you run into a bakery for a treat. Of course if you’re camping you’ll be carrying everything with you and that needs slightly different planning.

Food is another important consideration for the intrepid tourer — it’s your fuel and, just as with any other means of transport, you cannot afford to run out. That evening in Llanwrtyd Wells we knew we had over 2,000m of climbing the next day and so some carb-loading was most definitely necessary.

A good breakfast is a must and there’s no need to feel guilty as you tuck into your full Welsh, as you’ll have worked it off by midmorning. An easy 45 minutes or so loosened the legs and had us rejoining the River Wye and following it gently uphill to the small market town of Rhayader, 25km further on. It was too soon to stop at one of the tempting cafés, but we’d ensured we had cereal bars and bananas in our back pockets and plenty of liquid on board.

PHOTOS: Richard & Tony Evans

accommodation stops), lightweight off-bike clothing and trainers, plus a small washkit were all that was required.

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Into the Valley Barely had we left the confines of the town before we’d entered the splendour of the Elan Valley, sweeping past its spectacular chain of reservoirs (or, more accurately, grinding slowly uphill past them), and onwards and upwards for more than 30km to the Hafod Arch, gateway to the valley from the other direction.

A fast descent brought us to the village of Pontarfynach and its main attraction, Devil’s Bridge Falls.

William Wordsworth was inspired by this dramatic sight to write his 1824 poem To The Torrent At The Devil’s Bridge. We were inspired to make a quick pitstop for coffee, before launching straight into another 20km of climbing to reach the high point of the day at 425m above sea level.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that a modicum of training is advisable ahead of a lengthy tour, especially a hilly trip like ours.

How much depends on which end of the scale your daily distances will be, but a general rule of thumb is to try and get out on your bike two or three times per week on a mixture of flat and lumpy terrain in the three months leading up to your trip. If you will be doing anything over 100km a day, make sure to include at least one or two training rides of that length. And if you’ve never ridden long distance on consecutive days, do try that as part of your regime as well.

Back on our ride and we resist the urge to shout ‘tally ho! as we zip through Talybont before enjoying a pavement café lunch in Machynlleth. It’s always a good option to eat outdoors if you can, so you can keep a close eye on your bike while you tuck in.

PEACE & QUIET: the roads and paths in Wales offer the perfect escape

For 16km we followed the River Dovey downstream to the sea, hugging the edge of the scarp with the railway line steeply below, between us and the widening estuary. With views over the river to the hills we crossed that morning and along the coast towards Borth and Aberystwyth, it’s a magnificent section which led us down to the pretty seaside resort of Aberdovey. Could we resist the temptation of an ice cream?

Men of Harlech From Aberdovey to Barmouth is 45km by road, but only 29km for us because cyclists are able to approach it via the spectacular Grade II-listed wooden viaduct, Barmouth Bridge. Spanning the Afon Mawddach estuary, it’s almost a kilometre long and carries a single-track train line, plus a pedestrian and cycle path.

Remember to pay your voluntary donation to the troll at the end! Passing by the beach on a fine day there’s no better way of easing those aching muscles than indulging in a quick dip in Cardigan Bay. A nice spin up the coast from Barmouth we came to Harlech, its imposing castle dominating the skyline above. Built by Edward I more than 700 years ago, it’s considered by UNESCO to be one of the finest examples of its kind in Europe, and another to add to the list of places to return to in the future. And from Harlech we headed up into the remote heartland of Snowdonia for another undulating day’s pedalling.

With shops or pubs few and far between, we made sure to pack plenty of extra supplies in our bags. A singletrack mountain road is punctuated with a series of half-a-dozen gates where you

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SNOWDONIA

ABERYSTWYTH

WALES

HAY-ON-WYE

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS: Elan Valley, Devil’s Bridge Falls, Barmouth Bridge, Snowdonia scenery, cafes. might normally expect cattle grids and it’s the perfect spot to pause and take in the stunning surroundings. The silence at these stops is palpable and reminds us of the noise pollution we sadly take for granted in our normal busy lives; this is a peaceful part of our nation, and we had it to ourselves.

We passed through Trawsfynydd and Llanuwchllyn — both easier to write than pronounce — and as we left Snowdonia we found ourselves skirting the shores of the Lake Vyrnwy reservoir. A welcome café revealed itself at LLanwddyn to fortify us for the remaining 30km, mostly downhill to the market town of Welshpool, our final overnight in Wales.

Though we’d visited the Welsh wilds many times, this most recent tour was a bit special.

On our return home it inspired myself and Richard to fulfil a long-time ambition — to start our own small-scale cycle touring company (see panel), so we could share our passion with others. Whether it’s a month-long epic or a shorter weekend break, with the right training and preparation, anyone with a love of riding and nature can try touring. And it must come near the top of options to consider in this new age of domestic holidays and when there’s such a premium on grabbing fresh air.

Yes, some days will be tough and, yes, there may well be rain (though we got wet just once on our six-day Welsh tour). But when you’ve made it to the top of that tricky climb and in splendid isolation survey yet another glorious vista opening up before you, any doubts you may have had will be long gone. All that remains then is to decide what and where to eat after another day in the saddle.

TRY IT YOURSELF: CYCLE TOURING TIPS n BEST TYPE OF BIKE? A (well serviced) lightweight road, touring or audax bike with a good range of gears and fast-rolling, durable tyres will suit most people.

Tandems, trikes and recumbents have plenty of fans too. n WHAT TO TAKE & HOW TO CARRY IT If you’re not camping, you can actually pack pretty light, which allows you to cover more ground. A single pannier, large saddlepack, bar bag or frame bag will suffice for a really pared-back trip. If you’re travelling as part of a group with transport support, then you can pack changes of clothes and spares in an overnight bag/holdall.

• On the bike — spare inner tubes, puncture kit, pump and tyre levers, multi-tool, lightweight lock, lights, plus two water bottles.

You’ll also want to carry snacks, cash & cards, and a lightweight jacket/gilet (these can be carried in jersey pockets or bags). n NAVIGATION A GPS device is miles better than a phone for battery life; upload route files in advance. A good map is the bare minimum to take. n RIDE SPEED Ride at your own comfortable pace and save your energy for the hills and the days ahead. Groups of similar ability and speed will form naturally. You should be looking to average 20km/h (12mph) on a good day, and complete the typical 130km daily distance in 8-9 hours including stops. n JOIN A GLAUDAX TOUR Glaudax (glaudaux.co.uk) is the name of Richard and Tony’s new touring venture. The name derives from Audax (those long distance, non-competitive cycling events, usually covering 200km+) and throws in a bit more, well, glamour! Glaudax halves the distance and doubles the glamour, with comfortable overnight accommodation (in hotels and guesthouses), leaving plenty of time for dinner and drinks. They are running a handful of six-day tours from the Chilterns to Snowdonia and back, so head to glaudax.co.uk to book a place.

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PROTECT YOUR RIDE Minimise the potential for bike theft by following these simple tips from the team at Hiplok

I

t’s great to see more people cycling but, unfortunately, the rising demand for bicycles also means bike crime is on the increase. Recent reports indicate insurers seeing an almost 50% increase in bike thefts since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Securing your bike is more important than ever and getting a good lock with a Sold Secure rating is just the beginning. You should never assume your bike is 100% safe — all locks can eventually be broken with the right amount of time, tools and technique. So good insurance and registering your bike is also essential.

We asked John Abrahams, co-founder and product designer at British lock specialist Hiplok, to share a few basic tips for keeping your bike safe.

#1 ALWAYS CARRY A GOOD LOCK WITH YOU

Many bikes are stolen because a lock wasn’t taken on a ride in the first place. The Hiplok DX is one of the lightest Sold Secure Gold rated locks on the market, and can be carried on a frame bracket, clipped to a bag or belt. Alternatively, all Hiplok chain locks have a patented wearable feature; they adjust to fit the waist while riding without being locked to the body.

#2 CONSIDER WHERE YOU LOCK YOUR BIKE

Lock your bike in the most visible and populated area possible – not down a dark alleyway. Make sure what you are locking to is secure; wire fences or rusted railings can easily be cut through. Dedicated bike stands are the safest bet, so try to find an area covered by CCTV for addded protection. For chunkier frames (eg e-bikes), chain locks with their longer locking length are ideal.

#3 MAKE THINGS HARDER FOR THIEVES

Always put the lock through the main frame of the bike and around what you are locking to. When possible, position the lock so it makes attacks awkward. The higher a chain lock is from the ground, the tougher it is for hammering and leverage tools. A more compact lock helps reduce the space between bike frame and locking point, leaving less room for tools.

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#4 REMOVE OR SECURE YOUR ACCESSORIES

Ideally you’d take anything with you that can easily be removed, such as lights, quick-release saddles or wheels. But that’s not always possible or practical. Hiplok Z LOK security ties are ideal in this scenario. Weighing less than a snack bar, their steel cores protect against opportunist theft. Great for securing accessories to your bike when you nip inside a café.

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HOW TO

FITTING A PAIR

OF PEDALS

John Kitchiner is the editor of London Cyclist and confirmed bikeaholic

Pedals are one of those bike parts that most people fit and forget, only to find they’re stuck solid when they need to swap them for new ones or remove them for storage. But a little TLC goes a long way, and a quick clean — with a dab of dedicated bike grease on the threads — will keep creaks at bay and prevent corrosion. And you probably have the tools already...

1: TOOLS FOR THE JOB Depending on your pedal type, you’ll either need a 15mm pedal spanner, or a 6mm or 8mm hex key. Long tools give much-needed leverage when pedals are

tight. You’ll also need some grease to add before fitting.

Most pedal ‘flats’ (the part of the axle near the thread) have ‘L’ or ‘R’ marks, to show which goes on which side.

2: REMOVE DRIVESIDE (RIGHT) PEDAL There’s several methods to right hand and push the do this, but we’re keeping spanner down anti-clockwise. it ultra basic. With the Some people favour shifting crankarm pointing forward the chain onto the biggest and slightly below horizontal, chainring to protect your hold the pedal with your knuckles if your hand slips.

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3: REMOVE NON-DRIVESIDE (LEFT) PEDAL The technique is exactly the of the bike, this time more same for the left pedal, but horizontal with the ground. remember the thread runs in Grip the pedal with your left the opposite direction! hand and push the spanner Again position the crankarm down clockwise. Tighter pointing towards the front threads need more welly!

4: CLEAN & GREASE THE THREADS Once the pedals have been the threads. It’s such a simple removed, use a rag to clean and quick thing to do, but it both the pedal thread and will reduce annoying creaks, the crankarm thread. Once minimise corrosion and ensure clean, take a small dab of bike your pedals don’t get stuck grease and run it around all after weeks of wet riding.

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In association with

5: FIT THE PEDALS BACK ON It’s easiest to fit pedals by The right pedal tightens hand initially, to ensure the right (clockwise), while the threads are properly engaged. left pedal tightens left (antiAgain the most important clockwise). Use the spanner thing to remember is which or hex key for the final few way each pedal tightens. turns — but don’t overdo it!

6: FITTING/REMOVING USING ALLEN KEYS For pedals with hex sockets removing). Remember the the process is the same — pedal thread hasn’t changed, though its usually easiest you’re just viewing it from a tackled from the rear (ie if different position! Here push you’re on the other side of down to release the driveside the bike to the pedal you’re pedal in the correct direction.

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HOW TO

PILATES

FOR CYCLISTS

Susi Owusu is a Pilates rehab specialist in London. (pilateswithsusi.com)

After a year of lockdowns and, for many, restricted exercise, our new four-part Pilates series will get you into shape for the months ahead. Each magazine in 2021 will include 4 exercises — core, hip/back mobility, legs, stretch — and build in challenge from one issue to the next.

To learn more about Pilates, join a Zoom class, or get one-to-one tuition, visit Susi’s website.

1: LEG FLOATS Lie on your back with your knees bent and legs in parallel. Exhale as you float your left leg into the ‘tabletop’ position shown. Inhale, pause, then exhale while floating the leg back down.

Repeat on the right leg.

Repeat 8 times for each leg.

FOCUS: concentrate on where your leg meets the hip and aim to move from there.

Your leg should feel light throughout the movement.

2: SINGLE LEG HIP ROLLS Lie on your back with knees Repeat 8 times on each leg. bent, legs and feet together.

FOCUS: this exercise is Keeping your hip bones about finding your range of facing up towards the ceiling, movement, so the leg does inhale and open the right not need to go all the way knee out and towards the to the floor. Make sure you floor. Exhale and roll the knee don’t rock through your hips back to the start position. and pelvis.

3: LEG SLIDES Lie on your back with knees bent. Inhale and slide the right leg out. Flex the foot and, as you exhale, draw the leg back to the start position.

Repeat on the other side, and 8 times for each leg.

FOCUS: extending the leg by following the toes and retracting the leg by drawing the heel back. When you flex your foot, work from the ankle and try not to curl your toes.

4: PIGEON STRETCH From a kneeling position, keep your hips square and stretch one leg out behind you. Fold the other over in front of you beneath your hips; adjust the front leg for comfort and to feel the stretch where you need it.

Arms can be out in front of you, or you can bring the chest towards the floor.

FOCUS: let the stretch find you and feel good. Imagine you have headlights on your hips and those need to keep shining forward.

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THE COTSWOLDS

Harvey Downard from Cycling for Softies guides us around a scenic Cotswolds loop

L

IN COMFORT

ONG HAILED as one of the most scenic areas in the UK, the Cotswolds is a popular destination, welcoming thousands of visitors every year.

It’s a perfect place for cyclists who enjoy variety in their routes as the area is defined by its rippling terrain — ‘wolds’ is simply an old name for ‘hills’.

Known for its honey-coloured, quaint villages which are peppered with wandering streams, sheepclad lush hills, and local pubs that serve up welcoming gourmet plates, cycling through the area is a delight on all levels.

This circular route starting from

Barnsley in Gloucestershire takes in some of the best views and locations, running alongside the River Windrush and through villages like Bourton-on-the-Water and Bibury before looping back.

There’s also the option of an extra trail to take in Upper and Lower Slaughter, two incredibly picturesque Cotswolds villages and some of the area’s most famous spots. The ride includes small country lanes, passing under the A40 to Farmington, and several inclines to keep things interesting.

This route forms part of a new Cycling for Softies e-bike tour (see page 52 for more details).

FACT FILE DISTANCE: 75km/47 miles (including the additional loop to Upper and Lower Slaughter of 8km/5 miles) ASCENT: 738m (with additional loop) SUITABLE FOR: any hybrid, road, gravel or e-bike. It’s almost all on Tarmac.

NEAREST STATIONS: the route can be slightly adapted to begin and end at Cirencester station, which has regular services direct to London Paddington.

BIKE HIRE: Cycling for Softies provides everyone undertaking one of their tours with a Scott Sub Tour e-bike, to provide a little extra oomph on the inclines.

Head to cycling-for-softies.com to find out more.

COTSWOLDS CLASSIC

1 2 BARNSLEY

NORTHLEACH 12km

BOURTON-ON-THE-WATER 29.5km

3 BURFORD 50km

4 BILBURY BARNSLEY 67.5km

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RIDE GUIDE

Route Guide COTSWOLDS CLASSIC

BARNSLEY [START] The route begins and ends at Barnsley House, a luxury hotel just outside of Cirencester (this is your base if joining a Cycling for Softies tour).

Barnsley’s history dates to the Iron Age settlement in Barnsley Park, later occupied in the second century by a Roman villa. After the capture of Cirencester in 577, a Saxon village called Bearmodeslea (Bearmod’s glade) was known to exist here.

Now, as you head north, the initial section of the route starts off on a steady incline taking in surrounding views, warming you up for the undulating ride ahead.

BOURTON-ONTHE-WATER [3] Peaceful country lanes await as you head towards one of the Cotswolds’ most picturesque villages. Bourtonon-the-Water is known as ‘the Venice of the Cotswolds’, thanks to the village straddling the River Windrush and the many beautiful low bridges and traditional stone houses that are found there. Much of the village centre is designated a conservation area.

The earliest evidence of human activity locally was found in the Slaughter Bridge gravel-spread, where Neolithic pottery (dated c.4000 BC) was discovered.

From Bourton-on-theWater, you can opt to take the extra loop up to Upper and Lower Slaughter, crossing the A429 to head north and taking on one of the route’s best inclines as you go, heading back at the top of Upper Slaughter to come back down Copsehill Road.

BURFORD [4] Burford is another perfect place along the route to stop for refreshments, with plenty of pubs and cafes. From Burford, as you

leave the town via Tanners Lane, the route takes on lots of smaller, more rural roads past rolling green countryside. It’s a beautiful part of the route, taking you across the River Leach again and along the Roman Road, making for a gentle extended section where you can take your time to soak up the scenery, before heading to Coln St Aldwyns.

COLN ST ALDWYNS & BIBURY [5] The villages of Coln St Aldwyns and Bibury are the two final highlights of the day before arriving back at Barnsley.

Nestled in the Coln River valley, the area features plenty of quaint Cotswold stone houses and a Norman church. Coln St Aldwyns has a grade II listed church and was mentioned in the Doomsday Book.

Bibury, slightly farther along the route as you take Salt Way out of Coln St Aldwyns, is also nestled in a curve of the river. The stunning stone cottages of Arlington Row form a nationally notable architectural conservation area depicted on the inside cover of all British passports.

Finally, head back along the B4425, turning off left to meet the Welsh Way for a last gentle spin before route’s end. n Cycling for Softies offers 3-7 day bike/ e-bike tours in the Cotswolds and Sussex, which include luxury accommodation, e-bike hire and full Ride with GPS app navigation. For more info go to cycling-for-softies.co.uk.

©Crown copyright 2018 Ordnance Survey. Media 060/18

NORTHLEACH [2] Heading in via Town Row and College Row, the market town of Northleach is the first major stopping point along the route, with several good pubs, as well as a general shop for picnic supplies or snacks.

The town itself is set in a valley along the River Leach, and is home to one of the Cotswold’s ‘wool’ churches, the 15th-century building paid for by the local wool merchants at the time and built with stone from its own quarry. The church was restored between 1877-1884 to designs by the gothic revival architect James Brooks.

From here, take Farmington Road out of the town north-east towards

Farmington. For a shorter ride you could now head eastwards to Burford, but the additional leg north is highly recommended.

CUT-OUT AND KEEP

This route is very easy to follow. If coming by train, the nearest station to the start is Cirencester, which is just a few miles south-west of Barnsley.

If you’re joining a Cycling for Sofities tour then a downloadable map is provided to use on your smartphone or GPS device.

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Bikes & Reviews L ATEST | BIKES | GEAR | MEDIA

BIKES

SURLY TOURER 56

FLIT-16 FOLDER 58

PRODUCTS

JACKETS 60

BOOKS & FILMS 63

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BIKES

BIKE REVIEWS

Want to venture a bit further by bike, maybe dabble in touring? This Surly will have your back MODEL: SURLY DISC TRUCKER, £2000 n ison-distribution.com

Test: Katy Rodda Photos: Mary Spender

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URLY IS one of those bike brands wedded to steel, adamant that it’s the best material for the bikes it designs. Its reputation was made with singlespeeds and fatbikes, but it’s been building robust tourers, expedition and ‘adventure’ bikes since the early days, and the Disc Trucker borrows ideas from each of these camps to great effect.

The 4130 chromoly frameset has all the practical details you could want for long haul trips where comfort is paramount — mounts for racks, bottle bosses galore and big tyre clearance (up to 47mm on 700c wheels); smaller sizes come with the option of 26in wheels (up to 2.1in tyres). Factor in the Shimano triple chainset paired with 9-speed

cassette, TRP Spyre disc brakes, plus the famous Truck Stop handlebar with added rise, and you’ve got an incredibly versatile ride. That triple might seem like a throwback but its low gears saw us clean every steep incline without a foot dab, and while carrying stuffed bikepacking bags.

That trademark spring of quality steel was apparent as soon as we wound up through the gears, and it absorbed the bumps on road and gravel tracks so easily. Around town it was a pleasure too, the increased stack height offering a very upright and relaxed position, and when we wanted to fly downhill the slightly

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REVIEWS

flared drops offered excellent control. Our test rides have been really varied, only limited timewise by lockdown, so we hope to squeeze in a camping trip or two before its return. This is a super capable bike — and at half the price of a custom build, with all the extras you’d forget to ask for anyway.

FACTFILE n 12mm thru-axles offer greater stability when the green machine is fully loaded. n Huge range of sizes available, from 42cm to 64cm.

VERDICT +D ynamo routing and multiple mounts mean you’re future-proofed for big adventures. + One of the best tourers we’ve tested, though that’s really hiding its light under a bushel.

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BIKES

HOT TECH

NEW E-BIKES

FLIT-16 folding e-bike n £1,999 n flit.bike

Review: Richard Peace

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HE WORDS ‘Kickstarter’ and ‘e-bike’ don’t usually inspire confidence, but it seems the FLIT-16 is a rare crowdfunding success: a carefully considered design from a team of established engineers and bike geeks, who took their time to get the detail and manufacturing right.

Comparisons with the Brompton Electric and Gocycle are inevitable. On overall weight FLIT wins by a clear margin at just 15.35kg. On battery capacity Brompton and Gocycle win (about 300Wh v 230Wh for FLIT), while Brompton is the most compact folded. So, like its rivals, FLIT is a good compromise between between battery size, motor power and overall weight.

But how did it actually ride?

Well despite the small size of the Bafang rear hub motor there was always enough power to get up steep hills, and around town the single gear offers decent flat speed at around 25km/h or more; it feels stiff and rides quickly, even with the power turned off. Efficiency was good too, with mixed urban trips over gently rolling territory in the 30-50km range for our tester’s 68kg bodyweight.

There’s a wonderfully tiny handlebar-mounted display which shows all the usual metrics, and the neat integrated lights proved powerful when needed.

The battery, housed in the frame (pictured), is also quick and easy to remove for charging.

FACTFILE n One of the lightest electric folders out there at around 15.35kg. n Charging only takes about 3hr. n Plenty of accessories (spare batteries, saddlebags) available. n Small folded size — 730mm x 680mm x 335mm. n Price reduced to £1,999 for now, with FLIT direct-to-consumer selling; may rise to £2,499 in future.

VERDICT + Neat design, pretty compact. + Single high-ish gear works well with high torque motor. + Should find favour for ‘multimodal’ city commuters. And a welcome competitor that will hopefully spur rivals to keep driving weight down.

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WEATHER-BEATING CYCLING JACKETS To keep you riding through the more inclement months, it’s worth investing in a reliable cycle-specific outer layer that will keep you warm and dry

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GOOD JACKET is a cyclist’s best friend. It needs to keep the elements at bay, so waterproof, windproof and breathable fabrics are a must, plus reflective details if you’ll be riding at night. With so many colours and styles now we’re spoilt for choice.

All jackets reviewed here are available in both men’s and women’s (or unisex) options.

#1 RAPHA COMMUTER

Alongside its premium roadie kits, Rapha now offers some great value urban cycling clothing, and this fully seam-sealed, 2.5 layer waterproof is a solid pick for year-round use. A mesh back vent does a great job of warding off clamminess, the main zip is offset so it doesn’t snag your chin and there’s plenty of subtle reflectivity.

We really liked the fit too; closer (not tight) than most others tested here, we still had plenty of room for a tech tee and thin fleece underneath. n Commuter Jacket, £100; rapha.cc TEXT: John K, Katy Rodda

#2 ALTURA WOMEN’S NIGHTVISION HURRICANE Altura’s best-selling Nightvision range gets more stylish every year and the new Hurricane typifies the attention

to detail: fantastic 360-degree iridescent reflective print, removable hood with malleable peak, pocket and back venting, and loads of adjusters.

We found the main fabric extremely waterproof in the nastiest downpours and surprisingly breathable, even when using a rucksack. A relaxed fit allowed for warmth layers and we were pleased to find such a wide sizing choice (8-18). n Women’s Nightvision Hurricane, £139.99; altura.co.uk

#3 TSG INSULATION

On nippy days with no downpours forecast, we’ve been using this quilted windproof over just a thick jersey and been perfectly toasty cruising around town. The sleeves and (removable) hood are fleece-lined, the cuffs and hem are simple elasticated affairs, but your lower back is kept well covered when you’re hunched over drop handlebars. Also pulls double duty for chilly evenings round the campfire. n Insulation Jacket, £74.99; ison-distribution.co.uk

#4 PROVIZ WOMEN’S REFLECT360 PLUS

As with the original ProViz jacket we tested, the USP of these spectacularly reflective tops is achieved thanks to millions of tiny glass beads in the outer material; by day it looks plain grey, but at night under lights it’s impossible to be missed. The Plus has a nicer cut and is noticeably lighter and more

breathable than the original, but we still regularly needed to keep the pitzips and pockets open to allow cooling air flow on moderately warm rides. n Women’s Reflect360 Plus, £119.99; provizsports.com

#5 MADISON FLUX

By far the lightest of the waterproofs we’ve reviewed this winter, the Flux perfectly straddles that road/off-road line. It looks pretty minimalist — though it does have a comfy hood, waterresistant pockets and silicone shoulder details to prevent rucksacks slipping — as the magic is in the softshell-like fabric. It has a lovely stretch so you never feel restricted, it never feels tacky against your skin and, best of all, it is incredibly breathable. n Flux Jacket, £124.99; freewheel.co.uk

#6 VIZIRIDER LED

Hot off the press for 2021 is this techy bobby-dazzler, which incorporates six integrated lights on both the front (white LEDs) and back (red LEDs).

These aren’t a substitute for standard lights that illuminate the road, rather they increase the visibility of the rider significantly in all directions, aided by large reflective panels on the shoulders and sides. While the fabric’s not fully waterproof we found it fine in showers. Worth noting, the fit is on the roomy side, so like us you’ll probably prefer one size down from your usual. n LED Cycling Jacket, £75; vizirider.co.uk

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REVIEWS

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REVIEWS

BOOKS & FILMS

SHRED TIL BED Dan Necklen

REVIEWS: John K, Tom Bogdanowicz

kidsrideshotgun.co.uk, £22 There’s no shortage of ‘learn your ABC’ books for kids, and there’s a shelf-load of ones using animals as the tool to assist with speech development and memory skills. However, there’s not so many (are there any?) that throw in a connection to cycling, certainly not in such a fun way as Shred Til Bed. It’s written by the guys behind the popular front-mounted child’s bike seat, so the link between kids and bikes was an obvious one for them.

Each spread features an animal doing something related to the letter of their name — so ‘G’ is for ‘giraffe’ but also for ‘gnarly’, with an illustration of the longlimbed ruminant riding its bike over some tricky rocks.

‘K’ sees a koala launching its bike off a ‘kicker’ (small jump).

And so on; 52 pages of letters and animals on mtbs. We’re honestly not sure there’s ever been a better way to learn the alphabet.

MOUNTAIN BIKING: THE UNTOLD BRITISH STORY Singletrack/Blue Hippo Media, free (YouTube) Films like Klunkerz and various Red Bull shorts have charted the birth and growth of modern mountain biking, but always from a US perspective.

Which is odd, as GaryFisher himself puts it here: “When the Brits got hold of it, the party got to be a really good party”. So this brief history kicks off with the Rough Stuff Fellowship’s off-road adventures in the 1950s and 1960s, before jumping to the huge boom of the mid-80s.

We hear from pioneering bike builders like Geoff Apps, global race stars like Steve Peat, Tracy Moseley and the Athertons, trials legends Martyn Ashton, Martin Hawyes and today’s viral superstar Danny MacAskill.

The untimely death of Jason McRoy (the sport’s David Beckham) is remembered, as is Ashton’s comeback after life-changing injury. It packs a lot into just over an hour.

CYCLING FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES Ralph Bueler & John Pucher

THE CURIOUS CASE OF LEONARDO’S BICYCLE Brick

MIT Press, £26

Many of you will be familiar with Brick’s political cartoons from his work in publications like The Independent, New Statesman, The Economist and others. He’s also penned books on adventure cycling.

But here he combines the inkmanship with the storytelling in a unique graphic novel, which unfolds like a fast-paced whodunnit.

The premise is simple (though the road wickedly intricate): the author goes on a journey to discover how Leonardo da Vinci became widely credited with inventing the bicycle, when it actually wasn’t invented until some 400 years later. The twists involve church corruption, misleading academia, terrorism, the mafia and more, with time shifts, dead ends and conspiracies aplenty. And it’s extremely funny.

If graphic novels aren’t usually your thing, repent and dive in — you won’t regret it.

leonardosbicycle.co.uk, £20

This follow up to City Cycling (2012) expands on that text with new chapters on e-bikes, China and India, Latin America, social justice and cycling advocacy. And there’s little doubt it will become the reference publication on comparative cycling for academics and policy makers around the world.

The authors chart global cycle use and cycle collisions.

For example 43% of people cycle to work in Xuzhou, China (population 8.7m), while the USA has both the lowest overall cycling rates of developed Western nations at 0.6%, and also the highest rate of fatal collisions for cyclists.

The chapter on New York, London and Paris shows London scores bottom for protected lanes, top for offroad paths and is the leader in advocacy organisations (aka LCC). That final ranking is a credit to you, dear readers. TB

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ICONIC BIKES

1982 ONWARDS

Kuwahara BMX A Hollywood legend’s feel for the cultural zeitgeist and a cute little alien helped this Japanese brand really take off, as John Kitchiner explains

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Kuwahara. The movie mogul straight away ordered 25 bikes from the relatively unknown Japanese company and — thanks to an ensuing licensing deal — it went on to become a huge player during the early BMX craze.

ET went on to win four Academy Awards, rake in almost $800 million at the box office and has consistently been ranked in the top 100 films of all time. And while it’s not a ‘bike film’ as such, those BMXs are central to the adventures the young protagonists embark on. The brilliant chase scene where the gang evades multiple police roadblocks, before the alien’s telekinesis powers lift them into the air and towards the forest, is a case in point — Empire magazine called it “the most magical moment in cinema history”.

Kuwahara produced three red and white ‘ET models’ at the time: two higher ends ones with chromoly frames (incorporating ‘looptail’ rear triangles and double headtube gussets) and Sugino, Suntour and Dia Compe parts; plus a ‘toy store’ Apollo model with cheaper steel frame and components. A delve into the archives at kuwahara-bmx.com will refresh those retro tastebuds!

Illustration: David Sparshott

OME BIKES ACHIEVE their iconic status after they’ve been raced to international honours, garnering world titles or Olympic medals. Others reach that pinnacle of acclaim due to their beautiful aesthetic or, often, an innovative, sometimes bewildering design. And there’s a few that were just ‘there’, in the right time, at the right moment.

There were many other BMX brands before Kuwahara; it wasn’t the ‘first’ in any sense. Aficionados will rightly say it wasn’t the ‘best’ either, certainly no match for peers like Raleigh’s Pro Burner or Haro’s Freestyler. No, what Kuwahara did was much simpler and more fortuitous — it captured the imagination of a creative genius.

Back in 1981-82, Hollywood director Steven Spielberg was working on his latest project, ET: The Extra Terrestrial. The story goes that he’d noticed hundreds of kids thrashing around the streets of his neighbourhood in California on BMX bikes and wanted to inject a slice of two-wheeled action into his film.

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