Monthly Archives: November 2011

The winds of change?

Posted on November 30, 2011 by

Over the last week, I’ve spotted something rather strange happening in Horsham. A Dutch invasion. A practical Batavus. An ancient Gazelle. A child’s Batavus. But the invasion isn’t limited to Dutch bicycles – some British bicycles are getting in on … Continue reading →

Posted in Cycling renaissance, Horsham, Infrastructure, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

A visit to Horsham police station

Posted on November 28, 2011 by

A wonderful example of the hostility of the UK urban environment to people making journeys on foot or by bike is provided by Horsham police station, where I unfortunately had to make a journey recently, to report an accident in … Continue reading →

Posted in Car dependence, Horsham, Horsham District Council, Horsham Police, Infrastructure, Parking, Pavement parking, Town planning | 11 Comments

Pining for The Netherlands

Posted on November 27, 2011 by

Almost by accident, I ended up making three trips to The Netherlands this year. Not going back until next spring at the earliest, I’m starting to get withdrawal symptoms. I’ve consoled myself with this small compilation video, of pictures taken … Continue reading →

Posted in The Netherlands, Town planning, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Friday Facility no.8 – Wellesley Road, Croydon

Posted on November 25, 2011 by

The short cycle lane on Wellesley Road in Croydon is possibly one of the worst, and most dangerous, facilities I have encountered. It’s extraordinarily negligent and thoughtless, even by the standards of the mindless crap that gets put on our … Continue reading →

Posted in Friday facility, Infrastructure, Road safety, Uncategorized | 12 Comments

‘Sharing space’ on Exhibition Road

Posted on November 21, 2011 by

‘Give way to pedestrians.’ I thought signs like this would be superfluous with the fancy new street layout, which we were told would intrinsically suggest to drivers that they are moving through a pedestrian priority area. But evidently this isn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, London, Shared Space, Transport for London | 35 Comments

A fatality map of Horsham

Posted on November 19, 2011 by

I’ve taken the opportunity today to have a look at the road casualty map produced by ITO World, which maps all the UK road casualties since 2000. It’s an excellent, if eye-opening, application. Below is a screenshot of the map … Continue reading →

Posted in Horsham, Road safety, Transport policy | 3 Comments

Friday Facility no.7 – Battlebridge Lane, Redhill

Posted on November 18, 2011 by

As we approach the large junction between Battlebridge Lane and Ormside Way/New Battlebridge Lane in Redhill, we are directed onto the pavement, where we meet other cyclists simultaneously being directed onto the road, from the pavement – from both directions. … Continue reading →

Posted in Friday facility | 2 Comments

‘Careless’ driving

Posted on November 18, 2011 by

From the Daily Mail – A ‘callous’ barmaid hatched a cover story with her uninsured boyfriend to ‘save their own skins’ moments after he killed a cyclist in her car. Lauren Mellish, 22, was in the vehicle with Alex Dexter, … Continue reading →

Posted in Car dependence, Dangerous driving, Road safety, Speeding, The judiciary | 2 Comments

Giving cyclists a bad name

Posted on November 16, 2011 by

Picture courtesy of road.cc You may remember this story from last year. An Iraqi Kurd whose initial claim for asylum in the UK had been turned down was allowed to stay because immigration judges in Manchester ruled that, as he … Continue reading →

Posted in Cycling policy, Cycling renaissance, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Kulveer Ranger on BBC Radio London, and how safety is not a priority for the Mayor

Posted on November 14, 2011 by

The Mayor’s Director of Environment and Cycling Kulveer Ranger appeared on Vanessa Feltz’s BBC Radio London show this morning. Below is a transcript – VF – Let me go straight to Kulveer Ranger. He’s director of environment at the Mayor’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Boris Johnson, Cycling policy, Infrastructure, London, Road safety, Transport for London | 5 Comments