Monthly Archives: April 2011

Royal transport modes

In a tenuous connection with the Royal wedding weekend, here is a picture of the Dutch royal family, recklessly endangering their offspring by not cladding them in high-visibility vests and helmets. By contrast, here is a picture of Prince Charles … Continue reading

Posted in Helmets, Road safety, The Netherlands | Leave a comment

Elderly driver causes crash, wishes to stop driving – magistrates allow her to continue

From the local paper, the West Sussex County Times, 14th April 2011 (this story is not available online) – An 85-year-old driver has admitted she was to blame for a crash which left three people injured near Cowfold. Margaret Sharpus, … Continue reading

Posted in Dangerous driving, Driving ban, The judiciary | Leave a comment

Anatomy of the death of a cyclist – William Honour

I mentioned in yesterday’s post on Cyclecraft that I generally avoid dual carriageways (along with single-carriageway trunk A-roads) as much as I possibly can. I don’t think this is irrational. The relative approach speeds of vehicles behind me, and the … Continue reading

Posted in Cyclecraft, Cycling policy, Dangerous driving, Road safety, The judiciary, Transport policy | 13 Comments

John Franklin and Cyclecraft – Cycle safely by turning yourself into Mark Cavendish

Next month I am planning to take some Bikeability Level 2 classes. My main motivation is not really the training itself because I feel, perhaps hubristically, that I am a competent ‘vehicular’ cyclist, fully versed in the speed and positioning … Continue reading

Posted in Cyclecraft, Cycling policy, Cycling renaissance, Infrastructure, John Franklin, Road safety | 42 Comments

Horsham District Council does not care about cycling

If you search for “Cycling” on the Horsham District Council site, you will find that it is classified as a “Sporting Activity” under “Leisure and Tourism.” That serves as useful background for what follows. In 2008, Horsham District Council, along with the … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Dangerous lunatics

Here are some dangerous lunatics, taking to our streets with a reckless disregard for their own safety. Oops, sorry, hang on a minute! That wasn’t the photo I meant to post. Here it is. Look at these maniacs. Not a … Continue reading

Posted in Cycling policy, Helmets, Road safety | Leave a comment

Car crime vs. knife crime

‘Knife crime’ is, in common usage, the act of threatening , injuring or killing someone with a knife. ‘Car crime’ is, in common usage, the act of threatening , injuring or killing someone with a car stealing a car. The driver in … Continue reading

Posted in Cycling policy, Dangerous driving | 1 Comment

Has Terence Fowler received a driving ban?

The jailing of Terence Fowler, the car thief who drove across a level crossing moments before a train passed, as well as hitting speeds of 80 to 90 mph on suburban streets, has hit the headlines today, I suspect largely … Continue reading

Posted in Dangerous driving, Driving ban, The judiciary | 3 Comments

The Tanbridge Retail Park, Horsham – when urban planning goes wrong

The ‘A’ arrow on the map below marks the location of the Tanbridge Retail Park in Horsham. It was constructed in the early 1990s, alongside a new section of dual carriageway that had been blasted through part of the town, … Continue reading

Posted in Car dependence, Cycle Stands, Horsham, Infrastructure, Town planning, Walking | Leave a comment

“Where cycle lanes are less than 1.5 metres in width, it is because the road is too narrow to introduce a wider lane.”

On 22nd May 2010, Everton Smith was killed while riding his bicycle northbound along Vauxhall Bridge Road. The cycle lane he was travelling in was 1.2 metres wide, a good deal less than the 1.5 metre minimum stipulated by the … Continue reading

Posted in Boris Johnson, Cycle Superhighways, Infrastructure, London, Transport for London, Transport policy | 5 Comments