Monthly Archives: May 2013

Angela Lee – anti-cycling campaigner

Posted on May 28, 2013 by aseasyasriding

Angela Lee of the Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust is a helmet zealot. She believes that all people should wear helmets at all times when they are riding a bike, regardless of how fast they are riding, regardless of how they … Continue reading →

Posted in Helmets, Subjective safety | 15 Comments

A lane unfit for cycling

Posted on May 27, 2013 by aseasyasriding

Bar Lane is a beautiful country road just to the south of Horsham, in West Sussex.  It meanders southwards from the village of Copsale through the gently rolling Sussex countryside, besides fields, and past a handful of small cottages. With … Continue reading →

Posted in Car dependence, Horsham, Subjective safety | 4 Comments

A letter from Zohra

Posted on May 16, 2013 by aseasyasriding

I recently chanced upon this amazing letter, written to the British Medical Journal, almost exactly 13 years ago. Why do school children cycle on the continent, but not in the UK? Dear Editor, I have been reading the responses to … Continue reading →

Posted in 20 mph limits, Cyclecraft, Cycling policy, Infrastructure, John Franklin, Subjective safety, The Netherlands | 28 Comments

The sound of silence

Posted on May 14, 2013 by aseasyasriding

I’m in the midst of reading the fascinating Noise – A Human History of Sound and Listening, by David Hendy. Towards the end of the book, in a discussion of our recent ‘search for silence’ – how silence is increasingly … Continue reading →

Posted in Car dependence, London, noise, Pedestrianisation, Subjective safety, The Netherlands, Town planning | 14 Comments

Accessibility versus amenity – how the bicycle can solve the dilemma

Posted on May 10, 2013 by aseasyasriding

Yesterday I gave a brief presentation at a Town Centre Opportunities event in London; the theme of the conference was on revitalising urban space and keeping ‘The High Street’ thriving. I was invited to talk in a supposedly provocative capacity, … Continue reading →

Posted in Car dependence, Cycling Embassy Of Great Britain, Department for Transport, Infrastructure, Parking, Pedestrianisation, Subjective safety, Sustrans, The Netherlands, Town planning, Transport policy | 14 Comments

The AGM of the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain

Posted on May 7, 2013 by aseasyasriding

Just over two years ago, around 40 people gathered in a cafe in central London. The meeting, which had arisen organically and informally out of discussion on a number of blogs, involved the founding the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain. … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Gilligan, Cycling Embassy Of Great Britain, Cyclists' Touring Club, Go Dutch, Hierarchy of Provision, Infrastructure, LCC, London, Subjective safety, The Times' Cities Safe for Cycling campaign, Transport for London | 6 Comments

Westminster’s cycling strategy – how bad is it?

Posted on May 3, 2013 by aseasyasriding

There was a flutter of excitement at the Cycle City Expo in Birmingham last Friday when Andrew Gilligan mentioned that the important (in many senses) London borough of Westminster would shortly publish a very ambitious cycling strategy, and not just … Continue reading →

Posted in 20 mph limits, Andrew Gilligan, Boris Johnson, Car dependence, Cycling policy, Infrastructure, London, Subjective safety, Transport for London | 27 Comments

We don’t need ‘innovative’ solutions – just copy what works

Posted on May 1, 2013 by aseasyasriding

We saw yesterday what Transport for London have been asking the Transport Research Laboratory to test for them. It is an almost exact copy of a conventional Dutch roundabout with perimeter cycle tracks. They have even copied across the Dutch … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurd transport solutions, Andrew Gilligan, Infrastructure, Safety, Subjective safety, The Netherlands, Transport for London | 23 Comments