Author Archives: aseasyasriding

Crumbs

Posted on May 12, 2014 by aseasyasriding

At the Leeds Cycle City Expo, the keynote speech was given by Robert Goodwill, the Under Secretary of State for Transport, with special responsibility for cycling. It was full of pleasant soundbites and encouraging noises, but when he had to depart … Continue reading →

Posted in Cycling policy, Horsham, Infrastructure, Transport policy, Uncategorized, West Sussex County Council | 22 Comments

Do you hate humans? Take it out on them through design

Posted on May 8, 2014 by aseasyasriding

Last week I was staying in Leeds for the Cycle City Expo, and the Space for Cycling campaigners conference. My hotel was quite convenient – only half a mile from Leeds Town Hall where the Expo was being held, and about … Continue reading →

Posted in Absurd transport solutions, Car dependence, Town planning, Walking | 31 Comments

The possible versus the acceptable

Posted on May 6, 2014 by aseasyasriding

North Parade in Horsham is a fairly busy distributor road (running north – unsuprisingly) out of the town centre. It has a 30 mph limit, and very narrow cycle lanes, which give up at a couple of awful pinch points. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Pinch points, Sustrans, The Netherlands | 28 Comments

The benefits of keeping buses and bikes apart

Posted on April 30, 2014 by aseasyasriding

Putting a cycle track alongside a bus lane is standard practice in the Netherlands. The principles of sustainable safety – specifically, homogeneity – mean you should not mix vehicles that differ greatly in mass. So unless it is completely unavoidable, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bus lanes, buses, Infrastructure, Sustainable Safety, The Netherlands | 28 Comments

Priorities

Posted on April 28, 2014 by aseasyasriding

We’re all familiar with those situations where cycling provision just gives up. Places where the designer couldn’t be bothered; places where it was too expensive to do things properly; places where space was a bit tight; or a combination of … Continue reading →

Posted in Subjective safety, The Netherlands | 36 Comments

Independent mobility

Posted on April 22, 2014 by aseasyasriding

One of the most striking things about cycling in the Netherlands is the difference in the demographics you encounter. On my usual cycling trips in Britain, the people cycling around me are typically aged between 20 and 50, and mostly male. Children … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Mobility, Subjective safety, The Netherlands | 42 Comments

Five minutes in Utrecht

Posted on April 17, 2014 by aseasyasriding

On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, I was taking pictures outside a supermarket on Biltstraat in Utrecht – watching people coming and going by bike. I’d estimate there are around forty to fifty bicycles parked outside the shop here; a steady … Continue reading →

Posted in Infrastructure, Subjective safety, The Netherlands, Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Not everything the Dutch do is transferable

Posted on April 15, 2014 by aseasyasriding

Way back in 2011, I cycled out of the city of Utrecht with my partner, who was riding a bike for the first time in well over a decade. The trip was almost entirely painless, with no interactions with motor … Continue reading →

Posted in Fietsstraat, Infrastructure, Subjective safety, Sustainable Safety, The Netherlands | 24 Comments

The joy of cycling in the Netherlands

Posted on April 14, 2014 by aseasyasriding

Last week I posted, quite deliberately, about the bad bits of my cycling experience around the Netherlands. The purpose there was to show that the Dutch still have difficulties to overcome, in particular locations, to make cycling attractive and safe, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Subjective safety, Sustainable Safety, The Netherlands | 14 Comments

Nothing useful to say

Posted on April 10, 2014 by aseasyasriding

Some comment on a detail from the recent inquest into the death of Venera Minakhmetova at Bow roundabout last November. Coroner Mary Hassell said she had “nothing useful” to say to Transport for London as the roundabout had since “been … Continue reading →

Posted in Bow Roundabout, Infrastructure, London, Sustainable Safety, The Netherlands | 17 Comments