Category Archives: Subjective safety

Stop thinking about ‘cyclists’, start thinking about people on bikes

Posted on July 9, 2013 by aseasyasriding

I attended the City of London’s Cycling Forum last week, where the main items of discussion were the proposed plans for the Aldgate gyratory, and the City’s plans for cycle routes in the City of London. As it turned out, … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Gilligan, Boris Johnson, Cycle Superhighways, Cycling policy, Go Dutch, Gyratories, Helmets, Infrastructure, London, Subjective safety, Transport for London | 17 Comments

Where are Britain’s practical bikes?

Posted on July 1, 2013 by aseasyasriding

One of the many impressions from my recent trip to the Netherlands is how everybody rides pretty much the same bike. This is the basic – and pretty indestructible – classic Dutch bike. It’s either single speed, or has hub … Continue reading →

Posted in Cycle sport, Cycling renaissance, Helmets, Infrastructure, Subjective safety, The Netherlands | 129 Comments

Don’t misunderstand the Fietsstraat

Posted on June 12, 2013 by aseasyasriding

The Times’ excellent correspondent, Kaya Burgess, is currently in the Netherlands on a fact-finding mission, along with London’s Cycling Commisioner Andrew Gilligan, Scotland’s Minister for Transport Keith Brown, and others. I hope they like what they are seeing (it’s impossible … Continue reading →

Posted in Andrew Gilligan, Cycling Embassy Of Great Britain, David Hembrow, Go Dutch, Infrastructure, Street closures, Strict liability, Subjective safety, The Netherlands, The Times | 21 Comments

When people demonstrate they don’t want to cycle with traffic, why don’t we listen?

Posted on June 4, 2013 by aseasyasriding

Over the recent bank holiday weekend I went out for a brief ride up and down the Downs Link in Sussex. This is the old railway line that used to run between Guildford and Shoreham, and now – like so … Continue reading →

Posted in Cycling Embassy Of Great Britain, Cycling policy, David Hembrow, Hierarchy of Provision, Infrastructure, Subjective safety, The Netherlands | 92 Comments

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