Bike blog | The Guardian – Tagged "cycling"

Conservatives, Cycling, Local elections, Local politics, London, Mayoral elections, Politics, Transport, Transport policy - July 20, 2023

London’s Tory mayoral candidate is pedalling backwards on cycling policy

Susan Hall’s stance on active travel reflects a view within her party that contrasts with that of other major European cities

Among the political strands exposed by the Conservatives’ decision to pick Susan Hall to stand for London mayor – not least the apparent unlikeliness that she can win – is one that might seem niche but is in fact arguably very telling: what it says about active travel.

Anyone who has observed Hall in her six years as a London assembly member, and especially her energetic and often outspoken Twitter feed, will have realised that she is very much not a fan of cycle lanes, cycling, or indeed of cyclists themselves.

‘In at the deep end’: ditching the car for a cargo bike on the school run

The price tags can be eye-watering for the electric model I need around my hilly London neighbourhood

It’s been 20 years since I last used a bike every day. But I’m returning to cycling because I want to take my children to school and nursery without the horrible sense of guilt from dropping them off in the car, complaints about walking or the juggle of pushchair and public transport at rush-hour.

To replace my car on the daily school run, I need an electrically powered workhorse that will carry two smallish children and the bags of stuff that we lug around wherever we go.

The options, I’m told, are an elongated cargo bike that fits two children on the back, a detachable trailer, or a trike/bike with a giant child bucket on the front.

In an ideal world, it will be powerful enough that I don’t feel dragged down by 30kg of offspring while chugging the household around my hilly London neighbourhood. The longtail electric cargo seems like the best fit for this brief.

There are various “car replacement” bikes on the market with eye-watering price tags. The Tern GSD retails at £5k-plus at the top end. The model I choose to try out is a RadWagon, at the cheapest end of the market, though not actually cheap at more like £2,000 with all the necessary attachments.

My main concern is whether I can keep my wriggling cargo safe. I spend a long time poring over Google maps to figure out a route that avoids buses and sticks to cycle paths and parks as much as possible.

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Cycling, Environment - March 11, 2023

Pay-per-month pedalling: test-riding five subscription bikes

We tried five bikes from Swapfiets, Buzzbike and Brompton to see what you get for your monthly money

For people new to cycling, buying a bike can seem daunting. Aside from the outlay, there is maintenance, and what if you decide you just don’t enjoy pedalling around?

This is where subscription bikes come in. An increasingly common idea in continental Europe and now in parts of the UK, these let you rent a bike by the month or year, generally with a lock and mechanical support. As well as for the cycle-curious, this can be ideal if you are in a city temporarily, or a student.

Why do traffic reduction schemes attract so many conspiracy theories?

Plan to restrict car journeys in Oxford becomes lightning rod for fears of global assault on freedoms

Jordan Peterson is rarely lacking in strong opinions, but even by the standards of the Canadian psychologist turned hard-right culture warrior, this was vehement stuff: a city is planning to lock people in their local districts as part of a “a well-documented” global plot to, ultimately, deprive them of all personal possessions.

Where was this? Not Beijing, or even Pyongyang. It was Oxford. In the days since Peterson’s tweet – viewed 7.5m times – officials in the city have fielded endless queries from around the world asking why they are imposing a “climate lockdown”. Inevitably, there have also been some threats.

Ignore false claims and bad journalism – most LTNs do reduce traffic | Andrew Gilligan

Objections to active travel infrastructures are now raised picking and choosing data to fit the narrative

I’m starting to wonder if anyone is ever going to make an honest argument against cycling and walking infrastructure again. They do exist. People used to say things like “I want to drive and park wherever I like”, or “why should cyclists and pedestrians inconvenience my much more important car journey?”.

Those are still the basic objections, but these days most prominent opponents realise that it sounds a bit politically incorrect. You need some higher public interest ground, however shaky, to pitch your tent on.

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cycling RSS

London’s Tory mayoral candidate is pedalling backwards on cycling policy

‘In at the deep end’: ditching the car for a cargo bike on the school run

Pay-per-month pedalling: test-riding five subscription bikes

Why do traffic reduction schemes attract so many conspiracy theories?

Ignore false claims and bad journalism – most LTNs do reduce traffic | Andrew Gilligan

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