Bike blog | The Guardian – Tagged "London"

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.

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.

How a myth about London bike lanes and congestion took off

Analysis: delving into news stories linking congestion with cycle lanes shows how troubling myths can escape into the wild

Fairly early on Monday morning last week I got a call from a radio station: could I come on to discuss a study showing London is the world’s most congested city, and this is because of cycle lanes. Hang on, I replied – say all that again?

As it turned out, I never appeared (someone else got the part). But, intrigued, I looked into the research which supposedly showed all this. And that was when things started to get strange.

London mayoral election: which candidate is best for cycling?

Analysis: greater use of bikes can help tackle emissions in the capital, but can the would-be mayors deliver?

After a year in which lives, homes and jobs were lost to a global pandemic, why does cycling matter? One of the London mayor’s major mandates is transport. Cycling and walking are a key part of that, not least while many people are avoiding public transport or working from home.

If people switch from public transport to driving, Transport for London (TfL) forecasts a huge rise in motor traffic and a corresponding surge in pollution. With road transport accounting for 20% of London’s emissions, providing alternatives to private cars is key.

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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

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

How a myth about London bike lanes and congestion took off

London mayoral election: which candidate is best for cycling?

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