Roads were not built for cars

"ROADS WERE NOT BUILT FOR CARS is a free e-book about roads history, focussing on the period 1880-1905, which saw the Bicycling Boom and then - pop - the start of Motoring Mania.

Motorists are the johnny-come-latelies of highway history. The coming of the railways in the 1830s killed off the stage-coach trade; almost all rural roads reverted to low-level local use. Cyclists were the first group in a generation to use roads and were the first to push for high-quality sealed surfaces and were the first to lobby for national funding and leadership for roads.

Without cyclists, motorists wouldn't have hit the ground running when it came to places to drive this new form of transport

'Roads Were Not Built for Cars' is a history book, focussing on a time when cyclists had political clout, in Britain and especially in America. The book researches the Road Improvements Association - a lobbying group created by the Cyclists' Touring Club in the 1880s - and the Good Roads movement organised by the League of American Wheelmen in the same period.

The book will be published in Winter 2012 and, thanks to research grants and advertising support, some versions of the book will be free to read online and free to download to Kindles, iPads, iPhones and other e-book readers. The free distribution model will be used in order to get the book seen by as many eyes as possible. There will also be media-rich versions of the book - and print-on-demand versions - which will be available to buy."

http://www.roadswerenotbuiltforcars.com/

Save the planet — ban cycle helmets

"Cycle helmets are the most visible and potent symbol of all that’s wrong with Britain’s (anti-)cycling culture. Cycle helmets say we cannot cycle without the right precautions, the right equipment, the right infrastructure, the right training. Cycle helmets say there must be more to cycling than a person, two wheels and the surface of the Earth. Cycle helmets say that cycling is more dangerous than not cycling. Let’s ban them now before it’s too late."

http://blog.adrianshort.co.uk/2009/08/24/save-the-planet-ban-cycle-helmets/

Cycle Cardiff

"We are a diverse group of people who share the objectives of enjoying cycling and promoting its benefits. We welcome anyone who shares these aims, from complete beginners to experienced riders."

http://cyclecardiff.webs.com/

Should bike helmets be compulsory?

Bradley Wiggins - Sergey Ponomarev/AP

"A statement from British Cycling, which looks after Team GB cyclists and Bradley Wiggins, called for cycling to be “brought into the heart of transport policy” and told The Times today: “Helmets can help save lives in many incidents and we recommend they are worn, but what would contribute much, much more to making cycling safer is better road infrastructure.” "

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3495439.ece

http://www.britishcycling.org.uk/campaigning/article/bc20120802-campaigning-Statement-by-British-Cycling---Death-of-Cyclist-in-London-0

Cardiff Declares War on Bicycles.

"And not before time! Police in Cardiff have today launched a new crackdown on bicyclists flaunting the law and merrily weaving their way around the pavements of the city. While a £30 fixed penalty notice might not appear to be much of a threat, any deterrent for the increasing menace that the Cardiff cyclist can be can only be welcomed."

http://eye-on-wales.com/2012/07/09/cardiff-declares-war-on-bicycles/

Pavement cyclists targeted by police in Canton, Cardiff

"Police have begun a "zero tolerance" crackdown on cyclists using pavements in parts of Cardiff. But transport campaign group Sustrans Cymru says Cardiff is "significantly worse" than many cities for bikes, and says cyclists often find roads hostile."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-east-wales-18736477

Cities fit for cycling

"The most civilised conveyance known to man"

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/

Cyclists Paving the Way for Ungrateful Drivers

"A 2004 study by the Victoria Transport Policy Institute found that cyclists and pedestrians are subsidizing drivers:

“Since bicycling and walking impose lower roadway costs than motorized modes, people who rely primarily on nonmotorized modes tend to overpay their fair share of roadway costs and subsidize motorists.”"

http://www.theurbancountry.com/2009/10/cyclists-paving-way-for-ungrateful.html

Universal bike lanes: the only way to mass cycling?

"UK cycling lobbyists have bickered long and hard about whether bikes should be segregated from other traffic or merely integrated safely. If you believe this study then only the former has any chance of getting significant numbers of Britons out of their cars and onto bikes."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2011/jun/03/cycling-study-bike-paths

Should cyclists stump up for a ‘seat at the table’ tax?

"Motoring taxes are not ring-fenced for spending on roads, they go into general Treasury coffers, the ‘Consolidated Fund’, and have done so since 1937. Ring-fencing of taxes is generally considered a bad idea. For instance, if motoring taxes had to be spent on improving conditions for Britain’s motorists, it would be just as logical for cigarette taxes to improve the comfort and convenience of Britain’s smokers. "

http://ipayroadtax.com/pay-to-play-tax/cyclists-should-stump-up-for-a-pay-to-play-tax/

"If cyclists – or their bicycles – are to be taxed, it would be only fair to have a scale of charges. Payment ought to be by size, vehicle axle loads, mileage driven and carbon dioxide emissions. So, HGVs would pay through the nose for the damage; cars would be stiffed because of the high mileage and emissions; and bicycles, which cause next to no road damage, would pay the least because they are the transport equivalent of Brazil’s pygmy geckos, lizards so light they can stand on water. "

"The standard figure is that damage to roads is proportional to the fourth power of the axle weight. So a rough figure suggests that a car, which weighs about ten times as much as a cyclist (say 1000kg versus 100kg) should pay 10x10x10x10, or 10,000 times as much in ‘road tax’. So if a car pays £100 a year, the cyclist pays 1p. I’d happily pay my next 50 years’ ‘road tax’ now if it would shut up those certain motorists."

The Copenhagen Wheel

http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2009/12/mit_wheels_out_new_bike_protot.html

"Even in this city where bicycles outnumber cars on virtually every street, officials are hoping to persuade more people to give up four wheels for two.

Yes, a whopping 37 percent of commuters ride bikes to work or school in the Danish capital -- and air hoses are more common here than gas pumps. But city officials are having trouble bumping that percentage up to a 2015 goal of 50 percent."

Motorists are never asked to dismount

"Cycling down to Trafalgar Square yesterday, I encountered no fewer than two sets of ‘Cyclists dismount’ signs, on the cycle paths in Tavistock Place in Bloomsbury and Royal College Street in Camden. If anything characterises the lack of understanding about cycling it is these signs. What on earth makes highway engineers think that these signs make any sense or will be obeyed?"

http://www.christianwolmar.co.uk/2011/03/motorists-are-never-asked-to-dismount/

"These signs always make me want to suggest that motorists should be asked to get out of their cars and push when there is some type of obstacle in their way. Now that would be worth watching"

MP urges more reliance on bikes and less on cars

“Cycling and walking are environmentally ideal forms of travel, and help to keep people healthy. We need to ensure that there are good-quality routes for people to use, where they feel safe and to not have to deviate from their direction of travel.”

http://www.bikehub.co.uk/news/sustainability/mp-urges-more-reliance-on-bikes-and-less-on-cars/


http://www.julianhuppert.org.uk/content/transport

Bicycle Genius

"The “Smart Car” isn’t smart; it gets the same fuel efficiency as other economy cars but only seats 2 passengers. When compared to bicycles, all cars tend to look down right idiotic. Where’s the logic in working tons of hours to pay for a car to get to work to pay for a car? What’s the sense in driving to the gym to pay a membership to get some exercise?"

I am not a cyclist

"It is a sensible mode of transport, it is sustainable, it is healthy and it makes sense in a dense, relatively small and flat city. Bikes are just another mode of transport; cyclists are just road users. Bristol is the top cycling city in the UK and it is full of hills. Cardiff is flat and easy to navigate, but is known for the highest rate of cycling accidents in Wales. Facilities for bikes and their users do not have to be elaborate, but they do need to be sensible and offer some advantage over other, less sustainable modes of transport."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/apr/09/cardiff-cycle-lanes-council-potholes

Irate film-maker records himself smashing into obstacles in bike lane

Irate film-maker records himself smashing into obstacles in bike lane

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2002024/Hes-cycle-path-Irate-film-maker-records-smashing-obstacles-bike-lane-protest-33-fine.html

Full Charge Ahead

"We are a retail company selling the very latest in electrically assisted bicycles, skateboards and associated accessories. Our aim is to become the No.1 recognized name for repair, servicing and supply of electric bicycles within the South Wales area."

http://www.fullchargeahead.com/

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?X=312878&Y=181997&A=Y&Z=110%20target=

Bike Lanes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzE-IMaegzQ

"Little movie about a ticket i got for riding my bike not in the bike lane"

Cycle to Work Guarantee

"A healthier workforce means higher productivity. Cycling to work is a great way for people to get, and stay, fit and healthy.

The Cycle to Work Guarantee is a voluntary initiative from the Department for Transport, challenging businesses to become cycle friendly employers by making it easy for staff to cycle to and from work.

By signing up, your business can signal its commitment by providing the facilities and incentives to help your workforce become healthier, greener and more productive."

http://www.cycletoworkguarantee.org.uk/

Cycling is safe for kids, no need to wrap them in cotton-wool

"Studies have shown that when cycle use grows, so does safety, even in towns and cities not designed to be bike friendly. Peter Lyndon Jacobsen, a US public health consultant, wrote a paper in 2003 which examined the relationship between the numbers of people walking or cycling and the frequency of collisions between motorists and walkers or cyclists. The common wisdom holds if more people walk or cycle, more people must get hit by cars. However, Jacobsen found the opposite. A motorist is less likely to collide with a person walking and cycling if more people walk or cycle. Policies that increase the numbers of people walking and cycling appear to be an effective route to improving the safety of people walking and cycling, he concluded. "

http://www.bikehub.co.uk/featured-articles/safe-cycling-for-kids-but-not-wrapped-in-cotton-wool/