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CONTENTS

GET BRITAIN CYCLING 2014

PublisherRod Fletcher

EditorDeniz HuseyinEmail: [email protected]

Editorial contributorsPatrick McDonnell, Lee Baker, Andrew Forster

Contributing editorMark Moran

Print design & layout Kevin NoblettEmail: [email protected]

AdvertisingSouth: Frank KingabyTel: 01737 360769Email: [email protected]

Midlands & North: Tracy HawleyTel: 0121 439 2268Email: [email protected]

Printed byHastings Printing Company Ltd, Drury Lane,St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex TN38 9BJ

Published by Landor LINKS Ltd, Apollo House, 359 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5QY

ISBN: 978-1-899650-77-4

5 IntroductionThe Tour de France is coming to the UKwhile Europe’s top cycling practitionersare converging on Cycle City in Leeds

6 Cycle Shorts

A round-up of stories about the latestresearch, infrastructure projects, bikeshare schemes and safety campaigns

14 Cycle City LeedsPreview of some of the issues that willbe debated at this year’s event

17 The great north cycle routeAs Yorkshire prepares to host theopening stages of the Tour de France,plans for a Northern cycle superhighwayare beginning to take shape

19 Bikes and rail go together

Around £30m of investment in cycleparking at rail stations is transformingthe way passengers access the railway

20 Space, speed, volume and continuity

These are four elements cyclingpractitioners must address if they are tomake headway in getting Britain cycling

22 Calling time on ‘left hooks’Practical adjustments at major junctionswould eliminate the risk posed tocyclists by left-turning vehicles withoutdelaying traffic

24 Adopt an ArmadilloTraffic separators made from recycledPVC offer an effective and affordableway of providing safe routes for cyclists

25 Riding high in the Big AppleHow a range of innovative butinexpensive measures have transformedcycling in New York

26 The quest for spaceThere is a strong case for re-allocatingroad space for cycling, but obstacles willremain until the political ‘tipping point’is reached

27 Getting on board

Major infrastructure improvements arevital to make journeys sustainable

29 Cycling for everybodyThose striving to get more people cyclingin the UK should explore why it is seenas a natural activity by Dutch people

30 The missing linkEfforts to improve the UK’s cyclinginfrastructure will be in vain withoutbikes designed for everyday use

33 Lycra Look v. Cycle Chic

A study of the Grand Canal Cycle Routein Dublin suggests that a wider cross-section of society will only start cyclingonce segregated lanes are installed

37 A Danish odysseyA cycling research trip to Denmark led tosome inspiring discoveries

38 Bicycle repair scheme offersinmates a way out

Prisoners and ex-offenders are playing akey role in bike recycling in Derby

40 Mind the health gapA project in Coventry is addressinghealth inequalities by helping thosemost in need to take up cycling

41 Putting on a show

Top tips for staging successful bike try-out roadshows and programmes

42 Equality streetsResearch shows that women, olderpeople, ethnic minorities and disabledpeople are excluded from cyclingbecause they don’t feel safe on the roads

43 Riders’ revelationsA new survey reveals the benefits of one-to-one cycle training

44 The DirectoryGuide to firms and organisations offeringcycle-related products and services


Getting Britain cyclingmeans learning lessons athome and from abroad,writes Deniz Huseyin

The Tour de France is coming to the UKthis summer, with the race setting offfrom Leeds, then heading on toHarrogate, York, Sheffield and

Cambridge before reaching London. Le GrandDépart will coincide with the start of a projectto build a segregated cycle track from Bradfordto East Leeds. The plans are being drawn upby Metro – the West Yorkshire PassengerTransport Executive – along with Leeds CityCouncil and Bradford Metropolitan Districtcouncil. The partners believe that hosting theopening stage of the Tour will help to boostcycling to levels not seen since the 1950s.The 23km cycle route, called CityConnect,

has been made possible thanks to a Cycle CityAmbition Grant from the Department forTransport (DfT). Other grant winners includeGreater Manchester, Birmingham, West ofEngland, Newcastle and Cambridge while fourNational Parks have also been awardedAmbition Grants. This funding, totalling £94m,will see the rolling out of bike-friendly projectsover the coming year. In London, meanwhile, cycling continues to

attract significant investment. For example,three London boroughs have been awarded atleast £30m each towards “mini-Holland”projects. The boroughs – Enfield, Kingston andWaltham Forest – are about to unveil plans forbike-friendly schemes including segregatedlanes, Dutch-style roundabouts and cyclehubs. As the ‘mini-Holland’ name suggests,much of the inspiration for these schemescomes from cycle cities overseas. This issue ofGet Britain Cycling reflects the internationaldimension of getting Britain cycling. Itshowcases the insights of a host of leadingcycling practitioners, who set out how schemesand thinking from the Continent and beyondcan be applied to the UK. Jon Orcutt and Kate Fillin-Yeh, officials from

the New York City Department ofTransportation, reveal how innovative,inexpensive measures in the Big Apple haveincreased cycle traffic by two-and-a-half timessince 2006. They believe that the same couldhappen in UK cities provided schemes arebacked by enlightened policy backed bydetermined leadership. A tour organised by the Cycling Embassy of

Denmark helped Mike Clay and RomyRawlings, from street furniture expertWoodhouse, to understand how clear streetdesign can encourage everyday cycling.Reporting back after their tour of Copenhagenand Odense, they say that Denmark’s successhas much to do with the commitment shownby politicians to making cycling an everydayactivity. The pair were struck by the “subtletyand simplicity” of infrastructure for cyclists, thetolerance of Denmark’s drivers and the factthat cycling is embraced by a diverse cross-section of society.Cycling consultant Angela van der Kloof says

this is also the case in the Netherlands wherecycling is an everyday activity for many people.She says that alongside improved

infrastructure there is a need for well-orchestrated publicity campaigns that portraycycling as “normal, positive anduncomplicated”.We also hear from a Dutch cyclist who has

lived in Wales for the past 25 years, whoseattention is focussed not on the design of roadinfrastructure but on the bicycle itself. BernoBrosschot thinks that British people will notstart cycling in greater numbers until they areprovided with better bikes. He says that whilebicycles in the Netherlands are designed to beridden with ease, too many bikes in the UKmarket are “poor quality, have the wrongshape or are ill-equipped for everyday cycling”.Brosschot is among those who see a

pressing need to “de-Lycrafy” cycling. Whilethere has been much talk of the importance ofcapitalising on the ‘London Olympic Legacy’and the inspirational influence of sports events,as seen in the arrival of the Tour de France inBritain, many cycling experts worry this doesnot really encourage everyday cycling.Joe Seymour and Eoin O’Mahony of

consultants AECOM note that in UK cities mostcyclists tend to be MAMILs (Middle Aged Menin Lycra). There will never be a shift to cyclingas an everyday activity by a wider cross-sectionof society until high quality segregated cyclelanes are provided, believe Seymour andO’Mahony. Their study of Dublin’s Grand CanalCycle Route appears to validate theirstandpoint. The challenges and rewards of encouraging

ordinary people from a wide range ofbackgrounds to cycle is outlined in an accountfrom Richard Smith at Coventry City Councilwho is leading a project to tackle healthinequality. Moves to make cycling accessible means

making safe cycles affordable, which has led to

projects that refurbish old bikes. Jon Hughesof charity Life Cycle UK reports on a scheme inDerby where prisoners and ex-offenders areusing newly acquired skills to transformneglected and unloved bikes into machines. Once new cyclists join established riders on

the road, they will hopefully benefit from theinvestment by the DfT and Mayor of London,among others, in new cycling infrastructure.But are we building the right kind of cyclingroutes and junction treatments?Segregation is touched on by contributors

focussing on the design of on-road cyclinginfrastructure. Consultant Rik Andrew calls forthe separation of cycles and other vehicles onthe approach to traffic lights to eliminate ‘lefthooks’ at junctions. Philip Loy from the ProjectCentre suggests that ‘light segregation’methods, such as the ‘Armadillo’ trafficseparator, offers an effective and inexpensiveway of creating safe space for cyclists.Urban Movement’s John Dales observes that

Armadillos and their ilk are becoming morepopular now that “separation by paint” hasbeen largely discredited. Dales says thatensuring space for cycling is essential,alongside speed reduction, traffic volumereduction and the continuity of cycle networks,if the UK is to become more bike-friendly. All of which brings us back to Leeds, where

many of the experts mentioned above will beconverging on 1-2 May for Cycle City. TheLandor LINKS event will offer an invaluableopportunity to hear from leading cyclingpractitioners and to discuss the latest designs,developments and innovations. We hope to seeyou there.

Deniz HuseyinEditor, Get Britain [email protected]

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INTRODUCTIONgetbritaincycling.net

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FIND MORE CYCLING NEWS AT:GETBRITAINCYCLE.NET

UK drops further down EUcycling league table The UK’s level of daily cycling is

falling further behindneighbouring countries, accordingto new data from the EuropeanUnion.

The UK is near the bottom ofthe EU league table, joining Maltaand Cyprus, which historicallycreated their transportinfrastructure under Britishguidance.

In a special mobility edition ofits opinion service, the EU askedhow much Europeans cycle. TheDutch topped the table, with 43%cycling daily and only 13% nevercycling.

By contrast, the UK was in 24thplace out of the EU28, with 4%cycling daily and 50% nevercycling.

Kevin Mayne, developmentdirector of the European Cyclists’Federation, said: “In 2010Eurobarometer asked a similarquestion about mode of transportand the UK was 21st in thecycling table, so these latestfigures can be interpreted as arelative drop.”

He added: “EU data shows thatstrengths in sport and leisurecycling do not translate to daily

cycling anywhere in the EU butthe lack of growth in UK dailycycling is especially noticeable.”

The eight winners of Cycle CityAmbition Grants are planning tohave their improvement projectslargely completed by March 2015,reports the Department forTransport (DfT).

It expects the cities to provide areport on the delivery of outputsby September 2015, with finalmonitoring and evaluation resultsrequired by March 2016.

The Ambition Grant cities planto spend a total of £77m. Theeight are: Greater Manchester(£20m); West Yorkshire (£18.1m);Birmingham (£17m); West ofEngland (£7.8m); Newcastle(£5.7m); Cambridge (£4.1m);Norwich (£3.7m); and Oxford(£0.8m).

The department says it isworking closely with the eightcities to support them inprogressing their plans throughfinal design and consultation,including site-specificauthorisations where necessary.

A DfT spokesman told GetBritain Cycling: “We appreciatethat the timescales are very tightin which to deliver the moreambitious projects andunderstand that some schemeelements may still be in the finalstages of delivery at the end ofMarch 2015.”

Each city has detailed how theywill monitor and evaluate thesuccess of their projects.“However, in line with thegovernment’s localism agenda,the DfT will not require the citiesto submit lengthy monitoringreports. Instead, we expect thecities to undertake monitoring andevaluation of their projects; as aminimum we would expectchanges in levels of cycling to bemonitored, and where relevant,data collection around health andcongestion outcomes should alsobe considered,” the spokesmansaid.

There will also be details of howthe four winning National Parks –Peak District, Dartmoor, SouthDowns and New Forest – plan tospend a total of £17m governmentfunding on cycling projects.

The UK’s first large-scale ruralbike share scheme will be built inthe New Forest. The scheme, dueto start in April 2015, will initiallycomprise 20 docking stations andaround 250 bikes.

Work cycling levels hit plateau, Census reveals

The number of people cycling towork has remained static over thepast decade, new census data hasrevealed, writes PatrickMcDonnell. Figures from the Officefor National Statistics (ONS) showthat 741,000 working residentsaged 16 to 74 cycled to work inEngland and Wales in 2011compared with 651,000 in 2001.This represents a 90,000 rise overthe period, but as a proportion ofworking residents was unchangedat 2.8%.

Of those that cycle to work,men were significantly more likelyto commute by bike than women– 3.9% compared with 1.6% of

females, with a median age of 30-34. The census statistics showmarked variations in cycle useacross England and Wales. Forexample, London had the highestnumber of people who cycled towork at 155,000, up from 77,000on 2001. There were alsosubstantial increases in othercities including Brighton (up by109% between 2001 and 2011),Bristol (94%), Manchester (83%),Newcastle (81%) and Sheffield(80%).

Overall, the number ofresidents in inner London thatcycled to work increased from43,000 in 2001 to 106,000 in

2011 (144%). In outer London,the number of people cycling towork increased from 34,000 in2001 to 49,000 (45%).

The largest increase were forthe 10 inner London localauthorities in Tower Hamlets,Hackney and the City of London.Hackney also experienced one ofthe largest increases in the rate ofcycling. In 2011, 13.8% ofworkers cycled to work, up from6.2% in 2001. Outside thecapital, Bristol experienced thehighest percentage rise ofresidents cycling to work,increasing from 4.6% in 2001 to7.5% in 2011.

The largest percentage pointincrease in the proportion ofcyclists, however, was to be foundin Cambridge where theproportion rose from an alreadyvery high 25.9% in 2001 to 29%in 2011, the ONS reported.

However, there were areas ofEngland and Wales that saw adecrease in those cycling to work,with many of them having a largerproportion of their population inrural areas, which saw falls of30%.www.ons.gov.uk/ons/dcp171776_357613.pdf

Ambition Grantwinners on trackto meet deadline

Men are significantly more likely tocommute by bike than women

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EU figures show that very small proportions of respondents in Luxembourg (4%),the UK (4%), Spain (4%) and Cyprus (2%) cycle daily

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Three London boroughs havewon funding of at least £30m

each for cycle infrastructureprojects. Enfield, Kingston andWaltham Forest have all secured“mini-Holland” status underLondon Mayor Boris Johnson’splans to boost cycling in thecapital’s suburbs.

The Kingston scheme includesplans for a new 700m (2,300ft)cycle boardwalk on the banks ofthe Thames designed to allowcyclists to bypass the town centre.

The Enfield project would entailthe complete redesign of Enfieldtown centre, with segregatedsuper-highways linking keydestinations, along with threecycle hubs across the borough.

Meanwhile, the Waltham Forestscheme would see the creation ofa semi-segregated super-highwayroute along Lea Bridge Road aswell as the creation of “Hackney-style” cycle-friendly low-trafficneighbourhoods.

The three winning boroughswere chosen from a shortlist ofeight drawn up last September.

Transport for London (TfL) said itwould work with Bexley, Ealing,Merton and Richmond to takeforward “substantial parts” of theirbids to improve cycle routes andfacilities. The eighth finalist,Newham, has been invited tosubmit a bid for funding underTfL’s major schemes budget to gotowards a £16m plan to removethe Stratford gyratory system andreshape Stratford town centre.

The winning bids includeredesigns of key town centres,new suburban CycleSuperhighways, Dutch-styleroundabouts and rail superhubs.TfL analysis shows that over halfof potentially cyclable journeysmade in London are in thesuburbs. The programme’s aim isto move significant numbers ofsuburban car journeys, which areoften short and highly cyclable, onto the bike.

The mayor also announced thefirst two new Quietway routes onlow-traffic back streets, which willopen later this year. They are fromWaterloo to Greenwich, serving a

wide area of south-east London,and from Bloomsbury toWalthamstow. A further six routescovering all points of the compasshave been selected foraccelerated delivery in 2015.

Although the mini-Hollandscheme focuses on improvingconditions for cyclists, they arealso designed to transformsignificant parts of each winningborough’s public realm, cutovercrowding on public transportand reduce traffic congestion,pollution and parking pressures.

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CYCLE SHORTSgetbritaincycling.net

Mini-Holland boroughs aim to makeLondon’s streets bike-friendly

Schemes must offer ‘city-widecycle networks’, says Matson

Cycle routes that come to anabrupt end with ‘Dismount’ and‘END’ signs must be renderedobsolete as soon as possible,argues Lilli Matson, head ofdelivery planning at Transport forLondon (TfL).

In order to normalise cycling, itmust be treated as a serioustransportation system andplanned at a city-wide level, shesays. “The piecemealaccumulation of opportunistic andsporadic infrastructure is norecipe for success.

“The end-to-end route planningand delivery associated with theCycle Superhighways and

Quietways has been confirmed asa better way forward.”

But these changes andimprovements have to be“balanced against the need tobring local communities andboroughs with us, and to ensurewe keep London working whileactual schemes are built”.

The capital benefits from anextensive bus network, whichmeans that “in many places wewill have to find our own solutionsto accommodating both bus andbike”, Matson points out.

“London is well placed toemulate great cycling cities as itnow has the same conditions forsuccess such as strong politicalleadership from the Mayor’s officeand strong technical leadershipfrom TfL. We are also pushingnational government hard to makelife easier for cyclists throughregulatory change.”

The updated London CyclingDesign Standards, due to bepublished in late April, will givethe capital and the rest of the UKa set of guidelines that arecomprehensive and fit forpurpose, Matson believes.

The cycle laneplanned for Church

Street, Enfield

LilliMatson

Kingston’s Dutch-cycle roundabout


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The number of occasional cyclistsin the UK has dropped from 28%to 25% over a three-year period,according to a study by theUniversity of the West of England(UWE).

“This drop in occasional cyclingcan be largely attributed to the 16-39 age group, with no droprecorded for 40-64 year olds,”says the study’s author Alan Tapp,professor of marketing at theBristol Social Marketing Centre.

He suggests the fall inoccasional use may be due to thepoor summers of 2011 and 2012as well as the fragile economy,which makes people more riskaverse.

Another factor could be the riseof digital and mobilecommunications resulting in “adrop in car-use amongst youngpeople, and less physical travel ofany type”.

The study explored attitudes tocycling, with 4,022 peoplesurveyed in May 2013, comparedwith 3,855 people in May 2010. Itfound that the percentage ofrespondents that own a bicyclehas gone down from 51% to 47%.There has been a drop in thosewho ride for health and fitnessreasons – from 49% to 44% - andfor local errands and local trips,down from 42% to 39%. Thenumber of commuting cyclistsalso fell from 26% to 25%.

But the number that believe theUK is in the midst of a cyclingboom has leapt from 38% to 48%.“The public, perhaps wrongly,think there’s a boom in cycling,”says Professor Tapp. “But there isno increasing trend in recognisingthe societal/wider benefits ofcycling to non-cyclists.”

Sharp drop incasual cyclists,UWE study finds

Safety fears up in the capital Asurvey of cycling in London

has revealed that 68% ofrespondents have grown moreconcerned about safety over thepast six months. The LondonAssembly Transport Committee’sCycling in London report foundthat 22% of respondents weremaking fewer trips by bikebecause of concerns about safety.Some 79% thought that CycleSuperhighways were notrespected by other road users.

The issue of most concern wasthe lack of cycling infrastructure.The survey also found that thebiggest factor affecting cyclists is alack of segregated cycle lanes.

The report notes that cyclistcasualty rates fell by 46%between 2000 and 2006 but haverisen every year since then. In2012 there were 25 casualties forevery million cycle trips comparedwith 19 in 2006.

On the subject of London’scycle hire scheme, some 60%had contacted the cycle hiresupport centre. Difficulty ofunlocking a bike was the mainconcern, followed by difficulties inpaying and being overcharged foruse of the bikes.

The committee voiced concernthat “it is taking the Mayor andTfL longer than we would like todeliver the proposed

improvements. They need toexplain fully why these delays indelivery are necessary ordesirable”.

The committee added:“Investment plans have beendelayed and TfL expects tounderspend its cycling budget for2013/14 by £38m (34%). TfL also

underspent on cycling in2012/13.

“TfL now expects the CycleSuperhighways programme torequire up to £50m of additionalfunding to deliver the qualityrequired. TfL needs to explainhow it will meet this shortfall infunding.”

Campaign urges politicians to give cyclists space

Respondents were asked: What factors adversely affect your experience of cyclingin London?

ProfessorAlan Tapp

Jon Snow launchesthe Space forCycling Campaign

The Space for Cycling campaign has been launched bynational cycling charity CTC, the London Cycling Campaign(LCC) and campaign groups around the UK. It will aim tosecure commitments from councils and central governmentto enable everyone in Britain to feel they can cycle safely andconveniently for any local journey.

In the capital the LCC will focus on the 2014 Londonborough elections taking place on 22 May. LCC’s localborough groups have identified 624 Space for Cyclingimprovements, which cover nearly every ward in the capital.

The changes they are seeking include lower vehiclespeeds, the removal of traffic on minor and residential streets,opening up green areas for cycling and create safe cycleroutes to school.

Similar improvements are being pressed for by campaigngroups in Bristol, Sheffield, Leeds and Newcastle in the run-up to the local elections.

The campaign was launched by Channel 4 News presenterand CTC president Jon Snow, with a video to be screened atCycle City in Leeds, organised by Landor LINKS.space4cycling.org

Government wrong to oppose safety plans for lorry cabsThe Mayor of London BorisJohnson has expressed “deepconcern” that the governmentappears to oppose amending anEU directive to make lorry cabssafer for cyclists ahead of adebate on the measures nextmonth.

Amendments tabled by BrianSimpson MEP, chair of theEuropean Parliament’s transportcommittee, would require lorrycabs to be produced with betterdriver sightlines, including largerside windows and a lower frontwindscreen, to reduce blind spots.

Boris Johnson said: “This is aonce-in-a-decade opportunity forthe EU to remove some of theblockages which prevent us frommaking lorries safer in our cities.”

His office highlighted that nineof 16 cyclist deaths in 2011involved HGVs.


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London boroughs letting downcyclists, says campaign groupCouncils in London are failing

to provide safe and protectedcycle lanes, according to the StopKilling Cyclists coalition, writesPatrick McDonnell. The campaigngroup’s report, which collates datefrom a Freedom of Informationrequest, shows that 24 out of the32 of the boroughs (and City ofLondon) had not installed anycycle lanes since the last councilelections in May 2010.

The report states that since theelections no segregated cyclelanes have been installed inBarnet, Bexley, Bromley, Enfield,Haringey, Havering, Hounslow,Kensington & Chelsea, Lambeth,Richmond, Sutton, Tower Hamletsand Wandsworth.

Only two boroughs installed anysegregated cycle lanes since thelast election, with Ealing andCroydon spending £400,000 and£320,000 respectively.

And just four councils plan toinstall any segregated cycle lanesin the year after this May’sLondon elections: Barking,Barnet, Hounslow, WalthamForest. Less than half of 1% ofLondon’s Boroughs’ roads havesegregated cycle lanes installed,

the report notes.The total installed length of

segregated cycle lanes in allreplying boroughs was 36km(22m) out of an estimated11,900km (7394m) of roads.

The four boroughs with thelongest distances of segregatedcycle lanes are Waltham Forest8.7km (5m), Greenwich 6.5km(4m), Barking 4.5km (2.1m) andCamden with 4.2km (2m).

The report found that only threeboroughs have designated 100%

of their roads as 20mph zones:Southwark, Islington, Camden.

The revelations came after thecampaign group’s Wall of DeathProtest on 2 Aprilcommemorating those that havebeen killed or serious injuredsince the last local elections fouryears ago. Some 54 cyclists and272 pedestrians were killed overthe period. Some 2,224 cyclistsand 3,749 pedestrians wereseriously injured during the fouryear period.

Goodwill seeks ‘discretion’ over pavement cycling

Most drivers say cyclists hard to see – AA study

Transport minister RobertGoodwill has said the policeshould use discretion in enforcingthe law against pavement cycling.Goodwill has told new campaigngroup Stop Killing Cyclists that hesupports guidance originallyissued by Labour Home Officeminister Paul Boateng followingthe introduction of fixed penaltiesfor pavement cycling. The

guidance states: “Theintroduction of the fixed penalty isnot aimed at responsible cyclistswho sometimes feel obliged touse the pavement out of fear ofthe traffic, and who showconsideration to other pavementusers. “Chief police officers, whoare responsible for enforcement,acknowledge that many cyclists,particularly children and young

people, are afraid to cycle on theroad, [so] sensitivity and carefuluse of discretion is required.”Stop Killing Cyclists co-organiserDonnachadh McCarthy raised thematter with DfT ministers after theMetropolitan Police’s OperationSafeway campaign beforeChristmas saw cyclists receiving afixed penalty for riding onpavements.

Nine out of ten drivers (93%) saidthat it is hard to see cyclists whilstdriving, while more than half(55%) admitted to being“surprised when a cyclist appearsfrom nowhere”, according to a pollconducted by AA-Populus. Thepoll revealed that “failure to lookproperly” was the most commonlycited contributory factor in UKroad accidents (42%).

The cycle survey found that54% state that cyclists areinconsiderate road users, withmales more likely to think this(57%) than females (47%).

The poll has resulted in the AAand AA Charitable Trust launching

a national “Think Bikes!”awareness campaign with supportfrom British Cycling and theMotorcycle Industry Associationusing print, poster and stickermedia campaign.

Edmund King, AA president,said: “The AA Think Bikes!campaign is definitely neededwhen half of drivers are oftensurprised when a cyclist ormotorcyclist ‘appears fromnowhere’.

“Those on two wheels neverappear from nowhere so as driverswe need to be more alert to otherroad users and this is where ourstickers act as a daily reminder.

“Likewise riders need to beaware that they may not always bespotted by drivers. We hope thatthis campaign can reach the partsthat other campaigns can’treach.”

No matter what clothing a cyclistwears, up to 2% of drivers will stillpass dangerously close whenovertaking, according to a newstudy from the University of Bathand Brunel University. The studysuggests that there is little a ridercan do, by altering their outfit orwearing a high visibility jacket, toprevent the most dangerousovertaking manoeuvres fromhappening.

Instead, the research says thatto make cyclists safer, it isnecessary that roads, or driverbehaviour needs to change. Forexample, when the TransportResearch Laboratory measuredbicycle overtaking distances in thesame part of the country back in1979, they found drivers left anaverage gap of 5ft 10in (179cm)when overtaking a cyclist.

The average gap in this studytaken between December 2012and May 2013 was 3ft 10in(118cm), suggesting that thetreatment of cyclists might havebecome worse over the last fewdecades.http://opus.bath.ac.uk/37890/ �

Politicians like to tell people whatthey want to hear and will saydifferent things to differentaudiences, believes Carlton Reid,who will be giving a breakfastbriefing at Cycle City.“Over the last few years manydifferent local and nationalpoliticians have had warm wordsto say about cycling but the levelof funding for cycling is still farbelow what it needs to be,” saysReid, who is the executive editorof trade magazine BikeBiz.

“British politicians will need tomake some brave decisions in thenear future, decisions that may beunpopular with the motorisedmajority,” he adds. “If bicyclesdon’t get Dutch-style priority at,say, junctions, there’s little point inbuilding infrastructure that merelylooks Dutch.”

Reid runs websiteipayroadtaxcom and edits thecycle industry’s levy site BikeHub.co.uk �

Hi-vis does notstop overtaking,study reveals

Warm words notenough, saysCarlton Reid

AA’s Think Bikes! campaign

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The Stop Killing Cyclists coalition staged a ‘Mass Die-in’ at TfL’s HQ


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BMJ study reveals healthbenefits of ‘Boris Bikes’The London cycle hire scheme

has had a beneficial effect onthe health of its users, accordingto a study in the British MedicalJournal writes Patrick McDonnell.

The study suggests that ‘BorisBikes’ have had a more positiveeffect for men than women, andfor the over 45s who have more togain from increased physicalactivity.

These health benefits outweighsuch negative impacts of injuriesand air pollution, says the study.Encouraging older people to takeup the scheme would increasethe health benefits substantially, itsays.

Such schemes are increasinglypopular around the world, havinggrown from five schemes inEurope in 2000 to 636 schemes(with an estimated 600,000bicycles in use) in 49 countries in2013. The London cycle hirescheme was introduced in 2010.

The authors of the study fromthe Medical Research Council,the London School of Hygieneand Tropical Medicine and

University College London, lookedat the cycle hire scheme over thecourse of one year, from April2011 to March 2012.

Over the year examined theusers made 7.4 million cycle hiretrips (estimated at 71% of cyclingtime by men). These trips wouldmostly otherwise have been madeon foot (31%) or by publictransport (47%), the authorsestimate.

They tracked some 578,607users’ journeys during the period

and used data on physicalactivity, travel, road trafficcollisions and air pollution to workout the health impact of hiring abike in central London. Theyfound that the benefits“substantially outweighed” theharms, when the injury rates forhired bike usage were taken intoaccount.

Health effects of the Londonbicycle sharing system: healthimpact modelling studywww.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g425

Councils should‘target’ drivers whoendanger cyclistsThe safety of cyclists could beimproved if councils were givenpowers to target drivers who putcyclists at risk by breaking movingtraffic laws. The Local GovernmentAssociation (LGA) has called onthe government to implement Part6 of the Traffic Management Act2004 allowing councils to enforcecycle lanes by targeting illegal U-turns and box junction offences.

The LGA notes that Transportfor London (TfL) has been usingsimilar powers for a number ofyears, with research showing a50% drop in offences. However,police forces outside the capitalsay that they lack the resources toenforce them.

Councils would use thesepowers to improve safety byconcentrating on congestedjunctions or stretches of specificroads. This would be publicisedand sign-posted with warningletters initially issued to raiseawareness while persistentoffenders would face fines.

Existing CCTV cameras couldenforce most of these offences,but traffic officers could also issuefixed penalty notices, says LGA.

The health benefits of theLondon hire scheme outweighnegative impacts such asinjuries and pollution

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Plan to get 10% cycling in Greater ManchesterThe number of trips made by

bike in Greater Manchestercould increase to 10% of alljourneys over the next 12 yearswith sustained funding fromgovernment, believes DaveNewton, transport strategy directorat Transport for GreaterManchester (TfGM).

Between 2011 and 2015Greater Manchester will havereceived £37m of governmentfunding for cycling, ranging fromcycle hubs and cycle & ridestations to new cycle routes androad safety improvements.

At Cycle City, TfGM will explainhow they are working with

partners to remove barriers tocycling and enabling a growingnumber of people to cycle towork.

TfGM is winning support for its‘Better by Cycle’ campaign byoffering training, information andimprovements to cycle routes andfacilities across GreaterManchester. More than 3,000people have taken part so far inTfGM cycle training courses, saysNewton. A dedicated website(www.tfgm.com/cycling) and amonthly e-newsletter have alsobeen launched.

“Providing secure andconvenient cycle parking and

high quality cycle routes is key toour plans,” says Newton. “ThreeCycle Hubs offering nearly 300secure spaces have alreadyopened in key locations, withmore to follow. Cycle Hubs areproving a success, with researchamong members showing that60% have cycled more sincejoining and 54% haverecommended them to others.”

Cycle parking will also beimproved through Ambition Grantfunding, with seven ‘Cycle & Ride’rail stations being delivered,which will look to encouragecycling as part of a longercommute.

Rail stations get bike hire scheme

The London Borough of Hackneyis exploring how to increaseuptake of cycling among ethnicminority groups. The Living inHackney scrutiny commission hasinvited representatives of theVietnamese, Jewish, Turkish andMuslim communities to giveevidence to its new inquiry oncycling.

The borough says that cyclinglevels are disproportionately highin the ‘urban living’ socio-economic group, who arecharacterised as being “relativelyyoung, well educated, well off, andpredominantly white”.

The Highway Code’s advice thatcyclists should wear a helmet andreflective clothing is having adetrimental impact on the aim ofnormalising cycling and shouldbe deleted, according to BritishCycling, cycling’s nationalsporting body.

Rule 59 of the Highway Codeadvises cyclists to wear a helmet,avoid wearing clothes that couldget tangled in the chain orobscure lights, and wear light-coloured or fluorescent clothes indaylight and reflective clothing atnight.

“Rule 59 should be removedas it is unhelpful and is having adetrimental impact on our aim ofnormalising cycling as aneveryday activity,” says BritishCycling in a new report Time toChoose Cycling. “We want to seepeople cycling in everydayclothes. Putting an onus oncyclists having to wear a uniformand a helmet is having a negativeimpact on our aim of increasingparticipation.”

British Cycling also wants theHighway Code updated, with newstandards for drivers overtakingcyclists – it suggests adoptingmeasures enshrined in Frenchlaw, whereby a driver must allowa minimum of one metre in urbanareas and 1.5 metres elsewhere.

It also calls for 20mph to be thedefault speed limit in residentialand urban areas.Time to Choose Cycling isavailable athttp://tinyurl.com/om79923

Train operator Abellio haslaunched bike hire facilities at 46stations across its three franchises– Northern Rail, Greater Angliaand Merseyrail. Bike & Go ismodelled on the OV Fiets systemrun at stations in the Netherlandsby Dutch state rail operator NS.Abellio is the international arm ofNS. Funding for the facilities hascome from the DfT and the trainoperators themselves.

After registering atbikeandgo.co.uk and paying anannual subscription of £10, usersreceive a smartcard, which theycan take to a station ticket officeto obtain a key giving access to abike. Bikes can be hired for £3.80for 24 hours with a maximum hireof 72 hours. Bikes must bereturned to the station from wherethe hire was made, generallyduring ticket office opening hours.

Bike & Go facilities at morethan 20 Northern Rail stationswent live this month, along withfurther facilities on the GreaterAnglia network. The first facilitieswere installed on Merseyrail andin Greater Anglia last August.

Merseyrail is managing theproject. Andrew Bristow, Bike &Go’s project manager, says thatten bikes were provided at everystation, with the exception ofLiverpool Central (five) andHebden Bridge (four). All thebikes have seven gears.

Bristow says populationdemographics and the presenceof facilities such as universities,colleges and leisure centres hadbeen used to inform decisions onwhere to locate facilities. He says

the operator had hoped to installbikes in stations in Manchestercity centre but had been unableto reach agreement with therelevant stakeholders. An App willsoon be launched to informpeople how many bikes areavailable for hire at each station inreal-time.

Abellio will monitor usage overthe summer months to see ifmore bikes are needed at anystations. A reservation schememay be considered, says Bristow.

Hackney inquiryinto minorities

Helmet rule‘deters cycling’

Bike & Go is availableat 46 rail stations

Mayor unveils £4bn road improvements Fifty projects costing £4bn are tobe implemented in a bid toimprove London’s roads andstreets, under plans funded by theTransport for London under itsbusiness Plan and by third partycontributions.

The plans for the city’s roadnetwork have been confirmed as aresult of recommendations madeby the Mayor’s Roads Task Force,

and include plans to overhaul 33road junctions identified asproblematic, while over £200mwill be spent on work designed toreduce congestion and delays,and improvements to addressroad safety and upgrades,including at: Croydon Fiveways;Euston Road; London Roadroundabout; Barking Riverside;and Victoria Circus.

The redevelopment of thenorthern roundabout at Elephantand Castle, to support one ofLondon’s biggest regenerationprojects is also included, in aproject that aims to improvefacilities for road users and localresidents, while providingdedicated cycling facilities, withwork scheduled to start early in2015.


13



Cyclehoop’s bikehangar wins award Cycle design firm Cyclehoop

took the cycle parking prize forits Bikehangar system at the 2014British Parking Awards organisedby Landor LINKS. The securehangars take up one on-road carparking space and can be sharedby up to six individual users withan access key.

More than 120 Bikehangarshave been installed across sixLondon boroughs in the past 12months, says Habib Khan,Cyclehoop’s sales and marketingdirector. Residents can registeronline for a space at their nearestBikehangar, with cycle parkingcosts at around £30 a year.

“Those who don’t have accessto back gardens or suitable indoorspace will be eligible to apply, withpriority given to those that have tonavigate stairs,” says Khan.

The lack of secure bike parkingis deterring residents from takingup cycling, he believes. Theproblem is particularly acute inLondon, where 79% of people livein homes that do not have off-street cycle parking such asgarages or driveways.

Some 45% of residents in thecapital do not live in ground flooraccommodation. The number ofcar-free households in severalinner London boroughs is on the

rise, according to Census figures.For example, the number ofhouseholds without a car or van inSouthwark rose from 51% in 2001to 58% in 2011.

In Hackney, the number of car-free homes jumped from 56% to65% while in Lambeth it went upfrom 51% to 58%.

“Many local authorities nowhave funding to invest in securecycle parking infrastructure, butdo not have the resources tomaintain them and time tomanage the cyclists who all need

keys to access the facilities,” saysKhan.

Eric Duvall, Lambeth’s cycleparking programme manager,says the bikehangars were an“instant hit” with residents. “All ofthe spaces were filled within ashort period of time and we areworking on installing more to meetthis encouraging demand.

“The bikehangars are making areal difference to people’s lives.They are helping existing cyclistsas well as those who have alwayswanted to cycle.”

Cycle access features in Bristol’s £21m project

Bedford delays plan for ‘turbo roundabout’

Slough Borough Council hasreported that its cycle hirescheme has proved so popularthat it intends to purchase anadditional 15 bikes. The schemewas launched last autumn withthe rolling out of 63 SmooveBikes, which were chosenbecause they were robust andcarried tracking devices, saysSlough’s acting head of transportSavio DeCruz.

The scheme, funded throughthe local sustainable transportfund (LSTF), cost £175,000,including website andsponsorship branding. Runningcosts of around £15,000 per yearare underpinned by asponsorship deal making itsustainable for the future, saysDeCruz.

Three locations were initiallyselected: Slough Station; the A4Bath Road; and Burnham Station.In a move to promote cyclingwithin the council, a furtherdocking station was locatedoutside the council’s main office.

The council opted for Frenchcompany Smoove Bikes, andother partners in the initiativeinclude Groundwork, Anesco andITS. The bike is fitted with an on-board computer to signal whereand when it has docked, saysDeCruz. This computer alsoshows the distance covered, thetime period involved – a warningsignal sounds when close to thetime limit. The bike is fitted withlights and comes with an integrallocking cable plus a steering lock.

“The system operates on asimple radio frequencyidentification (RFID) card, whichis issued when the initialregistration is completed online.The cardholder’s PIN is actuallytheir date of birth,” says DeCruz.“The user simply passes theircard across the computerterminal, enter the PIN and thecycle is ready for use.”

The system’s back officefunction manages the bike usage,deals with registrations andoperational issues such missingbikes, terminal errors or lowbatteries.

The cost of using the bikes is£1 for the first 30 minutes andthen 50p an hour. To date nearly300 RFID cards have beenissued, says DeCruz.

Approval to spend £20.6m on thetransport infrastructure around theTemple Quarter Enterprise Zone isbeing sought at the cabinet ofBristol City Council, writes LeeBaker.

Councillors will discussproposals in a report for an £11mre-design of the area aroundTemple Circus roundabout to helppedestrians and cyclists access

Temple Meads station to and fromthe ‘Brunel Mile,' new £6mvehicle, pedestrian and cycle linksto ‘Arena Park'; and £3.9m forbetter links for walking and cyclingroutes to the enterprise zone.

The capital expenditure hasbeen secured through the West ofEngland Local EnterprisePartnership RevolvingInfrastructure Fund to be repaid

over seven years through businessrates generated in the area.

Mayor of Bristol GeorgeFerguson says: “Work is underwayto develop plans to transform theway people walk, cycle, drive anduse public transport all around theenterprise zone. I want BristolTemple Meads to provide a greatarrival experience and be farbetter connected with the city.”

Cycle hire inSlough to expand

Bedford’s proposedturbo roundabout

Bedford Borough Council hasdelayed implementation of itscontroversial ‘turbo roundabout’ toallow more discussions withmotorcycle groups who say thedesign could be lethal for poweredtwo wheeler (PTW) riders, writesAndrew Forster.

The scheme design featuresplastic dividers between the twolanes on the roundabout, which,by narrowing the carriageway,were expected to cut vehiclespeeds, making the roundaboutsafer for cyclists. But motorcyclegroups say the dividers would be ahazard if struck by a PTW rider.

Bedford had planned to installthe scheme at the end of April tocomply with the requirement that

the DfT’s Cycle Safety Fund grantmust be spent in 2013/14. TheDfT is providing £420,000 towardsthe £490,000 costs of theroundabout redesign.

DfT officials have met withBedford Council to discuss thescheme and, specifically,concerns raised by the MotorcycleAction Group (MAG).

The DfT told Bedford that thefunding can be carried over into2014/15 to allow the council tohold discussions with MAG aboutits concerns. A DfT spokesmansays implementation had beendelayed until the summer.

Dividers have been installed onroundabouts in the Netherlandsbut never in the UK.

Each Bikehangar canstore up to six cycles


14

Cycling practitioners fromthe UK, the Netherlands,

Denmark and beyond will begathering at Cycle City to lookat examples of good designand to discuss new projectsand innovations. The event,organised by Landor LINKS,takes place at Leeds TownHall on 1-2 May.

The focus of the event isutility cycling, discussing thepromotion of cycling bygovernment, local authorities,private and public sectoremployers, third sector,consultancies, suppliers andpublic health bodies. Therewill be presentations on thelatest developments ininfrastructure design, policyand cycling strategy to getmore people cycling moresafely in British cities. More than 500 delegates

are expected to attend theevent. With so many expertsunder one roof, the event willbe an invaluable opportunityto network. To secure youryour place go to:www.cyclecityleeds.co.uk

Denmark is oftencited as thehome of gooddesign andplanning forcycling, but eventhere, seriousmistakes havebeen made,

according to Danish cyclingconsultant Niels Hoe (above). AtCycle City, Hoe will explain whysome projects have failed, andhow the UK can use theseexamples to avoid the samepitfalls.“Denmark has an image of

being a cycling haven that doesfantastic things, but not everythingis perfect,” says Hoe. “There arelessons to be learned.”Hoe will also look at Danish

cycling initiatives. “Through mywork I have found that cycling hasa vital role to play in making citiesand places more liveable. Cyclingis a great facilitator for this –making people meet at eye-level.Making mistakes must notbecome an excuse that preventscities from doing anything.”

Niels on wheels

Shared transport services canhelp end the dominance of theprivate car, argues Chas Ball,chief executive at car sharingorganisation Carplus Trust. AtCycle City he will call for bettercollaboration between publictransport and shared transportsuch as car clubs, shared bikesand shared taxis.“There are real benefits to the

public transport user if differentmodes of travel are easilyaccessible, especially when theycan be booked and paid for inadvance or en route,” he says.“Car club operators areincreasingly finding there is moreusage at busy well-integrated

transport hubs, but few have sofar established joint marketingarrangements with the trainoperators serving those stations.” Ball says there are already good

examples of shared transportservices for rail users such asBike & Go, a bike hire schemeavailable at more than 40 railstations in England. He notesgrowing emphasis on integrationin new tenders for rail franchisesand ferries. “This is part of the new

challenge set by the civil servantsin London, Scotland and Wales,who are preparing the tenderparticulars.”He adds: “Given that the use of

social media and telemetry willallow a much wider range ofoptions in years to come, we nowneed to be planning betterintegration of shared transportmodes and inter-operability intothe 2020s.”

Linking modes best approach

A bike hire scheme has beenlaunched in Liverpool, with theroll-out of 100 bikes at 10 citycentre stations.The scheme has been named

City Bike after this proved themost popular name in a publicvote. Tim Moore, Liverpool CityCouncil’s cabinet member fortransport and climate change,said: “It’s important that localpeople are given ownership of thisscheme, and what better way todo that than to ask them tochoose the name for it?”

The scheme will be run by UKsupplier HourBike under a three-year contract, with the provisionfor a further three years. By July there will be 500 bikes

at 50 stations, with 1,000 bikes atmore than 100 stations, acrossthe city, by March 2015.To register people will have to

pay an annual membership fee,which will allow them to take abike from any station, ride itwhere they like and take it back toany station. No booking isnecessary and the bikes will be

free to members to use for thefirst half hour.Liverpool has received £2.8m

from the Local SustainableTransport Fund (LSTF), of which£1.5m is being invested indelivering the bike hire scheme.The remainder of the funding hasbeen committed to a number ofcycling and signallinginfrastructure improvements, andsustainable transport initiatives indifferent parts of the city. To join the debate on bike shareschemes come to Cycle City

Liverpool gets bike hire scheme

Bid aims to support school riders A scheme designed to increasethe number of children cycling toschool in Dulwich, south-eastLondon, is seeking more than£2m funding from Transport forLondon. Southwark council and Dulwich

Young Cyclists (DYC) are waitingto hear if their bid has beensuccessful. London Cycling Campaign’s

chair Ann Kenrick says: “Dulwichis home to over 10,000 childrenat around 19 schools. Duringschool drop off and pick up timesthe congestion is appalling, theair quality inevitably poor andtempers are high!”Kenrick points to a recent

survey carried out by DYC, whichshowed that 85% would switch tocycling if it were safer. This backs

up the findings of a Sustranssurvey in 2010, which revealedthat nearly half of UK childrenwanted to cycle to school but only4% were allowed to.Over the past 10 years Kenrick

and other parents in Dulwichhave worked with Southwarkcouncil and Transport for Londonto improve cycling routes toschools. “We have got funding forinfrastructure changes, whichreduced car journeys to school inone case by nearly 50% andincreased walking by a third,” shesays. “But there are still manyparents who are too nervous to lettheir kids cycle to school.”At Cycle City Ann Kenrick willoffer her insights into how topromote cycling and walking toschool

85% of Dulwich pupils wouldswitch to cycling if it was safer

ChasBall

Leeds Town Hall on 1-2 May 2014

GBC_p14-15_Cycle City_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p14-15 14/04/2014 10:04

Designing for just one transportmode above all others can havedisastrous consequences, warnsJack Skillen, head of projects atLiving Streets.“With the re-emergence of

cycling as a phenomenon forcommuting and leisure rides it isimportant that we don’t repeat themistakes made before,” he says.“At Living Streets we advocatedesigning for people not mode. Ifwe design for walking and cyclingwhen improving cyclinginfrastructure we can reduce

motor traffic dominating our townsand cities and make them safer,more inviting places to walk.” Walking and cycling share

many similarities as modes oftransport, says Skillen. “Theydeliver significant physical andmental health benefits, reducecongestion and air pollution andare low cost forms of travel. Thebarriers to accessing both modesshare similarities such as fast roadspeeds and poor, or lack of,infrastructure.” Living Street’s design principles

sets out ways of reducing the riskof collisions, making infrastructurethat both pedestrians and cyclistsfeel safe using, and improvingdriver behaviour. Other designprinciples state that cyclingfacilities should not diminish thepedestrian comfort or result inanxiety, and cycling facilitiesshould complement pedestrianfacilities and avoid creating delayor diversion for those on foot.Jack Skillen will be outlining thesymmetry between cycling andpedestrian design at Cycle City

Big ideas boostcommuter cyclingAt Cycle City Stephen Lloyd Joneswill explain how he hasimplemented a range of schemesto encourage more people to cycleto work in Hertfordshire. Lloyd Jones runs the LSTF-

funded BigHertsBigIdeas forBusiness programme, whichpromotes sustainable transport foremployers with more than 250staff. Lloyd Jones says his

programme will help promote the‘Hertfordshire Year of Cycling’campaign, which starts with theWomen’s Tour international-levelstage racing taking place in thecounty in May.

15

CYCLE CITY LEEDScyclecityleeds.co.uk

Shops urged tostock e-bikesThe growth of electric bikes in theUK is being hindered by thereluctance of many cycle shops to“get on board”, believes MarkLoveridge, chairman of theElectric Bicycle Network.He says that cycle shops are

reluctant to stock electric bikes“because they have either hadbad experiences in the past orthey believe it is ‘cheating’ anddon’t think people should usethem”.There should be greater

support for electric bikes from theOffice for Low Emission Vehicleswhich, he says, tends to focus onfour-wheel vehicles.Mark Loveridge will be setting outthe case for electric bikes at CycleCity

The pros & cons of street design

Rising demand for cargo bikesCargo bikes are increasinglybecoming a viable alternative

to using lorries and vans fordeliveries in town and city centres,believes Gary Armstrong of cyclebased delivery firm OutspokenDelivery. He points out that research by

the EU funded CycleLogisticsproject has shown that up to 25%of goods currently transported bymotor vehicles could be shifted tocargo bikes. Outspoken, based inCambridge, currently providescollection and delivery services toover 200 customers and workswith international carriers on last-mile initiatives.“Although not new, the cargo

bike is increasingly being used byboth individuals and commercialorganisations in urban areas,”says Armstrong. “The changingurban landscape is puttingincreasing pressure on vans andlorries to adopt alternatives, andresearch suggests the cargo bikeis a realistic and desirablesolution.”Logistics firms are finding the

“first and last miles of a parcel'sjourney a serious headache”,notes Armstrong. Faced withparking fines, delivery deadlines,congested streets and restricted

access, conditions are becomingmore stressful for drivers andcostly for the freight industry, hesays. In a recent report the Chartered

Institute of Logistics & TransportUK suggested that consolidationcentres could offer a solution bymaking urban deliveries moreefficient and removingunnecessary vans and lorries fromcity centres. “But consolidation centres are

only part of the solution –innovative approaches also need

to be introduced to get goods fromthe hub to the final customer,”argues Armstrong. The growth of cycle freight,

along with practical examplesfrom Cambridge and Leeds, willbe the focus of a Cycle Citysession. There will also be a

presentation highlighting howcouncils can encourage andsupport cycle logistics, and howcurrent EU funded projects suchas CycleLogistics are supportingcycle freight initiatives.

Cycling projects, no matter howwell conceived, will fail to take offunless they are backed by aproperly developed informationstrategy. This will be one of thecore themes of a session on cyclemapping, wayfinding and smartphones at Cycle City.The session will be chaired by

information design specialist FWT,which believes that clear, conciseand attractive cycling informationis a crucial aspect of any cyclingproject, so that the maximum

number of cyclists are madeaware of all aspects of a cyclingscheme as soon as it is launched.The firm will also be exhibiting

at Cycle City, with demonstrationsof Cartogold, its interactivemapping system, which depicts allgeographic and route specificinformation, allied to relevant textfeatures. It will also be displayingits mapping on smart phones andtablets. “FWT has worked on

information packages with city

and county councils across theUK including Derby, Leicester,Norwich and most notably inLondon,” says sales andmarketing director Paul Treadwell.“We have also developedinformation strategies forpassenger transport executivessuch as Centro.“FWT has also produced

information packages in US citiessuch as Los Angeles and Chicago,where cycling has become a hottopic,” Treadwell points out.

‘Maps crucial to project success’

Up to 25% of goods transported by motor vehiclescould be shifted by cargo bikes, says Outspoken

‘All two-wheelershave part to play’Two-wheelers of all types willemerge as a vital mode inreplacing door-to-door journeys bycar over the next 20 years,predicts Craig Carey-Clinch, whoadvises the motorcyle and electricbike industry. At Cycle City he willwarn against “compartmentalisingbicycles, powered two-wheelersand e-bikes in separatelyconsidered areas, as is done atpresent”.He says: “If there is to be a

realisation of the full potential fordoor-to-door travel by non-carmodes, then a much more holisticlong-term view should be taken ofhow policy and practice in thisarea should develop. Currently,the potential is short-term,focusing principally on bicyclesand rail/bus stations.”

GBC_p14-15_Cycle City_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p14-15 14/04/2014 10:04

GBC_p16-18_CityConnect_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p16-18 11/04/2014 11:46

West Yorkshire is set to undergo acycling renaissance with theconstruction of a 23km CycleSuperhighway, which will be largely

segregated. The £29m route will run fromBradford city centre to East Leeds and willfeature a series of new 20mph zones and re-designed junctions. The plans are being drawnup by Metro – the West Yorkshire PassengerTransport Executive – along with Leeds CityCouncil and City of Bradford MetropolitanDistrict Council. The project, called CityConnect, has been

made possible by a £18.1m Cycle CityAmbition Grant from the Department forTransport (DfT). A further £11m will come fromlocal transport plan and other local funding.

Le Grand DépartEarlier this year CityConnect partners beganthe six-month consultation exercise to assesshow the route will affect junction layouts aswell as parking and access. They areconsidering a wide range of safety measuresfor cyclists, pedestrians and other road users.The partners say that winning the bid will

enable them to meet the Local Transport Plantarget of tripling cycling use across WestYorkshire by 2019, and they are predicting thatby 2026 12% of journeys will be made by bike.The Superhighway route is due to becompleted by October 2015.News of the Ambition Grant win came

shortly after it was announced that stage one ofthe Tour de France – the Grand Départ – wouldrun from Leeds to Harrogate, through theYorkshire Dales, on 5 July. Ginny Leonard, project manager for

CityConnect, says: “To capitalise on this uniqueopportunity, partners across Yorkshire and theHumber have agreed a legacy strategy settingout shared goals for capturing the longer termbenefits for our region in terms of health,access and recreation.”The Regional Legacy Group, comprising all

local authorities, the national cycling charityCTC, British Cycling, Sustrans, Sport Englandand West Yorkshire Combined Authority, hasdrawn up a ten-year programme to improvecycling infrastructure across the region. “Leedshas a well-developed core cycle network,which is being replicated by other WestYorkshire districts,” says Leonard.

The right trackWith CityConnect, two different types of cycletrack have been proposed: the first optionwould involve one or two-way, off-carriagewaysegregated cycle track at carriageway level,with a safety strip of at least 0.6m in width.Option two would involve a one or two-way, off-carriageway cycle track separated from thefootway and carriageway by kerbs.

The route will be developed in sevensections, starting at Bradford, running viaStanningley centre, through to Leeds, with thefinal section at Seacroft.There will also be improvements to cycling

routes in Leeds city centre and improvedcycle parking, as well as upgrades to thetowpath that runs alongside the Leeds-Liverpool canal. “One of the majorconsiderations of the superhighway will bejunctions,” says Leonard. “They will need tobe safe enough for cyclists of all abilities butwill also have to take into account the needsof pedestrians and drivers.“We also plan to provide cycle signal

crossings along the route to allow cyclist toaccess the superhighway and travel betweencommunities either side of the route.”The aim is to increase safety and

unobstructed access along the superhighwayby preventing parking on the footway andcycle track, she says.“Getting the designs right for the bus stops

and pedestrian crossings will also beimportant,” says Leonoard. “In Stanningleycentre, for instance, more general streetscapeenhancements are proposed. Residents andlocal businesses will be contacted to find outhow they think improvements can be made.”CityConnect will bring increased

accessibility, movement and economicbenefits across Leeds and Bradford, predictsLeonard. She believes the route will boost thenumber of riders to work, college and school.

Breaking down barriersCreating a high quality cycling infrastructureacross the region will play a key role inaddressing the health and well-being of

residents, particularly the 150,000 peopleliving in the most deprived areas of Leeds andBradford, Leonard believes. “Many of the communities in direct

proximity to the superhighway are those whoexperience the worst health. They are mostlikely to be inactive and historically the mostdifficult to engage with.”The CityConnect project would link with

existing and new public health strategies andprogrammes. “We will develop newpartnerships, including those in health,business and the third sector to promote,encourage and support cycling. We willparticularly focus on those people who aremost likely to benefit from cycling. We willseek a greater understanding of those barriersidentified by our target communities andgroups and collaborate with partners to resolvethose barriers.”The project will link up with the West

Yorkshire Local Transport Plan’s programme ofmulti-modal information, together with thedevelopment of smart cards. “We will tap intoWest Yorkshire’s well-developed hubs strategy,focused around centres of social andeconomic activity,” explains Leonard. “Thissupports the provision of information, parkingand other facilities, and aids interchangebetween modes.”The strategy incorporates the West Yorkshire

Travel Plan Network, which covers 200employers, along with training initiativego:cycling and the Access to Educationproject, both financed by the LocalSustainable Transport Fund (LSTF).For more information, or to have your say, visit:www.cyclecityconnect.co.uk or [email protected]

17

STRATEGYgetbritaincycling.net

The great north cycle routeAs Yorkshire prepares to host the opening stages of the Tour de France, plans for a Cycle Superhighway are taking shape. Ginny Leonard reports

The Cycle Superhighway is a 23km track that will run from Bradford to East Leeds


Cycle-rail is the largest single generatorof new cycle journeys across the UK,and it is a trend that is continuing togrow. The number of cycle rail

journeys has jumped from 25.2m in 2008 to39.1m in 2012. And since 2008 the number ofcycle parking spaces on the UK rail networkhas more than doubled from 23,441 to 53,333and by the end of 2015 is set to increasefurther to 68,996 spaces. This growth is largely due to the Cycle-rail

Working Group (CRWG). In February the railindustry awarded the group the Rail BusinessAward for Integrated Transport Excellence inrecognition of this work.The CRWG is a cross-industry working

group, chaired by Phillip Darnton of theBicycle Association, with the secretariat rolefulfilled by ATOC. Group members include:ATOC, Network Rail, Transport for London(TfL), Department for Transport (DfT),Passenger Transport Executive Group (pteg),Passenger Focus, Rail Safety and StandardsBoard (RSSB), English Heritage and the UKCycling Alliance, represented by Sustrans.

Flagship hub schemesThis new level of activity in delivering facilitiesfor cyclists started in 2008 with a pilot schemecalled ‘Bike N Ride’, a £4.5m programmeinvolving four train operating companies(TOCs): MerseyRail, Northern, South WestTrains and Virgin. The companies madeimprovements at 178 rail stations, creatingmore than 4,000 new cycle parking spacesand 310 hire cycles. Since 2008 the CRWGand TOCs, with their partner organisations,have doubled cycle parking at rail stations,increasing cycle-rail journeys from 25.2m to39.1m a year between 2008 and 2012.Through partnership working, the CRWG has

leveraged funding and is investing £30m inschemes. This takes into account the DfT’sfunded schemes managed by ATOC, TfL,Network Rail and the TOC schemes to assistcyclists. The joint schemes will produce nearly19,000 new cycle parking spaces at stationsand more than 1,500 hire cycles.

Many of these facilities will provide cyclehubs with additional facilities, such asmaintenance/repairs, retail outlets and securevalet parking. The funding provided will createflagship cycle hub schemes at Cambridge,Chelmsford, Brighton, Sheffield and manymore. The outcome of Bike N Ride and otherprogrammes will improve cycle facilities ataround one-fifth of all railway stations.

St Albans City Station is a prime example; ithas seen a cumulative increase in cycleparking facilities and currently has the highestnumber of cycle parking spaces in the UK, at1,150. In 2012/13 some 8% of passengersaccessed the station by bicycle, well above thenational average of 2.6%. TOCs are alsoexperimenting with different forms of cycle hireat stations, with two of the largest schemesbeing ‘Bike & Go’ and Brompton Dock. Meanwhile, Bike & Go has been rolled out at

50 stations. The Abellio scheme uses a moretraditional Dutch style bike, adapted with aseven gears to allow it to be used in all UKgeographical areas. The scheme is active instations across the Northern Rail, Merseyrailand Abellio Greater Anglia networks.These new cycle hire facilities have yet to

see the rapid uptake of cycle parking, but mostof the Brompton Docks and Bike & Go facilitieshave not been operational for long. But thisshould change once the concept of cycle hireat stations becomes more established.

Guiding the wayThe CRWG provides support, guidance andadvice to TOCs and local authorities to ensurethe quality of cycle-rail facilities are beingimplemented in a consistent fashion. Its 60-page Cycle-Rail Toolkit offers

invaluable guidance on the provision of cycle-rail facilities on Britain’s railways. Over thenext few years the guide will ensure a highquality and consistent approach acrosshundreds of cycle-rail schemes, providingfacilities for tens of thousands of cycle-railpassengers across the UK. Other work includes the addition of cycle-rail

information into the National Rail Enquiriesmobile app. The app will indicate the level ofcycle facilities at stations, including parkingand hire, and also inform passengers of thecycle carriage rules of each train on theirjourney. This will revolutionise the level ofinformation at the disposal of the cycle-railpassenger.The CRWG is continuing its work with

rolling stock manufacturers to ensure thatnew and refurbished rolling stock adequatelyallows the carriage of cycles. It will alsocontinue to explore wider areas of cycle-railprovision, and is working with the DfT toensure that future franchises take intoaccount the needs of cyclists.Conrad Haigh is head of integrated transportat [email protected]

19

CYCLE–RAILgetbritaincycling.net

St Albans City Station has the highest number of cycle parking spaces in the UK, at 1,150

Around £30m of investment in cycle parking at rail stations is transformingthe way passengers access the railway, reports Conrad Haigh

Bikes and railgo together

MA

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GBC_p19_ATOC_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p19 11/04/2014 11:50

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In last year’s Get Britain Cycling, I wrote about the importance of UKpractitioners getting out more, and I’m sure you’d like to know that Ipractice what I preach. In the past year, our whole (small) companyspent a total of ten days on study tours of Amsterdam, Copenhagen,

Utrecht, Bristol, Coventry, Poynton (Cheshire), and parts of London,meeting local practitioners wherever possible. This, in my view, is realcontinuing professional development.Over the past year, I was also commissioned (with consultant Phil

Jones) to visit a number of cities on behalf of Transport for London (TfL)as part of a cycling infrastructure best practice study. I went to Berlin,Brighton & Hove, Munich, Seville, Stockholm and Utrecht (again), whilePhil visited Cambridge, Dublin, Malmo & Lund, Minneapolis, Nantesand New York.Turning all that we learned into a report that was concise yet

comprehensive enough to be of value to TfL and other UK practitionershas proved quite a task. I sometimes think it can be good to forget aboutdetail for a moment and try to simply get a few key points clear in ourheads. This is the task I’ve set myself here, and I start by remindingmyself of an excellent, succinct account that Utrecht has prepared ofhow it goes about making good provision for cycling on every kind ofstreet (check our TfL study report for details). It encompasses each ofthe four factors listed in the headline.

SpaceFirstly, space for cycling needs to be space for cycling. We can (and do)argue about how best to secure that space, but if we decide thatdedicated space for cycling is needed, then it better be (a) fit forpurpose and (b) available for use. Too much ‘space for cycling’ in theUK is too narrow and, in practice, often mainly space for legal or illegalparking, for broken glass and for drainage gullies.But in Berlin and Munich, for example, I was struck by how

comfortable I felt while cycling even in space that was protected bynothing more than a strip of paint. The lanes were appropriately wide,with on the nearside, kerbside parking which allowed a ‘dooring zone’buffer strip and, on the offside, an adequately wide traffic lane on theoffside. This layout means that only vehicles manoeuvring at slow speedinto or out of the parking bays encroach.

Now, I’m fully aware that other layouts deliver higher levels ofsubjective safety for cyclists, but a 15% cycle mode share in a city ofover 3.5m inhabitants is not to be sniffed at by UK cities. Sadly, though fairly, separation by paint is discredited in this country.

But other simple forms of securing space – like ‘Armadillos’, trafficseparators made from recycled PVC – are increasingly popular. These,too, can and have been criticised for not being as good as steppedtracks; although I have amassed quite a photo library of Dutch andDanish motor vehicles parked in such tracks. However, it’s not mypurpose here to debate different forms of separation; simply to state thatspace for cycling should be just that.

SpeedIn some situations it’s simply not practical to provide dedicated space forcycling. But cities with high cycling levels don’t simply throw up theirhands in despair and let cyclists ride on the footways. They deal with thechallenge by pursuing what is the second item in the UK’s oft-derided‘Hierarchy of Provision’ (HoP): traffic speed reduction.The reason that the HoP (see Local Transport Note 2/08 – Cycle

Infrastructure Design) is held in low regard by many is that, in practice,the items highest in the list are filed under ‘too hard’ and other, lessermeasures pursued. Not so in cities serious about cycling. In this regard, it’s encouraging that the spread of 20mph as the

default speed limit for urban streets in UK cities is gathering pace(though often with strong opposition). Reducing traffic speeds saveslives and serious injuries. This is not only common sense, it’s actuallyone of the very few facts that research in the field of highway safety hasproven beyond doubt. However, speed reduction on its own is notgenerally considered to be sufficient to deliver adequately safer cyclingon space-constrained streets. Most mature cycling cities also seek topursue the item that’s at the top of our Hierarchy of Provision.

Volume‘Traffic Volume Reduction’ is where UK practice often hits the buffers.We can just about sell the idea of lower speeds, but when we’re asked toreduce traffic flow – even on just one or two streets – we tend to put ourheads in our hands or phone in sick. But this is what other cities havedone in order to make cycling much more attractive.Dutch ‘Fietsstraten’ and German ‘Fahrradstrassen’ (bicycle streets)

are defined by a combination of low traffic speeds and flows – and theyare among some of the most comfortable places you could wish to cyclein. And before you trot out an “It’ll never happen here” or “Look, I’m arealist” response, reducing traffic flow is at the heart of the success thatplaces like Cambridge and the London Borough of Hackney have had inincreasing cycling levels. Their respective 32% and 15% journey-to-work cycle mode shares has been founded, to a large extent, on ‘filteringpermeability’ or, in other words, on closing streets to general traffic butallowing walking and cycling. This gives cycling a competitive advantagein terms of journey directness and, of course, creates quieter streets tocycle on. With the support of local residents it can be done.

Space, speed, volumeand continuityFour key elements need to be addressedif we are really to get Britain cycling,writes John Dales

Space for cycling: A new cycle lane in Munich –created from a former traffic lane

In some situations, it’s simply not practicalto provide dedicated space for cycling. Butcities with high cycling levels don’t justthrow up their hands in despair and letcyclists ride on the footwaysJohn Dales

GBC_p20-21_Dales_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p20-21 14/04/2014 10:02

Continuity“A chain’s only as strong as its weakest link” is a saying that’s no lesstrue for being so familiar. I found a striking example of cyclinginfrastructure based on this principle in Seville in Spain, where the citybuilt an average of 500m of fully segregated cycle track every week forfour years from 2006 to 2010. As you might imagine, the build quality isnot always of the Rolls-Royce variety, but the simplicity and continuity ofthe network created is truly something to admire. The city now has aconnected network of bi-directional tracks that run on one side or theother of almost all its busiest streets, the space having been takenlargely from moving or parked vehicles. The simple, one-sided approach is extended to junctions and this

means, for example, that if you want to go from 6 o’clock on a

roundabout to 3 o’clock, you may sometimes have to travel the long wayround via 9 o’clock and 12 o’clock to get to your exit arm. But you willalways have a well-protected track on which to do so. Cycle flows inSeville have increased markedly since the tracks were built, and it’s easyto see why.So there you have it: a whistle-stop tour through some of the key

factors that affect how much cycling you get. They should be obvious,but some of the latest UK ‘cycling-friendly’ measures indicate that theyhaven’t penetrated deeply enough into our practice yet. At the risk ofrepeating myself, the more we see and experience what others havedone successfully to get their people cycling, the more we’re likely to getours doing so, too.John Dales is director of Urban [email protected]

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OPINIONgetbritaincycling.net

A Fietsstraat in Utrecht: Low traffic speeds and volumes Continuity in Seville: The green ribbon may occasionally take the scenic route, but it doesn’t break

GBC_p20-21_Dales_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p20-21 14/04/2014 10:02

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Left hooks are one of the main causes ofserious injuries and deaths to cyclists,especially at major junctions. Theproblem usually occurs when a faster

moving vehicle overtakes a slower movingcyclist on the approach to a junction, withdrivers under-estimating the distance requiredto overtake safely. Left hooks also occur when a cyclist pulls

into the outside lane without realising how fastthe vehicle behind is approaching. But,regardless of who is at fault, the underlyingproblem is the same: drivers turning leftconflict with cyclists going straight ahead.Right hooks are more likely to happen at

uncontrolled junctions. At major junctions,right turners usually wait in a separate queuewith their own green phase; they are not inconflict with other movements.

Speed differentialsSo, why are left hooks such a problem? AsDiagram 1 shows, at some point the cyclist andthe driver have to swap road positions. Thesignificant differential in their speeds makesaccidents inevitable due to conventionaljunction design in the UK. Conventional designs in the UK offer no

protection from left hooks. Advance stop linesare worse than useless when lights are green –which is when left hooks occur. On majorroads the risk is exacerbated by junctiongeometry, which encourages drivers to turn lefttoo fast. Multiple ahead or left lanes can result

in aggressive and competitive driving,increasing risk. Cyclists are expected to have the skills and

split-second timing to always make the rightdecision while looking the wrong way. Accidentresearch has found that victims of left hooksare often experienced cyclists, not novices, asmight be expected. There has been a tendency to blame lorry

drivers rather than poor junction design, but itshould be noted that more cyclists are hit bycars than HGVs. Some think that ‘early start’systems help make junctions safer for cyclists.On the contrary, they are dangerous as theylull cyclists into a false sense of security; with‘safe’ green phases, the middle and tail of thecycle queue is exposed to exactly the sameleft hook risks.There are 650 killed or serious injury

incidents (KSIs) involving cyclists every year in

London alone – and the number is muchhigher nationwide. This would be unacceptableon any other mode of transport.

Separation is safestA safer option would involve the earlyseparation of vehicles into ‘straight ahead only’lanes and ‘left turn’ lanes. There would beseparate, non-overlapping, green phases fordrivers going ahead or left, and separate lightsfor cyclists, with segregated kerbside ‘cycleonly’ lanes up to junctions.As Diagram 2 shows, if left-turners are held

at red, with a separate green phase, thenthere is no need for cyclists and left-turners toswap road positions. All cyclists can stay in thesafe left-hand kerbside lane throughout.Cyclists will then be able to go ahead safely atthe same time as straight-ahead drivers, whoare not in conflict with cyclists, with no risk ofleft hooks. This also means that cyclists will get the

same ‘green time’ as drivers rather than theshort ‘cycle only’ phase. Pedestrians will alsoget longer green phases, and will be able tocross at the same time, which should meanthere is no need for two-phase pelicans – theyshould only have to wait once.Left-turning traffic can share the same

green phase as opposing right-turners as theyare not in conflict (Diagram 3). Queues will beno worse as a result of this reconfiguration asdrivers will not lose any green time to ‘cycleonly’ phases, nor ‘pedestrian only’ phases,which will be redundant.Major junctions are often configured so that

just one of the four arms is green at a time.Left, right and straight on traffic all go together– this will change so that opposite flows aregreen at the same time. First, both north and south ‘ahead only’

lanes go together. Then both north and south‘left only’ lanes go together at the same timeas their opposing east and west right turns.This means the number of phases remains thesame.

The right approachCyclists should be protected by a segregated‘cycle only’ track to enable them to reach thelights safely. Left and straight ahead trafficshould be physically segregated to prevent lastsecond lane changing. Left turning cyclists may not need to be

controlled by lights, but must give way to

Calling time on‘left hooks’Practical adjustments at major junctions would eliminate the risk posed to cyclists by left-turning vehicles without delaying traffic, writes Rik Andrew

There has been atendency to blame lorrydrivers rather than poorjunction design, but itshould be noted that morecyclists are hit by carsthan HGVsRik Andrew

Diagram 1: Current situation

GBC_p22-23_Left Hooks_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p22-23 11/04/2014 12:06

crossing pedestrians. Right turning cyclistsshould make a two-stage right turn – ashappens in Denmark. This design will work at any major crossroad

or T-junction, provided there is sufficient spaceto separate left-turners and straight aheadtraffic early. It will not be applicable on narrowsecondary roads where left and straight aheadtraffic share the same lane. Many majorjunctions already have three lanes, so theremay be no need to alter the layout. It might justbe a case of installing signs to warn drivers toselect the correct lane early and then stick toit, which is good practice. It is not always possible, nor necessary, to

apply this solution to all junction arms.Sometimes just one or two directions are highrisk; but eliminating those left hooks isworthwhile.

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DESIGNgetbritaincycling.net

Cyclists are expected tohave the skills and split-second timing to alwaysmake the right decisionwhile looking the wrongway. Accident researchhas found that victims of left hooks are oftenexperienced cyclists, not novicesRik Andrew

Making space • Move the centreline across. Usually just oneexit lane is necessary, but many junctionshave two exit lanes, which encourages overand undertaking.

• Ban right (or left) turns so less lanes areneeded; drivers can often use alternativesroutes.

• Remove or minimise central reservations &islands. They should no longer be neededfor two-phase pedestrian crossings.

• This is not a solution for roundabouts, butshould apply when they are removed.

Rik Andrew is an independent consultant whohas specialised in cycling and walkinginfrastructure since 1997. Since January 2012he has focussed on junction safety [email protected]

Diagram 2: Phase 1 for drivers, cycles and walkers (N-S) Diagram 3: Phase 2 turning traffic

GBC_p22-23_Left Hooks_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p22-23 11/04/2014 12:06

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As the recent spate of road incidents inthe capital proves, supposedly ‘safe’cycle lanes can no longer be reliedupon to ensure the safety of cyclists

on their daily commute. But a traffic separatorfrom Cyclehoop called the ‘Armadillo’ offers asolution by preventing vehicles from enteringcycle lanes and London’s CycleSuperhighways. The Armadillo is a robust reflective

separator, which gives cyclists the flexibility toweave in and out of lanes while keeping carsexactly where they should be. The notion thatcycle lanes have created a false sense ofsecurity within the cycling community is an on-going debate. Mayor Boris Johnson expressedhis future vision that London is to become a“cyclised city”. With more cyclists on the road,surely efforts to increase their safety should betaken seriously.

Camden’s low cost solutionThe London Borough of Camden has beenpioneering the use of Armadillos in the UK. InAugust 2013 the council installed theArmadillos and planters along Royal CollegeStreet in Camden Town. The full cost of theArmadillos and the planters was £67,000, saysthe council. Since the scheme beganoperating, there has been a 49% rise incyclists on the route while traffic speed hasgone down by up to 21%, the council reports.It says that, unlike kerbs, the separators arenot seen as a barrier for pedestrians crossingthe street. Cycle safety issues have been unfortunately

common in Camden, specifically in the RoyalCollege street area. There have been, onaverage, one serious and two minor incidentsinvolving cars and cyclists each year. Since theinstallation of the Armadillos in the area thishas dropped to zero.Data from incidents along the route

indicated that drivers were not expectingcyclists to be travelling in both directions onone side of the street. There were also anumber of accidents with vehicles turning intoand out of side streets not anticipatingcontraflow cyclists.A Camden council spokesman says that the

initial results from the Royal College Streetscheme have been “very encouraging”. Thecouncil now plans to extend the project to thenorth of Kentish Town, to the south of StPancras, the west of Regents Street and to theeast of Kings Cross.

Following the success of Camden’s scheme,Southwark, Hounslow and Ealing Councilshave all requested to trial the Armadillos with aview to installing them next year. One majorbenefit for these local authorities is the level ofimprovement in safety for cyclists by creating20mph speed zones. Speed is a huge factor inroad collisions.

Trials underwayColas Volker Highways is an integratedhighways service provider operating acrossLondon and the South of England. It managesseveral local authorities as well as theproposed Cycle Superhighway developmentson behalf of Transport for London (TfL). In a bid to transform London’s streets for the

better, the firm aims to work with severalorganisations including Cyclehoop, and hasproposed a trial of our traffic separator. Thepotential partnership with Colas isencouraging, especially as this will not onlyimprove cycling conditions for people whoalready commute by bike, but will also help toencourage new cyclists.Elsewhere, Salford City Council has already

trialled them in two 30mph areas to segregatethe cycle lane from the roads. Transportationengineer for Salford City Council, Lee Evans,says: “Armadillos are performing well. Recentvideos proved how effective they were atkeeping vehicles out of cycle lanes. We intendto roll them out onto further cycle lanes in thefuture.”Meanwhile, another 38 councils have

requested the Armadillo to be installed.Armadillos were first installed eight years ago

in Barcelona. Since then over 100,000 of theunits have successfully been installed in 15cities across Spain, the USA and the UK.Anthony Lau, managing director for

Cyclehoop, says: “This is a low cost, highlyeffective method of providing cycle safety. Thedemand is increasing as word spreads, safetyfor cyclists has always been at the forefront ofall that we do.”Habib Khan is Cylehoop’s sales and [email protected]

Armadillos areperforming well.We intend to rollthem out ontofurther cycle lanesin the futureLee Evans,Salford City Council

Adopt an ArmadilloTraffic separators madefrom recycled PVC offer aneffective and affordableway of providing saferoutes for cyclists, saysCyclehoop’s Habib Khan

Armadillos are used to segregate cycle lanes in Barcelona

Armadillos andplanters have been

installed on RoyalCollege Street in

Camden Town

GBC_p24_Cyclehoop_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p24 11/04/2014 12:10

During a visit to London, Leeds andManchester last December we werestruck by the high level of interest increating more bicycle-friendly

communities. But we also observed significantbarriers in perspective and approach thatcould hinder the UK cycling transformationmany are looking for. In New York we have seen annual counts of

bicycle traffic increase by two-and-a-half timessince 2006, and massive usage and demandfor CitiBike, the bike-share system launched inMay 2013. Much of this success – as well asongoing demand for additional bike-friendlystreets and CitiBike expansion – has beendriven by implementation of an extensivebicycle lane network. These dramatic increases have taken place

without any increase in cycling injury andfatalities, so that the rate of injuries per biketrip has plunged by 75%.Urban areas in the UK have the raw

ingredients – density, high public transportusage and relatively low car ownership –needed to become world class cycling cities.How can they accomplish this? For starters, planning for cycling needs to

look beyond the ‘design cyclist’ archetype whois willing to cover tens of miles per journey. Toincrease cycling for practical transport andrecreation, there is a need to plan for themajority who would be interested in cycling ifsafer options existed. These potential cyclistsare characterised by an unwillingness to takeon fast, high-volume car traffic withoutprotection, a tendency toward short, local tripsand a desire for interconnected infrastructure. In fact, the 2011 Census of England and

Wales shows that nearly three-quarters ofpeople cycling to work make trips under 5km,and about 90% ride less than 10km.

Connectivity within local networks is critical.Bike lanes must link with each other and servedestinations people want to reach. Newer, lessnimble riders need to be clearly guided to getto the next bike lane. But not all streets needthe same intensity of treatment. In New Yorkwe put the most robust, protected lanes onheavily trafficked avenues and connect themwith less intensive treatments on small, calmerstreets. Creating good networks in focusedareas can generate new cycling trips andminimise crashes which, in turn, buildssupport for more ambitious future strategies. One of the most innovative aspects of New

York’s cycling transformation is the speed ofimplementation. Where UK conversationsabout cycle-friendly streets focus heavily onconstruction projects and scarce resources,New York's mode of change has reliedprimarily upon street markings and regulationto spatially re-arrange city streets. This haspaved the way for real networks rather than aseries of isolated ‘facilities’. It should be possible to develop similar

inexpensive ‘overnight’ projects in the UK. Ifthere are aesthetic objections to the use ofpaint and temporary materials, capital projectscan later make them permanent and moreattractive. In the meantime, local authoritieswill have proven the idea and provided anexpanded, improved cycling network. InLondon, we saw several examples of quicklyimplemented protected bike lanes – one onRoyal College Street in Camden and anotheron Hanover Street in the West End. Theseexamples can and should be replicated on alarge scale. Just as stranded facilities will not lead to

more cycling, bike-friendly streets are hard toforge in a design vacuum. Streets that arehostile to pedestrians are more difficult to

retrofit for cycling because they are sothoroughly engineered for speeding traffic. Somany British streets – even in city centres –include pedestrian fencing, two-stage footcrossings and numerous slip lanes atintersections. These features increase vehiclespeed and make streets less inviting to people.New York and increasing numbers of otherAmerican cities now embrace a ‘completestreets’ philosophy that accommodates allstreet users, with emphasis on pedestrians andcyclists. The resultant designs keep car trafficmoving, but not at dangerous speeds. Finally, many cities have looked to bike-

share systems to jump-start cycling. NewYork's experience suggests that bike share bestunlocks cycling’s potential if significant bicycleinfrastructure is already in place. Demand forCitiBike in New York – 96,000 annualmembers and 5 million trips in five months –was built on a foundation of 350 miles of bikelanes added since 2007, including 30 miles ofprotected lanes in the heart of the city. Heavyuse of CitiBike has become a normalisingforce. New Yorkers who don't think ofthemselves as cyclists jump on when it isconvenient, navigating the central city on arobust cycling network. Half of these annualsubscribers don’t currently own a bicycle. Complaints that streets in British cities and

towns are too narrow and irregular to easilybecome ‘complete streets’ miss a key point;creating pedestrian and cyclist-friendly streetsis a public policy decision, not simply a matterof engineering. If Amsterdam with its small,twisty streets can be one of the world’s bikecapitals, British cities can become safe andinviting for cyclists as well. Paris is a greatexample of an historic city that has becomemuch more accommodating to cyclists in ashort time. New York’s rapid transformationinto a cycling city is as much a story ofenlightened policy and determined leadershipas it is one of design innovation. Jon Orcutt and Kate Fillin-Yeh are officials fromthe New York City Department of Transportation

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Jon Orcutt and Kate Fillin-Yeh explain how a range ofinnovative but inexpensive measures have transformedcycling in New York

Riding high in the Big Apple

New York has relied primarilyon street markings and

regulation to spatially re-arrange city streets

GBC_p25_Citibike_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p25 11/04/2014 12:12

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Provision of cycling facilities is often presented as an engineeringchallenge. However, the real challenge lies not in engineeringbut in politics. Although local authorities want to ‘do something’for cycling, creating the step-change required for a true cycling

revolution requires some painful political decisions. In promoting cycling, via soft or hard measures, we are trying to

change the long-established and ingrained travel habits of society. That’sno easy task at the best of times, but when one is flying in the face of 50years of planning for ever-increasing motor traffic growth, the situationcan seem intractable. However, the good news is that progress is beingmade, slowly but surely. Each step to get more people cycling producesmore voting citizens who support cycling measures. Hopefully, the cumulative effect of all the cycling schemes and

initiatives we are currently seeing will reach a critical ‘tipping point’ thatwill make gaining the political justification easier, and encourage ourpolitical representatives to take up the cause with greater vigour.

Improving designWe often encounter the argument that it is physically difficult to re-allocate roadspace for cyclists. And yet it is clear that certain roadfeatures, if not actually superfluous, use space inefficiently. For example,right-turn pockets laid out with very wide central hatching often cater forlow volume turning movements into side streets or residential roads.They appear to be installed not because of any great need but becausethere happened to be space for them. The trouble is that if you thensuggest removing these right-turns, you face opposition on the groundsthey are being used, which is a bit of circular reasoning. Even where turning movements are heavier, if there is a good case for

re-allocating roadspace for cycling then there may well be ways ofmanaging the traffic by re-routing.Of course, there are simple but effective ways of catering for cyclists.

Perhaps the most well-known are the so-called ‘filtered permeability’measures, much used in the Netherlands but less systematically in theUK. This is basically traffic management that allows pedestrians andcyclists on all streets but through motor traffic only on designatedstreets. This still allows local access for all vehicles but prevents ‘rat-running’. The techniques used can involve simple barriers, but betterschemes use landscaping to enhance the neighbourhood.

Light segregation‘Light segregation’ methods can also be very effective, most notably the‘Armadillo’, made from recycled PVC, that has been successfullyinstalled in the London Borough of Camden. This is a quick, cheap andeffective way of creating space that people can feel more comfortablecycling in. If the facility proves popular, it can be made more permanentin due course, and adjustments can be made to get the best alignmentwithout having to incur the costs of full-scale highway works.What makes the argument for such measures all the more compelling

is growing evidence that motorised traffic is levelling off, and there ispotential to manage a fall in demand. Falling traffic levels have beenobserved in mature, industrialised countries, including the UK.

Traffic evaporationAuthorities need to recognise the phenomenon of ‘traffic evaporation’,which indicates that the volume of traffic is not fixed like a liquid in apipe, but adapts to changing circumstances. This makes sense asdrivers have shown themselves able to respond to changes, even to theextent of not travelling if necessary. Each time a street has to be dug up by a utility company or as part of

a road maintenance programme, an ‘unofficial’ experiment is being

conducted in traffic evaporation due the reduction in roadspace. InLondon there are often incidents on major arterial roads where part oreven the whole road has to be closed, typically due to burst water mains.Initially, there may be traffic snarl-ups, but it doesn’t take long for trafficto adjust to the circumstances. This phenomenon can be harnessed toactively manage traffic, an excellent example being the trafficmanagement used successfully during the 2012 London Olympics.So, to suggest that it isn’t practicable to re-allocate space for cycling is

debatable. Highway authorities will find the room for cycling when it isseen as a ‘serious’ mode of transport.Major transport projects such as HS2 and Crossrail warrant vast

infrastructure schemes with huge budgets, so it intuitively seems thatthey are ‘serious’ projects. The trouble is, a few cycle lanes don’t looklike a major social benefit at first glance. The positive impact theyrepresent has to be learnt and understood. Yet cycling, as we all shouldknow, offers benefits of momentous importance: not only in terms oftransport congestion and environmental benefit but in terms of healthcosts and, dare I say, social justice. When you factor in the accruedsocial benefits from all this, which are probably incalculable, cyclingleaves other forms of transport trailing behind in the dust! Philip Loy is a senior engineer and cycling consultant at Project Centre [email protected]

The quest for space

Road features, such as right-turn pockets laid out with wide central hatching, are often unnecessary

Modal filters allow access to bikes while stopping rat-running

The 2012 Olympics proved it is possible to effectively re-allocate road space

There is a strong case for re-allocatingroad space for cycling, but obstacles willremain until the political ‘tipping point’ isreached, says Philip Loy

GBC_p26_Loy_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p26 11/04/2014 12:14

For cycling there are four main areas ofinfrastructure that are needed: saferdirect routes; secure cycle parking;public bikes in town centres; and

integrating bikes with public transport. Thismeans the ability to carry bikes everywhere – ontrains, trams, buses, ferries, and even taxis andplanes, if needed.

Bikes on buses The obvious ‘missing link’ here is buses – mostjourneys are not very long, and buses and bikescould be a great combination. This is finallybeing addressed in the UK with several newinnovative bike and bus schemes. The cheapest and simplest solution is to allow

bikes inside normal buses. This is often possible,but there are health & safety issues, capacityproblems, and the obvious problem of mixingcommuters and dirty, greasy bikes with oilychains inside a crowded bus. Some places aremodifying the interiors of buses, for example, theIsle of Wight, but this is an expensive solution, aswell as reducing seating capacity. The alternative is outside the bus, as is

widespread in the US, Canada, New Zealandand Australia, where bus racks on the front arenow almost standard. In the UK, the largest scheme is for

Nottingham University, where all 10 busesrunning their Hopper services now have a newtwo-bike bus rack available, mounted on therear. The university first installed six bus racks in2010, and these have proved to be popular,quick, safe and easy to use that they werespecified when the service was re-tendered andawarded to Nottingham City Transport. The 10racks are installed on a variety of single anddouble-decker buses, running across the city to

the various campuses and halls of residences. Nottingham has found that the bus racks are

used by a wide variety of users, ranging fromstudents and staff commuting regularly tooccasional users who only use the racks if theweather changes, they have a problem, or theirplans change suddenly. The bus rack clearlyprovides re-assurance that users can always gethome with their bikes. A second new UK scheme is on the services

to DSTL, a large employer site on Portsdown Hilljust to the north of Portsmouth. This high-techdefence research and development company islocated in an old fort at the top of a long anddifficult hill. The buses serving the site collectstaff from a wide catchment area. The bus racksallow users to integrate bikes and buses easily,and choose when they cycle in. Private hire company Lucketts of Fareham

operate the commuter services and they havehad no problems or issues with the three busracks fitted on the rear of their buses. At the moment bus racks have only been

fitted to the rear of buses in the UK, as stipulatedby the Department for Transport (DfT). However,the racks were designed for the fronts of buses,and fitting them to the rear does create otherissues, such as the need for more surveillancevia a CCTV camera fitted outside the bus, asecondary number plate, security etc. Moredetails about the racks and recent schemes canbe found at: www.BikesOnBuses.com

Bike lockersCycle-Works introduced the first bike lockers intothe UK in 1996, working with Hampshire CountyCouncil under the £2m Cycle-Projects fund.After installing lockers successfully all aroundthe UK, Cycle-Works designed and patented

their unique Velo-Safe locker five years ago.These are wedge shaped to fit into corners,circles, in a straight line, back to back, or inpairs down a corridor. Velo-Safe lockers are verystrong and well made, and various lockingoptions are available, including electronic accessand the ability to link up to some existing accesscontrol systems. They are the only bike lockers to be tested

and approved as security cabinets by securityproduct assessor Sold Secure. The lockers are ideal for large institutions with

‘open access’ sites, like hospitals anduniversities. Many sites start with a smallnumber, but soon get to 40 or 50, as they aredemanded by cyclists unhappy with a ‘Sheffield’,even in a locked compound.www.cycle-works.com

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Working in tandemPeter Davenport set up two firms, Cycle-Works and BikesOnBuses, to get morepeople to use sustainable travel. Cycle-Works introduced cycle lockers into the UKin 1996, with the US cycle-safe model. In2003 the firm introduced two-tier racksinto London with the Josta system. Morerecently Cycle-Works introduced Dutchmulti-bike units into the UK, in the Londonborough of Wandsworth, and now has arange of patented bike parking, with manynew models and developments.For many years Davenport has also been

working with the US manufacturers of thebus racks to get them established in theUK, and has demonstrated examples atmany sustainable travel exhibitions andconferences across Europe.

Getting on board

Major infrastructureimprovements are vitalif we are to make moresustainable journeys,writes Peter Davenport

Velo-Safe lockers are wedge-shaped and canfit into tight corners

Above and top right: Bus racks are being used bystudents and staff at Nottingham University

GBC_p27-28_CycleWorks_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p27-28 11/04/2014 13:29

GBC_p27-28_CycleWorks_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p27-28 11/04/2014 13:29

Many cities and towns in the UK areembracing the bicycle as a vitalcomponent of sustainable transportprojects. The Netherlands is often

turned to for guidance about best practice;many want to know the secrets of designingsafe intersections, protected bike lanes androundabouts for cyclists.

It is, however, also important to understandsomething of the society where such designshave been successful. If socio-cultural factorsaren’t considered, then any effort to boostcycling could end up looking like a crudecopy/paste design exercise.

Matter of perceptionThe infrastructure upgrades required in theUK are probably not that different from theDutch model. The real differences precede theactual process of physical transformation.Understanding the Dutch cycling culture andits traffic system can shed light on thosedifferences, and how best practice examplescan be made to work in the UK with the rightsupport and encouragement for both currentriders and beginners.

The main difference between the UK andthe Netherlands revolves around the image ofcycling and who cycles. In countries with lowmode share for cycling, cycling is seldompresented as an obvious and pragmatic modeof transport for people of all backgrounds andages. Advertising campaigns imply that cyclingis a special, maybe even dangerous, activitythat requires special training, clothes, shoesand a helmet for protection.

Conspicuous by their absence are items that

make bikes easy to use in daily life, such askickstands, AXA-locks for quick errands, solidback racks, skirt guards, chain guards andproper lights. In the Netherlands, all thesecome as standard items when you buy a new‘normal’ bicycle.

For the Dutch, cycling is something you justdo, without thinking too much about it. Almosteveryone is a cyclist once in a while, and manyadults are drivers at other times of the week.Trip purposes, number of trips per day andaverage distance per trip vary between thegenders, ages and according to socio-economic factors. The image of who cyclesand what cycling looks like is very diverse.This makes cycling an accepted and positivelyvalued social norm, which allows people to getto the places where they need to go: be thatschool, work, sports club, or social outings.

Some 84% of Dutch people over 18 have apositive opinion on cycling, which is onlyslightly less than the 86% positive opinion onthe car. This image did not appear overnight; itdates back to the first half of the 20th centuryand it was sustained when the popularity andownership of cars grew.

Cycle friendly environmentsThe safe intersections in the Netherlands arean example of how the physical environmentreflects our culture. An important starting pointis to recognise that cyclists are vulnerable andrelatively slow road users, just like pedestrians,and to embed this in the whole process ofdeveloping and ultimately designing routes inour cities, towns and rural areas. As a resultwe create a system where cyclists are

protected from fast traffic. A bicycle is not thesame as a motor vehicle. There is noequivalent to the formal set of rules you haveto adhere to when driving a car.

In the Netherlands these differencesbetween road users, along with the growth ofcar traffic, led to the development of twodifferent traffic systems from the 1970sonwards. There is a specific road networkdedicated to the flow and speed of cars andanother, more finely meshed network for bikeswhere safety is key. Many streets are open toboth cars and bicycles. On these streets it isacknowledged that cyclists are vulnerable, sodrivers have to slow down and adapt.

Since the system is actually inclusive ofcyclists, traffic calming is not only a matter ofputting up 30km signs that motorised trafficwill ignore. Instead, roads are made narrower,with stripes, bumps, planters, sharp turns andother design elements that slow traffic downeffectively.

A major challenge for the UK is how toattract new cyclists prior to full implementationof improved and safer infrastructure.Alongside discussions about design, pilotschemes are needed to figure out who thesepotential cyclists are and how they can beencouraged to take up cycling.

There is a tremendous need for well-orchestrated publicity campaigns that portraycycling as a normal, positive anduncomplicated thing to do. These campaignsmust inspire people to try out cycling and withthat to demand the emergence of more cyclefriendly environments. It won’t be easy but itcan be done.Angela van der Kloof is an international cyclingexpert at Mobycon, a Dutch mobility, traffic andtransport [email protected]

*Translation: Cycling for everybody

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VIEWPOINTgetbritaincycling.net

Those striving to get more people cycling in the UKshould explore why it is seen as a natural activity by most Dutch people, says Angela van der Kloof

Fietsen voor iedereen*

Some 84% ofDutch people over18 have a positiveopinion on cycling

GBC_p29_VanderKloof_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p29 11/04/2014 13:16

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The Netherlands is often cited for itswell-designed cycling infrastructure,but what is never mentioned is thatthey have better bicycles too. This is a

vital missing component in the drive to get theBritish people to use bicycles.You may note my use of the term ‘use

bicycles’ rather than cycle. There is no way todifferentiate in English between different modesof using a bicycle, as there is in the Dutchlanguage. ‘Fietsen’ is the word for everydaybicycling, while anything involving speed iscalled ‘wielrennen’. Off-road cycling, as arecent addition, is left as ‘mountainbiking’. TheDutch will use different bicycles for theseactivities and often own more than one type.The lack of a proper word means ‘cycling’

tends to be associated with ‘sport’ and ‘speed’,and therefore in the minds of non-cyclingpeople with ‘sweat’ and ‘hard work’.For the British public to adopt the bicycle as

an everyday means of transport it needs to bedisassociated from cycling-as-a-sport. Theneed to de-Lycrafy is paramount. Any referenceto successes in the Olympics or in the Tour deFrance should be avoided as it can only put offnon-cyclists. Getting a successful Tour cyclist toencourage more people to use their bicycle totravel to work would provoke derision in theNetherlands.

An upright perspectiveOver the past 30 years the British have eitherstuck to their drop handle tourers or adoptedthe mountainbike as a general bicycle.Meanwhile, the Dutch have been developingtheir bikes to a fantastic standard. How the UKhas completely missed out on thesedevelopments remains a mystery to me.Most bicycles ridden in the Netherlands are

designed and built there as well. About half adozen manufacturers are competing for theirshare of a critical buying public, and this hasdriven them to excellence. The Dutch take it forgranted that their bicycles will come completewith adaptable steering, mudguards,chainguard, stand, lock, carrier and lights, andthat they can choose between men’s, women’sor low-instep models, all in different sizes tosuit their height. They expect their bicycles tolast at least 15 or 20 years, even when leftoutside and without much maintenance. Above all, they expect their bicycle to be

comfortable. Any photograph of people onbikes in the Netherlands will testify to that: theylook relaxed and happy. Conversely, pictures of London cyclists, like

the one on the cover of the last issue of GetBritain Cycling, somehow never convey thesame feeling. The words ‘pain’ and ‘effort’come to mind.

The missing linkEfforts to improve the UK’s cycling infrastructure will be in vainwithout bikes designed for everyday use, argues Berno Brosschot

The image on the cover of thelast Get Britain Cycling broughtto mind the words ‘pain’ and‘effort’, says Berno Brosschot

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The bicycles you usually see in Dutch townsand villages are the traditional backpedal-braking variety, without gears and really onlysuited to that flat country. There is anothervariety that the Dutch use for longer distancecommuting, leisure trips and campingholidays. To the original model they haveadded handbrakes, gears, suspension andlightweight components. However, this has retained the comfortable

upright position. These modern, good-lookingbicycles are called ‘sporthybride’, or ‘hybride’for short. They have no equivalent on theBritish market. There is not even a name forthem, as they do not fit in the usual categoriesof road bike, tourer, mountainbike, city bike orhybrid (that is, the British variety). As they areequally suited to the hills and mountains asthey are to the flat, windy countryside, theDutch take them everywhere they go. Thesebikes would serve as an ideal general bicyclefor British people.

Fit for purposeI have been importing used sport-hybrides fromthe Netherlands since June 2012, to sell in mylocal neighbourhood in the Llyn Peninsula inWales. I take them to small local fairs andfestivals, in schools and village halls, etc. Theoverwhelming response has been one of greatsurprise that a bicycle can be so comfortable,light rolling and easy on the hills, and there isalso admiration that a 10-year-old bicycle canlook as good as new. At these events about 200people have tried out the bikes, and I’ve soldmore than 20. That’s a good response in whatis a relatively poor, sparsely populated area ofwest Wales with plenty of steep hills and hardlyany regular cyclists! Now, if this could betranslated to the rest of Britain…I firmly believe that British people must be

provided with better bikes if they are to startusing bicycles again in greater numbers. I haveoften heard the complaint that the bike boughtlast year has not been used much because itsforward leaning position is uncomfortable,wouldn’t take them up the hills and is nowrusting away in the garden shed. There are too many bicycles on the market

that are of poor quality, have the wrong shapeor are ill-equipped for everyday cycling. Neitherthe public nor the bicycle shops know muchabout other types of bikes or bike-use otherthan mountainbiking or racing. Too often I haveseen bikes sold that are unsuitable or too smallfor the rider. Adjustments are usuallyimpossible or very limited. The public needs to be better educated

about the different types of bikes and what theyshould be used for. It should be far easier tofind suitable bikes for daily cycling. I know ofonly three shops that sells Dutch hybrides. Thenecessary equipment should be standard, notan accessory. It should also be easier for thepublic to find out about available bikes and tocompare them with the help of an independentadvisory and testing body.

Bicycling for the massesThere is a pressing need for the pro-cyclingcampaign to widen its agenda to include thebicycles themselves. I don’t have thewherewithal myself to introduce better bicyclesinto the UK, but I sense a golden opportunityfor someone, somewhere. It would improve the

situation in Britain in various, important ways.Let’s imagine that the Dutch type hybride did

become widely available, allowing ‘bicycling’that did not involve sport and speed. Thiswould result in lots of people cycling in astable, upright position while having a goodview of their surroundings. Cycling traffic intowns would not be as frantic as it currently is.It would lessen hostilities between cyclists andcar drivers because cyclists would not betravelling at the greatest speed possible, andtheir position would enable them to makebetter eye-contact with drivers. The gentlergeneral pace would make it easier for beginnercyclists or elderly people to join in the traffic.With their good range of gears, hills could betackled in comfort. Because of the stability of these bikes there

is no need for helmets, as you are unlikely tofall off. For the less able there are low-instepmodels that make getting on and off the bikeeasier.From an early age, and on through all stages

in life, children in the Netherlands get properlyfitting bicycles, which are safe to ride on theroads. The wobbly affairs that are sold aschildren’s bikes in the UK should be treated astoys, not as a means of transport. Again, weshould be looking at the Dutch models: stylishenough while giving a stable and uprightposition. Dutch children are also fortunate in not

having to depend on school buses. Justsuppose that every child in Britain, say fromthe age of 14, was provided with a real adultDutch type hybride? In the space of a decadethe number of non-cyclists would plummet.The bicycles would easily outlast their schooldays and take them into adulthood.

Steer clear of nostalgiaThe cycling community needs to be persuadedthat the Dutch hybride is the perfect bicycle for

the modern British public. Some change ofperception is necessary, as obsolete and fixedideas about bicycles are widespread.For a start, there is the typical British

obsession with the weight of a bike, and thedisbelief that a fully-equipped bicycle which isa few kilos heavier than their trusty steed canbe a delight to ride, even uphill. By now I’mgetting used to people lifting one of my bikesbefore even trying it, and then expressingsurprise when they do give it a go!Again and again, upright bicycles appear in

magazines photographed in sepia colours anddescribed variously as ‘traditional’, ‘vintage’,and ‘old-fashioned’, only suitable for summerfrocks and tweeds. Even the manufacturersthemselves give their upright bicycles anostalgic golden-oldie look with names like‘Classic’. Somehow, the upright bicycle is not seen as

the real thing, or at most only suitable for levelcity use, like in Cambridge or Amsterdam. Thisshows a lack of understanding of what makes aproper bicycle. The fact is that well-designedupright bicycles can be kitted out with all themodern technology that is nowadays availableand, fitted with a good range of gears, wouldserve very nicely as a multipurpose bicycle.Publications and campaigns that aim to

normalise bicycle use should use pictures ofupright bicycles and not of drop handle racerslike British Cycling does in it’s 10 point plan‘Time to Choose Cycling’. As featured in the lastissue of Get Britain Cycling, Bristol CityCouncil’s Better by Bike poster campaign did agood job of presenting cycling as a joyfulactivity. But even in this case the council hasnot given enough consideration to the bicycleused in the photo; the woman ‘In a BetterWorld’ is riding a bicycle that is a size too smallfor her height, resulting in a cramped position.Unfortunately, this is all too often the case. It is vital that the bicycle itself is included in

any discussion about cycling in the UK. I amnot suggesting that providing high quality,comfortable bikes to the British public is allthat is required. But I am convinced that allthe fantastic improvements in infrastructureyou are fighting for will fail to entice the publicto make regular use of bicycles if they can’tenjoy the ride.Berno Brosschot is a cyclist, furniture maker andwriter from Utrecht, Netherlands, who has livedin Llyn Peninsula, Wales, for the past 25 [email protected]

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VIEWPOINTgetbritaincycling.net

I firmly believe that Britishpeople must be providedwith better bikes if theyare to start using bicyclesagain in greater numbersBerno Brosschot

Berno Brosschot

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GBC_p32-35_AECOM_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p32-35 11/04/2014 13:36

When you visit Amsterdam and Copenhagen it is verynoticeable that cycling is an everyday activity for all, be theyyoung or old, male or female, with citizens riding ordinarybikes in their ordinary clothes. Conversely, in the UK most

cyclists you see are men, many of whom are on expensive sport bikeswith matching clothing. These men are commonly known as MAMIL’s(Middle Aged Men in Lycra). National statistics confirm this, with the National Travel Survey for

2012 revealing the gender split for cycling is 73% male and 27%female. Therefore, one of the key challenges for cycling in Britain is towiden the participation in cycling to include more women, children andpensioners.‘Cycle Chic’ or ‘Bicycle Chic’ has become the term for cycling in

fashionable everyday clothes. While this refers to well-dressed cyclists,it’s really about the bicycle being used for its utility function rather thansolely as a sports related function. In many ways cycle chic representsthe polar opposite to the cycling culture that is symbolised by theMAMIL. It could be argued that the pace of the transition from MAMIL toCycle Chic is representative of the health of the cycling culture. So, howdo we move from the MAMIL to Cycle Chic?

Grand Canal Cycle Route, DublinIn London the ongoing concerns with cycle safety has increased thedemand for more segregated cycle facilities. A study of segregated cycletracks in Dublin indicates that this might have positive impacts on thediversity of cyclists that use the infrastructure provided. There is clearlya link between the type of cycling infrastructure in a city and the genderand age of those cycling. Detailed research into the facilities for cyclists alongside the Grand

Canal Cycle Route in Dublin was carried out by consultant AECOM. Onthe south side of the canal, there are on-road cycle lanes while asegregated cycle track opened on the canal’s north side in 2012. Bothroutes link important cycle radial routes to the primary business districtin a city that has seen a 70% increase in cycling over the last 10 years. The 3.6km segregated two-way, cycle track has signalised crossings

at all junctions it passes through. The route is completely segregatedfrom motorised traffic resulting in a pleasant atmosphere for cycling.While the route is segregated from traffic, the introduction of numeroussignalised crossings does cause delay cyclists during peak periods,which can significantly impact on the journey time.

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ANALYSISgetbritaincycling.net

Lycra Look v. Cycle ChicResearch in Dublin suggests that a wider cross-section of society will only start cyclingonce segregated lanes are installed, say Joe Seymour and Eoin O’Mahony

A traffic light junction alongDublin’s Grand Canal Cycle Route


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Journey times are faster on the on-road cycle lanes on the oppositebank of the canal, but there is much greater interaction with othertraffic. Cyclists can, therefore, choose to use the more comfortable, butslower segregated route, or the on-road facility, which is faster but haslittle or no segregation from motor traffic. ‘Revealed Preference’ surveys were undertaken over a four-week

period in February 2014 and captured the following: volume of users(popularity of route); gender split (male/female); age profile of users (0-20, 20-40, 40-60, 60+); cyclist user types – sports riders, commuters,general utility riders and vulnerable users.It was not possible to capture all the information during each survey.

This meant the size of the datasets varied, but all are sufficientlyrepresentative to be considered statistically significant at the 95%confidence level, with an error margin of lower than 4%. The four cyclist user types are categorised and illustrated below:

Sports riderThese cyclists ride racing bikes and wear aerodynamic/lycra clothing,protective gear (helmet, glasses, gloves), with cycling speeds usuallybetween 20-30 mph.

CommutersThis type of cyclist wears high-visibility clothing and is likely to changeclothing, shower at work, and generally wear helmets. Cycling speedsare usually between 15-20 mph.

General utility ridersThis type of cyclist is characterised by everyday clothing, a more uprightand relaxed body position, and their bike may have a basket. Theygenerally cycle at a leisurely pace of 10-15 mph.

The ‘sports rider’

The ‘commuter cyclist’

The ‘general utility rider’

Graph 1

Graph 2

Graph 3


Vulnerable ridersThis type of cyclist includes school children, older riders and parentscarrying children by bike. The cyclist generally will not overtake andtends to travel at slower speeds of less than 10 mph.

A tale of two routesThe surveys were carried out on both the segregated and on-road cycleroutes, during the midweek morning peak period (8am-10am). Over30% of the daily number of cyclists on each route can be observedduring this two-hour morning period (Graph 1). It was found that over the survey period the segregated cycle track

was the preferred route for most cyclists. The volumes of users observedvaried from 623 users during heavy rain and windy conditions, to 1,032users during dry and calm conditions on the segregated cycle route. The percentage split between the cycle routes, however, remained

largely unaffected by weather. The split between the segregated cycletrack and the on-road cycle lane was 61% to 39% respectively, with anaverage of 862 users on the cycle track compared with an average of549 users on the cycle lane. Therefore, where cyclists have the option tochoose a segregated over an on-road route, the majority will choose thesegregated option (see Graph 2).According to the Irish Central Statistics Office 2011 Census, the

average gender split of cyclists in Dublin City is 72% male against 28%female, which is very close to the UK split. The survey results for the on-road cycle lane along the Grand Canal showed a gender split of femaleusers within the 24-28% range and a 76-72% range for male users.Conversely, the cycle track results showed a female percentage withinthe 33-38% range, with a male percentage within 67%-62%.

Graph 2 illustrates the gender split between the two routes from theentire sample set. This shows that female cyclists prefer to choose theoff-road, segregated cycle route. Since the female percentage (36%)using the track is higher than the overall percentage of female cycliststhroughout the city (28%), this suggests that this type of infrastructuremay assist in addressing the current gender bias.The surveys results show a clear preference for the cycle track among

those aged between 40 and 60. Younger cyclists, in the 20 to 40 yeargroup, are almost evenly split between the segregated and on-roadoption, which is likely to be influenced by the delays experienced alongthe segregated route and the willingness of this age group to mix with

traffic. Graph 3 shows when gender is included in this age assessment, itcan be seen that males in the 20 to 40 age bracket are the only group tochoose the on-road facility over the segregated option.By contrast, Graph 4 shows females aged between 20 and 40 prefer

the cycle track over the on-road cycle lane. Interestingly, younger malecyclists in the 0-20 year age group have a much stronger preference forthe track, while female cyclists in this age group do not feature to anysignificant level in the survey. This is consistent with observations andresearch elsewhere suggesting that younger females are much less likelyto cycle than their male counterparts.As would be expected, commuters are the main type of cycle user

along these routes during the morning peak period, making up 65% ofall users. This user type does show a preference for the on-road cyclefacilities, though a very significant proportion do use the segregatedfacility. It is notable that a very high proportion of utility cyclists use thesegregated facility, suggesting that these users are more averse tomixing with other traffic.The gender of these user types is shown in Graph 5 and 6. An

interesting divide becomes apparent between the sexes, with femalesshowing a preference for the segregated facility in all cases while malecommuters are more inclined to select the on-road cycle lane. Thisindicates that male commuters are less responsive to risk and moresensitive to journey time variation.

Appetite for changeThe study findings demonstrate that the provision of high qualitysegregated cycle infrastructure has the potential to widen participationlevels. Female cyclists and utility cyclists in particular appear to have astrong preference for segregated facilities, even if the journey time islonger. This suggests that the type of infrastructure being provided caninfluence cycling numbers. If there is an appetite to change the male(MAMIL) dominated cycling culture, then provision must be made forthose who have said they would start cycling if segregated lanes wereinstalled. This is supported by observation in many European states thathave a strong mainstream cycling culture.

Joe Seymour is a chartered engineer and regional director with AECOM.He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportationand Engineers Ireland, and has over 19 years experience as atransportation professional. Joe has particular expertise in trafficengineering, having been responsible for the design of in the region of400km of bus priority and cycle schemes and various urban improvementschemes

Eoin O’Mahony is a chartered engineer and associate director withAECOM. His experience includes the design of cycling schemes,development of cycle networks, and research into the understanding ofthe critical success factors for cycling infrastructure. His recent projectexperience includes the Greater Dublin Area Cycle Network Plan, LiffeyCycle Route, and the Dublin to Galway (280km) Cycle Route

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ANALYSISgetbritaincycling.net

‘Vulnerable cyclists’

Graph 4

Graph 5

Graph 6


GBC_p36-37_Marshalls_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p36-37 14/04/2014 11:55

Early in 2013 it became evident to usthat cycling in the UK was undergoinga resurgence, with a huge groundswellof interest in all things bike-related. As

street furniture specialists with Woodhouse,which is part of the Marshalls team, weembarked on a research project to discoverwhat type of cycle infrastructure was bestsuited to the UK. It soon became apparent tous that Denmark was leading the way in termsof best practice so, through the CyclingEmbassy of Denmark, we organised a three-day trip to Copenhagen and Odense in Augustlast summer.We set off on our odyssey with the aim of

establishing what hardscape elements mightbe adopted for use in the UK to support safeand enjoyable cycling for all.

Copenhagen’s chilled cyclistsArriving at lunchtime, we took a stroll aroundthis beautiful city to get our bearings anddiscover a few key landmarks. ThoughCopenhagen is a bustling and vibrant place, itis nowhere near the scale of many major UKcities, and in particular when compared toLondon (population of just 1,215,000 against8,300,000). Most surprisingly of all, you quickly become

aware that cyclists don’t particularly stand outon the streets; no cycle helmets, no high-vis,no lycra to be seen anywhere! And, morereassuring still, no gritted teeth as peoplepedalled confidently into the traffic all aroundthem. In fact, they seemed positively relaxed!These were normal people, in normal clothes,on everyday bikes, simply going about theirdaily business. As we walked the streets, there were plenty

of clues that the cycling population is wellprovided for in terms of infrastructure, witheverything we expected to see in place, such

as segregated cycle lanes, blue paint at roadjunctions, floating bus stops, cyclists’ trafficsignals etc. Yet none of this felt imposed. Onthe contrary, it was woven into the city’s fabricand entirely natural to those using it.

On our bikes in OdenseOdense is Denmark’s third largest city(population 170,000 – similar toBournemouth) and the original National CycleCity from 1999-2002. Cycling in Odense isparticularly popular and well adopted, with amodal share of 25-30%, with an excellenthistory of cycling provision and research intosupporting infrastructure. We found great examples of a bike hire

scheme, which we easily made use of, as wellas an underground high-density parking areanext to the rail station for easy transport links.Our tour of Odense also took in an on-streethub for 1,000 cycles (complete with air pump);and plenty of examples of associated localstreet furniture. Cycleways were well integratedinto shared spaces, with little conflict, whichwas due to a shared awareness and respect ofeach and every user. And there is plenty ofcycle parking, both open and covered,permanent and temporary to allow for the everincreasing numbers anticipated.

Cycling with NielsOur last day started bright and early as we metour host, Niels Hoe of Hoe360Consulting,outside our hotel. Niels is a member of theCycling Embassy of Denmark (www.cycling-embassy.dk), and an internationally recognisedconsultant advisor to cycling projects. Hekindly took us on a tour of the city. Along theway we reviewed many projects (both pilot andcompleted), discussed cycle infrastructureprovision, cycle theft and saw severalinterventions that have made a real difference

to cyclists. Niels’ insights were invaluable andleft us with more questions than answers as webegan to view the city almost as locals!The most striking memory was, perhaps,

associated with the cyclists themselves: ayoung father with his baby strapped into a carseat attached to scaffold planks on the front ofhis tricycle; an elderly Indian gentleman and ayoung lady in hijab. Sights seldom seen on thestreets of London! Our lasting impression was that Denmark’s

success has little to do with the provision of‘things’ and much more to do with thecommitment of those responsible forsupporting this mode of transport as well asthe attitudes of the cyclists themselves.

The key positives we noted were:• The accessibility of cycling to everyone andthe confidence of the cyclists: young/old,male/female throughout a bustling citycentre

• The subtlety and simplicity of provision• The tolerance of Denmark’s car drivers• The all pervading culture of cyclingthroughout everyday life.

So, will Denmark’s success translate to theUK? It’s a hard question to answer and has asmuch to do with resistance from those whomay not even own a bike, as much as thecyclists themselves. Denmark’s cycling-friendlyculture was not created overnight, but hasbeen fully developed and supported bycommitted investment since the early 1980s.Do we have not only the vision, but the staminatoo? The journey starts here…Mike Clay is marketing manager and RomyRawlings design & development director [email protected]@woodhouse.co.uk�

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INTERNATIONALgetbritaincycling.net

A Danish odyssey

Mike Clay and Romy Rawlingsmade some surprising andinspiring discoveries duringa research trip to Denmark

When this cyclist speed indicatorin Copenhagen shows 20 kmh, it

means green lights all the way

Cycling in Odense has amodal share of 24%-30%

IMA

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GBC_p36-37_Marshalls_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p36-37 14/04/2014 11:55

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Repair scheme offersinmates a way out

Inmates gain a City & Guilds Level 2 in cycle mechanicsAt HMP Stocken each trainee mechanic uses a 50-point check sheet when working on the bikes

Abike recycling project in Derby hasdeveloped an enterprising, sociallybeneficial way of providing affordablebikes to those who work, live or study

in the city or travel through it as commuters.The driving force behind the project is a groupof prisoners and ex-offenders who are usingnewly acquired skills to transform neglectedand unloved bikes. They are supported by theBike Back Derby project, run by Life Cycle UK,a charity that transforms lives through cycling. The project, launched last July, is funded by

Derby City Council and forms part of its widerConnected offer, which aims to improvetransport and transport infrastructure.

Back on the roadBikes are donated from a range of sourcesincluding the public, the police, Derby trainstation, university and college campuses andthrough organised donation days held atvarious venues in Derby.The bikes tend to be in a poor state and

require substantial work to make then safe androadworthy. We take the bikes to a Category Cprison, HMP Stocken, where inmates engagedon the project strip the bikes down to theirsmallest nut, bolt and washer and rebuildthem. To refurbish the bikes and get themback on the road, we often need to fit newparts such as saddles, tyres, cables and brakeblocks. Through this work, inmates gain a City& Guilds Level 2 in cycle mechanics.Once refurbished, the bikes are put up for

sale at regular events and venues, such as the

University of Derby’s Keddleston RoadCampus. Bike Back also has a shop at itsworkshop on Canal Street where customerscan select a bike suitable for theirrequirements. Income generated by the projectgoes towards procuring more spares for morerefurbishments.Quality and safety are paramount to the

success of this project, which is why BikeBack has a number of safety checks in place.At HMP Stocken each trainee mechanic usesa 50-point check sheet when working on thebikes. Once the bike is ready, it is double-checked by another trainee and road-testedon the prison grounds. Prior to leaving the prison, the cycle is

checked once more by the workshopinstructor before being passed as safe. On arrival back at the workshop in Derby, a

final examination enables us to correct anyremaining niggles. All bikes are sold with onemonths’ guarantee, which promises to repairany faults free of charge. A full refund wouldbe given if a customer returned a bike thatcouldn’t be repaired, but to date this has nothappened. We believe in good customer careand so offer all our customers discountedrepair prices if the bike was from us.Sometimes, if there are minor problems withthe bike, we aim to repair these free-of-charge.

Positive outcomesThere are many good positive social outcomesin buying a bike from Bike Back Derby. Interms of the environment, we are reusing and

recycling bikes that would otherwise bescrapped. The project is encouraging andenabling people to make a modal shifttowards using a more sustainable transportoption, thus reducing carbon emissions andtraffic/parking congestion in the city. Thehealth benefits are obvious and proven, as arethe financial benefits.We work in partnership with Derby City

Council and all of the Connected partners,such as Sustrans, ITP and Cycle Derby. Oneof our partners, Wheels To Work, can offerbursaries of up to £100 to people wishing totake up cycling as a means to get to work. Asmost of our bikes are around £70, the bursarywill cover the cost of locks and lights.Wheels to Work manager Sandie Abberley

says: “We have found working in partnershipwith Bike Back Derby to be really beneficial tothe clients we are trying to help. The ability toact quickly when someone needs to get towork or training is crucial when jobs are hardto come by, and knowing we can supply agood quality bicycle to someone within acouple of days can make the differencebetween them being able to take a job ornot.” One of the main social outcomes that we

take pride in is in the work we do with HMPStocken and in particular, cutting reoffendingrates. There is a proven correlation betweenemployment and reducing the risk ofreoffending. We provide opportunities forprisoners from C and D Categorised prisons tocome out on day release to sale and Dr Bikeevents in Derby. This gives prisoners valuablework experience and insight into customerservice and how to run a cycle business. Theywork alongside freelance mechanics who ownand run their own businesses. The experienceof being outside of prison provides agraduated release as they near the end of

Prisoners and ex-offenders are playing a key role in a bikerecycling project. In return they are gaining qualificationsand improving their job prospects, writes Jon Hughes

GBC_p38-39_LifeCycle_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p38-39 11/04/2014 13:47

their sentences, which helps them adaptmore quickly to workplace and customerfacing scenarios. We also offer volunteer workplacements for inmates from HMP Stockenafter their release.

A growing industryLife Cycle’s strong working relationship withHMP Stocken is proving mutually beneficial.Life Cycle gets refurbished bikes for thecommunities in Derby and the support ofextra qualified hands on sale and Dr Bikeevents while HMP Stocken gets donated bikesin need of repair, providing meaningful workfor the prisoners. Pete McDonaugh, supervisor at HMP

Stocken’s cycle workshop, says: “Ourpartnership with Bike Back Derby is veryimportant to us. Firstly, being allowed to re-build and repair cycles for the project givesour prisoners a constant supply of purposefulwork. It allows us to deliver industry relevantqualifications that can used to helpemployment prospects on release, and simplybuilds a sense of pride in the quality of workthey produce. “Being able to volunteer to work with the

project once released gives prisonersdirection and an invaluable experienceinteracting with the public, confirming therelevancy of their skills. It also allows them tosee that there is a future for them within thisgrowing industry.”

Business start-upsThe project has resulted in new partnershipsbetween organisations. For example, RobMoon, a senior lecturer in Enterprise andEntrepreneurship at the University of Derby, isworking with HMP Stocken to offer his valuableexperience and advice in a series of talks. Forthose that are engaged on the Bike BackDerby project and who are interested in settingup as self-employed freelance mechanics, thiswill really will make a difference.Rob Moon explains: “I have had the

opportunity to engage with students, graduatesand SMEs who are developing business ideasand new business ventures, offering them apractice based approach to understanding anddeveloping these concepts into a crediblebusiness scenario. “The Bike Back Derby project offers

prisoners the chance of a professionalqualification and, more importantly, real work

experience in cycle mechanics. Setting upsmall businesses or starting out as a soletrader can be complicated, and I hope that myexperience and insights into business start-upwill benefit them by providing a safeopportunity to explore their business idea.“Enterprising and entrepreneurial activity is

a cornerstone of economic growth, and byhelping these prisoners set up businessesthroughout Derby and the East Midlands wecan contribute towards this – a positiveoutcome for everyone.”The project has nearly completed its first

year since starting in July 2013. We alreadyhave met and exceeded all targets set (seetable below). Funding runs until March 2016and potentially beyond. We are continuallylooking for opportunities to make the projectmore sustainable and non-dependent on grantfunding and to provide real employmentprospects for any of our HMP Stockengraduates. The project is offering mobile mechanic

services and Dr Bike surgeries with businessesthroughout Derby. We are starting to deliverbasic, intermediate and advanced cyclemaintenance courses for businesses and thegeneral public, either as day courses or inshort one-hour chunks. Our aim is tocomplement the existing cycle trade services inDerby by offering a repairs referral service tolocal affiliated traders, such as Birkins Cyclesand Lovevelo.We have plans to expand this flagship

programme into other prisons and also toincrease the number of cycling projects inDerby. It is our hope that these measures willsee us continue to recycle bikes and promotecycling way beyond 2016.Jon Hughes is project manager at Bike [email protected]

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SOCIAL INCLUSIONgetbritaincycling.net

Case Study: A prisoner’s progress‘K’ was sentenced to four years at HMPStocken and engaged in various workprogrammes around the prison. Two yearsago he enrolled on the cycle programme,having already had an interest in mechanicsand rebuilding bikes. ‘K’ quickly advancedfrom City & Guilds Level 1 to Level 2 andsoon became a prison mentor for otherprisoners engaged in the programme.

The method of peer-to-peer teachingworks particularly well on the cycleprogramme within Stocken. Thoseprisoners who gain mentor level areentrusted with maintaining the sparesstores. This simple act of trust gives backresponsibility to these prisoners, which issignificant when all responsibility has beenpreviously taken away.

Towards the end of 2013 ‘K’ was re-categorised to D, thus qualifying him forday release. After his first day releaseexperience at a sale event in Derby, hegrew in confidence and by the third timewas an effective and proactive co-worker.‘K’ was released in February 2014 and wasimmediately given a placement with a viewto full employment by a major cycleretailer.

‘K’ said: “I started working with the bikeproject in Stocken in 2011 and reallyenjoyed the work. It wasn't long before Ihad done my City & Guilds level 2, butmore than that the Instructors showed mehow the cycle industry was bigger than Ithought. They showed me that I could havea real future with bikes, something that inall the years I've been in and out of prisonI’d never had before. They taught thingsthat were not on the City & Guilds courseand helped build my experience as well asmy skills. I now look forward to a changedfuture in the bike industry.”

Key facts and figures for Bike Back Derby: July 2013 – February 2014

Total bikes in 250

Total bikes refurbished 200

Total bikes scrapped 5

Scrapped in Kg 50 Kg

Total bikes sold/donated 175

Estimated diverted from waste Kg 2.5 tonnes

Estimated miles ridden per year 30,000

Estimated calories burnt 14,000 Kcals

Number of events attended 20

Number of people reached at events 1000+

Number of volunteers 8

Number of volunteer hours 750+

Number of level 2 qualified mechanics 20

Jon Hughes (front row left) with inmates at the Earlsfield workshop where they refurbish old bikes

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GBC_p38-39_LifeCycle_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p38-39 11/04/2014 13:47

40

Cycling professionals have been workinghard to tackle health inequalities byencouraging those with the greatestneeds to use bikes. But it is becoming

apparent that cycle infrastructureimprovements often result in relatively healthypeople getting healthier, resulting in a wideningof the health gap. This means that it is nolonger enough for cycling professionals to justpersuade more people to cycle. They have tofind ways of reaching out to those mostaffected by health inequalities.

At Cycle Coventry we have been forgingstronger links with those in public health toensure this happens. Cycle Coventry is a three-year project, launched in 2012, to improvefacilities for cyclists and pedestrians inCoventry.

What we have discovered is that it pays toget public health partners involved at an earlystage. Cycling teams who adopt a collaborativeapproach can open up the opportunities forjoint funding.

Coventry public health consultant Berni Leeis a member of the project board. There is alsoa public health practitioner in the council’splanning team to scrutinise planningapplications, including cycling provision. Thisexpertise was drawn upon when formulatingLocal Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) bids,including the Cycle Coventry project. The earlyinvolvement of health practitioners was key totargeting which communities would benefitfrom new cycle routes.

The Cycle Coventry project was the result ofa partnership between Coventry City Counciland Centro. Work began in 2012 to create over32km of cycle routes in the north and southwest of the city. The project has engaged withbusinesses, education providers andcommunities along the routes through Smarter

Choices, the scheme that promotessustainable travel.Public health has continued to influence

decisions about project delivery. For example, apersonalised travel planning project is about totarget 12,000 of the city’s 133,000 householdsin areas of health need, rather than more thanthose in affluent areas. A co-ordinatedapproach has been adopted so thatpersonalised travel plan recipients can accesscycling support such as training, maintenanceclasses and rides in their local area. This de-centralised approach may be more costly thanthe use of a single central location, but itshould prove far more effective at reachingthose most in need of health support.

We have already seen over 250 people onmaintenance training and 350 on adult cycletraining in the city. This has been especiallyimportant since 2013 when Coventry waschosen as a Marmot city, set to tackle healthinequalities and differences in life expectancyacross the city.

The Marmot Review into health inequalitiesin England was published in February 2010. Itproposed an evidence-based strategy toaddress the social determinants of health, theconditions in which people are born, grow, live,work and age and which can lead to healthinequalities.

Recent figures for Coventry show that malesliving in the least deprived parts of the city canexpect to live 11.7 years longer than thoseliving in the most deprived parts of the city and,for females, 7.9 years longer.

Monitoring has been recognised as key toproperly measuring the health impact, with thefindings being used to shape project delivery.Participation data has been collected for localguided rides, and this has been mapped toensure that the target communities with

greatest health needs are reached. This hasresulted in additional rides being delivered inthe most deprived communities to reducebarriers to taking part such as cost or distance.

Although public health is central to thedelivery of Cycle Coventry, it has beennecessary to think beyond the projectboundaries. Primary schools were not part ofthe LSTF bid, so additional funding wasprovided by the council’s public health team toenable cycle trainers to offer extra support toschools in areas of health need. For example,Charter Primary School, which is near a newcycle route, has received cycle maintenancetraining to address concerns about theroadworthiness of children’s bicycles. The project also arranged indoor cycle

training for adults as the numbers taking partwere found to drop in the winter months. At therequest of Rachel Lancaster, Coventry CityCouncil’s cabinet member for public services,indoor training was extended to children,funded by the council’s public health team.These family cycle training sessions were sosuccessful that they were extended fromJanuary to run until March.

The successful collaboration between cyclingand public health professionals made nationalheadlines on Saturday 10 August 2013 whenthe council closed Coventry’s Ring Road for amass bike ride. This event was promoted bylocal GP Dr Peter O’Brien, who has alsochampioned a new GP Referral Scheme toprovide cycle training on prescription.Preparation is already underway for a Sky RideCity event on 21 September, which will markthe 40th birthday of the Ring Road bycelebrating the myriad benefits of cycling. Richard Smith is Cycle Coventry SmarterChoices coordinator at Coventry City [email protected]

Mind the health gap A project in Coventry is addressing health inequalities by helping those most in need to take up cycling, writes Richard Smith

Cycle Coventry has trained 350 adults in the city Cycle Coventry is encouraging people in more deprived areas to get cycling

GBC_p40_Cycle Coventry_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p40 11/04/2014 13:50

A try-out event is atemporary arena in whichthe public can sample awide range of cycles away

from traffic in an atmosphere of fun.They cycle in large circles, ratherthan from A to B, so that we cansupervise and support more easily,and because keeping everyonetogether adds to sense of sharedpleasure and spectacle. Putting on a successful event

need not be hard work. Thefollowing ideas are intended to helpyou achieve maximum effect withleast effort.

Who is the event for?In most cases the audience forcycle try-outs is the general public.But the audience can also be abusiness park, a university, a clusterof schools, parents and children,older people or a particularcommunity. It could also be alaunch or reward event for a cycleto work programme. Participants influence which

bikes, which staff and whichtechniques are used. A cleardecision helps you better focus yourlimited budget – and if we aresupplying the event we can usuallydesign your leaflet or poster to reflectthe kinds of people, bikes and agegroups you are appealing to.

Choosing a venue One option is to arrange a roadclosure in your town or city centre.Another is to run a fun event in yourlocal park, perhaps using a coupleof tennis courts. Many clients optfor a city square, with crowd controlbarriers – this ensures maximumvisibility, passing custom and theleast effort. We run a cycling festival in a park

near us with around 170 bikes onfive different themed tracks, attractsover 5,000 local people. It often

makes sense to run an event aspart of an existing local fair orcarnival. Consider organising anevent in a sports hall: this is easy toorganise, completely weatherproofmeans, no cost of barriers and allfacilities on hand. Sports halls workwell for trying out cycles for theschool run, especially if publicisedthrough all schools.

Find alliesThink about other organisationswho could benefit by being at theevent and so help with marketing.Could local businesses within yourtravel to work programmes send outintranet invitations to theirworkforce? Or perhaps schoolscould send leaflets to every singlehousehold with children? A good idea is to give local media

a presence at the show in exchangefor publicity and sales opportunities.You need to engage colleagues inother departments such as activitypromotion, transport, events,community cohesion and HR.Ironically, one of the hardest nuts tocrack is getting your local bikeshops to exhibit. Sadly, they rarelywant to.

Make the most of the dayBe there at the entrance desk,giving out your literature andengage with your public. Give outour free guides for beginner cyclists.Tell the public in advance you’ll bethere to talk to them. Publicise allthe services you offer, from guidedrides to cycle training. Sign peopleup for rides, newsletters, training, asthey leave the track. Create a simplehandout for people to take away.

Go beyond cyclingLike us, you will see cycling as partof a continuum of sustainable traveloptions. So, why not use your local

sustainable transport brand toproduce a festival of green wheels?Invite local commercial interests tobring electric bikes, scooters andcars. Get your bus and traincompanies along, and walkinggroups. Your cycling try-out eventcan be the principal crowd-puller,but choose a venue that alsoallows the public to test outelectric vehicles. We are about to launch this

concept as Greenwheels: a ready-

made brand, or you can use yourown. The added value for partnerbodies is supplied by you invitinglocal commercial and communityinterest groups to bring all the non-cycling elements. Bike try-out events can be almost

anything you want. We have 15years of experience, and are stillthinking up new ways of runningevents, so speaking with us at anearly stage always helps.www.getcycling.org.uk

41

ROADSHOWSgetbritaincycling.net

A cycling roadshow event in Truro city centre in Cornwall

Puttingon a showGet Cycling is a community interestcompany that runs try-out roadshows andprogrammes. Jim McGurn offers his toptips for staging a successful event

GBC_p41_CiC_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p41 11/04/2014 13:52

42

Britain’s roads are unequal places, with substantial impacts onhow people live – and die. In 1952, we lived in a multi-modalsociety. Distances travelled by bike, car, bus, and train were inthe same ball-park. Now, the car is clearly the dominant mode.

We can see the impacts of this in street design, as cyclists are pushedinto uneven, unsafe gutter lanes, and pedestrians are held back byrailings at staggered crossings. We can see it in funding priorities, asmajor roads projects continue to be prioritised and labelled ‘strategic’while local bus services are cut.This is a social justice issue, as hostile, motor-centric streets

disproportionately threaten those with the lowest levels of car access.For example, children in poor areas who lack gardens play in streetswhere cultural, legal and infrastructural norms leave them vulnerable.Those who contribute least to the problem suffer most from its impacts.Inequalities are particularly stark for cycling. In The Netherlands,

‘gender and cycling’ is a non-issue: rates are fairly equal, if anythingwomen cycle slightly more. Yet in the UK, it’s very different. The 2011Census showed only 27% of English cycle commuters are female,although women are 47% of all commuters.At local level the disparities are even sharper. A few local authority

districts look almost Dutch: in Cambridge, East Cambridgeshire andFenland men and women are equally likely to cycle to work. But in mostdistricts, cycle commuting is 70% male – or more. In Burnley, wheredisparities are greatest, only 24 of 397 cycle commuters are female.Inequalities exist not just by gender, but also by age, ethnicity and

disability. Research shows that women, older people, black and minority

ethnic people and disabled people are all more likely to be excludedfrom cycling, primarily because they don’t feel safe on the roads.This is shocking, but it’s also an opportunity for change. The affected

groups share what are called ‘protected characteristics’ under theEquality Act 2010. Under this Act, public sector bodies (and otherbodies with public functions) must show ‘due regard’ to the need to:• eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimization• advance equality of opportunity between different groups• foster good relations between different groups.

Advancing equality of opportunity involves having ‘due regard’ to theneed to:• remove or minimise disadvantages suffered by persons who share arelevant protected characteristic that are connected to thatcharacteristic

• take steps to meet the needs of persons who share a relevantprotected characteristic that are different from the needs of personswho do not share it

• encourage persons who share a relevant protected characteristic toparticipate in public life or in any other activity in which participationby such persons is disproportionately low.

Much of this is directly relevant to cycling, and to transport services ingeneral. It’s clear that it’s a highly unequal service. It may even beappropriate to talk about “indirect discrimination”, which the EqualityAct defines as being “when a service provider applies an apparentlyneutral provision, criterion or practice which puts persons sharing aprotected characteristic at a particular disadvantage”. Under the Act,the relevant outcome is “disadvantage” – this can include denial ofchoice or opportunity, deterrence, rejection or exclusion.One example of indirect sex discrimination given in the Act’s guidance

is where a local authority temporarily closes the entrance ramp to ablock of flats, with disproportionate impacts on women usingpushchairs. It isn’t much of a stretch to see cycling policy and provisionin a similar light.Traditionally, the policy assumption in this country has been that

cyclists should be on the road, behaving like cars. But studies haveshown women place a higher value on off-road infrastructure, and onavoiding busy roads, than do men (for example, TfL’s research into cycleroute choice in London – see link below).There’s a variety of possible reasons, one being the greater proportion

of women’s journeys that involve trip chaining, or the greater likelihoodthat women are travelling with others, particularly children (womenmake 40% more ‘escort trips’ than do men). People might be willing tocycle alone on an A road, but not with two seven-year-olds in tow, forexample.We know the general and specific changes that can make cycling

more equal. The general changes are about separating cyclists from fastor busy motor traffic, through a variety of interventions: primarily, highquality cycle tracks on main roads and modal filtering on side streets.The specific changes include eliminating high-risk and high-stressjunction situations, especially left hook risks and the need to cross lanesof motor traffic to turn right.The Equality and Human Rights Commission has said the aim of the

Act is not punishing authorities, but creating a change in culture. Thisincludes tackling the consequences of past decisions, as determined bya case taken under the previous Disability Equality Duty.As cycling has been marginalised for many years, creating an equal

cycling environment can’t just mean putting new policies through a briefEquality Impact Assessment, which will have only limited effects. Itshould start with assessing the implications of a ‘business as usual’approach, being honest about its associated inequalities and what needsto change.Rachel Aldred is a senior lecturer in transport at University ofWestminsterTfL report into cyclist mode choice: http://tinyurl.com/p5cekxg

Equality streetsIt’s time to remove the obstacles thatdeter women, older people, disabledpeople and ethnic minorities fromcycling, writes Rachel Aldred

Rachel Aldred

GBC_p42_Aldred_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p42 11/04/2014 14:01

People ride their bikes more frequently and over longer distancesafter they have received one-to-one cycle training. This was thekey finding of a survey carried out by Cycle Training UK (CTUK)last year to assess the impact of our individual adult training

sessions. We contacted more than 7,000 people who had receivedtraining from us between April 2008 and March 2013. Trainees wereasked: why they initially trained with CTUK, what impact the training hadon the frequency and length of their journeys and how their attitude tocycling and to risk changed. We discovered that, among respondents, there was a 100% increase

in the number of people cycling between two and five days a week anda 200% increase in the number of people riding three to five miles a dayafter training. Also, most people said they felt more confident andconsidered cycling on the road less risky after receiving training. Two-thirds said they were making weekly savings by cycling more. Adults were asked to complete the survey on behalf of child trainees.

We received responses from people living in the London boroughs ofBrent, City of London, Ealing, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham,Haringey, Lambeth, Redbridge and Waltham Forest.More than 1,000 people filled in the survey – a 14% response rate.

Some 88% of those surveyed were over 18, with 32% aged 26-35, 27%aged 36-45 and 16% 46-55. The majority of respondents were female,72%, while 28% were male. Some 64% the respondents were White,12.59% Asian/Asian British and 12.18% Black/African/Caribbean/BlackBritish.Jean Mowbray is head of marketing at Cycle Training [email protected]

For more information about the survey contact Cycle Training UK:[email protected]

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TRAININGgetbritaincycling.net

Riders’ revelationsA survey was carried out by Cycle Training UK to discover the benefitsof one-to-one cycle training, reports Jean Mowbray

Some results from Cycle Taining UK’s survey of more than 1,000 trainees from theLondon boroughs of Brent, City of London, Ealing, Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham,

Haringey, Lambeth, Redbridge and Waltham Forest

GBC_p43_Cycle Training_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p43 11/04/2014 14:03

AECOM

At AECOM we are passionate about cycling.Our global reach, local knowledge, innovationand technical excellence places AECOM in aunique position to provide advice and technicalsupport in the planning and development ofinfrastructure to promote cycling.

AECOM’s core cycling offer includes:• Programme management• Funding application support• Policy and strategy• Network planning• Cycle audits• Feasibility studies• Cycle/public transport integration• Signing and way-finding• GIS and 3D visualizations• Demand analysis• Scheme design• Public realm design• Procurement• Construction services• Promotion and marketing• Evaluation

Recent projects include: developing a GreaterManchester Cycling Design Guide; successfullyobtaining Cycle City Ambition Grant funding forLeeds/Bradford; delivering a cycle network planfor 1.8 million people in Dublin; and designingand implementing Cycle Superhighways inLondon.

Collaboration is at the heart of our delivery andthrough our global expertise, local knowledgeand range of expertise we join the dots so thatour customer partnerships see further and gofurther.Contact: Nigel WilsonTel: 0113 391 6800Email: [email protected] www.aecom.com

Challenge for Change

As industry specialists in creating measurablebehaviour change programmes that are proven toget more people cycling, more often, Challengefor Change work with 57 local authorities andhave established 240 Love to Ride sites rightacross the UK and overseas.

Changing behaviour is massively complex. TheChallenge for Change team have pooled their 12years and 108 cycle challenge programmesexpertise to create the brand-spanking-new Loveto Ride web platforms, integrated with GPS apps,our new behaviour change framework andenhanced user features. With creativity,innovation, good ol’ human interaction and alarge slice of fun thrown into the mix, we haveall the ingredients to achieve long-term sustainedbehaviour change. Getting more people cyclingis what we do and Love to Ride rolls on rightthroughout the year, every year. Let's go!

Please see our Love to Ride poster on page 9.Our results speak volumes – go towww.lovetoride.org to find out more and watchour 2-minute fun behaviour change animation.Contact: Sam Robinson07734 833 451www.lovetoride.org

Clearview Traffic Group

Clearview Traffic Group comprises of two wellknown brands:

Astucia – The market innovator for intelligentroads, which are smart, safe and sustainable andprovide enhanced cycle path delineation acrossthe world. Our SolarLite road studs are provento reduce night-time road accidents dramaticallyby up to 70%. On cycle paths the enhanceddelineation they provide also increases theperception of safety and reduces the amount ofother street furniture required to safely guidecyclists at night.

Golden River – A leader in cycle and vehicledetection, automated traffic counting,classification and ITS systems integration.Golden River incorporates the Marksman trafficdata collection range of vehicle count andclassifiers, traffic signal wireless vehicle detectionand weigh-in-motion systems.

Our latest wireless bike detector for use at trafficsignalised junctions will not only detect cycles butdifferentiate between cycles and vehicles tooptimise junction control systems and cycle safety.Tel: 01869 362809www.clearviewtraffic.com

Cycle Confident

Supplies: Cycling skills, training, hire andmaintenance service.

Cycle Confident empowers people to take to theroad on bicycles through training and support.We work with individuals, businesses, localauthorities and activity groups giving them thetools and training to cycle safely, and withconfidence, on and off the road. We provide UKcoverage through our trusted network ofinstructors and mechanics. The Cycle Confidentteam has a wealth of experience in all aspects ofcycling ranging from the everyday city commute,touring cycling, mountain biking and triathlonriding. We can also supply a range of cycleaccessories to help new cyclists stay safe andcomfortable and keep them cycling. Contact: David ShowellTel: 02030 316730Mob: 07841 678 664Email: [email protected]

Cyclehoop

Supplies: Cycle parking and storage.

Cyclehoop are designers and suppliers of cycleparking and street furniture for local authorities,businesses, residential developments and privatehomes across the UK.

We provide: cycle parking audits for localauthorities; cycle parking design, installation andmaintenance services; and temporary cycleparking for events. We support theft reductionby designing our products based on the researchand studies carried out by BikeOff and DesignAgainst Crime. Contact: Anthony LauTel: 020 8699 1338Email: [email protected]

Find us on Facebook:facebook.com/CyclehoopFollow us on Twitter:twitter.com/cyclehoopwww.cyclehoop.com

yccconfidentconfident

e

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The Get Britain Cycling directoryA guide to selectedcompanies andorganisations providingcycling products andsystems, consultancyservices, professionalnetworking andcommunity action

44

GBC_p44-48_directory_Get Britain Cycling_2014_p44-48 11/04/2014 14:10

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DIRECTORY

Cyclepods


Cyclepods has become a trusted name ininnovative cycle parking solutions. Our ethos hasbeen to encourage all ages to cycle.

Some 45,000 children park their bike or scooterin one of our funky Minipods or Scooterpodsevery morning.

Commuters at Southern Rail, Southwest Trainsand East Midlands Trains railway stations parktheir bikes in our spring-assisted EasyLift+ TwoTier or in police-approved Streetpods.

Students, office and hospital workers, leisurecentre clients among others, all benefit from ourspace-saving, innovative and secure cycleparking.

Not ones to rest on our laurels, our Cycologydivision has worked with Abellio to deliver theirBike & Go initiative at 57 stations across threeUK rail franchises by providing them with theback office software to run all aspects of thescheme. Cycology, with its partner Velogic, aimsto bring to the UK market the latest innovationsin bicycle sharing, cycle hire, cycle facilities andcycle counters.Contact: Chris TsielepiTel: 0845 094 0490 Email: [email protected]

Cycle Training UK

Supplies: Cycling skills and training.

Cycle Training UK is a leading provider of on-road cycle training. Our aim is to promotecycling as a form of transport. Cycle Training UKwas established in 1998 and has trained over70,000 people in London and across the UK.

As well as cycle training we deliver cyclemaintenance, instructor training, cycling forhealth and businesses, cycle awareness trainingfor drivers (CPC) and consultancy work.Contact: Jean MowbrayTel: 0207 231 6005Email: [email protected]

Cycle-Works


Cycle-Works provides innovative, popular andstylish high security and high density cycleparking. This ranges from the unique wedge-shaped Velo-Safe bike lockers to safe and easy touse Josta 2-tier systems, as well as a wide rangeof well designed shelters, racks and compounds.

Cycle-Works introduced bike lockers and two-tier racks into the UK, and new, innovativeproducts include modern, attractive bike racksand the new secure, compact StreetStore, alongwith wheeling ramps and channels.

New developments include electronic access andcontrol, management, lockers for folding bikesand accessories, and many other innovative waysto promote cycling.Contact: Peter DavenportTel: 023 9281 5555Email: [email protected]

Falco


Falco is the UK’s leading manufacturer, supplierand installer of innovative cycle parking systems,cycle shelters, cycle stores and advanced cycleproducts.

Falco has worked on some of the largest cycleparking infrastructure projects in the UKincluding: the 1,000 cycle parking space facilityfor the UK’s largest CyclePoint at ChelmsfordRailway Station; a bespoke 144-space cycle hub;32m bus shelter and taxi shelter for the newlyrefurbished Derby Midland Railway Station; thefirst ever CyclePoint for Leeds city station; a668-space cycle park for aircraft manufacturerAirbus; and Bike & Go cycle parking facilities toover 30 railway stations UK-wide.

Falco is pleased to introduce to the UK threenew state-of-the-art cycle parking conceptsdeveloped for the city council in Amsterdam andthe Dutch Railways OV Fiets cycle hire scheme.The VelowSpace® and VeloMinck® are twoinnovative and cost effective automated cycleparking systems designed to systematically parkbicycles above or below ground. TheVeloComfort® is the world’s first automatedtravelator for getting bikes up and down difficultsteps.Contact: Bryan DugganTel: 01538 380080Email: [email protected]

FWT

FWT was founded in 1973 and since then hasestablished a worldwide reputation for theprovision of high quality passenger transportinformation. Our goal has always been tounderstand our clients’ problems and offer themwide ranging solutions that make their productsthe best.

We have always believed that providinginformation that is accurate and easy to use arethe main factors that underpin any successfulpassenger transport information strategy.www.fwt.co.uk

Get Cycling CiC

The tools of Get Cycling CiC’s trade are afascinating array of 300 cycles. The communityinterest company’s role is to mix showmanshipwith practical try-out sessions, to persuade theBritish public to sample cycling in an atmosphereof support and fun.

For 15 years these bike try-out roadshows havebeen touring the UK, each with 25 or so cycles,pitching up in city centres, workplaces, schoolsand universities. In each case the bikes, staff andtechniques are tailored to the type of event. GetCycling even deliver major cycling festivals, withfive or so different themed tracks.

Their range of activities now include: Scalextricracing games; miniature velodrome racing; apenny farthing showman; a disability cycling try-out show; a KMX Karts track; a try-out ‘extremeskills’ track; and various multi-seater‘megabikes’. They also run extensive bike loanand health promotion programmes for theirpublic sector clients.Tel: 01904 636812.Email: [email protected]

Hourbike

Hourbike is a leading supplier and operator ofpublic bike sharing systems in the UK, operatingsince 2007. With eight schemes due to go livein the UK in 2014 we are the largest operatoroutside of London. Our system is installed inover seven countries worldwide, includingseveral capital cities, with a proven record forrobustness and reliability. We are flexible inoperating models, and can provide a full serviceor supply the equipment only for customer’smaintenance and operation. Talk to us about ourexperience, and how we can assist with sharedbike schemes whether large or small.Tel: 01483 472804Email [email protected]

getbritaincycling.net


Marshalls

As the leading innovator of landscaping solutionsfor the commercial construction sector, Marshallshas continued to create, inspire and developduring the economic downturn. Marshalls andits skilled manpower are poised to bring tomarket a distinctive range of products combiningclever engineering and technology withimaginative ways to save you time andspecification costs.www.marshalls.co.uk

Rennicks

For over 25 years, Rennicks have been a leadingprovider of retroreflective, reflective and non-reflective traffic sign sheeting in the UK.

With ever increasing budget and environmentalpressures, along with health and safety needs,Rennicks are continually looking to develop andlaunch innovative new products to meet andexceed customer expectations.

Our range of solar-powered, active road studsoffer excellent delineation for cycle paths,campuses and tunnels where safety andenhanced navigation are important. With nooperational costs, lower maintenanceimplications and a reduced impact on wildlife,they could be the key to the government’s driveto promote sustainable travel in the UK.

Pioneering digitally printed, full colourphotographic signs could also be used to furtherenhance sustainable routes.

At Rennicks we pride themselves on offeringfully compliant products supported by ourtechnical expertise to help you ensure yourproject meets all the current standards anddeliver an outstanding architectural design to beproud of. Contact: Karen Jervis Tel: 01928 579966Email: [email protected]

Royal HaskoningDHV

Experts in planning and delivering cyclinginfrastructure and innovations.

Royal HaskoningDHV is one of Europe’s leadingindependent project management, engineeringand consultancy service providers and isrenowned for developing, designing anddelivering successful, innovative and sustainablesolutions that work towards enhancing societytogether. We have been involved in bicycle trafficrelated consultancy for many decades, providingadvice to the Dutch central government,provinces, regions and municipalities; and weare now applying our Dutch expertise to deliverintegrated and cohesive highway designs in theUK. Our services include:• Policy and strategy• Infrastructure planning and design• Cycle audits• Parking strategies and design• Signing and wayfinding• GIS and 3D visualisation

Our considerable experience in the design ofcycle facilities throughout the Netherlands,alongside our considerable UK experience intransport planning for new development, putsRoyal HaskoningDHV in a unique position toprovide advice and technical support in theplanning and development of infrastructure tosupport travel by bicycle in the UK.Contact: Paul StephensTel: 0121 709 6540Email: [email protected]

Streetsure

Streetsure provides street furniture and cycleparking infrastructure solutions to the public andprivate sector markets. Our manufacturingfacilities, quality sourcing and proven projectmanagement capabilities, allows us to supply andinstall complete solutions from cycle rackingsystems, shelters and compounds, folding bikelockers, associated signage, CCTV, Bike Controlsystems and much more.

Streetsure has experience in working on largecontracts, for example, Marylebone andWaterloo Stations, and Transport for London,and also supplying cycle parking solutions forresidential schemes, local authorities and theeducation sector throughout the UK and Europe.Email: [email protected] 568287www.streetsuresolutions.co.uk

The TransportationConsultancy

The Transportation Consultancy (ttc) is adynamic and innovative transportationconsultancy specialising in transport planning,traffic engineering, sustainable transport andtransport economics. Our people have over 100years of combined technical knowledge and canoffer you expert advice covering the wholetransportation sector, helping you to make sounddecisions in today’s complex environment.

Our cycling team is currently advisinggovernments, local authorities and the privatesector clients on various aspects of cycling,including cycling strategies and facilities, cycleroute reviews and audits, cycle infrastructuredesign and construction, cycling in an urbancontext, leisure cycling, cycle parking andtraining. Our advice to them is underpinned byinnovation, technical excellence and expertopinion, enabling our clients to make sounddecisions in what is often a complex andchallenging environment. Contact: Alan BailesTel 0780 3894686Email: [email protected]

Urban Movement

Urban Movement is a transport planning andurban design practice specialising in complexenvironments like town and city centres, highstreets, the urban realm at busy transportinterchanges, and provision for cycling. Recentlybuilt projects include the High Street andBritannia Junction in Camden Town, the VennStreet ‘shared space’ and Old Town in Clapham,and Station Road in the heart of Harrow towncentre. Our station urban realm design portfolioincludes projects for Crossrail at Liverpool Street,Abbey Wood and Hayes & Harlington, and themain stations in both Brighton andSouthampton.

In relation to cycling, we have worked forBrighton & Hove on the Old Shoreham Road andDitchling Road schemes, for Camden on theRoyal College Street and several other schemes,and for Southampton on the city’s Eastern CycleRoute. We have also recently completed anInternational Cycling Infrastructure Best PracticeStudy on behalf of Transport for London.Tel: 0203 567 0710Email: [email protected]

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Not here?If you feel your products and servicesshould be listed here, why not get in touchto be included in the next edition of GetBritain Cycling. Email: [email protected]

Contact detailsEvery care has been taken to ensure thecontact details for each company listed arecorrect. Let us know about any changes tonames, numbers or addresses and we willupdate the entries in the next edition.


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