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Newsletter 25 (August/September 1999)

Contents:

• About us
• Spot the Cycle Lane number 3
• Myth and reality
• Magog Downland Cycle Parking
• Now you see it. Now you don't.
• Grand Arcade
• A Moving Business '99
• Under your tyres
• Bike buddies
• CycleMark 1999
• Going for a Song
• Letters
• Motorbike threat to bus lanes
• Sustrans routes to Cambridge
• National Bike Week review
• Zapping along
• Gilbert Road
• Postcodes: Surprise, Surprise!
• Further Afield
• Cycling Shorts
• Out and About
• About the Campaign
• Elected Officers
• Contacting the Campaign
• Discounts for Members
• Campaign Diary

About us

The Other Place

Following on from our trips to Groningen and York, this year we will head off to Oxford, for a weekend of cycling, socialising, and yes, even a bit of fact-finding. We'll spend half a day being shown around the city by local cycle campaigners. There should be plenty to see, as there have been big changes recently for the Oxford Transport Strategy , under the slogan 'It'll be terrific without the traffic'.

We'll set off after work on Friday 15 October, and we'll make sure there will be plenty of time for relaxing, enjoying Oxford, and meeting local cyclists. We'll return on Sunday 17 October. If you think you might be interested in joining us, please do get in touch with Lisa 245566 jameswoodburn@talk21.com for more information. We hope you'll join us on what should be a very enjoyable weekend.

Clare Macrae

Campaign monthly meetings

Once a month, the Campaign has its regular open meeting, to which all members are invited. The meeting is held at the Friends' Meeting House, (on Jesus Lane and next to the ADC Theatre), on the first Tuesday of the month at 7.30 pm (for coffee and a chat) for 8 pm. We aim to finish by 9.30 pm, and the meeting never goes on beyond 10 pm.

As well as discussing Campaign business (forthcoming planning matters, proposed junction improvements, new cycle schemes, safety, etc.), often a speaker is invited to talk on a particular topic. On other occasions, more time is devoted to local cycling issues. Occasionally, items of policy are passed also.

Anyone - Campaign member or not - is welcome at the meetings. Whether you want to become more involved in the Campaign, air your opinions, ask the committee to do something which you feel is important, or just listen to the discussions, please do come. There is always an 'open forum' section of the meeting where any kind of cycling matter can be raised.

At the August meeting, we shall spend some time discussing the work of the Road Danger Reduction sub-group.

From August we shall also be moving to a larger, quieter, ground floor room.

Martin Lucas-Smith

Spot the Cycle Lane number 3

At least leaving the lamp-post here saved having to install another sign-post on Arbury Road. (The sign on the reverse says 'End', of course.)

Myth and reality

Cambridge Cycling Campaign has an image problem. We have heard repeatedly that many influential people at the County, City and District councils believe that we only care about 'fast cyclists'. At first we shrugged it off, but as time passes, the view seems to have hardened. Since we only ever hear this second-hand, it is never possible to raise the issue directly. But with Local Transport Plan consultations just around the corner, we cannot let these misunderstandings pass any longer.

Myth: We don't know what 'ordinary' cyclists want

It is not just many cyclists who are unhappy with having to mix with pedestrians. All year long, volunteers on our Saturday stall hear complaints from pedestrians, angry at losing their space to cyclists. I am also convinced that the creation of poor-quality, poorly-signed, shared-use pavements throughout the City has encouraged illegal cycling.

This myth may be based upon our opposition to unsegregated shared-use paths in urban areas, or perhaps upon our continued objections to any sub-standard proposals (such as the 1.5 m width that was originally proposed for two-way cycle use on Barton Road - not even wide enough for two cyclists to pass).

Both Cycle Audit and Cycle Review , and Cycle Friendly Infrastructure - bibles of cycle provision - agree that shared-use is a provision of last resort. And now the DETR's guidance for Local Transport Plans says:

Provision for cycling should be of good quality, both to attract and retain users. The conversion of footways and footpaths to shared use by cyclists and pedestrians should be regarded as a last resort measure, where there is no opportunity to improve conditions on the carriageway.

In Cambridge, shared-use has too often been a provision of first resort.

As to whether local government in Cambridge knows what cyclists want: to my knowledge, there hasn't been any credible research on the subject. If you ask people whether they would cycle more if cycle routes or showers were provided, they will say 'yes.' This tells us most about people's prejudices about cycling. We think it would be better to ask whether people would prefer cycling to be 'safer' and 'more convenient'.

The Transport Research Laboratory has done much interesting research recently into 'Attitudes to Cycling', and Cambridge would do well to learn from this and related studies, before assuming that it knows what either new or experienced cyclists want.

Myth: We only care about fast, experienced cyclists

Most cycling takes place on roads, as they are direct, and go everywhere. We often hear from relatively new cyclists that they have discovered that it is much quicker to cycle on the roads to get from A to B, because they don't have to keep stopping. It's not just super-fit cyclists who object to cycling on bumpy, narrow paths, having to dodge pedestrians, wheelie bins and parked cars, whilst needing eyes in the back of their heads at every side-road and driveway along the way!

Cambridge cannot afford to lose the cyclists it already has. The reduction in congestion and pollution these cyclists give is, quite frankly, a life-saver to the City, and we don't feel this is sufficiently recognised.

We aren't opposed to properly constructed cycle tracks - quite the opposite. The trouble is, our definition of 'properly constructed' seems rather unpopular with local government: 'conforming to national guidelines, at least as safe and convenient as the adjacent road, and offering the same level of service.'

Myth: We aren't bothered about encouraging people to start cycling

We have given huge amounts of our own time to the 'Cycle Friendly Employers' and 'Travel for Work' Schemes. We have also recently helped launch an 'Adult Cycle Training Scheme' to help new cyclists gain confidence. These all have City and County Council support, and we have enjoyed very positive working relationships with the officers involved.

The County Council has recently employed two staff whose remits specifically include promoting alternatives to the car: a Bus Promoter, and a Park and Ride manager. Both these people have put time and effort into finding out what their 'customers' genuinely want.

In contrast, the Council seems to know very little about what cyclists and potential cyclists want. We base our views on encouraging cycling upon research co-ordinated by the National Cycling Forum (which is implementing the National Cycling Strategy). We fear that these views are being discounted by plain prejudice - of the sort that gives us letters in the Cambridge Evening News saying 'I can't believe how many cyclists ride on Queen Edith's Way, when I can see from my car that there's a perfectly good cycle path over there.'

We think the Council should also employ a cycle promoter, whose job should specifically include finding out what potential, and existing, cyclists really want. The danger, of course, is that over-simplistic questions would confirm the current prejudices - but there is a wealth of research to be taken advantage of.

We fear that many councillors and officers might be very surprised at the results. It shouldn't be just us trying to explain Government policy on cycling to local councils.

Clare Macrae

Magog Downland Cycle Parking

Opening the Magog Downland's new cycle stands in June: Left to right: Nigel Deakin, Anne Campbell MP, Tim Burford, Kathleen Foreman and Anne Taylor.

Now you see it. Now you don't.

In Newsletter 21 I talked about the way in which the motor industry reinforces the culture of speed through its advertising. There is a steady supply of adverts which promote speed. Three recent ones have caused us particular concern, and we have started to complain about such adverts to the Advertising Standards Authority.

Why does it matter? And why does it matter to us as cyclists especially? Very simply, speed culture kills. A third of collisions are speed related and between two-thirds and three-quarters of drivers regularly break urban speed limits. Most drivers don't care and don't want to listen - many drivers will tell you that they can handle their car at speed, that car technology has made speed limits irrelevant, that it is reasonable to add 10% and a bit more to the speed limit.

Yet the evidence belies this: the difference between 20 mph or even 30 mph and 40 mph is the difference between the majority of pedestrians surviving a crash and not. And, of course, in the urban environment especially, it is vulnerable road users like pedestrians and cyclists who are the victims of this process.

No modern car is likely to be driven at its top speed on the sort of roads still shared with cyclists. (Driving at 130 mph on a motorway is, of course, a safety issue, but not of direct concern to a cycling campaign.) However, by advertising on the basis of speed, or top speed, the advertisers reinforce the whole culture of speed, leading to the kind of denial attitudes I mentioned.

In the past the ASA has taken some adverts seriously which promote cars simply on the basis of their speed. We hope to be able to let you know next time the outcome of our complaint about the Peugeot 306D advert (see alongside).

This advert shows a blurred image of a car and a speed camera sign where the speed camera has a telephoto lens. The message is clear: even a speed camera couldn't catch our car, it is so fast. Words like 'blistering pace' in the text complete the message. The element of tongue-in-cheek humour serves to poke fun at speed cameras.

We've started complaining about car adverts that promote speed.

Of course, on its own, upholding a complaint isn't much of a sanction because the advert has been run and the advertisers have achieved what they wanted. However, the ASA also has the authority to make an agency get approval for its future adverts before running them. It looks to me like Peugeot is trying to run a series of adverts along the same lines, as the slightly more recent 206GTI advert shows. Again, a vaguely humorous visual image: the car is so fast that it has vanished from sight before the splash of water it made can settle. The strapline 'Now you see it. Now you don't' once again serves to reinforce the visual message. Not even a car in the picture: the only message in the advert is speed. So a sanction against future adverts in a series is vital - it can cost an agency thousands of pounds to abandon an advert.

Advertisers have a bee in their bonnet at the moment: that the car buying public doesn't equate performance cars with diesel engines. So agencies, of course, think they need to dispel that myth - the implication being that people won't buy diesel cars because they aren't perceived as performance vehicles, and therefore that performance is the main reason for buying the car. The 306D advert is an example of this, though I only discovered this because the advertisers said so to the ASA - presumably the macho car buying public knows that the 'D' in the name means diesel, a point utterly lost on me, I'm afraid. BMW are more up-front about it: their ad says that performance is what matters in this diesel.

Will you help?

These first couple of complaints are really testing the water. We have other allies: for example, the Pedestrians' Association and 11 individuals also objected to the 306D advert. We would like to keep up a sustained stream of complaints, both from the Campaign and privately.

To do this we need a reasonably quick reaction. This means several things:

• supporting (or even joining) our Safety on the Roads subgroup
• monitoring the press and magazines for adverts,
• circulating the details, and
• writing letters of complaint

I think letters need not be long and could be identical: form letters or cards would be fine. Will you help with any or all of these three activities? If you can, please contact us: phone 690718 or email contact@camcycle.org.uk. Incidentally, the Advertising Standards Authority only deals with print media, not television.

Slower Speeds Initiative

On the wider speed front, the Slower Speeds Initiative is giving a presentation to MPs at the House of Commons. This just misses the deadline for the newsletter. Clare is going to be there. We have written to both James Paice and Andrew Lansley (MPs for South East and South Cambridgeshire respectively) asking if they will attend. We will let you know all about it in the next newsletter.

David Earl

Grand Arcade

Grand Arcade, the new shopping centre proposed for the St Andrew's Street area, was discussed at the July monthly meeting. As mentioned in the last Newsletter, the developers propose providing just 150 cycle parking spaces. This for 50 shops, a department store twice the size of the existing Robert Sayle, and numerous restaurants and café-bars. We have also discovered that all the new cycle parking will be in a single, sunken, location off Corn Exchange Street - at the corner of the shopping centre furthest away from the new Robert Sayle store.

Grand Arcade will be over 39,000 m²; and City Council parking standards require that shops have one cycle space for every 25  m²; gross floor area. Although I'm not sure whether we are comparing like with like, performing the obvious calculation gives a total of 1,580 cycle parking spaces!

The monthly meeting agreed that we should press for many more cycle parking spaces, and for them to be located at every entrance to the new centre. Although we do not oppose the scheme in principle, we will therefore be submitting a formal objection on the grounds of inadequate cycle parking.

Nigel Deakin

A Moving Business '99

Glenda Jackson presents Sarah Hinton of Scientific Generics with their Cycle Friendly award

In May, Transport Minister Glenda Jackson was in Cambridge at the invitation of the Travel for Work Partnership, to attend its 1999 conference A Moving Business. Cambridge Cycling Campaign is a partner in the scheme, which most of you will already know exists to promote alternatives to car travel through businesses.

The conference was set up to share progress and good practice among the organisations signed up with the scheme. Glenda Jackson's role was to set the project in the wider political context, and to present certificates to each of the companies that have now prepared Green Travel Plans or for those who are part of the Cycle Friendly Employers part of the scheme, Cycle Plans.

After some years of local initiatives, like the Travel for Work scheme, central government has become more involved recently. The transport white paper last year recognised the importance of Green Travel Plans, and more recently the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has produced a guide and started organising seminars around the country. Local Transport Plan guidance recommends such schemes, though whether there is any LTP money to support them is another matter.

At our own conference, representatives of several of the member companies gave presentations to the 70 or so people who attended. For example, we heard about

• how company cars were phased out in co-operation with employees over time;
• how incentives might be offered to make a switch from car to bike;
• how secure cycle parking had been installed; and
• how emergency arrangements had been put in place to deal with people's insecurity about being stranded without a car.

The award winners

For the attendees who had not reached the stage of preparing a Plan, the morning provided an excellent opportunity to learn about how others have gone about the task, which obviously differs according to company culture, size, location and so on. Feedback afterwards suggested that this had provided a lot of inspiration to move forward.

In the meantime, you will know from the advert included with the last newsletter that Teresa Broadstock, co-ordinator of the Travel for Work scheme, will be returning to Australia later in the year. We have now appointed David Meiklejohn, who currently works with Teresa, as Cycle Friendly Employers scheme co-ordinator, to the post. Therefore we will be advertising for a replacement for David in the not too distant future, though details have still to be arranged and funding secured. Watch this space, as they say.

David Earl

Under your tyres

25 August is big bang

In early July the final decisions were taken to allow the next stage of the 'core traffic scheme' to go ahead. As you will know from previous newsletters, this involves installing rising bollards in Emmanuel Road (with a bypass for bikes), changes to improve the position for buses on the Four Lamps roundabout at the end of Victoria Avenue, changes to allow only bikes, buses and taxis to turn left out of Downing Street, new signals at the Parkside-Clarendon Street junction, and a host of other changes to support the new traffic flow patterns. This will happen on 25 August. No doubt construction will have started by the time you read this, as this is a quite aggressive timetable.

However, things don't end there. In a commendable exercise in co-ordination, the intention is to launch the Babraham Road Park & Ride service on the same day. Preparation for this has been going on for many months. Restrictions in Worts' Causeway enforced by more bollards will also go ahead on the 25th. This will make it no longer a rat-run and allow buses to pass the queue that forms on Babraham Road.

Bikes get cut up on Maids Causeway by cars approaching the crossing at Fair Street

The Park & Ride bus services will also be re-routed so that they travel right through the City (Newmarket Road to Madingley Road, and Cowley Road to Babraham Road) instead of just shuttling back and forward to individual sites, and arrangements put in place to change from one to the other, so that it should be easy to get from, say, Madingley Road to Addenbrooke's. Some more bus stops will also be introduced on these services.

There will be a cycle track on Babraham Road as far as the new Park & Ride site. For the first time the council has accepted our desire to see such tracks provided with reflectors or edge markings where there are no street lights. We're very pleased about this. It gives us experience and a precedent for the many other similar facilities in the area. It is not clear at this stage whether a second track will be constructed on the other side.

Also as part of the all-change day, sign posting is being installed to identify areas of the City Centre by name so that it makes it easier for people who do need access but aren't allowed through the barriers to get to their destinations. For example, 'When you get to the inner ring road, follow the signs for Magdalene.'

As part of the previous round of consultation on the core scheme, councillors asked officers to take more account of the impact of the scheme on Maid's Causeway, a representation we made as well as the residents. As a result, some minor changes have been proposed, including some short stretches of cycle lane, though not the one that is most important, in our view, which is to protect cyclists approaching the build-out at the end of Fair Street from the Newmarket Road direction.

So all-in-all, 25 August might be a good time to go on holiday to let the dust settle by your return!

Bridge Street

A working group has been formed to take the beautification of Bridge Street and Magdalene Street a stage further. As we reported previously, this would most probably involve changing the bollard arrangement to allow two-way working, resurfacing and widening pavements.

We were asked to comment on the ideas so far. We were very pleased to hear that the very narrow part of Bridge Street by Waterstone's is now being considered. We stressed again our concern that the priorities at the St John's Street junction be clarified, and we raised the possibility of finding a way for cyclists to use Round Church Street in both directions (though the cost of doing this would probably rule it out for now).

The most difficult section to consider is outside Magdalene College because the road is so narrow here. Already there is no room for two buses to pass without extreme care, so bus drivers seem to be operating an informal priority system. At the same time, pedestrians are desperately cramped and have to contend with errant cyclists on the pavement (though fewer than when there were continual queues in the street).

With so little room to play with, it is clear that a priority system needs to be introduced if the pavements are to be widened further. At what width are cyclists still safe when they (inevitably) ride through when there's a bus coming in the other direction? Choosing the width so as to discourage vehicles overtaking cyclists in the gap is also likely to be a close call. So to get a feel for what would be the likely effect, there is likely to be an experiment in November (in term time). Engineers would closely monitor the effect of different widths of road, using something like railway sleepers to vary the width, and observe the effect. We'll take some pictures for you of this in action.

Very welcome would be a proposed 20 mph speed limit. Higher speeds (or possibly higher perceived speeds) have been one negative effect of the Bridge Street scheme.

Before and after: the altered road markings on Hills Road near Addenbrooke's Hospital

Hills Road, ugh!

We said last time that there was a problem with the left turn lane at the newly re-arranged signals on Hills Road, approaching Long Road. Since then, the cycle lane which stops short of the junction has been tweaked slightly to make it a bit more obvious to cyclists and motorists that cyclists are going to have to move over. However, it doesn't really address the main problem at all, in our opinion.

We wrote to the Council about the original problem, seeking answers for some specific questions. The response was a 'your letter will be kept on file for future reference' standard acknowledgement, which is a polite way of saying sod off. We regard this as an unacceptable response.

Addenbrooke's Hospital Roundabout

At the same time, the new signals just up the road at Addenbrooke's were installed. Great! This should have helped cyclists at this large and difficult junction, as well as controlling traffic to speed the Park & Ride buses. However, residents complained about longer traffic queues, so with no consultation (in contrast to the months of seeking observations beforehand, and in theory taking decisions based on it) the lights were changed to be peak time only.

Arguably that's when the crossing the fast traffic stream coming from Babraham Road is easier to negotiate by bike as it is queued up anyway. So cyclists are no better off at this hazardous junction after all, despite one of the aims of the Hills Road changes being to improve the lot of cyclists. At present that aim has certainly not been achieved.

Resurfacing

Main streets all around the City are being resurfaced just now, as part of a programme of work being done by the City Council on behalf of the County Council. This is one of the best bits of news for ages. Work should be finished by early August so will mostly be completed by the time you receive this. The streets in question are marked on the map.

The roads being resurfaced

Once we knew about Castle Hill, we wrote to the Council pointing out that it would be an ideal opportunity to join up the relatively new but bitty sections of cycle lane down the hill. They haven't done that, though.

The resurfacing is good news for cyclists. The list includes many of the streets we have been complaining about for ages. Of course everyone will have their own least favourite bad street that happens to be in their regular route, but the chosen list seems to me to be a fair selection. I'm sorry it doesn't include Regent Terrace, though.

Broken green-light baffle on Hills Road

Science Park

To complement the new cycle and pedestrian access to the Science Park, a new crossing has been installed across Milton Road. This is good news but had some teething difficulties: as with Hills Road and Huntingdon Road, the crossing is very close to an ordinary set of traffic lights, and a couple of near misses were reported to us, when drivers mistook the green crossing light for the main junction light.

As a result of this we asked the county council to hide the green light with a baffle, as they have done elsewhere. At the time of writing we understand this is being done. We also hope the damaged baffle at Hills Road will be replaced, as the confusion there is also once again a possibility.

Milton

At the end of May, we met Milton parish councillors and County Council engineers to review the plans for Milton High Street. These involve a combination of cycle lanes, traffic calming, and some shared-use footway. The scheme does away with the three central islands that cause cyclists so much grief, offers road cyclists some additional protection with the northbound lane and slower speeds, while giving less confident cyclists the option of riding on a reconstructed footway.

We were able to share some of our reservations about shared-use with the councillors, while being positive about the scheme as a whole. The scheme, with some amendments no doubt, will probably go to be decided by the South Cambridgeshire Area Committee (an amalgam of county and district councillors) in the early autumn. It is much more expensive than anything originally proposed, but it seems likely that it will be approved.

I think this is a good outcome.

A14 bridge

Also by Milton, plans for a cycle and pedestrian bridge over the A14 are advancing. A feasibility study has been completed, and it is likely that there will be some public consultation in the autumn. We understand that funding arrangements seem much more positive now, not least because the cost might well be significantly less than originally thought.

The bridge would link Milton and Cambridge along the line of the old Milton Road, which now runs into Cowley Road near the St John's Innovation Centre at the city end, and emerges near the Tesco roundabout in Milton. The scheme should make access to Milton and beyond significantly easier by bike, and therefore encourage an increase in cycling in the area. It will also, incidentally, cut some distance and climbing off the present route around the A14 roundabout.

The bridge would be built to a laudably high standard, both on width and design. It will need long approach ramps to keep gradients as manageable as possible.

There aren't any finalised designs yet, but drawings we have seen suggest two alternatives: an arch design, like a mini Sydney Harbour bridge, and a cable-stayed construction, rather like the bridge at the station. Each would allow a single span, avoiding the need to construct a central pier (and presumably, not least in the Highways Agency's thinking, minimising disruption to traffic on the A14).

Local Transport Plan

We were somewhat surprised but pleased to be invited to a special meeting of the cycling liaison group in early June to discuss the developing Transport Plan for the county. It is this Plan which forms the request for funds to Government. Unfortunately, because it was called at short notice, not many of the usual attendees could make the meeting.

However, it did mean that we were able to stress the key points from our written response. We were also able to talk around some issues relating to a walking strategy, about which there seemed to be a sense of bewilderment. What could one do for pedestrians? Not our remit perhaps, but the County clearly does need helping out here.

We also learned a bit more about the form of future consultation on the final plan for next year. (This year's is a provisional plan, and next year the Council must produce a final five year plan).

Grange Road

The Councils have consulted about installing traffic calming in Grange Road recently. (But if Grange Road is to be altered next year, why are they resurfacing half its length right now?).

There was a small exhibition in the area. Unlike most exercises, it is starting with a clean sheet. The exhibition showed some of the things that have been done elsewhere that might be possible, but no plans or ideas for Grange Road itself. This seems a much more satisfactory approach to consultation than commenting on a ready made plan or choosing between alternatives.

We observed that speed and rat running were two particular problems, and that ideally Grange Road should not be a through road any more. Simply cutting the level of traffic would be a major contribution to traffic calming, and there are strong precedents for this around the city, notably in Petersfield. A reduced speed limit is desirable.

We also noted that the existing shared-use footways were very unsatisfactory but moderately well used. It would be hard to provide a better standard of cycle provision, without either reducing the road width (and therefore becoming one way, consistent with a closure in some arrangement perhaps), or reducing car parking. That would then allow either cycle lanes, cycle tracks or some more continental arrangement to allow bikes to be separate from other traffic.

We also looked at what kinds of traffic calming were better for cyclists and what kinds were uncomfortable or hazardous for cyclists. For example, if we must have speed humps, smaller cushions which don't force cyclists over the bump, or a different profile which doesn't give you a 'thump' are better (see Newsletter 18). Central islands are anathema unless they have bypasses to avoid cyclists being squeezed by impatient motorists.

Following the consultation, Council officers proposed:

• Removing all on-street parking on Grange Road, to allow room for a mandatory cycle lane for northbound cyclists
• Upgrading and resurfacing the existing southbound cycleway
• A single lane width-restriction at the narrowest section (near Herschel Road), controlled by traffic lights. (It's not clear how this might affect southbound cyclists who choose to ride on the road)
• Installing a raised table at Burrell's Walk and Adams Road, though rather disappointingly traffic lights would not be installed until the University's planned development at West Cambridge generates sufficient traffic
• A road closure in Wilberforce Road to prevent rat-running to avoid the new measures.

On 5 July, the Cambridge Environment and Transport Area Joint Committee accepted these recommendations.

Green Street

Green Street: full cycle stands

Work in Green Street has now been completed: you may remember that we drew attention to the cobbles (setts) last time.

Cycle racks have now been installed. These are almost parallel to the kerb - slightly angled inwards - which is a better use of space than the old racks in the street. The previous V-grips left bikes sticking out into the road, vulnerable to traffic, and at the same time there was a very narrow pavement.

However, it is a little disappointing to see how few racks there are.

Marshall Millennium Route

Marshall's are working with Sustrans and the councils to establish a brand new cycle route from the back of the Newmarket Road Park & Ride site to link in to the riverside route into the City at Stourbridge Common. Much of the new construction would be on Marshall's land. Though probably slower, the route might be attractive to some Park & Ride users as it involves virtually no contact with traffic. It's a shame therefore that there are no ordinary cycle parking stands at the site. The path would also attract some people coming from further afield - Teversham or Quy, for example, and particularly if you are heading for the Chesterton area. It would be a more useful link if the County Council were able to create a proper cycle track along Newmarket Road to the tunnel under the A14 at Quy. For another perspective on this, see the National Cycle Network feature in this newsletter.

City House

I stand corrected in my article last time about the planning application to demolish City House, the unoccupied office block on the corner of Hills Road and Brooklands Avenue. We had some crossed wires which led me to think that the planning application to rebuild had a somewhat reduced car parking provision. In fact the application is to rebuild just what is there at present.

David Earl

Carter Bridge woes

We asked for the obstruction to be reduced here, to allow cyclists by

There is often a car parked here, just at the foot of the Carter Bridge, obstructing or partially obstructing cyclists' right turns

Regular users of the Carter Bridge could be forgiven for feeling rather frustrated of late. First a lay-by was installed on Devonshire Road, with the potential for car doors to be opened in the path of a cyclist ( Newsletter 23 ). Oh, and the mandatory cycle lane was blocked whilst the lay-by was constructed. Then the cycle lane was dug up by Wilcon for construction on the old Ridgeon's site. And most recently, the off-ramp to Devonshire Road has been blocked by electrical installations for the same development. Meanwhile, at the other end of the bridge, we hear that parked vehicles cause an obstruction.

Clare Macrae

Bike buddies

The Cambridge Cycle Friendly Employers Scheme is looking for bike buddies to help new cyclists feel at home on Cambridge's roads. People who may cycle recreationally but not to work each day are often put off by traffic or not knowing quick and quiet ways to get to the office. That's where a bike buddy comes in!

A bike buddy is an experienced rider who agrees to accompany a novice for an agreed time - perhaps a week or two - until they feel comfortable on the road and can ride confidently by themselves. There's not much to being a bike buddy - just being patient and considerate of new riders and remembering what it was like when you pedalled out onto the roads for the first time.

Hopefully, the scheme will encourage more people to take up commuter cycling in Cambridge. If you're interested to find out more about being a bike buddy, contact me.

David Meiklejohn 475136
david.meiklejohn@exchange.chh.anglox.nhs.uk
Hillview, Fulbourn Hospital, Cambridge, CB1 5EF

CycleMark 1999

Congratulations to WAGN Railway for their recent CycleMark award for 'achievements in improving local services' for cyclists.

We nominated WAGN for the award earlier this year, as we felt a number of WAGN staff had genuinely worked hard to make life easier for their cycling customers. The new cycle parking (with room for 300 more bikes, and provided in partnership with Cambridgeshire County Council) may be the most obvious change, but other initiatives include the innovative free cycle hire for season ticket holders, reserved 'Premier' cycle parking stands close to the station entrance, room for bikes on their newly-refurbished trains and clearer cycle information in timetables. The judges were particularly impressed with the free cycle scheme, observing that the company avoided taking the easy option of simply banning cycles altogether in peak hours.

The awards were presented by Steven Norris, who was the architect of the National Cycling Strategy, and so has been fittingly described as 'probably the politician to have done the most to improve the cyclist's lot'.

WAGN Managing Director, Euan Cameron, received the award, and commented that it is only in the last year or two that WAGN received a Chocolate Chain from Cambridge Cycling Campaign for being the company doing the least for cyclists!

In WAGN's press release on the award, Euan Cameron says 'Our schemes all work towards the integration of cycling with rail travel to make life more convenient for our customers. We will continue to come up with fresh and exciting ideas.'

The big changes afoot in and around Cambridge Station (see The station area in Newsletter 24 ) will be a one-off opportunity to create even greater improvements for cyclists, as well as pedestrians and bus users. I am looking forward to hearing what WAGN will plan next, and I very much hope that we will have an opportunity to contribute ideas too.

Euan Cameron receives WAGN's CycleMark award from Steven Norris, former Minister for Local Transport

I understand that competition for the awards this year was particularly tough, and there was a long list of commendations. However, the recipients of the other three awards were:

• Anglia, for the third successive year, for partnership work including their launch of a set of leaflets promoting cycle routes devised around the Bittern Line, from Norwich to Sheringham, for making space for wheelchairs and 4 bikes on their new Turbostar trains, and for 'championing the cause and promotion of bikes on trains',
• ScotRail, for scrapping the 'hated' £3 charge for carrying bikes, for providing more space for cycles (as part of a Scottish Cycle Challenge project) and for, with partners, providing secure cycle lockers at 22 stations,
• Truronian, for their 'Helston Branchline' bus service, along the old rail branch line from Helston to Truro in Cornwall, with integrated bus and rail timetabling, through-ticketing, and cycle carriage - integrating buses, trains and bikes!

This is the first year that bus companies have been eligible for CycleMark awards. There's a lot more than just cycle parking to be considered in integrating cycles and public transport. But given how hard it can be to find a cycle space at Drummer Street, I'd love to see this area looked at too.

Meanwhile, on 26 September Central Trains will drop their £3 charge for carrying bikes. (Central run the Cambridge to Peterborough to Birmingham service.) However, we understand that reservations are still necessary for the two cycle spaces available on these trains, but it will be possible to book up to two spaces for a £1 fee.

For more about bikes on trains, see 'Out and About'.

Clare Macrae

Going for a Song

Viewing the bikes before bidding starts	Gordon Plumb, auctioneer

Gordon Plumb has been selling bikes for over twenty years. He doesn't run a bike shop, though - he is auctioneer for Cambridge Auctions, appointed by the Cambridgeshire police to sell bikes recovered by the police but not claimed after the three months allowed.

Bikes being fairly bulky items, the police are keen to shift them, especially when there are four or five hundred in the cycle store at any one time at Parkside. That's why there is an auction held every couple of months, and it's what took me to the car park behind the police station one Saturday, to find out what happens on these occasions.

Quite a few bikes are recovered, of course - not all end up under the auctioneer's hammer. We could tell from the gaps in the lot numbers that at least three dozen bikes were reunited with their anxious owners in the first three weeks of January, for example.

Regular auctions started in 1977 at the Cattle Market, which saw not only bike sales but also produce, antiques and collectibles. That continued until the site was turned over to the Park & Ride car park, when bike sales moved to Parkside - and sales of other recovered property too from time to time.

Bidding

It is certainly possible to obtain a bargain at one of these bike auctions - which is perhaps why there are a number of regular customers - but you could end up with a complete dud as well without care. On this particular Saturday there were 107 bikes to sell. The complete wrecks had already been separated out and sent for scrap. The remainder were stacked with their lot numbers around the edge of the car park for an hour's viewing before the sale.

And then they're off. Bikes up on the table at the front. Crowd gathered behind. A quick once over to pick up any gross defects and then the bidding begins. Buyers collect a numbered card beforehand and wave it in the air to up the price. Selling at the rate of about one a minute the pile of bikes gradually diminished.

An auction typically raises between one and five thousand pounds, so this day's was probably a little on the low side of average, though I wasn't keeping a running tally. Only three bikes didn't sell at all, though several went for only £1.

The lowest bid was 10p, but since they were only working to multiples of a pound, Mr Plumb actually gave that one away. Customers pay 10% on top of the final bid, which is how the auctioneers make their money - hardly a fortune, given the time involved. The proceeds of the sale go to charities nominated by the police, I was delighted to hear.

The best bargain, in my opinion, was also the bike which fetched the most in the sale. This was a beautiful plum-coloured ladies Raleigh, almost new and in excellent condition. This sold for £82. The prize for the most inappropriately named bike went to a tiny little child's cycle ambitiously emblazoned The Exterminator.

One or two bikes had obviously been in the river - complete with dried weeds. Mr Plumb said that a van goes out every day to pick up bikes reported found - in people's gardens for example. The brook behind big Sainsbury's is a favourite dumping spot.

What happens, l wondered, if someone spots their bike on the street after it has been sold? 'The fall of the hammer means a sale,' Plumb said, 'so legally it becomes their property, and our receipt authorises this.' So an attempt to take the bike back afterwards would be theft.

So as the morning went on, and the crowd got smaller, there was a steady stream of people carrying, wheeling and occasionally riding away their new steeds. I wonder how many of the bikes will go under the same hammer again in the future?

David Earl

Letters

Attitudes

I write to apply for the post, which you have yet to advertise, of official curmudgeon (acronym CCyCC) to your organisation. Perhaps you have aired all this before, but I am sure many of your members will have shared my experience that it is quite impossible to cycle through the centre of the city without at least one (and on Saturdays, three or four) intellectually underprovided pedestrians stepping off the pavement directly into one's path. One can make a grab for the brakes, or the bell, but not both at once, and we defensive road users generally choose the former, only to receive abuse for not making one's presence audible. It is more constructive to propose solutions than problems, and mine is a simple invention, not yet widely available - a device which emits a constant noise resembling that of a container truck being driven at high revs by a boy racer - a sound all too familiar to users of Cambridge streets. If anyone has such a device, I would be grateful for further information.

While hunched over the computer in vituperative mode, perhaps I could comment on another irritation, that of the state of the cycle tracks. These are a mixed blessing, and I have sympathy with the motorists who feel that if they are provided, they should be used. Unfortunately, many of them (the pavement down Grange Road and the stretch of Hills Road between the Cherry Hinton Road junction and the Hospital are examples) are in such a diabolical condition that they are both uncomfortable and dangerous, whereas the main carriageway is only the latter. Again, I am sure that you are all too familiar with this situation.

Nicholas Coni

Derelict bikes

I wonder if you might be able to help us. As you may know, the City Centre Rangers collect abandoned and vandalised or derelict bikes from the streets. The Rangers notify the police of all bikes collected, to check against reports of lost and stolen bikes. We ticket bikes for a two week grace period to allow owners the chance to reclaim them before they're removed. Finally, we hold them in our store for up to a month before seeking to dispose of them.

In the past these have gone out to Emmaus for recycling (ho ho) but they are no longer able to take them. At present the only alternative is the scrap yard but I wondered if you may have some more imaginative or practical ideas of how we can usefully dispose of them?

Nick Bolton 457000 nick.bolton@cambridge.gov.uk

Smoother ride

After suffering the disgraceful (and worsening) surface of the city bound cycle lane [on Huntingdon Road] for some time, what a joy the renewed surface is to cycle on. With the resurfacing have come new road markings...

It seems that the strange road markings which the council placed there some months ago (see Newsletter 23) have been updated, and now look more like the Campaign's original suggestion.

I commented at the time that the markings which were placed there were ineffective as they didn't give clear instructions to motorists on what they needed to do in order to turn left - in fact what it led motorists to do was invade the cycle lane, especially at times of high traffic volumes.

The new junction markings seem to be a useful improvement: they seem to give clearer indications to motorised road users, though I've not used the junction when there have been motorists queuing. Have the council indicated a reason for this change in the marking style?

Kevin Bushell

Motorbike threat to bus lanes

Over recent years we have seen an increasing number of bus lanes introduced on the roads of Cambridge. We will see yet more over the next few years. At present, these may be used not only by buses and cyclists but also by taxis. In the future, however, we may have to share them with motorcycles, scooters and mopeds as well, if the 'powered two wheeler' (PTW) lobby in Cambridge gets its way.

A local motorcycle training organisation called CAMRIDER has recently started campaigning hard to get PTWs allowed into bus lanes, and is collecting signatures for a petition which, we understand, will probably be presented either to the City Council in September or to the County Council in November.

Cambridge Cycling Campaign policy on this issue, following a vote at February's monthly meeting, is to oppose the use of bus lanes by motorbikes. At present, this is also the policy of the County Council: on 5 July it approved yet another bus lane - this time on Elizabeth Way - and confirmed that it would be for buses, pedal cycles and taxis only.

There is, however, a real threat that the council's policy may change. The CAMRIDER petition will be taken seriously by the council and it will certainly not be dismissed out of hand. We are therefore starting a campaign on behalf of cyclists to oppose it and to urge the County Council to stick to its existing policy, which is to keep motorbikes out of bus lanes.

Bristol

One of the reasons we are so worried is because of what happened in Bristol, where motorbikes have been allowed to use many bus lanes for several years. This started initially as an experimental scheme. There were - amazingly - no proper 'before' and 'after' studies, but a subsequent survey of cyclists found that 31% of cyclists had experienced problems with motorbikes in these bus lanes, leading Bristol City Council to conclude 'it appears that the experiment had a measurable effect on cyclists.' Nevertheless the scheme was made permanent, firstly because the local council said it could not afford to remove it. Secondly, the Chief Constable said that after allowing motorbikes into bus lanes it would be too difficult to enforce banning them again.

So if motorbikes are allowed into bus lanes, even as an experiment, we might be stuck with them for good. It would also set a precedent for other towns and cities. Transport experts have told us that if powered two-wheelers are allowed into bus lanes in 'cycle city' Cambridge, then this will set a standard for elsewhere in the country.

There is also concern that this would be the start of a 'slippery slope.' Once motorbikes and mopeds are allowed into bus lanes, we will see campaigns for them to be allowed into cycle lanes and advanced stop boxes at traffic lights, and even onto off-road facilities. In the Netherlands, mopeds are not only allowed to use cycle lanes, but also many off-road cycle paths. In west London, mopeds are allowed to use the cycle tracks alongside the A4.

Why

We will be sending a more detailed paper to councillors and council officials, explaining why we object to this change. In summary:

Powered two-wheelers are not a green form of transport, and should not be encouraged in this way. Motorcycle industry figures confirm that although their energy consumption - per person - is slightly better than that of single-occupancy cars, it is worse than that of multiple-occupancy cars. And both are much less energy-efficient than buses, even at present levels of bus occupancy.

Powered two-wheelers are a threat to the safety of cyclists. Motorbikes have a much greater power-to-weight ratio than buses and taxis, and hence much faster acceleration. They are therefore much less predictable than buses and taxis, much more likely to appear out of nowhere and change direction suddenly. Their smaller size also means that they will be free to speed along bus lanes in a way that buses and taxis cannot. And they will. A Government survey of 30 mph areas found that 52% of powered two-wheelers were breaking the speed limit and 34% were doing over 35 mph. These figures include mopeds, which are limited by design to 30 mph.

Allowing PTWs into bus lanes would - let's face it - make them unpleasant for cyclists. This would undermine both national and local policy which is to encourage cycling - a healthy, non-polluting and non-hazardous form of transport. It would also send out a strong message that the convenience of private motor vehicles is being placed before the convenience and safety of cyclists

Sign our petition

We are opposing the CAMRIDER petition with a petition of our own. Please, If you agree with us, download a PDF version of this petition [20 KB ], get as many signatures as possible, and return it to us by September 1.

Nigel Deakin, Clare Macrae

Sustrans routes to Cambridge

With less than a year to go until the opening of the first phase of the National Cycle Network, it seems appropriate to look at how the network will be in Cambridge during Ride the Net week in June 2000 and also what we are aiming for by June 2005, when the whole National Cycle Network is due for completion. The proposals for the National Cycle Network in the Cambridge area are much as envisaged when they were first drawn up in detail in 1997.

Most of the work over the last few years has been concentrated on securing agreement for the routes and the target is to have all routes agreed by December 2000. This looks a difficult target, but not impossible. Looking at the routes in detail:

Huntingdon-St Ives-Cambridge

Route 51 between Huntingdon and St Ives is largely agreed, but a lot of work is needed. The disused St Ives to Cambridge railway then forms the basis of the whole route to Cambridge, although it is intended to follow the track in parts and to deviate from the track elsewhere. Uncertainties about the future of the railway have delayed decisions about implementing the cycle route and this is disappointing especially since plans for both guided bus and rail make reference to a cycleway in addition to public transport. Indeed, by building a path along the edge of the available land, there would be plenty of space to accommodate future public transport, with just a few difficult spots. A notable pinch point would be Histon station, but in fact in this area we plan to take the route through the village rather than along the trackbed. There is a lot of interest in the route between Histon and the Science Park and Sustrans has been urging the County Council to take this forward for some time. (The County Council's influence with Railtrack is vital.)

There was always some uncertainty about the best route to the city centre from the disused railway, with the options being either to continue along the railway to the river (as with the Chisholm Trail) or to head straight for the centre. We prefer the latter since the National Cycle Network is an urban centre to urban centre network, but both options should be developed. The route would be mainly on road using Mere Way and Carlton Way with some additional traffic calming, but this needs further development and discussions with the local authorities. If a new route can be developed past Shire Hall to Castle Street and Bridge Street, this would be the best way to approach the city centre.

Cambridge-Newmarket

With the help of Marshall's, the local authorities and others, the first section of this part of Route 51 is now quite well advanced and it is hoped that a planning application will soon be submitted for a new route between the existing paths on Stourbridge Common and the Newmarket Road Park & Ride site. The Common and Meadows are obviously very sensitive, but it is hoped that there will be a lot of support for such a valuable link. Agreement has been reached in principle with the River Cam Conservators, Railtrack, Gonville & Caius and the Environment Agency for a new route under the railway line beside the river, and white posts should be appearing in the river shortly to mark the proposed spot. The County and City Councils and Marshall have agreed to support the scheme, but some funding is still to be found, with the aim being to have the route open by June 2000. Beyond the Park & Ride site the route to Lode and Burwell is proving difficult, since the landowners are unwilling to agree to the use of the disused railway and an alternative via Newmarket Road and Stow cum Quy may be necessary.

Ely-Cambridge

It is now likely that three new river crossings will be needed between Ely and Cambridge to take Route 11 mainly along quiet roads and past Wicken Fen. From Waterbeach to Milton, discussions have been held with the proposers of the rowing lake, since the rowing lake towpath would make a great route. With or without the rowing lake taking place this is the preferred alignment. Through Milton the national route will probably take the scenic route through the Country Park to link to the planned bridge over the A14. The new bridge does now seem very likely and this justifies the decision to take the national route this way. From the new bridge the plan would be to follow Milton Road cycle routes to the disused railway, where a new route would be needed along the edge of railway land and over the river beside the railway, much as envisaged for the Chisholm Trail. This would join with Route 51 on the edge of Stourbridge Common and follow the riverside routes to the city centre. An unresolved element of this is how to deal with the one way system in St John's Street and Trinity Street. Sustrans would like to see two way cycling legalised here on a trial basis. The road is actually wider than some nearby streets where two-way motorised traffic is permitted!

Cambridge-Saffron Walden

From Brooklands Avenue the planned line of Route 11 is much the same as the Chisholm Trail and a lot depends on development opportunities. There are a lot of new developments planned in this area and prospects look good, with a link to the station across Hills Road likely to become the recommended route from the station to join the National Cycle Network. The planned route would roughly follow the railway line to Great Shelford, passing Addenbrooke's. This would be a very valuable route, but negotiations with landowners have a long way to go and nothing is likely on the ground for a few years at least. Beyond Great Shelford the picture is much the same, with the proposed route roughly following the railway to Ickleton. There have been some discussions with developers, but a lot of work is needed with landowners.

Conclusions

It is obviously disappointing that there is little new work to see on the ground as far as the routes are concerned, but the Marshall's route should change that soon. There is also still a long way to go in terms of agreeing routes with landowners, but things are now progressing much faster than they were. The fact that there are more than five years to go until the completion of the planned routes means that it will be possible to take advantage of many of the developments that are due to happen in the Cambridge area over the next few years, and in this way the prospects are very exciting. This should mean that, given the will, the National Cycle Network in the Cambridge area should be a real example of excellence and a very useful way to encourage more cycling over the next few years.

In this respect the Ride the Net celebrations should be a great tool for the Cambridge Cycling Campaign and the city as a whole. As riders converge on Cambridge it is the ideal opportunity to highlight the good things about cycling in Cambridge as well as the shortcomings of existing facilities and the opportunities for improvement. 19-25 June 2000 therefore has a huge significance for Cambridge and my biggest hopes for next year's Ride the Net celebrations are that they will raise the profile of cycling generally and that they will focus people's minds on the need to really get moving on completing the whole National Cycle Network by 2005.

Contacts

If anyone feels that they may have useful contacts with landowners or would like to help in negotiations with landowners or fund-raising please contact Nigel Brigham at Sustrans East of England office, in Peterborough 01733 319981.

The Regional Ride the Net co-ordinator would like to talk to anyone planning events for next year. He is Graham Elliott, Bikeways Unlimited, 2, The Old Hall, Barsham, Beccles, NR34 8HB. 01502 714661 barsham@compuserve.com

Nigel Brigham, Sustrans Regional Manager

National Bike Week review

I don't think I really believed the weather in National Bike Week - 12-20 June. The sun actually shone gloriously on most of our events, following the last two absolutely abysmal Bike Weeks. Here's a roundup.

Dr Bike, Saturday

The fine weather during National Bike Week was not evident on the first Saturday, which featured Dr Bike and our regular stall. Despite some torrential rain, our brave Drs Bike were soon hard at work with their tools and checklists, examining bicycles, making adjustments, teaching and advising. Five or more 'Doctors' were kept fully occupied all day.

Our regular Stall was under cover and volunteers were kept busy handing out leaflets, selling merchandise and answering questions. We had advertised a route-planning service and received one enquiry - from three visitors wanting to cycle to Scotland! Several people asked whether Dr Bike would be in town for the whole week - or every Saturday. No. But could we find enough volunteers to run the event on both Saturdays next year? (Let us know if you could help.)

Willersmill Ride, Sunday

The first leisurely ride of the week saw the start of the week's fine weather. The ride took in Grantchester and Haslingfield (favouring the concrete path through Cantelupe Farm rather than the bridleway) and on to Barrington with fine views from the top of Chapel Hill. Having refreshed ourselves with ice cream at Willersmill Wildlife Park we continued through Fowlmere and Thriplow. Although the sun was shining, the track between Thriplow and Whittlesford was muddy and not great for white shoes or a bicycle which has to be kept in a carpeted flat!

Near the end of the ride the leisurely aspect was taken literally when we opened a bottle of wine while admiring the view over Cambridge from the nature reserve at the top of Limekiln Road.

Commuter Race, Tuesday

Martin at the start (left) and the finish (right) of the Commuter Race

Cambridge City Council organised their annual Bike versus Bus versus Car versus Pedestrian challenge once again - complete with police recognition so that, yes, they were allowed to call it a 'race'. Contestants started from Newmarket Road Park & Ride site, and had to travel the 3 1/2 miles to the Guildhall in the city centre, obeying all traffic laws along the way. Campaign member Martin Lucas-Smith volunteered to be the cycling contingent.

The results were:

Posing for a press photo after breakfast

Newmarket Road has major bus priority measures, yet even over 3 1/2 miles, cycling was still considerably quicker. Martin was instructed not to zoom along, and much to the astonishment of the press, he wasn't even out of breath when he arrived.

The event received very good television and newspaper publicity. Well done to the City on a very effective event.

Cyclists' Breakfast, Wednesday

This was the fourth year that Hobbs Pavilion have opened specially for Bike to Work Day, serving free breakfast to passing cyclists. We think around 120 people came this year, enjoying glorious weather and quality refreshments. Thank you to all at Hobbs Pavilion, and to the County Council's Travelwise team, for making the event possible. And to Stephen at Hobbs Pavilion, we do hope that you have recovered from the trauma of being accused of saying 'Me and my wife...' in a local paper. We knew your grammar woz better than that!

Cycle Friendly Employers

A number of companies in the Cycle Friendly Employers Scheme organised events for Bike Week.

• UCLES (University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate) hired a bike mechanic to service staff bikes at each of its sites, and to run a cycle maintenance workshop.
• On the Science Park, people keen to launch a Bicycle User Group invited cyclists to get together on Bike to Work Day. Campaign member Tibs' AnthroTech recumbent tricycle with child trailer earned plenty of attention.
• Cambridge University Press gave lots of publicity to our events, and National Bike Week in general, for which, thank you.
• Addenbrooke's Hospital offered staff two weeks free cycle hire, a lunch-time cycle advice clinic, free safety and mechanical checks and even free orange juice!

Sustrans wayside art

Seven go Sustrans in Norfolk, Sunday

We spent an enjoyable day in Norfolk trying out the National Cycle Network Hull to Harwich route between King's Lynn and Hunstanton. The route is generally very well signposted, although a couple of signs had disappeared in the North Wootton area of King's Lynn since my last visit. When the A149 path and crossing are completed this will be an excellent route for family cycling. We had lunch in Sandringham, saw a motte and bailey castle (Castle Rising), several fine churches (Ingoldisthorpe, Snettisham), sea views and enjoyed some lavender tea and lavender scones at Norfolk Lavender, Heacham before heading back to King's Lynn and the train home.

Sarah Elsegood, Clare Macrae and Lisa Woodburn

Zapping along

Yes, Cambridge Cycling Campaign has gone motorised! There are quite a few varieties of electric bike on the market now, and we've tested add-on kits from the German manufacturer Heinzmann and the American ZAP (Zero Air Pollution).

Heinzmann

The Heinzmann kit consists of a hub-motor, a battery pack on a specially made carrier, a speed control twist-grip, and of course a charger. The hub motor can be fitted to front or rear wheel, but fitting to the rear wheel restricts the options on gears, and the front seems to be the most popular choice. The quality of the fittings and the electrical connections is very good, and the carrier is neat, with the battery pack sliding into it leaving a normal rack to carry panniers or a bag above.

Riding the Heinzmann can be done without turning the pedals at all, just turn it on, twist the grip, and away you go. Riding in this way the battery will last for 12-15 miles, cruising at a fairly constant speed even up hills. Using the pedals to provide some more power will extend the range, up to about 25 miles, but the speed of travel will stay much the same.

Once up to its governed speed the motor resists any added power through pedalling, and it will even resist gravity pulling down hill. Simply closing the twist-grip control completely disconnects the motor though, and the bike can be pedalled or allowed to freewheel, without any drag from the motor. It worked best simply riding at its natural speed, shutting the motor off on the level or downhill and assisting it gently uphill.

ZAP

The ZAP kit is rather different. The motor drives a steel wheel which rubs against the tyre, and the battery pack is in a bag with Velcro straps to allow mounting wherever convenient. Control is by pushing a lever to move the drive wheel against the tyre and then holding a spring-loaded switch closed underneath the handlebars. The ZAP does not seem to have a built-in speed control, but relies on the power output being insufficient to propel the bike at more than 15 mph. ZAP's electrical connections were insubstantial, and looked as if they would not resist water for long.

The battery charger was not as sophisticated as the Heinzmann's, and took twice as long to recharge. Riding the ZAP-equipped bike took a different technique too; the motor would continue to assist while pedalling faster or going downhill, but was not as capable of maintaining its speed going up hill. The range was shorter, about 10 miles letting the motor do all the work and 15 miles or so giving it some assistance with the pedals. With the motor switched off there is still considerable drag, and the rider has to reach awkwardly behind the down tube to push the lever to bring the drive wheel off the tyre.

Both kits have options on accessories, including lights for the ZAP, and can be supplied as a kit or built into a new bike. The Fold-It with Heinzmann as tested costs £1150, with the motor kit at £700, and the ZAP-equipped 'ElectriCruizer' is £630 or the kit only at £350. Higher powered motors are available for both, but may be illegal for use in the UK (both Cambridgeshire and Suffolk Police were unsure of the law, but 200W is the limit).

The bikes with their motors and batteries were pretty heavy, at 26 kg and 25 kg, which is roughly the weight of four carrier bags of shopping on top of the weight of the basic bikes. Once the battery has run out they are no fun to pedal uphill and this really is the major factor in their usefulness - you must never run out of battery power!

So can they do a useful job? Well yes but they are not intended for a fit cyclist; better to carry 500 g of bananas for energy than 13 kg of battery and motor that will only last 20 miles. The appeal of electrical assistance is to someone who considers five miles a long way to cycle. With one of these kits those five miles can be extended to 15 or 25 miles at a lower level of effort than the five would have taken. Do not exceed the 15 or 25 miles though - the penalty is too high.

The bikes were kindly provided by the local EV Network members Domain of Histon, on 01223 235636 and their web site is at http://www.garner.demon.co.uk. They offer a discount for Campaign members.

Mike Causer

Gilbert Road

Gilbert Road (top) and Stretten Avenue (bottom)

Being a long suffering user of Gilbert Road, I was delighted with the results achieved by the changes to that road's junction with Stretten Avenue and Carlton Way. The Council has replaced the traffic signals and altered the junction layout. The two narrow approach lanes on either side of Gilbert Road have been replaced with a single main lane and a cycle approach lane with an advanced cycle stop box in both directions.

The advisory cycle lane which runs along much of this road used to end 20 m or so before the traffic signals, at which point the main traffic lane split into two narrow directional lanes. This created conditions in which motorists pulled up to the junction side-by-side and very close to the kerb. This left very little room for cyclists, and left us prone to being cut up by motorists eager to take their place on the 'starting grid'.

Now, the advisory cycle lane grows a solid line close to the junction, and continues right to the advanced stop box. This allows cyclists to cycle to the junction unimpeded and without conflict with other road users. The new arrangement has benefits for the motorist too since it removes the temptation to try to beat other drivers away from the signals and endanger other road users. As both a cyclist and a motorist, I find the whole experience far more civilised.

Well done to the council for making such a worthwhile improvement to this junction.

Kevin Bushell

Before work began on this junction, the County Council told us that it would be impossible to continue the Gilbert Road cycle lanes up to the new advanced stop lines. It was a pleasant surprise to find that lanes were installed after all. I believe the junction works considerably more smoothly now, with its more responsive traffic lights and sensors. Most motorists respect the new red surfacing, though the approach lanes on Carlton Way and Stretten Avenue could perhaps have been longer. The new pedestrian phase on the lights also makes it considerably easier to cross the road. So, yes, thank you very much for a positive set of changes.

Still on the subject of Gilbert Road, we've heard that there should be a public meeting about the advisory cycle lanes in the not too distant future. This will discuss the possibility of making one or both sides mandatory, in the hope of stopping cars parking in the lanes just when they are most needed. We'll get in touch with Campaign members in the area when we have the details.

Clare Macrae

Postcodes: Surprise, Surprise!

As reported in Newsletter 24 , the Cambridge City Crime and Disorder Reduction Strategy includes the goal 'To work with owners and suppliers of cycles to reduce the level of cycle crime in Cambridge City'. One important factor in identifying a cycle as stolen is the ability to identify the rightful owner. Postcoding is surely one good way of achieving this: recently one of our bikes was stolen and then abandoned.

I'm sure it was because the thief had noticed the 'CODED CYCLE' sticker. Postcoding clearly works.

Or so I thought. But it isn't as straightforward as I had supposed. Recently my wife noticed a good-looking bike at the Milton tip; since our daughter's cycle had recently been vandalised beyond repair she bought it for a fiver. When we cleaned it up we discovered that it was postcoded.

Surprise number 1 was the discovery that the owner had not understood how postcoding works. Postcodes identify a road or part of a road; to identify one home, add the house number or name. This postcode had no house number, and covered 60 different houses. Even the most conscientious citizen might jib at writing 60 letters to establish whether an elderly bike was stolen or not.

Postcoding your bike? The police generally don't stamp the number onto the frame themselves, because of the fear of damaging it. Postcode marking kits (engravers, fluorescent pens and dies) are available from the Crime Reduction Unit, generally via neighbourhood watch groups. Also CODED CYCLE stickers, which are a very important deterrent. The Royal Mail's postcode index is on the Web as http://www.royalmail.co.uk/quick_tools/postcodes/

Surprise number 2 was the discovery that there is no national register of postcoded stolen property. I rang Parkside police station to report my discovery, and asked if they could identify the bike as stolen. All they could tell me was that it was not recorded in Cambridge as reported stolen. Since it was a Gloucester postcode I also established that it had not been reported in Cheltenham as stolen either.

Surprise number 3 came when we decided that we had done all we could to find a rightful owner and that we were entitled to keep the bike. I asked how we should replace one postcode with another. Nobody seemed to know the answer! I was sent several useful leaflets by the Crime Reduction Unit about the importance of postcoding. These even discussed how to check for codes when buying second-hand goods. But none of them said what to do next. Finally a long discussion with a very helpful officer at the local Crime Reduction Unit produced a solution which is clear and sensible. The original code should be surrounded by two asterisks, and then the new code added. The police (or a subsequent purchaser) can then check that the first transfer was indeed legal. This is not of course a trivial exercise, given the limited useful surface area provided by a modern cycle for postcoding.

Douglas de Lacey

Further Afield

In June, new legislation came into force to allow local authorities to create 20 mph zones or speed limits in their own areas, without needing Government approval for each scheme. We agree with the Government that the move can be expected to contribute to a reduction in the number of road casualties. New guidelines on best practice are expected soon.

From the Electronic Telegraph: 7 July: the £100 million Newbury bypass is not relieving traffic jams as well as expected, raising doubts about how effective new roads are in reducing congestion, according to a survey. The Highways Agency estimated that the A34 bypass in Berkshire, which opened seven months ago, would reduce traffic using Newbury's inner ring road by 40 per cent, from 50,000 vehicles a day to 30,000. However, studies show that peak traffic has been reduced by 25 per cent at most. Traffic on outer routes has decreased as expected, appearing to confirm environmentalists' predictions that most traffic came from within the town itself.

Australian Bicycle Wholesalers have recently agreed to pay a voluntary bike-promotion-tax of 0.25%, to promote cycling to the public. Participating wholesalers will contribute a percentage of turnover for the 1999/2000 financial year to the Cycling Promotion Fund, a fund dedicated to the promotion of cycling. A working group has been set up to begin the task of developing an action plan.

Clare Macrae

Cycling Shorts

Parking for Parkside's prestigious pool

A brand new cycle route , bridleway and footpath has been opened between Waterbeach Station and Clayhithe Bridge, joining the Fen Rivers Way. The route was created by the Parish Paths Partnership, and provides a link avoiding 500 metres of busy road for people using the Fen Rivers Way, the long-distance path joining Cambridge and Ely along the river Cam. It is, at present, more suited to travel on a horse than a bicycle.

The City Council has invited us to take part in a Community Arts Project called Mosaics for the Millennium . If there's anyone out there who would like to help organise a cycling mosaic, please get in touch with us!

When Trinity College applied to install two Zebra crossings on the Science Park , the County Council response was that central refuges were more appropriate. As we mentioned in Newsletter 23 , we were worried that cyclists on the road would be squeezed out as a result, and so we objected to the proposed central refuges. Milton Parish councillors agreed. At a recent Committee meeting, Trinity were finally given permission to install the Zebras.

We've been asked by several people about the lack of cycle parking at the front of the new Cambridge Parkside Pools complex. I had presumed that the block of Sheffield stands under-cover in the multi-storey car-park would have been sufficient, though a sign to advertise their existence would have been helpful. Please let us know if you find these cycle stands tend to be full at a particular time of day.

Coincidentally, two new books of East Anglian cycle routes have been published recently. Cycle East Anglia , by Bob Shingleton, published by Sigma Leisure, describes 25 routes ranging from 10 to 35 miles. It emphasises Sustrans and the National Cycle Network, and contains a lot of background material, besides the routes themselves. Cycling Without Traffic: East Anglia , by John Brodribb, published by Ian Allan Publishing, lists 30 rides, including bike hire and public transport details for each one.

Judging by the number of enquiries we receive, I suspect there might be a market in Cambridge for installation of cycle-parking stands , to take the hassle out of the process. Ridgeon's now stocks Sheffield stands, but we also get requests for names of fitters. Anyone got any suggestions or recommendations? I'd love to see a service in Cambridge where companies or individuals could simply make a single phone call to say 'I'd like 5 Sheffield stands, and I want them installed over there, please...'

We were pleased to hear that Cambridgeshire County Council has applied to be allowed to test a new system to meet the installation and running costs of speed cameras from the fines collected. This may allow the County and the police to use them much more widely.

Clare Macrae

Out and About

If you feel like a break and a change of scenery, we've found that there are plenty of ideas around. Here's a quick summary.

Organised Rides

Our Leisurely Sunday rides are on the second and fourth Sundays of every month (until November, when we revert to just the second Sunday). We leave at 2 pm from Lensfield Road's junction with Brookside. We never race along, and we guarantee a welcome, and never to leave anyone behind. Numbers usually range from three to ten people - and there's always room for more. We invariably stop for tea and cake along the way.

Members of the local CTC (Cyclists' Touring Club) organise a range of rides all year long. Non-members are welcome (though regulars are encouraged to join the CTC). There are two rides every Sunday (an all-day ride and an afternoon one), Tuesday and Thursday evening runs mainly for mountain bikers, and Thursday all-day rides.

Sponsored Rides

We try to publicise as many local sponsored rides as possible (those that can be reached by bike, train or bus). They can be a great way to discover new routes, enjoy the camaraderie of cycling in a larger group, and raise money for good causes, all at the same time.

Suggestions for Routes

If you feel like being more independent, or setting out at another time, here are some more sources for ideas.

Paul Cane has put together a very nice web site, called Cambridge Corners , of walks (and rides) away from the Cambridge crowds. It's aimed at both residents and tourists. Each route is well described, with pointers to places of interest, and an increasing number of photos. Watering holes along the way form an essential part of the routes!

Geoff's Bike Hire publishes a leaflet with interesting suggestions for rides of varying lengths. It's available free from their shop in Devonshire Road.

The East of England Tourist Board is continuing its England's Cycling Country initiative. A 40-page booklet in English and Dutch lists day trips, touring holidays and forest trails in the area. Three cycling packs, full of detailed information, are also available for purchase, for 'Cambridgeshire & Suffolk', 'Norfolk & Suffolk', and 'Bedfordshire, Essex & Hertfordshire'. I bought each of these around two years ago, and was impressed with the content.

The County Council's Countryside Access Team produces a list of various walking and cycling leaflets covering Cambridgeshire. Some are free and some aren't. Of cycling note are:

There are also quite a few leaflets containing both walks and rides.

The local interest sections in bookshops are packed with books on all sorts of obscure things to see around the county.

• Cycling Campaign rides 690718
• CTC Cambridge rides - George Rich 357511 or Sue Taylor 563414 http://www.cam.net.uk/irving/ctcinfo.html
• Geoff's Bike Hire 365629
• Cambridge Corners http://www.plcane.clara.net/cambridge/
• East of England Tourist Board (01473) 822922
• Countryside Access list of leaflets 717445

Still Further Afield

If you'd like to travel still further afield, it's surprisingly easy to take bikes on WAGN and Anglia Railways services from Cambridge station.

WAGN runs services from Cambridge to:

• King's Lynn (stopping, for example, at Ely)
• London Liverpool Street (including stops at Audley End and Bishops Stortford)
• London King's Cross (including stops at Royston and Shepreth)

Outside peak hours, WAGN does not limit the number of cycles carried on their trains, and it does not charge for cycle carriage. Be careful going to Ely though. Some trains from Cambridge to Ely are run by Central Trains, and they currently require reservation, have a limit of two bikes per train, and charge £3, so check the train's paintwork before you get on. (Central's cycle policy is currently under review, however).

Anglia Railways has made space for four bikes on its rural services. From Cambridge, Anglia runs services to:

• Ipswich (via Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket)

From Bury, you can get an Anglia Plus ticket, which for £7.50 per person, and £1 per bike, gets you all-day unlimited travel on all Anglia Railways routes.

To stretch your horizons, consider taking a train out of Cambridge and cycling home, or travel out to one station, cycle across to another, and catch the train back home. For extra peace of mind, last year Anglia launched a cycle rescue service for cyclists using their local trains. The Environmental Transport Association provides the service. If your bike breaks down, the ETA will transport you to the nearest station.

For more information:

• WAGN Railway Customer Service (0345) 818919
• Anglia Railways (01603) 764776
• National Rail Enquiries (0345) 484950
• Railtrack timetables: www.railtrack.co.uk
• TheTrainLine - ticket booking service:
  www.thetrainline.co.uk
• Suffolk County Council cycle route info:
  www.suffolkcc.gov.uk/central/cycle_path/

Cycling is so much a part of everyday life in Cambridge that sometimes it's easy to forget how much there is to be seen by bike further afield.

Clare Macrae

About the Campaign

If you like what you see in this newsletter, you can add your voice to those of our other 600 members, and join the Campaign.

Membership costs are low: £6 individual, £3 unwaged, £10 household. For this, you get six newsletters a year, discounts at a large number of bike shops, and optional third-party liability insurance. Please get in touch if you want to hear more.

Cambridge Cycling Campaign was set up in 1995 to voice the concerns of cyclists. We are not a cycling club but an organisation lobbying and campaigning for the rights of cyclists, and promoting cycling in and around Cambridge.

Our regular stall on Saturdays outside the Guildhall is the public face of the campaign; volunteers are always welcome to help. And don't forget our meetings, open to all, on the first Tuesday of each month, 7.30 for 8.00 pm at the Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane, Cambridge.

Elected Officers

Treasurer
Press Officer - posts vacant

Co-ordinator - Clare Macrae
h 501050 w 336024

Membership Secretary
Liaison Officer - David Earl 690718

Stall Officer -
Sarah Elsegood 366152

Newsletter Editor -
Mark Irving 882378

Officer Without Portfolio -
Nigel Deakin 311073

Contacting the Campaign

Cambridge Cycling Campaign
PO Box 204
Cambridge CB4 3FN

Telephone David Earl 690718

http://www.ccdc.cam.ac.uk/camcycle

E-mail contact@camcycle.org.uk

Discounts for Members

Discounts are available for members at

Ben Hayward Cycles 69 Trumpington Street Cambridge 352294	Ben Hayward Cycles Laundress Lane Cambridge 301118
Bishop's Cycles 51 Station Road Histon 518855	Cambridge Recycles Cambridge Railway Station
Cambridge Recycles 61 Newnham Road Cambridge CB3 9EN 506035	Chris's Bikes 2 Thornton Way Girton 276004
Cycle-Logical 171 Mill Road Cambridge 576545	Domain: the home of electric bikes (01223) 235636 or 07050 223895 http://www.garner.demon.co.uk noel@garner.demon.co.uk
D.TEK Little Thetford Near Ely Cambs. CB6 1BR 01353 648177	Geoff's Bike Hire 65 Devonshire Road Cambridge 365629
Howes Cycles 104 Regent Street Cambridge 350350	Kingsway Cycles 8 City Road Cambridge 355852
King Street Cycles 82 King Street Cambridge 367275	Mike's Bikes 26-28 Mill Road Cambridge 312591
The Bike Chain c/o YHA Adventure Shops 6-7 Bridge Street Cambridge 353956	University Cycles 9 Victoria Avenue Cambridge 355517

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