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Newsletter 43 (August/September 2002)

Contents:

• Cyclists to be forced off Hills Road
• Life on Mars
• Short-term improvements at the Station
• Ground work
• Data Protection Act
• The 'A' Team
• Jubilee Cycleway
• Bike Week 2002
• Let there be light
• Bike alarm
• Cycling shorts
• Cycle theft reduction project a success
• Cycle Park opening
• Making life easier... (14) Fix your bungees
• Priorities change back
• Small ads
• Letters
• Your streets this month
• Commentary
• Campaign Diary
• About the Campaign
• Elected Officers
• Contacting the Campaign

Cyclists to be forced off Hills Road

'A cycle superhighway' was how Newsletter 32 described the section of Hills Road between Cherry Hinton Road and Long Road. This is the stretch that runs past Homerton College and the Perse School, a wide, leafy and rather attractive road with wider than normal cycle lanes on each side, nicely surfaced in smooth red tarmac, and one of Cambridge's better pavement cycleways running parallel in the inbound direction.

Hills Road now: Pleasant cycling.

As a result, this section of Hills Road is one of the easiest and most pleasant routes in and out of the city for cyclists (though the junctions at each end can be difficult).

Well, you've got just one more year to enjoy it. Because after next summer, this pleasant section of road will be transformed into one of the most unpleasant roads to cycle along in the city. In a little-known meeting last month, the 'Cabinet' that controls Cambridgeshire County Council approved in principle proposals to remove the cycle lanes from much of this section and use the space taken from cyclists to install a bus lane.

So what is the County Council proposing? The plan is to introduce a bus lane on Hills Road in the outbound direction between Cavendish Avenue and Long Road, a length of about a third of a mile. Two alternative schemes are proposed. Both will be a disaster for cyclists.

Both schemes involve the removal of the existing mandatory cycle lanes along this section and the division of the carriageway into an outbound bus lane, an outbound traffic lane, and an inbound traffic lane.

Option A would involve the provision of a 4 metre wide bus lane with a 3 metre inbound and a 3 metre outbound traffic lane. This would require road widening, generally at the expense of grass verges, to achieve a 10 metre wide carriageway overall. The result would be similar to the arrangement in Trumpington Road.

Option B would involve the provision of a narrower, 3 metre wide bus lane with a 3 metre inbound and 3 metre outbound traffic lane. The result would be similar to the arrangement in Milton Road.

Inbound: abuse, intimidation and physical assaults

Towards the City on Hills Road.

A 3 m traffic lane is too narrow to allow a car, let alone a bus or lorry, to overtake a bicycle without getting in the way of oncoming traffic. This means that Hills Road inbound would become extremely unpleasant to cycle along, with impatient drivers harassing cyclists from behind and shouting 'get onto the cycle path' as they force their way past. This is the kind of behaviour that happens now, every day, on both Milton Road and Trumpington Road. Abuse. Intimidation. Even physical assault.

And unfortunately the frustrated motorist's cry of 'get off the road' describes exactly what the Council expects cyclists to do on Hills Road, even though a Cambridge Cycling Campaign survey showed that a large majority of cyclists who currently ride into Cambridge along this section of Hills Road choose to remain on the road rather than use the adjacent pavement cycleway.

The pavement cycleway here is constructed to a better standard than usual, though it suffers the usual problem of give-ways at every side road. However it is completely unacceptable for the County Council to make conditions on the road so awful that cyclists feel compelled to use it.

Outbound: squeeze in with buses or get off the road

In the outbound direction the Council offers the alternatives of a 4 m bus lane (if carriageway widening were done) or a 3 m bus lane (if councillors decide to reprieve the grass).

If the 4 m bus lane option were chosen then a very narrow advisory cycle lane about 1.2 m wide would be marked out inside it. This offers some protection against speeding buses, but not much: experience in Trumpington Road and Elizabeth Way shows that this is not wide enough to prevent being overtaken by a bus being a scary experience.

If the 3 m bus lane option were chosen then the Council would expect cyclists to ride on the pavement in this direction as well. The pavement would be widened slightly and resurfaced to create a 2 m wide path shared between cyclists and pedestrians - well below the width required by national standards. Cyclists would inevitably be expected to stop and give way at each of the four side roads the path crosses.

Make your views count

These proposals will make conditions on Hills Road so unpleasant that cyclists will effectively be forced to ride on the pavement, using a cycleway constructed to standards far lower than those we have seen elsewhere in Europe. Yet again, conditions for bus users are being improved at the expense of the right of cyclists to ride on the road safely, conveniently and without harassment. There will probably be a consultation over the summer. Please make sure your views are heard.

Nigel Deakin

A Cycling Campaign meeting to prepare our response to the Hills Road proposals is on Monday 29 July. See Diary later in the newsletter.

Life on Mars

The rest of what Steven Norris (Chair of the National Cycling Strategy Board) had to say in York recently was rather overshadowed by his remarks on cycle helmets.

Asked why he wasn't wearing a helmet, he is reported to have said: 'I think the idea that you have got to dress up like a bloody spaceman in order to ride a bike is just completely potty. You should be looking at cycling as something that normal, fat, middle-aged men like me do.

'If you are a young child you wear a helmet. My little four-year-old does. I don't. I am big enough and ugly enough to know what I am doing and I am not going to treat myself as some kind of Martian in order to do something which I have got every right to do.'

How refreshing!

While there is undoubtedly evidence showing that helmets can reduce the extent of injuries in a crash, there's much more to it than ROSPA's inevitable reaction: 'We hope that in future he would set a good example to other cyclists rather than treating them in this cavalier fashion.'

Making a statement

'I am not going to treat myself as some kind of Martian in order to do something which I have got every right to do'

Cycle helmets make a statement to other people. Not only do they make cycling something other than ordinary, as Norris observed, they send a message that cycling is unsafe. That gives people a reason, or perhaps an excuse, not to cycle. In the end that is likely to be counter-productive because the health benefits outweigh the casualties.

Of course, that is no comfort to the individual victims of crashes. But that also raises questions of priorities: should we be addressing the source of the danger, or adopting the victim-blaming culture that is so prevalent in our society?

It also raises questions of risk. Society has become so much more risk averse over the last 20 years. Perhaps the most dramatic example is the emergence of the 'school run.' Parents, feeling their children cannot be trusted or safe near traffic, may feel they are reducing risk by driving them to school. But this has three side effects. Firstly, it increases traffic, especially around schools, putting others at increased risk. Secondly, it means children are less exposed to traffic and therefore do not learn about it properly. And thirdly, the lack of exercise among children means that health problems such as obesity and heart disease are likely to be more widespread in later life.

Zero risk culture

Attempting to achieve a zero risk is hard to do as one effect replaces another. But is zero risk a reasonable aim anyway? People take risks voluntarily in everything they do. They take risks in anticipation of rewards. ('I'll get home a minute earlier if I drive at 35 mph in this 30 limit.')

'Rules for pedestrians... When it is dark, use reflective materials (e.g. arm bands, sashes, waistcoats and jackets), which can be seen, by drivers using headlights...' - Highway Code, 1999 edition, Rule 3.

Where does the cycling helmet debate lead? How soon before the law is changed to say we must wear a helmet? And then, will we all be encouraged to wear one when walking along the street? After all, large numbers of pedestrians are injured in collisions with cars, so isn't the logical conclusion that everyone who could come into contact with a car should wear a helmet?

You think I'm joking? Things are already moving in that direction. The latest edition of the Highway Code says that anyone out walking at night should wear reflective sashes and arm bands.

Although that rule isn't compulsory, of course, if you don't follow it you could be held partly to blame in a collision ('M'lud, she wasn't wearing reflective clothing when the car hit her on the zebra crossing. As insurers for the driver, we contend that damages should be reduced as the driver did not have the opportunity to see her that he would have had she followed the advice in the Highway Code.').

Occasional joggers use reflective sashes and arm bands, but when did you last see a street full of pedestrians wearing reflective gear? Do I really have to look like a little yellow man from Mars to walk or to cycle to the shops? I'd rather get in a car and drive instead.

David Earl

Short-term improvements at the Station

Clare Macrae and Jim Chisholm from the Cycling Campaign, the City Council's Cycling and Walking Officer Clare Rankin, and Simon Nuttall for the Cycle Theft Reduction Project met WAGN's Ivan Spratt and Cambridge Station Cycles. We talked about short-term measures for improvements for the station area. The delays to the long-term redevelopment plans mean that cycle parking will be under pressure for much longer than we originally thought, so some changes cannot wait.

We were very pleased with the positive attitudes and suggested actions among which were more and possibly managed parking racks and possibly making a better way through the Station car park alongside the existing buildings (above).

It now appears that a public exhibition of the major redevelopment proposals for this area will not now happen until the autumn.

Jim Chisholm

Ground work

We are planning a couple of practical exercises in the near future. If you are able to help, please get in touch.

Shelford Road: Widespread abuse of bus and cycle lanes.

Anyone who uses Shelford Road knows that abuse and infringement of both the bus lane and cycle lane is rampant. Even before it was reorganised, motorists regularly abused the cycle lane leading up to the lights at Hauxton Road. It is so widespread that we think some mild direct action to highlight the problem is in order.

Now that they are more familiar, queue jumpers in Newmarket Road are using bus-and-cycle lanes too, but Shelford Road is probably the most significant from our point of view.

Red light jumpers

More generally, cyclists are vituperatively criticised for jumping red traffic signals. The sins of the minority are heaped on everyone in a way that motoring offences never are by motorists on motorists. Yet red light jumping is as common among drivers as among cyclists.

Of course the technique is different. Most phases of many lights see motorists that have the opportunity go through after a light has turned red. As well as the obvious danger, this leads to increased delays for everyone except the selfish light-jumper because the lights have to have longer cycle times as a precaution. This makes a vicious circle, of course.

So we thought we would take a fairly objective look at the problem by taking some video footage at selected junctions. We would appreciate help with this, if anyone can spare an hour or two early on Thursday 22 August - see the Diary later in the newsletter.

Data Protection Act

A new Data Protection Act came into force last year. As a voluntary group, Cambridge Cycling Campaign does not have to register under this Act. But because we store data about you, our members, we still do need to observe the Act. The committee recently adopted a policy on data protection to make sure that individual committee members handle the information you give us properly.

One requirement of the Act is to define how we use the information you give us. We use your details to (a) maintain your membership and (b) further the Aims of the Campaign.

If you don't want us to store your information at all, please tell us (though this means we won't be able to send newsletters and other communications to you). If you do not want to receive campaigning-related messages from us, please also let us know, and we will send only membership-related material to you: newsletters (if you want them) and membership reminders etc.

We will not pass your information on to anyone else (except where they need to know, for example to set up a standing order or to insure you). If you gave us an e-mail address, we will only use it sparingly to keep you in touch with the Campaign.

The whole policy is available at www.camcycle.org.uk/about/dataprotection.html ; or let us know and we will send a copy to you.

David Earl

The 'A' Team

The National Cycling Strategy Board has been established to try to give some impetus to the Strategy. As we mentioned in Newsletter 42, it is being chaired on a voluntary basis by former transport minister Steven Norris. The Strategy was launched by Norris in 1996 with significant targets. But virtually no progress has been made towards achieving these. Alongside the Board, AEA Technology Ltd has had its contract renewed for a year to provide more marketing of the strategy and cycling in general. You can see some of what they do at the Strategy's web site, www.nationalcyclingstrategy.org.uk .

Cambridgeshire councillor Shona Johnstone is now a member of the National Cycling Strategy Board.

To strengthen the marketing programme, the Minister for Transport allocated £3 million to employ a 'regional sales team' of cycling experts ('the A team'). The contract to operate this also went to AEA, and appointments are being made now. One of the first is former Cycling Campaign member Paul Rosen (see box).

Particularly significant to us here in Cambridge is the appointment of Shona Johnstone, Cambridgeshire County Council's cabinet member with responsibility for transport, to the National Cycling Strategy Board. Appointments to the Board are made in a personal capacity, not ex officio. Councillor Johnstone's appointment recognises the experience of cycling in this of all counties.

The Board has developed a plan for this year. It sees the main reasons why cycling is not increasing as:

• lack of safety
• lack of security for cycles and accessories
• inconvenience
• poor integration with public transport.

Personally, I might quibble a bit with the fourth, and argue that the first has more to do with perceptions of lack of safety, and indeed using that as an excuse not to cycle rather than the real reason for some people.

The actions drawn from that come as no surprise: more central funding needed, disseminating good practice, cultural change among decision makers to factor cycling into decisions, and applying effectively the contribution of voluntary groups.

One topic that comes up time and again at conferences and meetings is the lack of experience and technical skill in providing for cyclists in the traffic engineering profession in general. Engineers themselves tell the Institute of Logistics and Transport that there is a distinct shortage of people with project management expertise, funding, travel behaviour and so on.

David Earl

A Cycling Campaign meeting to prepare our wish-lists for the NCS Board and for Cambridgeshire County Council is on 12 August. See the Diary later in the newsletter.

Former Cycling Campaign member Paul Rosen has been appointed as one of the new Regional Co-ordinators for the National Cycling Strategy. Paul moved from Cambridge to that other great cycling city of York a year or so ago.

Among the other things he has been doing is following through on an academic study on the Cycle Friendly Employers project run here in Cambridge, now part of the Travel for Work scheme, and he has written a book (which we hope to review in the next newsletter). He is also going to be doing a project for central government evaluating cycling research that is available and how it can be used to further the National Cycling Strategy.

In his new role, it's not yet clear which area he will cover: it depends on the other appointments which are currently being made. 'It might even be East Anglia', he said. He sees two main aspects to the job, though it is a new idea so it will be an evolving role.

Firstly he will be facilitating partnerships, at a very broad level. These will involve organisations from fields as diverse as health, transport consultants, voluntary groups, local authorities and so on.

Secondly he will be evaluating local authorities' Local Transport Plans, looking at how much they reflect reality - actually seeing how what was promised has panned out on the ground.

There will shortly be a pilot project in Sheffield, a city better known for steel than for cycling, identifying some of the issues in the new role.

Jubilee Cycleway

Sustrans routes are well known for their artwork. This new sculpture at the Newmarket Road Park & Ride site is a nice example.

I have never before had a gold-edged card inviting me to an event featuring the Duke of Edinburgh, but then he probably hasn't been on a bike much recently either. And July 1 was no exception, when he opened the Jubilee Cycleway.

As we reported last time, work was nearing completion. It still is at the time of writing. Temporary gates are still in place at each of the bridges. And it will be a while before a proper toucan crossing is in place on Ditton Lane.

Nevertheless, the route is built to a pretty high standard and when the last wrinkles are ironed out it will give a really good alternative to Newmarket Road for Park & Riders and people coming from Bottisham. It will possibly be a more direct route for people heading to the northern side of the City Centre than using the main road, and is quicker because it isn't punctuated with junctions and has a very smooth surface. It is undoubtedly a less stressful and more pleasant way into town. It ends up very close to the new Park Street Cycle Park. The section through the Newmarket Road Park & Ride car park is sadly deficient though, especially the way it crosses a car exit, which is very hard to see because of planting, and then a terribly narrow bit alongside buildings.

The section in town starts at the Park & Ride site where a magnificent bike sculpture now arches over the route. It was here that the Queen's representative opened the route by cutting the tape. Cyclists from Sustrans, Fen Ditton and Teversham schools, a group from the CTC and a veteran cycling club all then dutifully piled through the arch, and came back to eat strawberry scones and tea.

The Duke of Edinburgh opens the new route.

David Earl

If you want to try the path, look for the Route 51 signs. From the city centre, follow the path along the river on Jesus Green and Midsummer Common onto Riverside and onto Stourbridge Common. At Green Dragon bridge, you can now continue along the river on the same side onto the new section.

This leads you to Ditton Lane. Cross the crossing and follow the estate road until a sign turns you left onto the short off-road section to the Park & Ride site. You can then continue through the site, parallel to Newmarket Road and eventually under the A14 tunnel to Quy and beyond, all well signposted.

If you want to make a round trip, you could return via Wilbraham, Fulbourn, Fulbourn Old Drift and The Tins, to the South East Cambridge route, about 15 miles all the way round. Anglesey Abbey is not far up the road from Quy.

	The railway bridge on Ditton Meadows is navigated by a timber build-out over the water. This was our original suggestion when we were helping Sustrans' Nigel Brigham look at possible routes. We thought of a couple of ways of crossing the railway. Here are our two mock-ups from 1996, soon after the Campaign was formed (left), and the final answer (above).

Bike Week 2002

This recumbent bicycle at the Cycle Try-out Show is a conversion of the popular Brompton folding bike, and gives an exhilarating ride.

And the sun shone - a bit unwillingly on the first Saturday of Bike Week, for the Dr Bike event, but that was fine - we were not on the sunny side of the square anyway. Despite the World Cup, about 40 bikes were checked over and as many were security coded by the police. Philippa Slatter, our Mayor, can now ride safely round Cambridge (assuming that she took advantage of the Dr Bike advice and of the discounts offered by bike shops).

The Mayor also presented one of the prizes for the Bicycle Art Competition. The first prize was awarded before the football got going. And what a well earned prize it was. The quality of entries to the Art Competition was superb and gave the judges a hard task. The exhibition of both competition art and information about Cambridge Cycling Campaign was admired in the Library at the beginning of the month and in the Guildhall during Bike Week and beyond. Many thanks to Philip Rundall, Margaret Schofield and Estheranna Stäuble for acting as judges.

A pleasantly warm and sunny Sunday brought out the crowds to enjoy the many and varied bicycles provided by the Company of Cyclists, by dutchbike.co.uk, by Drakes and by many individuals at the Cycle Try-out show. With enthusiasm or trepidation these exciting machines were taken round Parker's Piece to the delight of the riders and the amusement of the passers-by.

Monday dawned bright and very hot, so we went to the pictures to see ET. Very enjoyable: a few laughs and a few tears and well worth watching. And ET kindly allowed us to watch an exciting police chase with bikes leaping down banks and skidding round corners before he took them smoothly into the air for an easy escape. My pleasure was a little marred by my worries about those lamps draped in bits of cloth in the toy cupboard!

And then we had breakfast in the sun. Croissants galore and lovely strong coffee. And even at 8 am it was warm enough for me to once again sport my T-shirt with the Bike Week poster design cleverly ironed onto it by Simon. We must thank Estheranna for again producing such a lovely and eye-catching poster and for producing the wonderful banner that was hung over Guildhall Street for the week.

Evaluating the week

This year we've seen greater interest shown by local businesses and authorities

This year we asked those attending our events to give us feedback via questionnaires. People overwhelmingly thought that Bike Week was a good thing and they said the events were well organised and supported. They certainly enjoyed themselves at the Cycle Try-out show which was the biggest event the Cycling Campaign has ever held. It was also interesting to note that a few other things happened because of Bike Week. A motor dealership on Newmarket Road bought their staff new bikes, and a local supermarket launched a trailer hire scheme for its customers. Our membership figures have also received a significant boost. Perhaps, more importantly, this year we've seen greater interest shown by local businesses and authorities in what we are doing. I think Bike Week in Cambridge has grown to a point now where we have to look again at how it is organised. It takes a lot of careful planning over many months and as ever we welcome new input and new ideas.

We should like to extend a warm thank you to all our sponsors this year:

Cambridge City Council, Cambridgeshire Constabulary, South Cambridgeshire District Council, Cambridgeshire County Council Travelwise, Hobbs Pavilion, Ben Hayward Cycles, dutchbike.co.uk, H. Drake and the Dr Bike discounters.

Lisa Woodburn and Simon Nuttall

Pictures by David Earl and Clare Macrae

The easy way to try recumbent cycling is on a tricycle at the Try-out Show. Very fast and exciting handling especially on the corners. This one is a 'Thorax'.	The highly popular Barrow Bike at the Try-out Show. Capable of carrying a good deal of your weekly shopping, there are also seats for children, though at the show they were popular with adults too!
The Mayor of Cambridge, and Campaign member, Philippa Slatter, awarding Fourth Prize in the Art Competition.	Art Competition: The winning entry.
City Council staff including the Chief Executive, Rob Hammond (on the right carrying his helmet) and Director of Environment and Planning, Peter Studdert (on the far right) get on their bikes to enjoy the free Bike2Work breakfast at Hobbs' Pavilion.	The Mayor of Cambridge with her cycle under the scrutiny of Dr Bike.
Visitors trying the 'Zero Emission Vehicle' at the Cycle Try-out Show. This four seater bicycle, from Switzerland, can be very fast and has exciting cornering characteristics.	Irresistible fun at the helm of the "Ondervater" Dutch tandem at the Cycle Try-out Show. Unusually for tandems the captain (who steers) is at the back, and this means she has to see over the head of the stoker, who is usually a child.

Let there be light

In Newsletter 42, we regretted that edge markings had not been installed on the now not-so-new cycle track on Babraham Road. Almost immediately after the newsletter was published, street lighting was installed on that stretch of road. This was funded as part of the Park & Ride site extension and was, apparently, promoted by Shelford councillor Michael Farrar.

Street lighting not only helps cyclists to see the edge of the path, it also helps to reduce the impact of car headlights, one of the serious problems with this kind of one-side-of-the-road facility. While there are some people who are concerned about the urbanising effect along the fringes of the city, this will surely be a big improvement for commuting, especially in winter.

The Bottisham path now has white lines making it much easier to see the edge in the dark winter evenings.

The new path from Bottisham now also has a white line edge marking similar to that shown at Hauxton Road in Newsletter 42, but over a much extended length. Let's hope that the principle is now accepted and that we can have white lining on all unlit sections of path. Street lighting is very expensive and isn't going to be acceptable everywhere. This is a good alternative.

David Earl

As part of the Park & Ride site extension works, street lights have been installed on Babraham Road specifically to make the cycle track easier to use in the dark. (But if they were put in specially for cycles, why weren't they put in at the edge of the path, not the edge of the road?)

Bike alarm

When Douglas De Lacey mentioned (on the camcycle mailing list) that there was a reasonably priced bike alarm for sale, I got the last one in stock to try it out.

I fitted it to my Brompton folding bike. The good news is that I still have a Brompton!

Cycle alarm lock. £9.95 from Maplins, Regent Street or mail order.

The lock is about 10 x 5 x 5 cm. It comes with a holster that attaches to one of the bike tubes. Therein lay the first problem: because of the Brompton's large tubing and folding mechanism, the number of places to attach it is limited. I ended up strapping it on with cable ties instead of the supplied fittings. You could carry it separately, of course, but then it's one more thing to carry.

The other problem with the holster is that it is too easy to forget that the alarm's cable must go through the frame as well as the bike rack. Otherwise, the lock can be removed from the holster and the bike taken away leaving the lock attached to the stand.

Of course the alarm should sound if you do this. The alarm is very loud (110 dB). It goes off for 20 seconds if you disturb it, or 30 seconds if you cut the cable or otherwise break the circuit. The former is easier to test but, for obvious reasons, I haven't checked the latter. The alarm gives you three loud warning beeps if you move it before going off fully. It seems quite good at not going off if the bike is lightly knocked, but I doubt it would stay quiet if a bike were parked in the same stand given how close they are together. For that reason I'd have to be very careful about where I leave it.

But the biggest problem is that it is extremely sensitive to being unlocked. If it is not held perfectly still while unlocking, it goes off (with the warning beeps, and if you can't get the key in the lock in time, the full monty). The embarrassment factor, which may well not be enough to deter a thief, is enough to put me off. It is possible to use it without the trembler alarm, just to go off if the cable is cut, though it is impossible to test this non-destructively, and the effectiveness is presumably reduced.

It claims to be 'weather resistant', but I don't know how well it would survive heavy rain while parked in the open.

So, although I'll persevere with it for the time being, I am suspicious of it, and am unconvinced that it would deter a brazen thief. And I am frightened of it!

David Earl

Cycling shorts

The Department for Transport has moved to the next stage of its consultation on bells and lights. It is now seeking feedback on a proposal to require bike shops to make four changes to the way they sell bikes. It has retreated from requiring new bikes to have lights fitted, but bells would be required. An obligation would be placed on bike shops to adjust bikes properly before sale. The full details are at www.roads.dft.gov.uk/consult/pedbicreg . As the main impact is on cycle shops, we asked Rob Turner of Ben Hayward's for his reaction. He said: 'I would obviously support any moves to improve the roadworthiness of cycles, including proper monitoring of cycle workshops. Supplying lights with cycles would be counterproductive, leading to more poorly lit bikes, while surely the Department should consider banning self assembly 'kit bikes' (not custom machines built by enthusiasts) rather than encouraging this unsafe practice by supplying inadequate tools. Mandatory bells are, I feel, irrelevant; the debate on mandatory helmets is of greater interest. At least there is consultation and concern.'

Double yellow lines have helped stop people parking across the cycle track entrance on Regent Terrace - though this driver was not to be dissuaded. The family in the car parked, watched us photograph them, and went shopping.

Ten initial grants have been awarded under the £2 million Cycle Projects Fund grant awards announced earlier this year (see Newsletter 42). Ranging from £500 to £50,000, the grants will help provide lockers, cycle parking and CCTV at various public and private sites; cycle hire in Sunderland, cycle training in the west country; bikes on buses in Cornwall and completing a cycle path in Crediton.

Last month, the Cycle Theft Reduction project visited Shire Hall to put identification on County Council employees' bikes. Tiny micro-dots that can only be read with an ultra-violet sensor are glued onto the frame, and labels are added so would-be thieves know they are there. The coding system is applied free. Staff and nearby residents were also given advice on security and travel choice.

Since double yellow lines appeared, the junction of Regent Terrace and the cycle route across the corner of Parker's Piece is less often obstructed by parked cars in the evenings. (We don't know exactly when the extra yellow paint appeared, but it has certainly helped!)

Anglia Polytechnic University.

Anglia Polytechnic University has proposed a £7 million expansion and refurbishment scheme aimed to make its East Road campus more user- and cycle-friendly and less dominated by parked cars. The scheme will get rid of 71 per cent of existing car parking, with the 219 existing spaces reduced to just 59. A significant increase in cycle parking is proposed. 'We are trying to get away from being a campus built round the car park,' said Jan Mughan, APU's public relations manager. 'We're trying to bring it to life and make people feel welcome. Car parking will be virtually non-existent. Students, staff and visitors will have to walk, cycle or use public transport and park and ride facilities.' Work will be carried out in three phases over five years with the first phase expected to start in October, pending permission from Cambridge City Council (according to the Cambridge Evening News).

The annual national survey on speeding behaviour updated in June 2002 shows that the situation has only changed a little. The Department for Transport has found that nearly two thirds (65%) of drivers exceed 30 mph urban speed limits at 92 survey sites. Half of those were going at more than 35 mph, the speed at which risk of death in a collision is doubled from 30 mph. More than half of heavy goods vehicles also exceeded urban speed limits.

There is to be a one day cycling and public transport conference in Nottingham on Thursday 19 September, organised by the CTC, Department for Transport, and the Institute of Logistics and Transport. Keynote speaker will be Christian Wolmar, journalist and member of the National Cycling Strategy Board. Jonathan Denby of Anglia Railways is among the speakers.

The Department for Transport has issued guidance on Home Zones following its pilot schemes around the country. Home Zones are residential streets designed to improve local quality of life. They aim to strike a better balance between the needs of drivers and other street users such as pedestrians - especially children and older people - and cyclists. Road space is shared between drivers of motor vehicles and other road users, with the broader needs of residents (like people who walk and cycle, and children) in mind. See Newsletter 18. We hope to review this initiative in more detail in a future issue.

An online questionnaire about cyclists' attitudes to road narrowings is part of a study being carried out by the Transport Research Laboratory on behalf of the Department for Transport (DfT). The results of the survey with other research findings will be used to provide a report to the DfT and improved guidance for local authorities. All cyclists are invited to complete the survey. Visit www.schooltravelchat.co.uk/emailform2.htm .

Cycle theft reduction project a success

Cambridge's Cycle Theft Reduction project has only two months left to run. I talked to Simon Nuttall, who was appointed as project manager 20 months ago, to review the scheme and his work.

David Earl: How did the scheme get started?

Simon Nuttall: I suppose it was the then Home Secretary Jack Straw's desire to be 'tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.' Community Safety Partnerships were being set up and there was funding available to target particular crimes. The Cycling Campaign had been meeting with, and building up a relationship with, the local police. A genuine partnership which involved police, a voluntary group and other local authorities was always going to score highly in the bidding rounds. Cycle theft is a particularly serious problem in our area, so we were awarded £167,000.

What are the project's aims?

There are three: to reduce cycle theft in the city by 10% overall, to reduce thefts by 20% among the student population's bikes, and to increase detection of cycle theft.

And are those aims going to be achieved?

Well, cycle theft has gone down by 33% over the lifetime of the project, so yes, the first two aims have definitely been achieved. The project can't claim the credit for all of this reduction, but it has clearly been a success. The third aim hasn't been met. Ironically, it hasn't been set as a police priority because cycle theft has been going down and there has been a rise in other types of crime.

The most noticeable achievement of the project is the addition of 730 new cycle parking spaces across the city. Secure cycle parking is really a much better solution over the long term than detecting theft after it has happened.

Applying the micro-dot security system to a bike whose owner came along to our own Bike Week Dr Bike event.

What happens to the project next?

The project itself won't continue, as it was only intended to run for a fixed period. Nevertheless, I have been working on a bid to the Safer Communities Fund to allow work to continue on the registration scheme - coding bikes with microdots or electronic tags. Cambridge City Council needs to pick up impetus from the cycle parking parts of the scheme and continue to install new cycle stands.

What's been the secret of the project's success?

Having the money available to do it, and a willingness among the project partners to make it happen, is what has made it possible.

The project gave us the opportunity to test parking stands before and after we installed them. All the designs we eventually put in have proved themselves in one way or another, so they'll all stay. We learned how important spacing is, whatever the design but, at the same time, capacity is vital and the conclusion was that you can only really have both with an alternating high/low arrangement.

So which racks were most successful?

The 'triangles' (see the example near Culpeper's shop on Lion Yard) allowed us to put 12 spaces where there were only eight before. Bikes using them are usually parked tidily and locked as intended to the metal loop. It's perhaps one of the more controversial designs because you have to lift a bike to get it in and it might appear to give less support to the bike than it actually does.

The winner was the 'rounded A' frame.

But the winner is the 'rounded A.' This is compact and can accommodate the widest range of bikes: children's bikes, those with baskets and child seats, ladies' frames can be locked to it. And bikes don't fall over because of the cross-bar. It's easy to use, although it doesn't have quite the capacity of the 'triangle.'

Has your approach changed as you got into the job?

Before working with the police, I thought that reporting a stolen bike was a fruitless exercise. But I do see now that there is at least a modest chance of getting a bike back if you do report it: about 15% of bikes are returned to their owners.

I used to think the Sheffield stand was the only good cycle parking solution, but now I know there are better ones. A good quality finish is important to avoid deterioration. And putting them somewhere with good surveillance is crucial. It's hard to find places to put more cycle parking - the best bets are often where there are double yellow lines.

What's now most needed?

We need a staffed cycle parking facility at the bus station - maybe if Bradwell's Court is redeveloped this could provide the space. There's lots of demand in that area and it's a hot spot for cycle theft.

On a wider front, making cycling safer, and especially reducing the perception of danger, is the biggest thing that can be done to encourage cycling. And that means making more space for bikes, and reducing traffic. Traffic reduction really isn't on the authorities' agenda.

I really think it's a shame that people feel they have to ride a low value, rusting bike to the station, rather than their best bike just because it might get stolen, so I've been really pleased to be involved in this project going some way to reducing the problem.

And what's next for you?

I still want to try to stay doing something in cycling. I still think doing cycling tours or running a cycling school would be possible. Amsterdam has 'yellow bike' tours of the City. We could do something similar.

You're not the only one who has been involved in the project, of course?

The partnership has been very important. But I'd particularly like to thank PC Anil Soni, and Alan Sidell and John Isherwood at Cambridge City Council for the support they've given the project.

Cycle Park opening

With over 200 under-cover free cycle parking spaces, and lockers that can be rented, the new Park Street Cycle Park is the largest of its kind so far in the country. The park is secured with CCTV cameras and has an emergency help point.

Chief Constable Tom Lloyd, at one of his first public functions on taking up the post, talks to Alan Sidell from Cambridge City Council at the opening of the new Park Street Cycle Park on one of the wettest July mornings imaginable.

Making life easier... (14) Fix your bungees

Cable ties have prevented bungees from being stolen so far.

It's amazing how anything left loose on a bike will sooner or later be stolen, however little intrinsic value it has. Bungees - those elastic straps with hooks which are commonly used for strapping luggage to a carrier - are a prime example. Costing only a pound or so, their loss is more irritating than financial. And, of course, they get stolen at the critical time when you have an extra object to carry. Not leaving them on the bike risks not having one to hand when you need to carry something.

So I've tried fixing two bungees to my carrier using cable ties. So far, touch wood, they have remained on my bike, ready to do service at a moment's notice.

Once fastened, these plastic strips are difficult to remove without a cutting tool. They are widely available at electrical component suppliers, for example from Maplin on Regent Street or H Gee on Mill Road, 1p to 5p each depending on the size.

While on the subject of bungees, Lisa Woodburn suggests that a redundant inner tube fitted with bungee hooks makes a very effective DIY equivalent. She says they are better than ready-made bungees because they are so much longer and stretchier.

David Earl

Priorities change back

Three-way Give Way arrangements at the main junctions in Grange Road were installed on speed tables when the traffic calming was installed there more than a year ago. These were quickly replaced with mini-roundabouts - they were ridiculed most unfairly in the press for saying 'give way to the right' when there was no road immediately to the right. Now both the junctions have been changed yet again, back to their original form, with priority to traffic on Grange Road. However, the 20 mph speed limit and the speed tables, together with the other traffic calming, still make these junctions easier to use than before the scheme was installed.

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Letters

Paths not much fun on a trike

I just wanted to say how much I agree with your article on cycle paths (Newsletter 42). They are very useful for encouraging people to use their bikes and also in hazardous areas but there is no way you can travel on a shared path at a reasonable speed without unsettling pedestrians and repetitive strain injury from the poor surfaces.

It is ironic that cycle paths are most useless at dangerous junctions. For example, the Long Road junction mentioned. Now I use a tricycle it has got even more difficult. The Cherry Hinton road path from Queen Edith's to the Cherry Hinton Hall park crossing (on the side into town) has loads of steep road crossings, is narrow and at an appalling camber. I don't suppose its much fun on an ordinary bike either.

Kate King

What is the point of these lanes?

I live on Shelford Road in Trumpington not far from Waitrose and the traffic light junction. Every morning I see a stream of cars driving down the cycle lane (a solid white mandatory lane).

It is not just traffic turning left that does this, but also drivers who then U-turn at Waitrose and head into Cambridge, using it as a way of jumping the queue. It seems to me that few drivers are willing to obey the law and queue.

This behaviour puts cyclists and other car drivers at risk. From my bedroom window I notice that it is not just young impatient men doing this, but also 'respectable' looking middle aged women! Clearly the police are not willing to enforce the lane markings, and few people seem willing to obey the law voluntarily. I wonder what the point of any of these cycle lanes is?

Christof Schwiening

We are going to try to make a point about this particular lane soon - see 'Ground work' in this Newsletter.

Tins bridge going back a bit

I suspect that the humps and steep approaches to the Tins bridge began in the 1960s when the original curved bridge (as in the photo, from 1957) was replaced by the present flat-bottomed 'second-hand' structure. This was originally at St Ives station and had to be installed a foot or so higher to allow clearance for trains.

It surely ought to be a simple job to rectify these minor problems and at the same time smooth out the sharp bends at the approaches to the bridge.

Note the cyclist on the bridge.

John Taylor

See 'Fiasco on the Tins' in Newsletter 42.

The old Tins bridge in 1957, in the days when the cement works alongside was still going strong. That site is only now being redeveloped.

Your streets this month

Very bad news

Cambridgeshire County Council has approved in principle a scheme to remove the cycle lanes from a long section of Hills Road between Cavendish Avenue and Long Road, and to use the road space to introduce an outbound bus lane. Cyclists would be expected to ride on the pavement in the inbound direction and, if one of the two alternative schemes were chosen, on the pavement outbound as well. See article.

Bad news

Work has just started to remove part of the cycle lane on Tenison Road and replace it with a buildout for a new pedestrian crossing. Although pedestrian crossing facilities are definitely needed here, why can't they be designed to avoid making conditions worse for cyclists?

Traffic calming has been proposed for Ely Road, Milton (the northern end of the main road through the village). The main feature is a large buildout on the east side which will reduce the road to a single lane, with traffic entering the village having to give way to traffic leaving it. Nothing is proposed to help cyclists get past the buildout - a cycle gap is clearly needed here, but is being resisted by officers. Cyclists will be expected to use the pavement instead. There is currently a pavement cycleway southbound and a new section of pavement cycleway will be constructed northbound. There will also be two new central islands either side of the new buildout. The 30 mph speed limit will be extended.

Bidwells, the company that manages Cambridge Science Park, has submitted a planning application to close the informal access that currently exists from Garry Drive to the Science Park. This is the most direct route to the Science Park from most of King's Hedges. The Campaign has submitted an objection on the grounds that the route continues to be well used by both cyclists and pedestrians and that the new access road near Cambridge Regional College is too far away and too cycle-unfriendly.

Good news

Street lighting has been installed on Babraham Road between the edge of the city and the Park and Ride site. This is good news for all cyclists, but will be particularly useful to cyclists using the cycle path who currently find it difficult to see the edge of the path in the dark. See article.

The new shared-use cycle path along the outbound side of Newmarket Road between the Airport Way roundabout and Bottisham is at last just about complete. On the unlit section between Quy and Bottisham the edges of the path are marked with white lines. As a result, this path, unusually for rural cycleways, might be usable in the dark.

Other news

A rather poor pavement cycleway is nearing completion in Maid's Causeway and Short Street, near the Four Lamps roundabout. The idea is to allow cyclists to cross from the corner of Midsummer Common to King Street without the need to use the roundabout. Unfortunately this cycleway is little more than a few dropped kerbs and some white paint; cyclists heading for King Street will have to give way at five separate road crossings, ride on a narrow pavement, and make some sharp turns.

Cycleway construction on Newmarket Road.

Construction has begun on a pavement cycleway along Newmarket Road outbound between Ditton Lane (by the cemetery) and Marshall's. The width of 3 m (10') looks reasonable, and there are some handy dropped kerbs to allow cyclists to get to and from the service road opposite.

Work is about to start to build a bus and cycle lane on Madingley Road at the edge of the city, immediately west of the junction with the M11. This lane will allow buses and cycles heading into Cambridge to bypass the M11 signals and its queue of morning, peak-time traffic. The start of the bus lane will be a very narrow 3 m before widening to a more acceptable 4.5 m. In this wider section, cyclists and buses will be sharing a segregated lane with a kerb on both sides, though a 1.5 m advisory cycle lane marking should help to reduce conflict. Outbound cyclists will see no change other than a general narrowing of the carriageway and a possible pinch point at the M11 signals. Additional street lighting will be installed and the speed limit will be reduced from 60 mph to 40 mph, both good news for cyclists. The existing inbound pavement cycleway will also be widened and the vegetation that often obstructs it will be cut back.

Commentary

Campaign Diary

July 2002
Mon 29	8.00 pm	Hills Road opposition planning meeting. Lisa's house, 140 Cherry Hinton Road.
August 2002
Tue 6	7.30 pm	Monthly open meeting, Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane, at the Park Street junction. (Tea and coffee, a chance to chat, and for us to introduce ourselves to new members for the first half-hour. The meeting itself starts at 8 pm.)
Wed 7	6.50 pm	Beijing Bicycle film at the Arts Picture House from 2 August. Some members of the Campaign will be going to this showing.
Sun 11	1 pm	Leisurely Ride. A countryside ride, at a gentle pace. Meet at Hobbs Pavilion on Parker's Piece. We'll be back in Cambridge around 4.30 pm.
Tue 13	7.30 pm	Developing a wish list for the County Council and the National Cycling Strategy board. Clare's house, 8 Thirleby Close.
Mon 19	7 pm	Join us for a social gathering at CB2 café 5-7 Norfolk Street.
Thu 22	8.30 am	Videoing behaviour at red signals. Meet at Hills Road-Brooklands Avenue junction.
September 2002
Tue 3	7.30 pm	Monthly open meeting, Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane. See description for 6 August.
Sat 7		Newsletter 44 deadline. Please send copy to Mark Irving.
Sun 8	1 pm	Leisurely Ride. For description see 11 August.
Sun 8		St Ives Bike Ride. 25 mile sponsored ride taking a circular route through the Cambridgeshire Fens and travelling up the meridian line. Starting and finishing at the Dolphin Hotel, St Ives, 25 miles. British Heart Foundation, 14 Fitzhardinge St, London W1H 6DH
Mon 16	7 pm	Join us for a social gathering at CB2 café 5-7 Norfolk Street.
Wed 25	7.30 pm	Newsletter 44 Envelope Stuffing at the Baby Milk Action offices, 23 St Andrews Street (between the Robert Sayle main and computer shop entrances, entrance next to Lunch Aid). Help very much welcomed!
Sun 29		The Cambridge Wheel sponsored ride. 28 or 44 miles; start and end in Cambridge; in aid of Action Research.
October 2002
Tue 1	7.30 pm	Monthly open meeting, Friends' Meeting House, Jesus Lane. See description for 6 August.
Sat 5	10 am	Police cycle auction at the 29th Cambridge Scout Headquarters, Stanesfield Road, off Barnwell Road, Cambridge. Viewing from 9 am. (01354) 688197 for information.
Sun 6		Home Farm Trust 20 or 50 mile circular sponsored bike ride. Registration at Orford House, Ugley, Bishops Stortford. £6 p/p or £9, 1 adult & 1 child. hcolbert@hft.org.uk (01525) 376564.
Sun 13	1 pm	Leisurely Ride. For description see 11 August.
Mon 21	7 pm	Join us for a social gathering at CB2 café 5-7 Norfolk Street.

About the Campaign

If you like what you see in this newsletter, add your voice to those of our 700 members by joining the Campaign.

Membership costs are low: £7.50 individual, £3.50 unwaged, £12 household. For this, you get six newsletters a year, discounts at a large number of bike shops, and you will be supporting our work. 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 for lobbying and campaigning for the rights of cyclists, and for 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

Co-ordinator - David Dyer

Liaison Officer - Clare Macrae

Membership Secretary - Dave Earl

Newsletter Editor - Mark Irving

Treasurer - Simon Nuttall

Stall Officer - Paul Tonks 07870 441257

Press Officer - Sam Davies

Officers without portfolio
Jim Chisholm, Nigel Deakin, Richard Taylor,
Lisa Woodburn and Wookey

(Non-Committee) Secretary & Webmaster Martin Lucas-Smith

Contacting the Campaign

Cambridge Cycling Campaign
PO Box 204
Cambridge CB4 3FN

Telephone and fax (01223) 690718

Web www.camcycle.org.uk

E-mail contact@camcycle.org.uk

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