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Trajectories

In the late 1970s I read an article in New Scientist that explained why birds sometimes fly into cars.

At a certain angle (about the 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock position when viewed from above the moving vehicle) a bird flying towards a moving car doesn't detect movement. All it sees is the car getting bigger as it would ordinarily do if it was flying towards a stationary car. At the last moment the bird realises it has made a mistake and disaster ensues because the bird hits the car at a much greater speed than it expected.

A similar thing happened to me today, cycling out on Huntingdon Road towards Girton. At New Hall a pigeon took off and flew towards me. I noticed it, and its trajectory was 'at me.' In a flash I realised what was going on and waved dramatically, and the bird veered safely out of the way.

Simon Nuttall

Work at OWL Bikes

The charity Opportunities Without Limits is looking for a skilled cycle mechanic to refurbish and repair bikes in a new social enterprise, OWL Bikes (Sawston).

OWL Bikes (Sawston) is a charity project based on recycling donated bicycles, working with disabled and disadvantaged people to produce bikes suitable for resale. Candidates for the Bike Workshop Mechanic job, 21 hours per week, should contact (01223) 835329. OWL is funded by CRED and Big Lottery.

Cycle lighting poster

Image as described adjacent

Those receiving the printed version of this Newsletter should have received a copy of the Cycling Campaign's poster summarizing cycle lighting requirements. A PDF of the poster [350 KB PDF] can also be downloaded from this site. Please put it up beside your work cycle parking, or anywhere else you think it may do some good.