The front part of the shop has needed a new roof for a number of years. It has leaked badly and this is one of the reasons why we have had to strip out all of the electrical system.
This week saw the scaffolding go up at the front of the shop and work start on replacing the roof – fingers crossed for good weather whilst this takes place.
The CTC has launched a campaign to keep cycle lanes in Hove whilst Boris Johnson has announced some additional funding for cycling in London
It has been reported that the Conservative Council in Brighton and Hove is planning to remove some cycle lanes in Hove. The lanes were put in about 3 years ago – though there has been criticism of the way that they were designed and the way that they have been policed.
Now the council is proposing to spend £1.1m of public money to remove the lanes in order to improve motorised road traffic. There may be a logic behind this – but it doesn’t sound like a very green plan to me!
Further north, the Conservative controlled Transport for London has announced additional funding for cycling initiatives. This is obviously good news for cyclists in London – though as reported by the BBC, there are some who view the glass as half empty rather than half full.
Apologies to those that don’t get excited about bottom bracket extractors and such like – but we’re pleased that we now have our tool kit ready to use!
As previously flagged, we have ordered, and now received, a professional workshop tool kit from mainly from Cyclo. Apart from all of the normal stuff you’d expect to keep at home (if you’re into DIY maintenance) – we have specialist tools like reamers, bottom bracket removers and even a star fangled nut setting tool.
If you’d ever wondered what a full toolkit looks like – see below! Fortunately, our son is away at university, so his room has been pressed into storage service. (Thanks Stephen!)
Blue Doors moves towards opening
We are excited that a full workshop tool kit is due to be delivered to our supplier in London tomorrow. This kit – mainly UK sourced Cyclo equipment – will enable us to provide a full workshop service when we open.
We now have a tools, product suppliers, a bank account and insurers lined up so are ready to roll. The landlord of our first choice premises has said that he expects to make a decision on our bid (made in mid December) by the end of February – so we hope to be moving forward shortly.
This has been a pretty frustrating time – but we have used it wisely on training and have even made contact with parks police force and hope to service their bikes shortly.
Some cyclists are turning to miniture cameras to record experience of bad drivers
My personal experience is that most drivers (even in central London) are careful and reasonably courteous and that if anything things are getting better on our roads. However, some drivers (like some cyclists) do not behave well and cycle commuter Ben Porter is reported by the BBC as using a miniature camera to record poor behaviour.
This is not unique – a number of people have posted their experience of poor drivers on the web. What is unusual is that Ben used his recording to get a driver prosecuted for his bad behaviour!
Work continues on making “Blue Door Bicycles” a reality
Whilst we are not yet able to announce the address and opening date of the new shop – we are making progress on a number of fronts.
Both Dave and David are now formally qualified as mechanics having completed training in Aylesbury and London.
We are about to put in an order for a full professional workshop tool kit – including specialist tools for the sort of job it is difficult or impossible with the standard set of tools available to most enthusiasts.
We have a number of suppliers lined up to provide a range of products including excellent quality cycles, ladies cycling clothes, innovative security devices and a full range of products you’d expect at a good quality store.
On the property front, we are talking to a landlord and hope to make progress shortly – fingers crossed! Response to bid made in December now expected at the end of February.
Congratulations to Janice Nightingale who has been awarded an MBE in the New Year Honours List
Janice has been a long term volunteer trainer in her home county of Cambridgeshire and is recognised for this work in the New Year Honours list. For more on the story see the press notice put out by Cambridgeshire County Council.
Do you know another person who deserves their work to be recognised? Did you know that YOU could nominate them for an award? You can find out how by going to the Direct Gov website.
The population is growing heavier – and some bikes lighter – perhaps this should be the other way round
The BBC recently carried two weight related stories. Firstly, the trend towards obesity in children continues. This can obviously be distressing for the children and their parents and does not bode well for long term health. The story suggested that at age 11 1/3 of children are overweight. Whilst the core issue is simple – unless there are unusual medical issues, you put on weight when the energy you take in (eat) exceeds the energy you use (burn in exercise of one sort or another) – the reality is that it is hard for some of us to get the balance right. Cycling can help increase the amount of exercise we take and push the balance in the right direction.
On the other hand, the weight of bikes has generally fallen over the years. Physics tells us that a lighter bike will be easier to ride – particularly up a hill or when you are accelerating from a stand – however, there is evidence that the impact on commuters of moving from a normal bike to an ultra light one is pretty marginal or non existent. Read the full story.
We will be selling bikes of all sorts and will be very happy to sell you the most expensive carbon framed bike we can source! However, if your budget is modest, it need not stop you from enjoying cycling and unless you are in to racing, you may find it as much fun and as quick to have something a bit less flash. It is interesting to cycle round the Netherlands where the bikes are built with comfort and robustness in mind rather than weight. Admittedly they do not generally have the hills we find in the UK – but the fact that most bike shops are fitted with electric lifts to haul the bikes up to work on them says something about weight not being the only issue when it comes to buying a bike.
Shared space is a hot topic - cyclists usually have to share space with cars and lorries, but proposals to share space with pedestrians are contentious.
A number of places have introduced “shared space” areas where pedestrians and cyclists share road space – usually within areas free of motorised traffic. The BBC reports that councillors in Woking in Surrey are asking for further consultation on the scheme in that town.
These schemes are particularly contentious with people who have a visual disability – the Woking scheme has been in place for some time but it is obviously still not universally popular. More details of the consultation can be found on the Cycling Woking website.
It may be worth noting that whilst pedestrians are rightly concerned about being hit by a cyclist, the statistics show that motor vehicles are by far the greater threat to cyclists and pedestrians. In the UK statistics presented to Parliament a few years ago showed that there are over 250 pedestrians killed by motorised vehicles for every one person killed by a cyclist. This does not excuse bad or inconsiderate cycling – nor does it mean that the Woking scheme is justified - but perhaps it keeps the dangers to pedestrians in perspective (and, of course, cyclists are pedestrians too some of the time).
There are proposals for more children to get financial support to ride to school by bike rather than travelling on a bus.
The Daily Express has picked up on a story carried by the BBC last month suggesting that York City Council would provide financial support for school children to travel to school by bike rather than by bus. The story in the Express says that the scheme has been recommended to the Members of York City Council but in a letter to the local press in York, Coun Ruth Potter, Chair School Travel Plan Scrutiny Committee, makes it clear that the matter has still to receive full approval.
The scepticism from the “Campaign for Real Education” reported by the BBC is odd as the scheme appears to be one that gives parents more choice at the same cost as the existing bus scheme. The idea certainly seems to have some merit. Apart from the impact on the local environment, there is evidence that a) children prefer to travel to school by bike and b) they are in a better state to learn if they have used an active mode to get to school. Riding a bike to school used to be ‘the norm’ in many areas of the UK and is still in many places around the world such as the Netherlands.
