The victory on the Champs Elysees by Britain’s Mark Cavendish in the final stage of the Tour de France, coupled with the amazing fourth place by Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins seals a brilliant year for British cycling. it was a year that began with the record medals haul in Beijing last summer.
Britain may have been in on the birth of the Penny Farthing and subsequently the bicycle itself, but there has never been a year like this. There has never been a time like this when cycling amongst “the masses” had gone spoke by spoke with the country’s sporting prowess.
I have mentioned before the 91% increase in cycling in London this decade. But the UK cycle industry is booming too in this age of recession.
My local manufacturer and outlet across the road from Channel 4 News, the family firm of Condor, has just completed work more than doubling its sales space. There are new shops opening in the capital – one at the end of next week in Fitzrovia.
Where once I might meet one other cyclist on my way to work, I am now in amongst bunches of sixes and tens at the traffic lights waiting to cross London’s Euston road.
But as I have said so often before, whilst NGOs like SUSTRANS have done a huge amount to increase the provision of bike routes, local authorities and government itself are hopelessly behind the curve.
New Labour talked the talk of an “integrated transport system”, very little “riding the ride” has flowed from these aspirations. David Cameron has been both on, and off his bike ( a second one was nicked only last month).
Cyclists are voting with their flanges. It’s time politicians caught up with the greenest revolution of them all.
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It’s doable; I was in Copenhagen lately, and that city is as cycle-friendly as car-friendly. People had little roofed carriages for their kids. Very cool.
Yes I once wrote to the highways dept, suggesting that when they repaired large sections of a motorway, they could easily build a cycle lane running parrallel
(obviously fenced off) to the motorway with surplus and deemed low grade tarmac etc. If this was done everytime a route was repaired eventually we would get a proper cycle network.
Actually Jon I think you are being a little uncharitable given the tax changes associated with bike to work schemes; my employer participates in one and I would probably have not considered cycling without this encouragement. After not having been on a bike for a while (decades!), I’ve cycled 9 out of the last 11 working days – and have felt much fitter for it!
Do you think this is what Norman Tebbitt meant when he told people to get on their bike? Norman ‘Mr Green’ Tebbitt – there’s a thought.
Not a very good seg john, from bike racing to bike riding..I don’t think a Brit placing fourth or first in one stage is going to push the green agenda. I think this a bit of your old school conservatism coming out…the idea of fighting the good fight and yet losing with honor is all important.
The British people aren’t buying the good loser idea so much these days. They want winners…First Place…Hey, maybe they will wind up like us Americans…where only number one used to matter, after all we know what number two is.
People will ride bikes when all other forms of transport are too expensive…that may soon happen with or without the Tour de France.
[...] – more people are cycling, using motorbikes/mopeds – there seems to be more improvements/investment in public transport – more charges and tolls for driving into cities – nowhere to park – parking costs are high [...]
…I am glad, that there will be a revolution in the Green Movement…
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