• Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!

Why don't you cycle?

Why don't you cycle?


  • Total voters
    254

Tetragon213

Member
Joined
14 Oct 2024
Messages
258
Location
West Midlands
Currently off cycling as I had a head on collision with a car (she was on the wrong side of the road)

Fortunately, only minor injuries to me but the bike is a write off.

New bike ordered through the cycle to work scheme, due next Wednesday.

Already 5lb heavier due to lack of cycling!!

Regards

#Ian
Oddly enough, Nico Rosberg (2016 Formula 1 World Champion) stopped cycling over the 2015/2016 off-season, specifically to lose about a kilo's worth of leg muscle mass. It's likely that this nabbed him pole at Suzuka.
 
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R

RailUK Forums

telstarbox

Established Member
Joined
23 Jul 2010
Messages
6,148
Location
Wennington Crossovers
I have a personal connection to this one, but it's also of broader interest: this is the public inquiry for a proposed new garden village in Kent with around 8,000 houses. As part of the Statement of Case, there's been a strong emphasis on cycling infrastructure—particularly highlighting e-bikes as a "gateway drug" to broader cycling adoption.

The relevant discussion begins around 5 h 50 mins into the session. This is run by the Planning Inspectorate at Swale Borough Council.

 
Last edited:

styles

Member
Joined
7 Dec 2014
Messages
972
Location
Midlothian
I have a personal connection to this one, but it's also of broader interest: this is the public inquiry for a proposed new garden village in Kent with around 8,000 houses. As part of the Statement of Case, there's been a strong emphasis on cycling infrastructure—particularly highlighting e-bikes as a "gateway drug" to broader cycling adoption.

The relevant discussion begins around 5 h 50 mins into the session. This is run by the Planning Inspectorate at Swale Borough Council.

Always amuses me watching things like inquiries. The sheer amount of work from experienced and knowledgeable highways officers and transport planners which goes into even fairly short sections of road.

Then left to the full council meeting, much like PMQs, all sort of nuance just goes out of the window and you've got councillors who have no intention of changing their position, which is often presented in a polarised way, just rambling about their prejudices.

It's a bit like 'low traffic neighbourhoods' - most councillors are either for all LTNs or against all LTNs, rather than a sort of, well these 5 LTNs look good but maybe not these 2, or this one maybe needs tweaking, or whatever.
 

telstarbox

Established Member
Joined
23 Jul 2010
Messages
6,148
Location
Wennington Crossovers
This one in particular has had years of work and got the highways officers on side. The expert for the opposing parties has been a bit disingenuous in my view.
 

The Ham

Established Member
Joined
6 Jul 2012
Messages
11,144
It's a bit like 'low traffic neighbourhoods' - most councillors are either for all LTNs or against all LTNs, rather than a sort of, well these 5 LTNs look good but maybe not these 2, or this one maybe needs tweaking, or whatever.

My comment about LTN's would be if they're so bad, we therefore should try and build through roads linking through as many cul-de-sacs as possible.

Generally the issue is people don't like change and so the same people who give reasons for not creating LTN's would be the very same people who would be as strongly opposed to linking through cul-de-sacs.
 

styles

Member
Joined
7 Dec 2014
Messages
972
Location
Midlothian
My comment about LTN's would be if they're so bad, we therefore should try and build through roads linking through as many cul-de-sacs as possible.

Generally the issue is people don't like change and so the same people who give reasons for not creating LTN's would be the very same people who would be as strongly opposed to linking through cul-de-sacs.
Yeah I mean I'm generally in favour of one-way or no-thru-route streets and cul-de-sacs. I just think the nuance is often lost, e.g. in Lambeth where most of theirs are good but at least one is awful. If you ask any councillor though they'll be all for all of them or against all of them.
 

Trainbike46

Established Member
Joined
18 Sep 2021
Messages
3,462
Location
belfast
Can I add "I live at the top of a one-in-ten Hill"?
Isn't that covered by "I don't think I'm fit enough" or "I don't want to get hot and sweaty"

Regardless, I would say an electric bike would resolve the issue either way!
 

The Ham

Established Member
Joined
6 Jul 2012
Messages
11,144
For which you need to find parking, fund fuel/maintenance/insurance/depreciation etc.

Sounds like a lot of bother to me. Apart from the environmental concerns

Would be nice if a good e-bike didn't cost more than a motorbike...

As I've said before, the average cost of car ownership is £3,600 per year, even at half that rate (£1,800) you could (probably) be able to get a new bike which was reasonable.

This review has several around that price point:

 

SHD

Member
Joined
18 Jul 2012
Messages
538
Would be nice if a good e-bike didn't cost more than a motorbike...

A good new e-bike can be bought for £2,000. You won't get much of a new motorbike for two grand. And even if you did, the use costs are in another league for the motorbike.
Case in point:


For a higher-spec bike with an in-frame battery and a better transmission:
 
Last edited:

johncrossley

Established Member
Joined
30 Mar 2021
Messages
3,558
Location
London
Bike theft is too much of a risk for expensive bikes unless you never leave it outside. Yes there is insurance but of course that costs a lot if you have an expensive bike.

Unlike the UK, Dutch bike insurance doesn't require bikes to be secured to an immovable object. Insurance will pay out as long as the rear wheel is locked. It is common practice in the Netherlands to leave a bike parked in this manner.
 

3rd rail land

Member
Joined
30 Jan 2019
Messages
656
Location
Where the 3rd rail powers the trains
Bike theft is too much of a risk for expensive bikes unless you never leave it outside. Yes there is insurance but of course that costs a lot if you have an expensive bike.

Unlike the UK, Dutch bike insurance doesn't require bikes to be secured to an immovable object. Insurance will pay out as long as the rear wheel is locked. It is common practice in the Netherlands to leave a bike parked in this manner.
I had a bike worth £3400 stolen earlier this year. Claiming on insurance was super easy and the the standalone insurance I had for my bike was £88/year which included £250 of cover for accessories. The cost is now £103/year which in part reflects the replacement bike's RRP of £3800.

I still park the replacement bike outside but when I do I use 2 diamond rated D locks these days. I will admit I haven't had any reason to go back to the area my previous bike was stolen from since the incident. It's simply not possible to take my bike inside of every place I go to.
I am able to park it inside my flat and never leave it outside overnight.
 
Last edited:

greyman42

Established Member
Joined
14 Aug 2017
Messages
5,286
I had a bike worth £3400 stolen earlier this year. Claiming on insurance was super easy and the the standalone insurance I had for my bike was £88/year which included £250 of cover for accessories. The cost is now £103/year which in part reflects the replacement bike's RRP of £3800.

I still park the replacement bike outside but when I do use 2 diamond rated D locks these days. I will admit I haven't had any reason to go back to the area my previous bike was stolen from since the incident. It's simply not possible to take my bike inside of every place I go to.
I am able to park it inside my flat and never leave it outside overnight.
Did your insurance have an excess?
 

Falcon1200

Established Member
Joined
14 Jun 2021
Messages
5,014
Location
Neilston, East Renfrewshire
I was knocked off my bike by a careless motorist in April and that has seriously affected my confidence - Since then, despite May and June usually have good weather here in Scotland, I have only been out once.
 

Top