A Harrogate cycling year - 2013

It was quite a year for Harrogate cycling was 2013. Here is a run through of some of the highlights that I know of.

The year started with some joy. North Yorkshire County Council  gave a commitment to resurface the Knaresborough to Harrogate, Beryl Burton cycle route. A good start to the year we had been campaigning for this to happen for six months.

As spring comes The Nidderdale Greenway from Harrogate to Ripley clears the last of many legal challenges and opens to an unbelievable level of enthusiasm. On a sunny day it resembles Oxford Street Christmas Eve, not a rural traffic free route. Sustran's route is high quality and provides some much needed traffic free cycling in the Harrogate district. In the first weekend some idiot knocks down an old lady breaking her hip and then scarpers, nearly taking the shine right off the whole shebang. Thankfully people get the hang and slow down and everyone rubs along a bit better. Its still really busy and I think if its possible for tarmac, loved. Local bike god Malcolm Margolis takes a bow for this one good effort

As summer turns into autumn there comes the welcome news that the greenway will be extended to Hampsthwaite. This move only takes a public meeting not the traditional three public enquiries, a heated debate in the advertiser, loads of money and a few years of everyone lives.

Our local media become rather cycle loopy as the realisation that the world's greatest cycle race is coming to town. You can't move for cycling stories in the paper and I seem to be getting calls from journos on a weekly basis, this is a pleasant change from fighting for a hearing in 2012.

Our local politicians come up trumps on the Beryl Burton after NYCC do the dirty and renege on their promise to resurface the whole of the by now badly eroded Beryl Burton route. Tory boy Andrew Jones MP puts his name to a campaign to get the whole route done as promised. His office and county councillors Richard Cooper and Liberal Democrat Anne Jones both go above and beyond to secure funding. Good work by our elected representatives. Best of all there seems to be wide public support for this. Lots of people make their views known, there is after all a constituency of bike riders out there. The politicians get most of the required funding From NYCC with Harrogate Borough Council stumping up the remaining 10 grand. Everyone claims victory, everyone was right.

The Hospital Trust who a year ago were being openly critiqued by me for ignoring numerous requests to promote cycling despite having staff sickness and parking issues now come good. We jointly work on a leaflet to get staff informed and launch it over a lunchtime in the canteen. What comes out of the experience for me is what little knowledge of Harrogate's cycle network many ordinary cyclists have. We badly need more signs and a map.

Good Fettle cafe opens. We visit, eat great cake and blog about the visit, their takings go up. Maybe a thousand followers is worth having?

Starbeck school who in 2012 were trying to ban kids using bikes to get to school change their mind and cuddle the bike. In the last week before Christmas the bike racks go in. I look forward to them embracing the bike in Tour de France year.

The Nidderdale Greenway is such a success that Harrogate's Big Red Bike Co start renting bikes out to folk using it. Ripley castle and Ice cream parlour are rubbing their hands as takings are up as bike riders are hungry and thirsty, take note Rudding Park.

Boneshakers a Harrogate institution closes. Maybe there was too much choice in town, maybe the internet is an easy place to buy a bike?

As I'm Christmas shopping I see the shiny new bikes of the hourly hire scheme at the station for the first time. They snook them in whilst I wasn't looking. I can't wait to to have a go soon.

Jo Armstrong HBC's all round, lets get people moving, good egg organises a Cycle Festival up on Killinghall Moor. Its a chance to celebrate all things bike and for those of us who try and promote this kind of behaviour to meet up and have a chat. I remember the pump track best of all and it was my youngest son's first bike ride on his own, he loved it.

The Local Sustainable Transport Fund which sounds posh but means 6oo grand is being spent on biking over the next two years is getting under way at last. It has a mover Mark Kibblewhite, who is getting a few bits of infrastructure sorted, but more importantly looking at mapping and promoting cycling on the web and via an app. We are still waiting for the shakers to really get going, but this should bring some real benefit to town over the next 18 months.

As you move round Harrogate this year you can see ordinary people riding bikes and you are seeing more of them. Not lycra clad Chris Froome clones but ordinary people riding bikes to get around. Its not a deluge yet, but a steady trickle has become a stream and lets hope it builds into a river.

North Yorkshire Water play a blinder and build a mountain bike track near Swinsty Resevoir that is putting grins on to experienced and relative novice rider's faces. I need to get on it with my own young riders, it looks mint.

NYCC take careful aim and seem to shoot themselves in the foot. After great work over the LSTF programme and doing the right thing by the Beryl Burton they revert to type. Maybe a leopard can't change all of its spot in one go? Despite some expert evidence, much lobbying, a media campaign and councillors repeatedly raising the issue with them. They can't bring themselves to paint some Advanced Stop Lines onto the ground at the Leeds Road Junction to give bike riders a break at this busy junction. It seems that once you prioritise car use on your roads and in your officers minds you can't un-learn a way of thinking that feels increasingly outdated and at odds with the Zeitgeist.

UPDATE Monday evening 23/12/2013
The above paragraph was current as I wrote it half an hour ago. I have just heard that NYCC Highways will look at possible solutions to this issue in the New year, see the quote below. Seems I was wrong about NYCC. Hey if all I have to be is wrong that's great. Happy Christmas everyone.

However please note that there may be the possibility of amending the design of the pedestrian island and white lining on Hookstone Road in order to accommodate a lead-in lane and ASL. We are presently working on the design and will provide you with an update in the New Year.

I want to finish with the opening ceremony to the Beryl Burton. The great and the good all showed up and so did a fair few local bike riders and that was great. It was cold down by the river late in the afternoon in November but they turned out anyway.

The mental image I will take with me into next years genuinely exciting cycling year, will be Charlie Burton's face as he and Denise his daughter, cut the ribbon and re-opened Beryl's cycleway. Charlie was Beryl Burton's husband. He is an old guy now. He seemed to have got used over the decades to Beryl Burton not getting the recognition she deserved in our towns of Harrogate and Knaresborough.

He was in tears that afternoon down by the Nidd, because as a town we had shown him that we cared about cycling and that we cared about his wife's legend and that made all the campaigning, speaking and whining seem worth every single moment.

Have a peaceful Christmas, all the best to you and yours from this often cynical old git.  Lets all have a bloody great, cycle drenched, party style 2014. A year that will be talked about by our grand children when they are old.

Leeds Road - Curiouser and Curiouser

If your new to this campaign. This one is about North Yorkshire County Council's Highways department refusing to make sufficient provision for cyclists at the Leeds Road junction which is being updated as I write. This despite it would appear many local politicians and a few people who really know what they are talking about thinking they should. This is your local government doing the wrong thing for the wrong reasons, despite David Cameron saying they should do the opposite.

I have written about the background to all this here and here.

Sustrans got in touch today. They had shown Tim Coyne at NYCC's response to our concerns about the Leeds Road junction to somebody who works for Sustrans. Anyway let me quote from the email.

...is our Sustrans Transport Engineering Manager and his opinion should hold some weight due to his experience. He is a Chartered Engineer providing support on the traffic and highways aspects of Sustrans’ projects, including developing skills within both Sustrans and external organisations through professional training, direct support and Sustrans website. Over the past 16 years he has gained extensive experience of infrastructure design for cyclists and pedestrians in the UK and abroad and is regarded as one of the leading experts in this field. From 2005 to 2011 he coordinated a team of expert consultants providing technical support to local authorities on behalf of Cycling England, in particular the Cycling City and Towns programme for which he was also on the selection Panel and Programme Board. He has worked in the NGO, public and private sectors

Here is what Sustran's (rather well qualified) it would appear Engineer had to say. Remember NYCC's argument is that the junction is not wide enough for Advanced Stop Lanes, these give bike riders a head start at traffic lights.

1m is typically the dynamic width of a cyclist so it is reasonable to assume that cyclists would have difficulty getting through a narrower gap. However, even on approaches with very narrow lanes I am of the opinion that there are still benefits in having an ASL box as experience shows that cyclists still manage to get to the front of the queue and the ASL gives them a legal space to wait. Cars are appreciably narrower than lorries so where just light vehicles are queuing there will be more space to get through and on multilane approaches if traffic is queuing in only one lane then the cyclist can use the other lane to reach the ASL.

So we are left with one engineer who claims this can't be done and one engineer who has been making junctions better for cyclists for 16 years saying ASL's are a good idea. They appear to disagree about where we should be going. So the saga continues.

Update 19/12/2013  See Malcolm Margolis's comment below, but basically we could use your help. Here is what we need, Malcolm puts it better than I can:

...we say that's unacceptable and are asking people to write to their local councillor (preferably county as county run highways) and/or Tim Coyne at tim.coyne@northyorks.gov.uk Malcolm Margolis, Harrogate Cycle Action

Please email Tim or your councillor, remember they work for you. Say you want Advanced Stop Lanes on all four sides of the junction. We can stop this poor policy, if enough of use show we care. This should be making a splash in the Advertiser next week, victory by christmas would be good for Harrogate not just its bike riders.

NYCC say no to Advanced Stop Lines on Leeds Road

I never did hear back From Tim Coyne the transport planner at North Yorkshire County Council, but someone forwarded me his response.  NYCC have now reviewed their decision to put Advanced Stop Lines on only 1 of the four sides of the junction  and you will never guess what? It turns out they were right. Well blow me down with a local government body that claims to promote cycling but often can't put its money where it's mouth is.

TIM SAYS NO. He goes into some detail about why he can't spend a few quid on paint and make this busy junction suitable for bike riders, but in the end it comes down to the fact that he and NYCC don't want to. They don't think its important and so they won't. We have given them all sorts of options they have rejected them all  and so we and you dear cyclist, lose.

They can of course re-surface most of the Tour De France route so a couple of hundred pro-cyclists can ride over it for just one day. Just saying, I will be cheering with everyone else but Leeds Road will be a shocking junction for bike riders when NYCC Highways have finished with it, and for years, just saying.

A bit of a do for Beryl Burton

I've just got back from the Nidd Gorge end of the Beryl Burton Cyleway after the re-opening ceremony. We lugged my old petrol stove over and made everyone a cup of tea and forced mince pies down them. It seemed like the least we could do if they were going to stand on the chilly, shady side of the river and listen to some middle-aged blogger rambling on. It was for my money "a good do" and best of all we got to honour Beryl Burton's memory in the presence of her family.

Charle and Denise

I managed to mutter a few words and thank all those people who helped secure the funding to get the re-surface done. If I missed you out I'm sorry. I also talked about how I think Beryl Burton doesn't get the recognition she deserves in her former  home towns of Harrogate and Knaresborough. I hope today went a small way to righting that wrong. Then my boys held a ribbon and Charlie Burton and Denise Burton-Cole our guests of honour and as it turns out really nice people, cut a ribbon. All a bit old school I know, but I think Charlie was really touched and he was holding back a tear.

Many thanks to everyone who turned out on a pretty chilly afternoon. Some of you I didn't know but here is a roll call of those people I knew or those who I met down by the riverbank. It was great to put names to faces, thank you for all being kind but it was really about all of you, I just started the ball rolling.

Councillor Anne Jones was there she championed this thank you. Andy Grinter from Knaresborough chamber made himself known. I was hoping for a longer chat as he has some legacy ideas I want to try and help with but I'm sure there is time.

Wheel Easy where there in spades, two Margolises and a brace of Weeks amongst maybe a dozen others who I don't know. They have done more than there share for cycling in Harrogate good on 'em. County Councillor Richard Cooper who punched above his weight on this one, said hello and we found more common ground than I expected, which is a real positive and bodes well.

James Skaith was there with his PCSO hat on with a colleague. They continue to be supporters of cycling in our town and good on them for that.

 Andrew Jones,  Denise Burton-Cole, Councillor Annen Jones, Charlie Burton, Dave Prince

Andrew Jones MP rushed over from another appointment in Knaresborough and we had a good natter, he is increasingly supportive of cycling and that can only be good news. Thanks to him for is public support on this one, life gets easier when your MP is helping.

Then I got chatting to Denise, turns out they lived in Starbeck for a bit when Beryl was still around. Now I'm thinking when the tour is here and we have the word's media at our disposal for 48 hours. Perhaps Starbeck should take the opportunity to honour one of the finest cyclists this country has ever seen. Let me have a think. Oh and Denise knows Phil Liggettt quite well which won't hurt.

All in all a grand day out. I like a good news story they are a lot more fun to write than than the whingy ones I sometimes churn out.

So well done Harrogate and Knaresborough you did right by Beryl Burton and her family today and my boys got a nice smooth cycleway that they rode on from their house, all of this I like.

Denise and Charlie with PCSO James Skaith

This is not just any cock-up this is an NYCC and Marks and Spencer's cock-up

I really didn't want to write this post, lots of good stuff is happening for bikey types in Harrogate at the moment, I was worried I would jeopardise some of it. I left it alone for a good six months, but quiet, polite behind the scenes lobbying has got us virtually nowhere. Then I was worried if I did nothing someone would get hurt or even killed and what if i had done nothing? So I'm sorry here goes, I'm going in.

Here is the thing.  Marks and Spencers (they sell posh food in boxes and nice pants) are having a food hall at the Corner of Leeds Road and Hookstone Road, its is being built now. Well that's good I can get my dine in for a tenner deal without going into town, I think the fish choices have gone off a bit recently but I digress.

Our beloved highways department at North Yorkshire County Council are re-modelling the junction as part of this whole shebang. Now when the plans came out there was no provision for bikes at this very busy junction. Not one thing, nothing, zip, nada. Well a great deal of lobbying by Harrogate Cycle Action has got  Advanced Stop Lanes in the design on the Leadhill lane side of the junction. The story from NYCC now is that they can't put these anywhere else as there, "...simply isn't room."

Well it looks like there is some new'ish guidance from the Department of Transport that suggests NYCC are "simply wrong." That these lines which let cyclists get ahead of traffic and so make everyone's lives easier and bikes riders a little safer, can indeed be fitted in even if the roads are too narrow. Anyway have you seen the junction, its wide like the Champs Elysee, you need a telescope to see the other side?

So why are NYCC taking this bizarre course of action? Even after the Prime Minister  David Cameron said in August.

Councils and the Highways Agency will be expected to "up their game", making sure cycling is taken into account from the design stage on trunk road and traffic schemes like road widening and junction improvements.

Well I don't know, I'm baffled but I have written to Tim Coyne the officer at NYCC  who's bag this is. Lets see what he has to say. For my money there appears to be no good reason why NYCC can't fit Advanced Stop Lines in at this junction. Even the Prime Minister wants it to happen but at the moment because of inertia and dogma it won't happen, shame on you NYCC.

And Mark and Spencers the company that gave us plan A (because there is no plan B) that is apparently trying hard to reduce its carbon footprint and be more sustainable. They are inadvertently preventing people taking sustainable transport choices by helping make this junction more bike unfriendly (there will be more traffic lanes after the remodel). HCA lobbied Marks and Spencers about this and they said they had fully complied with the planning process. I'm sure that's true, but come on Marks and Spencers you have to walk the walk, as well as talk it. Remember the, "There is no plan B." bit?

So this isn't just any cockup. Oh no this is a Marks and Spencer's and NYCC cockup.

Update 25/11/2013

I have just been reliably informed that NYCC are now reviewing their decision about Advanced Stop Lanes on Leeds Road, lets hope they see sense and do the right thing. Hopefully I will have more for you soon.

Your Invited

It seems important to celebrate the Beryl Burton's recent resurfacing with a bit of a fanfare. So on the Saturday the 30th of November at 2pm by the start of the cycle way at the Knaresborough end, you know, the bit down by the river. We will be having a bit of a thing. Denise and Charlie, Beryl's Daughter and Husband are coming along as guests of honour, you are invited too. Andrew Jones MP is on the guest list along with a few other councillors as yet TBA and I will be getting along as much press as possible.

Lets turn out to show the District we value this stuff, more importantly lets turn out to honour the greatest cyclist this country has ever produced. That's quite a claim in light of a few we have had recently, but in Beryl Burton's case its no idle boast.

Anyway if you wanted to join us, that would be great and then I reckon a beer in the Half Moon might be appropriate.

Movember

Personally I draw the line at growing a moustache even for a noble cause, but raising awareness about men's health seems fairly important. It's November and many people will be growing a months worth of upper lip fluff on their face to raise awareness  of a subject that sometimes gets ignored. Good on them for being less (or more?) vain than me.

Cycle Harrogate will have to make do with pointing you people with fluffy faces (or not) at this excellent video from public health evangelist Dr Mike Evans and one of the guys behind the Movember cult Adam Goreny. If you have five minutes watch it, you may as a result live longer and feel better whilst your doing it.  Please don't suggest I am ignoring Movember because I am chicken. I am just well, you know staying shaved.

A bit more legacy

This from Councillor Don Mackenzie

A positive step taken at the last (ordinary) meeting of Harrogate Borough Council on 2nd October, members did give unanimous support to a Notice of Motion, brought by Caroline Bayliss and me, to allocate some £17,000 of this year's unused Community Chest funding, and more from next year's if needed, to community schemes celebrating the TdF event in our district next July. The emphasis is on supporting schemes which leave a (cycling) legacy long after the race itself has ended.

"The train now approaching platform one, runs on elctrickery"

Andrew Jones MP sent me a letter. I get a few from him, they are usually him telling me that mine and his parties views don't really align on a particular issue. Often after I have filled in some online protest or other. In fairness he always replies. I'm glad I'm not an MP, people like me must be a right royal pain in the backside.

Anyway this one was different, he was letting me know he has just made the case in Parliament to get the Leeds to York rail line electrified. Why should this humble, ranting, often unwashed cycle campaigner care? Well if it goes all electrical and whizzy you can run more trains. If you can run more trains you might take some cars off the roads. If you took some cars off the road it might make them easier to cycle on, so thats why I'm in favour. Oh and you have the potential to generate your electricity from renewables which means less pollution than diesel, so its better from a quality of life point of view too. Good on our Mp for making the case. He can count on Cycle Harrogate's support for the initiative but I have one request to improve the bid.

Commuting or holidaying by train and then finishing off your journey on a bike has the potential to take the car out of the equation all together. Thing is getting them on a train in this country is often harder than getting a bottle of water on an aircraft in your hand baggage. That is unless you are lover of really shiny things and can afford a funky, folding Brompton.

What would be nice, no what would be great is if we could build in some bike friendly rolling stock into the proposal. We have spent some money making Harrogate station an easy place to cycle from and its due to get easier when the next chunk of LSTF funding money is spent. If we joined up that with a rail network that embraces bikes rather than treats them like lepers. Then we really would be making our sustainable transport offer a little better than it is at the moment.

Traffic Free Cycling to Hampsthwaite is coming REJOICE

There have been plans afoot to extend the Nidderdale Greeenway to Hampsthwaite for a while now. I blogged about it in August and asked people to email North Yorkshire County Council to show there was demand. About 5 hours later they asked me to tell you to stop emailing as so many people had emailed their inbox was melting.

Anyway I just got this email via the supportive Rebbecca Burnett.

I am currently working on a scheme to improve the surface of Hollybank Lane Ripley to facilitate cyclists which I believe is the scheme referred to by the constituents. If that is the case I can confirm that we have secured funding for the scheme and following local consultation we are working to implement the scheme during the remainder of the current financial year.

So bit of a result that then? Looks like you can do the Harrogate commute from Hampsthwaite after Christmas without seeing a car, yes indeed. Onwards to Pateley Bridge.

The lie of the land - How is making Harrogate a bike town going?

My youngest  son is a cyclist now, he is still a bit wobbly but he is sorted. The odd unsteady start where a pedals flips round and slams his shin. My hand in the small of his back easing him up the steeper hills, whilst I struggle to keep my bike under control. These techniques got him along the Nidderdale Greenway "All by myself." He has a ball when you let him ride round a campsite or somewhere else where there is traffic free provision, Centre Parcs was ace. I wonder if I will let him ride into town up Knaresborough Rd before he can drive up it on his own? I hope so, but not yet, currently its a few billion light years away from  the mayor of Bogota's test. "A cycleway that cannot be ridden by an 8 year old is not a cycleway." Maybe he will just ignore me and get on with it when he is a a little older, you know what kids are like?

There were some wins for bike riders in Harrogate recently. The Beryl Burton is getting resurfaced. Even as I write the smell of fresh tarmacadam mixes with the the musty smell of autumn leaves and blows down from Forest Lane Head. It increasingly looks like Sustrans will be getting the Way of the Roses through Harrogate in a year or two. More news on this soon I hope. That would be fantastic for the cycle tourism economy in town. It would link us to Pateley in the north and Wetherby in the south. That's the traffic free to Spofforth route I was going on about a while ago and even more. People of Harrogate you should hold your arms aloft and let out a heartfelt collective "YES", rejoice we are all winning. These were Cycle Harrogate's original legacy aims and they look likely to be met.

Thanks to everyone involved in making these things happen or at least seem way more likely to happen than six months ago, when they were little more than dreams.
The list of the worthy includes a peleton of stars.

• Harrogate Cycle Action, Lobbying in quiet but from a position of knowledge and experience. A whole team of people here doing loads, local heroes all.
• Sustrans, The UK's preeminent sustainable transport policy working round here and keen to do more.
• Our local media, both the Advertiser and Stray fm Gavin Rutter at Stray Fm doing more than he needed to.  
• Councillor Richard Cooper and Andrew Jones MP both doing their bit to help Beryl get her new overcoat and refusing to take no for an answer.
• North Yorkshire County Council Highways For working with Harrogate Borough Council to find a solution to the problems over the Beryl Burton and for starting to talk to activists upfront something they have not always done.

You all made a difference, but do we stop now or roll with the momentum? No chance on we go, there is much to be done. These original aims were picked because they seemed achievable. One was a relatively simple repair job, the other had already had some work done by Harrogate Cycle Action, I was concerned even these wishes may be beyond us as a town, I am delighted I was wrong. Mark Kibblewhite NYCC's sustainable transport officer wants us to be a bike town, so do I. You know we might just be getting the hang of this lark.

What about Harrogate really catering for local bikey types? Both these two legacy routes get you out of town but the actual day to day making it easy to get about town by bike stuff. To be honest its still done fairly badly. The cycle network that does exist is patchy and often poorly connected to itself. The routes are fairly randomly signed and currently not really promoted at all. Hopefully this will be changing soon.

There is money in the Local Sustainable Transport Fund pot at North Yorkshire County Council  to address signing and mapping issues but we have been waiting an awfully long time for things to improve. I was hoping the tour would fix that. Mark Kibblewhite  of NYCC who is dead keen but who's programme has yet to deliver, tells me signing can't all be done for July as the tour is coming and they are busy. I bet he is right, but that is a tragedy. I hope the remainder of his LSTF programme lives up to its promise too, I wish him well, he doesn't set the rules or the budgets. He just tries to make it happen. Whilst the LSTF programme will deliver some much needed "joining of the dots" for the network. It won't really deliver that much in the way of new cycle routes through or around town. For that to happen we need a change of culture from our Councils. They are now talking a good deal for cyclists but they need to put some meaty policy on the fragile bones of their words.

Where are now? Lets have a look at  Harrogate's main transport policy currently and historically which is the use of the car. It relies on a road network that at rush hour can't cope with the car volumes it experiences and which leads to partial gridlock and high levels of pollution. This is because it was designed and built when cars were rare.  No one not even the Department of Transport are arguing about this. Much of this traffic is local and at the moment there seems to be little strategic planning to effectively reduce this. This costs the town money, if your queuing you aren't spending or making money and indirectly it kills people. No one who puts data before faith is really arguing about these points either. Although they may argue about the levels of effect. Some people say it just the way it has to be.

Walking and cycling with their proven health benefits could reduce these car traffic volumes or maybe in the first instance just stabilise them, but currently there are no council policies that effectively promote these activities amongst commuters, children or the elderly. This despite NICE guidelines calling on local authorities to do just that. This strikes me as wrong and quite a few councillors agree, at least that's what they tell me. They do though tend to suggest that bikes and cars are two sides of an argument and that we can't please both parties. I disagree with that profoundly. I do both, I will always do both, so do most people who ever get on or near bikes. I'm no more anti-car than I am against freedom and the rule of law. I just think we favour cars habitually in urban areas without thinking creatively about how we can make our towns work better. At the moment out of habit I think we are failing cyclists and pedestrians. Oh and some of you people in cars are killing yourselves though ease and the luxury of afluenza.

If you want people other than experienced and skilled cyclists to get on their bikes you need to build a network where this can happen. Safety is the number one reason people give for not cycling, but when more people cycle, less people are hurt as a proportion, there is safety in numbers.

What could be done? Well for a start our councils needs to start debating these issues more often and taking them more seriously. In the past you just got puffing and blowing when you asked for cycling to be encouraged. You were other, you could be ignored, so you were. Recently the mood music is better but there seems to be no cultural shift, yet. A cycling champion on the council would be a start, there are rumours adrift of just such a hero in that sea of noise that is public discourse, watch this space.

Many people scream like Janet Leigh when there is a suggestion we build more houses near Skipton Road "It will make a busy road worse." What if as part of the development we built houses that were connected to town by cycleways?  Does all development have to lead to more car traffic? If that's the problem design it out, build no garages, limit car parking spaces, connect it easily for walking and cycling to shops schools and rail links. Hell if you do a good job I will buy one and run my business thats needs a car out of a lockup somewhere else. Some other soul can then have my beautiful but road-locked, 3 bed semi if they would rather. Kevin McCloud has a business (HAB) that does cool, eco, in-keeping housing that people want to live in. Not the lowest common denominator tat we let mass market developers throw up at the moment. We are an affluent town we built world class buildings for our residents once, why no more?

Why not incentivise people to leave their cars at home through the council tax?  You could track whether they are, or are not commuting as they claim through a phone app, simples, I have a mate who could code it in a week with one eye closed.

What if we looked at the New York Model of a bit of paint and some data modelling to reduce congestion and increase footfall in towns? They have energised their city and more bikes and walking haven't signalled a biblical apocalypse far from it. If you haven't seem the video invest a few minutes its time well spent.

All of this could be done for starters at little cost and you could impact on our congestion problem, improve public health and make this an even nicer place to live. Thing is, If you don't even debate the issues nothing really changes, other than more people making more car journey's because they see it as the easiest and safest option. I'm not blaming drivers for the choices they make. I would just like you to have some other choices. I want my kids and your kids to cycle round this town before they start driving round it. I want normal non-lycra clad slightly overweight people. People with ordinary non-vegetarian, xbox playing, Strictly watching, red wine drinking lives. To get on a bike because its easier than the other options and not because its part of a t-shirt wearing movement.

Harrogate's issue seems to be a desire to maintain a status quo in a world that has changed. Car Journey's have increased dramatically petrol won't be getting cheaper and the solutions currently proposed are about making better roads for cars, rather than giving people alternative choices. The word's big cities have already realised that you don't fix congestion by building roads. You sort it out by prioritising other types of travel. You make it easy and cheap and attractive and people use it. What works for New York and Berlin and Copenhagen, will work for Harrogate but you have to change the way you think about transport and stop solely modelling for car use in town centres.

We could do better. We should do better. We already are doing better, but not better enough, yet. We have a moment in the searing, monochrome light of the world's flashbulbs next summer to start the race. A many stage race I'm sure like Le tour, but then when the moment has passed we have a lifetime to try and make this town truly a bike town. That would be a legacy we could all be proud of. So I will rejoice with you now, for what we have done, but not too much, not  just yet.

The great and the good - towards a cycling strategy for Harrogate

I got invited along to a meeting that Harrogate Cycle Action organised on Monday night at the cricket club. It was about them launching a manifesto to get some things done for bike riders over the next two years.

Whats not to like? These people have longstanding relationships with local government but the relationship has been rather reactive and somewhat dysfunctional recently. The manifesto is an attempt to get a little more strategic for everyone's benefit.

Ten Councillors accepted an invitation and the evening was about trying to get them up to speed on what has been done for all things bikey and what needs to be done yet.  More importantly how they could help. Also how the volunteer and charity sector are currently being under-utilised.

So we got a talk form Hugh Larkin a consultant cardiologist at the hospital about the benefits of exercise and bike riding in particular on health. Hugh did a good job explaining it and it needs saying this video does it even better. Then Mike Babbit  the Sustrans project manager for round here did a bit. Mike did a good spiel on how Sustrans work to get cycle routes built. The idea is that they do feasibility studies so that when cash becomes available local authorities have schemes that they can fund and get stuff built quickly.

Sustrans  really want to get the link to Spofforth sorted and the Nidderdale Greenway extended to Pateley Bridge as the Sustrans coast to coast route the Way of the Roses would then go through Harrogate in one of its variations. It goes through Ripon currently. That would really put Harrogate onto the cycle tourism map. Each person riding these routes spends £30 a day on average. Hey they could spend it here?

Martin Weeks talked through the manifesto and then we had some questions from the great and the good. Some where on the case with cycling some, well weren't, but that was the purpose of the evening so good on them for showing up. I think what came out of the meeting was we need a council led forum to talk about cycling with bike riders. I hope that happens. I am lobbying Don Mackenzie to try and set this up as he is both a county and borough councillor. If you wanted to email him and ask for a cycling/sustainable transport forum/committee as part of local government you can get him here don.mackenzie@harrogate.gov.uk. If more of you email he will either set it up or tell me to get people to stop spamming him. I figure its worth a go.

The other thing I am going to be whinging on about before the tour, is the fact that despite the Council having the money in the piggy bank for a large cycle signing program its not due to happen until 2015. Am I the only person in Harrogate that thinks it might be really helpful if we had good cycleway signage before the tour de france and thousands of the world's cyclists descend on Harrogate next July?

Anyway good on HCA for setting up the meeting and allowing me to suspend my innate cynicism for an hour or two,now back into the fray.

Just some paint and a bit of political will - New york builds a better urban environment for little money

Check out this Ted Talk video its by Janette Sadik-Khan. She and her team in New York City have made a huge difference to the Big Apple's transport network with not much more than some paint, some outdoor chairs and a few bollards. They have made some areas of downtown traffic free and added miles of cycle lane. The clever bit is as their changes were all easily reversible, if they didn't work they could paint over the cycle lanes or pedestrianised areas and try something else or somewhere else. A dynamic solution to congestion and traffic management rather than a slow, highly designed solution with the attendant financial risks.

The argument I hear in Harrogate from NYCC Highways is we have no cash. With this way of working you don't need very much you just need the willingness to try. New York has ended up with greater footfall in times square and loads more people riding bikes, that's a genius solution. All in 8 years. Don't take my word for it watch the video.

Surely this is a way to make our towns and cities more bike and pedestrian friendly without scary levels of investment?

In news Just in- BORIS IS COMING

I wrote a piece recently about how we should have "boris bikes" in Harrogate. I sent my blog to Mark Kibblewhite at NYCC he is their sustainable transport guy and seems on the case. He got back with the good news that just such a scheme will be happening in Harrogate and soon. It will run from the station and its a slightly different scheme called bike and go but all good, I look forward to it.

I also sent my Article to Visit Harrogate and they are on the case to. Angela and John (who is a keen cyclist) are looking at ways of better promoting the whole Harrogate area as a package to tourists. Even better they are keen to work with Cycle Harrogate too especially as the tour is only nine months away now. I'm hoping we can help them with some info about the local cycling scene and what facilities we have for bike riders in our town.

Win, Win

Boris in Lincoln - on hire bikes and tourism

I'm just heading home from a city break in Lincoln. I whisked @rachaelprince off for the weekend with no clue if it was a good idea or grounds for divorce.

The news was good, Lincoln has spent its civic money wisely and it's a great place to wander round. The steep hill up to the cathedral which is called Steep Hill, is full of chaotic medieval buildings which are now cafés and high end boutiques or are still pubs. The cathedral itself is worth a look. Even this confirmed atheisist spent a happy hour marvelling at a splendid piece of architecture and it's free on a Sunday god was on our side, oh me of little (well no) faith. 

The museum come art gallery called the Collection. is in a new piece of superb design that would have fitted in well in LA or Barcelona. All acute angles, oak and copper. With a stone cladding to make it fit in nicely with the old buildings. There was loads of stuff and lots of Saxon metalwork which you don't often see. They also had one room with some interesting contemporary artworks on the availability of data in the modern world. I liked the reconstruction of the five day journey of a stolen iPhone recreated from google maps stills running as a film. It covers some ground.

There were loads of great restaurants and cafés and bits of public art dotted about here and there. All in all it reminded me of York, Prague or even Edinburgh. 

I got to thinking what a good job Lincoln did of marketing itself to tourists as a destination. It had spent its money on infrastructure and then there was a really good map tying it all together, everything was on a human scale you could walk across the city in 15 minutes. As a result the streets were buzzing.

Harrogate and Knaresborough where tourism is also a big deal hasn't done as good a job of selling itself I think. If you sold these two towns as a package, Did one big map showing some routes for a day out. I think the weekend break and staycation  market which shows no sign of declining would come running. There is more to Harrogate than Betty's and a winter gardens that's now a pub. We don't seem to sell the package, we sell the parts.

This morning we had an hour before our train so we had a go on Lincoln's version of the Boris bike, which is new to the town. We saw some of the distinctive orange bikes at the station as we arrived and there were some down by the water front where we were staying. Getting two hired was a bit of a faff. Websites and two phone calls and then we were in. They are fairly robust machines with no chain but one rear chain stay holds a shaft drive. In all the faffing with the fairly clunky un-locking interface I didn't do any-more than give mine a once over before I got on it. I realised my mistake as the front tire was pretty soft and it was like pedalling through a soft mud eleven on Tarmac.

Anyway we headed off down the Sustran's route beside the Fossdyke and all was well. Two miles in my left pedal was doing something funky under my foot. I had a look and it had worked loose and the crank thread was on the way out. With no tools to sort it I tried to tighten it by hand,  but it was no good. It all but fell off so I took it off before it got any worse. so I peddled back one footed which was memorable and really hard work. There was also some roughness from the shaft drive which again seemed a bad sign on a nearly new bike. I was missing my own bike and it's lightweight zoomyness.

What of the scheme then? In principle it's great. Bikes you can use day or night for £4 a day. They are heavy though and I want to know who if anyone maintains them? I checked over the other bikes at the station as we left they all seemed in good nick maybe I was just unlucky? Thing is if these bikes are aimed at people who don't ride bikes that much they need to work and despite the efforts of the design to be maintenance free if I'd had a pump and a spanner with me things would have been better. I know there is a theft issue there but there must be a way?

So would I like to see something similar in Harrogate? Well if the teething problems can be ironed out yes. I think they are great for small journeys and you don't have to try and get your bike on the train. Given that our train from Retford to Lincoln was a bus I am glad we didn't try. Sustainable transport still has a way to go in England but at least we seem to be trying. Oh and if you have a partner that needs whisking away you could do worse than whisk towards Lincoln.

Electricity comes to Harrogate - Corcoach Bikes

So when someone got in-touch with me and said would I like to work with them to get more people cycling in Harrogate. As you can imagine I was interested.

Cor Coach bikes have been selling electric bikes down on Waterloo St near the fire station for a year now. On monday I went over for a chat, a coffee and a play on the merchandise.

Two local brothers  Andy and Richard Crawley, who are both keen cyclists and keen on cycling as transport, wanted to start a business selling bikes in Harrogate. Thing is Harrogate has lots of good bikes shops so they looked for a niche and Electric bikes is where they ended up.

I had a chat about with them about what Cycle Harrogate is about  and the local cycling scene and it seems like we have a common interest in getting people moving on two wheels. We may have come up with some ideas on how we could work together more on that later

So what were the bikes like? Well I had a go on two. One a sort of city-bike sit up and beg style number at just under the £1000 mark (so would work on the cycle to work scheme). Firstly they are not as heavy as you imagine despite the battery and the motor in the rear hub, barely different to a "normal" bike. Secondly they don't replace pedalling they assist you, so as you pedal the motor kicks in and without to much drama you are going faster and pedalling with less effort than normal. It was fun and it was easy. I was pleasantly surprised

The Ghost Bike

Range reckons to be  30 to 50 miles it depends how hard you pedal and how many hills there are. Recharge time is three to five hours and 1500 recharges from a battery. With an equivalent cost to a petrol car of roughly 1000 miles to the gallon. If you have a slightly longer commute or you are not the fittest cyclist in the world. One of these could be a way to get on your bike and save yourself lots of money over the running cost of a car, or more likely a second car.

Finally I had a go on £1800 pounds worth of Ghost bike a mountain bike with a motor and a drinks bottle shaped battery. It was lighter with a battery than my own bike is without and it was a real blast you could have some serious fun on one of these.

All in all an interesting trip and food for thought.

Rejoice - A new overcoat for Beryl Burton

I'm halfway through painting my utility room this afternoon when my phone starts pinging up twitter messages.

It's Rossett Conservatives @RossetCons letting me know the delightful and very welcome news that the Harrogate Knaresborough Beryl Burton Cycleway will be resurfaced in full as we all originally wanted.

Here is a post from Andrew Jones MP's blog with a bit of background to what happened. What he doesn't mention is the input from Councillor Richard Cooper who I think was a key player in getting this moving and Rebbeca Burnett who I  expect did her share of the heavy lifting too.

Best of all its become a joint project between Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire County Council. So a win for the democratic process and I don't have to go and shovel tarmac myself in a blatant media stunt a few days before the Tour De France comes. This was where my thinking was headed if we didn't get a happy outcome.

I have to say that our elected representatives have done the business on this issue. I also need to thank Gavin Rutter  @Gav_Yorks from Stray FM for picking this up and the Harrogate Advertiser for running with it, even if the picture of me made me look a little disturbing.

I look forward to riding down the Beryl Burton on my moutain bike soon, but I'm going to treat myself to some slick tyres for speed and pretend I'm Beryl Burton. It will make a change from pretending I'm Mark Cavendish.

Some sense being talked by Politicians

Parliament debated cycling last night. As ever there were many warm words. Trouble is the overall road budget is 15 billion quid per year and cycling is getting 159 million over two years. I wonder why cycling only makes up 2% of all journey's?

However this speech from Angela Eagle shadow transport secretary contains some specific proposals something that despite the government's  support of cycling has not been matched by funding. If we want more people cycling, we need more cash, simples. I'm not suggesting this is really a party political issue, but you can't support something and then fail to fund it and not expect to be held to account by grumpy folk like me.

First, we must end the stop-start approach to supporting cycling, which means that we need long-term funding of the infrastructure needed for dedicated separate safe cycling routes. Ministers recently set out annual budgets for rail and road investment up to 2020-21, but they failed to do so for cycling infrastructure, which means that while there is a £28 billion commitment for roads, we have only a one-off £114 million from central Government for cycling, and that is spread across three years. It is time for a serious rethink of priorities within the roads budget with a proportion reallocated to deliver a long-term funding settlement for cycling infrastructure. 

The priority for investment to support cycling must be dedicated separated infrastructure to create safe routes. The focus has too often been on painting a thin section at the side of the road a different colour. Genuinely separated cycle routes are vital not only to improve safety but, as we have heard from many hon. Members, to build confidence and to encourage those who are not used to cycling to make the switch to two wheels. It is also important that a commitment to new infrastructure does not become an excuse not to improve the safety of cyclists on roads where there is no separation. The priority should be redesigning dangerous junctions where almost two thirds of cyclist deaths and serious injuries due to collisions take place. We need a much greater use of traffic light phasing to give cyclists a head start. 

Secondly, we need to ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past, so I propose a cycle safety assessment before new transport schemes are given the green light. In the same way in which Departments have to carry out regulatory impact assessments and equality impact assessments, there should be an obligation to cycle-proof new policies and projects. We need new enforceable design standards and measures to ensure compliance. 

Thirdly, we need national targets to cut deaths and serious injuries to be restored, but they should sit alongside a new target to increase levels of cycling. The number of cyclist deaths is tragically at a five-year high. Of course, targets alone are not the only answer, but they help to focus minds and efforts, so Ministers are wrong to reject them. However, it is vital to ensure that targets do not perversely lead to local authorities and others seeing the way to cut deaths and injuries as discouraging cycling. In fact, cycling becomes safer when more cyclists are on the road, so we should learn from the success that has been achieved in European countries that have set clear goals to increase levels of cycling alongside the policies necessary to achieve that. 

Fourthly, we should learn from Wales and extend to England its active travel legislation, which sets out clear duties on local authorities to support cycling. Local authorities are central to devising, prioritising and delivering measures to support cycling, so it is important that additional support from central Government is matched by clear obligations. To assist councils, we should provide them with a best-practice toolkit to boost cycling numbers that is based on what we learned from the cycling city and towns programme and evidence from abroad. Councils should be supported to deliver 20 mph zones, which should increasingly become an effective default in most residential areas. 

Fifthly, we must ensure that children and young people have every opportunity to cycle and to do so safely. The Government should not have ended long-term funding certainty for the Bikeability scheme, nor axed the requirement for school travel plans. Those decisions can and should be reversed. 

Sixthly, we need to make it easier for cycling to become part of the journey to work, even when the commute is too far to do by bike alone. Employers can play an important role in providing access to showers, changing facilities and lockers. However, our public transport providers need to step up and do much more too. Instead of the Government’s approach, which has been to propose a weakening of franchise obligations, we should toughen up the requirement to provide station facilities and on-train space for bikes in rail contracts. 

Seventhly, we need to ensure that justice is done and seen to be done in cases where collisions lead to the death of cyclists and serious injuries. I welcome the recent commitment from Ministers to initiate a review of sentencing guidelines. It is vital that this is a comprehensive review of the justice system and how it protects vulnerable road users, and it should be concluded without delay in this Parliament. We are certainly willing to work with Government to implement sensible changes that may be proposed. 

Finally, we need tough new rules and requirements on heavy goods vehicles that are involved in about a fifth of all cycling fatalities, despite the fact that HGVs make up just 6% of road traffic—there is clearly an issue there. We should look at the case for taking HGVs out of our cities at the busiest times, as has happened elsewhere in Europe, including in Paris and Dublin. As a minimum, we should require safety measures on all HGVs, including sensors, audible truck-turning alarms, extra mirrors and safety bars, as well as better training and awareness. I have previously suggested to Ministers that the £23 million that is expected to be raised annually from the new HGV road-charging scheme could be used to support the road haulage industry to achieve that. I hope that that idea will be taken seriously and considered by Ministers, along with all those clear proposals. Taken together, I believe that that would be a significant improvement in the Government’s current approach, and it is something that all parties could support across the House.

Will wearing a bike helmet save your life

These are my children's heads unsurprisingly I want to do everything I can to protect them.

I got to debating helmets yesterday with Richard from the excellent Ride Harrogate on the back of this Telegraph article. "It's a no-brainier and common sense," says Richard "helmets protect your head, it should be law to wear one."

At face value it seems obvious protect your head and live longer. Lord Bradley Wiggins of Modshire is calling for a helmet law too.

But do helmets actually work and would a law save lives? 

I'm an evidence boy,  I'm cynical and I don't often believe the hype, so lets look at some data . Dr Ben Goldacre if you don't know, is an epidemiologist and  a real life nerd god. He wrote the excellent Bad Science and Bad Pharma books. One basically amongst other things,  rubbishing Dr Gillian Mckeith or to give her, her full name Gillian McKeith and the other pointing out that the international drugs trade has  harmed quite a lot of people unnecessarily, often for money. He is the real thing, he is a welcome research fellow, he knows his stuff.

Ben does fact, he doesn't do common sense and he can pull facts, or at least strong statistical probability out of a research study and make me get it better than anyone I know. A while back I got him chatting on twitter as he rides a bike a bit. He said he thought the data on the benefits of helmet use was unclear but he didn't have the time to look into it as he had a book to finish. 

Later he found the time and he wrote this. It's a review of the evidence on helmet legislation and its effect on bike riders. There are quite a few studies out there of variable quality, read Bad Science if you want to know why some research is better than some of the rest. The best study in Canada showed that a helmet law had "no effect" on cyclist mortality. This seems to be contradicted by studies that show helmets reduce head injuries. Although these studies have some problems with how they were carried out.

The big concern with a helmet law is the so called second round effect. You put a law in place that says wear a helmet and as a result  less people cycle, because wearing a helmet is a faff and these now inactive people die of heart disease and stroke. Woops, unintended consequence.

See  my post on the risks of sitting on your bum versus being active and how your nice "safe" sofa may be killing you. In Holland injury and death rates for cyclists are relatively, very low. Hardly anyone wears a helmet  they do have excellent infrastructure though, so traffic and bikes are often separated.

So that's why I'm against a law because based on the evidence I don't think it will save lives and I don't want to infringe people's freedom unless I can see a significant provable benefit. Now the weird bit. I usually wear a hat, not always but often. It makes me feel safer. I make my kids wear hats. It might save our lives and I have bought them now, so better to stick them on our heads than leave them in the kitchen.

To be honest though writing a cycling blog, lobbying local government, getting more people cycling, prioritising  infrastructure. These things seem looking at all the evidence, way more likely to save my life than wearing a helmet. I appreciate some people have very strong opinions about this but here are two quotes from Mr Goldacre worth remembering.

"You have the right to your own opinions, but not your own facts."

"I think you will find it's a bit more complicated than that."

We ned your help - extend the Nidderdale Greenway to Hampsthwaite

Plans are afoot to extend the marvellous Nidderdale Greeenway through Hollybank Woods to Hampsthwaite. This is a beautiful broad leaved wood and if you haven't been you should, its cool. It's a right of way at the moment but its not in the best of states for bikes. This from Malcolm Margolis

....This is the lane which leads west of Ripley Castle over the little bridge with the waterfall next to it, through Hollybank Woods for a mile or more and comes out on Clint Bank Lane above Hampsthwaite. In its current state it is unsuitable for cycling for most of the year, except for mountain bikes. It is no use as a family route, or for wheelchair users.

Sustrans wants to bring the path up to standard. Everything is, or was, in place for the work to go ahead. The budget is £160,000, which is to be paid for jointly by Sustrans and North Yorkshire. The funding is available for this financial year only, so the path has to be built in the next few months, or it will be lost. Sir Thomas Ingilby, who owns the land, has given his permission, as has English Heritage whose permission was needed as it is an ancient way.
Trouble is the plans are looking like they might be thwarted by local resident objections. The same sort of views that hampered the Stray cycle path routes and nearly did for the Greenway before it got started. Apparently some people don't like cyclists. I'm not much keen on 20 tonne HGV's myself but they bring me stuff and come past my house so I have learned to live with them. I'm not sure a few bikes will necessarily be the vanguard of the new apocalypse but I know the people of our area can takes strong views about these matters.

It looks likely that at a soon to be held Ripley village meeting, there will be a split between those who are pro and those who are anti the cycle route.

How You can help

We need to demonstrate to North Yorkshire that there is strong support for this route from the people of the area who will use it. If your in favour that's you.

Update Lunchtime 22/8/2013

A few hours a go we were asking for people to email in to NYCC to say they supported the Greenway extension. We have just heard from NYCC that they get the message and an inbox is overflowing with support, so please no more emails. I think that is a win for making our views known. Hopefully somebody's inbox will calm down now.

The Cycle to work Scheme

Cycle to Work Schemes

I was promoting cycle to work schemes at the hospital the other week. They could use some further explanation I think. Firstly your employer has to be signed up with one of them before you can benefit. If they aren't ask them to, its not hard. In Harrogate the Hospital and North Yorkshire County Council are signed up and if any other employers want me to publicise their participation let me know, I will be happy to.

How it works

You find a bike you want up to the value of a £1000 this can include accessories like locks and helmets too. You have to use participating stores but there is usually a good range including online outlets. You tell your employer and the bike shop  what you want they arrange a "certificate" you drop it off at the bike shop and you get a bike.

You then pay for the bike, usually 12 payments over a year that come out of your salary before tax and national insurance. It's what is called a salary sacrifice scheme. At the end of the scheme you pay one more payment typically half of the monthly cost and the bike is yours in another two years, on paper it belongs to the scheme for these two years but you still get to ride it. Well you have other options actually, like having another bike using the scheme and handing the first one back. Or paying more to own the bike outright after a year. The details vary slightly scheme to scheme but that is the broad thrust.

Can I use it in my own time?

The scheme is about getting people to cycle to work but nobody is checking, if you ride the bike at other times nobody really minds. If you want a mountain bike that's fine too.

How much can I save?

Depends how much tax you pay but a basic rate taxpayer could save roughly 29 %, top rate taxpayers more. This is not completely free money as you pay less pension (if you are lucky enough to have one) as the bike money is deducted first, but its is the next best thing and you get a bike.

Some Thoughts

I looked at using the scheme when I worked at the Grammar School but decided that I could pick a bike up cheaper in the end of season sales as most shop worked on RRP's when using the scheme. As bike shops get ready for next years models it is not unusual to see discounts of up to 40% especially if you are an unpopular male size or a women.

However  I have just found these people Eureka cycle sports who will do the scheme on sale bikes with a 12% surcharge as there are some costs to them for administering the scheme. Now that is looking like a winner to me if I'm looking to get a bike.

Good Fettle and riding your age

It was my youngest boy's first proper cycle ride on Thursday. He has been threatening to be a fully independent cyclist for a while. We bribed him with the threat of cake and headed off from Starbeck down to Bilton on the cycle way.

We cut back towards Asda on the start of the Nidderdale Greenway. Just after you cross the railway at Grove Park is the new and charming Good Fettle cafe. We had tea, cake and a chat. I had been twittering away to Moira the owner for a bit so it was good to catch up face to face and check the place out. 

Not your ordinary cafe this one and I have reviewed a few.  Part tradesman's refuleing stop, part organic bistro it was a genius mix. The cake was first rate I'm told, I didn't get any they ate it  all whilst I was chatting. There was a cracking choice of drinks and much of the food is homemade from the owner's own organic produce. The welcome was warm, what's not to like?

Now if more cyclists knew about this place, I reckon it would get the love it deserves and the unfriendly Gardeners arms would have to cheer up a bit.

The littlest one made the cycle back, now full of cake and pop. He cycled 5 miles, which is his age. I got to wondering if I can still cycle mine? I think so but it has been a while, I think I will check soon.

Harrogate Hospital promote Cycling - Rejoice

I spent my lunchtime in the restaurant at  Harrogate Hospital yesterday. The HR department at the hospital have put together a leaflet with a bit of input from Cycle Harrogate. It details the cycle facilities on offer for bike riders at the hospital and gives some advice on commuting to work in Harrogate. Katy Ward and Craig from HR were there to promote the cyclescheme. This if you don't know is the government backed initiative where you can get a bike, pay for it over a year and not pay any tax or national insurance on the purchase. Basically you get a bike for a third off, more if you pay top rate tax.

I was a little apprehensive that we would spend two hours talking to no one. I couldn't have been more wrong. There was a long stream of people interested in the scheme, a few people after advice on bike parking and a few folk wanting some cycle training. I think we managed to help everyone out.

A couple of issues that did come out of all of this was that there are is not enough cycle parking at the hospital. People were complaining about struggling to get anywhere to put their bikes. Katy took this issue back with her. Lets see if anything can be done.

overflowing cycle parking

Secondly there where quite a few people who didn't know that their daily commute was right by traffic free cycleways and they were put off commuting because they thought they would have to cycle down busy roads.

In the short term I am going to make sure Katy knows about my Cycle Harrogate app and map. Hopefully sometime this financial year we will have North Yorkshire County Councils much needed improved signage and online map.

So well done to the Hospital for taking up the gauntlet Cycle Harrogate threw down this time last year. They have more than risen to the challenge. Its great to see Harrogate's largest employer doing its bit for health promotion amongst its staff. It would be good to get some of the town's other large employers doing the same if they aren't already. It looks like these events may be happening a little more often going forward and we are looking at ways to build on this excellent start.

Beryl Still in Peril- Moutainbiking in Harrogate

I rode the Beryl Burton last night, I was off to the pub. The rather excellent half moon in knaresborough. Its been done up in the recent past. I recommend it if you fancy a swift half in calm but convivial surroundings. Anyway back to the  Beryl Burton, its really rutted in places and seems to be deteriorating rapidly. It made for quite good fun on my mountain bike. I wizzed in and out of the potholes. Thing is it supposed to be a cycle way not some technical singletrack for those with skills to nail it hard on a retro hardtail. My wife on her city bike had to slow to nearly a stop in a few places. My kids would have been unable to ride it, their wheels are too small. Should it be requirement of urban cycling in Harrogate that you need a good suspension fork and the skills to use it? I think not.

Come on NYCC the state of this route should shame you, it embarrasses me.

The reluctant Cycle Activist

I just spoke to Harrogate labour party who asked me along to talk all things bike. I hope nobody was so bored they had to chew their own arm off. Here is the transcript of what I said.

Can I start with an apparently ludicrous claim and a few facts?
I can save your life, well perhaps.

Half an hour of moderate exercise five times a week is easily the single most important health intervention you can make if you are currently inactive. The science and data on this is good, you can even be quite overweight if you exercise regularly, you will still live longer than lazy skinny people.

Check out the excellent You tube video 23 and a half hours by Professor Mike Evans for how we have found that this is true. Trouble is if you drive to work and have a sit down job you struggle to get your half an hour in. High stroke and heart disease rates seem unlikely to be lowered by people driving to the gym and fasting two days a week.
During rush hour, cycling in Harrogate can be twice as fast as driving. Skipton Road has been identified as one of the slowest places to drive in the UK, during rush hour.
Cyclists seldom pay to park, nor do they currently pay Vehicle Exercise Duty based on their Co2 emissions. Even if they did rates would be quite low.

People who cycle to work have lower sickness rates than people who drive. The more often people cycle the lower their sickness rates. There can be as much as 18% difference.
The data on the benefits of regular exercise and the dangers of a sedentary lifestyle are now so clear that NICE the governments health promotion and drug endorsement people, have recently said that local authorities have an obligation to actively promote cycling and walking for their clear health benefits.

Car emissions are killing about 13,000 people in the UK every year according to an MIT study, mainly people who have chronic heart and lung disease. Knaresborough has one junction with such high pollution levels that action should be taken, so far nothing has been done. 

Fear of a dangerous cycling environment is the number one reason people give for not using a bike to commute. 

Despite this fear you are actually somewhere between 13 to 35 times more likely to die from being inactive than from riding a bike. This runs contrary to much of the coverage of cycle deaths you see in the media. Stroke deaths of ordinary people seldom make the papers. 

One of my favourite quotes from the Mayor of Bogota. "A cycleway that is not safe for an 8 year old is not a cycle way." 

We don't have to live in towns and cities that are unhealthy and congested, we choose to. The way we travel to work, in our town centres, the way we let our local government build and develop these towns, its all our choice.

We have elected to prioritise car use over generations because we wanted ease and freedom, these freedoms are killing some of us.

In Harrogate I believe we are acting too slowly to make our green and pleasant town bike friendly. I think it is time to make some different choices.

I didn't plan to become a cycle activist. For a start my working life is spent driving round in a large 4wd SUV, I don't ride a bike that often, Neither am I  anti-car, I don't wear lycra or socks with my sandals. This is probably not the usual CV for a cycle campaigner. 

This though is my story. I used to teach at the Grammar School and I cycled daily from the picturesque spa, fishing village of Starbeck to the lush tree-lined splendour of West Park on the edge of the Stray.
It never crossed my mind as I began my 6 years of commuting that cycling across these paths by the side of this immense, green lawn was forbidden by an act of parliament, but it was so. The Stray Act forbids cycling. Good grief a lawn has its own Act of Parliament.

Every so often on my ride, I would end up arguing with a PCSO who would try to rebuke me for riding across the Queen's garden by threatening me with a fine. Soon as the conversation went on they would lose the will to live and try to escape from my visceral rant. Feeling I'm sure like a fox caught in a trap, trying to chew off its own leg. Them trying in vain to get away from my endless stream of consciousness. If you where one of those PCSO's I'm really sorry.

About this time a campaign to get some cycle paths across the Stray started. Local hero Malcolm Margolis writes letters to the press and stages a demo. 400 odd people bring their bikes onto the hollowed yet forbidden turf. Local residents with a Strayside view, try and stop this quiet two wheeled revolution by the time honoured techniques of glaring and tutting. "Let them eat cake" they mutter behind their Hermes headscarfs. After a few photos and a couple of press interviews, the protesters head off to Betty's. Fat rascals in pursuit of fat rascals.

The upshot of this very genteel protest is that much unflattering coverage forces the Council to take cycling seriously. There is a public debate and the neigh-sayers are massively outnumbered in the consultation that follows, the battle is won.
It then only takes another 3 years before the cycleways open, but at least for my last 6 months of work at the Grammar School I cycle legally across the Stray. 

Suddenly it's 2012 and the Knaresborough road is being resurfaced. North Yorkshire County Council put even wider chevrons up the middle of this already cycle unfriendly road, forcing lorries and cyclists into an uneasy battle of wills. Things are particularly bad at the pedestrian refuges in the middle where these pinch points force a game of chicken that scares me so much I don't dare ride up the hill any more as its too scary.

I write a letter to my MP on the same day as my wife does, we don't confer it just happened. Meanwhile I use my IT nerd skills to start an on-line petition, as well as the Cycle Harrogate blog and we write letters to anyone we can think of who might care.

Andrew Jones MP comes up trumps and he gets involved, He bothers NYCC, they ignore him, he bothers them again. They send a man round. The man is mainly memorable for putting on a high viz jacket before entering my house. I know it not quite finished yet, but it's not that dangerous. He knows nothing about our concerns and promises little, we are off to a great start.

Letters are exchanged with NYCC highways. A meeting is arranged, we get a commitment to a narrower median strip as "the contractors had done it wrong."They also commit to some cycle lanes between the level crossing and the hospital which is what we had asked for. We start celebrating.

Everything then goes quiet for a while. Then at two minutes past midnight after the contractors have started the re-lining the road we are told that only about 300 metres of cycleway in one direction will be done. I am ever so slightly miffed. I flame NYCC on my blog, a formal complaint goes in, it finds in our favour as the council failed to consult as they promised, but nothing changes, Is that a win? A draw? Or a loss? You decide.

I decide that NYCC' cycle promotion strategy which as far as I can see involves dishing out puncture repair kits with stickers on needs to improve, I'm not making this up.
I go negative, I start berating NYCC in public for their lack of a cycling officer and more importantly a lack of a cycling development policy. We petition for a cycling officer like the one Harrogate Borough Council had when they where responsible for highways. 500 people sign up.

About this time I remember going to a County Council area meeting in town. I am the youngest person there, I'm asked to speak loudly into the microphone as many councillors are hard of hearing, I figure I may not be amongst friends, indeed NYCC reject the idea of a cycling officer on the grounds of cost in a prepared statement read quietly with gruff indifference. I wonder if everyone could hear ok?

Dejected by the lack of progress, and feeling like part of the problem not part of the solution. I toy with the idea of doing more climbing and less lobbying, but eventually figure I may as well keep blogging and writing the letters. We get to 600 followers on twitter about then, we are nearly a 1000 now. Somebody has to keep the need for cycling infrastructure in the spotlight, If I don't, maybe no-one else will?

Recently things now seem to be getting better here is a news round up.

Well the Tour de France is coming. For many years I have thought of going out to France in July, to stand on a desolate mountain side with thousands crazy people dressed as the devil or only in shorts. All off their heads on cheap red wine. I wanted to witness the greatest free sporting event in the world. Next year its coming past the end of my road, go figure.I would of course like to claim sole responsibility for this news, but I suspect Lord Bradley Wiggins of Modshire may claim the honours, with some responsibility going to Welcome to Yorkshire.

I mention this not just because of my stupid child like excitement but because after months of letters being mostly ignored, suddenly people are answering my letters and returning my calls. Increasingly they are phoning me for quotes advice and offers of business deals. cycling now seems to matter in Harrogate, cheers Wiggo. 

The Nidderdale Greenway, that wonderful off road cycleway from Asda to Ripley is now open and making Ripley Ice cream even more world famous than it was already. Its making Sir Thomas Ingilby even richer and good on him for championing the route, a huge thank you to Sustran's the cycling charity for making this route real. Some sunny days Ripley looks like a bike park, If you haven't ridden it, go on its a grand trip out on a sunny day.
Harrogate's big red bike shop (not I believe part of the Labour Movement) have started a bike hire business on the back of demand from the Greenway and good luck to them.

I have been working with the hospital the town's largest employer to promote cycling to their staff. They were doing little or nothing despite much fruitless winging from me, Eventually I think I wore them down, they are doing much more now, good on them.

It is easy to paint NYCC as the baddies in all of this but they are starting to come good. They have appointed a sustainable transport officer to promote cycling and walking. Mark Kibblethwaite wants to make Harrogate a bike town he says. They have 600 grand to spend on sustainable transport this year, a fair chunk on cycling, this is a good thing. They have had money to do this stuff before they haven't always bothered to spend it. I suspect holding them to account in public may well help. I expect they will spend the money now, if not I will make sure as many people as possible know what's happened.

There is a Tour de France legacy document which NYCC have put out. Its unfunded currently but amongst a raft of great proposals is the idea of extending the Nidderdale Greenway to Ripon and even on to Masham. Also a plan to link Harrogate to Sustran's national cycle network at Spofforth. If any of this stuff comes to pass I will do my little dance that scares my wife. Hell I will put it on Youtube.

We got a commitment at Christmas from NYCC to resurface the Harrogate to Knaresborough Beryl Burton cycle route which currently resembles a stream bed, its was a fitting testament to a great British champion. If you don't know how good Beryl Burton was on a bike check out the recent radio 4 play. Suffice to say she made Wiggins look like he rides with stabilizers on.

NYCC are currently trying to wriggle out of most of their commitment. You may have seen the picture of me looking somewhat unhinged in the Advertiser along with the background to the story. Even this is a positive as a few councillors have got involved and they are having words with council officers about now. This wouldn't have happened a year ago. I suspect we may yet get this route resurfaced before the tour comes, we shall see.

Harrogate Borough Council have a sports development officer the excellent Jo Armstrong who is doing good work. She is getting people who haven't or couldn't ride bikes riding them, as well as working with employers to get their staff on bikes. Jo ran a cycle festival at Killinghall moor a few weeks back there were bikes everywhere. I'm sure it will be a bigger gig next year when the Tour comes.

If you leave here tonight remembering only one thing its that cycling is an underused and viable transport method that can make towns and cities nicer and healthier places to live. If that's to happen we need to up our investment levels in cycling infrastructure.

In countries and cities where they have spent the cash, notably Copenhagen, Holland and recently Berlin, cycling rates have rocketed and you see all the benefits that cycling can bring to an urban environment. Near here, York has done loads to build bike infrastructure. It took time and money but you can see the benefits if you visit. We could do the same here if we chose to.

Harrogate's economy could also benefit from cycle tourism. Cyclists spend lots of money on cake and they need places to stay. Two things we already cater for pretty well as a town. Lets get them here from York on their way to the dales, we could clean up. Cycle tourists are affluent and the money they don't spend on petrol they flash around on shiny things in bike and clothes shops, we lots of have those to.

I'm also here to argue for the benefits of single issue campaigning as a method for getting your policy agenda heard by local government. It has worked for me. I don't think I can point to a single big win but I think the drift has definitely been in the right direction and I reckon some of that is my fault. Social media and the interweb make it easy for an opinionated chancer to punch above his weight in the media especially if you are tenacious. Make your message simple and keep getting it out there, you will be heard, you may even get listened too eventually.

Looking forward Harrogate's cycling future looks like a bumpy ride, but it will be fun. Whatever comes to pass in the next twelve months. I intend to be stood next July, with a load of crazy people, clad in only raincoats and wellies off their heads on expensive lager, on the side of the Stray screaming my lungs to bursting point egging on the best sprinter this country has ever produced. I will be hoping that Mark Cavendish can win his first yellow jersey in his mum's home town, whilst the world watches.