I seem to be working in Leeds as a bike evangelist, come bicycle grease monkey. This has come as a bit of a surprise. I know applied for the job and everything, but the scale of the ambition here is quite something. Compared to the head banging I felt I was having to do for trying to do the same thing in Harrogate. It used to be hard to even get a hearing when I talked about utility cycling. More on the positive changes in that later in this post.
After three years spent smelling of gripfill and silicone sealant my hands now have the tell tale fading tattoo of road grime removed with too little degreaser and somebody who needs to remember to wear gloves before I start.
The Leeds Universities are part of a project called Utravelactive Sustrans were the instigators but I'm working for Leeds Beckett, the hospitals are involved too. They run two workshops one at the Headingley Campus and a shared one with Leeds University in central Leeds. Bikes are hired out to students, 400 plus across both institutions. I help make that system work as well as repairing them and also helping anybody who walks in off the streets with problems with their own bikes. It gets pretty busy on a Wednesday afternoon with a mix of those in need of some targeted help, (you will know them by their orange chains), and the able bike nerds who are glad of a stand and some tools and just get on with it.
There is a cycling festival this week on both campuses the usual stuff: some films, some silly bikes and trying to get people to change their behaviour one or more days a week and leave the car at home. Or at least do part of their journey by methods other than the car. That in exchange for some shiny plastic or non ferrous metal object of their choice.
I forgot to mention the facilities on site here. My bike is in a secure undercover storage bike park. I have a locker and showers within a minutes walk of my office. This stuff is everywhere and judging by the recognisable detritus of the commuter cyclist, it is being used by many.
Non cycling staff here are offered a sort of "gateway drug" into the world of cycling; a free five weeks loan of a bike with even the hard stuff in the form of a Brompton on offer for those with refined tastes. The whole package too, lights, lock, helmet and pannier. There are as few barriers to just getting on with it as possible. Better yet they get followed up weekly and helped if the wheels come off. So after 5 weeks they convert 80% of people onto the cycle to work scheme, this is a good thing.
There is a lunchtime walking club run as it happens by a mate of mine who works for the well being department who is trying to get people moving too. The activity agenda is being attacked as well, there is talk of some collaboration going forward, we shall see.
The flaw and massive cosmic irony with all this is that muggins here is driving to Leeds three days a week as the trains don't really connect, even though I live a 5 minute walk from a station. At least I am dumping my car by the ring road and cycling in to the centre as I beat the cars and buses easy in rush hour, but If you want to do this kind of thing for a living you have to go where the people are I suppose. I need to do better, I will do better.
What of the Harrogate scene? Well I think things might just be starting to gather some useful momentum. Over at Veloheads Carl Nelson is slowly taking over the world one service at a time. I went round for a chat on Friday. Carl was good enough to vouch for me on the strength of two cups of tea and a sniff round this blog. So I reckon I owe him a favour or two. Anyway his bike shed had some really nice bikes which I drooled over. Including a fairly special Colnago the like of which I hadn't seen before. All was quiet efficiency as the bikes where bought back to top performance. If you want a simple service or something more high end go and see him, the prices are good and him and his people know their stuff.
In infrastructure news the talk of a dedicated separated Cycle superhighway between Harrogate and Knaresborough seems to be firming up. It is early days but it does look like Rebecca Burnett and Harrogate Borough Council are starting to take cycling more seriously and good on them. This would be a big project and something I have argued for nearly 3 years now. I would like it finished before my children vote, Ideally before the youngest goes to secondary school.
Finally there a few things lurking in the wings which if they come off have the potential to massively change investment levels in Harrogate cycling. I am loathe to say anything at the moment, but behind the scenes a fair few people are trying to make Harrogate a bike town.
So we live in interesting times perhaps there will be some Tour De France legacy after all and there is always that UCI race coming this summer, what is it called again?
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