Small Solar System

We took a family trip to a Sustrans route near York today. Its a cycle route that has a scale model of the solar system built in by its sides, it was one of their first routes in the 1980's when they bought the old railway line for a quid.  We started at Bishopthorpe near York. It was fantastic, It was a long way from Jupiter to Mars and then the other planets come up pretty fast. We only rode maybe 2 miles either way but the whole thing...

Big Brother loves you

So according to the Woman From the Council the full 70 or so metres of cycleway will have been painted on the ground on Knaresborough Rd last night and will be drying even as I write. We will go and have a look at it when we have nothing better to do.  As we are heading over to Selby on the bikes this morning to use a Sustrans route  based around the solar system which looks great, we do have something better to do, it might be a while...

Ever feel you've been cheated?

Donna Hodgson who is the "Woman From the Council" got in touch after a deal of prompting from myself and others local cycling advocates on Friday. She wrote a long email justifying her decision to basically do very little in the way of cycleway provision on  Knaresborough Rd. After I had calmed down I tried to work out why I had thought we were justified to expect rather more. The last time I was in touch with Donna prior to Friday was an...

Well at least nobody died

This is Derek Ryan's story from last week. He emailed it to us, worth a read. North Yorkshire County Council have argued they don't make better cycle provision because there is not enough demand. Seems to me they really ought to do a  more. Think we might start being a bit more demanding. On Thursday evening I was making my way home through the town centre (it was about 19:45) along my usual route which takes me down East Parade towards...

The Woodfield bike show

Local PCSO James Skaith or as he is known on twitter PCSO_5391 organised a bike show on Sunday at Woodfield Park to promote cycling in Harrogate, we were there. It was great to meet James who is a switched on and enthusiastic cyclist and he seemed genuinely interested to find out what Cycle Harrogate was about. He was there coding bikes and giving security advice but to organise so many other companies and agencies to turn up as well really...

on Bikes and Harrogate's Grumpiest man

So @alanhuddart Harrogate's self proclaimed Grumpiest Man, legendary slayer of dragons and victor in the famous battle with Harrogate Borough Council, posts a link to an article in the daily mail  by Petronlla Wyatt. In it she says her mum had been knocked down twice in a month by a bike rider. Now this sounds terrible but it turns out she made the same claim two years ago and it looks like some of the article was a cut and paste job. Why...

Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice

Chris Boardman, cycling commentator, Sustrans advocate and former Olympic champion was on BBC breakfast this morning talking about cycle safety and articulating the debate about the need for a better environment in which to cycle. He did it better than anybody I have seen so far. He explained that 30,00 people die annually of obesity and only 100 on a bike which made the point for healthy lifestyles wonderfully. He said that helmets on you bike aren't the answer and put to rest, for me at least the points made by Wiggo without criticising him....