North West Velo Fest Gabardine Ride

The North West Velo Fest Gabardine Ride last Sunday was a relaxed yet well dressed affair.







The Tweed Ride will tale place on Sat, 16th June, 14:30 – 18:30, a stylish ride, departing from MoSI's bike picnic at 2.30pm for a gentle ride about town. Tweed optional, it's more about the attitude than the attire! More info at www.tweedride.co.uk

Motorbike Barriers Don't Work

Motorbike barriers don't work, they just inconvenience everyone. Two people easily lifted this motor scooter through the horse steps on the Trans Pennie Way yesterday.



Yet these barriers make this path almost impossible for tricycles, cycle trailers for children and wheelchairs. It is about time they were removed.


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Epic Manchester May Critical Mass

May's Critical Mass was a bit of an epic....

The music was all from Soundsystem 01 by Hybrid.



















































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There is a short video by steone77

Shit Driver - and there are many of them..

My daily ride must be one of the best bike commutes in Greater Manchester. The vast majority of it is along the River Irwell and Manchester Ship canal path. Traffic free I can potter along chatting to the regular joggers and enjoying the wildlife.


However, I have to travel a few hundred yards by road, and the quality of driving in the area is dreadful.

This evening as I was turning right off Liverpool Road a driver turned right out of the road I was turning into right across my path. The little shit's behavior was so obviously in the wrong that the bike rider behind me took it on herself to give the driver an earbending.



Suffice to say that this dangerous behavior didn't gain the driver any time savings in the heavy traffic and I caught up with the car in Deansgate...


More about this car

Where all the money went on cycling... FoI request

In response to the following request:-

1. In the current financial year, how much money is the city council planning on spending on cycling and issues related to cycling, including capital spending on projects and buildings?

2. Of that total expenditure, how much will be spent on each of the following areas:- cycling as transport - e.g. cycle lanes & road safety schemes cycling as leisure - e.g. recreational cycle routes cycling as sport - e.g. expenditure on sports facilities anything else

3. Please list all the major projects

I received the following from Manchester City Council:

The Council’s capital expenditure in 2011/12 on cycling as transport - e.g. cycle lanes & road safety schemes is as follows:

£111,000 on cycle paths and measures to reduce cycling casualties which include:
Hyde Road cycle lane: Highway alterations between Pottery Lane and Reddish Lane;
Ashton New Road: Installation of cycle lane;
Safety improvements along Oxford Road;
Princess Road Cycle Path: Providing a shared pedestrian / cycle footway on the western footpath of Princess Road, between Whitchurch Road and Mauldeth Road West and also between its junction with Great Western Street and Moss Lane East; This scheme was funded by a DfT grant which Manchester City Council successfully bid for as part of its congestion performance initiative.

The Council’s capital expenditure in 2011/12 on cycling as leisure - e.g. recreational cycle routes is as follows:

£90,000 on Rochdale Canal Towpath Cycle way: Improvements to the stretch of the Rochdale Canal Towpath from the Oldham boundary to New Islington, linking to the City Centre and Piccadilly Station approach. This included approximately 1000 metres of surface improvements to the canal towpath over 3.5 km. The funding has targeted the worst affected sections. This scheme was funded by a DfT grant which Manchester City Council successfully bid for as part of its congestion performance initiative.
Manchester City Council have also bid, through the Government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF), for £500,000 to fund Regional Centre Cycle Routes.
If the bid is successful, this scheme will introduce a number of on-street measures designed to encourage and promote cycling. These will include cycle lanes and improvements at junctions. The scheme will link existing cycle routes that terminate at the edge of the City Centre with cycle hub facilities that are to be provided within the City Centre. The outcome of this bid will not be known until June 2012.

The Council's revenue expenditure in 2011/12 for cycling sport is as follows:

The Velodrome Trust - £26,000
Cycling Development - £38,000
Cycling Events - £112,040
Grants to Cycling Groups - £13,830
In addition, Sport England and the Council also received funding from the Stadium Rental Agreement (Manchester City Football Club) and agreed to spend the following on Cycling projects:
The Velodrome Trust - £328,000
Cycling Development - £20,000

The Council's Capital expenditure in 2011/12 for cycling sport is as follows:
BMX Centre - £5,200,000
This is the 2011/12 spend out of a total of £21,000,000 since 2009/10.
Velodrome maintenance - £54,000

So that's over £5.5M of spend on cycle sport, whilst cycle routes get a pitance...

North West Velo Fest - 23rd-30th May

For more details visit the Spokes web site, IBikeMCR web site and download the poster.

Bike Trailer Sound Systems

A couple of bike trailer sound systems appeared on Market Street today, following on from the morning's Mayday March.

One was a custom build along the lines of Son of Pedals.

The other was a commercially built speaker and amp.

Victoria Street - CYCLISTS DISMOUNT AND USE FOOTWAY

Yes, that dreadful sign has returned to Victoria Street. 

Travelling south along Victoria Street anyone on a bike is basically being told to get off and walk by Manchester City Council. So much for making cycling easier in the city centre! 

An utterly bonkers short piece of advisory cycle lane (much used by taxis for dropping off passengers) has been painted in the run up to the road closure.

The lane ends in a solid line, which is very odd since there are no traffic lights.

The truth seems to be that the cycle route has been deliberately blocked by road signs with no thought for how anyone on a bike should get through.

Manchester Council clearly don't want too many people cycling in the city centre.

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