Bike Hire Breakthrough

At last Manchester has a bike hire system with usable bikes and infrastructure. The bikes can frequently be seen in use around the city centre and there are now sufficient numbers of them available for use after initial supply problems.

There are two different types of machine on offer, a straightforward pedal powered bicycle, with hub brakes and gears and a step-through frame and a smaller number of an electric assist version with a motor integrated with the bottom bracket. While the basic bicycle just has a front rack with strap to carry stuff, the electric version also has a rear rack over the battery.

 

 

The great thing about these hire bikes is the way they normalise cycling. The people using these machines are almost all dressed in ordinary clothes with no hi-viz or helmet. Even the TFGM photos reflect this. It is also beneficial from the perspective of driver behaviour as it makes cycling part of the city, not an activity that sets people out as different.

https://beeactive.tfgm.com/cycle-hire/

12 years of Popup Bikes

It is now over 12 years since Popup Bikes first opened its doors. I visited it within a couple of months of the opening and wrote a post about it. The place started out aiming at coffee and cycle parking with some bike repair and has evolved into a thriving bike repair operation with coffee. Unlike many mainstream cycle shops in Manchester, Popup has not only survived lockdown it has flourished with a workshop that is busier than ever.

 The workshop soon grew in size and moved down to the far end of the arch.

 The slope now accommodates stock, customer bike parking and the latest acquisition, a mobile workshop in an electrically assisted trailer

There is not just freshly made coffee and snacks now, there is also ground coffee for sale.

 And the cafe area has been improved, though sadly the lawnmower has gone...

I can thoroughly recommend Popup Bikes. Three of my machines have been serviced there and that included a major rebuild of my touring bike and they always do a really good job. May the place thrive for another 12 years!

Deansgate Closed for Cycling

 Manchester City Council have allowed contractors to close Deansgate northbound for cycling for electrical works.

 #cyclistsdismount

Boycott Ridelow Manchester

This is so utterly disgusting.

From the Independent:-

A British businessman has been slammed on Twitter after applying to trademark the expressions "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe".

Georgios Demetriou made applications on 6 June to trademark the phrases associated with the vast protest movement following the killing of George Floyd in police custody last month.

Georgios Demetriou is the founder of License to Thrill — which has operated the online bicycle store Ridelow in Manchester since May 2000.

Oxford Road Cycle Track Closure

A whole section of the Oxford Road cycle track, southbound from Charles Street to Brancaster Road has been closed overnight.



It seems that the building work on the old BBC site has been given permission to take over the whole of the pavement and the cycle track.



So the only safe way to cycle along here is to take the centre of the lane to prevent unsafe overtaking.



My bet is they will now simply use the extra space to park vans & cars...



So much for, so called, popup cycle lanes and new infrastructure.

Oxford Street Popup Cycle Lane Closure Signs...

Here's a sorry tale of anti-cycling measures that ends well for a change.

Whilst the executive member of the council appearing on TV extolling the virtues of cycling and walking, the council officers, who are much less enthusiastic about cycling, were making plans to close the cycle lanes on Oxford Street in Central Manchester.

I first noticed the markings on the road...



Then the signs appeared...



However, it turns out that the executive member had seen the plans and blocked them, so words have been had and the signs have been removed.



I know these cycle lanes are pretty crap, but they are better than having a queue of buses up your backside!

Deansgate: don't believe the hype.

There has been a lot of bullshit in the past few days about new popup cycle facilities in the media. However the reality on the ground in central Manchester is looking grim. The much vaunted closure of Deansgate is only a short section at the northern end of the street. Here is a video of the full length of Deansgate, shot last Sunday 17th May.



The rest of Deansgate is still being used as a racetrack by motorists now there are few other drivers to block their way. Speeds of 50-60mph are not uncommon.

Not only that but the details of the closure are unclear. The council web site states that "This will provide a shared space for both pedestrians and cyclists." see https://secure.manchester.gov.uk/info/500352/roadworks_and_closures/7959/deansgate_temporary_closure/2 However the signage at the closure is for "No Vehicles"



This indicates that the closure excludes cycling, the Highway Code states the sign means "No vehicles except pedal cycles being pushed by hand"

see page 17 of https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/519129/know-your-traffic-signs.pdf

So either the signage is wrong and needs to be changed or the council web site and press releases are incorrect in saying that this section of the road is open for cycling.

Secondly the signage further south down Deansgate where the road is still open is significantly narrowing the pavement




causing people to have to walk in the road to keep 2m distancing. This is very dangerous, with the dangerous driving along this streatch.

In other parts of central Manchester, like Oxford Road the new writing on the road strongly suggests that cycle lanes are going to be closed in order to widen the pavements.


I may have to resort to FoI requests to find out what the traffic orders actually say.

Deansgate mass bike ride...

Yesterday I saw this group of youngsters riding down Deansgate.



They were pulling wheelies from time to time.



The group was mostly male,



So I'm assuming it had nothing to do with the recent climate protests or Clean Air Week...

Segregation - by wooden fence?

This small section of cycle track has been closed for months whilst contractors have been digging holes for some reason. Now the workforce has departed a wooden fence has appeared between the cycle track and the pavement.



Strangely a further fence has been built to block the route and force cycles into the road - a dual carriageway with heavy traffic. Notice how the cycle track has not been resurfaced at its original level.



So why on earth are these fences here? Are they a new infrastructure experiment or some idiotic idea hatched up by a rogue council officer or contractors trying to cut corners?



Or could this be a land ownership issue?



Answers on a postcard please...

Oxford Street Lorry Park

Today some minor roadworks were taking place in Oxford Street.

The signage directs cycles onto the pavement against council guidelines.



The work was not blocking the cycle way, but their lorry was.



What's the point of segregated cycle tracks when they are abused like this?

Manchester's Flagship Cycleway?

I don't think I've ever been along Oxford Road on a bike without having to swerve into the road to avoid taxis, roadworks or other obstructions.




The taxi drivers block it all the time.



This is also a common occurrence.



The roadworks never seem to stop.



When combined with taxis it makes the cycle way almost pointless.

Parking on Cycle Facilities

It's an everyday occurrence...



They really don't give a shit do they...



Even if the road markings say "KEEP CLEAR"!



And when there is plenty of space on the road...



Even better when the cycle track has just been fenced off!



But that doesn't matter to most drivers...



Even when it's dark.



Just imagine what would happen if you blocked the roadway with a bicycle.

Well, you don't need to imagine - just watch this!



More here.

Oxford Road, it's better than nothing, but nothing like Amsterdam!

It's better than nothing, but nothing like Amsterdam!

Notice the lack of junction treatment, no protection from vehicles turning left across the cycle route. In Amsterdam cycles get a separate phase at traffic lights.

Meantime the bus stops are over complicated, with pointless solar powered led lights, rumble strips and give way signs that were added later. Money spent on blaming people cycling whilst ignoring the real dangers at the junctions.

But the real problems on this route are the drivers using the cycle route as a parking place, normally it's private hire cars, but this time it was rather different...

Oxford Road going south



Oxford Road going north



When they put in half decent cycle routes in Manchester it's not long before they are closed by building works...

Oxford Street Southbound - Useless!

I am beginning to think we should call this sort of thing "flagshit infrastructure"

Why on earth is there no kerb separating the cycle track from the parking spaces?

This idiot had no idea what he was doing and didn't care...



Yes this is a cycle track...



Further south it becomes a slalom - this is just dreadful.



Somehow I wish the traffic engineers had thought cyclist!



Useless!

Bridgewater Way Ice Danger

This morning clearly illustrated that if you don't maintain a cycle route you are creating danger.

The Bridgewater Way coming out of Castlefield was covered in sheet ice. Anyone hitting this ice on a bicycle could easilly have ended up in the canal, in water that was freezing over, a lethal combination.









Let's just hope that TfGM take this seriously and sort this out. The are promoting cycling in winter but their routes are clearly not fit for purpose. I won't be using this route until temperatures rise above freezing.

Please support the Oxford Road corridor cycle scheme (again!)

From Love Your Bike

At the Manchester Cycle Forum on Tuesday 28th June, a number of changes to the cycle infrastructure designs on the Oxford Road corridor were outlined. Ironically, these changes appear to have come about as a result of concerns raised about a different scheme – the Cycle City Ambition Grant (CCAG) route from Rusholme to Didsbury.

Love Your Bike has consistently supported the case for high quality – protected space for cycling on the Oxford Road corridor and elsewhere. We continue to support the Oxford Road scheme but believe that some of the proposed changes will make the cycling facilities less attractive, less comfortable and less safe.

We have until 12th July to send in comments on the proposed changes. Love Your Bike have set up a simple email action (see link below) to help people to show their support for the Oxford Road scheme but ask for the proposed changes to be modified.

Join us in campaigning for the scheme to be as good a possible, by completing our simple email action.

Link: http://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk/loveyourbike/oxford-road-2016/

Manchester Day Parade 2016

Pete Able did the organising for this year's Bike Block in the Manchester Day Parade.

There was the usual chaos in Liverpool Road trying to get it all together.



...and we soon had to change rider on the sound system.



Once that was sorted we managed a bit of bike dancing - sort of.




There was a bit of waiting around, but the parade moved pretty swiftly this year.





All too soon it ended. After a bit of a wait it was time to return the float down Deansgate - Julian got to power his marvelous creation.



A cycling weather machine dedicated to Admiral Robert FitzRoy.






...and we were the only float to arrive back inside before the rain started :-)