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Pizza restaurant's sign warns they won't serve anyone parked in pop-up cycle lane; Cyclist moves trap allegedly laid by dog walkers; 1 in 5 would pay more tax to fix potholes; Drivers STILL using pop-up as car park; Turbo nutrition + more on the live blog

It's Friday! Jack Sexty is here to provide your lead live blog coverage today, with other members of the team chipping in intermittently.....
03 July 2020, 15:20
"The lane is for cyclists": Pizza restaurant create signs warning they will not serve anyone who parks in pop-up cycle lane

Civerinos Slice of Edinburgh have installed the signs in an effort to prevent drivers from parking in a recently installed pop-up cycle lane at the Forrest Road junction outside their restaurant. In the smaller print underneath the main notice, Civerinos say they won't serve or take deliveries from anyone parking in the lane.

They say they've took action to "try and protect cyclists and pedestrians at the Forrest road junction to try and stop people parking on the pavement & bus lane. We have encouraged our neighbours to do the same. Stay safe.. be nice... eat pizza."

It would be wrong to congratulate this bold move without a suitable pizza pun...

03 July 2020, 15:47
First you needed turbo-specific clothing... now you need indoor nutrition, say Science in Sport

Team Ineos' nutrition sponsor have just launched the Turbo+ range, claiming that the cooling menthol formula can enhance your performance in the heat... so we can't just use it in the heat as well then? In any case, the range includes gels and a powder formula and is available now... full story here

03 July 2020, 14:54
An e-bike for $17? Seems legit.
e-bike for 17 dollars - via facebook.PNG

Probably best not to click on this if it does pop up on your Facebook feed...

03 July 2020, 14:29
British Cycling announce latest update on return to racing, and confirm no national championships will take place in 2020
Ben Swift wins 2019 national championship road race (copright SWPix.com)

British Cycling have have given an update on the sport's route out of lockdown today, announcing that regional level racing is still suspended until 1st August and no national level events can be held until at least 1st September - ruling out any major national championships in the UK this year. 

The lifting of a suspension on all club and group activity was announced in British Cycling's 'The Way Forward' document on June 18th, but they've clarified that the regional races allowed to take place will not include road racing or sportive-type events. British Cycling say: "We are keenly aware that road racing is the passion of a great number of our members. While we were able to reintroduce small club rides on June 18, we believe there are particular challenges when it comes to reintroducing this discipline as well as other mass-start events on the public highway, including sportives.

"These challenges include the impact on the communities whose roads we use, field sizes and the support required from emergency services. Therefore, it is likely that when mass start road events do return, they will do so first on closed circuits."

03 July 2020, 12:58
"I'm saving you from a manslaughter charge": video of mountain biker moving trap allegedly laid by dog walkers goes viral (WARNING: strong language)

In the (sweary) clip, the mountain biker filming claims that the two dog walkers have deliberately laid branches across a path in Epping Forest. Although they don't actually admit it, the conversation would suggest the cyclists have seen the pair putting the traps down.

The argument continues, with the male dog walker shouting "I'm not saying you can't cycle", but accusing the cyclists of riding dangerously. The cyclist filming says he is saving the pair from "a manslaughter charge" by removing the traps, with neither side backing down.

It's the latest in a growing list of incidents in which self-styled vigilantes have put traps down with the intent of deterring/injuring cyclists, including one where two pensioners admitted to putting traps down on a path in North Yorkshire. Police confirmed that they interviewed two women - a retired teacher and a former parish councillor - about the incident after footage of the pair circulated on social media.  

03 July 2020, 11:23
1 in 5 would be willing to pay 10% more council tax to fix Britain's battered roads, finds new survey
Pothole (copyright Simon MacMichael).jpg

The survey from innovative pothole repair company Roadmender Asphalt found that almost 1 in 5 of those questioned would support a 10% rise in council tax for road repairs, that could amount to an extra £2.5 billion a year just in England. 69% of those surveyed also said they now prefer to cycle or drive to work rather than take public transport due to risks posed by COVID-19, and 32% said that commuting is the most stressful part of their day because of poor road quality. 

To fix potholes, Roadmender Asphalt use a new material specifically designed for the job called Elastomac, and have called on councils to use their services for more cost-efficient and effective repair long-term. Their CEO Harry Pearl commented: "Experienced by councils up and down the land, the problem with pothole repairs is they are carried out using a process built around materials designed for building roads rather than fixing them. As a result the process is more costly, inefficient and ineffective than it needs to be, rather like playing squash with a tennis racket. You can do it but it’s far from ideal."

If there's one thing drivers and cyclists can all agree on all of the time, it's that potholes are a whopping great pain in the backside...

03 July 2020, 11:49
Plus his answers to more obligatory questioning about helmets.
03 July 2020, 11:19
Get even, get a bike

Says Olympic champion Elinor Barker. 

03 July 2020, 11:10
How not to go tubeless, with Alex Dowsett

After trying and failing with a regular pump and giving his floor a good helping of sealant as well as his tyre, on the advice of his dad the Israel Start-Up Nation rider eventually deploys a CO2 canister to get his new tubeless tyre on the rim (we have it on pretty good authority this won't work with some tyre/sealant combos). If you want our advice in written form, check out this handy how-to guide

03 July 2020, 10:55
Lancashire, Dorset and Leicester among most ambitious councils for cycling, says Cycling UK
pop-up cycle lane pic.PNG

This is based off which councils took their full allocation (or more) from the first round of Emergency Active Travel Fund cash, with the three counties named above named as the most ambitious. It wasn't all good news though, with Surrey off of Box Hill fame only getting 50% of what was available to them - full story to follow. 

03 July 2020, 08:20
Cyclists get run over, literally

As observed by some of those commenting on this bizarre viral video - that we believe first circulated on TikTok - the girl 'running over' the cyclists appears to be attached to a rope to make things a little less likely to end up with broken bones. It goes without saying that if you own a gymnasium, a harness and have a dozen friends with bikes who like riding round in circles, don't try this at home...

03 July 2020, 09:32
Bikes transforming streets again, this time in Paris

No modal filter needed here, there's simply just so many bikes that cars are now second fiddle. After being comfortably re-elected earlier this week, Paris Mayor Anne Hildago is going full steam ahead with her plans to transform the French capital into a cycling and walking mecca. Cycle lanes have been promised for every street in Paris to make it a “100 per cent” bike-friendly city when the project is complete. 

03 July 2020, 09:04
Citroën launch new limited edition city bike with Martone Cycling
Citroen new bike_velo-rider-women-femme-the-citroenist-by-martone-taille-44-citroen

The car brand have shied away from superbikes like various other car brands that have dipped their toe into cycling over the years, aiming the new 'Women Rider Citroënist by Martone' squarely at city mobility. The three-speed machine has a basket and double kickstand for elegant parking outside achingly cool Parisian cafés, and also retains the signature red chain that features on all Martone bikes. 

A unisex version already existed which is currently reduced to €760 down from €950 on Citroën's Lifestyle website, and the new Women Rider model is priced at €784. 

03 July 2020, 08:10
Drivers still determined to park on Liverpool pop-up 'car park'/bike lane... even after double yellows were installed to stop them

Thanks to complaints on social media and a hearty dose of pressure from the media, Liverpool Council council promised to act  when it was found that a pop-up cycle lane in the city centre was effectively being used as a 'pop-up car park', forcing cyclists back out of the lane. 

The road that made headlines with up to 20 cars parked in a 0.2 mile stretch has now had double yellow lines painted on it; however as photographed by Philip Marshall, there are still drivers determined to park in the cycle lane. When they were first made aware of the illegal parking, Liverpool Council said: "Enforcement options are being looked at but it is hoped behaviours will change as these new pop-up lanes bed in. However, if car parking persists action will be taken.”

It appears not everyone's behaviour is changing just yet...

03 July 2020, 08:50
"Where would you rather live work and shop?" Before and after a street is closed to motor traffic

This before and captures perfectly how the installation of a modal filter to prevent 'rat-running' drivers can totally transform a street. 

Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.  

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40 comments

Avatar
iandusud | 3 years ago
4 likes

Those cyclists in Paris. They're not wearing hi-viz and lots of them aren't even wearing helmets. No number plates either. This must be a hoax surely.  

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BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP | 3 years ago
1 like

Great example of filtering posted by Adam Tranter (above) 

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ktache | 3 years ago
2 likes

Just been looking at Frsh Good Friday over on Singletrack and discovered that some bloke called Jo Burt has gone and got him his own bar tape.

I think it looks rather cool.  Unbiased/heavily biased reviews soon please.

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Municipal Waste | 3 years ago
3 likes

One-in-five would pay more tax to fix potholes, but then continue to buy sh*t from Amazon et al. which pay sod all of their obligation because it's slightly cheaper than a bricks and mortar (tax paying) shop.

Hmmmmmm......

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Awavey replied to Municipal Waste | 3 years ago
3 likes

Amazon pay all the tax they are obliged to under existing tax laws, if you object to the amount of tax that results in, lobby your MP to change the tax laws so they have to pay more.

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hawkinspeter replied to Awavey | 3 years ago
4 likes
Awavey wrote:

Amazon pay all the tax they are obliged to under existing tax laws, if you object to the amount of tax that results in, lobby your MP to change the tax laws so they have to pay more.

While hassling your MP is a good idea, it's not easy to get big companies to pay an appropriate amount of tax. They have whole teams of people finding relevant loopholes and it's particularly difficult with multinationals as they can shunt around their costs and profits to favourable tax regimes.

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Simon E replied to Municipal Waste | 3 years ago
0 likes

Municipal Waste wrote:

One-in-five would pay more tax to fix potholes, but then continue to buy sh*t from Amazon et al. which pay sod all of their obligation because it's slightly cheaper than a bricks and mortar (tax paying) shop. Hmmmmmm......

Funny how councils won't consider a more proactive / preventative method by reducing the number of the vehicles that cause the damage in the first place (and their speed, which is also a factor) by promoting cycling.

And only 20% are prepared to pay more. So the other 80% want to have all the roads maintained properly, the leaking roof fixed on the school, the street lights come on every night, the fly-tipping removed, the bins emptied and a thousand other things without them paying a penny more than they have to.

They buy from Amazon and get their food, clothes and DIY stuff from out-of-town shopping centres then complain because all the independent traders in town have closed down.

Avatar
eburtthebike | 3 years ago
6 likes

Civerinos Slice of Edinburgh; what a great company.  Bit far for me to go for a pizza, so do they post them?  I do hope all the cyclists who live there show their appreciation.

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eburtthebike | 3 years ago
0 likes

"An e-bike for $17? Seems legit."

Especially given the name of the company; the Eurakar store.

 

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eburtthebike | 3 years ago
6 likes

Interesting clip from Epping Forest, and I wondered what the status of the path was, thinking that it might have been pedestrian only, but the City of London website says:

"Cyclists can cycle across most of Epping Forest. Our paths are multi-user, unless marked otherwise....."

So unless this path was marked otherwise, which doesn't seem likely, the cyclist is right, and the couple were committing a criminal offence by boobytrapping the trail.  I'm just amazed they had their dog on a lead.

Avatar
brooksby replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
5 likes

I started watching it, and agree with your points.

As we've seen all through 'lockdown', there are an increasing number of low level vigilante-types who want to stop cyclists from lawfully riding through 'their' areas by making traps for them, to put them in hospital (I'm sure these people didn't see it like that, of course...).

However, I didn't watch this video all the way through.  I felt the plot development was a bit slow, and I kept waiting for someone to say, "Leave 'im, Barry, 'e ain't worth it!"...

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
2 likes

brooksby wrote:

I started watching it, and agree with your points.

As we've seen all through 'lockdown', there are an increasing number of low level vigilante-types who want to stop cyclists from lawfully riding through 'their' areas by making traps for them, to put them in hospital (I'm sure these people didn't see it like that, of course...).

However, I didn't watch this video all the way through.  I felt the plot development was a bit slow, and I kept waiting for someone to say, "Leave 'im, Barry, 'e ain't worth it!"...

Yeah, you didn't miss much.

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David9694 replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
2 likes

My wife won't let me watch at all - she says it's "borrowing trouble".

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Hirsute replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
4 likes

The couple admitted it was ok to cycle, the old boy even used the word 'byeway'.

They did not want it used as a mountain bike trail (whatever that is) or to cycle irresponsibly, but laying traps is ok.

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OldRidgeback replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

I can understand why the riders were pissed off. But despite the annoyance level, swearing never helps in these situations. That's a nice whippet by the way.

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eburtthebike replied to OldRidgeback | 3 years ago
1 like

OldRidgeback wrote:

That's a nice whippet by the way.

Not familiar with that brand; are they new on the cycling scene?

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OldRidgeback replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
0 likes

eburtthebike wrote:

OldRidgeback wrote:

That's a nice whippet by the way.

Not familiar with that brand; are they new on the cycling scene?

My whippet runs alongside me while I'm riding in the park. He loves it. So do I.

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BadgerBeaver replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
1 like

Having ridden for years in Epping Forest, I don't recognise that as a Bridleway, it is almost certainly a footpath, and Corporation of London often patrol to prevent cyclists and horse riders from using the footpaths. Even so, it's usually live and let live, unless people behave like idiots.

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eburtthebike replied to BadgerBeaver | 3 years ago
2 likes

BadgerBeaver wrote:

Having ridden for years in Epping Forest, I don't recognise that as a Bridleway, it is almost certainly a footpath,

That comes into the category of anecdotal helmet evidence; I didn't recognise it so it can't be true.   Why are so many people convinced that what they believe, without evidence, is true?  Well, like helmets, it could be a religious thing, where evidence is superfluous.

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contrabland replied to BadgerBeaver | 3 years ago
2 likes

BadgerBeaver wrote:

Having ridden for years in Epping Forest, I don't recognise that as a Bridleway, it is almost certainly a footpath, and Corporation of London often patrol to prevent cyclists and horse riders from using the footpaths.

Having ridden for years in Epping Forest, I know most trails are open to cyclists and horses other than few marked restricted areas (Loughton Camp, Ambresbury Banks, Connaught Water, Rushey Plain). Never seen CoL rangers patrolling trails either.

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Crazyhorse replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
5 likes

Doesn't really matter if the geezer was allowed to cycle there or not. Placing obstructions on a path to create a hazard for others is pretty irresponsible and childish.

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Goldick replied to Crazyhorse | 3 years ago
2 likes

I love quite close by and it was in a local FB group and the man was identified as a primary school teacher no less (not the cyclist obvs) 

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mdavidford replied to Goldick | 3 years ago
7 likes

Goldick wrote:

I love quite close by

We don't need to know what you get up to in your car at night.

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FrankH | 3 years ago
1 like

Company that wants councils to spend more money finds that 80% of people don't want  to pay for councils to spend more money.
A different way of looking at it.

By the way, I know it's possible to pay more tax to HMRC if you want, I suppose local councils will also accept money if you're one of the 20% and want to give them more than you're obliged to.

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mdavidford replied to FrankH | 3 years ago
4 likes

Quote:

4 in 5 would like other people to pay 10% more council tax to fix Britain's battered roads, finds new survey

Avatar
eburtthebike | 3 years ago
2 likes

".....the problem with pothole repairs is they are carried out using a process built around materials designed for building roads rather than fixing them."

I reported a pothole about ten months ago, and it was finally filled in January.  Trouble was, they'd filled it so badly, or did it in the rain, that a week later, it was just as bad; a week.  We definitely need a better system for filling them, so I hope that councils will be using this new stuff.

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Notbuilt2climb | 3 years ago
0 likes

I must admit that during lockdown and with much, much quieter roads, I was hoping Bristol City Council would jump at the opportunity to fix potholes and repair our terrible roads with minimum disruption to motorists.

Of course, I also admit that I know nothing about their staffing or funding situation.  With some many people on furlough across all sectors and also that it may not have been considered essential, I kind of get it.  Just a shame , that's all!

Avatar
brooksby replied to Notbuilt2climb | 3 years ago
3 likes

In their defence, they did do quite a lot of repairs through lockdown while the roads were quiet.  The problem they have is that so many of the city centre roads are so utterly fcked that they don't have the time, manpower, or resources to fix them all.

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Notbuilt2climb replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
1 like

Fair comment.  

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Cargobike replied to Notbuilt2climb | 3 years ago
2 likes

Can't speak for everywhere, but up here in Derby filling potholes is outsourced to a private company. Where is the incentive to do a good job when you are paid by the number of holes you fill? Doing a crap job means you can charge over and over again for more and more shoddy repairs. All they do is tamper a bit of tarmac in without putting a sealant around the joint resulting in the newly laid tarmac being pulled back out over the coming weeks by vehicles passing over them.

Do it once, do it right.

Not rocket science.

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