I promise I'm not making this up

On this morning's pootle along the Thames Path I stopped two cyclists, of the four or five I saw (none of whom wore Lycra should my readers fear a bias), to ask them their views on a potential ban on riding their bike there.

The first I asked is in the photo above, on his way to meet his wife. He asked where he would have to ride instead. When told he would be expected to ride on the road he volunteered that he was 78 years old and suffers from Spinal Scelerosis, and that such a move would force him to switch from his bike to a wheelchair.

The second man I spoke to, but failed to take a presentable photo of, was equally aghast having been knocked off his bike twice in the past year by cars on the road.

Clearly these are just two anecdotes but, as they're from a sample of two, I hope they will encourage the powers that be not to impose a ban without thinking through the consequences very carefully.

Both kindly agreed to me including their replies in my blog, a question I asked only after I'd elicited their views.

Is an outright ban really the only way forward?

I don't receive the newsletter of my MP, Kate Hoey, but someone who does has reported that it says:

Progress on local issues:

· Cycling on the riverbank - meeting held at St Thomas' to further the No Cycling signs.

This worries me given that the South Bank and Waterloo Cycling Strategy hasn't been finalised since the public were invited to comment on the draft.

I know there are inconsiderate cyclists just as there are inconsiderate drivers. However, I have to report that today I saw no inconsiderate behaviour or any reason not to permit people to pootle along on a bike. I did see PCSOs who could take action against individuals cycling recklessly were it necessary to.

I also know there are times when parts of the South Bank are so heaving with people that most riders would dismount or make use of a good quality parallel alternative. Having said that, much of the time, like today, there is all the space one could realistically seek.

My hope is that the Strategy and actions following from it aim to develop attractive alternatives for commuters etc. so they choose not to use the Thames Path. Cycle tourists and the like who then wish to cycle considerately along the riverbank should not then be a issue. Particularly if measures are undertaken to nurture considerate cycling, based on successful models elsewhere, taking on board the undoubted expertise of the borough's sustainable travel officers. It is surely worth trying this, rather than jumping to an outright ban without first creating attractive alternative routes.

Anyway, here are the sequence of photos from my pootle at around 11am this morning - I sincerely hope that I'll be able to continue to gently ride this way in the future:

A new drinking fountain for London

An officer at Lambeth Council's Sustainability Forum this week alerted me to London's first fully approved drinking fountain in 30 years!

The fountain is at the northern end of the wobbly bridge, alongside St Paul’s Churchyard, near the City Information Centre and opposite St Paul’s Cathedral.

It has been installed with the approval of Thames Water, the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. There is a thorough maintenance programme which includes daily cleansing and regular tests to ensure the water is of the highest quality.

This is a trial installation as part of a proposed scheme to introduce new drinking water fountains around the Square Mile and restore the City’s historic drinking fountains. Depending on the success and use of the fountain it could lead to a roll out of similar drinking fountains across the City during 2011.

I therefore urge you to use it and pass on word of its existence far and wide.

A possible design flaw is that it's so discrete as to not shout 'DRINKING FOUNTAIN - USE ME' - something I wondered about another recent fountain in Hyde Park. I can't imagine Evian being so shy in asserting their presence.



A further minor quibble is that it's more of a public tap than a drinking fountain as it's been designed to refill water bottles. and the water flows quite forcefully so it's not ideal for sticking your mouth under.

However, the key point is that visitors to this bit of London have a working, hygienic source of water that isn't in a one-use container and isn't delivered by thundering lorries. I imagine it's been selected as being pretty vandal proof and easy to maintain. Let's hope that hundreds are rolled out across London. Locally, Waterloo Station and the South Bank would be choice places to install them.

PPK volunteer of the week

Sally came to Tuesday's Pedal Power Kennington workshop session with an armful of trays to fit the units we'd rescued from being dumped, and then labelled them and sorted loads of bike bits into them.

TfL meet their Waterloo

We all make cock-ups at some point and some may argue for TfL to be cut a bit of slack for assuming, as we cyclists have, that if it looks like a yellow line and a mandatory cycle lane then that's what it is. A quick slap of blue paint over the top and you've got a whizz-bang Cycling Superhighway.

TfL have just apologetically been on the phone to explain that it turns out to have been a faux green cycle lane outside Waterloo Cars on Southwark Bridge Road, so it's now a faux Superhighway.

You see, wardens can't enforce no parking there because in some way or other the old cycle lane wasn't correctly lined and signed, hence neither is the shiny blue one.

Apparently they've been on the case for a while now and promise it'll be resolved soon....

In the meantime, I can't resist the opportunity to invite you to sing the following, maybe replacing Napoleon with Boris in the lyrics

{Waterloo, Waterloo)
(Where will you meet your Waterloo?)
(Every puppy has its day)
(Everybody has to pay)
(Everybody has to meet his Waterloo}


Little General Napoleon of France
Tried to conquer the world but lost his pants**
Met defeat, known as Bonaparte's retreat
And that's where Napoleon met his Waterloo

WATERLOO
(Marijohn Wilkin / John D. Loudermilk)

Lambeth - sign of the times

Wow! That's an improvement on the awful signs (see below) put up a while ago to mark Lambeth gateways. It instils a real pride in a borough committed to supporting active travel.

You can find this new gateway cycle parking, designed by Anthony Lau, on Waterloo Road, just south of the Old Vic, and more are to follow. More details are on London SE1

Waterloo Cars late morning today