The local youth cycling group, Pedal Power Kennington, had a really pleasant after-school ride today. We meandered along the embankment, along Belvedere Road and nipped up by the National Theatre to ride slowly and considerately along the river bank to Gabriel's Wharf.
Of course, if the landowners have their way this would be BANNED and we'd have stayed on the horrible motor-traffic choked road all the way instead.
We'd never have chanced upon the head appearing from the sand, and we'd never have had a stone throwing contest (what reckless vandals we are!).
Good cycle stands and parking spaces dedicated exclusively to car club members. Positive green measures from Camden, in Boundary Road NW8. Unfortunately a lack of attention to detail renders one side of a stand and one side of a signpost useless for cycle parking.
Cycling with my trailer on Sunday into Steedman Street on the cycle by-pass around Elephant & Castle, I couldn't decide whether to try and weave in the pedestrian's space or try to get through the gap into any oncoming traffic.
I think it's safe to conclude that these temporary railings are a hazard and an obstruction to cyclists while of no benefit and potentially a hazard to pedestrians.
Cutting out one-use items like take-away coffee cups and disposable cutlery means fewer lorries fouling our streets as well as less landfill.
I dropped into the Scandinavian Kitchen (61 Great Titchfield Street, W1W 7PP) a few weeks ago for a good take-away coffee in a Keep Cup for about £4. The dishwasher suitable Keep Cup fits in a pocket in one of my panniers so it's always with me and I can cycle my take-away coffee off to drink it elsewhere (with an elastic band to ensure the lid stays on the cup over cobbles or pot-holes). I've had no coffee place refuse to serve me coffee in the cup and several have given me a discount (enough to offset the cost of the original purchase).
Visit this blog for further ways to a less disposable lifestyle.
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B&Q is the DIY bodger's second-home so it's no surprise that their provision of cycle parking outside their Old Kent Road branch is a right old bodge. They provide no cycle parking so cyclists have to compromise by attaching their bikes to the racks that people bounce their trolleys in and out of. Needless to say this one-planet lurving company has spent loads of money on carefully marked out car parking spaces. It may be that B&Q expect people on bikes to use the cycle parking several hundred feet away that their neighbour's, Halfords, provide their customers. What B&Q is to home bodgers, Halfords is to car and bike bodgers. So it's no surprise that their cycle parking is so close to their wall as to render it unusable. The Halfords' employee I asked knew it was unusable. He explained that the cycle parking had to be moved too close to the wall because the pavement had to be narrowed to install disabled car parking bays. That's quite an achievement, disabling one lot of parking to enable another lot of disabled parking.
This bike with two serious chain locks has been left unmolested outside the Gilmore (Police) Section House on Renfrew Road for about two years. It seems like a perfect location to leave a bike securely.
Given that the tyres have now been flat for over a year and the chain is totally rusted it's apparent that it's no longer wanted by the original owner - thus rendering the location unavailable to others. I wonder if the council ever remove dumped bikes?
Almost opposite the section house is the Jamyang Buddhist Centre and lots of Buddhists seem to cycle here. Needless to say there's on-street car parking, but there's no on-street cycle parking.
There are vague visions and there are robust visions. I can tell that the councils and companies developing the Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Battersea Opportunity Area don't have cycling at the forefront of their mind. How do I know this? Below are several of the images from the exhibition today and tomorrow - classically one has the 'person walking bike' image.
Ballymore, developers of flats for 6,500 people anticipate one Boris Bike docking station on their development - one, they believe, of a glorious total of 12 docking stations being planned for the whole VNEB area. Nobody reckoned cycling infrastructure would be the first thing to be initiated. All the talk was of the tube. There was no idea whether a Cycling Superhighway was imminent along Nine Elms Lane or not.
Apparently we shouldn't expect the VNEB Opportunity Area Planning Framework until the end of the year. I wonder if it will be too late to affect planning decisions?
The VNEB area will be densely populated, on flat ground, with low levels of car ownership and within easy reach of the West End and City by bike. VNEB could be the new Amsterdam - if work starts now to make it happen.
