Newsletter - Cycling News | April
Sent: Sun, Feb 5th 2012, 10:13
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Welcome to the April edition of the electronic newsletter from Life Cycle UK the cycle promotion charity. In this issue:
Cycling makes senseBike WeekEaster holiday coursesString cycle
Photo competition – last call!Cycling contrailsTake a StandBristolize?Weather
Bike Generation------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cycling makes sense
Cycling to work could make you better at your job, a health expert has claimed. Public health consultant Nick Cavill is urging businesses to get their staff pedalling in a bid to boost their productivity.Dr Cavill has carried out a study for the World Health Organisation into the benefits of commuting by bike. He said: "There is some pretty good evidence that cyclists have lower levels of absenteeism … fitter people are healthier and have fewer days off due to sickness.”
He cited research from the bike-friendly Netherlands which showed that cyclists take 7.4 days off a year due to ill health, compared with 8.7 days for non-cyclists. Evidence also suggests that stress levels are much lower in people who cycle to work.
As well as enjoying better health, cycle commuting will save you money. The website www.lovemoney.com reports that more than three million people have started cycling to work to keep costs down. Research carried out by Sainsbury's Bank suggests that commuters who switch from car to bike save an average of £34 a week – that's £1,768 over a year.
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Bike Week
Make sure your employer supports Bike Week which, this year, runs from June 13th to 21st. Now is the time to start planning your organisation’s celebrations! Life Cycle will be pleased to run a Doctor Bike surgery for you, or an inspiring roadshow, or provide your people with cycle skills training (individual lessons, or group courses for commuters).
We taking bookings now. But be quick - we're in great demand!------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Easter holiday courses
Life Cycle’s ever popular children’s cycling courses are running over the Easter holiday period. Courses are aimed at 8-11 year olds.One course at Widcombe Junior School, and two courses at Bristol Grammar School have booked up. But, we do still have spaces on the following courses…
Bristol Grammar School (ref BGS26PM) Wed 15th to Fri 17th April between 1.00 p.m. and 3.00 p.m. The cost is £10 to children who attend at Bristol schools.
St Keyna's School, Keynsham (STK3) Tue 14th to Thu 16th April 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon. Free to children who attend B&NES schools.
Widcombe Primary School, Bath (WID6) Tue 14th to Thu 16th April 1.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. Free to children who attend B&NES schools.
To book a place, please phone Life Cycle on 0117 353 4580 or e-mail admin@lifecycleuk,org.uk
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String cycle
Here at Life Cycle we’re always interested in advances in bike technology and we were intrigued by this idea from Romanian industrial designer Ionut Predescu. He calls it the Tensegrity Bike and it’s made from Kevlar cables.
Predescu has replaced most of the tubes and welded connections with wires that are far lighter but just as strong. It’s a minimalist design where the elements seem to float one against the other. Nice!
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Photo competition – last call!
We’ve reported previously on a photographic competition that celebrates the natural environment and people’s use of the Bristol & Bath Railway Path. There’s still – just – time to enter.As well as commuting and leisure, the railway path provides access to the countryside between Bristol and Bath. The competition is endorsed by Life Cycle UK and various other environmental organisations, who recognise the importance of cycle routes and their contribution to our quality of life and a sustainable future.
The competition is open to local, national and international amateur photographers of all ages working with digital or with traditional photography. There are six different themes and three special awards designed to encourage entries from particular sections of society. All entries will be exhibited on-line.
Visit the competition website for further details and how to enter. The closing date for entries is 31st May
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Cycling contrails
A newsletter subscriber (thanks Hannah!) told us about this innovative idea to encourage cycling: bicycle contrails. Contrails, short for "condensation trails" or vapour trails, are visible traces of condensed water vapour made by the exhaust of aircraft engines. They’re the white lines you see etched across the sky.To make a bicycle contrail you attach a special device to your bike that coats the back wheel with chalk dust. As you ride, a faint chalk line appears on the road behind you.
The idea is that the faint lines on the road inspire curiosity and show would-be cyclists where it's safe to ride. New cyclists are encouraged to venture onto the roads, to follow the contrail and to add trails of their own. As the contrail lines get brighter the cycling community grows. What a delightful idea!
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Take a Stand
Life Cycle’s cycle parking project has reached Swindon! Called Take a Stand the scheme offers two Sheffield-type cycle stands – that's parking for four bikes – free of charge. Voluntary sector groups, schools, small businesses, pubs, churches and surgeries (in fact almost any type of organisation!) can apply. You must install the stands on your own property in a location agreed with Life Cycle UK.
Take a Stand operates across...
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Bath & North East Somerset
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Bristol
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Gloucestershire
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North Somerset
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Somerset
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South Gloucestershire
…and now in Swindon too.
Good cycle parking tells the world that you're an environmentally-friendly organisation and it's a proven way of deterring cycle theft. To apply for a pair of stands, simply download and complete an application form (or ask us to mail you a form if you prefer). Remember, to be eligible your organisation needs to be based in one of the areas listed above.
Life Cycle also sells cycle parking stands of different types. Visit our on-line Resource Centre to see the range and to order online.
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Bristolize?
You know your city’s doing something right when it spawns a verb. Amongst cycle advocates it’s becoming common to talk of Copenhagenizing or Amsterdamizing an urban space.
It means controlling the use of cars and reclaiming the public realm for people on foot or on bike. The result is a calm, civilised city where folk of all ages and abilities cycle with ease and with confidence. Here are some photos of Amsterdam. 82 pictures taken in just 73 minutes of people using bicycles. Note the ordinary clothes: no lycra or helmets or special shoes.
Both concepts now have websites: see http://www.copenhagenize.com/ and http://amsterdamize.com/
Life Cycle’s home city of Bristol, as we have reported previously, was awarded Cycling Demonstration City status in June last year and £22.5-million is being spent. Work on new infrastructure has begun and we are assured that a massive programme of public engagement is about to be unveiled. We await developments with bated breath and look forward to the word Bristolize dropping into everyday conversations!
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Weather forecasts
We flagged up a few useful weather forecasting websites in the last edition of Cycling News. A subscriber (thanks Susannah!) asked us to mention www.accuweather.com too. It gives hourly weather forecasts and also factors in the windchill - very handy info for when you’re cycling.
Here’s the forecast for Bristol.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bike Generation
Life Cycle’s youth project Bike Generation goes from strength to strength! We’re working with several Bristol-based youth organisations to provide a range of bike fixing courses and cycling activities for young people.
Our goal is to enthuse young people with a genuine interest in all things cycling, to equip them with practical knowledge and transferable skills, and promote both personal and vocational development.
Our target group is young people aged 11-19, in particular, those who are at risk of social and educational exclusion or who are at risk of offending. We give them meaningful training and fun activities in a non-academic environment. We are especially keen to include young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).
We are currently taking bookings for our bike maintenance course, plus taster sessions, BMX skills and outreach projects with various Bristol based agencies and youth centres.
A new addition to Bike Generation is the Earn a Bike workshop where youngsters work to renovate five unwanted bikes. Four of them get passed on to people in need and the young person gets to keep the fifth! The workshop runs on Thursday evenings 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m. at the Life Cycle Centre in Knowle.
For more information contact Rob Reed the Bike Generation Co-ordinator. Phone 0117 353 4580 or e-mail youth@lifecycleuk.org.uk----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Everyclick
Here's a way to support Life Cycle at no cost to yourself! Simply use the Everyclick search engine. Every time you search, a tiny donation is made to Life Cycle UK. It takes a few seconds to register and then away you go! Surf the net, check your horoscope, update your Facebook profile, do a spot of shopping… and you’ll see the donations clock up remarkably quickly.
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- Sent
- Sun, Feb 5th 2012, 10:13
