Newsletter - Cycling News | August
Sent: Wed, Aug 29th 2007, 09:12
- Message
-
Welcome to the August edition of the e-newsletter from Life Cycle UK - the cycle promotion charity.
In this edition
- Bike Guru --- see the light!
- Paris --- city of bikes
- Bite-size bike maintenance
- School holiday cycling -- last few places
- Free bike fixing
- Bike boom goes Dutch
- Splash out on a pool bike
- We're hiring
*********************************************************************************************************
Bike Guru --- see the light!
Watch out for the Life Cycle's Bike Gurus. From September they'll be materialising at locations across Bristol to dispense wisdom and illumination. You'll be truly enlightened after they've presented you with a free fluorescent waistcoat and fitted your bike with a free set of lights. The aim is to improve cyclists' safety as autumn approaches and the evenings grow ever darker. Well lit riders are more likely to be visible to other road users. They'll be a whole lot safer and have an easier time out on the road.
We felt that many road safety projects had been rather "top down" in their approach, with cyclists being picked on and patronised. So we wanted to do things differently and simply give people good quality kit and offer friendly, practical advice on a cyclist-to-cyclist basis. All of our Gurus are experienced riders who know numerous tips and techniques for riding safely after dark.
Bike Guru is partnership between Life Cycle and Bristol City Council, funded by the Department for Transport. Keep an eye on the courses and events section of the Life Cycle website to find out when and where the Guru's will be appearing.
*********************************************************************************************************
Paris --- city of bikes
On July 15, a day after the French Revolution anniversary, Paris launched a "vélorution". 10,648 hire bikes have been strategically positioned across the city. The bikes are basic sit-up-and-beg roadsters with three-speed gears, an adjustable seat, puncture-proof tyres, a basket and a bell. The ambitious project is called Vélib' – wordplay for bicycle freedom.
By January, some 1,400 hire stations and 20,600 bikes are scheduled to be in place. Nowhere will be more than 900 feet from a set of cheap wheels. Similar programmes have been launched elsewhere with varying success. But Paris officials say their city is the first world capital to adopt a major green biking initiative and to do it on such a huge scale.
The bike booking system is computerised and credit card driven. Each station has a large ATM-sized panel that gives instructions in French, German, English, and Chinese. Riders can buy in for a day, a week, or even a year. The panel issues a card that can be swiped over a small locking pod to release the bike. The bike stations are open 24 hours a day.
The concept is designed mainly with commuters in mind, rather than tourists seeking a languid ride along the Seine. Riders have 30 minutes to get to their destination before any charge is made. After 30 minutes, the cost is one euro.
A rider who arrives to find no locking pods available, checks in and is given another free 15 minutes and directions to the closest space. Click here to read more and see some pictures. [Thanks csmonitor and thefirstpost]
*********************************************************************************************************
Coming soon --- bite-size bike maintenance
Starting in September Life Cycle is running special Bite-Size Bike Maintenance courses. This is bike care served your way! Short, easy-to-follow classes, each covering a particular topic. We have courses devoted to brakes, gears, wheels, puncture repair, basic bike care and a special class for owners of Brompton folding bikes. Each course runs from 7.00 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. They take place on Wednesday evenings and the venue is the Mud Dock in central Bristol. Places cost £30 Click this link for more information.
If you're hungry for even more maintenance tuition why not book yourself onto a BMW? That's a Bicycle Maintenance Workshop, a one-day introduction to the mysteries of bike fixing. At a single sitting you'll learn about brakes, gears, puncture repair and how to set a bike up for maximum comfort and ease of use. Places cost £60 and include lunch.
Visit the courses and events pages of our website to find out dates and times.
*********************************************************************************************************
School holiday cycling -- last few places
There are still a few places left on the special cycle training courses that we're running during the school holidays. The courses are suitable for 8 to 11 year olds and are designed to give them a taste of on-road cycling. Over three days (two hours each day) the children learn how to control their bikes, how to anticipate other road users' behaviour, and how to carry out manoeuvres with skill and confidence. We work with small groups so everyone gets lots of attention. On the last day of the course the children receive certificates and the instructors provide parents with feedback on their child's progress.
We have a few places left on the courses in Clifton which run on...
- 7, 8, 9 August 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon
- 29, 30, 31 August 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon
Places cost £49 for all three days.
We also have just one place left on a course in Keynsham which runs on...
- 30, 31 July and 1 August 10.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon
Special price to B&NES residents of £20 for all three days.
Please phone us to book a place.
*********************************************************************************************************
Free bike fixing
We're running a few Doctor Bike surgeries over the coming months that are open to all. If you bike needs attention simply bring it along and we'll do our best to fix it. We have surgeries on the following dates:
- Thursday 16th August. 12.00 noon to 2.30 p.m. at Doncaster Park (off Doncaster Road) in Southmead, Bristol.
- Saturday 18th August. 11.00 p.m. to 1.30 p.m. at the old Post Office, Fishponds Road, Bristol.
- Thursday 30th August. 12.00 noon to 2.30 p.m. at Doncaster Park (off Doncaster Road) in Southmead, Bristol.
If you're involved with a community event in Bristol and you'd like Life Cycle to run a Doctor Bike surgery then give us a ring. We might be able to do it free of charge!
*********************************************************************************************************
Bike boom goes Dutch
In the last edition of our newsletter we reported how bike sales and levels of cycle use were increasing in the UK. Hooray! There's massive scope for an increase over here of course, but we wouldn't have thought that in the bike loving Netherlands there would be a similar potential for growth. But hey, what's this? Official figures show that Dutch cycle sales are on the rise. Sales increased by 9% in 2006 and by a whopping great 20% in the first half of 2007. In the last five years, distances cycled have risen by 10%. The average Netherlander now rides 2.5 kilometres every day, and the nation as a whole clocks up more than 14 billion kilometres in a year. [Thanks greenfo.hu]
*********************************************************************************************************
Splash out on a pool bike
A pool bike is not some sort of amphibious bicycle. (Although there are such things: take a look at the sporty Waterbike. Perhaps we'll all be riding these if we continue to have atrocious summers...) No, a pool bike lives at your workplace and it's available to anyone who wants to use it for a quick business trip or for a spot of shopping at lunchtime. If you work for an organisation with several offices in the same town a pool bike is often the quickest way to nip between sites.
Lots of employers have pool bikes - and we'd like to see many more in use. If your organisation has a Green Travel Plan then a pool bike scheme should be on your agenda. Transport for London has produced an extremely comprehensive guide to all the ins and outs of pool bikes. It's available as a download (pdf) by clicking this link.
Sometimes zealous Health & Safety people can get a bit heated about pool bikes ("What? You're going to encourage people to cycle? But that's certain death!!") Life Cycle can resolve such concerns. We provide cycle training for staff and we can help you keep your pool bikes in good working order. We will inspect the bikes at regular intervals and carry out any repairs or maintenance that needs doing. Give us a ring if you need such a service.
*********************************************************************************************************
We're hiring!
If you're an experienced youth worker with an enthusiasm for cycle maintenance you might be interested in a post we're advertising. We're looking for someone with project management experience to develop an accredited programme of cycle maintenance courses for disadvantaged and excluded young people.
You will design the courses and manage their delivery. You will also build strong partnerships with established youth agencies across the Bristol area, winning their support and persuading them to incorporate cycling activities into their programmes. There may also be opportunities to organise additional activities such as bike rides and cycle orienteering.
Full-time post (five days per week) up to £22,000. Job share considered. For more information or an application pack please visit the jobs page of our website.
*********************************************************************************************************
- Sent
-
Wed, Aug 29th 2007, 09:12