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Recent Posts
- Comparison April 30, 2023
- Bolton vs Wigan on Active Travel: what does ChatGPT “think”? April 10, 2023
- Kensington High Street judicial review March 15, 2023
- Highway Code Rule 66 October 7, 2022
- More poor quality consultations from Bolton Council May 21, 2022
- Darlington Roundabouts January 16, 2022
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Author Archives: MrHappyCyclist
Bolton vs Wigan on Active Travel: what does ChatGPT “think”?
Just for fun, I asked the AI bot a couple of similar questions. Question one (Bolton) Q: What is Bolton council executive’s attitude towards road space reallocation in favour of active travel? A: As an AI language model, I do … Continue reading
Kensington High Street judicial review
The Judicial Review requested by Better Streets for Kensington and Chelsea (BetterStreet4KC) against the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) regarding the Kensington High Street cycleway removal decision has been dismissed. This is disappointing, as many of us were … Continue reading
Highway Code Rule 66
This post is prompted by the misinformed comments of a significant number of ill-informed commenters about an incident in which a police officer attempted, incorrectly, to instruct us that we must ride in single file next to the kerb, and … Continue reading
More poor quality consultations from Bolton Council
In Bolton Active Travel Forum, we’ve held several workshops on engagement, yet the Council still insists on running engagements that are flawed in many ways, and are likely to be either misunderstood or misused by decision-makers. This article looks at … Continue reading
Darlington Roundabouts
Oh, yes, a cycle path scheme; nothing at all to do with widening the carriageway and putting a massive roundabout in with flared entrances and exits.
Myth: “Essential motor vehicles”
We often hear people (especially local politicians) using this term as a way of resisting change; the implication being that other means of transport are not essential and must be treated with lower priority. It is often accompanied by some … Continue reading
How to lie with statistics.
A couple of days ago, the local newspaper “Wigan Today” published an article crowing about Wigan’s position of 3rd best place in the UK for cycling in a league table published by a claims management company “The Compensation Experts”. I … Continue reading
Myth: “But I have to park on the pavement.”
Parking on the footway (aka “pavement” in the UK) has become normalized to the extent that many people seem to think it is an entitlement. However, it causes obstructions for people on foot and causes damage to the footways themselves, … Continue reading
Myth: “Unsightly, invisible wand orcas”
Orcas are small semi-permanent kerb sections made of recycled plastic. The name derives from the black and white markings that make them reminiscent of a killer whale (orca) breaking the surface of the sea. Due to a fear that drivers, … Continue reading
A staggering level of ignorance from a councillor.
Before I start, I will preface this with “not all councillors”. However, I have noticed over the years that many (though not all) councillors are often seen pontificating on subjects that they have never studied, and pretending that they are … Continue reading
Myth: “The data show this road is not dangerous…”
Using cycling and walking KSI data (data about how many people have been killed or injured whilst cycling or walking) to define which are “dangerous roads” is fallacious. The most dangerous roads tend to be avoided by people on cycles … Continue reading
Myth: “No need for anything; nobody was killed cycling here in years…”
Whilst preventing deaths and serious injuries is extremely important, these projects are not primarily about numbers of people killed or injured on the road; they are about making it possible for people who currently feel forced to use cars for … Continue reading
Myth: “These wands are dangerous; cars will hit them…”
Unless you are referring to self-driving cars, then what you really mean is: drivers will hit them with their cars. Anyone who is unable to drive in a 3.5 metre lane without hitting things at the sides should not have … Continue reading
The hypocrisy of consultation
The requirement to consult One of the problems that the DfT identified, regarding the Emergency Active Travel Fund measures first announced by Grant Shapps in May of last year, has been a perceived “lack of consultation”, partly as a result … Continue reading
Myth: “Can’t do anything here, it’s a 40mph road!”
This, which can be found referring to any speed limit, not just 40mph, was actually said by a councillor recently in an attempt to oppose a cycle lane on a wide main road. As far as I know, there is … Continue reading
New Low Traffic Neighbourhoods – levelling inequalities
An article published today in the Guardian, written by Antonio Voce and Peter Walker, reports on a study carried out by Rachel Aldred and her team showing, contrary to the claims of many opponents, that low traffic neighbourhoods (a.k.a. LTNs, … Continue reading
Myth: “Emergency services won’t be able to get through”.
Filtered neighbourhoods typically allow motor vehicle access to all residences; you just have to use the designated route(s). For many decades, housing estates have been designed like this anyway and millions of people live in cul-de-sacs without having any fear … Continue reading
Why I chose this picture for Active Travel
I recently changed the profile picture of the Bolton Active Travel Forum Facebook page that I run. I chose this picture, which I took in Copenhagen in 2019, because it captures so many aspects of active travel, what we mean … Continue reading
Myth: “LTNs unfairly increase traffic on boundary roads.”
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs), also known as Filtered Neighbourhoods or Active Neigbourhoods, involve restricting motor traffic on residential streets to access-only, often by placing bollards or planters (called “modal filters”). The complaint often made is that this will increase traffic … Continue reading
Myth: “Well, they would say that, wouldn’t they.”
This, sometimes expressed as “you have an agenda”, is an example of the ad-hominem fallacy. It is often used by people as a failed attempt attempt to discredit an argument. When it comes to determining whether something is true, it … Continue reading
Myth: “But we need vans and lorries for deliveries!”
Whilst this is literally true, the myth is in the way it is used to suggest that there is an issue that does not actually exist, for three reasons. First, it is a straw man; nobody is suggesting a ban … Continue reading
Myth: “What if you have to carry a hippopotamus?”
Well it’s not usually a hippo – it tends to be one of any number of large objects – but let’s use that as a metaphor and substitute anything else as appropriate. It is often used as an absurd attempt … Continue reading
Myth: “cyclists”, “motorists”, “pedestrians”.
The myth here is the very belief that these words have any real meaning at all. There are no species or tribes with these names into which people can be divided. I, for one, travel on cycles, on foot (more … Continue reading
Myth: “It’s all about cycling.”
It’s easy to see how people might get that impression if they are not really paying attention, especially when all the fancy pictures and visualizations focus on the cycle infrastructure. (After all, a picture of a pavement doesn’t really make … Continue reading
Is Queens Park, Bolton really suitable as a cycle route.
Bolton Council is relying on a route through Queens Park to link two cycle routes to the town centre. One is a Bee Network proposal from Doffcocker to the town centre, funded by the (GM) Mayor’s Cycling and Walking Challenge … Continue reading
Myth: “People want to cycle away from roads.”
If we were talking about leisure cycling on a sunny day, then that might be true, but we aren’t. People need cycling and walking routes that go past the places they need to get to. Very few of those destinations … Continue reading
Myth: “We need to get the right balance.”
Taken literally, this is not actually a myth; but it is a platitude, and as such adds nothing to the conversation. The myth arises in the way it is used as an excuse for keeping the status quo – in … Continue reading
Myth: “Cyclists don’t want cycleways.”
It’s not primarily about people who cycle now; they already cycle, but they are few. This is about enabling the large percentage of people who who would like to cycle but are too afraid of sharing roads with aggressive and … Continue reading
Myth: “£Millions on paint for a few cyclists.”
The days of pointless cycle lanes consisting of paint are over. Painted lines alone do not qualify for Government funding and would not be acceptable for the Bee Network. The schemes being built in Bolton are far more than that, … Continue reading