Jude, a 30-something editor, cycles almost everywhere in London. She blogs about living and cycling in the capital and the name Cycling in Heels was the perfect fit (ahem!). Jude doesn't often cycle in heels, avoiding the possibly of her shoes slipping off in the middle of the road.

Do you remember your first bike and how you learnt to cycle?

Everyone remembers their first time…but I have absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever. Read Jude's answer in a previous blog post.

What was your first memory / impression of cycling in London?

I first started cycling in London in early 2002. A friend was cycling to work at the time, and she convinced me I should give it a go. I remember going to Halfords in Brixton (where I was living at the time) just to have a look at bikes – only to come out of the shop having bought one. It was, I think, a green Apollo women’s bike and it cost about £100. At the time I thought it was a lot of money to spend on a bike, whereas now I realise how cheap it was. The first time I took it for a ride was pretty terrifying. At one point, I was riding in the bus lane along Brixton Road and a bus beeped at me from behind. I thought he was beeping at me because I wasn’t allowed in the bus lane, so I got off my bike and phoned my friend to ask her. In reality I imagine he was beeping because I was probably going really slowly.

Has that impression changed now and if so, how?

I’m no longer scared of buses! In fact, I’m not really scared at all. Cycling in London does take confidence, and that comes through experience. For a long time I didn’t like turning right, particularly across wide roads, so I would plan long convoluted routes to avoid it. I also didn’t like going round roundabouts, and would steer clear of those too. Then one day I found myself at one completely by accident, and figured I just had to get over my fear. I did the same with right turns, too.

What’s the best thing that has happened to you from cycling?

 Hmm…probably that all this cycling keeps me fit and in shape.

What style and colour bike(s) do you have?

I only have one bike, though if I had more space I’d have more. Mine is a brown 2006 Specialized Crossroads Elite. Amazingly I’ve had it for 6 years and it hasn’t been nicked. Yet.

Does your bicycle have a name?

My trusty steed.

Tell us what your 3 great things about cycling in London are. 

The freedom of not being limited by tube routes or train timetables.

I save on travel costs.

It’s a great way of finding my way around and getting to know different areas of the city

If you could change one thing about cycling in London, what would it be?

 Better infrastructure/more segregated cycle paths

How do you rate the cycle routes and paths around where you live and work?

The ones that are there are great – but they’re pretty limited.

How accessible do you think it is for people to start cycling?

It’s getting better. Particularly round where I live (in Stoke Newington) increasing numbers of people are cycling and I think that can encourage other people to take it up too. But more needs to be done. There’s still a very widespread view that cycling is too dangerous. Unless there’s a significant investment in infrastructure, then safety is probably going to continue to be a big barrier to cycling.

Do you have any advice / words of wisdom for people thinking about taking up cycling?

It’s not as dangerous as you may think it is! It will probably feel pretty scary at first, but once you get used to it, it will get better. Start out by riding at the weekends, on quiet roads, before tackling the main roads or rush hour. Cycle training can also help you to have confidence.

Jude blogs about cycling and living in the city at www.cyclingwithheels.wordpress.com

Are you blogging about cycling in the city or would like to write articles for London Cycling Campaign, please send an email to info@lcc.org.uk

Become a supporter of London Cycling Campaign - to help make London a more liveable city for both cyclists and pedestrians.

22 year old Ellie Carey was killed on Tower Bridge Road in December 2011 when she was hit by a lorry turning left into Abbey st.

The Coroner's inquest heard how she probably did not realise that the lorry was about to turn left sharply across her path. She was killed instantly.

There are some strong lessons that we can learn from the evidence given to Deputy Coroner for South London, Lorna Tagliavini. The sequence of events was captured by CCTV on a London Transport bus which was close behind. 

Using the bus video recordings the police Collision Investigator Andrew Smith worked out the exact position of the lorry and Ellie's bicycle second by second.

The bus driver, Helen Henry, told how she saw Ellie behind the lorry and then going forward as the lights changed to green. As the lorry began its left turn Ellie "tried to wave to get the driver's attention".  The driver didn't see her even though the police evidence suggested that Ellie could have been seen in one or both of the driver's mirrors in the seven seconds leading up to the crash.

Hazardous Road layout

The court heard that the junction is a very tight corner where Tower Bridge road is narrow and Abbey street even narrower. To make the turn the 10 metre long lorry had to move as far to the right as possible, leaving a gap of 2 and a half metres on the left. At the last minute the driver would have had to turn very sharply to get around the corner without running onto the pavement.

Since Ellie's death the junction has been re-designed by Transport for London, it had previously been identified as a high risk crossing by local residents. Left turns have now been banned, an ASL cyclists' safety area has been installed and the the lanes straightened for northbound traffic.

Lessons for cyclists

It is quite likely that Ellie was wearing earphones and was listening to Radio 4 Women's Hour at the time of the crash. Her phone was found beside her on the road, turned on and still tuned into the BBC. While the sound of the radio may not have been a factor, the act of listening might have divided her attention leading to less awareness of the risk of the turning lorry.

As she approached the lorry it was indicating a left turn but it was at least 2 and a half metres from the left curb. Most cyclists don't realise that such a wide gap, a full lorry's width, does not mean it is safe. Wide gaps to the left of lorry at a junction should be seen as a warning that the lorry is about to turn left.

As the lights changed both Ellie and the lorry accelerated forward. It is likely that the lorry moved forward for 12 or 13 metres before beginning to turn, that is more than the full length of the lorry. It then began to turn across Ellie's path as she went forward. Ellie started from a position near the back of the lorry going at about the same speed. As the lorry changed direction it would have lost all forward speed. For Ellie it would be like a large gate swinging shut across her path.

 The evidence showed that there was simply not enough time for Ellie to get out of the way, it was already too late.

Lessons for drivers

Unusually the driver of the lorry, David Johnson (31) was not in court for the inquest. Tragically he had died of cancer in 2012. The police Senior Investigating Offcer gave evidence that she recommended a charge of 'causing death by dangerous driving' and that she believed that the Crown Prosecution Service would have charged the driver if he had not been terminally ill.

The court heard that the driver's personal mobile phone had received 3 text messages in the four or five minutes before the crash. The police were unable to discover if Mr Johnson had read the messages. When he was arrested his phone was taken but the password he gave did not work. At a later interview he was unable to remember the password for the phone.

Kevin O'Sullivan of Levenes Solicitors, representing Ellie's family, suggested that when the lorry stopped at Abbey street would have been the first opportunity for Mr Johnson to check his phone and read the texts.  We will never know if that was the case.

PC Smith reconstructed what the driver might have been able to see in his nearside mirrors. The lorry was less than two years old and was in excellent conditions. Ellie would have been visible in the main mirror for four seconds before the lights changed. As she moved up the side of the lorry she might have gone out of view of this mirror for a fraction of a second but she would have been visible in the wide angle mirror for all of the time.

Verdict

No one was able to explain why Ellie was not seen by the driver despite being visible in the mirrors.

The coroners finding was that the cause of death was 'Road Traffic Collision'.  This verdict is a new option available to coroners instead of 'Accidental Death' which in the past tended to give an impression that nothing could be done to avoid such collisions or to reduce the risks for cyclists from large lorries.

The London Cycling Campaign has welcomed plans to remove the one-way system around Aldgate tube station, but we’re calling for much greater protection for cyclists throughout the scheme.

There’s strong concern over how the City’s plans will force cyclists to negotiate heavy motor traffic at pinch points created by police control points on St Botolph Street and Aldgate High Street.

There is space to build a high-quality segregated cycle route on St Botolph Street, linking Aldgate, Middlesex Street, and a route to London Wall. 

Transport for London’s plans for Whitechapel High Street to the east of the current one-way system do very little to protect cyclists from the very high levels of motor traffic on the inner ring road (see the Streetview above).

This location is where Cycle Superhighway 2 stops before entering the City of London.

This junction forms part of the Mayor’s Better Junctions Programme, set up in 2011 after the high-profile deaths of cyclists at Bow roundabout and other London locations.

While we welcome the removal of the Aldgate one-way system, we’re deeply concerned that unless other one-way systems between Tower Bridge and Aldgate are also removed then a safe and inviting solution for cycling is difficult or impossible to find. 

At present, removing the other one-way systems is not being addressed by the Better Junctions Programme.

Cyclists in Westminster have been dismayed at the low level of cycle provision in the new traffic plans for Haymarket and Lower Regent Street.

This is despite council statistics showing huge increases in people cycling to work in Westminster in recent years.

Haymarket and Lower Regent Street are two one-way streets with high volumes of fast taxis, buses, coaches, cars and lorries are intimidating for even the most experienced cyclists, creating a barrier of fear for any new or inexperienced cyclists trying to cross the West End.

The primary improvement in the current plans (see them on the Westminster Council website) is to give more space for pedestrians, because very often the pavements are not wide enough and pedestrians spill into the road.

We welcome allocation of more space to people on foot, but the solution proposed does nothing to address the dangers and fears of cyclists, nor to tackle the speed and volume of motor traffic. 

Cycling there now is very intimidating

Travelling south, downhill, on Haymarket traffic frequently cuts from side to side while also accelerating to get through the traffic lights at the junction with Pall Mall.

On Lower Regent Street, which runs parallel, the volume of traffic often blocks the road, with taxis and buses jostling for gaps heading for the narrow junction at Piccadilly Circus

Here, with the current road layout there is often barely space for cycling at all.

Coming from Shaftesbury Avenue, there’s no safe route for cyclists through to Piccadilly or St James’s.

Currently, most cyclists who dare cross this area find the safest way to do so is by illegally following the narrow bus contraflow route.

New proposals don’t address cycling dangers

Recently, we and other campaigners met with Westminster Council officials and walked through the streets.

We stressed the need for safe and inviting Dutch-style routes through this area. 

The proposed plans provide only minor improvements for cycling, with fewer traffic lanes and extra ASLs.

The entry into Cockspur Street towards Trafalgar Square will be wider, but there will be no better protection at the junction leaving Haymarket, where most motor traffic has to turn left across the cycle route.

Our proposals include the following:

• A two-way protected cycle track on the East side of Lower Regent Street and Waterloo Place (shown in blue on map), including reopening the Piccadilly end of Glasshouse Street to cycling in both directions (green pin on map)
• Two-way cycling along all of Jermyn Street, with a safe crossing of Lower Regent Street (shown in red on map)
• Two-way cycling in Wardour Street and Whitcomb Street (shown in green on map)
• A cycle crossing from Charles II Street across Waterloo Place/Lower Regent Street (yellow marker)
• Safe cycle access to the bus lane from Shaftesbury Avenue to Piccadilly (shown in purple on the map)

Despite the best of intentions, London Cycling Campaign PR Manager and Editor of Coven Magazine, Juliet Elliott struggles to find time for training. Has she left it too late to prepare for London Revolution?

I’ve never been one to shy away from a challenge, even when I know I’m not good at things, it doesn’t put me off one bit. Is it strange that I’ll enter a race even when I know I’ll come near the bottom of the pile, that I’ll do things I’m hopeless at without caring a jot? It is odd that I just thrive on challenges, rather than accomplishments?

Who knows the reason, but whatever it is, I found myself saying yes when London Cycling Campaign asked if I’d like to ride the London Revolution, a 180 mile, two day cycling event. I said yes, even though the most I’d ever ridden was 50 miles, I said yes, even though I don’t have a road bike. And I said yes even though I wasn’t entirely sure I could do it.

That was two months ago, when full of spark and vigor about the ride ahead, I eagerly downloaded the training plan, positive that this time I would actually train for the ride. For no one can ride 100 miles in one day without training, can they?

The first week of training went swimmingly, I easily fitted in the required training, enjoying slow, long, easy rides at the weekend, and intense bursts of interval training during the week. I thoroughly enjoyed making time for training, as I love riding my bike, whatever the circumstances. I even squeezed in a spinning class! But then life got in the way; I had way too much work to do, a magazine to produce, articles to write. (I also had to go climbing, surfing, ride my BMX, play with the cats etc, but that’s another matter).

So here we are, a week from the ride, and I haven’t done the training. How will I cope with riding 100 miles in one day, sleeping in a tent and then cracking on with a further 80 miles, including a trip up the infamous Box Hill?

Follow Juliet's adventures on her website, facebook page or twitter @_julietelliott

Try out London Cycling Campaign’s latest challenge – quickest time for changing a bike tyre.

Round 1 was at SPIN London (where our stand won best in show!). Over 70 people competed to be on the leader board but only 11 can be – round 2 is at the Nocturne on Saturday 8th June.

The game

It’s simple, deflate the tyre, remover the inner tube, put in a fresh inner tube, inflate to 90psi and hold the wheel up. Making sure the metal ring and valve cap are on. You can only use the tools provided and all referee decisions are final. You can try as many times as the referee allows. Fresh tyres will be used for round 2 (Continental Ultra Sport tyres on Shimano wheels, if you want to know)

Fastest time wins the red Genesis Flyer pictured. Second and Third prize too. Don’t worry if you don’t have the strong thumbs and nimble thing fingers of a tyre changing master. There are random prizes for entering, prizes for flare and determination and mini-competitions for up to four people. Comedown and show us what you’re made of. 

Time to beat is Peter K’s, of the London Bicycle Workshop, 1 minute 26 seconds.

Thanks to Genesis bike and Shimano for sponsoring the competition and supplying the prize and equipment.

Will the defenders come back to stay on the leader board? Will newcomers rise to the challenge and beat the times on the board? Come down to see London Cycling Campaign at the Nocturne to try your hand……..

Another reason to come to the Nocturne is LCC’s inaugural Urban Cycle Cross race – open to all non-professionals.

For the first time this year at the London Nocturne, the London Cycling Campiagn will be hosting our very own race at Smithfield Market on Saturday 8 June 2013. 

LCC's Urban Cycle Cross race is open to men and women with who are keen to try their hand at the Nocturnes circuit. We will not be accepting professional cyclists so if you have never dabbled in racing before, we’d love you to have a go. It’s one of the cheapest races to enter at only £15 and you will receive a goody bag and have the chance to win a cash prize of £70.

The Race details
Part criterium, part obstacle race, the LCC Urban Cycle Cross will pitch men against women and rider against rider in the ultimate race of truth. On every lap competitors will ride a section of the course, before dismounting and carrying their bikes over barriers, detours and man-made 'urban' obstacles. Think Wacky Races, IG London Nocturne-style. Whether you're a Penelope Pitstop or a Dick Dastardly, if you're over 16, have a bicycle of any kind, and you're up for a fun challenge, the LCC Urban Cycle Cross is open to YOU. Skin-tight lycra racing kit is optional.......

Even if you're not racing it is worth coming down to watch and to try and get on the LCC Tyre Change Time Trial leader board. It's round 2 after a brillant first showing at SPIN London with an amazing red Genesis Flyer to be won. See you there.

For some people, a charity cycling event may be their only cycle ride each year so it is essential to prepare for the event well in advance if you are to get the most out of it and ensure the day remains enjoyable.

The key is preparation, not just of yourself but of your bike, your fundraising, your safety and of those who plan to ride with you. This guide will help you to prepare for every aspect of the ride, which in turn will hopefully lead you to want to do it again next year and perhaps cycle on a regular basis.

We’ll look at each of the following aspects of preparation but if there’s something specific you want to look at, just click on that heading to jump ahead to that section.

The Bikes.org.uk website has a wide range of articles that can help you in your preparations, some of which are included in the full version of this guide.

Fitness Training

Whilst most charity events are designed for the casual cyclist, there is no substitute for good preparation. Yes, you can just turn up on the day and get on with it but a little bit of preparation is important to ensure all goes well and you get the most out of the event. Fitness training doesn’t have to be something you dread, it can be as fun as the day itself.

For those who haven’t been on a bike for a while, simply getting the bike out of the garage and going out for a few short rides is a good start. Why not make it more fun by getting the whole family to go with you and include a mid-ride picnic? as fun as the day itself.

The key to fitness training is to stretch the muscles, build stamina and get used to riding a bike again. Cycling is a great way to burn calories and lose weight so there are some added benefits too.

Preparing the Bike

There is a slight assumption here that you actually have a bike. If you don’t then we’d encourage you to read our beginners guide to buying a new bike and what to look for when buying a second-hand bike.

If you’re bicycle hasn’t been out of the garage or shed for a while, it’s important to check a few things before going for a ride. If it’s been there for too long, we’d strongly urge you to ask your local bike shop to give your bike a basic service. It won’t cost a lot, or take too long and will be worth every penny.

photo: Richmond.gov.uk

Food & Drink

An essential part of your preparation should be what you eat and drink. We’re not trying to turn you into elite athletes here, just trying to ensure you eat well in preparation for the day itself. What you eat, and drink, will play an important part of how you perform and feel out on the road.

Breakfast remains the most important meal of the day, particularly if you are going to be spending most of it on your bike. One thing to remember while you are riding is that you should not leave it too long between eating, because this can leave you hungry and might encourage you to go on a food binge after a session, which is not always helpful.

Snacking regularly while you are cycling can help to alleviate hunger pangs and allow you to stick to a reasonable size post-ride meal in the evening, so that you are not messing with your insulin levels or going through peaks and troughs throughout the day.

It is uber important that you drink plenty of water, however, don’t take too much at any one time as this will make you bloated and uncomfortable. Instead, take small sips on a regular basis. I drink at least one litre of water about half an hour before my ride and take around one litre for every hour of cycling. The rule of thumb here is that if you become thirsty, it’s too late as you’ll have started to dehydrate by them so keep topping up.

Most charity bike rides have feeding stations, or rest stops, which often have water available. However, it is important that you take at least one bottle of water per person with you.

Clothing & Footwear

We’re not talking about Tour de France style wardrobes here, simply the right clothes to ensure you stay comfortable. In this context, comfortable means staying cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s not. In other words, wearing the right clothing for a) cycling, and b) for the weather conditions.

Photo: Cycle Clothing – Wirral Bikeathon style!

Bike Gear, Accessories & Tools

Oh Lordy, where do we start? There are hundreds of items we could suggest but we’ll try to limit ourselves to the essentials. Bike gear is generally there to help, this might be help to carry things (panniers), help to see in dim-light (lights), help to repair things (punctures) or a whole host of other things.

The most important tool however is probably your mobile phone, so make sure the battery is full before you set off and carry it in a plastic bag in case it rains. Remember that on a charity bike ride you’re never on your own, there are plenty of other riders, most of whom will stop to help, and also marshals and stewards are on-hand to offer assistance too.

Safety

The number one item is not a helmet, it is actually, awareness.

Carelessness or not paying attention to other cyclists, road conditions or other road vehicles are the shortest ways to an early finish to your cycle ride. Our basic advice is simply to be aware of your surroundings, watch what others are doing and try to anticipate their next action.

Sponsorship & Publicity

So now you’re ready for the big day but don’t forget that this is a charity event and collecting sponsorship is an integral part. Here are some top tips on collecting sponsorship money for your charity cycle ride;

• Sometimes, collecting sponsorship money can be harder than taking part in the event itself! To prevent this, try getting people to give you cheques ahead of the event or perhaps post-dated to a date shortly after the event (but no more than six months).

• Always carry a pen and sponsorship form with you.

• Don’t be shy in asking, we are a very generous nation and people are often willing to give money to good causes.

• Give sponsorship forms to friends, family, workplaces and get them out raising sponsor money on your behalf.

• On most sponsorship forms there is a ‘Gift Aid’ option, this allows charities to claim an additional 25% on top of the original pledge.

• Ask your employers to match your sponsorship pound for pound, that way you raise twice the amount and your employers can get some publicity – get them to get in touch with the press on your behalf.

• Invest some money in a prize and hold a raffle at work and put the proceeds towards your sponsorship amount.

• If you are self-employed, your clients might respond to a humorous letter asking them to support you.

• Other people might want to help or might know someone who could – always ask around.

• Write to local companies asking for their support – address letters to the Chairman or Managing Director. Again, try to make it humorous, it will stand out more.

• Contact your local press. People who know you or know of you may get in touch and support you.

• Do you belong to any clubs or groups? Have a chat with some of your fellow members and see what ideas you can come up with together.

Route Familiarisation

Charity bike rides are fun but as we’ve said before, a small amount of preparation will help to make the day go even better. Some rides are simple routes around a park, flat land with no inclines and just a few miles long. Others are much longer, sometimes over 100 miles and over several hill climbs. Whichever ride you’ve chosen, you should familiarise yourself with the route.

Finally, on a practical note, consider how you are going to get-to and home-from the ride. It may not be as straight forward as you think.

On The Day

So, at last, the big day has arrived. Excited? You bet you are!

Sleep: First things first, make sure you get to bed reasonably early the night before so you wake refreshed and eager to get started. Don’t be a hermit but you may want to minimise your alcohol intake the evening before the ride as riding with a hangover or slightly dehydrated aren’t much fun.

Breakfast: Get up in plenty of time to have a decent breakfast (see the above section on food & drink) and try to drink at least one litre of water 30-40 minutes before setting off.

Bike: A quick check over your bike to ensure it’s as ready as you and you’re off – no. Take your time to check the things we listed above, especially checking your tyre pressures.

Weather: A quick check outside to check the weather will help you to determine what clothing to wear and what to pack.

Clothing: Clothes should be freshly laundered and shoes should be clean. Depending on the weather, you’ll either be wearing your jacket or packing it in your panniers (remember, no backpacks). Once you’re dressed and ready to go, grab your gloves and helmet.

Bike Gear: The minimum gear you’ll need to take is a pump, puncture repair kit, first-aid kit and a multi-tool. Other items are optional but don’t overdo it as you’ll be the one carrying them around all day. If you take your phone, remember to put it in a plastic bag in case it rains.

Food & Drink: A few suitable snacks are advisable, high energy bars, fruit, gels and of course plenty of water. One litre of water weighs 1kg so bear that in mind.

All that is left for me to say is good luck and I hope you enjoy the day! Please feel free to leave a comment below if you’ve enjoyed the article or have any suggestions, as I’m sure we could have missed something!

The above is an extract of the guide from Bikes.org.uk. The full guide is also as a PDF download.

Let us know what charity cycling rides and events you're involved in and we could feature it here on the London Cycling Campaign blog. Please send an email to info@lcc.org.uk or connect with us via Facebook and Twitter. 

Become a supporter of London Cycling Campaign - to help make London a more liveable city for cyclists and pedestrians.

ITV's face of the Tour de France Ned Boulting (above-right, or in this animated GIF via road.cc) presented last night's London Cycling Awards.

Transport for London's Safer Lorries procurement programme - only using the best-trained drivers and best-equipped lorries - was honoured as the Best London Cycling Initiative in the London Cycling Awards.

Its programme was praised as an essential step towards reducing the number of cyclists killed by lorries each year, and was recognised for helping to promote a "culture of safety" among haulage contractors in the capital.

The Best Borough Cycling Project award was shared by the London Borough of Camden and the City of London for their area-wide programmes of reverting one-way streets to two-way for cycling.

Both programmes were praised for making tens of thousands of local bike journeys more convenient and direct, and for promoting a model that could be rolled out by other boroughs quickly and at low cost.

The full list of awards-winners is below....

London Cycling Awards 2013 winners

Best London Cycling Initiative
Transport for London 'Safer Lorries' procurement programme

Best Borough Cycling Initiative (joint award)
London Borough of Camden and City Of London, two-way cycling on one-way streets

Best Community Cycling Project
London Bike Kitchen (pictured above)

Best Schools Cycling Initiative
Hackney Bike Around The Borough

Best Workplace Cycling Initiative
Heathrow Cycle Hub

Best Cycling Champion
Sir Bradley Wiggins 

Best Bike Brand
Rapha

Best Product
Brompton folding bicycle

Best Cycling Communication
road.cc website

Best Retailer
Cycle Surgery

Read details of the public vote winners and nominees here, and details of our panel award-winners and those who were highly commended here.

Successful winners from across the cycling world 

Hackney's Bike Around the Borough picked up the Best Schools Initiative award, while London Bike Kitchen won the Best Community Project, and Heathrow Cycling Hub won Best Workplace Initiative.

Sir Bradley Wiggins was voted London's Best Cycling Champion in the London Cycling Awards, with clothing brand Rapha, Brompton Bicycles, cycling website road.cc, and the Cycle Surgery chain of shops also picking up public vote awards.

At the awards ceremony, hosted by ITV’s voice of cycling Ned Boulting, was held at St Martin-in-the-Fields and saw industry bigwigs, politicians, civil servants and broadsheet journalists mix with mechanics, volunteers, bloggers and schoolchildren at an evening of celebration and recognition for the best in London Cycling.

The event was the culmination of an amazing year for cycling, and over 10,000 votes were cast in the awards by a public eager to applaud their cycling heroes.

London Cycling Campaign chief executive Ashok Sinha said:

“The awards come at a fantastic time for cycling, and we’re thrilled so many people voted in our new-look London Cycling Awards, and congratulate our winners as well as everyone who was nominated.”

“This has been an amazing year for cycling - more and more Londoners are enjoying cycling for their everyday journeys and it’s clear that cycling has really captured the imagination of the public.”

“This has also been a fantastic year for us, after we gained support from over 40,000 people for our Love London, Go Dutch campaign, which culminated in the 10,000-strong Big Ride.

"As a result, all the mayoral candidates signed up to our Love London, go Dutch vision, and we've seen much of what we asked for writ large in the Mayor’s new Vision For Cycling.

"We've also helped thousands of people cycle through our grass-roots projects, run in partnership with local community groups and businesses.”

Winners receive their London Cycling Awards

Best London Cycling Initiative TfL Safer Lorries procurement programme

Best Borough Cycling Project London Borough of Camden/City of London

Best Schools Cycling Initiative Hackney Bike Around the Borough

Best Workplace Cycling Initiative Heathrow Cycling Hub

Best Community Cycling Project London Bike Kitchen 

Best Bike Brand Rapha

Best Cycling Communication road.cc

Best Cycling Product Brompton folding bicycle

Best Retailer Cycle Surgery

Standing out from an already innovative crowd, LCC’s very popular stall took first prize for Best Stand at Spin London, the urban bike show. Cycling enthusiasts jostled with clubbers as they headed for the Spin London venue in the trend setting  Truman’s Brewery in Brick Lane. Music throbbed in both the surroundings clubs and alternative bike show – even passers by celebrated.

At the award-winning LCC stand staff and volunteers coordinated the heavily contested ‘Tyre Change Time Trial.’ Professional mechanics scored some of the fastest times recording of speeds of than less that one and a half minutes. First prize in the contest was a gleaming red Genesis Flyer single speed.

The show gathered together the best London frame builders, bike makers and fashion designers. Retro fashion influenced bikes and parts as well as bags and clothing. Even the security bolts were cutting edge design.

I love the freedom you get from cycle touring. It is one of my favourite things in the world. I started Wine Rides because I wanted to show more people what a fantastic and liberating way it is to spend your free time. There is nothing like climbing a hill and finding a majestic view at the top that you have earned, then flying down the other side just a little too fast. But cycling is only one half of Wine Rides. The other essential element is local food and wine. That is why we are really proud to be partnering with the British producers of world class wines.

I am passionate about cycling, and I truly believe that if cycling is to become a mainstream form of transport then those of us who love the bike have to start showing what bikes can do that cars can’t.

I cycle in London and am incredibly heartened by the changes I've seen over the years. When I started cycling in in the capital, it was just men, most of which were bike enthusiasts, who were taking to the roads. Now there are days when I am the only man waiting in the peloton at the lights. I am pleased that has changed for good and can’t wait to see more people discovering the bike.

This progress is fantastic. My perspective is that we (cyclists) have become a politically active group and that has made a massive difference. I believe that if cycling is going to continue to gain equality with other forms of transport then cyclists also need to become an economically active group.

One of the main benefits of cycling is that it is an extremely cheap form of transport and long may that continue. That is the reason I started cycling and it is the major reason why the bike remains my primary mode of transport. But I think it's also important cycling is seen as a high value way to travel.

One reason why town planners prefer the car to the bike is the boot. For retailers, cyclists simply cannot carry as much product as someone who arrives in a car. So while cyclists may be able to write as many letters as car drivers, or cast as many votes in marginal seats, at the moment they’re perceived as having less spending power and therefore being less valuable.

At Wine Rides we see things differently; we don’t think value is just about how much you spend. As a result we are doing something differently. We sell a two night / three day trip staying at two vineyards in Sussex. We meet you at Tunbridge Wells train station; take your bags to the vineyard, supply the food and set up the tents where you will camp overnight. The following day you cycle to the next vineyard where we will have set up a new campsite, leaving you to cycle, relax and enjoy the British countryside tasting a selection of local wines and produce.

But what value do we offer the Vineyards?

The Vineyards want to work with us because we are giving them an opportunity to gain a long-term, on-going relationship with customers. We are trading luggage capacity for loyalty.

In contrast to a car, you see things differently on two wheels. From the direct feel of the road surface to the breeze in your hair, cycling gives an unparalleled sense of appreciation and connection with the surrounding landscape. This in turn can form the basis of a greater understanding of the wine and a meaningful relationship with the vineyard owners.

My hope is that both people who cycle and businesses will recognise this value and the opportunities that we can provide. The bike enables connections between people to be made that a car, an enclosed metal box travelling at 60mph, can never achieve. The core philosophy of Wine Rides is for people to enjoy wine in the same surroundings that it was created in with likeminded company.

My dream is that more companies will see this value, think more about people on bikes and consider potential ways to make our lives easier and more fulfilling.

Wine Rides is only starting because I had an idea, rang up every Vineyard south of London and told them, “I have an idea, I think it’s good and I think people will like it”.

I want more cyclists to say the words “wouldn’t it be great if …..” then go out and speak to people, non-cyclist and see if they agree. If you really care about your rights as a cyclist, then we need to grow our ranks. We have to find new ways of making cycling appealing to people with other interests. I have chosen wine. My enterprise is looking to turn people who like wine into people who like wine and cycling. I would love to hear what other interests you think will marry well with cycling. If you have ever said the words “wouldn’t it be great if ….” Then I implore you, please pick up the phone and speak to someone who might be able to help you make that happen. But these things won’t happen unless we ask for them.

If you would like to see how our little experiment in cycling commerce goes then please like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WineRides?fref=ts.

Or if you want to help me make Wine Rides a success then please e-mail info@winerides.co.uk and register your interest in taking part in the pilot weekend on the 25th May.

Let us know what cycling related ventures and projects you're involved in and we could feature it here on the London Cycling Campaign blog. Please send an email to info@lcc.org.uk

Become a supporter of London Cycling Campaign - to help make London a more liveable city for cyclists and pedestrians.

Everyone remembers their first time…but I have absolutely no recollection of it whatsoever.

I mean, it must have happened. I can ride a bike now, and clearly I wasn’t born with this ability. Somewhere in the gap between not knowing and knowing, between non-cyclist and cyclist, there must have been stabilisers, falls, grazed knees, tears and cries of ‘Daddy, don’t let go of me!’ or words to that effect. I know there must have been, yet I can’t remember any of it.

In fact, when I think about riding a bike as a kid, the only memories I can summon are from when I was about nine years old – long after I learned how to ride one.

Photo: A tricycle doesn’t count as a first bike, does it? Me, aged about three, with my sister.

Just off the street I grew up on there’s a footpath known as the gennel (or ‘alleyway’, for those not from Sheffield). It starts just down the street, passes round the back of my parents’ house and comes out around the corner. Other people might see it simply as a shortcut to get from A to B. Back then, for my sister and I, and the other kids on our street, it was a racecourse.

Two of us would race at a time, each heading off in opposite directions on our bikes. The winner was, obviously, the one who got back to the start first. But, in reality, we often knew who had won well before that – it all depended on where you were on the course when you passed the other racer. But at a certain point, you both knew you’d have a race to the finish line.

There was one girl we used to play with, Melissa, who was a poor loser – which was a bit of a problem, seeing as she usually lost. Instead of accepting defeat, she would pretend to have fallen off her bike. When a few minutes had passed after whoever she’d been racing had got back, we’d have to go off in search of her, and would invariably find her on the floor, crying, with her bike next to her. As kids, I don’t recall we had much sympathy for her. Although, looking back, I wonder if we were a little cruel. But then again, no-one can fall off that often – can they?

Being a loser – poor or otherwise – wasn’t so much of a problem for me because I don’t think I lost very often, thanks to my rather fabulous bike. My dad had built it for me, using the frame of an old second-hand bike which he fixed up. I don’t remember exactly what it looked like, only that it was spray-painted metallic blue. I think it was pretty plain – no frills or tassels or baskets. But what it lacked in accoutrements, it made up for in speed.

Melissa had a big brother called Daniel, who was older than the rest of us and didn’t usually join in our games. He may even have started secondary school at this point and probably considered himself far too grown up for such child’s play. I don’t know. But I do remember that he was very interested in my bike. He even had a nickname for it – the ‘mean machine’. I think he used to ask to borrow it, and he may have joined in some of our races on it. I remember feeling quite proud that this older boy was interested in my bike – and, by association, me.

I don’t know what happened to the ‘mean machine’, except that I grew out of it, in the same way that I grew out of bike races and playing out. I don’t think I owned a bike at all while I was a teenager. In fact, I don’t think I had another bike until I was living in Mississippi…but that’s a whole other story.

Jude blogs about cycling and living in the city at www.cyclingwithheels.wordpress.com

Do you remember your first bike? How did you learn and what adventures did you and your bike have?

Are you blogging about cycling in the city or would like to write articles for London Cycling Campaign, please send an email to info@lcc.org.uk

Become a supporter of London Cycling Campaign - to help make London a more liveable city for cyclists and pedestrians.

Dutch-style roundabouts that separate cyclists from motor traffic could be installed in London as soon as 2014, according to Transport for London and the Mayor's Cycling Commissioner Andrew Gilligan (BBC video report).

The news was welcomed by LCC's campaigns officer Charlie Lloyd:

"Our 2012 Love London, Go Dutch campaign is bearing fruit: anyone who's cycled through a Dutch roundabout with a segregated cycle track knows these designs offer comfort and safety for cycling far in excess of British roundabout designs, which often require skill and nerve to negotiate on a bicycle when there's fast-moving motor traffic.

"These Dutch designs also increase efficiency of the roundabout because bicycles use much less space than cars, which should mean less congestion and less conflict for motorists, as well as the safety benefits for those who cycle."

In 2012, we campaigned against a flawed shared-use proposal for Lambeth Bridge roundabout, suggesting precisely this type of Dutch roundabout instead.

Transport for London withdrew its proposal, and has promised to revisit the design, hopefully with one of the first Dutch roundabouts in London.

We also criticised the measures proposed by Transport for London for Waterloo roundabout, which we said failed to provide a safe and inviting envrionment where anyone could cycle.

The Transport Research Laboratory has set up a life-sized trial of the Dutch design at its facility in Berkshire (see photo above), with a view to rolling out the design in key locations in London next year.

The roundabouts - which are commonplace in Dutch cities, towns and rural areas (see the video) - ensure cyclists don't have to share roadspace with motor vehicles within the junction.

Where replacing roundabouts with conventional junctions isn’t a sensible option, Dutch-style roundabouts offer major safety advances over traditional British ones.

Dutch planners realise most collisions happen at junctions so they design roundabouts to slow down motor traffic and give priority to cyclists and pedestrian: the result is fewer crashes and fewer injuries.

The design makes sure bicycles and motor traffic cross perpendicular to each other, so motorists should always have a clear view of anyone potentially crossing their path.

Cyclists and pedestrians have priority at crossing points, where motorists are obliged to give way.

A major cause of serious injury and death to cyclists in London is when vehicles turn left across cyclists at junctions.

The design principles also recognise that starting and stopping on a bicycle is much more labour-intensive than maintaining cycling speed, so gives priority to the cyclist.

Transport for London is also testing cyclist-specific traffic lights, also common in the Netherlands, which would allow cyclists and motorists to pass through junctions in different phases, removing conflicts that are one of the most common cause of collisions.

London Cycling Commissioner Andrew Gilligan told the BBC said:

"We've got a cycling budget of £913m over 10 years and it includes £100m to refit junctions. I'm really looking forward to seeing this [roundabout] on the road. I think it's going to be fantastic for cyclists."

According to reports on the BikeBiz website, the Coalition Government is on the point of creating a new £1 billion 'Office for Active Travel' (OAT) to promote cycling and walking policy across ministries.

The OAT is likely to receive cross-party support, and the £1 billion could be spent rapidly on pedestrian and cycling projects, many of which have already been planned by local authorities but lack funding.

LCC chief executive Ashok Sinha said:

"We'd welcome a cross-departmental government body that had substantial spending capacity and power to direct ministries towards policies that benefit cycling and walking. 

"As called for in the crpss-party 'Get Britain Cycling' Parliamentary report, any such body should have clearly framed short-term and long-term targets to increase cycling use and safety, and the Prime Minister should appoint a government cycling champion, preferably at Cabinet-level, to make sure these targets are reached."

Prime Minister David Cameron, visiting cycling manufacturer Hope's high-tech factory in Lancashire, said:

“There is a huge clamour for cycling - it’s a growth industry - and I will be looking with an enthusiastic eye to see what we can do.”

“With more backing of the industry from the Government, I can see it [cycling] quadrupling in the county.”

The rumours around the creation of an OAT come soon after a petition calling on the PM to adopt the recommendations of the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group's Get Britain Cycling report gained over 40,000 signatures in just a week (sign the petition). 

Various names are being discussed as potential cycling 'czars', the public figures pushing for better cycling policy.

Olympic gold medalist Chris Boardman and former head of Cycling England Philip Darnton are rumoured to be in the frame.

In November 2012, the Government's advisory body on public health, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), called on central and local authorities to do much more to promote walking and cycling to combat increasing health problems caused by inactive lifestyles. 

LCC volunteers were involved in producing the NICE guidance, which is aimed at schools, workplaces, local councils, highways authorities, town planners, public transport operators, private developers, and NHS managers.

It's believed the OAT could be announced during the summer's Comprehensive Spending Review.

Combining bikes, art and computer drawing. Sarah Hammond tells us the story behind ArtSpokes and how it all started with working with the  London Cycling Campaign following a Community Cycling Fund for London grant to get more children cycling.

Like many people, I remember with affection my first bike bought when I was eight years old for five pounds in Portsmouth. Disentangled from a heap of bikes piled to the ceiling, with battered metal mudguards carefully painted red, it gave me freedom, independence and speed.

It was my first taste of the power of bikes.

Enthused by a desire to spread the word across generations and share the pleasures and benefits of cycling, I applied for a grant from the Community Cycling Fund for London in 2011. You can find out more about what we did here.

Inspired by the success of the CCFL Bike Project, I set up ArtSpokes nine months later as a social enterprise. Now, one year on, ArtSpokes’ star project, BEST BIKERS, is being rolled out – it’s aim, to encourage sustainable and healthy living through workshops for primary schools bringing together bikes, art and computer drawing.

In the spirit of the London Cycling Campaign, children taking part in ArtSpokes’ BEST BIKERS workshops learn how to run their own campaign to promote active travel and a healthy life style amongst their peers, teachers and parents by championing cycling. They learn design, digital drawing, teamwork, language skills, public speaking and community engagement. It’s a great way for the children boost their confidence and leadership skills whilst having lots of fun.

With the BEST BIKERS workshop, I wanted to offer a project which has real value for schools, children and the environment on lots of levels. The project has been honed by teachers, children, volunteers and friends and has had lots of input from our School Travel Advisor. We think we’ve got an effective mix now. Feedback from schools and children is very positive.

One teacher said, ‘We have found the ArtSpokes project an extremely worthwhile experience. Sarah’s enthusiasm for the project has made it a very successful process for all the children involved. The Artspokes project has been a gateway to help our children become more aware of bike safety and the importance of health in the community.’ Read more here.

So, if you’re looking for ways to get more pupils cycling to your school, at the same time as meeting your Curriculum targets and the Healthy and Sustainable School criteria, then ArtSpokes can help. We have lots of ideas and can also put you in touch with useful organisations.

Best Bikers workshops can run alongside Bikeability Cycle Training and Cycle Safety and can range from encouraging getting more bums on bikes to helping reduce CO2 emissions around schools. Useful dates for your diary are Walk to School Week (20-24 May 2013), Bike to School Week (10-14 June 2013) and Bike Week (15-23 June 2013).

ArtSpokes, with Waitrose, will be refunding 50% of the cost of a Best Biker workshop to two lucky Tower Hamlets schools. Find out more here.

We want everyone to say YES to the power of bikes and give children today the opportunity to experience the same pleasures and discovery we so fondly remember.

If you’d like to find out more about having a Best Bikers workshop in your school take a look at our Best Bikers flyer and contact Sarah at admin@artspokes.com 

Below are some useful links for schools and parents:

Schools accredited through TfL's STAR scheme may be eligible for CCFL funding so it’s well worth while getting in contact with the LCC Cycling Projects team to check your eligibility. There are quite a few inspiring examples.

Bikeability Cycle Training is cycle proficiency training. There are three levels. To help children stay safe, it’s really important your children have training. You can find lesson plans for teachers to support children learning to ride a bike.

Transport for London has a toolkit for schools including case studies on School Travel Plans. Schools can also sign up for the Star Accreditation scheme.

Sustrans has lots of information about encouraging cycling in schools. It also has a useful page on Bike to School Week.

Your local borough council will have information on their web site. Our borough, Tower Hamlets, has general information here. If you’d like to know more contact John Rymell, School Travel Advisor, 020 7364 6918 or email john.rymell@towerhamlets.gov.uk

Hackney Council has a good page on cycle training for schools. Contact 020 8356 6594 or email cycletraining@hackney.gov.uk

Apple is currently running free computer workshops for Primary and Secondary teachers and children. Registration is open till 31st May.

As a member of the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme since its 2010 launch, I'm pleased that it's arriving in Wandsworth, opening up entirely new transport (and recreation) choices. Like car clubs, the scheme allows informal access to a particular mode of transport - in this case, cycling. For many local residents it will remove the obvious barrier to cycling of having nowhere to keep a bicycle at home. The scheme increases opportunities for 'multimodal' travel, and flexibility of journey e.g. allowing trips out on the bike and back on the bus. Whenever I've used 'Boris Bikes', I'm struck by the camaradarie between users (especially at docking stations when taking out or returning bikes). It's both personal - we all construct our own individual journeys - and sociable.

Furthermore, it's healthy, and it can save you money. (Is it just me, or does £784 for an annual bus+tram pass and £1,216 for an annual zones 1-2 Travelcard seem a lot of money?). The scheme's designed for short trips of up to 30 minutes. In practice, this means up to 4 to 5 miles, putting Chelsea, Putney and Wandsworth within easy reach of Battersea residents for a single-hire-trip - as well as, further afield, Vauxhall, and points in between. Since half of all London car trips are two miles or less, the potential for hire bikes to replace some of these is clear... win-wins for us as individuals needing to be more active, cleaner air and quieter, less congested streets. Since 2001, car ownership's fallen across London, with nearly half of borough households not owning a car. Some Battersea wards have even lower car ownership, notably Latchmere (62.3% of households) and Queenstown (59.3%) (Census 2011 data).

Perhaps some of us will use the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme as a kind of outdoor low-cost gym (£90 annual membership). Imagine groups of older residents going for leisurely rides round Battersea Park and via the riverside to Putney.... 'Battersea Bimblers', anyone?

As anyone who's used them will know, Boris Bikes are well suited for local journeys. Though sturdy (for which read: 'built like a tank'), the low gearing makes it easy to glide along on the comfortably wide tyres, and the enclosed chain means you can wear normal clothes - as many 'suited-and-booted' City types have discovered. The small front luggage rack securely holds a bag, briefcase, or daysack.

link to larger map

The scheme's due to arrive here in December, as part of a 25 sq.km. extension into Wandsworth and Hammersmith & Fulham and increased coverage of Kensington & Chelsea and Lambeth. Transport for London has learned much about running it, and those lessons will be applied in Wandsworth. The first requirement is a good network of docking stations; around 60-70 are planned for our borough, including a 'super-docking-station' on Grant Road immediately north of Clapham Junction station.

Docking stations must be accessible for Serco service vehicles, and experience has shown that they need to be sufficiently large to minimise the need to redistribute bicycles to ensure that both spaces and bikes are available at each station. However, few of our borough's pavements are wide enough to accommodate such docking stations; consequently, in most locations, carriageway space is being reallocated for docking. Bicycles are vehicles, so there's logic in accommodating docking stations on roads. This also sends a useful signal about who our pavements are for, as well as helping to re-balance our streets towards 'active travel' (walking and cycling). From April, Wandsworth Council takes over public health responsibilities locally, and the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme will help address the pressing need for residents to be more physically active for their health. Indeed, recently published National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) public health guidance identifies public cycle hire schemes as a cost-effective way to promote cycling and improve public health.

The scheme's 19.5 million journeys to date have highlighted its safety [*] and role in 'normalising' cycling amongst a wider range of Londoners. Nevertheless, more could be done to make Wandsworth's streets more cycle-friendly and inviting to would-be Boris-Bikers; fear of 'the traffic' is what most discourages people from cycling. With this in mind, Wandsworth Living Streets has floated the concept of a 20mph speed limit for most roads in the northern swathe of Wandsworth, between Vauxhall and Putney.

You can find out more about the scheme as it develops on Wandsworth Council and TfL websites, at www.wandsworth.gov.uk and www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/14808.aspx. See you on a Boris Bike next Christmas?

[*] "Disaster waiting to happen": The London Bike Hire Scheme and why Bradley Wiggins was so wrong (Part Four) http://rdrf.org.uk/2012/08/17/disaster-waiting-to-happen-the-london-bike-hire-scheme-and-why-bradley-wiggins-was-so-wrong-part-four/

About Susie Morrow:

- Chair, Wandsworth Living Streets (follow us on twitter @WandsLS)

- Community Member of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) advisory group which produced national guidance on promoting walking and cycling as forms of travel or recreation, published November 2012 and available at www.nice.org.uk/ph41

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In a new series of guest bloggers for the London Cycling Campaign, Stephanie Francis last owned a bike when she was 7. Here she writes why she is getting back on the saddle and her 3 year old son is also joining in for the ride.

“Can you even ride a bike?”

--“Haven’t been on one since I was seven”

“Then why on earth do you want to get a bicycle?”

On the face of it, I suppose it did seem a silly idea but to me it made perfect sense. My name is Stephanie and I work as a bank cashier with a quirky bunch in South London. I spend most of my time speaking to a lot of interesting people doing a lot of interesting things while I do the same not-so-interesting things daily. Periodically, I decide that to spice things up I need to start a hobby, and this time I chose cycling. Here is why:

WILL

I’m always looking for ways to get fit and tone up. When you have a small child and limited babysitting facilities like me, it can be hard to commit to the gym or classes. I tried DVD’s but I would watch them once or even work out with them and now they are just sitting on the shelf gathering dust. I see cyclists often and it occurred to me that I was not only slightly envious of their skills and confidence but that it’s something which can be done alone or as part of a team; so I could potentially gain the motivation and social element I yearned for from the gym but also that treasured ‘alone time’. Better still, it is not something that has to exclude my son.

If you choose a new hobby it has to be something you really WANT to do.

TIME

I live alone with my 3 year old son Caleb, affectionately known as ‘Lebs’ (which is a pain for phones – they always edit it to ‘Legs’) and spend most of my spare time with him. The rest of my time goes on housework, and playing Facebook games in between (sitting on my butt not being very fit at all). Big chunks of spare time are hard to find and this way I could squeeze in the cycling on the way to work and back, and en route to parks and other activities at the weekends.

You need something which can fit in with your life.

MONEY

Gyms and classes plus what it would cost to get regular babysitting is pricey business. Some gyms have a crèche but again pricing can get silly. Bikes can be very affordable or very expensive depending on what you want. A lot of work places will run some sort of a scheme to help you get a bike to use for getting to work. I went with the cycle2work scheme which is with Halfords. You get a voucher for the amount you set and you can use it to get everything bike related and pay for it over 5 years. Have a nosey here or ask your work place for more: www.cycle2work.info. Also if you are not as lucky as me to live only a mile from work and can walk it then a bike can save you money on commuting!

Be mindful of your budget and check if work has any employee schemes.

AREA

Whilst I live in a built up area, there are plenty of parks and bike lanes, hills and flats; quiet roads and very busy ones. Lots for me to explore and satisfy my sense of adventure. Knowing your area and what you will use the bike for becomes most important when choosing your bike but still worth considering before even choosing cycling. Cycling on road will keep your mind and senses sharp – an experience you won’t get from a gym bike. I know that gym bikes and the ability to give your mind a rest whilst exercising has its advantages too, but I find I do better when my mind is fully involved.

Consider local terrain – the more exciting or accessible it seems to you, the better!

Follow Stephanie as she blogs about her cycling adventures at www.mangoandlebsgocycling.wordpress.com.

Become a supporter of London Cycling Campaign - to help make London a more livable city for cyclists and pedestrians.

Are you blogging about cycling in the city or would like to write articles for London Cycling Campaign, please send an email to elaine@lcc.org.uk

London Cyclist columnist, Zoe Williams - We've good reason to envy other cycling cultures- but what can we offer in return?

Have you seen the Elf?  I've never felt jealous of the American cyclist before.  I never really thought America understood cycling.  Too goal-driven to see the romance, too speed-fixated to breathe in the atmosphere, the culture is all Lance Armstrong.  But then I saw the Elf.

I don't really understand it, to be honest.  It's solar powered, person-powered and ultimately powered by some kind of energy-store amalgam of person and sun.  It looks as big as a smart car, but can effortlessly switch from being 100 percent motor-powered to being 100 percent pedal-powered.  It looks a bit like the Sinclair C-5, except not rubbish.  Its devising says everything wonderful there is to say about modern life - the funding was all crowd-sourced and the profits...well, who cares?  It makes no difference where the profits go, because one day everyone in the world will have one and it will be like a currency in its own right.

Jealous of other nations
To be a cyclist is to be constantly plagued by the superiority of the way other countries do it.  We were all raised to be jealous of the Dutch, and rightly so.  They have the best culture.  They can occupy a full land of road without anybody complaining; they can have a great oversized wicker basket and people will find it charming.

You can imagine your mother cycling in Amsterdam.  I would as soon watch my mother cycling in London as I would watch her wrestling a giant squid.  At 15 to 18 metres, giant squid are not as large as you imagine.  And contrary to reputation, they are tenacious in battle but don't often win.  Nevertheless, you would find the battle gruesome were it to occur against a loved one, and that's roughly where I site London traffic.

In Paris, they have the best accident rate.  They regularly go a year without a single fatality, which should inspire every city.  They give it all this "bof, was that a traffic light?  I was actually checking out those beautiful macaroons", but in fact their attention is like a spy's, with the result that they don't kill each other.

And while we're in France, anybody who has cycled there will be awestruck by the manners of the lorry drivers.  They will crawl up a hill behind a cyclist going 10 miles per hour.  Is it because they are cyclists in their spare time?  Is it because they are paid a fair wage and aren't paid per unrealistic target?  I don't know.  All I do know is that the courtesy is so elaborate that, when you're not used to it, you feel embarrassed.

In Italy, they have amazing outfits.  On the crankiest old rust bucket, they still don't leave the house without some turquoise and gold lycra.  This brings a certain pride and nobility to the proceedings that we could all use.  As implacably opposed as I am to the institution of cycle registration plates, were someone to suggest and obligatory uniform... then I might be on side.

In many nations, they have better hills than we do: there's no point getting competitive about topography.  You just have to take it where you find it.  But that doesn't mean I don't sometimes look at Scotland and think...well...that is quite a testing ground, for the casual cyclist.  What might that do for your resolve, the insane beauty, the punishing inclines?

Inspired by your surroundings
What I like about Switzerland, Germany and Austria is the fact that you can cycle the route of the Sound of Music.  It is no accident that it was an Irish woman -Dervla Murphy- who first tried to cycle all the way to India...the landscape she learnt to cycle on filled her with confidence and a sense of possibility, while at the same time suffusing her with the desire to see more.  And while we're in India, I hate the idea of a rickshaw principle- the human being as a beast of burden- but I love the look of them, the ramshackle listing, the precariousness.

What do other people see, then, when they look at us?  What have we got that no one else has?  We have the scenester's obsession with the fixed gear bike, but I feel that people may laugh at that.  We have Boris Johnson and some bright blue cycle paths, but again I worry that people laugh.  But we also have Bromptons- perfect, ergonomic, slightly kooky unusual, erm...also surprisingly fast.   I bet other people envy those.

I advcocate a cycling sumposium, a global get-together, where we merge our thinking and end up with a solar-powered Brompton on incredible roads.  Just think of it.  I could put my envy to some use, turn it into an energy source of its own, as plentiful as sunshine.

Zoe Williams is a freelance journalist and columnist who contributes regularly to publications including The Guardian and New Statesman.

This article first appeared in the April /May 2013 issue of London Cyclist magazine, delivered free to LCC members every two months.

An all-party group of MPs has ended a four-month Parliamentary enquiry into cycling by publishing a report calling on the Coalition Government to start a Dutch-style cycling revolution.

Campaigning journalists from the The Times newspaper, which sponsored the enquiry, have launched a petition calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to take urgent steps to implement the report's recommendations:

SIGN THE PETITION

The All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group report, Get Britain Cycling (download the PDF), calls for radical measures to make British street design cycle-friendly, in line with our Love London, Go Dutch campaign.

The report also demands stricter application of the driving laws to help make cycling on UK roads safe and inviting for everyone.

London Cycling Campaign chief executive Ashok Sinha said:

"We fully support the MPs' call for strong political leadership from David Cameron to create conditions so all our streets are safe and inviting for everyone to cycle.

"While our 2012 Love London, Go Dutch campaign helped push cycling to the top of the political agenda in the capital, in the rest of the UK cycling is still desperately neglected, and streets are often outright hostile to cycling and walking."

Supported by British Cycling, CTC, Cyclenation and Sustrans, the report calls for:

• Appointment of a Cycling Commissioner to oversee British cycling policy
• Increase in per-capita cycling spending so it's closer to Dutch levels
• The use of Dutch-style separated cycle lanes on busy roads
• A default 20mph speed limit in all residential areas
• Much stricter application of road traffic laws

The committee of MPs says a target of 10% of journeys by bicycle is the minimum we should aim for, with current levels of cycling in the UK only around 2%.

Without political strong leadership, the reports says, the UK will fail to take advantage of the vast health benefits of cycling, particularly to young people, and the massive potential to reduce congestion on our roads and public transport.

Photo via Alternative Department for Transport, 'children cycling safely in the Netherlands'

A man in his 20s is in a serious condition in hospital after a crash involving a lorry at the corner of Gray's Inn Road and Clerkenwell Road.

Police say the man was taken to the Royal London Hospital with pelvic, chest and head injuries.

The victim had been riding a Barclays Hire Bike, which lay crushed and broken in the road after the crash.

It's believed the lorry was turning left out of Clerkenwell Road to travel south on Gray's Inn Road.

The crash happened shortly after 1pm on Friday afternoon,

Transport for London Chief Operating Officer for Surface Transport Garrett Emmerson released a statement after the crash:

"We are aware of an incident involving a cyclist on a Barclays Cycle Hire bike who was injured in a collision with a heavy goods vehicle at the junction of Grays Inn Road and Theobalds Road in Camden this lunchtime.

"Serious incidents involving Barclays Cycle Hire bikes are thankfully extremely rare and we will assist theMetropolitan Police and the local highway authority with their investigation into this incident."

LCC's road danger reduction campaigner Charlie Lloyd said: "We wish this poor young man all the best for a successful recovery."

Crash happened at danger junction

The Clerkenwell Road/Gray's Inn Road/Theobalds Road junction is notorious for being particularly hazardous for cyclists.

It is the major east-west route in this part of the West End and many large vehicles change lane and turn in every direction.

The lorry involved was a very old four-axle 30-tonne waste carrier of the type most often involved in serious injury cyclist crashes.

The truck was carrying an empty waste container at the time.

The design of this type of lorry makes it difficult for the driver to see pedestrians and cyclists on the near side when making a left turn.

Such large vehicles have to move to the right before making a left turn, leaving a wide gap and this can make unaware cyclists think there's a safe route ahead.

If the driver is turning into and area of road they cannot see, then they should only move at less than walking pace.

We've called for this type of lorry to be replaced with ones designed for urban use allowing the driver clear vision of all other road users.