Cycling in Yorkshire & Beyond
News and opinion on all things cycling-related.
25th October 2024
How we pay for driving is a thorny issue, but with the transition to electric vehicles fuel duty is on its way out.
What would the consequences be of doing nothing, and what are the options?
16th September 2024
When assessing transport schemes in Wales, journey time savings for private car users are no longer considered as a benefit.
Former Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport Lee Waters explains how, as well as strategies and plans, the system needs to be re-wired in order to produce meaningful change.
Read about Time Savings for Cars not Treated as a Benefit in Welsh Transport Schemes.
3rd July 2024
The proportion of Op Snap submissions in North Yorkshire getting a response within the time limit is increasing.
That's the good news, but do responses betray an attitude problem?
Read about Attitude at Op Snap North Yorkshire.
24th November 2023
Current government transport decarbonisation policy is not enough to achieve the UK's climate goals. There is a carbon gap.
A new report called Bridging the Gap highlights this problem. What solutions do the authors suggest?
Read about Mind the Carbon Gap.
22nd November 2023
In Autumn motor vehicles and their drivers become a bigger deterrent than usual to utility cycling.
Which of three theories best explains dangerous driving in Autumn?
Read about Explaning Dangerous Driving in Autumn.
6th November 2023
NHS England has published its Net Zero Travel and Transport Strategy.
What percentage of NHS transport emissions are staff commutes, and what is the strategy to shift them to active modes and public transport?
Read about NHS Net Zero Travel and Transport Strategy.
28th October 2023
Welsh Deputy Minister for Climate Change Lee Waters was on the Streets Ahead podcast earlier this year.
As Mr Sunak and the Conservatives do the wrong thing on transport emissions and active travel, is there any hope of good sense and honesty from this politician?
Read about Lee Waters on Streets Ahead Podcast.
13th October 2023
Sports will have to decarbonise if they are to receive funding from Sport England. That's the message from the body's Chair Chris Boardman.
How will that happen in practice?
Read about the Sport England to Require Sports to Decarbonise.
20th September 2023
The term 'active travel'. means getting about in a physically active way, and it could be popular with more people than 'cycling'.
On the other hand, is there a disadvantage to the use of the term?
Read about Disadvantage of the Term 'Active Travel'.
1st September 2023
Pickup truck drivers are 200% more likely to kill pedestrians or cyclists they hit than drivers of average vehicles. What are the other effects of heavier, more powerful vehicles with higher bonnets?
Read about Pickup Truck Drivers 200% More Likely to Kill People they Hit.
21st August 2023
Hedgehog Cycling is honoured to publish a guest post by the fictional PM of a failed state off the coast of mainland Europe.
Richi Sanuk gives us his thoughts on Levelling-Up and Multi-Modal Travel.
Read a Guest Post by Richi Sanuk.
14th August 2023
When I was waiting at traffic lights yesterday, someone crossing the road on foot called me an endangered species. He may have been worse for wear, but what did he mean?
Read about Endangered Species.
11th August 2023
Five observations about cycling in the Yorkshire Dales, starting with a very obvious one and (I hope) going on to provide some useful and interesting insight.
8th August 2023
The Must Get In Front driver attitude will be familiar to anyone who cycles around an urban area in Britain.
In this case, the driver undertook me using a Left Turn Only lane. Six reflections on the subject.
Read about Must Get In Front.
30th March 2023
'We now have clear evidence that cycling is a great way to stay physically healthy for longer', says the Professor who led a new trial.
Read about Clear Evidence that Cycling Makes You Stay Healthy for Longer.
15th February 2023
The Welsh government has responded to the findings of its Roads Review Panel. In a rare win for following up words with action, it is going to align its road-building policy with its climate strategy.
Read about Inspiring Welsh Road-Building Policy.
18th January 2023
British people accept risk and harms from motor vehicles that they would not accept in other areas of life. That's the conclusion of a study by Ian Walker.
Read about Motonormativity.
19th December 2022
I've picked out a few best-selling cycling products on Amazon, including a bike tool kit, kids' bike, and kids' bike accessory.
Read about Best-Selling Cycling Products Christmas 2022.
15th December 2022
Bus operators have proposed congestion charge zones in towns and cities to discourage driving and improve bus services, in order to meet climate targets.
Read about Bus Operators Propose £7 Congestion Charge Zones.
8th December 2022
Professor Scarlett McNally says that if we stop seeing the world through a windscreen that will have multiple health and environmental benefits.
Read about Stop Seeing the World Through a Windscreen, Says Health Professor.
23rd November 2022
A survey for Car Free Megacities shows that a majority of residents of three major metropolises want them to be less car-dominated.
Read about Residents Want Big Cities to Be Less Car-Dominated.
14th November 2022
Is a comedy routine about lining e-scooter riders up against a wall and shooting them funny? Should comedy unite and heal, rather than bullying and dividing?
8th November 2022
The Earth has just had its 8 warmest years on record and ice is melting at unprecedented rates, according to the WMO's provisional State of the Global Climate 2022 report.
Read about State of the Global Climate 2022 - WMO.
27th October 2022
Climate change is the defining issue of our time and impacts are already devastating, says UN Secretary General Guterres. We are currently on track for more than 2C of heating by the end of the decade.
Read about World Heading for Climate Catastrophe.
14th October 2022
The government's approach to behaviour change is failing, says a House of Lords committee. That puts at risk a third of greenhouse gas emission reductions needed by 2035.
Read about Government Failure on Behaviour Change Risks Net Zero Targets.
27th September 2022
Oxfordshire is moving from the traditional 'predict and provide' approach to transport, which locks in car dependence, to 'decide and provide'.
Read about the Decide and Provide in Oxfordshire.
20th September 2022
When you hack through the jungle of confusing terminology around the cycle gate and reservoir, it is a beautifully simple idea.
Read about the Cycle Gate & Reservoir.
7th September 2022
I went to have a look at the well-thought-out cycle facilities at two roundabouts in Moortown, Leeds, and cycled round them.
Read about Double Dutch Roundabout in Leeds.
26th August 2022
Fantasizing about punching cyclists on the radio is fine and just 'a comedic twist' according to BBC Radio Scotland's complaints team.
Read about BBC Says Fantasizing About Punching Cyclists is a 'Comedic Twist'.
24th August 2022
Motorist aggression is the top barrier to cycling, according to a review of papers and reports by Australian academics.
Read about Motorist Aggression is Top Barrier to Cycling.
18th August 2022
Opponents of cycle schemes rarely admit that they are against the creation of a cycle network in principle. They want one in theory, it's just that they are against all the specific proposals that are put forward.
Read about People Who Want a Cycle Network in Theory but not in Practice.
29th July 2022
A State of the UK Climate 2021 report analyses the year's weather, plus longer-term trends.
Read about State of the UK Climate 2021.
19th July 2022
Sir Patrick Vallance gave his climate science briefing to 70 MPs. The government chief scientist introduced presentations by three professors.
Read about the Vallance Briefing on Climate Science.
6th July 2022
The big oil companies are upping their rhetoric on climate change and Net Zero, but do their actions and plans match?
27th June 2022
Many of us were concentrating on other things when the IPCC published its Sixth Assessment Report (AR6). I thought it would be useful to do a short summary of the findings.
Read about IPCC AR6.
20th June 2022
I'm late to this party, but not as late as most highways authorities around the country. What happens to traffic when you add road capacity?
Read about The Fundamental Law of Road Congestion.
15th June 2022
While Filippo Ganna is likely to be the outright favourite for the Stage 1 individual time trial, who are the other contenders?
14th June 2022
It took me a few years to ride all 21 stages of the Sustrans Slow Tour of Yorkshire. What did I learn along the way?
Read about 7 Things I Learned Doing the Sustrans Slow Tour of Yorkshire.
8th June 2022
The IPCC's 6th Assessment Report says that globally emissions from transport make up 15% of the total, and are growing. What role can cycling play in reducing transport emissions?
Read about in Cycling in the IPCC 6th Assessment Report.
4th June 2022
Share the Road is one of these "let's all be nice to each other" road safety campaigns that conflates physical danger and politeness. How helpful and effective is it?
Read about Share the Road Campaign Should be Binned.
26th May 2022
A level difference makes all the difference, and Cycle Infrastructure Design tells councils not to use white line segregation. Is there a satellite delay in applying the new standards?
Read about A Level Difference Makes All the Difference.
24th May 2022
Build-outs and chicanes can be useful tools for local authorities intent on making streets calmer, safer and more cycle friendly - but the detail matters.
Read about Build-Outs and Chicanes.
16th May 2022
Drivers are cutting back on car trips because of high petrol and diesel prices. Will people take to two wheels instead, and what impact will electric cars have?
Read about Petrol
Prices Cut Car Trips - Will People Take to Two Wheels Instead?
9th May 2022
On a long ride I nearly ran out of battery and had to engage battery-saving mode on my Garmin GPS. Was it satisfactory?
Find out in Garmin GPS Battery-Saving Mode.
3rd May 2022
If you need safe cycle infrastructure on a road but there isn't enough room for protected cycle tracks, what do you do?
Read about the Creating Space for Cycling by Removing the Centre Line.
14th April 2022
I noticed someone's interpretation of this crossing facility and cycle path today. If the designer expects you to do something daft and inconvenient, do you do it, or do you ignore them?
Read about Design vs UX on Harrogate cycle path.
4th September 2021
The people have spoken: no more shared use paths on the Sustrans National Cycle Network.
Read about Sustrans Shared Use Paths.
2nd March 2021
The representatives of Harrogate's business groups are focused on 'cars, cars, cars', but is this compatible with the changes we need to make to avoid climate breakdown?
Read about Harrogate Business Groups and the Climate.
21st February 2021
There's a new phenomenon of people on zebras waving their grateful thanks to drivers for stopping. Why?
Read about waving from zebras.
10th January 2021
Does it matter if a BBC headline states that a car drove at someone, as long as we all know what they mean?
Read more about the Reporting of Traffic Crashes.
27th October 2020
Is fixing your own bike the perfect activity for our era? What are the essential ingredients for a successful bike repair in Corona Time?
Read about bike repairs in Corona Time.
28th August 2020
The normally intelligent and funny Guardian sketch writer John Crace has gone rogue with a rant against safe bike lanes and Low Traffic Neighbourhoods - all because he got stuck in a traffic jam going to the tip! I prove that there were never any traffic jams before the invention of the bike lane. (Not really).
Read about Crace goes rogue.
25th June 2020
Chris Batley wrote to the Yorkshire Post objecting to positive plans for the town centre. I set out the reasons why I don't agree, and why his arguments don't reflect the facts.
18th June 2020
The owner of Woods Interiors wants Harrogate's Coronavirus response to be that we abandon all plans to make the town more friendly for people on foot and on bikes. He's worried about parking. I suggest some hiking routes to Woods Interiors, including Victoria Avenue to Station Parade.
Read about hiking routes to Woods Interiors.
28th May 2020
Ricky Ross (Deacon Blue band member) kicked off a thread of cyclist-bashing on Twitter. All the usual prejudices were trotted out, before some pithy replies.
Read about the Ricky Ross cyclist-bashing.
17th May 2020
I was really impressed with the Birmingham Blue Routes when I rode them in January, and I asked Birmingham Connected a few questions to find out how they managed to up the quality so dramatically.
Read about Birmingham Blue Routes concept.
10th May 2020
I was riding between the two lines of parked cars on West End Avenue this afternoon. The driver of the only car I encountered, a VW Polo coming up behind me, kept sounding their horn and told me to "get out the fucking way".
Read about aggressive bullying by driver of WP57CDK.
18th February 2020
I remember my neighbour's reaction to a bike regularly locked to a lamppost near where we live. He was grumbling about it, and considering reporting it to the council. He didn't seem to see the 200+ cars parked on our street.
8th January 2020
Can anyone guess the purpose of this 12m long cycle path? It's by the roundabout at the Bellway housing development, on the old Dunlopillo site, but it doesn't seem to lead anywhere.
Read about daft cycle infra at the Bellway Pannal development.
17th September 2019
In a letter to the Yorkshire Post, Bishop Monkton Councillor Brown claims that 'motorists' are being knocked and made to feel unwelcome in Harrogate Borough. This is a response to some of his arguments.
1st July 2019
Bradford Council have linked Shipley to Bradford, by adding the Canal Road Cycleway onto the existing Greenway.
The result is a usable route. It's generally safe and convenient. The Cycleway has priority over drives and side roads, except in places where the route designers lost their nerve, and made it give way.
Read about the Canal Road Greenway & Cycleway.
18th May 2019
The challenge has been set: drag as many times your body weight as possible to the shops. With your 4x4, you're doing well, but follow my advice, and you could do much better.
9th May 2019
At the heart of Harrogate, bang on the Yorkshire Worlds route, there's a 36cm cycle lane. It's brilliant that Harrogate is welcoming the world in September, but what about everyday bike riders all year round?
Read about 36cm cycle lane.
