I love your new make-over Alan! It could be part of our cunning plan to attract new female riders! 😆

Thanks to Adrian for taking the Northwich Guardian photos, which I know will be excellent, Brad Pitt or no Brad Pitt! Thanks to Derek for bringing his tricycle, and thanks to everyone who braved the rain to go on a club run on Father's Day, and to pose for the photos! You all looked like Brad and Angelina! 😀

I have plenty of paper copies of the Cycling Strategy Questionnaire. You can pick one up from my house. Also, I will drop some off at the local cycling shops. I might also put some on the signing in desk at Oulton Park on Tuesday?

Please don't forget to fill one in - paper or online, and please tell your friends, family and neighbours all about it!

Thanks

Claire

Updated news article here:

http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/9762635.Wheels_in_motion_for_bike_friendly_Northwich/

Great stuff Claire, well done you. And Ady, I like your strategy for attracting new female riders! Hopefully I'll get to go on whichever run Brad chooses to join! Talking of bike routes through Northwich, I've just come in from riding home from work (Styal nr Wilmslow). You couldn't have a nicer route, behind the airport, through Tatton Park, then round by Comberbach, then through Marbury Park, across town, under the arches and back to Kingsmead along the river. The last bit from Comberbach is almost all on well surfaced traffic free paths. So more of these sort of tracks would be brilliant...but how many people know about them? A good starting point for CWAC would be to promote the cycling routes its already constructed....

Claire

Thanks for the message to our Bristol office.

Sustrans will be responding to this consultation.

We continue to work with Cheshire West and Chester on the following:

- The proposal to establish the Neston - Deeside greenway
- The Bike It project at Hartford campus and further infrastructure work in Northwich
- The Bike It project in Chester
- The maintenance and promotion of the Chester greenway
- Completion of the Chester Connect2 project

to encourage the council to create better conditions for walking/cycling.

Peter Foster
North West Regional Director
Sustrans, St Paul's Centre, Hightown, Crewe, CW1 3BY

Paper copies distributed at Oulton Park, local school, bike shop in Castle, and a huge number taken by Jim at Dave Hinde's. Thanks Jim and Dave! 😀

Good stuff! Well done Claire in your tireless efforts!

Thanks Eleanor and Adrian! 🙂

http://road.cc/content/news/60231-mark-cavendish-says-motorists-should-be-presumed-liable-incidents-where-cyclists

World champion Mark Cavendish has said that the UK should introduce laws similar to those in the Netherlands and Belgium that place a presumption of liability on motorists involved in a road traffic incident in which a cyclist is killed or injured. Road Safety Minister Mike Penning has responded by saying that such legislation would be “unfair” on responsible drivers.

Cavendish was speaking to The Times, giving his backing to its Cities fit for Cycling campaign, and was asked to give examples of countries where he believed there was a greater culture of safe cycling than in the UK.

“In Holland and Belgium the actual law is if the driver of a motorised vehicle has an accident with a cyclist, unless the driver can actively prove it was the cyclist’s fault it is the driver’s fault. There is an assumption of guilt on the driver,” he told the newspaper.

“I would like to see it examined, for sure. Cyclists can be in the wrong a lot of the time. They have got to ride within the law… but if people know there is a problem if they hit a cyclist they will look more, they have to be more aware of cyclists.”

The Team Sky rider also revealed that there are times when he is afraid to cycle on Britain’s roads – echoing comments previously made by other of the country’s leading cyclists, including world and Olympic track champion, Victoria Pendleton.

“It is not any deliberate hatred towards cyclists, there is no hatred towards cyclists,” he said – an observation that some might argue with – “but we are still a developing country in terms of cycling being embedded in the culture so it is just the awareness of bikes. People don’t realise that a bike might be coming up.”

The world champion therefore sees the introduction of presumed liability as the single most important thing that could be done to improve the safety of the country’s cyclists, saying it would lead to “The realisation that a consequence will come without looking out for cyclists.

“If you hit a cyclist there is a life gone. If it is embedded in your culture that cyclists are around it just raises awareness. It has got to be an evolution over time.”

Mr Penning, however, said that the government had no plans to introduce such legislation.

“Making a motorist automatically at fault for an accident with a cyclist, unless he or she can prove otherwise, would be unfair where someone is driving entirely responsibly — or when there is an accident where no one is to blame,” he explained.

Presumed liability, which exists in some form in most European Union member states – the exceptions are the UK, the Republic of Ireland, Malta and Cyprus, all of which largely follow the English legal tradition rather than the continental model.

Supporters of the principle, who include road safety campaigners and members of parliament, might argue that Mr Penning’s language shows that there is a cultural obstacle to be overcome before any such measure could be implemented here.

The concept as adopted elsewhere is emphatically not about blaming the driver, or apportioning guilt on them – it is more that the larger, heavier vehicle is presumed to be at fault, unless the driver can demonstrate otherwise.

Referring to the Netherlands and Belgium, Cavendish said: “That is the point. They don’t do it to penalise drivers over there. They do it so that drivers have to look. Ultimately in Belgium as well if a cyclist jumps a red light there is a severe punishment. I believe I am the first to stand up and say cyclists have to be more responsible as well. Cutting a red light might just aggravate someone who will take it out on a general cyclist.”

Cavendish, speaking about the Cities fit for Cycling campaign, said that the newspaper’s call for lorries to be fitted with sensors as well as additional mirrors to help make drivers aware of the presence of cyclists was one concrete step that could be taken to improve the safety of riders.

“It is easy enough to do on lorries,” he maintained. “The blind spots on lorries are incredible, and the biggest cause of accidents with cyclists is between cyclists and lorries. I really think it is a good thing.”

Hi Claire, great work on this! Is there link where you can fill in the form online at all? If not I'll whizz into Hindeys at the weekend.

Thanks Woody! Here's the link!

http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=15410

http://surveys.doriconline.org.uk/cwac/TakeSurvey.aspx?PageNumber=1&SurveyID=82KIm82&Preview=true

or telephone: 0300 1238123 for a paper copy!

Thanks 😀

Times announced that Norman Baker has money for dangerous junctions outside London and is asking for people to contact local councillors.

"Now we need your help to pressurise local councillors into taking action.

Wherever you live, please take a minute to go to this page thetim.es/cyclesafe-local, type your postcode into the envelope and email one of your local representatives, asking them to bid for funding to improve key junctions in your area."

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/cyclesafety/article3457523.ece

Keep knocking at the door someone might take notice

S Cooper artic was a bit annoyed by me riding on the road last night, so after driving literally 3 inches from my back wheel for a hundred yards, revving his engine, he proceeded to overtake and force me into the kerb. I had to skid to a halt to avoid his back wheel. He had been held up for no more than 30 seconds in rush hour, and as a result he was prepared to kill. And this happened about a mile from the S Cooper depot.

Had I had my video camera on me, I would be in the process of prosecuting him right now. Had I managed catch up with him, I was ready to rip his arms off.

There are drivers out there who drive dangerously or carelessly, and awareness will certainly help. But there are also drivers out there with intent.

I can ride my bike in a manner that ensures I am always seen, and out of danger where I can be, but if the driver of a vehicle sees me as a target, then there isn't much hope.

You were very lucky Kris. 😯
Report to Police and his Company. They'll know who it was from where he was... (time/ location)
This is the same scenario as the Tractor that wiped me out with his Trailer. He did a Driver Re-Training Course as punishment.. What a joke.. 👿

I'm looking to invest in 2 cameras back and front.
A white van nearly had me the other night on the A50. I shouted as he went past, at which point the passenger put his arm out of the window and gave me 2 fingers... If that had been on camera he'd at least have points on his license by now...

I'm afraid it goes with the territory these days... 🙄

Thank you to those who have already completed the cycling questionnaire - part of the consultation process for the CWaC Cycling Strategy 2012. The deadline is Friday 13th July 2012. Other copies available on telephone 03001237036 or online (please see below). Paper copies of the questionnaire can be found also at Dave Hinde's shop. (If they are a couple of days late, they will still be counted!)

http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=15410