• Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #87: No more disappearing cycle routes.

    Submitted by benirvine on 1 May, 2012 - 14:26

    #87: NO MORE DISAPPEARING CYCLE ROUTES. We’ve all been there: riding on the London Cycle Network, following those little white bicycle logos on the tarmac, glancing at the occasional confusing sign pointing round a corner or onto a special cycling cut-through, and then suddenly.... Nothing. No markings. No signs. Just a leafy blandness or even a looming main road.

    Few cycling experiences are more annoying than when the signage on the London Cycle Network suddenly disappears. One of the great things about the London Cycle Map is that it would solve this problem. Parker’s map has provided a template for signing the capital’s cycle routes in a really intuitive and helpful way, using colours as markers just like on the Tube. With a little investment in new signs and road paint - and a few new sections of route, detailed in Simon's design - disappearing cycle routes could be a thing of the past.

    In a way, I should have called it the 'London Cycle Network Signage Campaign'. But that sounds far too dull – it’s hard enough to convince people of the wonderful potential of a ‘London Cycle Map’. No more disappearing cycle routes – now that's hard to disagree with!

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

  • Cycle Lifestyle issue 7 coming up – AD SPACE RUNNING OUT

    Submitted by benirvine on 30 April, 2012 - 12:54

    Dear Colleague,

    Cycle Lifestyle issue 7 looks set to be a cracker, featuring The Peddler, New Bike on the Block, The Best Cycling Streets in London, Give it a Go, and best-selling author Robert Penn writing about the London Cycle Map Campaign.

    If you want your business to share in our success then why not get in touch to discuss our very reasonable advertising rates (07545 471 633 / info@cyclelifestyle.co.uk).

    10,000 copies of Cycle Lifestyle - London’s unique, free cycling magazine - will be distributed all over the capital at the end of May.

    You can also expect over 10,000 online readers, as well as a free representation on our thriving website cyclelifestyle.co.uk until the end of October.

    We look forward to hearing from you.

    Ben Irvine, Cycle Lifestyle Editor

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #88: Businesses back it

    Submitted by benirvine on 30 April, 2012 - 11:07

    #88: BUSINESSES BACK IT. Businesses tend to know what works. When your livelihood depends on creating cost-effective products that satisfy customers’ needs, you develop a good eye for a good idea.

    That’s why the London Cycle Map is supported by so many businesses; they can see what a value-for-money addition it would be to the capital’s cycling infrastructure.

    Above all, businesses know the importance of transportation – no transportation, no trade. The London Cycle Map would revolutionise transport in the capital, enabling millions of new cyclists to get easily and cheaply from anywhere to anywhere in London. It makes business sense.

    Do you want your business to be a named as a supporter of the London Cycle Map Campaign? If so, please get in touch on info@cyclelifestyle.co.uk

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #89: Making Londoners healthier

    Submitted by benirvine on 29 April, 2012 - 18:33

    #89: MAKING LONDONERS HEALTHIER. Studies show that cycling protects against heart disease, stroke, obesity, dementia, diabetes, high blood pressure and some cancers, while supporting healthy bones, muscles, joints and even sleep patterns. All this goes to show that non-cyclists' concerns about safety are the least of their worries: it has been estimated that the health benefits of cycling outweigh any risks by a factor of 20 to 1.

    In helping to encourage new cyclists, a London Cycle Map would make the capital a much healthier place. Given that some London boroughs have been cited as potentially among the unhealthiest areas in Britain, more Londoners on bikes can only be a good thing. The London Cycle Map would pay for itself countless times over in money saved by the NHS.  

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #90: Completing the LCN

    Submitted by benirvine on 28 April, 2012 - 15:36

    #90: COMPLETING THE LCN. During the last thirty or so years, over a hundred million pounds have been spent creating the London Cycle Network (LCN) - a joined-up network of quieter, safer cycle routes spreading like tentacles throughout the whole capital. There are 1000s of kilometres of these routes, provisioned with special intrastructure improvements for cyclists, including cycle lanes, traffic-calming measures, and clever short-cuts.

    In theory, you could cycle from anywhere to anywhere in the capital on this vast network of routes - many of which are both fast and pleasurable to ride on. In practice, you can't - because the network is poorly mapped and inadequately signed.

    Simon Parker's London Cycle Map has solved the first (and by far the hardest) of these problems. But to make his map truly useful, we also need to solve the second, far simpler, problem - by providing signs and markings throughout the London Cycle Network, corresponding to Parker's design.

    Solving the second problem would complete the London Cycle Network. For a fraction of the money spent on it so far, we could make this vast system of safer cycle routes accessible to millions of people. Why turn our backs on thirty years of valuable work? In effect, we've built in London a wonderful means of transportation that could carry millions of commuters to work each day, with negligible costs to people or planet - but we forgot to create the starter key.

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #91: An option for experienced cyclists.

    Submitted by benirvine on 27 April, 2012 - 14:10

    #91: AN OPTION FOR EXPERIENCED CYCLISTS. Following on from the previous reason, the capital's experienced cyclists would surely find the London Cycle Map useful sometimes. On the whole, they may still prefer to belt down main roads, weaving in and out of the traffic, or to navigate using smart phone technology. But main roads aren’t always the best option (riding on backstreets can be just as quick and certainly more pleasant) and phones aren’t always available (they can be forgotten, lost, or out of battery).

    I find it hard to believe that, every once in a while, experienced cyclists wouldn’t be grateful to be able to make use of a network of easy-to-follow cycle routes connecting all areas of the capital.

    Needless to say, cyclists wouldn’t be obliged to use these routes, any more than Londoners are obliged to take the train or drive a car. The routes would be optional. Some cyclists worry that a London Cycle Map would ‘send out a message that cyclists are unwelcome on other roads’. But this worry makes no sense. If true, it would undermine the idea of building any cycling infrastructure on any roads – not a sensible consequence.

    And, anyway, the London Cycle Map would encourage so many new cyclists, all of whom would come off the network as and when they please, that there would soon be more cyclists on all of the capital’s streets. The message would be that cyclists can be found anywhere in London.

    As any businessperson knows, creating choice helps raise consumer interest. A London Cycle Map would be a useful choice for experienced as well as new cyclists.

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #92: Creating a cycle network for non-cyclists.

    Submitted by benirvine on 26 April, 2012 - 12:42

    #92. CREATING A CYCLE NETWORK FOR NON-CYCLISTS. Non-cyclists are a tough group to campaign on behalf of. They’re either not interested in cycling, or actively opposed to it. Whichever way, they don’t give you much help.

    But speaking up for non-cyclists is important. The more of them who can be persuaded to cycle, the safer life gets for the paltry number of Londoners who already do (about 2% of journeys in London are currently undertaken by bicycle, compared to around 55% in Copenhagen).

    Sadly, cycling campaigners tend to forget what it’s like to be a non-cyclist. They forget what it’s like to feel utterly terrified by the traffic, overwhelmed by London’s size, and reluctant to go against the grain of society. Any successful cycling campaign must address and dissipate all these worries.

    A London Cycle Map, I believe, would achieve this. A properly signed London Cycle Network, encompassing the capital’s most direct but quiet cycle routes, would provide all the reassurance non-cyclists need: protection against the heaviest traffic, ease of navigation, and safety in numbers.

    Ironically, the opinion of the most hard-core cyclists matters the least when it comes to promoting cycling in London. The more opinionated cyclists are, the more likely they are to campaign for conditions that suit them, but not necessarly novices. That’s why, when some cyclists say they 'don’t need a London Cycle Map’, it’s legitimate to reply, ‘fair enough, but the London Cycle Map is not for you’. It is, indeed, for everyone.

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #93: Creating a cycling reference point

    Submitted by benirvine on 25 April, 2012 - 10:47

    #93: CREATING A CYCLING REFERENCE POINT. One of the most common questions about the London Cycle Map is: ‘How will I know where the routes are?’. The answer is: in the same way that you’d find out where Tube stations are. In both cases, you’d consult another map – an A to Z, Google maps, etc. Simon Parker has created this map, showing which actual streets his London Cycle Map routes are on.

    Of course, once you were on the network, you wouldn’t need another map. Signs would show you the way, just as they do on the Tube. The signage would obviously be great for navigation, but it would also have another positive impact: creating a cycling reference point.

    Consider how people use Tube Stations as reference points. They say “meet me at the station”, or “the nearest Tube station to our offices is...”, or they give directions from the station – “come out of the station, take the first right and then carry on till you reach the swimming pool on the right”.

    The same would soon happen with junctions on the London Cycle Network. People would say “meet me at junction R1G4”, or “the nearest junction to our offices is...”, or they’d give directions from a particular junction – “turn right at R1G4, take the first left then carry on until you reach the bank”. They might also give directions which refer to a point between two junctions – “once you pass C1R5, take the second left then the first right – the park is straight ahead”.

    Tube Stations today are famous landmarks, and the junctions of a London Cycle Map would soon become just as recognisable. They could even be christened with names reflecting the area they’re in. Perhaps houses and businesses near the London Cycle Network would become more desirable.

    In putting some of London’s cycle routes on a single London Cycle Map, we could really put cycling on the map.

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #94: The map won Ordnance Survey's GeoVation Challenge

    Submitted by benirvine on 24 April, 2012 - 14:07

    #94. THE MAP WON ORDNANCE SURVEY'S GEOVATION CHALLENGE. The London Cycle Map Campaign was one of six winners of the GeoVation Challenge 2011, run by Ordnance Survey. The theme of the competition was ‘How can we improve transport in Britain?’. Over 150 individuals or teams entered from all over the country.

    Ordnance Survey have been around since the 1700s and are the national mapping organisation for Britain, as well as one of the world’s largest producers of maps. In other words, when it comes to maps, Ordnance Survey really know their stuff! There could hardly be a more prestigious backer for Simon Parker’s London Cycle Map. Indeed, the Chair of the competition judging panel, Roland Harwood, wrote that the map was "one of the judges' favourite innovations".

    The experts love the idea of a London Cycle Map – all that’s left is for the authorities to implement it. Please support our campaign and together we can make it happen.

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #95: It's humane.

    Submitted by benirvine on 23 April, 2012 - 15:10

    #95. IT’S HUMANE. Not all things were better in the good old days. In Britain we’ve managed to cast off slavery, the death penalty and corporal punishment, and we’ve come a long way when it comes to defeating racism, sexism and homophobia. Crime is lower than ever, on the whole we’re living longer, and each generation keeps getting cleverer.

    But we still haven’t worked out a humane way to transport 10 million Londoners to and from work every day. For the majority, there are two realistic options. Drive – or, more accurately, shunt forwards occasionally between long periods of stasis in a queue of traffic. Or take the Tube, rammed into an enclosed space with hundreds of other poor souls hoping the train won’t stop in the tunnel.

    Rail and road commuters in London face more stress than a fighter pilot or a riot policeman going into action, according to a BBC report. One day I think Britons will look back with surprise and shame that their world-leading capital city was so stressful to travel in well into the twenty-first century.

    But I also think they will be proud of the solution they found. One day millions of commuters will get to work with the help of a London Cycle Map and a vast network of safe, simple, signed cycle routes, making navigation as easy as it is when using the Tube or the major traffic arteries, but peace of mind even easier to come by.

    Cruising happily through London’s beautiful streets, morning and night, will become the norm for many commuters. And not only will cyclists’ stress levels plummet, the Tube will get more pleasant and traffic congestion will be eased. London will become a city people love to travel and live in.

    www.petition.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

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