• Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #80: Cleaner air on the backstreets.

    Submitted by benirvine on 8 May, 2012 - 15:48

    #80: CLEANER AIR ON THE BACKSTREETS. Even if all the main roads in London were flanked by segregated cycle lanes (which is never going to happen), there would still be plenty of reasons for cyclists to prefer the quieter routes represented on the London Cycle Map.

    For one, you can’t separate cyclists from the thick black fumes spewing out of the buses and lorries that chug along London’s major highways: the only way to avoid the worst pollution is to choose less busy streets.

    On the tree-lined suburban roads of the London Cycle Network the air quality is noticeably better, which maximises the health benefits of city cycling. By making these routes easier to find and follow, the London Cycle Map would make cleaner air easier to come by.

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

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #81: Silence.

    Submitted by benirvine on 7 May, 2012 - 14:55

    #81: SILENCE. I’m writing this from the Yorkshire Dales, where the thing that strikes me most is the wonderful silence. Silence is more than just the absence of sound – it’s a whole experience in itself, one that’s strangely more intense than noise is.

    Silence in cities is almost impossible to find. But a London Cycle Map could change that. With proper signage and road markings all along the routes of the London Cycle Network, the biggest impression would be not the thousands of cyclists gliding past but the silence trailing in their wake.

    Soon, like gentle ripples, that silence would spread through the capital as more and more Londoners, on more and more streets, swap their noisy cars for bikes.

    And in those advancing spaces, where silence dwells, who knows what inspiration Londoners will find.

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

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #82: More useful than a SatNav.

    Submitted by benirvine on 6 May, 2012 - 08:23

    #82: MORE USEFUL THAN A SATNAV. Many cyclists have a SatNav (often by way of a smart phone app) which helps them navigate by aurally and visually directing them through the city as they ride. This can obviously be very useful (as long as you can afford the cost of the device and an internet connection, your device is charged, and it’s not raining). Yet this method of navigation has serious shortcomings that a London Cycle Map doesn’t.

    The easiest way to appreciate the importance of proper signage on cycle routes is to consider what it would be like catching the Tube with a SatNav, rather than a Tube map and appropriate signage. In tunnels which all look alike, you'd be scurrying round corners and up escalators whenever your SatNav told you to. You couldn’t ask a fellow Londoner if you missed your turning, got confused, or got misdirected into the proverbial field of cows; everyone else would know only what their instructions were telling them. And you’d have to be constantly vigilant – just in case there were further instructions. You’d be so disoriented you’d probably end up designing a Tube map.

    Of course, you’d still need to be vigilant on a Tube-style network of cycle routes, looking out for signs (and road markings) showing you where to go. But the vigilance would be so much more natural. You’d already be looking at the road ahead, so it wouldn’t be difficult to glance at the signs as you went: no more so than it is on a motorway, or finding the right screen in a cinema.

    Granted, we already have signs on every corner showing the name of each street in London. In effect, the London Cycle map allocates ‘names’ (specifically, colours and codes) to groups of roads, making it far easier to follow cycle routes. Just as it would be silly to tear down all those road name signs, it is silly that we currently have a cycle network which is largely without route signage.

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

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #83: It's beautiful.

    Submitted by benirvine on 6 May, 2012 - 00:30

    #83. IT'S BEAUTIFUL. Your eyes would be drawn to Simon Parker’s London Cycle Map even if you didn't know that it shows an ingenious way to organise London’s bewildering spaghetti of cycle routes. The tantalising combinations of colours; the intriguing sets of parallel lines dissecting the space so comprehensively; the balancing of order and chaos amid the myriad angles. The overall impression is beguiling, delicate, and rigorous – all the hallmarks of beauty are there. How lovely it would be to consult such a design every time you make a cycle journey in London!

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

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #84: Increasing social capital

    Submitted by benirvine on 4 May, 2012 - 14:16

    #84: INCREASING SOCIAL CAPITAL. ‘Social capital’ is a shorthand phrase for all the friendly, kindly and useful social engagements which occur within a group of people. When we get involved in local activities such as sports clubs, choirs, community projects or political meetings – or when we just visit friends to say hello – we are raising the levels of social capital in our area.

    Economists think of social capital as a resource, equivalent to possessions or money (we can have a little or a lot of social capital in our lives). But that’s not the whole story. Social capital isn’t only valuable to us because it makes our lives more efficient or profitable; it also reduces crime and mental illness, and makes communities healthier and more egalitarian. Above all, social capital gives us a feeling of belonging and makes us happy.

    Currently, travelling across London is an activity that’s low in social capital. In cars, drivers are separated from each other and the rest of the community by windscreens; in trains, people are jammed together awkwardly like stowaways in the back of a truck; on buses, the rocking of the deck and the noise of the engine shuts out friendly interactions.

    On bikes, social capital is easier to come by. Cyclists smile at each other and wave to pedestrians, or chat at the lights. Bikes hardly ever cause harm to other road users, and since cyclists are steeped in the necessity of sharing road space, they tend to develop a more humble and tolerant mindset. Local areas with lots of cyclists are nicer places to live in and visit.

    In helping to inspire millions more Londoners to cycle, a London Cycle Map would turn travelling through the capital into an experience that’s rich in social capital. With a properly signed and mapped London Cycle Network, we could all enjoy a friendlier, more community-spirited city.

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

  • 'London's True Colours' - on facebook

    Submitted by benirvine on 3 May, 2012 - 13:41

    A reminder that 'London's True Colours', the film for the London Cycle Map Campaign, is now available for viewing on facebook. If you want to help the campaign and you like the film, please do share it with your friends. Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10100175056557420

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #85: Making cycling more inclusive

    Submitted by benirvine on 3 May, 2012 - 10:18

    #85: MAKING CYCLING MORE INCLUSIVE. It is lamentable that, on the whole, cycling in London is currently practised and championed by what Andrew Gilligan in his excellent new article has called ‘a disproportionately wealthy and privileged minority’.

    This lack of inclusivity is especially troublesome given that the people who could benefit most from cycling seem to be the least predisposed to it. If only they would cycle, London’s less affluent residents could save hundreds of pounds a month on transport costs, including rail fares and driving expenses.

    Typically, cycling campaigners display a peculiarly ambivalent attitude to this demographic. On the one hand, the cycle lobby tends to be left-leaning – Boris is the baddy, Ken the Goody, Jenny the Saint. According to this mindset, social justice is the great ideal, and cars and capitalism are the enemies.

    Yet, on the other hand, this attitude makes enemies of the regular people cycling campaigners are supposed to be ‘sticking up for’; there is an undeniable whiff of contempt for non-cyclists emanating from the capital’s cycle lobby.

    So how do we stick up for non-cyclists without sticking it up ‘em? We must acknowledge, and therefore legitimate, their twin concerns: navigation and safety. We must recognise, as a matter of fact not opprobrium, that very few Londoners have the cognitive ability to plot a cycle route through the capital’s fiercely intimidating streets. And then, if we really care, we should address this fact directly - we should try to help out!

    A London Cycle Map, with it’s easy to follow colour-coded routes, would make life so much easier for the Londoners who need cycling the most. A properly signed London Cycle Network would amount to a genuinely free and accessible public transport system in the capital. Now that’s an ideal worth campaigning for.

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

  • Einstein and the Art of Mindful Cycling: available for pre-order

    Submitted by benirvine on 2 May, 2012 - 18:26

    An exciting bit of news: my book Einstein and the Art of Mindful Cycling is now available for pre-order. It’s being published in a few months by Ivy Press.

    The book is about how inspiring cycling can be. Through stories, fascinating facts and a little bit of philosophy, I show how cyclists develop an enlightened outlook similar to Albert Einstein’s – practical, creative, communal and global all at once.

    I hope that fans of Cycle Lifestyle will enjoy reading Einstein and the Art of Mindful Cycling as much as I enjoyed writing it.

    Best wishes,

    Ben Irvine

  • Einstein and the Art of Mindful Cycling: available for pre-order

    Submitted by benirvine on 2 May, 2012 - 18:26

    An exciting bit of news: my book Einstein and the Art of Mindful Cycling is now available for pre-order. It’s being published in a few months by Ivy Press.

    The book is about how inspiring cycling can be. Through stories, fascinating facts and a little bit of philosophy, I show how cyclists develop an enlightened outlook similar to Albert Einstein’s – practical, creative, communal and global all at once.

    I hope that fans of Cycle Lifestyle will enjoy reading Einstein and the Art of Mindful Cycling as much as I enjoyed writing it.

    Best wishes,

    Ben Irvine

  • Olympic countdown - Reasons for a London Cycle Map, #86: Much of the work has been done.

    Submitted by benirvine on 2 May, 2012 - 15:29

    #86. MUCH OF THE WORK HAS BEEN DONE. One of the comments on the London Cycle Map Campaign petition asks why cycling policy innovation has been entrusted to enthusiasts rather than to the government. Good question. But there is a positive side to the London Cycle Map’s grassroots origins: much of the research and development work for the idea has been accomplished already.

    By this I mean the work of imagining, conceiving, explaining and adapting the design. Simon Parker started out over a decade ago, seeking to find a logical and aesthetically appealing way to represent London’s tangle of cycle routes. After years of poring over maps under lamplight, he came up with a breathtakingly elegant method; the compass colour system, which forms the basis of his London Cycle Map.

    A few years ago, Cycle Lifestyle began spelling out some of the implications of Simon’s proposal, and now this website is a repository of argument and analysis relating to his map. Detailed information can be consulted in our campaign guide, and throughout our back issues.

    More recently still, Simon created a new website, using the funding from our GeoVation victory. On bikemapper.org.uk, you can find a map detailing the exact streets Simon’s routes are on. Campaigners can upload photos to help create a comprehensive database of the cycling infrastructure currently in place along those routes.

    All this is the sort of committed work that policy officers might take years to complete at a government level. Let’s hope that the authorities soon recognise it as the goldmine it is.

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

Pages

more

User login

To prevent automated spam submissions leave this field empty.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.