Classic New Bike on the Block, from Cycle Lifestyle issue 4, when the Cycle Lifestyle team visited the Yorkshire Dales. Gareth Jenkins tells the tale...

Today’s ride feels a bit different to my usual commute. The visibility isn’t the best as it’s a little misty, the air a little fresher and a little more crisp. The cars are fewer and I haven’t heard a single horn so far. And my quiet cycle ride has been interrupted by an erratic white silhouette on the road ahead. It’s weaving across the road dangerously, obviously in a hurry. It stops without signaling and then speeds off making a strange noise. It doesn’t phase me. I don’t even tut. The truth is you get used to the sheep being on the roads in the Yorkshire Dales.

Yep, The White Van Driver is a million miles away from where I am right now.

I am on a bike in Swaledale, probably the most remote area of the UK I’ve ever been to. I’ve stopped at the top of a hill and the warm morning sun is slowly burning off the low lying cloud. I’m surrounded by (real life) rabbits, cows, sheep and stone walls – and if you’ll excuse me I just need to stop for a minute to admire the sun rising over the opposite hill and illuminating the valley below in pastille oranges, glowing reds and deep warm greens…

Sorry, lets get back to it. That was close, I could feel a poem coming on then.

A few weeks earlier someone had whispered in my ear that cycling isn’t necessarily just a cheap, healthy way to get from A to B. Apparently there are all sorts of people who are taking to their bikes and doing it for ….fun? To test this theory out, four of us decided to get away from London for a long weekend “oop north”.

We chose the Dales because it has a wonderful reputation for cycling, due to its winding, sloping roads that scribble their way around some of the most ancient, untouched, beautiful British scenery. As I sit on top of the world and my breath frosts in the air, I can see the hype is all true.

The hills of the Dales aren’t the leg-breaking inclines I was expecting. They’re a challenge, sure, but the female contingent of our group – who were more or less cycling novices – coped fine with the undulating roads. And the scenery is lovely enough to use as a constant excuse to stop for a picture if you need a break. One day without my camera I had to change tack and say I needed to stop to “contemplate nature’s wonder”. All this means that the summits are well-earned and the roll down the other side fixes a childish smile on your face for at least twenty minutes afterwards.

We got our bikes from The Dales Bike Centre, a family business run by Stuart and Brenda Price. Originally from South Sheilds, Stuart came here for a week’s mountain biking and never left. I can see why. He and his wife run workshops, rent bikes, sell equipment and manage a lovely little tea shop onsite where you can get some delicious cakes to replace the calories you have burned off during the morning’s ride.

On picking up our hybrid bikes we got a great explanation on how they worked and what the basics were. Everyone was extremely friendly and they clearly care about all their customers, from complete beginners to experienced campaigners.

I am someone who on average makes and receives about 3 calls a week on my mobile phone, so the fact that  this part of the Dales struggles to get a decent signal never really crossed my mind. But it had occurred to Cycle Lifestyle’s ever-vigilant editor, Ben. “What should we do if we need assistance, for whatever reason?” he asked. His blackberry was poised to take down the proposed safety protocol – perhaps we’d need to call the “national emergency Cycle Call centre” or wait 15 minutes for the “Dales Cyclist Pick Up vehicle” timetabled patrols? The answer we got was “knock on someone’s door”. I don’t think four people could have possibly have felt more like city folk if they’d turned up to the bike centre in suits, carrying briefcases.

That, I felt, was perhaps the most poignant moment of the holiday. What are we, if, when we are in trouble, the least conceivable answer is to simply ask another human being? It’s this simple, unfussy, friendly philosophy that we experienced throughout our stay. For this reason, I urge you to do as we did. Cycle around the Dales, see Britain, dodge the sheep, pop into a pub for lunch, visit the tea shops, pick your eggs up from the farmers’ honesty boxes, chat with your neighbour about the coal for your open fire and let the stress melt away with every rotation of the pedals.

Following all the recent media scaremongering about cycling in London, and all the anger flying back and forth between drivers and cyclists, it's good to have a reminder that, on the whole, cycling is pleasant!

Sam Motherwell, the artist who created the cover for Cycle Lifestyle issue 6 and whose star is rapidly rising, has sent me these lovely soundtracked animations based on collages of his drawings and paintings. 

Much of Sam's work depicts Cambridge, often with a cyclist in view (as the case tends to be with Cambridge, Britain's most popular city for cycling).

I'm no art critic, but there's something about these animations, and Sam's work in general, which gives me a feeling of calm inspiration, one that I wish I could have all the time. I suppose the gentler, friendlier but still bustling side of life that Sam's work portrays, or perhaps I should say embodies, is simply more uplifting than the usual bombastic egocentricity that passes for entertainment in the modern world.

You can find out more about Sam's work here.

And you can find out how pleasant cycling is by planning a quiet route and getting out there on a bike.

Following the recent spate of cycle deaths in the capital, some cycle campaigners have seized upon the tragedies by reiterating calls for the authorities in London to install segregated cycle lanes on all major motor transport arteries throughout the city. The Dutch city of Amsterdam is heralded as the inspiration behind this plan.

But the cycling infrastructure in Amsterdam is nothing like the measures being proposed in London!

There are plenty of main roads in Amsterdam that don’t have cycle lanes .

There are plenty of tram lines in Amsterdam that don’t have cycle lanes alongside them. Trams are, in effect, trains that run on roads. Cyclists must, naturally, be careful around the trams.

In Amsterdam the cycle routes have loads of signage. This makes it much easier for cyclists to follow those routes. Campaigners in London have completely ignored the need for better signage.

In Amsterdam, the authorities have built a cycle network. They have ensured that all the cycle routes in the city connect up properly, whether on main roads or not. The network gives cyclists confidence that the cycle lane they are using will not suddenly disappear. Most campaigners in London have completely ignored the need for a network of cycle routes.

There is a single cycle map in Amsterdam. Called Amsterdam op de fiets (‘Amsterdam on the bike’) the map is available at the Amsterdam Tourist Office. It shows suggested bike routes, areas closed to cyclists, bike repair shops, tram lines and even museums and popular attractions. It covers all of Amsterdam, from the northern islands to the southern suburbs. Campaigners in London have completely ignored the need for a single ‘London Cycle Map’. At the moment there are twelve separate cycle maps for the capital, supplied by TfL.

There are around 400 kilometres of cycle lanes in Amsterdam. This may sound high, but London already has over 2000 kilometres of cycle lanes. London is about 7 times bigger in size than Amsterdam, so proportionately we’re not that far behind in terms of cycle lanes. Our capital also has a huge amount of green space, and most of this space is great for cycling. So more cycle lanes, while always nice, is not necessarily what London needs.

So what do we need? We need cycle campaigners in London to abandon their ideological (anti-capitalist) obsession with embedding cycling infrastructure onto main roads. Some roads are not suitable for cycling infrastructure, or indeed for cycling full stop. The Dutch know this – their cycle policies have been based on pragmatism.

We need to learn the REAL lessons from the Dutch. We need to create a network of signed cycle routes and a single London Cycle Map showing how these routes connect together. We’ve already got the raw material. A serviceable London Cycle Network, including parks and quiet but direct streets, has been created over the last thirty years or so. The main things the network lacks are signs and a decent map.

We need to stop wasting our time and shooting ourselves in the foot with sensationalist bad ideas based on half-truths at best.

Sadly the problem goes deeper, because the mainstream media in Britain doesn’t generally report sensible ideas. Sensationalism sells more papers and attracts more listeners and more clicks.

Unless YOU help us promote the London Cycle Map Campaign, cycling in London will remain in the hands of a minority with an agenda that claims to represent but actually lets down the majority. Just like the communists whose ideology these cycle campaigners, let's face it, probably share deep down, they promise much, deliver little, and benefit a lot. LCC membership anyone? It’s only £36.

http://www.cyclelifestyle.co.uk/london-cycle-map-campaign

http://www.cyclelifestyle.co.uk/100-reasons

http://www.cyclelifestyle.co.uk/LCMC-film

In yesterday's blog I mentioned that Rebecca Watts, Cycle Lifestyle's assistant editor, managed to get through on the phone to the BBC London radio breakfast show (you can hear her speak here, at 02:51.50, and if you run it to 02:54.00 you can hear the presenter, Penny Smith, say she agrees with what Rebecca said).

Rebecca spoke about how the experience of cycling on backstreet routes in London is similar to cycling in Cambridge, where there are proportionately more cycle journeys each day than in any other place in Britain, and where cycling is generally recognised as a casual, pleasant and fun daily activity for commuters, students, kids and pensioners alike.  

Rebecca's point is such an important one, I want to elaborate on it. We need to draw all the lessons we can from cycling success stories like Cambridge. Given that people evidently love cycling on Cambridge's roads, and given that there are roads in London that are just like Cambridge's, then it makes sense - does it not? - to help and encourage Londoners to cycle on these Cambridge-like roads.

These roads, just like Cambridge's, have fewer buses, trucks and coaches, the large vehicles that pose the biggest threats to cyclists. And these roads, just like Cambridge's, mostly have single lanes rather than dual carriageways. This makes it easier to turn off, and makes cycling a generally less stressful experience.

At this point, I can hear dismal, capital-C, hard-core London Cyclists (and Boris Johnson) saying "I don't want to cycle on meandering backstreet routes; I want segregated cycle lanes on the main roads in London because those routes are faster; why should I be shunted onto quieter streets?".

Here's why.

Because it is about as realistic to demand segregated cycling facilities on all of London's main roads as it is to demand cycle lanes on all of Britain's motorways.

Because, anyway, the backstreets are just as fast as the main roads in London. Fewer traffic lights, traffic jams, and lemming pedestrians make it quick and easy to glide along. 

Because putting segregated cycle lanes on main roads would slow those roads down even more for cyclists. The cycle lanes would make it difficult for cyclists to overtake, thus slowing the fastest speed-demon down to the speed of the slowest granny.

Because residents of Cambridge aren't agitating for the council to build massive roads with cycle lanes alongside. The residents know that the size of the roads in Cambridge makes these roads perfect for cycling on already. 

Because the backstreets in London can be much more direct than the main roads. You can cut through, cut corners, go across parks, use footbridges, slip through alleyways, and so on.

Because many of the backstreets in London have already been provisioned, over the last 30 years or so, with cycle lanes and other cycling infrastructure improvements; this 'London Cycle Network' comprises 2000+ kilometres of quieter, safer routes.

The problem is, it is hard for people to know where the London Cycle Network's routes are, or where they go. They are appallingly signed, and there is no single map showing how the entire network hangs together. In general, Londoners are unfamiliar with the backstreets, because backstreets are hidden away; so people find it too hard to navigate on these safer, quieter streets, and don't cycle. This is in contrast to Cambridge where there are no massive roads hiding the good cycling roads from view. Cambridge is more or less entirely made up of good cycling roads, roads which are comparable in size to the backstreets of London.

Cycle Lifestyle's London Cycle Map Campaign is calling for a Tube-style map and corresponding signage for the London Cycle Network, to enable cyclists to get from anywhere to anywhere in the capital, safely and simply, by following trails of road signs and road markings on quieter streets. Simon Parker's wonderful London Cycle Map shows how the network could be organised as a series of long, straight parallel coloured routes, creating a direct connection between more or less any two areas in the capital.

A London Cycle Map would create a web of London streets that are just like Cambridge's. It would be like creating a Cambridge  - albeit a bigger one, 2000+ kilometre's worth of Cambridge - within a metropolis. 

If the authorities are serious about making cycling in London mainstream, they need to help regular people to access streets in the capital which, just like Cambridge's, are perfect for cycling on.