Monthly Archives: January 2005

Speaking of riding to work, I saw the Surly Crosscheck from the Fixed Gear Gallery riding Duke Street this morning, as I walked up it on my way to work. My plan is to ride to work after the February half term holiday (I get the bus at the moment, so I’m not to blame for the queues of traffic in Darlington). I’d start straight away, but the bus is dry and warm, gets me in on time, and I can read a book on the way in and out of work. My main reason for starting to ride is to make my journey into work a fixed length of time; at the moment, if I leave home 5 minutes late, I’m 20 minutes later getting to work. The bike should get me to work in the same time regardless of when I set off. (Plus, once the nights get a bit lighter, I get to go the long way home…)

Some cycling campaign websites:

• London Cycling Campaign
• Cambridge Cycling Campaign
• Lothian Cycle Campaign
• Bristol Cycling Campaign

And the Cycle Campaign Network.

What would a Darlington Cycling Campaign website need to include?

Words from that radical philosopher, Ivan Illich: “[A person…] on a bicycle can go three or four times faster than the pedestrian, but uses five times less energy in the process. Equipped with this tool, [a person…] outstrips the efficiency of not only all machines but all other animals as well.”

Pretty impressive.

The Chair of the Darlington Cycling Campaign, Richard Grassick, has posted his thoughts about the meeting as a comment in the previous post. I’m pushed for time at the moment, but will add my thoughts when I get chance. Here are Richard’s comments, reposted:

Well, the meeting came off with about 12 to 15 people turning up, plus a few more who emailed in support but couldn’t make it. I thought a good turnout for a first gathering, and most people seemed positive about the idea of a united voice for cyclists in Darlington.

I still think it’s sad that so many cyclists don’t want to challenge the current thinking that cars should always get priority when it comes to traffic management. As many at the meeting said, if you want to get from A to B in Darlington using the cycle network, it’s like negotiating a series of jokes – from “Cyclists Dismount” signs to idiotic diversions for cyclists at roundabouts (the Woodlands Road roundabout at Cockerton taking the top prize for Total Lack of Cycling Perspective).

Yeh, it’s not “cool” to ride a bike to 6th Form, sure there are a lot of people in Darlington who would rather buy a Porsche and live in debt for the rest of their lives than be seen dead on a bike, and yes, we need to change hearts and minds on this one. But I’m sorry, somewhere in there we need to offer other priorities in life. Maybe “carism” should be challenged like racism or sexism.

Anyway, next meeting at 7pm, Tuesday March 1st, Red Lion, Priestgate, Darlington. All Welcome. And before then, if you can make it, the council’s Cycle Forum meets at the Dolphin Centre on Tuesday 25th January. I think the meeting starts at 6pm.

You might also want to read this reflection on cycling to work in winter.

(Richard, or anyone else in the group, if you’d like an account to post new posts on the site, just drop me an email at the address I gave out at the meeting.)

Darlington Cycling Campaign is holding a public meeting at the Red Lion pub on Tuesday [tonight] at 7pm. Anyone interested in helping to improve the rights of cyclists in Darlington is welcome.