This great little video has just been posted on YouTube by Leigh Andrews. It explores how young women in London take on crap infrastructure and the need to share road space with motorised traffic by building their self-confidence and taking road space.
Category Archives: politics
Vancouver: Preparing a Cycling City
A Cycling Campaign Talk with Bonnie Fenton, former Chair of the City of Vancouver’s Bicycle Advisory Committee
When: Friday, 2nd July 2010, 7 pm
Where: Darlington Media Workshop (Arts Centre)
How does Darlington compare with other towns and cities around the world that are starting out, from a low base, to make cycling a popular everyday means of transport? Vancouver, in British Columbia, Canada, is a city with a similar transport history to ours. But a new regime is trying to change things. On entering office at the end of 2008, Vancouver’s centre-left local government pledged to make Vancouver the greenest city in the world by 2020 and cycling is part of that plan. Vancouver currently has a cycling mode share of about 4% and has set a goal of 10% by 2020.
Cycling advocacy was a rather slow slog for many years in Vancouver but the seeds that have been sown seem finally to be bearing fruit. Bonnie will take a look at the development of cycling in Vancouver (and the Vancouver Area Cycling Coalition) over the past 10-15 years. She will touch on issues like:
* getting started: making friends at city (town) hall
* knowing what you want: with car traffic or separated facilities?
* reaching the non-converted: education and promotion
* the money question: can we afford (not) to do it?
* “the next Paris”: public bike sharing
* signs of progress: peer pressure forces and two Vancouver city councillors to take a cycling skills course
Many of these issues are central to Darlington as well, and reflect much of the work of the Cycling Campaign here:
* consulting with the council over infrastructure
* cycling in the Pedestrian Heart
* arguing for good cycling infrastructure on main and busy roads
* the film and book “Beauty and the Bike“ (which has already been screened in Vancouver!)
* our Bike Hire scheme Darlovelo (10 bikes, rising to 30 bikes soon)
Come along and meet Bonnie next Friday evening, July 2nd, at 7pm, and enjoy a rare chance to meet a cycling advocate from across the ocean.
Beauty and the Bike-What Happened Next?
The excitement of the film premiere is over. Back we go to “normal” life in Darlington. We’ve managed to keep the beautiful dutch bikes – in fact we’re going to buy 40 more this year and expand the bike hire scheme. But how many girls will keep on cycling? We know that cycling is still “uncool” for many UK teenagers – perhaps because it feels so unsafe on our meagre infrastructure? Here, one of the girls from Beauty and the Bike, Lauren Pyrah, comes behind the camera to ask what is happening to the Darlington girls now. Kate, one of the original group, is joined by Francesca to shout the praises of everyday cycling. But Ashley has stopped. Why? And will politicians listen?
Karl McCracken Guest Speaker
Leading cycling campaigner, Karl McCracken is the guest speaker at Darlington Cycling Campaign’s forthcoming open lecture event.
The second event of the new DCC season is on Friday 19th March when we welcome Karl McKraken. He has titled his illustrated talk “What’s needed to make riding a bike part of the transport rather than the sports & leisure agenda”
This will certainly chime with any cyclist who views their bicycle as a legitimate means of everyday transport and yet wonders to themselves…’Surely, things could be better than this?’?
Karl’s talk will be very much an open forum, with everyone encouraged to ask questions and voice opinions. For more information on the McCracken view of everyday cycling, please visit his website at www.mccracken.me.uk
The talk is being held at Darlington Arts Centre on Friday 19th March, starting from 7.30pm in the Media Workshop, Entry is free and open to all.
Carlton Reid Talk in Darlington
Carlton Reid, that’s Mr. Cycling to you and I, is the Darlington Cycling Campaign’s first guest speaker of the 2010 season. Carlton possess an unrivalled knowledge of all things cycling and certainly has a thorough understanding of the issues and concerns as well as solutions for the likes of you and I, that is, the every day cyclist, be that for leisure and pleasure or simply getting from one place to another.
The evening promises to be insightful, amusing and fun. Entry is free, alas the beer is not…you could of course bring your own!
Check out Carlton on the following websites…enjoy.
www.bikebiz.com
www.bikeforall.net
http://quickrelease.tv/
Where Darlington Media Workshop (The Arts Centre)
When Friday, 15 January 2010
Time 7pm for a 7.30pm start.
Looking forward to seeing you!