“Share and share alike….”

That’s a weird phrase isn’t it “Share and share alike”? Did you know that the phrase was first known as “share and share like”, from Richard Edwards’ comedy “Damon and Pithias”, 1566?

Me neither. And, come to think of it, I’ve never heard of Richard Edwards.

I remember when I was young, I didn’t share anything. Not my sweets, my toys, nothing. But these days, I’m all about sharing. So when I came across these two fantastic websites, my urge to share with you good people overwhelmed me like stink on a pig.

As some of you may know, I’m a big advocate for bike sharing and a few of my blog posts have been calling for this for Birmingham for a while now. And since the powers that be (looking at you here Sir Albert) seem to be dragging their  feet on the matter, I have been searching – nay trawling – this here internet for any nuggets of ammunition that could help my quest to see bike sharing come to Brum.

Well praise be and Hallelujah my bike riding flock – I have found a website that gives the reader all the information they could EVER need about bike sharing. Let me tell you a little about it. It’s called the Bike Share Map. It’s been developed by a guy called Oliver O’Brien at The Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA) at University College London. The site gives the viewer a look at bike sharing on a GLOBAL scale. The information is collated to show just how many people are using bike sharing worldwide at any one time. For example, you can click on one of the circles in New York City and you can see how many people hired a bike from the stand in the last 24 hours or even find out how many bikes there are at the stand right now.

Now before I go on, let me just say that some of you may find this a little “nerdy” and may be asking “what has this got to do with Birmingham?”. Well, let me answer by saying yes, it may be a little bit nerdy but it has a lot to do with Birmingham. The idea of the map gives you a sense of just how popular bike sharing is and it is that kind of information that is GOLD in the hands of those who will decide whether Birmingham gets a bike sharing scheme or not.

Ok. Rant over.

So for my next bit of “sharing is caring”, let me introduce you to Cyclodeo. This website is a little like YouTube meets Google Maps. Well, in fact, that’s exactly what it is. But for cyclists! Cyclodeo  allows you to cycle around the world from the comfort of your own home. And before you say “why would I want to do that?”, let me say that some of us don’t have bottomless pits of money we can go travelling with to cycle around these places which is why this website is not only fun but informative too. And if you do make it to some of the places on the maps, at least you can say you are familiar with the traffic!

You know, I feel better for sharing this with you. Maybe I should start sharing a bit more. Coffee anyone?

 

What is thy bidding, my master?

Well, it comes in the form of this rather smart looking PDF.

If you are as anxious as I am for Birmingham to get a hold of the Government money we are bidding for, and if you haven’t already done so, take a look at the proposal that Birmingham City Council has put forward to revolutionise our cycling infrastructure.

It’s impressive and details their plans for what will be a radical overhaul of cycle routes into and out of the city.

I must admit, on first inspection, I was a little baffled by the maps, but taking a closer look, you can see where the improvements are planned.

There is also a video in which several people such as Councillor James McKay, Chief Executive of Birmingham City Council Stephen Hughes and Yvonne Gilligan, regional director of Sustrans, explain what this bid could mean for cycling in Birmingham.

As I have said on several occasions, it is vital that Birmingham concentrate all efforts to secure this money from government and plough it into making this city as cycle-friendly as possible.

We are more than a motor city – “Britain’s Detroit” if you like; so with the right investment and the right people at the helm, this could indeed be the start of the cycling revolution….

So click the link, read the report, watch the video…..tell me what you think…

Underground, Overground, cycling free….

Afternoon my cycling chums. A great day for cycling – unless you’re me and nursing some very sore hamstrings from a combination of cycling and some heavy duty gardening (man, I’m so unfit !).

So anyway, just having a quick browse around the interweb and I came across this – it’s a tube style map of Birmingham’s cycle routes.

It’s brilliant !!

If you’ve a fan of hassle free cycling, and let’s face it, who isn’t then this is a really cool way to check out the available routes to take.

The website allows you to download a copy for yourself so you can do all your planning offline if you wish or print a copy out and mark out your routes.

Another example of a brilliant way to get you on your bike.

Missing. Can you help?

 

This is an appeal to find some missing cyclists.

The picture above is from Kings Heath Village Square. I took it this afternoon. What’s so special about it? THERE ARE NO BIKES THERE!!!

The weather has been brilliant this afternoon – yes, that bright thing in the sky WAS the sun, you didn’t imagine it. So where are the bikes?

Some of you may argue that you were cycling along so had no need to tie your bikes up and if you were, then I salute you my cycling chums!

But for the rest of you that may have taken your cars instead of your bikes or caught the bus instead of peddling…shame on you !!

Now, I hope I have suitably shamed you enough that when that big yellow thing in the sky appears again and it feels adequate enough to take your coats off, you will think twice about getting your gas guzzler out of the garage or waiting at a bus stop for that bus you know will probably be full of “youths” up to no good, the smell will no doubt be atrocious and the floor covered in old copies of the Metro.

GET ON YOUR BIKES !!

Right….rant over.

Someone pass me a Werther’s Original….

Gawdon Bennet! Get yerself daahhhn ter the bloomin’ east end, me old china!!

Anything planned for this weekend?

No?

Why don’t you get yourself down to East London and check out Spin London, the world’s first urban-focused bicycle show. It’s showcasing the latest in pedal-friendly clothing and accessories. Also on hand is a frame lab so you watch bikes being built and they also have a cinema that’s powered by pedal power!

Click the link to see who’s exhibiting at the show. I have and there are some really cool things – expensive but cool ! Tickets are only £7.00 – that’s about the same as 2 lattes at Starbucks! Or 7 useless items from Poundland….

As for me? Well, I’d love to go but unfortunately, that grass ain’t going to cut itself….. 😦

Daredevil cycling..

Thanks to Kyle from B14 News for bringing this to my attention.

In the pictures above is a classic example of what cyclists are up against. It is the latest in Birmingham City Council’s “attempt” to make cycling safer on the Queensbridge Rd/Reddings Rd/Russell Rd/Moor Green Lane roundabout.

Safer?

I’d be safer if I was dangling 100 feet in the air held by a dodgy rope above some rusty spikes!

Whilst I sort of admire the council’s attempt, looking at the layout of these “safety lanes”, it not only makes it dangerous for the cyclist but also baffles the motorist!

In the second picture, look how the car has to swerve INTO the cycle lane to get around the island. Now imagine you are on your bike when that happens. Where would you end up? On the bonnet of the car? Flat on your back on the street? In A&E at the Q.E Hospital?

Probably all three.

So really, for me, the only winners here are the doctors and nurses of Q.E – at least they will get to put into practice all of their training on more injured cyclists.

 

Quick update to this – I’ve just seen this story on BBC News about how London maybe getting Dutch roundabouts for cyclists. Maybe someone from Birmingham City Council needs to be at that meeting !!

“Boris Bikes” for Brum?

 

I saw these bikes being assembled outside the Town Hall in Birmingham on Friday evening and wondered to myself “Are we getting Boris Bikes?” The idea has been floated around for some time (see link below) but no firm plans as yet.

Unlike Boris’s Bikes in London which has cycle racks scattered about central London, the City Council, Centro and cycling group Sustrans are looking at the automated hire of folding Brompton Bikes available from lockers, likely to be based at or near New Street Station.

These would be particularly aimed at visitors and commuters coming into the city centre to borrow for short trips around.

Click here to read the article from the Birmingham Mail

Let’s Ride….

So…it started with an idea over coffee in my local Costa. Birmingham has lots of cyclists and now we are bidding for £17 million pounds to make major changes to Birmingham’s cycling infrastructure. This will transform our city and hopefully make it better for cyclists. Birmingham Council want it to rival cities such as Amsterdam – that’s asking a lot, but it is possible.

So my idea?

Well, this blog will feature pictures of cyclists and their bikes in the hope that it will prove that Birmingham is not just a city for cars and buses – I want to help the bid and encourage more people to get on their bikes. Birmingham IS a “Cycle City”!!

Related articles

• West Midlands News: £17m bid to improve Birmingham’s cycling offer (birminghampost.net)