The _Observer_ on "deadly" bike lanes

[Helen Deborah V]

"AndyMorris" <[email protected]>typed

> Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:
> >
> > I don't think so. David and I were in Northern Italy a
> > few weeks ago and were struck by the number of cyclists,
> > (both leisure and utility) on the roads. The terrain was
> > certainly not flat outside Meran(o) but the planners had
> > made the environment *much* less hostile than we find
> > locally. There were some dedicated cycle tracks.
> > Cyclists were mostly on the road and the motorists were
> > patient and tolerant. Our hosts' 6-year-old daughter was
> > allowed to cycle to the playground (about 3/4
> > mile) by herself on the road. Her road skill weren't too
> > clever.
> >

> Do you think the kudos associated with cycle sports in
> Italy rubs off on leisure and utility cycling.

> Does an italian middle age fat bloke popping down the
> shops on his bianchi have a little bit of a Fausto Coppi
> fantasy, the way a british bloke going to B&Q in his
> mondaeo might have a Colin Macrae moment?

Possibly but there were plenty of very ordinary middle-aged
women on town bikes, whose minds were more likely to be on
the road or shopping list.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email protected] Edgware.

 

[Mark South]

"Chris Malcolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "AndyMorris" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> >Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:
>
> >> David and I were in Northern Italy a few weeks ago and
> >> were struck by the number of cyclists, (both leisure
> >> and utility) on the roads. The terrain was certainly
> >> not flat outside Meran(o) but the planners had made the
> >> environment *much* less hostile than we find locally.
> >> There were some dedicated cycle tracks. Cyclists were
> >> mostly on the road and the motorists were patient and
> >> tolerant. Our hosts' 6-year-old daughter was allowed to
> >> cycle to the playground (about 3/4
> >> mile) by herself on the road. Her road skill weren't
> >> too clever.
>
> >Do you think the kudos associated with cycle sports in
> >Italy rubs off on leisure and utility cycling.
>
> >Does an italian middle age fat bloke popping down the
> >shops on his bianchi have a little bit of a Fausto Coppi
> >fantasy, the way a british bloke going to B&Q in his
> >mondaeo might have a Colin Macrae moment?
>
> Is that similar to the old "Stirling Moss" moment, as when
> the police pulled you up and asked "Who you do you think
> you are then, Stirling Moss?"

Stirling _who_?

 

[Tumbleweed]

"Chris Malcolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "AndyMorris" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> >Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:
>
> >> David and I were in Northern Italy a few weeks ago and
> >> were struck by the number of cyclists, (both leisure
> >> and utility) on the roads. The terrain was certainly
> >> not flat outside Meran(o) but the planners had made the
> >> environment *much* less hostile than we find locally.
> >> There were some dedicated cycle tracks. Cyclists were
> >> mostly on the road and the motorists were patient and
> >> tolerant. Our hosts' 6-year-old daughter was allowed to
> >> cycle to the playground (about 3/4
> >> mile) by herself on the road. Her road skill weren't
> >> too clever.
>
> >Do you think the kudos associated with cycle sports in
> >Italy rubs off on leisure and utility cycling.
>
> >Does an italian middle age fat bloke popping down the
> >shops on his
bianchi
> >have a little bit of a Fausto Coppi fantasy, the way a
> >british bloke
going
> >to B&Q in his mondaeo might have a Colin Macrae moment?
>
> Is that similar to the old "Stirling Moss" moment, as when
> the police pulled you up and asked "Who you do you think
> you are then, Stirling Moss?"

Apparently that once happened to Stirling Moss

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks for email address

 

[Tumbleweed]

"Helen Deborah Vecht" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "AndyMorris" <[email protected]>typed
>
>
> > Helen Deborah Vecht wrote:
> > >
> > > I don't think so. David and I were in Northern Italy a
> > > few weeks ago and were struck by the number of
> > > cyclists, (both leisure and utility) on the roads. The
> > > terrain was certainly not flat outside Meran(o) but
> > > the planners had made the environment *much* less
> > > hostile than we find locally. There were some
> > > dedicated cycle tracks. Cyclists were mostly on the
> > > road and the motorists were patient and tolerant. Our
> > > hosts' 6-year-old daughter was allowed to cycle to the
> > > playground (about 3/4
> > > mile) by herself on the road. Her road skill weren't
> > > too clever.
> > >
>
> > Do you think the kudos associated with cycle sports in
> > Italy rubs off on leisure and utility cycling.
>
> > Does an italian middle age fat bloke popping down the
> > shops on his
bianchi
> > have a little bit of a Fausto Coppi fantasy, the way a
> > british bloke
going
> > to B&Q in his mondaeo might have a Colin Macrae moment?
>
> Possibly but there were plenty of very ordinary middle-
> aged women on town bikes, whose minds were more likely to
> be on the road or shopping list.
>

Who'se to say their minds weren't on a Fausto Coppi fantasy
as well? Though possibly not one involving a bicycle race.

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks for email address

 

[Simonb]

Tumbleweed wrote:
> "Chris Malcolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> Is that similar to the old "Stirling Moss" moment, as
>> when the police pulled you up and asked "Who you do you
>> think you are then, Stirling Moss?"
>
> Apparently that once happened to Stirling Moss

Never!

 

[Richard]

Simonb wrote:
>>>Is that similar to the old "Stirling Moss" moment, as
>>>when the police pulled you up and asked "Who you do you
>>>think you are then, Stirling Moss?"
>>
>>Apparently that once happened to Stirling Moss

I also recall a report whereby a young whippersnapper, doing
something excessive on a motorway, was pulled over. He was
asked, "Who do you think you are, Nigel Mansell?" Which was
indeed his name, although he wasn't the NM of bushy
moustache fame.

 

[Dave Larrington]

Richard wrote:

> I also recall a report whereby a young whippersnapper,
> doing something excessive on a motorway, was pulled over.
> He was asked, "Who do you think you are, Nigel Mansell?"
> Which was indeed his name, although he wasn't the NM of
> bushy moustache fame.

Whereas I recently read about a bloke pulled for speeding in
his 911 on, /mirabile dictu/, the M25.

Plod: 'oo you fink you are, sonny? Nigel Mansell? Ayrton
Senna (for it is he): Er...

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

 

[Tumbleweed]

"Richard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Simonb wrote:
> >>>Is that similar to the old "Stirling Moss" moment, as
> >>>when the police pulled you up and asked "Who you do you
> >>>think you are then, Stirling Moss?"
> >>
> >>Apparently that once happened to Stirling Moss
>
> I also recall a report whereby a young whippersnapper,
> doing something excessive on a motorway, was pulled over.
> He was asked, "Who do you think you are, Nigel Mansell?"
> Which was indeed his name, although he wasn't the NM of
> bushy moustache fame.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/2285451.stm

(second story)

--
Tumbleweed

Remove my socks for email address

 

[Jeremy Parker]

"Paul Rudin" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Jeremy Parker" <[email protected]> writes:
>
> > ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Hansen"
> > <[email protected]> Newsgroups:
> > uk.rec.cycling Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2004 12:58 PM
> > Subject: Re: The _Observer_ on "deadly" bike lanes
> >
> >
> > > On Thu, 27 May 2004 11:20:28 +0100 someone who may be
> > > Peter
Clinch
> > > <[email protected]> wrote this:-
> > >
> > > >Read again. Jeremy said places /in/ Wales and
> > > >Scotland.
> > >
> > > There are places in England where cycling is less than
> > > places
in
> > > Wales and Scotland. Jeremy's comparison is bogus.
> > >
> >
> > Looking at DfT publication "Cycling in Great Britain",
> > August
1996,
> > we can see the highest and lowest modal splits for bike
> > commuting (1991 census). They are
> >
> > 1. Cambridge
> > 2. York
> > 3. Oxford
>
> I wonder whether the Oxford and Cambridge figures include
> students.
>
> Not that students don't count, but "commuting" when I was
> an undergraduate (in Cambridge) involved going about 50m.

Not included, unless they are also working, it says.

I also think, although I can't find it stated, that only
counted are people for whom cycling is the "main leg" of the
journey. In other words, if you cycle to the train or tube
station, that doesn't count. Here in Barnet, outer London,
that makes a big difference.

Jeremy Parker

 

[Helen Deborah V]

Gawnsoft
<[email protected]>typed

> Bizarre - I was sure that Millport and Great Cumbrae are
> in Inverclyde.

Umm isn't it officially 'North Ayrshire'? It is on my
AutoRoute...

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email protected] Edgware.

 

[Gawnsoft]

On Sun, 30 May 2004 20:50:51 +0100, Helen Deborah Vecht
<[email protected]> wrote (more or less):

>Gawnsoft
><[email protected]>typed
>
>
>
>> Bizarre - I was sure that Millport and Great Cumbrae are
>> in Inverclyde.
>
>
>Umm isn't it officially 'North Ayrshire'? It is on my
>AutoRoute...

Ah, that'll be it. I can't keep up with all these local
government boundary changes...

--
Cheers, Euan Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122 Smalltalk
links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk)
http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk

 

[Iarocu]

Helen Deborah Vecht <[email protected]> wrote in
message > Quite! I usually used Dumbarton Road.
> Crossing the Clyde was a problem...

Yes, other than one trip with young children along the cycle
track I,ve always used Dumbarton Rd. The cycle track has the
usual problems of poor surfaces, neds, sharp corners, poor
sightlines. I don't commute in this bit of the city so I can
take the time to use the more pleasant Clyde crossings - the
Renfrew Ferry or Bells Bridge. I,ve only used the fabled
Clyde cycle tunnel once. The south side entrance is in a
dodgy area and has the disadvantage of the approach being
between through a narrow cutting all the better for bottles
being dropped on you. Then there's the claustrophobic
feeling that should you chance upon a group of rowdy
buckfast boys theres no space to manouver round them. Should
be OK most of the time but a place to avoid on Friday or
Saturday nights. Iain