CCNB Newsletter No 94 by cycle Bedford

30 year Anniversary Issue 94 November 2022 The Voice of Cycling Campaign for North Bedfordshire

Battery

CYCLING CAMPAIGN FOR NORTH BEDFORDSHIRE Founded 1992 Committee Chair Secretary Treasurer Other members Newsletter Editor

Peter Blakeman Carole Blakeman Neville Hobday Colin Last vacant Peter Blakeman

E-mail: ccnb@ccnb.org.uk Website: http://www.ccnb.org.uk Promotional website: http://www.cyclebedford.org.uk @cyclebedford

cycle_bedford

Campaigning Representation CCNB has been represented on the following committees: Bedford Cycle Strategy Group (disbanded July 2018) Bedford Stations Travel Plan Steering Group Bedford Hospital Bicycle Users Group and was a key stakeholder on the preparation and implementation of the: Bedford Green Wheel Local Transport Plan (LTP3)

It is affiliated to

(http://www.cyclenation.org.uk)

Bedford Borough Council Contacts: Cycling and Walking: Chief Officer Transport, Highways and Engineering (01234) 718212 /e-mail matthew.Darchambaud@Bedford.gov.uk Sustainable Transport Team Leader - (01234) 276048/e-mail yo.higton@bedford.gov.uk Bikeability (Cycle Training) - (01234) 228336 Highways Helpdesk - (01234) 718003/e-mail highways.helpdesk@bedford.gov.uk

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Contents 2 2 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 21 22 23 25 25 26 27 28 29 29 30 31 32 32 33 34 35 36 36 36

Committee Campaigning Representation Bedford Borough Council Contacts Contents Editorial Queen Elizabeth II - 1926 to 2022 CCNB 30th Anniversary Year 26 - 2017/18 Year 27 - 2018/19 Year 28 - 2019/20 Year 29 - 2020/21 Year 30 - 2021/22 Climate Change Crisis Update Bromham Road New Roundabout Greenacre School Crossing Tour of Britain - IoW Stage 2nd Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy DfT Personnel Changes Active Travel England - LA Self Assessment Green Wheel Resurfacing E-Scooter Trials Extended Modeshift STARS Pedal Cycle 2021 Factsheet - Road Casualties National/Bedford Borough Cycling Statistics Bedford Town Centre Cycle Counts Bedford Railway Station Cycle Counts Santander London Rental Bikes E-Bikes Seen Near South Bank London E-Bike Battery Safety 20mph Latest News Average Speed Cameras 1950s Cycle Cartoon Recycled Plastic Urban Bike KwikFit Low Traffic Neighbourhoods Bike Tyres Made From Dandelions The Dubh Slabs David Maxwell Obituary Coronavirus Guidelines Local Cycle Rides - Contact CCNB Vision and Objectives

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Editorial The day before the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022 was CCNB’s 30th birthday. Short histories of CCNB on its 20 year anniversary and a further one at 25 years have been published previously. A summary of what has happened over the last 5 years can be seen on pages 6 - 11. It was disappointing that both government statistics and CCNB counts have seen Bedford fall from being a cycling town in the top quartile of cycling in England to just above average (pages 23 - 25). A number of reasons can be put forward for this decline including missed opportunities and lack of recent quality investment in improving the Borough’s already reasonably extensive cycle network (page 6). This is at a time when we have the worst cost of living crisis for many years with the cost of food, energy and transport increasing and many people struggling to live. The cost of using a car is becoming out of reach for many people. It is for this reason that it is essential that more and more people are encouraged to cycle and walk including those who do not own a car particularly as more than two thirds of journeys are less than five miles and nearly half less than one mile. Apart from improving fitness and helping to reduce obesity increased physical activity will help reduce pollution emitted from vehicles, currently still around 41% of all emissions in the Borough, improving health and reducing the burden on the national health service. A more important crisis is the rapidly approaching irreversible change in the climate which if not stopped could lead to the end of the planet as we know it (pages 12 - 13) . Work continues on the next stage of the north of Bromham Road development site. This has resulted in a new roundabout and changes to the cycle track on the Bromham Road (pages 14 - 15) . Changes have been made at the Department for Transport following the appointment of the new prime minister and further announcements made at Active Travel England (ATE) together with those for a new advisory panel (page 18). In August ATE asked every local authority (LA) to fill in an assessment form to enable each one to be given an assessment rating for their current active travel activities. Although the introduction of 20mph speed limits continues it is disappointing that average speed cameras have to be installed on many roads to ensure motorists compliance (page 29). 4

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Queen Elizabeth II - 1926 to 2022 It was with great sadness that CCNB heard about the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday 8th September 2022. Our sympathy goes out to members of the Royal Family. The Queen when she was young had a great love of cycling along with her sister Princess Margaret.

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CCNB 30th ANNIVERSARY CCNB was 30 years old on 18 September 2022. A short history of CCNB on its 20 year anniversary can be seen on: http://www.cyclebedford.org.uk/CCNB_History_ExJune12.pdf and a further one on its 25th anniversary in newsletter Issue 79 http://www.ccnb.org.uk/news79_Nov17_e.pdf In addition a short history of ‘Cycling in Bedford’ up to 2012 is on: http://www.cyclebedford.org.uk/Bedford_CycleHistory.pdf What has happened in the Borough over the last five years? Bedford has always been a cycling town. Levels of cycling had been fairly static from the 1970s until the mid 2000s and it was only since the mid2000s that an increase started to emerge with a rise in the town centre of 40% between 2006 and 2017 and at the railway station of 80%. Unfortunately since 2017 both the governments cycling statistics for the Borough as well as CCNB town centre counts have shown a progressive reduction with CCNBs counts in 2022 now 40% below those of 2006. Why has this happened? The introduction of a PSPO banning cycling in the pedestrianised area leading to more than 3000 cyclists being fined has been a significant factor coupled with the closure of many of the larger town centre stores. In addition from March 2020 there has been the lockdowns from the Covid-19 pandemic. New or improved cycle infrastructure has been spasmodic and not always value for money - Goldington Road cycle track and cycle network signage -and the opportunity to eliminate major gaps - Bromham Road railway bridge and underpass, High Street contraflow and A421/A6 junction crossing - in the otherwise reasonable network have been lost. 20mph speed limits have continued to be introduced to improve the safety of vulnerable people. The extensive Transporting Bedford 2020 project recently completed to improve traffic flows at the northern and southern gateways to the town although containing some improved cycle crossings has not been extended to improve the network leading up to them. A 10 year Local Cycling and Walking Investment Plan (LCWIP) for new cycle infrastructure as requested by the government in 2017 is still outstanding. The majority of schemes put forward in the 2013 Allocations and Designations Plan are still outstanding. Since 2018 there has been very little consultation between CCNB and the Borough with the loss of the Cycling and Walking Officer.

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Year 26 - 2017/18 CCNB had a display stand at the Borough’s Ageing Well Exhibition and followed by an unmanned one at Putnoe Library during Bike Week. Cycle parking at Sandy railway s t a t i on was upgraded to the two-tier type making many old ‘Sheffield’ type racks redundant. At the instigation of CCNB, the train operator Govia donated two of these racks to Mark Rutherford School to increase their capacity. A founder member of CCNB, John Franklin died in December 2017. In the early days John organised bicycle maintenance courses and carried out Dr Bike checks at CCNB events. John served on the committee until 2014 when he had to retire due to ill health. During his time he had held the posts of Secretary, Membership Secretary and Newsletter Distributer. Over the years he also wrote a number of articles for the newsletter.

June 2017 saw the publication of Carlton Reid's new book 'Bike Boom' on the unexpected resurgence of cycling. One of the references for Chapter 2 is CCNB's 'A short of history of cycling in Bedford' published in June 2012.

In August 2017 the Open University asked CCNB if they could use our cycle maps in one of their environmental modules.

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Year 27 - 2018/19 The year was a major turning point for cycling and cycling campaigning in Bedford. The end of July saw the departure from Bedford borough Council of Patrick Lingwood, Cycling and Walking Officer, to Oxford County Council as well as the retirement of a number of senior officers involved in highways. Patrick’s departure led to the disbanding of the Bedford Cycle Strategy Group which had held quarterly meetings every year since 1994 involving CCNB, CTC (now Cycling UK) and a number of Borough Officers. This move left a big hole for the future of cycling projects. The major campaign issue of the year was the proposal by Network Rail during April to rebuild the Bromham Road railway bridge to give increased height for the electrification of the Midland Mainline. The design did not include any cycle provision, an outstanding project since the late 1990s which had been waiting for just an opportunity. As a result of objections by CCNB members and others a public inquiry was called and took place in February where CCNB was the major objector. However shortly after the inquiry ended Network Rail submitted a planning application to the Borough hich was approved by their Planning Committee to rebuild the bridge to the initial plans. Due to this action the eventual report of the public inquiry omitted any conclusions on the bridge and solely dealt with a minor matter north of Bedford. All the extensive work and time put into the inquiry by CCNB to include cycle infrastructure was wasted. The Borough has promised to install a separate cycle bridge sometime in the future. CCNB published its first Cyczine on the ’Climate Emergency’ to encourage residents to use sustainable transport wherever possible and in particular cycling.

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Year 28 - 2019/20 In late summer CCNB was privileged to visit the Bedford DryCycle company and test ride a four wheeled electric bike that had been exhibited at the Birmingham Bike Show. Unfortunately the project was abandoned in 2021. The continued monitoring of the level of cycling showed a 2% drop at the railway station but a 20% drop in the town centre. The latter was believed to be due to the number of fines given out during the previous and current year for cycling through the pedestrianised area of the town centre. As a result of the abandoning of the Bedford Cycle Strategy Group only one short one-to-one meeting with the Borough occurred during the year. This was concerning at a time when the change to sustainable transport from pollution emitting motor vehicles was gathering pace all over the UK as well as the rest of the world to make towns and cities more clean, accessible, viable and safe to help reduce climate change and improve residents' health. In March (2020) CCNB Chair gave a presentation to 40-50 members of Bedford Climate Change Forum (BCCF) on ‘Cycling and Climate Change (Air Pollution)’. One week later the government introduced a total UK lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic claiming an increasing number of victims.

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Year 29 - 2020/21 The UK continued to have a number of Covid-19 lockdowns during the year. One of the casualties was CCNB’s AGM which had to be cancelled. It was another disappointing year for cycling schemes with the first tranche of money from the government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund for Covid-19 being mainly used to widen the pavements in the High Street for pedestrians by reducing the road to one carriageway but with no facilities introduced for cyclists. It had been planned for some years and recommended by consultants that when the A6 bypass from Clapham Road to Bromham Road (The Great Ouse Way) was constructed that the High Street would be either detrafficked or open to vehicular access only together with a south to north cycle contraflow. The scheme without any cycle infrastructure was made permanent during 2021. To publicise how to keep cycling and to keep safe CCNB introduced its second Cyczine on the Coronovirus (Covid-19). Due to changes in government guidance there have been 11 updates to September 2021. Lon g s ervin g CC NB founder member, Phil Lund, (left) passed away in January 2021.

CCNB was pleased to see the continued proposals to introduce 20 mph speed limits in residential areas to help provide a safer road network for all road users, in particular for cyclists and pedestrians. 10

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Year 30 - 2021/22 Due to Covid-19 restrictions no physical AGM took place for the second year running. The second tranche from the government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund was received by the Borough for the installation of a segregated cycle/pedestrian path along Goldington Road from Perkins Road to just short of Norse Road. CCNB had seen the plans during an earlier consultation and noted that the scheme was not safe in part and did not meet the government’s new cycle infrastructure guidelines. Nevertheless the scheme went ahead and was completed during November 2021. Both CCNB and an external safety auditor confirmed the unsafe nature of part of the scheme. Remedial action is still outstanding. In 2020 the Borough had received £1m from the government’s Accelerator Fund. Some of the grant was used to signpost 27 cycle routes of the town network plus the Green Wheel and Route 51. The destination of the route is only in general given at the beginning and end of a route making it difficult to know its destination if joining in between. Some of the grant was used to install a secure cycle hub in Harpur Square and also to provide several cycle route information boards.

During the year CCNB compiled a short video to explain which routes were suitable for new/inexperienced cyclists as opposed for experienced cyclists. http://www.ccnb.org.uk/ newsb.shtml#gsc.tab=0

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Climate Change Crisis Update The climate crisis is rapidly reaching a tipping point when the changes that have been gathering momentum over the last few decades will be become irreversible. This stark warning came on the eve of the UN COP27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt in November. It is already become apparent that the aim to restrict global temperature rise to 1.5ºC will not be met by current pledges given at last year’s COP 26 conference n Glasgow. Even if they are delivered in full temperatures are expected to rise to at least 2.5ºC with catastrophic consequences for the planet. Droughts, floods, extreme storms and wildfires are devastating lives and livelihoods across the planet and the situation is getting worse by the day with no nation being immune. During this summer 53,000 people alone died from heat related stress just in Europe while millions were displaced by floods from Nigeria to Pakistan. In Pakistan monsoon rains during August caused around one third of the land to be under water affecting 33 millions residents by destroying or damaging one million homes, 2 million acres of crops, with 3/4 million cattle lost as well as other buildings, bridges and roads. Currently the Horn of Africa, which includes Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya, is in its fifth consecutive failed rainy season since the end of 2020, which has plunged millions of people into severe food insecurity. A famine is now projected for the region, especially in Somalia. Exceptional heatwaves have occurred in the northern hemisphere with the UK passing 40ºC for the first time. European rivers including the Rhine, Loire and Danube fell to critically low levels. Nearer to home on 20 October Bedford had 2.5 inches of rain in two hours resulting in flash floods closing many roads, schools, shops and businesses (see photos near your editor’s home opposite). What of the future? With the melting of the Greenland ice sheet and the glaciers of Antarctica sea levels are expected to rise significantly by the end of the century. One oceanographer and climatologist has stated that if all the ice on earth melted it would raise sea levels by 65 metres, the height of a 20 storey building and most of Bedford would be under water. Please help to reduce the emissions causing climate change by using sustainable modes of transport whenever possible.

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Joanna Spilling-Donnaloia Avon Drive (above)

Dove Road (below)

David Whiteley

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Bromham Road New Roundabout A new roundabout was completed during October on Bromham Road near to the old Bedfordshire Golf Club house to serve the expanding North of Bromham Road development. A new road is currently being built northwards to join the existing roundabout half way along The Great Ouse Way A6 bypass. The link road when completed will have three metre dual use pedestrian/cycle paths on each side along its whole length.

One of the main accident spots for cyclists are roundabouts. For experienced cyclists using the road they can go off-road to cycle round the roundabout and then back on-road

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The crossing of the future link road is via a parallel crossing.

Greenacre School Crossing A new purpose built, state-of-the-of-art school on a 38 acre site, Bedford Greenacre Independent School, is currently under construction in Manton Lane and is due to open in September 2023. The school will replace the existing facilities of St Andrew’s School in Kimbolton Road and Rushmoor School in Shakespeare Road although a combined nursery school will continue on the former St Andrews site. Both schools entered into a federation in 2013 and decided to merge using the name Greenacre in May 2021. The name, Greenacre, comes from the family which originally owned the site of the new school. The school is designed to have a maximum of 680 pupils. The car park and a bus/car drop off and pick up will be located off Clapham Road opposite the water works and only visitors will be able to use the Manton Lane entrance. Local pupils however will be encouraged to cycle to school . A new dual use pedestrian/cycle path from the Manton Lane/Brickhill Drive junction was recently opened as part of the Blakemore (Spar) warehouse development. To enable pupils to the new school to safely cross Manton Lane a new parallel pedestrian and cycle crossing is proposed between the entrance and exit to the school site midway between the new warehouse and Murdock Road on the opposite side of the road. www.ccnb.org.uk

Tour of Britain - IoW Stage The final stage of UK’s most prestigious cycle race, the Tour of Britain was to have taken place in the Isle of Wight on Sunday 11 September 2022. Following the death of HM the Queen on 8 September the final three stages of the event were cancelled. The final stage had been many years in the planning and was to cover a 100 mile route with speeds up to 40mph across and around the island starting in Ryde and finishing in the main town Newport. The tour had started in Aberdeen with 18 teams made up of around 100 of the world’s top cyclists. The race was terminated after only five of the eight stages taking place and was won by Gonzalo Serrano of the Spanish Movistar Team. In honour of the final stage to be held on the island the Isle of Wight Independent Arts Creative Café and Reconnect Group* had created their own bike sculptures. A number of them were displayed in their window in Newport.

* The Isle of Wight charity was established in 1987 by artists, to enable the most vulnerable to connect socially through various arts-based activities. 16

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2nd Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy The government’s second Cycling and Walkng Investment Strategy (CWIS2) was published in July 2022 just after the last newsletter was issued. It outlines the government’s ambition to make cycling and walking the natural choices for shorter journeys, or as part of a longer journey by 2040. It promises £4bn in funding for walking and cycling in the UK until 2025. The aims and targets in the first strategy (CWIT1) alongside the vision set out in Gear Change (2020) have informed a revised set of objectives to:

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increase the percentage of short journeys in towns and cities that are walked or cycled from 41% in 2018 to 2019 to 46% in 2025

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increase walking activity, where walking activity is measured as the total number of walking stages per person per year, to 365 stages per person per year in 2025

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double cycling, where cycling activity is measured as the estimated total number of cycling stages made each year, from 0.8 billion stages in 2013 to 1.6 billion stages in 2025

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increase the percentage of children aged 5 to 10 who usually walk to school from 49% in 2014 to 55% in 2025. Trudy Harrison MP the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State with responsibility for active travel said: “That means, where possible, redesigning towns, cities and neighbourhoods to enable more active short journeys. It means making active travel more inclusive, by removing barriers that make it harder for some to walk, wheel or cycle to their destinations. And it means using the newly created body, Active Travel England (ATE), to set high standards for active travel infrastructure, new development design, engagement, training and behaviour change. Faced with the rising cost of living and a warming planet, there is a renewed sense of urgency to act, and act fast, in choosing lower cost greener forms of travel. The past 2 years have shown that active travel is a practical and popular way of getting around for many people, provided the conditions are right. We’ve already made significant progress, but now we must push on.” The full document can be seen on: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-second-cycling-and-walkinginvestment-strategy/the-second-cycling-and-walking-investment-strategy-cwis2 www.ccnb.org.uk

DfT Personnel Changes The new prime minister, Rishi Sunak has appointed Mark Harper, MP for the Forest of Dean, as Minister of State for Transport. He replaces Anne-Marie Trevelyan who was in the post for just seven weeks. Trevelyan had taken over as new transport secretary in September, after the sacking of Grant Shapps by the then newly appointed prime minister Liz Truss. In October the DfT announced Baroness Vere of Norbiton as Minister for Aviation, Space and Local Transport and active travel. In November Maritime was also added to her brief and local transport passed to fellow under secretary of state at the DfT, Richard Holden. In October a new advisory panel for Active Travel England was announced headed by England’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Chris Whitty. Working alongside him will be West Midlands’ Mayor, Andy Street, Chair of the Office of Rail and Road, Declan Collier and Arup’s Global Transport Leader, Isabel Dedring, Whitty will support Active Travel England’s aim to make walking, wheeling and cycling the first choice for everyday trips. On the DfT Board Emma Ward is Director General, Roads, Places and Environment Group which includes Active Travel England. Danny Williams is Chief Executive for Active Travel England, Louise Wilkinson Chief Operating Officer, Brian Deegan Director of Inspections, Graham Grant Director of Spatial Planning & Development Management and Robin Lovelace Interim Director of Data & Analysis. Abridged quotes to the announcements by two people known to CCNB: Tom Cohen, senior lecturer transport at the University of Westminster 72% of personnel journeys in England are under 5 miles. It should be ensured that sufficient effort is put into local short journeys. This means providing good facilities for walking, wheeling and cycling, and ensuring that all parts of the country enjoy good local public transport. Rod King MBE, founder and campaign director, 20’s Plenty for Us The recent provisional road casualty stats show that over the last 5 years vulnerable road users (pedestrians and cyclists) have accounted for 33% of road fatalities. Most of these will have occurred on urban and village roads with the national 30mph limit. The time is right for the UK government to consider setting 20mph as a national default. 18

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Active Travel England - LA Self Assessment In early August Active Travel England (ATE) invited all local authorities to do self-assessments of their own performance on active travel to be completed by the end of August. The assessments will initially affect councils’ bids for capability and ambition funding for 2022/23, worth £30 million. In the longer run, a broader assessment of performance will determine the allocation of capital and revenue grant funding totalling £500 million over a 3-year period. ATE says that local authorities must complete honest assessments of their support for active travel and their delivery track record. This will enable ATE to award them a Level, from 0 to 4.

ATE stated ‘Actions, positive and negative, and firm commitments will count much more than warm words and If schemes have been removed or reduced in the past, it has to be stated. An authority’s Level will determine the amount of money it is likely to receive. Authorities will be able to progress to a higher level over time. In future, each authority will be publicly rated every year. The survey has 4 sections:

   

Background Information Local Leadership and Support LCWIP Development Schemes Delivered

The assessment form can be seen on: https://hedgehogcycling.co.uk/ate-self-assessment.pdf www.ccnb.org.uk

Green Wheel Resurfacing A section of the Green Wheel in Brickhill, Otter Walk, between Tyne Crescent and Cherwell Road has been resurfaced. The width of the track at 2.5 metre is narrow than the recommended width.

E-Scooter Trials Extended The Department for Transport (DfT) has extended UK’s e-scooter trial zones until 31 May 2024. The e-scooter trials, which are currently live in 31 regions across England, were due to end on 30 November 2022. A Government spokesperson said: “To ensure we get the best evidence possible and build on findings from ongoing research, we are enabling local authorities to continue running trials beyond this year.” Existing trials will continue to run to 30 November 2022 and then local authorities can choose to withdraw from the trials or continue with an extension to 31 May 2024. The e-scooter trials which began in July 2020, had originally been set to end in November 2021, but were extended to March 2022 due to delays to the start of trials in a number of locations and were then further extended to 30 November 2022 to allow the DfT to fill data gaps and establish best practice for shared micromobility services.

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Modeshift STARS Bedford Borough now has five schools that have r e a c h e d G o l d accreditation for their efforts to encourage and promote sustainable travel. Castle Newnham School (South Site), St James' CofE VA Primary School, Westfield Primary School and Goldington Green Academy have all joined Shortstown Primary School as Gold standard schools. The accreditation comes from Modeshift STARS, the Centre of Excellence for the delivery of effective Travel Plans in education, business and community settings. All of these schools have followed a programme of initiatives supported by the Bedford Borough Council Sustainable Transport team and demonstrated a noticeable reduction in car travel to school over the last four years. The schools have worked with parents and pupils to deliver their initiatives and help to encourage lasting change. Alongside the five schools achieving Gold accreditation, Bedford Borough also has one school with a Silver accreditation, ten schools achieving Bronze and six with a Green accreditation. This means there are now 22 accredited schools within the Borough. Councillor Charles Royden, Deputy Mayor and Portfolio Holder for Environment, Highways and Transport, said: "I'm delighted that so many of our schools in Bedford Borough have been recognised for the effort they have put into promoting sustainable travel and discouraging problem parking by their gates. We have been supporting families in making good choices where they can, providing schools with pavement buddies, training pupils and giving out Try a Bus vouchers for children moving to secondary school. The data we collect shows that active travel rates for walking and cycling at our schools are 6.5 percentage points higher than the East of England average." School surveys conducted in 2021 show that 50.5% of children use active travel to get to school in Bedford, this is significantly higher than both the East of England average (44%) and national average (47%) as reported in the 2021 National Travel Survey. The amount of pupils travelling actively in Bedford is a huge achievement for residents and reflects their commitment to active travel and sustainable forms of transport.

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Pedal Cycle 2021 Factsheet -Road Casualties The Department for Transport at the end of September published its 2021 Pedal Cycle Factsheet of Report Road Casualties for Great Britain. The factsheet gives an overview and key statistics on pedal cyclists involved in road collisions in Great Britain as reported by or to the police. It examines the main trends in collisions involving pedal cyclists and the casualties involved. Nationally 2021 (2020) saw: 16,454 (16,294) accidents to cyclists made up of 111 (141) killed 4353 (4335) seriously injured 11904 (11818) slightly injured Although the figures are high, per billion miles cycled, they are on average 50% lower than they were in 2004. Over the last five years Key findings of the report were that: Between 2004 and 2021:

 fatalities decreased from 134 to 111 (-17%)  serious injuries (adjusted) rose by 27%  pedal cycle traffic grew by 62% Over the period 2016 to 2021:

 an average of 2 pedal cyclists died and 84 were seriously injured (adjusted) per week in reported road casualties

 a majority of pedal cycle fatalities (59%) occur at or within 20m of a junction compared to 32% of all seriously injured (adjusted) casualties  almost half (46%) of pedal cycle fatalities in 2 vehicle accidents involved a car  56% of pedal cycle fatalities occurred on rural roads compared to 29% of traffic accidents  82% of pedal cycle killed or seriously injured (KSI) casualties were male The most common contributory factor allocated to pedal cyclists in fatal or serious accidents (FSA) with another vehicle was ‘Driver or rider failed to look properly’. It was also the most common factor allocated to the other vehicles involved. The full results can be seen on: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/reported-road-casualtiesgreat-britain-pedal-cyclist-factsheet-2021/reported-road-casualties-ingreat-britain-pedal-cycle-factsheet-2021 22

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National/Bedford Borough Cycling Statistics The government's 2021 walking and cycling statistics were published on 31 August 2022 by the DfT. The full report can be down loaded from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/walking-and-cycling-statistics -england-2021?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=govuk-notificationstopic&utm_source=3803e38d-342a-41c1-a6df8712b2924822&utm_content=daily The statistics are obtained from two main sources; the annual National Travel Survey (NTS) and Active Lives Survey (ALS). NTS definitions are used for trip and stage:

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a cycling trip in the NTS is a trip where cycling is the main mode of transport in terms of distance  a cycling stage is where someone cycles as part of an overall trip distance figures include cycling stages made as part of any trip. In summary the results for 2021show that UK cycling levels decreased from the all time high seen last year since the start of the series, with decreases seen in trips, stages and miles cycled.  average cycling stages decreased 27% from 2020 (15 stages per person) and below 2002, the start of these statistics (19 stages per person).  average cycling trips decreased 27% to 15 trips per person in 2021 from 20 in 2020.  average miles cycled per person decreased 37% to 55 miles per person) in 2021 from 88 miles per person in 2020. The most common purpose for a cycling trip was for leisure with 46% in 2021. This was followed by commuting (27%), shopping (11%) and education (8%). Despite noticeable changes in the proportions, in 2020 and 2019 the most common cycling trip purposes were the same as in 2021: for leisure (55% and 34% respectively), commuting (20% and 33% respectively), shopping (11% and 12% respectively) and education (6% and 10% respectively). In last year’s National Travel Attitudes Survey nearly half of adults would be encouraged to cycle more with safer roads and off-road and segregated cycle paths. The most commonly selected reasons were :  off-road and segregated cycle paths (55%)  safer roads (53%)  well-maintained road surfaces for cycling (49%)

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The percentage of adults in Bedford Borough who have cycled at least once per week is shown in the following figure. The results imply that cycling in the Borough has continued to fall from the peak seen in 2016/17 with values now 8% below those for 2010/11. The year 2020 was however the start of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

Similar results (below) have been seen in CCNB’s town centre counts.

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One explanation for the drop in cycling in Bedford since the peak in 2017 is the introduction of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) in May 2016 banning cyclists from riding in the pedestrianised area of the town centre with the lack of alternative safe routes. A table of any purpose, leisure and travel cycling levels in Bedford for 2017 and 2021 are shown below: 2021 was also however in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns. Cycle - (Bedford 2017/2021(%) Any purpose Leisure At least once per month 24.2/14.8 16.7/11.5 At least once per week 16.9/8.9 8.9/6.5 At least 3 times per week 5.6/5.3 1.7/2.8 At least 5 times per week 4.2/2.9 0.6/0.9

Travel 14.9/ 7.6 9.7/5.1 4.6/2.7 2.9/1.9

The results show a significant drop in cycling to work as people were advised to work from home whenever possible but an increase in leisure cycling of regular cyclists. The continued drop in cycling in Bedford is disappointing. In 2017 Bedford Borough was in the top quartile of cycling towns and cities in the UK outside London for cycling at least once per week with the top five being Cambridge (44.8%),k), Oxford (35.9%), York (21.2%), Guildford (18.0%), Bristol 18.0%) with Bedford at 16.9% (25th out of 333 local authorities - 93% from the highest). In 2021 Bedford Borough had slipped to just above average at 8.9% (137th out of 331 - 59%).

Bedford Town Centre Cycle Counts CCNB cycle counts in Bedford town centre over the summer period were 18% higher than the previous year but still 65% lower than summers 2018/19. With many more shops having closed the incentive to visit the town centre is lacking.

Bedford Railway Station Cycle Counts CCNB cycle counts at Bedford railway station over the summer period (from 1 April to 30 September) showed an increase of 162% over the same period last year but were still only just over half the level seen in summers 2018/19.

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Santander London Rental Bikes London’s Santander bike rental scheme, originally sponsored by Barclays Bank when it started in 2010, continues to break records with increases seen every month between September 2021 and July 2022 to give a total of more than 111 million hires. To support its continuing success it introduced 500 electric bikes in October across key central London locations complementing the 2000 bikes already available. It is hoped that the new bikes will help to break down barriers that stop some people from cycling due to fitness, age and length of journey. The e-bikes can be docked at any of the scheme’s current 800 docking stations including a number of new ones to be introduced in the Borough of Southwark by the end of the year.

E-Bikes Seen Near South Bank London Four other e-bike rental companies bikes were seen during August within a 400 metre walk behind the South Bank (see below and right).

HumanForest

ccnb November 2022

On Lime-+ Uber

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E-Bike Battery Safety Lithium batteries used in e-bikes have a lot of advantages that make them ideal for this type of bike. They can be charged and discharged hundreds of times, they’re relatively lightweight and compact, and they contain lower levels of toxic heavy metals than many other types of batteries. Unfortunately, they can also be very flammable. E-bike battery fires happen for many reasons, including design flaws, improper care and use, manufacturing defects, and using a damaged or dropped battery. The batteries contain two electrodes, with an electrolyte fluid in between and as they are charged or drained, charged ions move from one electrode to the other. The electrolyte fluid is highly combustible, which isn’t normally an issue, but if the battery is damaged or overheated, the liquid can ignite. Once one battery cell overheats, the adjacent ones follow (a process called thermal runaway) and the heat and pressure soon becomes too much to contain, resulting in an explosion. Thermal runaway events are an increasing concern in the bicycle industry. In London just over the last year there have been 130 battery fires reported on e-bikes and e-scooters, but the real number is probably even higher. The increasing number of battery fires is harming the e-bike image. Only safe e-bikes should be allowed on the market by harmonising safety standards which have been developed together with industry experts. As the battery is generally the most expensive part of an e-bike it is easy to see that people may want to buy a cheaper one which may be made from poor quality components. This is false economy and they should not be for sale in the first instance.. The following safety tips are quoted in the literature:

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Always turn off your battery before charging. Always charge the battery in a well-ventilated, cool room. Do not leave the battery unattended for an extended period. Do not attempt to charge a damaged or malfunctioning battery. Store damaged batteries outside and never throw old batteries in a bin. Recycle them at your local recycling centre. Only use the charger provided by the manufacturer. Do not use cheap third-party, aftermarket, refurbished batteries. Never leave your battery near a heat source such as direct sun or a heater. Always have a fire extinguisher on hand. ccnb November 2022

20mph Latest News 20mph speed limits continue to be introduced on residential roads.

Poplar Avenue and Other Roads A Road Traffic Order came into force in September 2022 for a 20mph speed limit on the following roads: Troon Road, Birkdale Close, Lowther Road, Foxlease, Rowallan Drive, Poplar Avenue, Gilwell Close, Harrington Drive, Pax Hill, Lombardy Close, Stanhope Road, Elm Close, Aspen Avenue and Wilmers Close.

Deep Spinney and Other Roads (Biddenham) A Road Traffic Order came into force in September 2022 for a 20mph speed limit on the following roads: Lavenham Drive, Lee Close, Holden Close, Franklyn Gardens, Fleming Close, Gardener Place, Malcote Close, Gower Drive, Johnson Close, Howden Gardens, Lucas Court, Wood Close and Nevern Gardens.

Average Speed Cameras Although the Borough has/or is installing 20mph speed limits in all residential roads and near schools to make them safer for vulnerable people whether on foot or bicycle it is disappointing that many drivers disregard both these and any other limit. It is for this reason that resort has to be made for average speed cameras where reckless motorists exceeding a given tolerance for each speed are photographed and fined. There are currently 31 locations across the Borough. Funds have now been made available for the installation of another 15 although there is a need for at least 70 locations in speed hot spots. The sites where the new average speed cameras will go are: A6 south of Bedford Norse Road, Bedford B530 – Kempston Hardwick Park Avenue, Bedford Ampthill Road, Bedford Wentworth Drive, Bedford Brickhill Drive, Bedford Bedford Road, Kempston Clapham Road, Bedford Cotton End, Wilstead Harrowden Road, Bedford Bedford Road, Wixams Mile Road, Bedford Rushden Road, Wymington Cemetery Road, Kempston (between High Street and Martell Drive)

It should be noted that although local authorities and communities have to find the money to install the cameras’ all fines are paid directly to the government. www.ccnb.org.uk

1950s Cycle Cartoon

“Certainly I’m aware it’s not bath-night. I’m just trying to fit this spindle without losing any more confounded ball bearings!”

ccnb November 2022

Recycled Plastic Urban Bike The German company Igus in early June unveiled the world’s first urban bike made from recycled plastic.

Photo Igus GmbH As an expert in plastic for all kinds of moving parts, Cologne based company Igus has made the engineering concept and key components available to all bicycle manufacturers. The first model should be available by the end of the year. To help the transformation from the traditional linear economic model and migrate to a fully circular economy, Igus has been developing and investing in ideas for recycling plastics for many years and is not the first recycling concept in the bicycle industry. At the Hannover Messe, the company presented a world first concept of a robust, durable urban bike made entirely of plastic, from frame to bearings to toothed belt. Igus’s CEO said he had the idea of a bicycle on a beach while on holiday. In conversations with employees of a bicycle rental company on the beach, he found out about their major problems with beach bikes. These were continuously exposed to sand, wind and saltwater and sometimes only lasted three months before they had to be replaced. This new bike will not rust and will be primarily made of reused plastics originally which were original meant for ‘single use’. “The plastic in dumps around the world is becoming a valuable resource. www.ccnb.org.uk

KwikFit KwikFit, the UK car servicing and repair company is also in The Netherlands with franchises in Italy and Hungary. The formerly Scottish company specialises in tyres, brakes, exhausts, MOT testing, car servicing, air conditioning recharge and oil changes. As of May 2022, there were over six hundred centres of KwikFit within the United Kingdom. In April 2022 it announced the opening of its first e-service branch for the maintenance of electric vehicles in Amsterdam, the Netherlands ebikes will now also be repaired according to the quick service model. The service model means that customers make an appointment online and get assistance within an hour. KwikFit indicates that it supports the transition to electric driving and thus makes electric transport accessible to everyone. In addition to the Amsterdam branch, KwikFit plans to open e-service centers in other cities in the Netherlands soon. The first e-service garage opened on 25 April at Overtoom in Amsterdam. The location will act as a test lab for e-mobility where various new electric vehicles will be serviced, such as e-bikes, emicrocars and LEVs (Light Electric Vehicles). The knowledge and experience gained will then be used for the development of the e-service concept that will eventually be rolled out at all KwikFit centers.

Low Traffic Neighbourhoods Studies in Oxford of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN) scheme put in as part of th e g overn ment ’s Emergency Active Travel Tranche 1 grant have shown:  42% fewer cars driving in LTNs  22.5% increase in cycling  19% increase in walking Source: https://mycouncil.oxfordshire.gov.uk/ documents/s59614/22.02.24% 20CHMD%20Item%204%20-%205.% 20Annex%204%20Preliminary%20Evaluation%20Perception% 20Report.pdf

ccnb November 2022

Bike Tyres Made From Dandelions The German tire-maker Continental has recently announced it was about to begin production of the "first bicycle tyre made with sustainable rubber from dandelions", which it intended to grow on the grounds of its own manufacturing plants. Thus avoiding several of the traditional issues with H. brasiliensis latex—from the long lead-time between planting and cultivating (only six months for the dandelion, rather than seven years for the rubber tree) and volatile prices of the product due to the long transport-distances between places where the rubber can be grown and the company's factories. Unfortunately the dandelion is not the type found in a garden lawn but a species with a larger root called Taraxacum kok-saghyz commonly referred to as the Kazakh dandelion, rubber root, or Russian dandelion, is a species of dandelion native to Kazakhstan, Kirghizia and Uzbekistan that is notable for its production of high quality rubber. Researchers have started to develop Taraxacum kok-saghyz cultivars which are easier to cultivate and which produce more and better rubber as part of a large research project at many institutions.

The Soviet Union, USA, UK, Germany, Sweden and Spain cultivated Taraxacum kok-saghyz, together with Taraxacum hybernum [ru] and Scorzonera tau-saghyz, between 1931 and 1950 notably during World War II - as an emergency source of rubber when supplies of rubber from Hevea brasiliensis in Southeast Asia were threatened.

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The Dubh Slabs If you want to do something exciting next summer why not try cycling down The Duhb Slabs rising out of Lock Coruisk in the heart of the Black Cullin ridge on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. CCNB is only kidding - Not to be done by anybody unless you are Danny MacAskill. Danny is an avid film maker but during Covid-19 lockdowns and many of his overseas filming plans cancelled he and the crew decided to look a little closer to home for their latest film.

He is a big fan of rock climbing and is inspired by the various men and woman who set new routes and test themselves on some amazing faces around the world. He therefore set out to find some challenging Slab Rock routes on his home Island of Skye with the aim to ride them in a continuous line and test what was possible on his bike. The remote Dubh Slabs provided some of the steepest terrain he had ever ridden as well as an amazing back drop for a film. The remote location and steep face forced them to think outside the box and meant they had to move away from traditional filming techniques, shooting the entire film using a camera mounted on himself and a (FPV (First Person View) racing drone. A 6.21 minute video of the run can be seen on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ym2F-tHdkk

ccnb November 2022

David Maxwell Obituary It was with sadness that we leant of the death of long serving CCNB member, David Maxwell, on 25 August 2022 following brain surgery. David was CCNB’s Secretary for two years from 1999 to 2001. He will always be remembered cycling everywhere on his precious Brompton bicycle which has now been passed on to his son’s family. David was a Quaker, a passionate environmentalist and peace activist, and also a committee member of Bedfordshire Climate Change Forum (BCCF). The following image taken at the 2016 Campaign Against Climate Change march shows David holding the BCCF banner with Heather Mitchell also a CCNB and BCCF member.

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Although most restrictions have been relaxed Covid-19 is still with us. For latest see: https://www.gov.uk/ gover nm ent /p ub licat ion s / afghan-resettlementinformation-and-guidance/ g ui d a n c e - o n- c o r o n a v ir us covid-19

Local Cycle Rides Contact: Cycling UK (CTC) - North Beds Section - 07395 037816

Cycling Campaign for North Bedfordshire Our Vision To see Bedford as a ‘Town of Cyclists’ & ‘Cycle Friendly Communities’

Objectives  To promote, encourage and support cycling as an important means of transport and recreation.  To encourage consideration of the needs of cyclists in all aspects of transport planning and management, access issues and recreational use.

Membership Please contact us if you have any cycling issues or better still, consider becoming a member to give us added weight in our discussions with the relevant authorities. Write to: Membership Secretary, c/o 15 Dove Road, Bedford, MK41 7AA including your name, address, postcode, telephone number and e-mail address (if available) together with your subscription. Single £3.00 (£13 for 5yr); Family £5.00 (£22 for 5yr)

ccnb November 2022

CCNB Newsletter No 94

Articles inside

Editorial

CCNB 30th Anniversary

Year 28 - 2019/20

Year 27 - 2018/19