National Bike Week 2016

[twowheelsgood]

National Bike Week 2016 starts today with thousands of events all over the country, except, sadly, in Hereford, where Herefordshire Council seem to have abandoned support for this key promotion of cycling for all ages and levels. Strange how they constantly bang on about better cycling provision, choosing how you move, but when push comes to shove, nothing.

 

Bike Week is an annual opportunity to promote cycling, and show how cycling can easily be part of everyday life by encouraging ‘everyday cycling for everyone’. Demonstrating the social, health and environmental benefits of cycling, the week aims to get people to give cycling a go all over the UK, whether this be for fun, as a means of getting around to work or school, the local shops or just to visit friends. The 2016 event will take place 11-19th June but events still take place through September and beyond!

 

This year’s Bike Week has a special focus and will encourage people to use their bikes to cycle to work. Many people will use the events to ride and take part in ‘buddy’ rides with colleagues, scope out the easiest route to their place of work or take part in work place challenges.

 

Cycle Hereford seems to be taking a pass on this as well.

 

Hereford Wheelers are doing their bit with their ’Come and Try It’ 10 mile time trial on Thursday evening at Allensmore Village Hall. Start at 6.30pm and all riders are required to sign on at least ten minutes before start. Open to all ages and abilities!

 

www.bikeweek.org.uk

[Adrian symonds]

If you value your life you will not cycle in Hereford, I used to cycle before I was ill and I have thought about taking the bike back out with the traffic and the idiots on the road who seems to think the rules do not apply to them. I think I will stick to walking.

[twowheelsgood]

I cycle every day in Hereford and yes I see terrible driving every time I am out. Top of the list are white BMW's - drivers are psychopaths, closely followed by big 4 x 4's. I've never yet been knocked off, although not for the want of trying by some drivers. I think because I am a driver and a good one at that (30+ years, no accidents, no convictions, no fines, IAM) I know how other drivers behave and can react accordingly. There are some safe cycle routes in Hereford and it should be easy to move around on a bike, but it isn't as those routes are disjointed. Once again, we have to lay the blame at Herefordshire Council's door, not that they care.

 

I cycled up the Great Western Way the other day and it reminded me what a fantastic resource it has been all these years - in fact, it was years ahead of its time when it was opened by the then Hereford City Council. Probably hundreds of thousands of pedestrian and cycle journeys with nil impact on the environment and with a maintenance cost of practically nil as well - bikes don't wear out tarmac very fast. For just a fraction of what the Council are proposing to squander on new roads, we could have some of the best cycling infrastructure in the world. We can but hope and dream.

[Clarkester]

Mr Symonds...  What a silly comment.

I cycle to and from work every day, and go for rides most weekends.

As long as you pay attention, obey the traffic rules and aren't a complete idiot, it is perfectly safe to cycle around Hereford.

Quite frankly, I think your comments are ridiculous to be honest.

the cycling infrastructure could be better in Hereford, but it is certainly not life threatening.

 

For the record, I will be entering the Allensmore Time Trial this Thursday...  On my BMX!

[Maggie May]

I am a late returner to riding my bike and whilst I was very nervous to begin with, I have actually found that in Hereford most drivers are very considerate towards me (it could be the grey hair and lots of hi vis so I perhaps look like a bit of an idiot!). I am saving nearly £30 a week on car parking costs which is over £1,400 p.a. and that excludes the amount I would be spending on fuel for my car, so I must be better off by over £2000 p.a! Not only that but I am gradually losing weight by being more active and it has certainly made me feel better and quite a few people have said I look alot younger and have a better colour to my complexion. Other drivers are not usually the problem, the biggest danger I have found is the poor road surfaces and potholes in Hereford.

I can only say to anyone who has doubts about getting on a bike - give it a go. The Council run some very good Bikeability training which I found very helpful in getting my confidence back on riding my bike.

I now not only cycle to work but I enjoy going out for bike rides around some of the lovely quite lanes and roads around Hereford at the weekends -  I might even invest in some Lycra! 

[Denise Lloyd]

The cycle event last September was enormously popular last year.  Part of their tour was through villages west of the county and many people laid on events and turned out to watch. Which in turn brought people to the area and money was spent. Such a shame that HC just cannot or do not want to see what is popular and loved in the county.  Perhaps the Hereford Times (who do like a poll) should carry out one asking the people of the county what they love about the county and what they hate.  

[twowheelsgood]

Tourism is the county’s biggest income source at £140m pa - hard to believe given how little interest the Council show in it - they have now withdrawn all funding from Visit Herefordshire following on from the closure of the tourism office in King Street. Cycle tourism is worth £90m pa to Wales - nearly two thirds of our entire tourism revenue. Not hard to see then how much cycle tourism could be worth to the county, especially with the various Sustrans routes we now have, but with the majority of our road surfaces approaching danger level, I know for a fact that cyclists are discouraged more and more from visiting, especially when they can hop over the border and have near perfect roads. It’s all a matter of priorities isn’t it? £2m paid to consultants for barely adequate information on the SLR would go a long way to promoting tourism, repairing roads, etc, etc.

[twowheelsgood]

I am a late returner to riding my bike and whilst I was very nervous to begin with, I have actually found that in Hereford most drivers are very considerate towards me (it could be the grey hair and lots of hi vis so I perhaps look like a bit of an idiot!). I am saving nearly £30 a week on car parking costs which is over £1,400 p.a. and that excludes the amount I would be spending on fuel for my car, so I must be better off by over £2000 p.a! Not only that but I am gradually losing weight by being more active and it has certainly made me feel better and quite a few people have said I look alot younger and have a better colour to my complexion. Other drivers are not usually the problem, the biggest danger I have found is the poor road surfaces and potholes in Hereford.

I can only say to anyone who has doubts about getting on a bike - give it a go. The Council run some very good Bikeability training which I found very helpful in getting my confidence back on riding my bike.

I now not only cycle to work but I enjoy going out for bike rides around some of the lovely quite lanes and roads around Hereford at the weekends -  I might even invest in some Lycra! 

 

What a great testament to both you and the benefits, financially and physically, of cycling. Once you can get out of the City, the road surfaces are not as bad as within the City, where they really are terrible. I use the new car free Greenway a lot to get access to the country (look out for dozy dog walkers) - I used to use Hampton Park Road, but now think is too dangerous to ride safely and traffic speeds are ridiculous.

[herefordman75]

Try some of the roads to the South of the city, they are terrible. I ride my bike to work (Madley to Rotherwas) occasionally, well, when there is no rain in the forecast anyway. The potholes have been patched, then new ones have sprung up, anyone following in a car must be thinking I am riding drunk at 8 am!

I seem to remember that Bradley Wiggins refused to come and compete last year because of the state of the roads.

[Denise Lloyd]

But prior to the event there was this massive tidy up and resurfacing of some of the roads and only last year

[DILLIGAF]

Cycle to & from the hospital every day via GWW as far as possible; by far the best "road" surface in the county although I have noticed that the shrubbery is encroaching very fast! Also the lack of awareness from pedestrians is astonishing!

This morning I came across a woman with 6+ dogs splayed across the path/grass on retractable leads, casually chatting to another lady! Seen me coming and made no effort to move! Weaved round a few dogs & leads and nearly ran over another that was on the grass, and she had the audacity to shout at me!!

Then you have riders weaving all over the place making it nigh on impossible to manoeuvre around them without collision.

For recreation purpose I frequent Forest Of Dean trails. They have it nailed over there, £3.50 to park all day ploughing all the money back into the facilities. MARKED Bike ride routes & bike hire (family, mtb & extreme DH, child friendly etc) MARKED woodland walks, play areas, toilets, cafe/shop MARKED BBQ areas OH and wild boar!!

This time of year it's hard to get a parking space it's so full!

And what have we got? The meadows full of dog poo and not much else and overzealous parking violation operatives!!

20minutes away if anyone wants to go.

[Maggie May]

I really liked riding the GWW south (I think it is called route 46?) as someone had mentioned it and told me to do it before the area is wrecked. My hubby and I had the most beautiful ride . I didn't realise how many playing fields and green spaces exist along the route in the South part of the City. We kept meeting loads of people on mobility scooters - so it was great they could use the same safe space for getting out and about and they all said a hello as it was a bright sunny day. We ended up cycling to Locks Garage for their £1 ice creams and then back through Blakemere(?) . It was a fantastic days cycling and we started from the City so we could just get on the bike and go. 

If cycling is saving me so much more money I am surprised the Council aren't doing more to encourage it - with the money I am saving each week we have a bit more money in our pocket, so hubby and I can now treat ourselves to a drink/meal out once a week  (plus the odd ice cream) and this supports local businesses. I did have to "splash"  out on some waterproofs for this week though! 

[twowheelsgood]

But prior to the event there was this massive tidy up and resurfacing of some of the roads and only last year

 

Road resurfacing on a national level race route is usually done at the cost of the organiser - yet another reason to try and attract these events. Yes, Team Wiggins decided not to join the local event last year, due to road conditions. The Tour de Britain in 2014 skirted around the Herefordshire border, staying safely in Wales. Hereford Wheelers have had to abandon one of their regular time trial courses as the road surface is now too dangerous to use. And so on - more short sightedness, more lost revenue, more chance of injury and cost to the NHS.

[Maggie May]

I have gone on the Council website and reported bad road surfaces for cycling in the City which I think are a risk to road users (cars & cyclists), and it has obviously been received and noted as someone has gone out and marked the problems with white spray paint - but nothing else. I see that Worcester draws lots of people by having big bike events in their City and it brings lots of money into the economy and visitors to the City. Surely if Herefordshire improved some of the main routes it would be as good a place to hold big cycle events, if not better, than out and around Worcester. Please could the Council show some real vision - they seem to have millions of pounds for new roads that wont help could some of this not be spent on improving existing road surfaces to make them safe for cyclists?

[Denise Lloyd]

No money for so much that is so essential in the county but can pay a high salary for

 

Hoople Ltd â€@hoopleltd  28m

28 minutes ago

Herefordshire Council post: Commercial and Contract Manager, £45–50k/annum. For more details: http://bit.ly/1UcakUt 

[Clarkester]

There were 15 hardy souls that braved the weather to take on the rain, puddles and "interesting" road surface at Allensmore yesterday (Thursday 16th June) evening.

I did, as I mentioned in comment #5, take part on my BMX, completing the course in 38:13, which, considering the fact that I do not have gears, is a pretty good time, and a full 7 minutes quicker than when I rode the route last Saturday.

Good fun was had by all, I think...  I enjoyed myself anyway.

[twowheelsgood]

Yes, I was there too - set off at the same time as the thunderstorm started - well done to Clarkester, that was a sterling effort and not much slower than me on a 'proper' bike! Shame there were not more entrants, but bad weather and football took their toll. Certainly the road surface in parts of Clehonger and Kingston is more than interesting - it's downright dangerous, but no change there. The huge puddles highlighted all the blocked gullies that haven't been cleared for years and, of course, every puddle can, and usually does, hide a pothole.

 

Don't tell me there aren't the resources - I've just seen the Head of Highways have the pavement outside his house dug up and re-tarmaced by BBLP this morning ... and a very senior director has had the lane to his house completely resurfaced. Not that they didn't need doing, just coincidences, I'm sure.

[Denise Lloyd]

Yes indeed TWG there are some real dodgy surfaces and characters in the Clehonger/Kingstone I did not know your route covered this way.  There have been a lot cyclists out and about this week - tis that time of year just need the weather! Well done both of you no doubt you are both some of the better mannered ones on your bikes. Hope you took a photo of the pavement being resurfaced! 

[Maggie May]

TWG & Clarkester well done! I must admit having cycled into and out of work yesterday clad in full waterproofs (no showers or changing rooms at my work - not a problem but it is not Herefordshire Council!) I didnt feel quite up to the bike challenge and me a lady of mature years in lycra on my 30 year old bike might have caused as many accidents as any potholes  . I had hoped a few other young people would take part but as you say the football was on. I note that there is a "cycle to work day" on 14th Sept https://www.cycletoworkday.org/ so I am signing up for that. Anyone else up for it? Wouldnt it be great if we could gets lots of local employers and schools to promote it? Might show what a difference could be made in cutting all those short journeys in and around Hereford. Wonder if any Herefordshire councillors would be up for it?

[herefordman75]

I would have taken part, as it's quite local to me - however, lacking any proper waterproofs and the threat of storm clouds over Allensmore way put me off somewhat - certainly wasn't the football, can't see the point of the game personally. I do cycle to work when I can, Madley to Rotherwas takes about 30 mins or so, but when it's raining I do drive (wouldn't like to be sat at work all day sweaty and soggy from wearing waterproofs)

[DILLIGAF]

I see another shop has succumbed to Hereford city council extortion racket.

NTFO cycle shop (old crystal rooms) is closing down. To be fair this is a very good pro cycling team with pro cycling prices, with a shop in Hereford! Beats me! "Champagne lifestyle Lemonade Budget" springs to mind.

I can only assume that shop sales weren't two grand! and rates were even higher.

Hopefully they'll resurface WHEN Jim gets this velodrome project under way. (No pressure Jim!)

All the best to team NTFO

[megilleland]

I see another shop has succumbed to Hereford city council extortion racket.

NTFO cycle shop (old crystal rooms) is closing down. To be fair this is a very good pro cycling team with pro cycling prices, with a shop in Hereford! Beats me! "Champagne lifestyle Lemonade Budget" springs to mind.

I can only assume that shop sales weren't two grand! and rates were even higher.

Hopefully they'll resurface WHEN Jim gets this velodrome project under way. (No pressure Jim!)

All the best to team NTFO

 

Coincidentally The Derby Arena which incorporates a velodrome was featured on Central News tonight in connection with British cycling team training there. However at £28 million pounds to build it's a bit out of reach for Hereford.

 

Some videos here:

 

A taste of the action at the Derby Revolution

 

Bradley Wiggins Team GB at Derby Velodrome

[twowheelsgood]

 

Coincidentally The Derby Arena which incorporates a velodrome was featured on Central News tonight in connection with British cycling team training there. However at £28 million pounds to build it's a bit out of reach for Hereford.

 

Well, it's a question of priorities isn't it? We're in the process of spending more than twice that on two highly questionable and very short lengths of road - it's more than a bit out of reach for Herefordshire, whose debt is now over £300m, but it doesn't stop the road building mentality does it? It would be be interesting to know what sort of revenue that Velodrome is bringing into the Derby.

[twowheelsgood]

I see another shop has succumbed to Hereford city council extortion racket.

NTFO cycle shop (old crystal rooms) is closing down. To be fair this is a very good pro cycling team with pro cycling prices, with a shop in Hereford! Beats me! "Champagne lifestyle Lemonade Budget" springs to mind.

I can only assume that shop sales weren't two grand! and rates were even higher.

Hopefully they'll resurface WHEN Jim gets this velodrome project under way. (No pressure Jim!)

All the best to team NTFO

 

They say this on their Facebook page "Fear not, the club and team continue. The shop was originally opened as a service course to the team; we decided to have a stab at retail but the High St is a tough business and at the end of the day, it's not commercially viable. Sparrow is planning on setting up on his own which is great news, and all news regarding the club and team will still be reported across social media networks and on the website."

 

​The NFTO cycle team is very successful - long may it continue. NFTO originally had a shop at Rotherwas (The Shed) and then made the move to Bridge Street - good on them for trying, but if it's not commercially viable then so be it. 

[herefordman75]

Not surprised they closed to be fair - a friend of mine went shopping there on Saturday

Pair of shorts - £40 reduced from £80

Top - £40 reduced from £80

Gloves - £15 reduced from £40

Socks - £10 reduced from £25!!

All of which could of probably been purchased from Mastercraft over the road for less than £50 - or even Halfrauds.