Friday 30 December 2011

Private sector better?... not necessarily when it comes to cycle parking!


Previous posts on this blog have highlighted the need for much better provision of secure cycle parking across Greater Manchester - at both public and private sector locations.  See for example Park that Bike and Cycle parking?... my Kingdom for some cycle parking amongst others!


In the "Greater Manchester - Cycling Progress Report" (GMTU Report 1637) published in January 2011 it was noted that whilst analysis of "cycle trips into most key centres and cycle carriage on trains suggest that there is a continuing increase in cycle usage within Greater Manchester, with the exception of cycle parking in key locations where a slight decrease has occurred since 2008." (See Table 20 above). Trafford came second from bottom in the cycle parking locations rankings.  A poor record that Trafford Council disputes and they have initiated a Borough-wide "cycle parking audit" (of which more in subsequent blog postings).

As part of this cycle parking audit I (re)visited the B&Q facility on Great Stone Road in Old Trafford and was reminded that there is still no cycle parking facilities for customers, although there are over 105 car parking spaces!

I had previously raised the lack of cycle parking at this B&Q store nearly 2 years ago and had pointed out that the B&Q website stated that they "actively promote sustainable transport to our staff and customers" and had introduced Travel Plans which promote "more sustainable travel and transport choices such as cycling, car sharing, walking and using public transport."

A B&Q public relations person responded in February 2010 that "in regards to your query, this store is not one of B&Q’s travel plans stores however it does have a responsible travel guide which promotes similar activities as a travel plan"and "Unfortunately there are no immediate plans to install cycle parking in this store" but that "I have forwarded your request to our Property department to highlight your need as a customer."

When I asked if it was possible to see a copy of the "responsible travel guide" I was informed that this was an internal B&Q document and not publicly available. However, the "One Planet Living at B&Q : Progress against targets in 2009" report stated that responsible travel guides had been "rolled out to all stores to encourage alternatives to private car use".


But it seems unlikely that people will be encouraged to choose alternative travel modes, such as cycling, to visit B&Q stores if there is a total lack of secure and easy to use cycle parking facilities. 

One of the few places where people can lock their bicycles at this B&Q store are the barriers around the shopping trolley area (see photo below). But this is far from ideal as it is awkward to do, can interfere with access to the trolleys, risks damage to your bicycle and does not provide properly secure locking.
 B&Q are certainly not alone within the retail and private sector in failing to provide adequate (any) cycle parking facilities for customers or visitors. There are also questions about what cycle parking requirements (if any) were included in the planning permission granted by Trafford Council and whether such planning requirements are adequately enforced.

(Future blog postings will look at some of the other private sector companies in Trafford that are failing to 'walk the walk' when it comes to encouraging sustainable and active travel. 

Meanwhile if you are a B&Q customer and would like to have proper cycle parking facilities at the Great Stone Road store (or a potential customer who would like to cycle there) then perhaps you would like to drop a (polite) email to: travelplans@b-and-q.co.uk  and let them know your thoughts.

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Christmas Crackers!


Ho ho ho... now I know this is supposed to be the season of goodwill and all that...... but this short stretch of cycle lane seems to be even more crackers than normal....


It is to be found on national cycle route 85 at the entrance to Painswick Park in Wythenshawe (see photo below). 








A box of lovely veggie mince pies to anyone who can tell us:
  • what purpose this cycle serves

  • when it was installed, and
  • how much it cost?

.... and may you all have a happy festive season!

More DIY publicity - clean messages!

In June, this blog highlighted some interesting DIY bike publicity that was literally hitting the streets in Australia, United States and elsewhere. 

Now, via those lovely people at Copenhagenize.com, comes a lovely video from Brazil that illustrates how using a simple stencil and cleaning away the dirt on a range of vehicles can leave a powerful message.

Or as the Copenhagenize website puts it: " Fantastic, simple activism from Brazil. The stencil reads, simply, "Bike - not as dirty".

Such stencils are easy and cheap to make with materials that are readily available from your lovely local craft or DIY store or even found in recycling bins!

Whether cleaning the dirt away or using temporary flour and water pastes your campaign messages can be distributed in imaginative and highly visible locations.

This stencil image was created by Manchester Friends of the Earth to help publicise Car-Free day events in September.

The next Car-Free day is on 22nd September 2012... now where did we put those stencil cutters.....

Tuesday 20 December 2011

Public Service Announcement #4: Calling All Cycle Mechanics

This just in from Transport for Greater Manchester....
 
Calling All Cycle Mechanics

Dear Sir/Madam,

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), on behalf of Greater Manchester partners, submitted a Key Component bid and was awarded £4.9m from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF).  For more information about the LSTF Commuter Cycling Project please follow this link.

TfGM is now tendering for bike maintenance courses and sessions, as part of this project and we would like to make you aware of how you (or your contacts) can get involved in the delivery of these services.

TfGM wishes to establish a Preferred Supplier List for the provision of:-

- Dr Bike sessions (throughout Greater Manchester)
- Basic Bicycle Maintenance Training carried out at locations throughout Greater Manchester
- Basic Bicycle Maintenance Training carried out at the tenderers’ own premises.

If you are interested in applying for this tender you must;

1.  Register (for free) on the ProContract website   (see link on right hand side of this website to register)

2. When you are sent your log in details, log on to ProContract and use the search facility to find the ‘Dr Bike and Cycle Maintenance Training’ tender and register your interest – you will then have access to the Invitation to Tender (ITT)

3. Complete and return the Invitation to Tender (ITT) – the closing date 12 noon, 16th January 2012

We would be grateful if you could forward this email to any of your contacts who you think may be interested in applying.

If you or your contacts have any further queries or would like to discuss in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact either:-

Indi Lall, Procurement, 
Transport for Greater Manchester, 2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester M1 3BG
Direct line 0161 2441137, Indi.lall@tfgm.com

Or

Anne-Louise Black, Greater Manchester Walking and Cycling Officer
Transport for Greater Manchester, Transport Strategy
2 Piccadilly Place, Manchester M1 3BG
Direct line  0161 244 1616, Anne-Louise.Black@TfGM.com

Friday 16 December 2011

New E-book: Roads Were Not Built For Cars

Advance notice of a new Ebook by Carlton Reid, due to be released in April 2012.  The promo blurb explains how:

"Many motorists assume roads were built for them; that asphalt is a relatively recent creation designed to speed them along; and that non-motorised road users have lesser rights. None of this is true.

Motorists are the johny-come-latelies of highway history. This fact is explored at length in ‘Roads Were Not Built For Cars’, an exploration of the fascinating history of roads and the part that cyclists helped in saving them. The coming of the railways killed off the coaching trade and almost all rural roads reverted to low-level local use. Cyclists were the first group in a generation to use roads and were the first to push for high-quality sealed surfaces and were the first to lobby for national funding and leadership for roads. Without cyclists, motorists wouldn’t have hit the ground running when it came to places to drive this new form of transport.

‘Roads Were Not Built for Cars’ is a history book, focussing on the 1880s and 1890s, a time when cyclists had political clout, in the UK and especially in America. The book researches the Road Improvements Association – a lobbying group created by the CTC in the 1880s – and the Good Roads movement organised by the League of American Wheelmen in the same period."

Visit the website if you would like to receive notification by email when the E-book is released.

[Disclaimer: This blogger has no connection to the author or publishers of this (e)book and receives no payment for publicising it !  In case anyone was wondering.]