It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but not in a good way: French officials slammed for sticking Christmas tree in the middle of trans-European bike route; Leknessund shows off icicles on eyelashes in -24C training ride + more on the live blog

I added that one to "drivers and their problems" thread.

Not sure exactly where the 'central London athletics track' is but anything in central london is quicker by bike and it could be part of her training !

That's nothing. There's a bloke out there with 68 and still driving with 6 others on 50 plus. 

Wow.
I wonder how any car insurance company justifies covering them.
It could be that the drivers are simply rich enough to pay whatever it is.
Or maybe, if they can't get insurance then they'd be driving illegaly.

That seems distrubingly similar to the "try and deceive the police, try and deceive the Court, then deceive yourself to avoid having to take responsibilty" standard operating procedure.

Bianca Williams lives in Maida Vale.

In recent years millions have been invested in the early morning to late night floodlight athletics track at Paddington Recreation Ground, which is a few minutes' walk away.

There's even a gym and fitness studion on sight.

https://www.everyoneactive.com/centre/paddington-recreation-ground/

I would be interested to know that too, but also - I don't fully understand these "Lime bikes" (I am not London based and have only ever been there once)

There were two in the other video, parked on the path with no one around. Can you just stop cycling anywhere and walk away from them? (assuming you leave them where they aren't causing an obstruction) If you don't need to leave them in designated spaces, how do you find one to use? Is it pot luck? Are there organised hunting parties that scour the streets hoping to spot a Lime bike for hire?

I've not used them myself, but it is app based.
The app tells You where the nearest one is, lets You unlock it for a fee and when You're done You get the app to "lock" the bike.

Pedestrians, not just tourists, step into it in front of you without looking. Cycling there means you have to have your wits about you. My wife could go that way but uses the next bridge, Lambeth Bridge, along for her commute instead.

Tourist trap most likely, for the houses of parliament. They were in the bus lane too, bloke selling balloons and then the notorious ice cream truck.

Not cycled Westminster bridge, but in my experience the other bridges like Waterloo are not like this.

brooksby wrote:

Why is the Westminster Bridge cycle lane so bad?  Is it poor signage in general or  particularly ignorant tourists?

Northbound (which isn't actually North, but that's how I think of it - towards the Houses of Parliament, anyway) is ok generally.  But the other way is a nightmare.  That side of the bridge has various stalls and tourist stuff on it, so lots of tourist hanging around rather than just walking.  Plus the lane is single direction and single file, with (ironically) very good segregation - which means there is nowhere to go if someone steps into it.  And, of course, there is a self-fulfilling bit about it.  Cyclists know it's rubbish, so use the bus lane instead; so pedestrians see it empty and step into it.

brooksby wrote:

 Northbound ... is ok generally.  But the other way is a nightmare.  That side of the bridge has various stalls and tourist stuff on it, so lots of tourist hanging around rather than just walking.  Plus the lane is single direction and single file

Exactly this. It's striking how much worse the southbound side is - much more so than the actual infra would lead you to expect.

brooksby wrote:

Why is the Westminster Bridge cycle lane so bad?  Is it poor signage in general or  particularly ignorant tourists?

It's mainly tourists, that's by no means at its worst, in the summer it is absolutely jammed with them. It's absolutely infuriating when there's such a simple solution, all they have to do is move the bollards from the outside of the cycle lane to the inside and put a line of chains between them. Cyclists would still be protected from the road by the raised kerb and the tourists would still be protected from any potential terrorist car attack by the bollards. I've written to every authority I can think of suggesting it but all I've ever received is "we are aware that there is a problem" replies.

Usually avoid it like the plague, I rode up it in February, not to be provocative (before certain trolls jump on me for it), just to get a video to show the authorities the extent of the problem: https://twitter.com/Rendel_Harris/status/1625201075249721344

The bridge is very busy with pedestrians, particularly tourists, given its central location near key attractions. As such, it gets quite congested - not helped by tourists stopping to take photos or selfies or the assorted vendors and grifters who take up space and attract a crowd. Those pedestrians then tend to spill out into the cycle lane to get past each other (often without looking), and feel comfortable doing so given the space is protected from motor traffic by the large kerb and bollards. It is also not especially busy with cyclists - as per the above video, most knowledgeable cyclists don't bother with the lane. This creates a self-reinforcing situation (pedestrians use cycle lane --> cyclists don't use cycle lane --> pedestrians more likely to use cycle lane).

In Norway, they build their homes to be able to handle the cold. In the UK, we build homes so home builders can make huge profits, part of which they donate to the Tory Party.

In Norway, they have a fund paid for by their oil sales which helps the country as a whole afford the things required to manage a cold climate. In the UK, Mr Starmers best mate Mrs Thatcher sold off the UK oil production for a few quid so now we have thousands unable to pay their fuel bills/ heat their homes/afford to eat/drive on shit roads etc etc

In Norway, they have a working relationship with the EU. In the UK, we told them to get stuffed and now are now towards the bottom of any growth list you care to look at. 

Thus, in Tory UK, -2C is likely to kill you; whereas in Norway, its likely not to be much of an issue. 

... but we are world leaders in tackling climate change.

Yep. That gave me a good laugh this damp and cold morning as my Smart Meter reached £5 with half the day to go.

essexian wrote:

In Norway, they build their homes to be able to handle the cold. In the UK, we build homes so home builders can make huge profits, part of which they donate to the Tory Party.

In Norway, they have a fund paid for by their oil sales which helps the country as a whole afford the things required to manage a cold climate. In the UK, Mr Starmers best mate Mrs Thatcher sold off the UK oil production for a few quid so now we have thousands unable to pay their fuel bills/ heat their homes/afford to eat/drive on shit roads etc etc

In Norway, they have a working relationship with the EU. In the UK, we told them to get stuffed and now are now towards the bottom of any growth list you care to look at. 

Thus, in Tory UK, -2C is likely to kill you; whereas in Norway, its likely not to be much of an issue. 

Thank you for your anti-tory diatribe. Good way to squeeze some politics in, well done. 

Typical Tory. No answers to the UK problems. 

Be gone with you and take the rest of the right with you. 

essexian wrote:

Typical Tory. No answers to the UK problems. 

Be gone with you and take the rest of the right with you. 

We know when we are speaking to the uneducated and uninitiated, so we save our time by not pointlessly debating with losers

Have you done the decent thing and married that milk bottle yet?

Defend our traditions!  I would like to see the the fork publically named and shamed for having jilted the knife and eloped with the spoon.

STILL hasn't been cancelled either

Oh dear. Still no answers.

You sound so much like Mr Starmer... actually, Mr Starmer, is that you?

essexian wrote:

Oh dear. Still no answers.

You sound so much like Mr Starmer... actually, Mr Starmer, is that you?

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