There's a better description of it from Branson himself there on the increasingly dementedly libertarian bikesnobnyc blog:
https://bikesnobnyc.com/2024/02/28/new-outside-column-and-bonus-bloviating/
The Dutch promoting helmets. What is the world coming to?
SWOV have been promoting helmets for a long time though. They're sort of an RSA-style organization.
Actually, SWOV is a private organization, unlike the RSA, but it is a safety research organization with what I have read is a fairly windshield view of the world that has been promoting helmets for decades.
I was talking to a guy who lives in NL, and he said that the elderly were definitely using e-bikes a lot more and wearing helmets, and that 30% by his estimation of leisure cyclists touring outside towns would wear helmets, which is a big change, but it's more like 5% in towns, including children.
Thumb on the opposite side (underneath/wrapping) of the bar to your fingers when riding. Some people rest all five on the top and if you hit a bump, you can lose control very easily in this scenario.
For a change, a lovely light-hearted piece in a mainstream paper with no agenda and for no particular reason other than 'why not?'…
https://www.theguardian.com/money/gallery/2024/jun/14/homes-for-sale-for-cyclists-in-pictures
Joeys apology to Jeremy Vine is quite something
https://x.com/Joey7Barton/status/1803026022910026075
He's already started a Gofundme grift to cover the costs.
Please tell me you're joking. Man should be loaded
There are a couple of recent anonymous £500 donations to that. Could be Joey himself trying to make it look more successful!
He'll need it. The apology above is not the end of the story:
More the fool anyone who contributes to that. Unfortunately there'll be no shortage of donors eager to show their support of a hero crusading against woke culture. The fact that Barton in a very wealthy, self-serving egotist, who doesn't give any of his supporters a second thought in his rush to create a global media 'profile' is lost on them. I hope he gets taken to the cleaners as often as possible.
Jesus the apologists for Joey Barton, as if calling someone a Paedo (who isn't) and posting their address would have no unintended consequences. Between people saying, they believe him but know he was forced to post it and others saying they are only words, JV should just ignore it. It is like they have no idea how destructive these words can be. I think it was the Sun a few years ago done something similar and they burned an innocent familys house because the father had the same name as someone was guilty. The family then had to leave the area because some people couldn't grasp that he was not in some way guilty.
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cycling/cyclists-are-more-intelligent-charitable-and-cool-than-the-average-person-says-study-9051434.html
stating the obvious
-_-⁶
Personally I can't think of anything much less appealing bar an 80km N7 style dual carriageway with no cycle lane
It would seem likely that all these active travel bells and whistles are a response to the Galway Ring Road getting sent back to the drawing board for not factoring in the Climate Action Plan. However, given the regularity with which housing developments are approved with built in provision for community spaces/creches/playgrounds etc. which never actually materialise when the houses are completed, and which are never enforced afterwards, will the same thing happen with the active travel measures when this road is built?
Much less appealing than what? The fact that it's shared or the fact that it's a route between Blarney and Mallow?
The fact that it's shared I presume. Though given the road is going to be motorway, I imagine there has to be some sort of safe separation between the two. "Hopefully part of the scheme" just means they're part of the same tender and don't need to follow exactly the same route. Though I imagine it's easier to have them adjacent as it seems to be far easier to obtain land to build motorways than to build greenways for some perverse reason.
There's normally a good bit of land either side of a motorway? iirc it was one of the proposals around the N/ M11 upgrade, from Bray North to the Loughlinstown Roundabout, as there's "wasted" land on the east side that could be used.
is there going to be a greenway at the top of the embankment, say?
i always maintained that a cycle path like that along the M50 would have been useful, even if it was going to be tricky engineering it at the west link.
They have drawings up, it's totally segregated from the motorway. By both embankment and greening. The secondary road will have a green strip separation.
https://corklimerick.ie/june-2024-update/
It's pretty much totally segregated from the road. Vertically, horizontally and with greening. The first "concept" drawings are up now.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5g5uyr3jtl7s3a9bses97/Developing-Design-Active-Travel.pdf?rlkey=5hv2y4j958t2eoe7p42tsa046&e=1&st=9wkcg88t&dl=0
I would absolutely love a cycle lane along the M50. Roughly the same distance to work for me but would be great not to have to deal with the mess that is cycling close to city centre. Probably help with the mess that is the car traffic as well. Lot of people driving between adjacent junctions because it's such a crazy detour to do greener transport. Between Palmerstown/Lucan and Blanchardstown being the most egregious example.
Yeah this one looks like a game-changer to me to be honest. Give people the options and if there's segregated infrastructure then some people will use it.
We got a new greenway near me and I thought I'd never use it, but I'm on there most days at this stage. I've gone from driving most days to cycling most days.
yeah, i have known a few people living in D15 and working in parkwest, and one working near liffey valley shopping centre. being able to cycle across the west link would have been brilliant, or even walking between the two would have become more feasible.
Than not cycling right beside a motorway.
I understand what you're saying. But it's totally segregated from the motorway by embankment and greening. Where previously there was a hard shoulder, now there will be a segregated facility. It's a "win" in my book!
Yeah, there's a pretty useful cycle track that follows part of the M50 around Balally. You don't really even notice the M50 much.
I really like this podcast generally. This might be interesting. Haven't listened to it yet. About the economics and logistics of a bike-theft ring in Mexico.
https://www.npr.org/2024/06/25/1197965422/tracking-the-underground-bike-theft-economy
For utility/ commuting, most direct and quickest probably wins? I also think it's good that park and ride (a bike) is actually mentioned and considered. Always seems a bit of the forgotten option!
