- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
news
Chris Boardman and Andy Burnham.jpgChris Boardman becomes Greater Manchester's first cycling and walking commissioner
Chris Boardman, the former world and Olympic champion turned cycling campaigner, has been named Greater Manchester’s first ever cycling and walking commissioner.
The 48-year-old, who is policy advisor at British Cycling, will be formally introduced in his new role by Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham at an event at Exchange Street this afternoon.
The Labour politician, who was elected mayor in May, announced Boardman’s appointment via the Manchester Evening News this evening.
The event marks the launch of the GM Moving plan, an initiative of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership, and Sport England.
Boardman, who comes from the Wirral on Merseyside, has been an ardent campaigner for cycling in recent years.
In his new role, according to a press release, he will “work across Greater Manchester’s public, private and voluntary institutions to improve safety and conditions for cycling.
“He will also publicly represent cycling, walking and increasing activity levels in Greater Manchester to raise
He said: “My first priority will be to pull together all the people who need to be involved in making cycling and walking viable, attractive and important part of the transport network in Greater Manchester.
“Cycling isn’t currently a big part of how people get around in the region but surveys have showed there is real desire to ride more, if we create an attractive, safe environment.
“There’s a passion from all branches of local government and health to make it happen too but we’re not going to enforce change – we will take people along with us.
“With my background in sport, I’m a big fan of setting targets, being measured and being held accountable for results,” he added.
“I’m going to spend several weeks talking to people to understand the landscape for cycling in Greater Manchester before setting a number of goals we want to achieve and timescales – and you can rest assured that they’ll be ambitious,” Boardman concluded.
Burnham, who was Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in Gordon Brown’s government before taking on a similar role at the Department of Health, said: “I am a big believer in physical activity because it has a positive impact on both physical and mental health.
“Going from inactivity to activity is often one of the easiest and most positive lifestyle changes people can make.
“Having taken that step, people are then more likely to make other changes – be that in smoking, drinking or diet.
“We need to encourage the people in our city region to move more, to cycle and walk and maximise the contribution to being a healthy society.
“I want Greater Manchester to be the sport and physical activity capital of the world,” he added.
After the publication of All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group’s Get Britain Cycling report in 2013, which called for the government to appoint a cycling champion, many people saw Boardman as an ideal candidate for such a role, which was never created.
Many campaigners will see the fact that Greater Manchester has persuaded him to take on the role as a coup for the region.
Earlier this month, Boardman said that the justice system was failing cyclists and their families, a year on from his mother Carol being killed while riding her bike in North Wales. The van driver involved has not been charged with any offence.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- brooksby 1 sec ago
No, you're not missing anything. I've just re-read the original article and I clearly just presumed they would hand in their licence…
- hawkinspeter 10 min 41 sec ago
That still annoys me about the BBC - iplayer only keeps some programmes available for a short time, so we have to rely on people making copies to...
- hawkinspeter 26 min 35 sec ago
I just played around a little with Google Maps with directions going from Hanham/Warmley toTemple Meads and that didn't choose Crews Hole Rd. The...
- nextSibling 1 hour 1 min ago
The point of limited-run models like these isn't to make a profit. It's a marketing exercise to get the brand in the media via filler articles that...
- FionaJJ 1 hour 32 min ago
Seems like a flaw. I wonder who decided that? Surely it's in everyone's interests to come up with an agreement that a portion of the car-park be...
- chrisonabike 1 hour 37 min ago
Don't forget the hour record!...
- brooksby 1 hour 49 min ago
https://metro.co.uk/2024/11/25/uncle-picture-welcome-sign-car-crash-kill...
- pockstone 2 hours 21 min ago
See my comment on the live blog...I think it's pretty clear who the real baddie is.
- Steve K 4 hours 9 min ago
It is, apparently, "packed with high visibility reflective details on back and shoulder."
Add new comment
33 comments
He could at least have posed with a Boardman bike
Indeed. That would have facilitated a jolly good debate about cynical self promotion and possibly accusations of a conflict of interest.
But seriously...
I genuinely admire Chris Boardman for what he has achieved and I look forward to seeing how this appointment will leverage some of the great cycling advocacy work he's done over the last few years.
LMAO.
Thank the lord for "search Google for this image"!
!
ad60341477a-house-resemblin.jpg
You know who else didn't like free speech?!?!
You're welcome
Ummmm.... I give up. You'll need to remind me.
FFS.
This one will hit 12 before midnight. Someone lock this thread before it gets silly.
I'll now sit back and wait to be pilloried for advocating a restriction on free speech.
Chris has a very good analytical mind. His observations and recommendations will hopfully be noted an acted upon.
Part of me agrees with this. I would rather see Boardman as a National Ambassador rather than potentially becoming isolated within the politics of one city. Hopefully this won't be the case and he will still be recognised for his viewpoints within the larger community. I Wish him well though.
p.s. Can we lose the other thread please!?!
Also added from 'the other thread' because, like HarrogateSpa, I don't want you to miss out on wise thoughts!
Is this a scouse conspiracy to wreck Manchester!!??
Only kidding. Seriously, great appointment by Burnham, I think with Boardman on board (sorry) we could see some real change in Cottonopolis.
He isn't a scouser. He is from Cheshire. We have the same confusion on our side of Cheshire, where some people mistakenly think that Stockport is in Manchester. Which for the purposes of benefitting from this appointment we can put up with. (but only for cycling, obvs).
He isn't from Cheshire - Wirral is in Merseyside (since 1974) and is just over the Mersey from Liverpool - 'Mersey Cross the River' and all that. Don't pander to the Wirral snobs!
Some people don't like them there newfangled (43 year-old) counties. Especially if it means they don't live in Cheshire anymore, apparently.
Boardman is a great appointment. I wish him the best of luck, and I think he'll do a great job.
As I see it, there are a couple of risks. First, he is already a very busy person, with his bikes and his TV work. Will he struggle to give it enough time? I expect he wouldn't have taken it on if he didn't believe he had the time.
Second, there are bound to be disagreements, setbacks, and compromises, and it'll be interesting to see how he deals with them. I hope he remains as popular and respected as he is now.
(Added from the comments under the other Chris Boardman article on road.cc - because for some reason there are two separate pages with the same story. It would be a tragedy if some readers were missing out on my wise thoughts ;-))
Coup for Manchester is possibly a bit of an understatement. Wow. F*** yes. I'd be happier if he were Prime Minister, or Galactic Overlord, or something. But this is a good start.
Lucky, lucky Manchester...
I really hope Boardman is given the power to change Manchester into a first class city to cycle in and i'd be pretty confident that if he isn't, he'll step aside pretty quickly.
Fingers crossed as real leadership is required as it is pretty obvious in London, no progress other than platitudes will be achieved under Khan and his PR man.
No better man.
Great news! This is going to be interesting.
I hope he has the ability to move mountains, I can't think of a better candidate for the role and kicking off by saying he is going to talk to a lot of people and then define what success looks like is a good start!
But part of me thinks that it will only be a couple of years before Boardman gets so frustrated by politics/politicians that he ends up resigning. I hope not.
This is great news. I do get the sense that policy is starting to move in the right direction. Agonisingly slow, yes, but do I dare to start hoping that we'll start to see some momentum?
Whilst London has an ex-Nike PR guy with no clue.
Indistinguishable from a bag of wet shit.
Khan and his support base are not remotely interested in cycling or walking, but they are thoroughly obsessed with making sure women are covered, not acknowledged and certainly not heard.
Not quite sure what you're getting at here? Is this is some kind of islamophobic dig at Khan?
[/quote] Not quite sure what you're getting at here? Is this is some kind of islamophobic dig at Khan? [/quote]
Phobia ..... an irrational or extreme fear of something.
In this world of hyperbole is it not possible to simply dislike something without cranking it up to eleven?
Not quite sure what you're getting at here? Is this is some kind of islamophobic dig at Khan? [/quote]
Phobia ..... an irrational or extreme fear of something.
In this world of hyperbole is it not possible to simply dislike something without cranking it up to eleven?
[/quote]
Perhaps you ought to revisit the phrase he was referring to, and think about where the 'cranking it up' really lies. It was a fucking stupid statement in the first place, on various levels. Which bit of that don't you get ?
Not quite sure what you're getting at here? Is this is some kind of islamophobic dig at Khan? [/quote]
Phobia ..... an irrational or extreme fear of something.
In this world of hyperbole is it not possible to simply dislike something without cranking it up to eleven?
[/quote]
The important wourd you missed is OR
It doesn't have to be an extreme fear, just an irrational fear. The comment is redolent of a dislike of islam, with a factually incorrect statement to back up the implied dislike (irrationalism). We tend to dislike what we fear, or in our most basic tribalism find a threat in that which is different to us. So, the statement does imply an irrational fear, hence an islamophobic statement. It wasn't implied that the maker of the statement was racist or islamophobic, just that the statement was. Also, you might wish to look at something other than.... where was your definition from? And phobia wasn't mentioned, phobic was...
Cambridge dictionary : Phobic - having a strong dislike of something
Merriam Webster: Phobic - related to, affected with or constituting a phobia
Collins: A phobic feeling or reaction results from or is related to a strong, irrational fear or hatred of something.
The question was fair. "Was it an islamophobic dig at Khan?"
Hey man, you've stumbled on a cycling website by mistake. These forums might be what you're looking for;
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=far+right+nationalist+web+forums&oq=fa...
Evidence? Go on even a little bit, dick head.
CB is a genuine voice of reason and a proper advocate of cycling - can we not extend his role to the rest of the country as well?
Pages