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Chris Boardman (via YouTube).jpgChris Boardman has sold his car and is working part-time at Halfords
Keen to see more people transition from driving to cycling, Chris Boardman is leading by example. Despite working as Greater Manchester’s cycling and walking commissioner while living on the Wirral, the nation’s most prominent cycling campaigner recently sold his car.
“I've been using the bike to commute because I've been helping out in my local Halfords in Bidston,” Boardman told the Telegraph.
“When they had a massive increase of orders and no staff, I helped to build bikes one day a week. I said: ‘Okay, I will go two months without a car and see what it's like’ – and it was fine. So I've given up the car. That’s quite a big step.”
He believes that this is something a lot more people could do.
“Cycling is safe, cheap, and quick,” he says. “If you try it, most people will stick with it.”
Boardman suggests keeping a car as a “comfort blanket” for two months and to try travelling by public transport, cycling and walking for that period to see how it goes.
“I live by an old Beeching line – a disused railway – and it’s just 30 minutes to a station that links to Liverpool or Chester, so I can get to Manchester for work.
“Without insurance, fuel and maintenance, I am already saving £800 a month.”
That isn’t to say it’s as simple as just making up your mind to do it though. He says safe space is the number one thing needed to persuade more people to cycle to work – because even if cycling is statistically safe, it doesn’t necessarily feel like it.
“Either you turn off the traffic, take the traffic speed down, reduce the volume on roads – or create separate space for cyclists,” he says, explaining the ways in which a safer environment could be achieved.
Expanding on this, he repeats his statemetn that the next two weeks will set the transport agenda for the next two decades – a comment that is becoming something of a refrain of late.
At one point during lockdown, cycling had doubled on weekdays and more than tripled at weekends – although with more and more cars back on the roads, we now seem to have passed that peak.
Even so, Boardman says those numbers are evidence of the latent potential for cycling.
“In some places we have seen 300 per cent increases in bike journeys,” he says. “You turned off traffic. You gave people a safer environment. And more people have been using bikes.
“We’ve shown we're just as capable of being a cycling nation as anywhere else in Europe. So in the midst of this crisis you think: actually we could change the future here.”
He goes on to suggest car-free days as a way to engineer a similarly encouraging environment for would-be cyclists.
“We could start with one day a month. That’s what they did in Bolivia and it's had a massive effect.”
Dealing with local councils on a day-to-day basis has however given him a sense of how difficult it can be to deliver meaningful changes to infrastructure.
"At local council level it gets harder because if you reallocate road space you will cause a traffic jam for drivers and they're going to start screaming at you. And now the traffic has returned so it’s harder. But we have the potential to make big changes.”
As we’ve been reporting regularly, the Government recently allocated £250m of funding for emergency active travel measures, such as pop-up bike lanes.
While every single council applied for money, the Department for Transport (DfT) has given some only a fraction of what they requested, informing them this week that it wants to see “an even higher level of ambition” in future proposals.
Those who made stronger bids have in some cases received more money than they asked for.
Almost inevitably, the Telegraph also questioned Boardman about cycle helmets, which he has previously called “a red herring” and “not even in the top 10 of things you need to do to keep cycling safe.”
He framed his response in terms of the broader message that helmets and hi-vis convey.
“Messaging is something the car industry has known for decades,” he says. “You don't see a car advert with a car sitting in a traffic jam. You see it on big open roads.
“So we shouldn't be showing cyclists in body armour and high-vis. We should show it how it can be. And cycling can be nice.
“The beauty of cycling is that it is simple. You can wear your work clothes and just ride to work. You don't have to be sweating. You don't need special clothes. That's the bit we forget.”
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 3 sec ago
Something Something Brexit... ? (sorry) Anyway I think they should try calling them "loveable neighbourhoods".
- Flintshire Boy 1 hour 8 min ago
[Sorry - wrote mine before saw yours! You make the point much better than I.] .
- grOg 3 hours 49 min ago
Where does it state in the article that Ashley purchased the stock? it does state that Ashley bought the brand and intellectual property, not the...
- rogerwb 6 hours 29 min ago
Jump off the bike and run across. I cycle in trainers though.
- momove 7 hours 32 min ago
Cheers for the lesson! Wasn't expecting one so was pleasantly surprised, especially getting to find the origin of "laconic"!
- ktache 8 hours 19 min ago
Isn't it a rights issue?
- Daddy Feebs 9 hours 22 min ago
If anything, it looks a bit like an SL6
- wtjs 9 hours 58 min ago
Other commenters have different views True!
- Daclu Trelub 10 hours 13 min ago
Incredibly bone-headed.
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56 comments
Does a good job and seems like a good bloke. Just can’t see why he is so against supporting helmets. Had many impacts involving the head, bits of branches hitting me and impact from stuff thrown up from cars as they pass, or just thrown at me. The helmet has prevented more serious injury.
Aldo there is so much muck on the road, I would not ride in what ever normal clothing is.
I don't suppose he is against helmets. I think he is just not playing into the hands of journalists asking loaded questions.
In terms of safety there will always be a tension between mitigating an immediate danger (and thereby tolerating it) and working towards eliminating the danger so that the mitigation becomes redundant. He is looking at the latter.
Fair point. Just differing opinions, but I believe that safety not feeling safe is important. He makes a fair point but just can’t agree with him on not promoting helmet use.
Boardman is not trading "safe" vs "feeling safe". He absolutely is arguing for "safe", real safe, not just a feeling.
He does not need to promote helmets, most cyclists in the UK already wear them. Most cyclists in Holland don't. But cyclists in Holland are safer. So, should Boardman promote helmets to the British (who already wear them), or promote safety, as enjoyed by the Dutch?
Don’t know on that point. Holland traditionally use cycling more for transport, so may be they are more accepted by others whom are out and about. There is also better infrastructure for cycling in Holland, so that could be why it is safer. But you make a point that is valid, he doesn’t need to promote helmet use, enough people as you rightly say, do so already.
This has been an interesting topic, I have no issue with CB as I said in first post, he is doing his best to push cycling and infrastructure, using his public face to do this. This one subject is still quite divisive for the minority not using a helmet and justifying it, when they don’t need to justify their choice. It would be rubbish if we all agreed with each other, as I’d have to find another way to entertain myself when not working and trying to home school the kids.
Great posts, thank you. Look forward to defending Halfords again.
Start by reading this:
https://chrisboardman.com/blog/index_files/e67d4b8aac0c709c5801ce466bdcd...
Excellent piece that explains his thinking very well. If you have not yet read it, it takes the case of a bereaved NZ mum who, after her son was tragically killed whilst cycling to school, campaigned not for measures to prevent motorists driving into cyclists, but for cyclists to be forced to wear a helmet in the wishful hope of surviving such collisions.
l see where that lady is coming from. She done a great job in bringing the use of helmets in to law in NZ. If it stopped people riding in this country, well they probably would have given up any way. I good debate the merits of reduction in heart disease. As being ‘fit’ lead to me requiring a pacemaker, fit from cycling. Not specifically heart disease, but that depends on how you choose to interpret the information given to you.
I choose to where a helmet as I am evidently a danger to myself, if people choose not to it effects no one, we have the freedom to choose after all.
Will do.
Try using mudguards.
I do, keeps your bum dry and clean. But being rural, and with vehicles passing, a lot of stuff gets splashed on you.
I do seem to have a problem with getting hit by stuff do I not. Including other cyclist and cars and the A40.
Do you live tornado alley? Presumably you also wear some basic body armour too.
I've found the answer about things being thrown at you
Got me one of those. He’s doing a good job too.
Expect a take-down notice from my legal team regarding that picture.
Do you need to know the site I got it from ?!
I have been advised to not comment further on this.
No I am not living in tornado alley, where is that?
Why would I be wearing basic body armour but for a helmet? I’m not front line policing.
I just want to be identifiable when I am peeled off the road. I am quite aware of the consequences of getting hit by vehicles, part of my working day .
Also aware of the reduced injuries from where helmets have been used.
There are people who when wearing a helmet have a sense of invisibility, but that is a bit like natural selection.
You said "Had many impacts involving the head, bits of branches hitting me and impact from stuff thrown up from cars as they pass, or just thrown at me."
Now that is a very odd statement. Where are all these branches coming from and stuff thrown up by cars?
I find it hard to believe that these branches and other stuff hit only the helmet area and not a shoulder or leg, torso. Mountain bikers wear some sort of protective stuff https://www.redbull.com/gb-en/mtb-kit-protection
If I were being hit by branches and other stuff, I'd be looking into mountain biking gear.
Branches, well small branches/ big twigs from trees, stones an similar pinged up from car tyres. No land slides or a like, have been hit by debris from buildings. You wrong about odd statement, nothing odd in the statement at all. Yes I have been struck on other parts of the body. One time was by a potato that hurt as it was not cooked. Winded me as it hit my chest, if that had hit my head it could have been worse, but then probably not as I was wearing a helmet.
That wasn’t your squirrel was it hirsute with his spud gun?
Erm -
https://road.cc/content/news/cycling-live-blog-6-july-2020-275183
Bike helmets "not designed to reduce chances or severity of injury when impacts involve a car", says Giro development manager
Well, they did leave out the word "specifically" in that quote, which subverts the original meaning somewhat. Poor journalism.
Bloke had a VW Golf who’ll testify to that.
I did have a lovely Felt F1, he did have a lovely VW. That was a lovely August bank holid@y day. Did get to watch the whole of the Vuelta in 2011 from the sofa.
So many of you seem so hard on Chris Boardman. Accusing him of having a conflict of interest ffs? Seriously? He is the best thing that has happened to cycling in your country since forever basically- he's articulate, impassioned, he's got credibility both as an athlete and politically and he walks the talk.
Most guys in his position would be out filling their pockets on company boards and some such but he's taken on the thankless task of actually trying to better his small part of the world doing what he knows - promoting something which we love and can benefit us all and yet he still cops it from some so called cyclists. If only there were 10 more like him.
It's not really 'so many', though. It's basically just one. Who just likes trying to be controversial.
I took a decision over 20years ago, got rid of the second car and cycled to work everyday. Of course I wore a helmet and hi-viz why wouldn't you?
It was a personal choice, so now at 65 I'm very fit, take no medicines and am keeping slim. Still cycling for pleasure, everyday throughout lockdown. If you want to cycle then do it...
There are just so many benefits and you get to wear lycra.
In the abscence of ktache it falls to me to post
All of these fluorescent yellow illuminated retroreflective bollards should have made themselves more visible.
This fluorescent yellow illuminated retroreflective bollard should have made itself more visible.
This fluorescent yellow illuminated retroreflective bollard should have made itself more visible.
And we can't leave out
Ta hirsute!
You're back !
I have entered gainful employment once more, and do not dare visit this site, because at these times of economic uncertanties I wish to keep getting paid.
Managing to read a bit in the evenings, less posting though.
Home suprisingly early today.
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