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news
Hyde Park Corner 2.JPGWeekday cycling has doubled during lockdown (and more than tripled at weekends) says Grant Shapps at Government daily briefing + more on “Fix my bike” vouchers
Transport secretary Grant Shapps says that the level of weekday cycling has doubled in Great Britain since the introduction of lockdown in late March, with even stronger growth at weekends, when it has been at three or even four times more than the previous levels.
Government release lockdown cycling data.
Cycling levels up by 300% on some days. pic.twitter.com/3p8hG6KsDK
— APPGCW (@allpartycycling) June 4, 2020
While figures for other modes of transport have regularly been provided at the Number 10 daily briefing, it’s the first time data for cycling have been included – something that Chris Boardman, writing in The Times, had urged earlier this week.
> Chris Boardman: “Next two weeks will set the transport agenda for the next two decades”
At today’s update on the coronavirus crisis, Shapps promised “a green transport revolution” and also confirmed that “later this month, we’ll be introducing the ‘fix your bike voucher’, worth fifty quid.”
As we reported earlier this month, some half a million of the vouchers which will enable people to return bikes stored in sheds and garages to a roadworthy condition will be made available.
> Government to issue half a million £50 repair vouchers to get neglected bikes back on the road
We will provide further updates on how that scheme will function, and how you can obtain one of the vouchers, as soon as we have the information from the Department for Transport.
Active travel, including cycling, is a central part of the government’s “road map” for easing lockdown, with people encouraged to travel to work – if they can’t do so from home – ideally by bike or on foot.
While people are also urged to use a car in place of public transport, active travel is being prioritised – including through the funding of emergency infrastructure – because of the prospect of gridlock on the roads should motor vehicle use return to pre-lockdown levels, or even higher.
Shapps also said that from 15 June, face coverings will be made compulsory on public transport, clarifying that he did not mean surgical masks, but the type “you can make at home.”
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.
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This is good news, but has there been any coverage in the msm? I watched several tv news progs yesterday evening; nothing. Nothing on R4 this morning either.
all I would say is if you delve into their datasets of data theyve published,all they can provide for their cycling data is "Cycling statistics estimate usage compared to 1st week of March 2020."
Obviously it’s amazing that so many people have chosen to get out on their bikes, but I have to say I’m absolutely shocked at how bad, and often downright dangerous some of these ‘cyclists’ are. Several times I’ve nearly been knocked off or had some clown coming straight at me on the wrong side of the road, I’ve seen countless near accidents with drivers.
seriously some of these people seem to have no idea how to ride a bike safely, I don’t want to be ‘that guy’ and the fewer cars on the road the better, but this is not how it’s supposed to be, I remember doing a cycling proficiency thing about 40 years ago at school, I take it that doesn’t exist anymore?
My experience differs. I have seen vastly greater numbers of cyclists. However none of them put me (or themselves) in danger, save that a few had yet to develop the prey-animal instinct to avoid the ever present threat from car drivers who share Mr Loophole's notion that cyclists are taking on a "dangerous" sense of entitlement to their road space.
Entirely ties with my experience too. Worst one was going up a (relatively steep) local hill, I'm grinding slowly up the 17-20% bit near the top, keeping well into the left as a gang of obvious nodders come the other way on spanking new hybrids with shiny new helmets, so far so good. Then the rest of them come round the corner 2-3 abreast, the one furthest on the wrong side of the road (heading for me) is one handed, fiddling with his GPS with the other and staring straight at the screen. Quick shout of "Woah!" and the muppet wobbles and nearly wipes out me and his mates trying to avoid a collision.
But seriously, jfc some of these guys and gals are best described as Darwinism accelerated....
The modern government cycle training scheme is called Bikeability.
It does but it isn't compulsory and it's called 'Bikeability'.
I'm nearly fifty. I never did 'cycling proficiency' at school (I didn't own a bike) and I've never done a Bikeability course as an adult. Does that mean I'm an incompetent cyclist?
im sorry thats what you took from my statement Brooksby, but my concern was that some people NEED proper training and supervision when they first get on a bike and those kinds of schemes can only help, more people on bikes riding them safely and capably can only be a good thing.
I bet you didnt need any help with your laces either did you, or did you have Boas back then aswell?
double post
double post
If something is doubled then it's gone up by 100%. If it's tripled then it's gone up by 200%. Despite most journalists getting confused by percentages, like moths to a flame they can not escape the lure of an "impressively big number".
As for free vouchers, watch the cost of servicing a bike inflate by roughly £50.
Er, yes. And...? Not sure what your point is here?
We are told that cycling tripled or went up by 300%. If it tripled then it went up by 200%.
The 'up by 300%' is 'on some days' (really only on one day, going by the graph); the 'more than tripled' is 'at weekends' generally, which looks round about right - the weekend peaks are mostly around the 200% mark.
More questionable is 'it has been at three or even four times more' - it's mostly been two times more, and once been three times more, but not four times.
True enough. But the language is still not helpful. Three times an amount is triple. Three times more of an amount is quadruple. But I get the feeling that "three times more" is used when the amount has only tripled, not quadrupled.
I wish they would employ less ambiguous language, but it is always the same with these stories.
Yes, I'm not sure either. Compared to most government covid statistics, that's perfectly clear.
The latest Private Eye says that some of the Sage paperwork that has emerged shows that the Govt counted a pair of gloves as two pieces of PPE and the standard Covid swab test (nose and throat) as two tests (nose swab and then throat swab).
Don't forget that tests mailed out were counted as tests done, to inflate the figures and meet iffy promises, I was wondering if they might be counted again once returned and the lab bit was done. Bit difficult to seperate them I would have thought.
Enough with this 'Fix your Bike' voucher, I want to know where are the 'Paint your Wagon' vouchers?
I was born under a wanderin' star...