|
|
East London Cyclist Archives
The newsletter of Tower Hamlets London Cycling Campaign Group
August - September 2000
Millennium Festival of Cycling
This year's national cycling festival kicked off in humble Brick Lane, as twenty or so intrepid cyclists peddled off towards Mile End Park and a date with a biegal.
Having started four years ago, as an idea for something to do on local transport day. This years Great Biegal Race had become the opening event of the millennium festival of cycling. With nationwide media interest focused upon Tower Hamlets, we put on as grand a show as we could manage. All sorts of cycles, a couple, of trikes, four rickshaws and a woolly black dog, competed against each other, as well as a gleaming 1967 vintage Porsche car.
There was a particularly competitive edge to this years event, as new GLA member, Councillor, John Biggs was taking part, as well as political rival, Green Party candidate Peter Howell.
Patrick Jenkins, one of this years competitors tells his story further down the page.
This time, unlike previous races, we decided to be more democratic regarding prize giving. The outright biegal race winner received our
traditional wreath of biegals. But special awards were given to those who made a particularly outstanding contribution to the days fun. Manda Halal, dressed up as yellow fluorescent fairy won a set of rechargeable lights from Bicycle Magic of Whitechapel Road for her effort, and Nigel Winfield and Buster received an award for services to canines and rickshaws.
We do not praise the council very often in this small organ, but on this occasion I think they did us, as well as all the other residents of
the borough well on this day. I would like to pick out particularly the transportation section, for all the effort they put into the day, as well as helping us prior to the event.
Thank you to this years Beigal race sponsors
Bicycle Magic
Whitechapel Road
for sponsoring the race prize
&
LBTH Transportation Section
for sponsoring the beigals |
|
|
Patrick's Beigal Race
We gathered at dawn well, 9am on a Saturday morning felt pretty much like dawn. The mood outside the Brick Lane Biegal Bakery was upbeat, as the early arrivals munched through last-minute energy boosters. Each minute, more competitors flocked to the starting line, all chomping at the bit.
Tyres were freshly pumped. Chains and thigh muscles were stretched taut. Finally, there came the longed-for whistle and race organiser Gary released us from our expectant anxiety.
Off we set, speeding along Bethnal Green Road, doing our best to keep pace with the luminously clothed Manda Halal in the leading pack.
As the race left the main road and began its meanderings through the back streets, the pack splintered in a competitive drive to get to the finish line in Mile End Park and join in the days festivities.
Everyone made it safely, and quickly. Duncan Hibberd clocked up a winning time of around 8 minutes and everyone came in ahead of Gavin Jule's Porsche, which limped home after a shocking 18 minutes.
The rickshaws did particularly well, given the children and dogs they were carrying. Luminous Manda was sadly one of the last to finish, having raced to the wrong part of the park.
Anyone who hung around and made a day of the cycling festivities in Mile End Park would not have gone home glum. Refreshments, information stalls and entertainment were organised on a vast scale. There was even a "concerto", based on a complex harmony of bicycle bells and car horns, composed and performed to mark the official opening of the park and providing a rousing conclusion to this, my first (of many, hopefully) Great Biegal races. |
|
New cyclist training course
This 10 week course offers beginners and those returning after a long lay-off, a short cut to the fun, fitness and freedom of cycle travel.
For more information phone any of these numbers:
Newham Community Education Service on 020 8519 0095 or 020 8470 8246
London School of Cycling on 020 7249 3779 (day) or 020 8534 8666 (evenings)
Newham Cycling Campaign on 020 7476 5176 (evenings)
Start date 12th September
Tuesday evenings 7-9pm Forest Gate School, Forest Street, London E7
Newham Community Education Service working in Partnership with London School of Cycling and Newham Cycling Campaign. |
|
Office vacancy
Cycle Training Ltd provides tuition in safe assertive cycling techniques to adults and children across Greater London and Sussex.
We are expanding and wish to employ a full-time office-based administrator. They should be a confident experienced cyclist with good telephone manner. Experience of Microsoft Office is an advantage. Salary negotiable. The office is in Nunhead, SE15. For more information call Simeon or Vicky on 020 7564 5990. |
|
A message from RoadPeace
RoadPeace is the national charity for road traffic victims, we have a national helpline, giving emotional support and practical help to victims and we campaign for road danger reduction.
August is the month when we remember all those killed, bereaved and injured through road crashes. We also make a concerted effort to raise awareness of the scale of the tragedy:
Every year 3,500 people are killed and 320,000 injured on our roads, and cyclists are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users.
RoadPeace would welcome cyclists at their event on 26 August, 2pm opposite the Houses of Parliament - wear a black tie...
Tower Hamlets LCC will be taking a ride to this event, if you wish to join in, please meet us at the Royal London Hospital at 12.30pm for a 12.45 departure on the day. |
|
Cyclists demand action over "accidental" death
CTC, the UK's cycle campaigning organisation, has demanded tougher action against those who kill following the death in a road accident of a cyclist who held ten world records. CTC claims the reluctance of authorities to hold drivers responsible for cyclists' deaths on the road is typical of their failure to take cyclists' safety seriously. A new CTC campaign will target the police, judiciary, local authorities and other road users following the death of Bruce Bursford, 41, in a collision with a lorry. The CycleSafe scheme will advise agencies responsible for road safety on improving conditions for cyclists.
Mr Bursford, from Dereham, Norfolk, died on a training ride when hit by the lorry. The driver admitted being distracted by his mobile phone and is to be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention. The coroner at last Thursday's inquest recorded a verdict of accidental death, however.
Stuart Reid, CTC Campaigns and Policy Manager said: "The verdict is outrageous and Mr Bursford's death should have been treated as unlawful killing. The accident tookplace on a clear day and the lorry driver had plenty of time to see and avoid him without putting him in any danger. Those with a duty to protect are clearly refusing to value cyclists' lives and their right to ride. They must take immediate action to eliminate the hazards to cyclists other road users are creating."
CycleSafe will be launched later this month and will demand that local authorities, the police and judiciary use their powers to protect cyclists. lt will raise awareness and give practical advise to engineers and transport planners.
Last month's CycleSafe report on HGVs, published jointly by CTC and the Road Haulage Association, detailed safety measures for improving roads for cyclists and lorry drivers alike.
This article, and the one below are included in this edition of ELC because of the topical nature of their content and relevance to events which have occurred recently in our borough. |
|
Cyclists and lorry drivers demand action to curb road deaths
Local authorities have been criticised recently for failing to tackle the high number of cyclists' deaths involving heavy goods vehicles. Lorries account for seven per cent of all road traffic but are involved in 26 per cent of cyclists' fatalities. Research has found that none of the highways authorities responding to a survey has a coherent strategy for reducing lorry/cyclist conflict. Some innovative ideas have emerged but no authority has a coherent strategy for addressing this issue.
CTC, the cyclists'campaigning organisation, and the Road Haulage Association (RHA) have responded by providing practical guidelines to assist local authorities in establishing a more co-ordinated approach. They are urging those in local and regional government to improve roads so that lorries, cyclists and other vulnerable road users can share routes without risk.
In their joint study, they have called for local authorities to tackle accident blackspots. They say wider inside lanes, advanced stop lines, cycle bypasses, speed controls and area and weight restrictions would all help reduce casualties.
Most lorry/cycle accidents take place at junctions, mainly roundabouts and left-turn manoeuvres, of which the latter account for almost 5O% of cyclists' road accident fatalities.
Pete Latarche, Chairman of the CTC's National Council said: "We are horrified that so little has been done by local authorities to address this serious road safety issue. This report includes a wealth of practical advice on improving conditions. It is now up to authorities to put the suggestions of experts into practice to reduce cyclists' deaths on the roads."
Chrys Rampley, RHA Manager of Infrastructure, said: " Today, with so many vehicles using the UK network, this issue of safety for all road users has become of paramount concern. To this end, the RHA is pleased not only to support but also to promote this initiative."
Copies of the report are available from the CTC and cost £5 to CTC members and £10 to non-members.
This article, and the one above are included in this edition of ELC because of the topical nature of their content and relevance to events which have occurred recently in our borough. |
|
|
