January newsletter

STACC has affiliated to the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group. Its first session of the into 'Get Britain Cycling' started on Wednesday 23 January, and runs each week (with one exception) for the next seven weeks. The first session of the inquiry, on strategy, explored the need for leadership on cycling and examined comparisons with other European countries.The third session turned its attention to planning and design for cycling. CTC's Roger Geffen urged that the quality of cycle facilities is all important and said: "What we don't want to see is cyclists excluded from the road and forced to share space with pedestrians. Dedicated space for cyclists - preferably segregated - must be made from reallocating road space."

The number of bike-parking places at Harpenden Station is to be doubled. First Capital Connect has announced 300 more spaces will be created in the station eastern car-park, which currently has a capacity of 304. The DoT will provide most of the £168,000 cost, with FCC & Herts County Council providing the rest.

Anyone intending to use the Leasey Bridge to Crabtree Lane section of the Lea Valley Path (parallel to the Lower Luton Road) should be aware that the surface is not tarmac like the rest of it. Although relatively well surfaced it has suffered over the winter and muddy in places, & so is probably not suitable for road bikes at this time of the year.

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The debate about cycling on pavements in the correspondance column of the Herts Advertiser has been joined by STACC, with three members having their letters published. STACC chairman John Metcalf pointed out that "As well as being illegal, cycling on the pavement is in practice no safer for the cyclist than cycling on the road. Most injuries to cyclists happen at junctions and the pavement cyclist has to contend with more junctions than the cyclist on the road."

The Olympic Park will be the starting point for a two-day cycling festival, it has been announced. London Mayor Boris Johnson has called Ride London"a fantastic feast of velocipedes" and said it was part of the Olympic Games' legacy. More than 70,000 cyclists of all ages and abilities are expected to take part in four separate Ride London events on 3-4 August. Laura Trott, double Olympic gold medallist, said she hoped the event would encourage more people to start cycling.

Although the Gulf seems an unlikely setting for another British cycling triumph, Mark Cavandish has nonetheless won the Tour of Qatar.

A Dallas promotions company is suing Lance Armstrong to repay $12m in bonuses that it paid him for winning the Tour de France. He now admits that he used performance-enhancing drugs & has been stripped of his seven victories in the race.

If you have not paid your subscription to STACC for 2013, it is now due. Please send a cheque for £5, payable to St Albans Cycle Campaign, to:


Steve Brazier
STACC Membership Secretary
5 The Limes
St Albans
AL1 4AT