Letter to Herts Advertiser,published 22 April 2010

Sir:

Philip Gregory is wrong to accuse St Albans Council of installing dangerous cycle lanes on St Peters Street (Stop this planning madness, April 8). The responsibility for the sorry saga of a scheme that was supposed to improve the lot of pedestrians and cyclists in the city centre rests with Herts Highways.
St Albans Council, working with the St Albans Cycle Campaign, actually deserve a pat on the back. SADC reinstated the existing cycle parking that Herts Highways took out, and then added more. St Albans Council also brought us the Car Club, unfortunately there was not enough take up by the citizens to sustain it, and it was withdrawn.
Mr Gregory's suggested solution to the town centre parking problem will not work. In fact, all the many problems that appear regularly in the newspaper in reports and incorrespondence - parking woes, congestion, air pollution, city centre decline, potholes - are all down to a very simple situation: too many cars. The only workable solution to all these problems is: fewer cars.
There are more cars than parking spaces, there are more cars than the junctions can cope with. Fiddling with traffic lights or one way systems will not solve congestion, it merely moves the traffic queue and the consequent emissions somewhere else. Even potholes - yes, Herts Highways could do better, but the roads take a pounding. The roads would last longer in better condition if they were not so heavily loaded by nose-to-tail traffic.
The solution is more walking and cycling. No emissions to speak of, quicker and more convenient than the car. Yes, really. Correspondents complain of taking 20 minutes to find a parking space, which is enough time to walk a mile. Walking along Lattimore Road or Catherine Street it is routine to overtake a long queue of traffic. Even on more open roads, if there is a junction or traffic lights, a bicycle is as fast as a car: I always reach the lights at the King William before the cars which overtook me along Sandridge Road have gone. Lots of shopping? Bring a trolley, fit panniers on your bike, catch a bus or take a cab home - you've not shelled out for petrol or parking after all.
Walking and cycling are good for our health as individuals. Walking and cycling instead of driving means less air pollution, less noise, more attractive streets, more sociable streets, all good for our city and citizens. No doubt some readers will condemn this letter as 'anti-car'. They are blinkered. Walking and cycling are pro-people modes of transport that do not suffer from or cause parking problems or slow traffic movement.
Anyway, why wait for the Council to spoon feed solutions? Be a doer, get walking and cycling! You will look younger, feel normal and enjoy street life!

Rona Wightman



I am not as tactful as Tom Spaven when writing to the press, I am quite blunt! But if you allow for difference in style, I am saying much the same as Tom did in a letter to the local press published in 2007 - check out other posts under the Local Press tag.
Reading through again, I am perhaps a little hard on Herts Highways - as a member of the public I will always grumble that they should do better, but they do a tremendous amount reasonably well in demanding circumstances and that should not go unappreciated.
And they are brave enough to come along to our meeting on 20th May and promote 20mph, so whilst I reserve the right to grumble, I am eager to encourage and support our public servants in their endeavours to improve our highways infrastructure for the cycling and walking public.
Do use the pothole reporting section on the hertsdirect website, it gets action. Rona

Cycling Tips (Letter to Review Newspaper 19th Nov)

Sir,
I feel I must reply to your correspondent S Turner (ST) (Review November 5) as I am concerned for ST's welfare.

Complaining - as we all are - about the poor state of our roads, ST states that "cyclists spend most of our time close to the kerb and . endure the bump down on to (sunken) drains every few metres" and that it is necessary to come out into the road to avoid them.

I am pleased to see that ST is a keen commuting and leisure cyclist so I am surprised that she/he takes up such an inappropriate position on the road.

The following may be helpful to other readers, perhaps also to ST.

Cycling close to the kerb is often an indication of the inexperienced or untrained beginner cyclist, who assumes that he/she must keep out of the way of those much more important motorists. They almost apologise for being on the road and do not see themselves as having a right to be there as a legitimate part of the traffic.

However they are putting themselves at a severe disadvantage or even at greater risk than adopting and maintaining the correct position some way from the side of the road.

They will not register in the consciousness of many drivers who, as a result, will not allow any space at all when overtaking.

Assert your right to be on the road, see yourself as being part of the traffic behaving responsibly, cooperatively and consistently.

As a general guide you should be cycling about one metre from the kerb (i.e. measured from kerb to wheel centre line), this will give you a bit of space to move left if you encounter a pothole, manhole or oily patch in your path, or if a vehicle passes you a bit too closely. You may think that if you are further from the kerb, then vehicles will pass you more closely. In fact you will find that as you increase your distance from the kerb, so will vehicles tend to increase their passing clearance.

But keep a good lookout ahead for hazards (including pedestrians stepping off the pavement without looking) that involve you moving to the right - don't make sudden deviations - plan ahead and move out early and gradually.

When passing parked cars move further out than normal - a suddenly opened car door can spoil your day. Maintain your position, don't swerve in and out of the gaps in a row of parked cars.

Be aware of what is happening behind you with an occasional glance and constant listening (don't use an iPod or phone)

Do all you can to be visible - lights at night are essential and bright clothing is always advisable.

Cycle training is available for children and adults. It complies with the modern National Standard, addressing today's traffic conditions - visit the Herts CC web page at http://tinyurl.com/6fzpxj or the CTC training pages at http://tinyurl.com/5mrofm for more information, or contact us via www.stacc.org.uk.

Happy Cycling.

Tom S
St Albans Cycle Campaign

The above was published in the local Review Newspaper on 19th November. I am including it as a post as it may be a useful reference when replying to enquiries which STACC receives from time to time.
Space prevented me from putting more tips in the letter, please feel free to add your own tips as comments to this post. Comments on aspects with which you disagree are also welcome. Do continue to write to the local press about cycling issues - your own views. Afterwards add them to the Blog as posts, or email the content to us in order to post them for you. If you see an article or a letter related to cycling from someone else, try to keep the theme going by replying. Newspaper editors like a continuing story.

Potholes- St Albans review R.O.A.R.(s)

The St Albans Review

has launched a pothole campaign in response to news that Hertfordshire council spent more than two million pounds on compensation for damage to vehicles caused by potholes, with St ALbans accounting for 14% of the total.

"We want to put an end to pedestrians suffering trips and falls; we no longer want to hear that another cyclist is in hospital after hitting a pothole and we do not want drivers facing huge bills for car repairs"

They're currently looking for conributions on 'bad roads'

So, sign up to comment on the Herts review website and add your comments on bad roads. Make sure you've reported the issue first at hertsdirect.org or via Fixmystreet.com

St Albans Review - On-Line Comments - Looks Useful

If you read the local free paper St Albans Review, as well as the letters page you will have seen the page and a half of comments which readers have made on line.

It occurs to me that this is a handy way to plug STACC and the cycling message, and has more chance of being printed than a letter.

The more comments on a subject, the higher ranking it seems to get.

Just go to HERE and get typing, anytime you see a relevant article, but it appears that you can only add on-line comment to the 'Most Read' articles listed. (Add a comment to this post if you find out how to comment on any article or reader's letter, not listed as 'Most Read'.)

ALSO: added 26 Oct
The Review's website is not a static version of the printed paper, it is constantly changing with new stories added - and further chances for comment. So you need to keep a regular eye on things.

PS: added 25 Oct
There's currently an article running on line, with opportunity to comment....
Bright ideas for Verulamium Park [HERE]
It's about young people's ideas for the park (but they forgot to say cycling).
Moreover the article says the park is a "haven for ..... cyclists ...." - bit of scope for comment?

Updated 10 April 2008 adding text in green italics

Cycle Usage - Herts Advertiser Letters

In the Herts Advertiser last week there were two letters complaining of difficulties driving in St Albans, which seemed to need a reply, here is what I sent....
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Sir,

Two correspondents on last week’s letters page (Herts Advertiser, April 26th) Jo Tatlock and Barrie Mort made me realise that we in St Albans Cycle Campaign (STACC) have much to do in addressing our principle aim which is “To encourage cycle usage in the St Albans District”.

Both writers complain about problems of driving and finding parking space in St Albans - both mention periods of 20 minutes of queuing or hunting for parking spaces. All they have done is stayed with the car habit so I do not seek to criticise them at all, just to encourage them and other readers who have similar difficulties - to consider if there is a better way.

I note that Jo lives in Harlesden Road and Barrie in Westfields. Both these roads are within easy cycling distance of the city centre. Readers may regard the prospect of cycling with some apprehension; so I thought a practical demonstration of the bike’s speed and convenience would be a gentle, timed round trip between the city centre and each of their homes. I did this on Tuesday May 1st, between 12 noon and 1 p.m.

From Harlesden Road to the Old Town Hall via the quiet route of York Road, Manor Road etc took 11 minutes (including time to lock my bike to the convenient rack - right where the shops are). Return journey by the faster, more direct Hatfield Road - just over 8 minutes.

From the Town Hall to Barrie’s in Westfields via Holywell and St Stephen’s Hills and Watford Road (perhaps too daunting for some) took 15 minutes. Return via (shock horror!!) Verulamium Park and George Street, 13 minutes.

In case readers think that they are too old to cycle, I will add - purely in the interests of scientific research - that I am 72 years old and overweight. (These facts may not be used for any other purpose!!)

An experienced car driver can adapt readily to cycling, because he/she already has all the road sense skills, it’s just a matter of extending these skills a little. Adult cycling courses are available - notably soon - ‘Women On Wheels’ FREE Cycling skills training for women at Luton 4-8 June incl M-F 12:00 - 14:00. Bike supplied or take your own. Details Tel: 01582 547153

STACC can give you lots more advice on cycling - get in touch.

No doubt there will be protests about me riding in Verulamium Park - but if readers can see something more than that from this letter I will count it as a modest step in the right direction.

And for those few who couldn’t ever cycle, don’t forget the buses.

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I didn't give the writers a hard time by saying they - and by implication all similar readers - were foolish for using a car, as I feel that being prescriptive is the wrong way to go. By giving encouragement and setting an example, we can hope that they will suddenly realise, all by themselves, that cycling is a quite reasonable way of getting about.

It's good to keep a topic going, so some supportive responses in next week's HA would nudge the message along a bit more. Over to you.