Much cheeriness there
And mega cheeriness from me, to the point where I'm wondering if something is about to go bang in my face.
Just about to begin to commence 2 weeks holidays, the first of which is to be spent gadding about the Yorkshire dales in (apparently) blazing sunshine. So a few days 'bikepacking' (ahem) and maybe a few days in a campsite doing some walking and a day ride or two.

Just done a few errands in the bike and it felt good to not use the car I used to use the bike for every journey but now it’s more for sport and pleasure, so nice to use the bike for more humble outings

Doesn’t the sun make everything much more pleasant

Today's cheeriness really started yesterday had a great day out on an old motorbike and visited HQ Quarters where I drank tea and chatted with Stu and Dee for a couple of hours . I got back without incident with the emergency sandwiches uneaten and some properly ringing ears which finally stopped at lunchtime today adding to the overall sense of cheeriness . Now where did i leave my copy of What Ear Plug ?

voodoo_simon wrote: ↑Fri Jul 08, 2022 7:51 pm Doesn’t the sun make everything much more pleasant

Pretty much.

Headed over to my brother's this AM to start on another section of wall but on pulling up by the first gap the van was mobbed by a swarm of clegs. I'd been bitten even before I got my boots on! (Note, Smidge doesn't work against Cumbrian clegs ) Moved to a field where they aren't so bad, in fact hardly any, and was good for the rest of the day.

Friday night bivvy in an old railway station. Not on bike so not a BaM.

Obviously 'LADIES' are a closed door to Reg....

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Jul 08, 2022 10:30 pm Friday night bivvy in an old railway station. Not on bike so not a BaM.

Obviously 'LADIES' are a closed door to Reg....

If it’s not a bivvy, it’s vagrancy

BigdummySteve wrote: ↑Sat Jul 09, 2022 10:53 pm If it’s not a bivvy, it’s vagrancy

Aye, the S*x Pistols wrote a song about me - Pretty Vagrant .

Went out for a ride with Mrs P around some new estates east of our town. These road designers are still clueless when it comes to walking/cycling. One road that was straight has been diverted, using four right-angled bends. At one of those bends we had to cross from a shared-use path on one side over to the other side - life-in-your-hands job it was. Firstly the main school for the area is 100 yards away and this is a major route to it; secondly the new roads here seem excessively wide for residential use for some reason; there's no central "refuge" (especially important given the width); there's no actual toucan infrastructure at all; and finally the crossing is right on the bend!

In fact there's two crossings next to each other, the first one we wanted to cross, and a second right on the bend itself.





Have sent a whinge to my usual contact which I'm sure they'll be thrilled to read on Monday.

Well this cheered me up. Time to move west I think!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62020427

"levels of cycling, walking and friendliness - stopping and talking to neighbours - had all been shown to rise when traffic speeds were lowered". Obvs.

Not everyone keen: "Cyclists are having a whale of a time on Liverpool Road because they can do more than 20mph on their bikes and we can't do more than 20mph in a car - so I've had quite a lot of reports of people being overtaken by cycles.".

Aww, diddums! The tables are turned. Cyclists overtaking cars! Shocking.

I await the first enormous fine for a cyclist doing a 'close pass' of a car

I've just seen that Reg - sadly, some people seem easily confused and appear to think it's a 20mph blanket limit across the entire Welsh road network. There is the argument of more pollution (ICE aren't very efficient at low speed - most efficient at maximum torque which will generally be higher up the rev range) but if we consider the big picture, then it can't be bad ... unless of course, it's an easy way to generate increased revenue through speeding fines

As mentioned a while ago, Reg's proposal for residential areas is even more reasonable: blanket 10mph speed limit, remove all road signs and 'furniture', remove all road markings, raise all carriageways to kerb level or vice versa. Everyone has to 'filter in turn' at 'junctions'. All 'road', ie shared space, users would have to communicate and cooperate with each other and play nicely.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:03 am some people seem easily confused and appear to think it's a 20mph blanket limit across the entire Welsh road network.

That'd be interesting

We’ve got large areas near me at 20mph, seems cars are still eager to get past the cyclist no matter what the limit is

Most cars will drive about 25mph in the 20 zone which is better than the previous 35mph in the 30 zone

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:03 am unless of course, it's an easy way to generate increased revenue through speeding fines

I'm of your persuasion that laws generally get avoided by those they're meant to catch . Also I can be a bit of a rebellious old bugger but I'm quite happy for dosh to be extracted from lawbreakers; considering the UK govt (and indeed population) has been bankrupt for years and it's getting worse by the minute, I'd prefer that to dosh extraction from non-lawbreakers.

It amuses me that political parties and newspapers of the hangem n floggem Loran Ordah persuasion suddenly have a huge blind spot when it comes to road traffic law infringements, indeed they seem to actively encourage them or at the very least treat them as "a bit of high spirits" or a bit of a laugh.

I did think “Ah, bless” when I read the quotes about drivers being put out.

The centre of our village has had a 20mph zone for at least ten years and that includes a major main road. Doesn’t appear to be a problem. At peak times it’s quicker to walk as the whole place snarls up anyway. The snarl ups are mostly caused by the railway level crossing being shut for up to 40 minutes in every hour.

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:54 am "Cyclists are having a whale of a time on Liverpool Road because they can do more than 20mph on their bikes and we can't do more than 20mph in a car"

Just re-read this bit. Where does she get the idea that cyclists "can" do more than 20mph. Presumably she means to say "allowed". Obviously the limit applies to all road users - vehicles, bikes, camels, geese, whatever.

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 2:28 pm

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:54 am "Cyclists are having a whale of a time on Liverpool Road because they can do more than 20mph on their bikes and we can't do more than 20mph in a car"

Just re-read this bit. Where does she get the idea that cyclists "can" do more than 20mph. Presumably she means to say "allowed". Obviously the limit applies tp all road users - vehicles, bikes, camels, geese, whatever.

Speed limits only apply to motorised vehincles if memory serves Reg.

Cycling at 25 in a 20 might attract a "wanton and furious cycling" charge if the OB could catch you though.

Looks like generous shared cycleways in your road pics up above. Keep us updated on the final form and what you council buddy says.

In Reverse wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:55 pm Speed limits only apply to motorised vehincles if memory serves Reg.

Cycling at 25 in a 20 might attract a "wanton and furious cycling" charge if the OB could catch you though.

Looks like generous shared cycleways in your road pics up above. Keep us updated on the final form and what you council buddy says.

Ooh ta Andy, didn't know that. Have squirrelled away for future use . I wonder if a driver could be done if they switched their engine off and rolled downhill breaking the speed limit .

Aye will try and report back about the crossings.

In Reverse wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:55 pm

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 2:28 pm

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:54 am "Cyclists are having a whale of a time on Liverpool Road because they can do more than 20mph on their bikes and we can't do more than 20mph in a car"

Just re-read this bit. Where does she get the idea that cyclists "can" do more than 20mph. Presumably she means to say "allowed". Obviously the limit applies tp all road users - vehicles, bikes, camels, geese, whatever.

Speed limits only apply to motorised vehincles if memory serves Reg.

Cycling at 25 in a 20 might attract a "wanton and furious cycling" charge if the OB could catch you though.

Don't try this on an E-Bike then!!

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:05 am As mentioned a while ago, Reg's proposal for residential areas is even more reasonable: blanket 10mph speed limit, remove all road signs and 'furniture', remove all road markings, raise all carriageways to kerb level or vice versa. Everyone has to 'filter in turn' at 'junctions'. All 'road', ie shared space, users would have to communicate and cooperate with each other and play nicely.

Apart from the mandatory speed limit they tried all of that as an experiment in a Dutch town, it was an astounding success. Drivers slowed down, without the illusion of separation provided by a curb they instinctively recognised the venerability of pedestrians and drove accordingly. I’ve noticed something similar in Banbury there’s a set of traffic lights in the town centre, when they fail it’s far from chaos, in fact the traffic flows better.
That said Dutch folk do seem as a whole to be rather nice so perhaps there are too many knobheads in the UK for it to work?

BigdummySteve wrote: ↑Thu Jul 14, 2022 9:22 pm too many knobheads in the UK for it to work

Ah. I knew someone would spot the glaring flaw in my cunning plan! Back to the drawing board.....

Have we done Timmy Mallet yet? He’s cycling around the coast of Britain, sadly I picked up this story after he passed my way but well worth a follow

BigdummySteve wrote: ↑Thu Jul 14, 2022 9:22 pm

RIP wrote: ↑Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:05 am As mentioned a while ago, Reg's proposal for residential areas is even more reasonable: blanket 10mph speed limit, remove all road signs and 'furniture', remove all road markings, raise all carriageways to kerb level or vice versa. Everyone has to 'filter in turn' at 'junctions'. All 'road', ie shared space, users would have to communicate and cooperate with each other and play nicely.

Apart from the mandatory speed limit they tried all of that as an experiment in a Dutch town, it was an astounding success. Drivers slowed down, without the illusion of separation provided by a curb they instinctively recognised the venerability of pedestrians and drove accordingly. I’ve noticed something similar in Banbury there’s a set of traffic lights in the town centre, when they fail it’s far from chaos, in fact the traffic flows better.
That said Dutch folk do seem as a whole to be rather nice so perhaps there are too many knobheads in the UK for it to work?

They have tried it over here too - Paignton in Cheshire. Dunt work for people with visual impairments as they haven't got kerb lines to cue them and tend to wander in front of large vehicles which will still kill you if they hit you at 10mph.

I could bang on about 20 limits and zones for yonks but I don't do that kind of thing any more thank goodness....

Fair point re visually-impaired Phil, but presumably "we have the technology" these days to assist?

RIP wrote: ↑Fri Jul 15, 2022 9:30 pm Fair point re visually-impaired Phil, but presumably "we have the technology" these days to assist?

Dunno - you'd think so. They tell us that they don't....

The solution is for people to look out for other road users. Bad example - I was following a car the other day which was bumbling along a rural road at low speed (brake lights all over the place, crossing white line etc. etc) when we came across a ped. The ped jumped into the verge and muppet drove past without so much as an attempt at giving her some space. I pulled into the opposite lane (tons of forward visibility) gave her a wave of thanks, she smiled at me (days highlight) and I went on my way. I then slammed passed muppet on the inside at the next corner (I didn't)

Yay, very spontaneously booked tickets last night to go to Escape music festival in Swansea in August with my daughter!
I'm loving being fifty!