Background When I first became involved in cycle campaigning in the early 2010s, there was nowhere in Greater Manchester that showcased best practice in cycling infrastructure design – you’d have to travel to somewhere like the Netherlands (or London at a...
Any discussion of the merits of cycling infrastructure in the UK will inevitably throw up the phrase “what about the Netherlands?” And it was precisely this sentiment that resonated with us earlier this year as we pondered where to go cycle...
Hi there and thanks for having me. My message is short – everyone should go to Holland. Yes, to stuff your face with pancakes, to hear the wind in the trees lining every road, to marvel at what’s on offer in...
It was with a very heavy heart earlier this week that I broke the news to the WalkRide GM steering group, and even more painfully to the members of my local WalkRide Prestwich & Whitefield activists’ group, that I would be...
Ever since the unfortunate demise of Mobike in 2018 after just a year of operation, Greater Manchester has been devoid of a workable bike-hire scheme, with much speculation around what would replace the briefly iconic brushed-steel and orange cycles from China....
It’s fair to say that Bury Council hasn’t traditionally been a leader when it comes to providing quality infrastructure for active travel – especially not cycling. Remember for example the manifold frustrations of trying to convince them to cycle-proof Prestwich High...
This is a companion post to my video of my mini-tour of the Morecambe Bay Cycleway, which I cycled over a weekend in August 2020. Given that bikepacking is a comparatively new form of cycle touring (or rather, carrying gear on...
One of the few positives to have emerged from the coronavirus lockdown has been a veritable boom in cycling. People have turned to the bicycle not only for daily exercise, but perhaps more importantly for commuting to avoid the risk of...
Yesterday (9 May 2020) the government announced a comprehensive package of measures to boost walking and cycling (“active travel”) as we emerge from phase one of lockdown. These include: £2 billion investment in active travel including £250 million for immediate pop-up...
Background Admittedly, a travelogue about a few days in a European capital may seem somewhat untimely given current circumstances, but I have photos to share, an urge to write and it’s vaguely escapist. Plus there’s a little pandemic-related epilogue if you...
