As I left work on Tuesday (23 October), I noticed a denser level of traffic than usual around Deansgate, the air seemed that extra bit noxious and there was palpable frustration emanating from the occupants of the hundreds upon hundreds of...
Banging on about bikes
On the National Funeral for the Unknown Cyclist
On Saturday 13 October we travelled down to London to attend the first National Funeral for the Unknown Cyclist, at which I had been invited to speak. The aims of the event, which was organised by the Stop Killing Cyclists pressure...
October 18, 2018
On getting back on the horse (bike)
It’s been around three weeks since a spate of run-ins with motorised morons caused me to take a break from cycle-commuting for the sake of my physical safety and mental health in equal measure. Since then I’ve been sampling the delights...
October 3, 2018
The road to hell is paved with chocolate and cars
Love the sentiments in this. Cycling isn’t just transport or exercise: it’s pure joy. And no one should not feel safe enough to partake. That’s why we keep fighting.
October 2, 2018
On starting a conversation about Beelines with the good folk of Prestwich
Background Beelines is arguably the most important local transport initiative I will experience in my lifetime. A plan to create a network of a thousand miles of safe routes across the Greater Manchester city-region to enable increased levels of walking and...
September 30, 2018
On banging on about (Mo)bikes on the BBC World Service
Last week I was invited to appear on World Business Daily on the BBC World Service to talk about why Mobike had failed in Manchester. Having recently blogged on the demise of the Chinese bike-sharing scheme here, I was happy to...
September 19, 2018
On not commuting by bike
Well folks, since my epic whinge last week I haven’t been commuting by bike and to be honest haven’t overly missed it. Basically I crossed the line from being battle-hardened to being shell-shocked and at the moment I just can’t face...
September 18, 2018
On whether cycling is worth it at all
Folks, tonight I feel closer to quitting the whole cycling lark than I’ve ever been. This week, still only four days old, I’ve had so many depressing, worrying, dangerous incidents that it’s sapped what little joy I’ve managed to muster since...
September 13, 2018
On Mobike’s Manchester demise
In June 2017 Chinese bike-sharing company Mobike selected Manchester and Salford as the first location in Europe to trial its app-driven dockless-bike scheme. Much fanfare surrounded the launch, both in the UK and the Far East, and it was of course...
September 9, 2018
On inclusivity in cycling, privilege and knowing when to shut up and listen
Cycle campaigners are fond of the maxim: “build it and they will come“, i.e. if you create a safe environment for people to cycle in, then people will, of their own volition, change habits and start cycling. But is it really...
August 31, 2018
