SPOKES
East Kent Cycle Campaign
| Newsletter Archive | Or if you prefer, you can download in PDF format. |
|
Editorial |
|
Our love affair with the motor car continues unabated. Our local leaders blindly still believe despite everything that the car must be further accommodated at all costs and generally we are happy to let this woeful situation continue. This pervasive collective myopia has resulted in incomplete cycle routes, derisory cycle parking provision, roads which are death traps for all road users, fewer cyclists and greater car use to the detriment of our health and planet. Spokes has therefore decided to start a 20mph campaign for all residential areas in East Kent to be named ‘Twenty's Plenty' and also to compile a Spokes Cycling Facilities Report (‘SCFR') for East Kent. Newcastle, Portsmouth, Oxford and Leicester already have 20mph in residential areas. This has resulted in a dramatic reduction in road deaths and an increase in cycling. The Government is very keen that speed is reduced in residential areas and it has recently published a consultation document on the matter. 20mph is precisely what East Kent so desperately needs for its residential areas if cycling is to increase. Our cycle network in East Kent is not linked up. Some of it works, some of it doesn't. Cycle parking is inconsistent or non-existent and cycle carriage on trains, buses and ferries is unimpressive. Spokes wants to compile a detailed report on cycling facilities in East Kent so that we can better campaign our councils for the necessary improvements. Spokes will shortly publish further details of the Twenty's Plenty campaign. With regard to the SCFR, please contact the Chairman, Steve Fawke and tell him about what cycling facilities you have, if they work and what you would like to have. Active Spokes member, Gregory Williams is undertaking a 3000 mile cycle ride named ‘Three Corners' from Land's End to John O'Groats and back to Dover to raise money for the British Heart Foundation. To sponsor him and for more information visit Gregory's site www.threecornerscycleride.co.uk An article by Sam Webb on Joff Summerfield who completed his world trip on a penny farthing and was met Sam in Dover last November can be found on the SPOKES website. Emily Shirley, Editor |
Chairman's Ramblings & A Big Thank You from Spokes |
|
I would like to say a big thank you on behalf of Spokes and the committee, to Andy McNally. Andy has decided to step down as a committee member and newsletter distribution officer. I would also like to thank his wife Sylvia for all the hard work she has done behind the scenes getting the newsletters out to members. The work of committee members is often very time consuming and thankless and its not until some one decides to step down that everybody else realises just how much that person does quietly in the background. Andy has held several positions in Spokes over the years from Membership Secretary, Newsletter Distribution Officer and even Chairman. Andy and Sylvia also played a major part in the creation and running of the Big Wheel of Kent Ride. His knowledge and guidance has been of great benefit to me personally. We all look forward to seeing you both on the club rides and hope to see a continuation of your guided cycle tours and your newsletter articles. It's been a very busy winter period for Spokes with various regional forum meetings and planning applications going into the various councils we deal with. I am very please to see that the New Bishopstone Glen section of the Oyster Bay Trail has been completed. We are now waiting for the outcome of the Chartham to Canterbury planning application and, by the time you read this we should have the dates for the planning meeting and possibly if things move really fast, possibly even a decision. It is looking very promising though, so please, please, please sign up for the group emails and help us communicate important news and campaign items to you more quickly in the future. To do this go to the website and look for the Google Groups box at the bottom of the Home page. Because of the low take up of the group email we decided to produce a Chartham to Canterbury route information flyer and distributed this by hand, some 1200 copies to key areas along the proposed route. The take up has been excellent with over 150 people writing in support. The Spokes special event stand has also been very busy we have also been canvassing for support of the Chartham to Canterbury planning application in Faversham and at the 189 year celebration of the Crab and Winkle at the Winding Pond. The next big planning application for the two bridges and the extension to the Crab and Winkle Line at Whitstable has also been announced, so once again we need your support. The Crab and Winkle line planning application reference is CA/07/01442/WHI. Please send letters of support to Nicola Hughes at Canterbury City Council. The closing date for letters is the 30th of June and don't forget to add your name and address to your letter of support. Full details can be found on the website and in the newsletter. Steve Fawke |
Letters to the Editor |
|
I'm only 3 1/2 yrs old and I like going to my playschool. But when my Daddy was taking me the other day I was getting really grumpy, and he doesn't like me so much when I grump. Daddy suggested that I send some of my grumps to the paper and he'd help me write it down with real words. Well here goes... I was going along the High Street in my pushchair, trying to be a good girl when these cars kept pointing their pipes with their smelly gasses, right into my face! Why are these pipes on the wrong side of cars and not blowing their stuff somewhere else, instead of into my face? Don't the big adult people who make cars, like children? If they really liked children why can't they make car chimneys point away from the pavement, or put them on the roof like normal chimneys? These people must have been children themselves once. (Or are some people born old?) As I was asking my Daddy these questions, he was too busy trying to find a way round a big thing on wheels, blocking the pavement, I think they are called ‘vans', but I couldn't see much from my pushchair. Now I was getting more grumpy because Daddy couldn't get the pushchair through the gap left on the pavement and I'm now being pushed right into the road full of traffic! I'm looking up at these monsters called lorries and buses with bigger chimneys and I feel the heat and don't like the taste of the gases. I thought pavements were for people and pushchairs, so my grumps were getting worse, and I shouted to my Daddy “I don't want to be part of the traffic; I just want to get to my playschool!” Later on, my Mummy said, “Once upon a time children were sent up chimneys to clean them”, but then I wondered why are children still being connected with chimneys? But she did say there were some really powerful people called Councillors, who can make things better. I do hope they like children, and please will they, or anyone answer my questions, (my Dad's still too busy or has given up!), and then I'll promise not to be grumpy anymore. Maya/Robin Townsend |
Personal Advertisment |
|
My wife is unable to ride a bicycle but feels she would be comfortable riding an adult tricycle. I am looking for a second hand adult tricycle to buy. I will pay a reasonable price and can collect. Please contact me with any offers ( David Clarke) at 07767 444660 or davidclarkeuk@aol.com |
Fishin' gets tedious don't it |
|
The fly goes up and the fly goes down Inspired by the recent Chartham to Canterbury cycle route planning application. (Based on the song ‘Life Gets Tedious Don't It'). Sam Webb |
An Accidental Cycling Journey (From small acorns...) |
As you will know, anger often springs out of ignorance and frustration. It was a few weeks before Christmas last year. We had had a particularly good run of mild weather. I was doing my daily cycling commute across Faversham to school with my youngest daughter. Why wasn't I seeing anyone else cycling? Why was my daughter's bike the only one in the bike shed? Why was my bike the only one parked in town? In a town of almost 20,000 people, why were there not more people out on bicycles? So, in the heat of the moment I rang KCC. I asked “How do we get more people cycling?” After a long and helpful conversation I found myself starting a journey I never expected to be taking. I never thought that I would be persuaded to pick up the gauntlet myself. I had several more conversations with other people in the cycling and sustainable transport world about how to get more people cycling. I read reports, books and magazines and anything I could about the subject. I booked myself on a cycle instructor training course in London. I thought that it might be useful to be able to do some cycle training in the future. It was all happening very fast. My profession for the last 20 years had been marketing. Could I bring this experience and knowledge to help get more people on their bikes? Some friends offered to build me a website (www.cyclingage.co.uk). I created an alter ego, my brand, called CyclingAge. More help came from an experienced local cycling instructor Spencer Morgan of Cycle Circle. Working with Spencer I've honed my teaching skills, got a lot of cycle training hours and maintenance experience under my belt. So today, six months after this accidental journey began, CyclingAge exists and has one simple aim, to help more people to discover the joys of everyday cycling. I'm a member of Spokes and CTC, I'm a Sustrans Volunteer Ranger, I'm training almost every day of the week, blogging, Twittering, Flickring, running Dr Bike clinics and leading rides. Adrian Oliver |
The Three Corners |
Those of you that have met me know that I like lengthy cycle rides. I find that the best way of exploring new places is by bicycle. So, I do just that. I've always wanted to cycle Land's End to John O'Groats, or as it's sometimes called LEJOG or End-to-End. So just over a year ago I set about planning a route. Of course hundreds of cyclists have completed the trip before using various routes and written about their experiences, so I first turned to Google for help (Well I'm a software developer, so Google's often the answer…). I quickly stumbled upon The Ultimate Links List of Land's End to John o'Groats Cycle Trips[1]. This proved extremely useful, and I was amazed to read the many accounts of rides. Did you know that the fastest time is non-stop in 41 hours 4 minutes, and 22 seconds?!. I'm not planning quite such an ambitious time as that :-). I kept reading and hearing again and again that other riders would have preferred to balance out the amount of climbing they attempt to achieve per day, instead of the distance covered, and also that most of the tough climbing is at the Land's End portion of the ride in the Southwest, rather than as you might expect amongst the Scottish mountains. Being the techie and planner that I am, and with my enthusiasm for mapping that you may have read about in previous Spokes newsletters, I decided to invest in a piece of software called Memory-Map. With this I'm able to have a copy of the OS Landranger maps for the whole of the UK upon which I can plot out my planned route. Handy features allow me to see the height profile and total climb & descent for each day's riding. Ideal for a trip like this. So, the months passed and I gradually planned the miles in my spare evenings. My mind started thinking about the logistics of getting to / from each end of the ride a bit more. By train seemed the best idea; because a car could only be left at one end or the other. But, my mind being unconventional as it is, I opted for the another “logical” means: Cycling to / from each end. And so The Three Corners was born. Dover would be added to the loop to form the third corner. If you read LEJOG accounts you'll not surprisingly see that many of them have benefited a charity along the way. In my mind this is the moral thing to do; if a worthy charity can benefit from such an endeavour then they should. My chosen charity is the British Heart Foundation, whom I've supported for a number of years, including riding the London to Brighton Bike Ride for the past few years (which incidentally I won't be able to participate in this year because of this slightly longer ride). As I'm sure you're aware the work of the BHF helps to save thousands of lives each year through their funding of research into new treatments and the support information that they make available. So, if you can spare a few pounds then sponsorship to support them via my website[2] will be most welcome. My planned route for the trip is just short of 3000 miles, but I'm sure that I'll manage to break the 3000 milestone through getting lost and random excursions along the way. Amongst the highlights of my planned route will be Loch Lomand & The Trossachs National Park, The Cairngorms, and Dartmoor. For many of the miles I'll be using sections of the National Cycle Network, including following most of NCR1 from John O'Groats back home on the return leg. A map of the route can be found online[2]. I'll also be keeping an online diary of my trip at the same location. Of course I'm not about to undertake such an ambitious trip completely blind, so for just over a week covering the Easter break I cycle-camped from Fishguard, on the west coast of Wales, back to Canterbury. The route followed NCR47, through the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park and the Rhondda, NCR4 into the centre of London, and then NCR1 back home. I've placed many photos of the trip online[3]. The trip allowed me to get used to long distance cycling with luggage on consecutive days and I've made a few changes to the Three Corners trip as a result, most notably that I'll be using B&Bs instead of camping in order to keep the overall weight down. I set off on my adventure at 08:00 on Sunday 14th June from outside Canterbury West station. I'll get back home a little over two months later on Saturday 22nd of August. The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed that Spokes have a bike ride from London Bridge station back to Canterbury on the same day. It's my intention to join the ride where NCR1 emerges from the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, and no doubt spend the rest of the day relaying many tales of my adventures over the past two months. For those of you unable to make the ride I will of course be writing a follow-up article for the Spokes newsletter. [1] http://www.users.waitrose.com/~ianclare/links.htm [2] http://www.threecornerscycleride.co.uk/ [3] http://www.flickr.com/photos/gregorywilliams/sets/72157616977863858/ Gregory Williams |
Artist uses cycle journey to confront issues of illness and identity |
On 31st May, Jean Fraser, multi-media artist and health activist who has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease – a debilitating lung condition causing extreme breathlessness and oxygen deprivation - sets off on a coastal cycle journey between Hastings and the Isle of Wight – a huge challenge for somebody with this condition. Jean uses her body and its diagnosis as a source of artwork, a means of exploring aspects of illness and identity, and her place within the environments she encounters. Using cycling in her art practice represents Jean’s interest in sustainable living. This journey is part of Jean’s Drawing Breath art project and she will be photographing and documenting her experiences on the blog page of her website: www.drawingbreath.org. She leaves the Lifeboat Station in Hastings at 11.00 am, accompanied on the first day by the Hastings Urban Bike group and her ride finishes on the Isle of Wight on 28th June. Jean will be visiting Breathe Easy support groups for people with lung disease along the south coast. She stops off at Eastbourne District General Hospital on Wednesday 17th June during the British Lung Foundation’s Breathe Easy Week to construct a giant balloon sculpture of “community lungs”, using the breath of patients, visitors and staff. Along the route a number of Breathe Easy communities will show their support before she crosses on the ferry to the Isle of Wight the next morning to take part in a coast to coast fundraising ride organized by Breathe Easy Isle of Wight. She also plans to build a life-size balloon bicycle with the public on the beach at Ryde. Jean says: “I want my artwork to raise awareness of lung disease, challenge its stigma and demonstrate the potential of exercise to maintain quality of life. It also keep me whole and sane!” ‘Drawing Breath Recycled: Maps and Journeys’, a collaborative touring exhibition about Jean’s previous ride between Whitstable and Hastings in 2007 will also be showing at Eastbourne Hospital when Jean is there. Further bookings of the exhibition are happening in the Autumn and in 2010. Jean welcomes the opportunity for further community collaborations. For more information about Jean’s ride or exhibition times and venues, or to sponsor her, see Jean’s website www.drawingbreath.org and www.justgiving.com/jeanfraser. Jean Fraser |
Up Mount Everest on a Penny Farthing |
|
The day after Guy Fawkes’ Day 2008 Joff Summerfield set foot at Dover Eastern Docks after 2 ½ years away. Cycling round the world all on your own is a daunting task. To do it on a Penny-Farthing bike makes it somewhat awesome. He first contacted me through Spokes way back in 2000 asking if we could give him an escort from Maidstone to Dover on his first Penny Farthing world trip. He got there and then fate struck. He was rushed to hospital with serious knee problems and a series of operations. On his second attempt in 2003 he got as far as Budapest before knee problems struck again. Then in 2005 he was ready to try again but crashed on a training run breaking bones. So this last time he thought he wouldn’t tell anyone and just set of quietly from Greenwich on Saturday 20th May 2006. Asked what was the most memorable part of the trip he said, “Tibet and the ride from Chengdu in China to Lhasa”. Of course he couldn’t resist a ride up Mount Everest to Base Camp and reached 17,000 feet. That’s 5,181m and it’s difficult to breath above 4,000m. So difficult at night, that if you camp at those heights you can’t get enough oxygen through your nostrils to breath. So each time he was at those altitudes he made sure he was on a descent so he would be able to sleep safely. Getting into Tibet from China was not easy. You need a visa and you can’t go in alone. Especially on a bike. At the border you can go one of 3 ways. Forward into Tibet, south to Yunnan or back the way you came. He told the Chinese border guard he was going south. That satisfied him and Joff slept the night in a shed on the border waiting for the first sign of light. When it came he carefully angled his bike under the border barrier past a sleeping Chinese sentry with a rifle and crossed the bridge. Of course on the other side was another barrier and another sleeping sentry complete with rifle. He got through and made off into Tibet. Asked what could have happened if he had been caught he said the best would have been deportation, “but sometimes people just disappear”. He got through 7 tents and about the same number of shoes. His tyres were solid and he did retreads en route by cutting up bike tyres, which you can buy all over the world, gluing them on and trimming the sticking out bits with a knife. The last retread was in San Francisco and they still looked like they had many miles left in Canterbury which is only to be expected from someone who built his own bike. He arrived back in Greenwich on Sunday 9th November 2008 at 1pm after a trip of 22,000 miles. Joff has a website with wonderful pix and details of his charity: Sam Webb |
Spokes needs your support -
If you would like to join Spokes,
please complete the online joining form and send it off.
