Newsletter for Autumn 2009

Front cover

Greg Williams arrives home after his Three Corners Cycle Ride, welcomed by his parents. Greg completed the tour on schedule. For more information, see his website - http://threecornerscycleride.org.uk/

Editorial

The good news is that work has started at last on the Canterbury to Chartham cycle route. The not so good news is there is only money to for it to go so far. KCC seems to have withdrawn their share of the cash. Maybe it’s disappeared down a black hole in Iceland. We will have to wait until next year’s pot of money for the second half to be built.

What has been built so far from Toddler’s Cove looks great and at the time of writing in late August it had reached as far as the railway viaduct carrying the line into Canterbury East and the field beyond. Why has it taken so long to get this far? 17 years since it was first surveyed. What is it about cycling and the British that causes such grief and such a lack of commitment?

The All Party Cycling Committee of MPs recently paid a trip to Holland to find out how the Dutch order things. In the 1960s, when it appeared that cycling was going to go the way of the dinosaurs, a group of parents got together and through a campaign convinced the government that it would be in everyone’s interests for their children to be able to cycle to school. No one in Holland would think of taking a car if they could cycle. Besides they say, cycling is far more enjoyable.

A similar change of heart happened in Denmark after the 1973 Gulf War and that particular Oil Crisis. The Danes built a series of shared use paths linking everything together in towns and then linked the towns. What did we do? We built more cars, more roads and turned Building Societies into banks through demutualisation.

Of course in the short term it appeared to be “a good idea” creating new jobs and new growth. On the way 30 years ago we hitched our star to moneterism and Reagonomics while bankers paid themselves obscene amounts of money as if it was their birthright. Just like they did in the South Sea Bubble.

The bubble burst in 2007. All bubbles do that. People rushed to take their money out of Northern Rock and we began to discover such things we had never heard of before like sub-prime mortgages. What has this got to do with a cycle path alongside the River Stour linking Chartham with Canterbury? Well KCC invested £50m or 9% of their money in 3 Icelandic banks. Less than a week later the banks went bust. KCC say they don’t have a liquidity problem. How do they make up the shortfall? They just make cuts.

Sam Webb, Guest Editor

Chairman's Ramblings

This has been another busy summer for all of us in the committee. The events stand has been out promoting cycling and distributing information throughout the region. The stand is proving a great success and we’re now targeting town centres all over Kent.

We have also been on the campaign trail in regards the Chartham to Canterbury Route and I’m very pleased to say that we were successful, so a big thank you to everybody who wrote letters of support and helped out. The Chartham Route was years in the making and though several people deserve praise, I would like to personally thank Sheila Webb cofounder of SPOKES for her energy and persistence in helping to make this fabulous new route a reality. Sheila has now retired from committee life but I’m sure will still be a very active member of SPOKES.

Another important planning application the two Bridges and the extension to the Crab and Winkle Line is still in the balance and is not expected to go before Canterbury planners until late September.

Orbiturary
It is with great sadness that I have to report the passing of fellow committee member Bill Goldfinch aged 93. Bill was a great inspiration to all who knew him and will be sadly missed.

Steve Fawke

CyclingAge

This Summer, CyclingAge has been working with CTC to establish three Age Concern Cycling Clubs in Kent exclusively for the over 50s.

The Clubs are part of the Fit as a Fiddle BIG Lottery funded project from Age Concern designed to improve the health and well-being of the over 50s.

For two hours each week over the course of the summer Adrian Oliver and Spencer Morgan delivered a range of free cycling activities at the clubs in Ashford, Maidstone & Sittingbourne.

CyclingAge wanted the Clubs to show people how to have fun and enjoyment whilst improving their health and enhancing their cycling skills. All the riders were taken through Level 1 and 2 of the new National Standards for Cycle Training making them more confident, assertive and safer cyclists.

There was a good mix of people ranging from very experienced to some that hadn’t been on a bike since their childhood and even one or two complete beginners. Some were doing it to get fit whilst others just wanted to keep up with their grandchildren.

Two people from each club have been trained to lead rides so that their club can keep meeting regularly and continue enjoying social, leisurely cycling and have fun!

CyclingAge, www.cyclingage.co.uk

The CTC goes wild in Thanet

SPOKES is often asked for good places to cycle in Kent so when the CTC Head Office phoned with a request for what to do in Thanet we were ready to oblige. Ride on the Viking Trail we said.

As Chris Juden said in his write up in the August/September issue of the CTC magazine, “I know of no other place in the whole 11,000 miles of Britain’s coastline where you can cycle this close to the sea for so far!” Now that’s praise indeed.

If you want to cycle this in the company of others why not join the Viking Bike Ride on 11 October. See SPOKES Events list for details.

All cyclists should join the CTC for the many benefits it offers. One of them is free £10m third party insurance as part of your membership. SPOKES is affiliated to the CTC and now that Sustrans and the CTC have joined forces it is the largest cycling organisation in the UK. The CTC is busy putting all of the magazines dating back to the 19C on the web. Soon the August/Sept issue will be posted. www.ctc.org.uk

Rangers make a difference

SPOKES works with a number of partners as part of its East Kent cycle campaign. One of these partners is Sustrans, the sustainable transport charity. A number of SPOKES members are Sustrans Volunteer Rangers, helping to maintain sections of the National Cycle Network in East Kent.

Rangers carry out all kinds of tasks, from clearing vegetation to improving the route signs. If you’d like to do something to actively help promote cycling and know that you're making a positive difference, then volunteer as a Ranger. For more information visit www.sustrans.org.uk and click on “Get Involved” at the top of the page.

Accident

There was a very serious accident reported to SPOKES at about 1.45pm on 3rd August on the Crab & Winkle involving a woman cyclist and a woman van driver. The cyclist received serious injuries, broken ribs, a punctured lung and fractured pelvis. She has now left hospital. The cyclist was coming from Whitstable and as she crossed the junction with Tyler Hill Road she was hit by the van. Two SPOKES members were cycling in the opposite direction and had safely crossed over and passed the cyclist when they heard the noise of the collision. They went back and were able to help the young woman and call the ambulance.

A number of issues arise as a result of this. When you dial 999 you are directed to a call centre which has no idea where Tyler Hill crosses the Crab & Winkle. It took the ambulance quite a while to find it. Maybe these junctions need a sign with the postcode.

This junction is obscured both for vehicle drivers and cyclists. All the old road markings have worn away. The speed limit is 60mph on a narrow country lane with bends just before the junction is reached. Although there are signs warning cyclists about the junction the track surface is not good and as you do need to look at this you can miss the signs if unused to the route.

The police who attended the accident asked that Kent Highways be informed and both the two SPOKES members and SPOKES have reported it. Kent Highways have said they will be putting down some new road markings both on the road and on the cycle route which now has some blacktop near the junction. They will also look at the signs and safety aspect of this crossing.

SPOKES doesn’t know who the cyclist was but we hope she is much better.

AGM

This year’s AGM will be on Wednesday 28th October and will again be in the Friend’s Meeting House, 6 The Friars, Canterbury CT1 2AS. Doors open at 7pm and the AGM will start at 7.30pm.

Along with the usual AGM business we will have an update of what’s going on in the county by our new Kent Cycle Officer Anna Michalska-Dober.

Our main speaker this year will be Joff Summerfield who spent 2½ years cycling round the world on a penny farthing which he built himself.

Joff has a website with wonderful pix and details of his charity: http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3Tzut&doc_id=1451&v=1Ts (Or go to http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/joff and then click on the Journals entry titled “A Penny Farthing World Tour (My third attempt!)”

Chengdu to Lasha is pages 28-41. Mount Everest is page 40.

You can also see reports of his trip on the BikeRadar website. Go to http://www.bikeradar.com/ and search for “Joff”.

The Cyclepath Dance

Well we will get there in the end.
The fly goes up and the fly goes down
As I rode home on a summer’s night
When stars in heaven were shining bright
Far away from the headlights’ glare
Into the sweet and scented air
Of a quaint old Kentish Town

Bourne from afar on the gentle breeze
Joining the murmur of rustling trees
Distant tones of an old world dance
Played by cycle bells perchance
On the quiet air came floating down

I thought I could hear the curious sound
Of Canterbury Planners coming into town
Maps, Files, Cups of Tea
Everybody ready with a Strategy
Ring your bike bells if you can
All together in the Chartham Cyclepath Plan!

Sam Webb

Book Review: Hunting the Golden Lion

SPOKES member and long distance cyclist Martin Lloyd is a prolific writer. Martin set out on his Quixotic quest to cycle through France by staying only in hotels called the Hotel du Lyon d’Or.

Of course it would be far too easy if they were all a leisurely day’s ride apart and his bike was regularly serviced and he had remembered to take everything he needed.

So is this why on the first day of his safari he is standing in his pyjamas on a pavement 1000 miles from home clutching a broken bike with a bleeding hand?

For a man who doesn’t believe in maintenance for his bike then discovers that if you give a quick squirt of Savlon into a squeaky pedal it solves all problems for the next 6 months then this is the book for you. It’s a very funny read.

You can order your book direct from: Queen Anne’s Fan, PO Box 883, Canterbury CT1 3WJ, cost £7.99 p&p included.

Martin Lloyd