Cycling UK Forum

I don't want the standards denigrated by companies or instructors taking shortcuts in the name of throughput. However, I don't believe that it is possible to take the example of a single child, or even a single Bikeability provider, and use that to say that that the standards of Bikeability are not being adequately monitored.

You could try sending an email to ctsbenquiries@sdgworld.net. They can provide you with the facts about registration and oversight. They may also have a formal process by which you can make a complaint or inform them of possible variations from the standard delivery. If they don't, they should. Failing any satisfaction from that, take it up with the CTC. The CTC is represented on the CTSB.

Good luck.

The custodian body is the Cycle Standards Training Board http://www.dft.gov.uk/ctsb/ on which the CTC is represented.

Instructors must be certified. See http://www.bikeability.org.uk/professio ... ructor.php for how that process works. I don't think that the companies are regulated in any way, but they have to provide some documentary evidence to register their schemes. However, it is the instructor who is responsible for training and assessment, however much time a company or manager thinks it will take.

Of course, the instructor won't get anything like £27 per hour.

But your friend should talk to some other providers, not only for how long they think training will take, but also how much they will charge.

And, yes, it's silly that a child has to provide a certificate. Do the children who walk to school have to provide I-know-the-green-cross-code certificates?

Maybe your friend's child can ride almost to school, lock up the bike to a sign post, then walk the last little way?

If they are registered they have to meet the Bikeability criteria

http://www.bikeability.org.uk/professio ... istration/

There are plenty of instructors out there who aren't registered, though I don't believe they can provide Bikeability certificates. It might be possible to achieve level 1 (off-road) in one-on-one instruction with a cyclist who is already reasonably competent in a very short period of time. Do you know what certificate the child must supply?

I'd suggest your friend contact the County Council, and/or check the list of instructors on the CTC site http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=4747

Talk to two or three other instructors/companies, and see what they say.

The driving tests vary considerably from one state to another. Some states have a system that is similar to here (although admittedly, still easier to pass), while others will give you a license if you can drive around the block and stop at a stop sign with a police officer in your car. The best thing is, if you fail the test in one state, you can always go get your driving license from one that has easier tests!??

I've seen people doing the sorts of things Stoobs listed. In the USA, it's certainly more common to do other things while driving. Eating, for example, is very common. What else is a drive-thru for? Get extra napkins so the fries don't get the steering wheel all greasy...

But I've witnessed similar and equally dangerous behaviours on the roads in the UK.

-A driver applying mascara while going 70 + MPH down the A12
- A lorry driver with a folding map unfolded across the streering wheel while driving round the roundabout at the A132 / A127 junction near Basildon

Oh, and lots of people using phones.

All of the rural parts of the route I've been on are quite good, on quiet roads and rather scenic. I'm not certain about the bits through Colchester. I haven't used the NCN through Colchester, but there are some reasonable alternatives to the 'traffic free' sections. The off-road bit near Hadleigh Suffolk is on former railway bed. It's unpaved, but usually pretty good for cycling, as long you don't want to go 20 mph. I don't recall any awkward obstructions (I think maybe there are fences to keep cars off), but I don't remember for certain. I also don't know about the off-road bits in Ipswich, as I haven't cycled there.

The best bits of NCN1 are probably east & north of Chelmsford. If you know the route out of London is okay, I'd probably recommend using NCN1, but use another route around Chelmsford from Writtle. If you bypass it to the north, you can pick up NCN 16, and rejoin NCN1 at Great Totham.

Be aware that there are some places on NCN 1around Chelmsford that have those silly anti-motorcycle chicanes. They aren't bad with a standard bike and panniers, but can be awkward with tandems, trailers, etc. I'm not certain about other off-road sections. I've only used NCN 1 east of Writtle.

Enjoy the ride.

The difference is not caused so much by how planners see cycles, but what their priorities are. In Denmark, outside of Copenhagen, there are many fewer segregated facilities, and rural cyclists are still expected to mix it in with other traffic. The difference in Copenhagen, cities in the Netherlands, and other places that have good cycling facilites is that planners have focused on reducing congestion and improving traffic flows. One of the keys to this is making it easier to get about using other forms of transportation than the car.

I lived for a while in Madison, Wisconsin which has a combination of segregated cycle paths and lanes, contraflow for bicycles on one-way streets, pedestrian zones where cycles are permitted, bus/bike lanes, and a few places where only residents & their visitors are permitted to drive and park (but anyone can cycle or walk). Additionally, parking for cars is expensive and scarce; and parking for bikes is ubiquitous and free. The consequence is that journey times on bicycle are typically half what they are in cars, unless you are merely driving through.

On the other hand, infrastrucutre in the UK, in general, is worse than other places where I've driven and cycled. Roads are narrower and have fewer parking facilities. It is harder to get around and takes longer using either car or bicycle. The vast majority of the roads I enjoy cycling on in the UK are narrow country lanes. I believe that in most places I've driven and cycled (North America and Europe) these would all be wide enough for two cars to pass each other, while here, they are often not. Admittedly, some places in North America, they would be gravel roads, but only in areas with much lower population density. Cities in other countries (even cities that are much smaller than London) have ring roads that are four or more lanes in each direction all the way around. The M25 narrows to become effectively two lanes in each direction in at least three places. A road like the A12 (high volume of traffic, connecting the capitol city with important towns and ports,etc.) would, in most countries be limited access, three lanes in each direction from London to Ipswich (with hard shoulder) and two lanes in each direction beyond Ipswich, but in most places it is two lanes in each direction. There are turnings without sliproads onto the A12 from farms, private houses, and residential roads and much does not have hard shoulder. I could list many more examples.

To some extent, people seem to think that if roads are improved, more cars will use them, therefore it's better not to improve them. Making significant improvements in a dated infrastrucutre is difficult and expensive.

On a lighter note, maybe the new government can best save money by making lots of roads bus / bike only. It encourages people to cycle or take the bus, saves money on roads, and helps meet the carbon emissions targets

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Seven US states ban the use of hand held phones for all drivers. Others ban their use for some drivers and cicumstances. 29 states ban texting whilst driving, and many states consider a phone a 'distraction'. The penalties are more severe if an avoidable distraction results in an incident.

See http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws ... _laws.html for more information.

NCN 1?

I don't usually go all the way to Norwich or Harwich, but I have taken those services out of London Liverpool Street. As long as you aren't travelling at peak times, you should be okay without a reservation.

The policy does say that reservations are required on intercity services (I don't know if Harwich counts in that), but in practice, for off-peak travel, you can take a bike on any train. During peak times, you can only take them on trains with cycle cars / extra guard carriages which only run once every half hour. My observation is that the requirement for reservations is only enforced when they are at capacity. I've always walked on without reservation. A few years ago, I was told at Shenfield a couple of times that I needed to wait for the next train with an extra guard carriage.

The worst that is likely to happen, is you'll have to wait for another train or take a Chelmsford service (where bikes are permitted on any train that has room) and wait there (where they are less likely to enforce restrictions) for the next Harwich train.

I hope that helps.

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I live near Braintree and sometimes cycle to Colchester. I usually use a route south of the A120, as it is a mile or so shorter. However, if you want to avoid Colchester, it's best to go around to the north. Colchester is worth a visit if you have the time, and isn't too bad for cycling through, though, like most places it can be very busy at peak times. Both routes are pleasant, and fairly quiet. I've gmapped a couple of routes and tried to link them below with a little more explanation.

colchester to braintree - south
You can reach this route by following NCN 51 into Colchester, and NCN 1 southwest out of Colchester to Birch. This route starts from NCN 1 in Birch. You can also get to it by following the B1022 Maldon Road out of Colchester to Birch.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3848219

colchester to braintree - north
I'm not familiar with all of the route suggested by Iain, but if you follow his route, you can pick mine up in Earls Colne/Greenstead Green instead of Colchester. I don't recommend the A131 into Braintree. Traffic goes quite fast on the section near Greenstead Green (maybe Iain meant High Garrett instead of High Green?). I recommend going south from Greenstead Green to Tumblers Green and across to Broad Road. A short section is on the A131, but where it is 40 mph. There is one roundabout that gets pretty fast traffic, so if you want to avoid the A road altogether, you can cross it (offset junction rather than straight across) to Bocking Church Street which is a more pleasant route, but adds another 1/2 mile or so onto the journey into Braintree. I gmapped the route with a short section on the A131, but you can also see the alternate through Bocking.
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3848261

Enjoy your trip, and safe cycling.

<edited for typo & clarity>

I deleted a previous post because I missed a key piece of information in the OP.

There's NCN 51 from Harwich to Colchester. It's mostly on-road, but I haven't been on all of it, so I don't know if any of it is unsuitable for a tandem and luggage. Maybe someone else knows?

I know some reasonable routes from Colchester to Braintree and will see if I can add to this when I a have bit more time to do it properly.

Where should the under 14s cycle? On the pavements?

As someone who has used public transportation in many places (including, but not limited to UK, Canada, Australia, USA, France, Denmark, Italy, Sweden and Germany), I think you underate the system in the UK. While it may not be the cheapest or most efficient system I've ever used, it is much, MUCH better than the worst.

I live in a rural village, yet I have access to a regular bus service, that takes 20 minutes into a market town, or 20 minutes to a rail station. Alternatively, I have a 2 mile walk or bike ride to hourly train service, or a 4.5 mile bike ride to frequent train service. While these services don't run all hours of the day, they do run when most people need to use them.

However, In the USA, outside of the major cities or metropolitan networks (The east coast between Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, etc. or the San Francisco Bay area are good examples) such things are unheard of.

I would guess that I currently live about 35 or 40 miles from the M25. In most places in the US, being 35 or 40 miles outside a city would put me about 35 or 40 miles from any meaningful public transportation. Several US states do not have passenger train service to their capitols. In Wisconsin, the capitol, Madison, is also a major university town with over 42,000 students. While Madison has excellent cycling facilities and a good local bus network, it does not have passenger train service. The closest rail station is 50 miles to the north at Portage. Can you imagine Cambridge without rail service?

Furthermore, on the majority of passenger train routes, bicycles may only be taken as luggage in boxes or cases. Amtrak has a handful of routes (out of the hundreds across the US) that have 'roll on' accomodation for bicycles. Some of the metropolitan services are, admittedly, better, but some do not permit bicycles under any circumstances.

Does that mean the rail system in the UK shouldn't be improved? Of course not. The infrastructure needs significant investment. Increased services and/or 24 hour services are justified in some places. Processes and technology for managing safety need to be standardised. It needs to be cost effective and accessible to the people likely to use it, or they won't (oh, and by the way, it's silly to have to buy several tickets and deal with several different policies on the carriage of bicycles to get across the country).

I won't take sides in the argument about nationalisation. There are advantages and disadvantages to all solutions.

My post was merely to present a different perspective.

Sorry to hear of the accident. You be able to get some help from the folks at Road Peace http://www.roadpeace.org/

They are charity that helps people in exactly this kind of situation.

Best of luck.