Post by Admin on Feb 12, 2017 13:38:10 GMT
February Newsletter
Another cold, wet and wintery start to the year, so remember there's no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing. Things will get better but, for now please also remember the 4 deg recommendation.
Our WEB Site has entered “Phase 2” and is continuing to evolve www.northbirminghamcycling.uk
Our Web page at Cycling UK has changed cycling UK north birmingham
The Club has received the next batch of Jerseys, contact Sally to arrange collection 07940 822104
Jumble Sale Saturday 4th March 10am to 1pm at Erdington
Our popular Cycle Jumble is again taking place at the Methodist Church Hall (opposite Erdingtion Rail Station, SatNav B23 6TY) and we need volunteers and donations of jumble.
Last year we raised over £600 for club funds so the event is one of our major fundraising opportunities. Get involved and give something back to the club. Here is how you can join in:
We are holding a pre-jumble at the club night on Tuesday 21st Feb (the Cooper Room, Shenstone, opposite the war memorial in the centre of the village – 8 to 9.30pm). This is your chance to sell any gear, tools, parts etc that you don’t need to other members of the club and consider donating what you don’t sell. Bring any jumble you don’t want to sell
and we will sell it on the club table at the jumble on 4th March.
We need to set the hall up the night before. We do have some regular volunteers and more are always welcome. It doesn’t take long and doesn’t impede on riding time. Meet at the Erdington Methodist Church Hall at 9.15pm
Donate jumble for our own club tables. Last year Paul Ki-Kidd donated two bikes and we raised £140 from this alone. Thank you, Paul!
Make cakes or help with the catering on the day. Contact Julie Snook (tel 0121 353 6381)
if you can help.
Volunteer on the day. We need volunteers to man the door, sell things on the club table, distribute teas and coffees to the traders, clear the hall after the jumble and deliver jumble back to the club house. You will get free entry to the jumble.
Attend the jumble. Entry is £1 from 10am onwards. A great opportunity to have a sociable Saturday morning and grab a bargain.
Spread the word among your cycling mates and encourage those who aren’t in the club to come along. Jumbles are a great way to reduce the load on the planet and make new friends. What’s not to like?
If you can donate jumble or help in any way before or the day, please contact me, Alison Readman on 01543 419722, 07742 855125 or amreadman@gmail.com
Cotswold Weekend. March 31st to April 2nd Apperley Gloucestershire.
WEB site HERE
The annual West Country Weekend, which rotates between Chippenham, Ledbury and Cheltenham, will be hosted by the Cheltenham CTC at end of March 2017 from the usual base in Apperley.
Details from David Frost, or Sue Jinks. Tel 0121 323 2944 email suejinks@hotmail.com
Shenstone Audax. Sunday 7th May.
Please can I ask for volunteers to help out at various times throughout the day at Shenstone HQ.
We also are looking for some cake makers that can help out with the creation of tasy treats when the riders return to Shenstone HQ.
If you could offer an hour or two on the day please contact me on admin@northbirminghamcycling.uk
Birmingham Cycle Revolution (BCR) – Cycling Forum on 14th Dec 2016
The following is a report from Mike Fowler who kindly attended this Forum.
Here are a few of my observations that some of you might find interesting.
Funding for the Birmingham Cycle Revolution comes from various sources including City Council funds, successful bids to the Department for Transport and the Local Enterprise Partnerships. They are now also getting investment from HSBC and British Cycling.
Working in partnership with Canal and River Trust, BCR has completed resurfacing over 50km of canal towpath in the city with a clean, well-drained, grippy grit surface.
Getting onto and along the canal is easier too, with improvements at access points and the opening up of towpath gates and barriers. In addition, they are making the lighting in key tunnels better and wayfinding improvements.
There have been surface improvements to eleven green routes around the city, totalling 30K with another 11K to follow.
There are plans to develop a Cycle Hire Scheme similar to the Boris Bikes.
A third of the city streets now has a 20 MPH limit; with more areas of the city to follow.
Lessons learnt over the past two years has resulted in changes to the BCR forward programme. Birmingham City Council Cabinet has approved for two main corridor routes along the A38 Bristol Road and the A34 Birchfield Road
A38 City Centre to Selly Oak
This route will provide 4km of two-way, fully segregated cycleway along the A38, linking Selly Oak and the University of Birmingham with the city centre.
A34 City Centre to Perry Barr
This route will provide 4.5km of a two-way, segregated cycleway along the A34, joining Perry Barr with the city centre and linking to Newtown Wellbeing Centre.
The majority of the new route will be fully segregated from both traffic and pedestrians.
A short section will be shared with pedestrians.
West Midlands Police Officers Mark Hodson and Mark Hudson regularly report to the Cycling Forum on their work on dealing with motorists who commit road traffic offences involving cyclists. Responding to the 530 cyclists killed or seriously injured on West Midlands roads over four years, Hodson and fellow traffic officer, Hudson, asked the Central Motorway Police Group to analyse the collision data from the region. They found about 70% of collisions involving cyclists occur at junctions, most involve a motor vehicle, and in most cases occur because drivers failed to see a cyclist.
“We needed to do something about driver behaviour,” he said. “In about 98% of cases [the collision] was down to driver action, it was nothing to do with the cyclist.”
From these observations, the two officers developed the “Give Space, Be Safe” initiative, which gained a lot of publicity both locally and nationally.
Chris Lowe of Push Bikes (who campaign for better cycling in Birmingham) asked the council officers dealing with changes of traffic movement in the city centre to consider the possibility of allowing Contra Flow Cycling along 20 mph one-way streets as they do on the continent.
Mike Fowler