Chris Boardman launches Liverpool City Bike

Liverpool’s cycle hire scheme, the largest in Britain outside London, launches today (7th May).

Cycling celebrity Chris Boardman, from nearby Hoylake, officially kicked the first bike off its stand at 9.30am to declare the scheme open. Only ten docking stations are live now, in key city centre locations such as the Pier Head – but 100 more are planned in the next year, bringing the total to over 1,000 bikes.

Operated by cycle rental specialists HourBike on behalf of Liverpool City Council, the scheme follows a familiar pattern with hire available from £3 per day, £9 for a week or £60 for a year. Annual passes can be purchased online at citybikeliverpool.co.uk.

Boardman described his ambitions for the scheme as “I want to see normal people in normal clothes seeing this as a normal way to get around – with the emphasis being on the word normal.”

Cycle tourists’ favourite ferry withdrawn

British cyclists looking for a better life in Denmark will no longer be able to take the Harwich–Esbjerg ferry, beloved of generations of cycle tourists.

Owners DFDS Seaways are withdrawing the ferry, which has been in operation since 1875, at the end of September. They say that new EU emissions rules have made it uneconomic, while the rise of low-cost airlines has caused passenger numbers to drop from 300,000 per year to just 80,000. According to DFDS chief executive, Niels Smedegaard:

“Unfortunately we haven't been able to reduce costs enough to enable the route to bear the very high additional costs of around £2m a year. This is what the new environmental law and the requirement to use low-sulphur oil will cost from 2015.

“The route is of particular historical significance to DFDS so it's a very sad day for us all. Our regrets go to our many passengers who must now see the last passenger ferry route between the UK and Scandinavia close.”

DFDS will continue to run a number of freight services to Scandinavia, including sailings from Immingham (Lincolnshire) to Esbjerg, Brevik in Norway, and Gothenburg in Sweden. There is also a sailing to Gothenburg from Tilbury Docks in Essex. 

These ferries will take cyclists by prior arrangement, though some cycle tourists have reported being ‘bumped off’ to make room for larger trucks. However, the Immingham ferries are more comfortable, modern ships than the Sirena Seaways that served the Harwich-Esbjerg route.

‘Cycle streets’ are on the way

London and other cities could see back roads transformed into ‘cycle streets’ by new Government rules.

The obscurely-titled Traffic Signs Regulations & General Directions, whose latest version was released today, holds out the prospect of back streets where bikes, not cars, have priority. It describes them as “links designed to restrict use by motor traffic and provide a superior level of service to cyclists”, explaining:

“This is a bold initiative, which is being considered by some of the Cycle Cities and London, possibly including a ban on overtaking on lightly trafficked roads where cycle flows are high. Subject to any scheme trial, this prohibition could be accompanied by an advisory speed limit of 15 mph.”

Transport for London has been strongly pushing for these streets, which would form part of its ‘Quietways’ network. Many of the proposed Quietways already have low levels of traffic, but the cycle streets would be closed to through traffic entirely, or heavily restricted. The London Borough of Camden is already considering this for Tavistock Place and Torrington Place in Bloomsbury, which form part of a busy east-west cycle route.

Assuming that the revised regulations are approved, TfL would be able to erect signs to trial these new cycle streets across London.

Sustrans’ new Cycle Design Handbook sets out what it believes comprises a cycle street, describing it as “a main cycle route open to motor traffic”. The charity says:

• the street design should encourage cyclists to assume priority with drivers of motor vehicles behaving as ‘guests’
• it should carry at least 1,000 cyclists per day, including forecast cycle growth
• cyclists should potentially outnumber motor vehicles
• the design should provide cyclists with a level of service comparable to that provided by a high quality traffic free route
• the length over which a car has to follow a cyclist should be limited to 400m

Campaigning group, the Cycle Embassy of Great Britain, says that minor roads can readily be made into cycle streets. It describes their implementation in the Netherlands, where they are known as fietsstraats:

“Cycle streets are roads on which bicycles have priority over cars. No overtaking is allowed. Typically they are found in residential areas, and are combined with filtered permeability to serve as through-routes for bicycles, but not for motor vehicles.”

In Germany, such a road is known as a ‘Fahrradstraße’, while a few US cities have ‘bike boulevards’. However, some cycle campaigners have cautioned against unthinkingly applying the Dutch model to Britain, pointing out that 

“simply relaying a street in red tarmac, and putting up signs, on a route carrying thousands of motor vehicles a day will not make a jot of difference to the quality of the cycling environment, when cycling levels are low, as they are in most places in Britain.”

Other improvements for cyclists in the new regulations include the go-ahead for several initiatives that have previously been trialled, such as bike-only traffic lights, ‘Trixi’ safety mirrors, and the ‘No Entry Except Cycles’ sign. Pedestrianised streets where bikes are permitted will now be signed as ‘Pedestrian & Cycle Zone’, reinforcing that cyclists are allowed to be there.

A new form of Zebra crossing will be permitted, with a cycle crossing beside the pedestrian stripes. More controversially, Advanced Stop Lines at junctions will no longer need a ‘feeder lane’, which may allow drivers to block the route.

Urban jungle: Tesco ad celebrates bike commuting

Jungle musician Goldie is the star of a new advert for Tesco Mobile that celebrates cycle commuting – and promises to ‘banish average’ from the daily routine.

Filmed in Lewisham, the advert features Goldie (real name Clifford Price) high-fiving cyclists as he passes them in a car, then leading them into a race with a team of pro cyclists and a penny-farthing rider.

The conceit of the advert, created by the Jam agency, is that Tesco Mobile’s service and coverage are better than an average mobile phone provider, with logos of Which? awards reinforcing the point.

The advert is a deliberate echo of a previous prank, filmed for YouTube, in which everyday cyclists were given their own Tour de France.

A vox pop organised by Voxpopme.com found that, although few viewers thought more positively of Tesco Mobile as a result of the advert, “53% now felt motivated to go cycling”. However, few of them recognised Goldie, with several people asking “is he a famous cyclist?”.

Tube strike leads to new Boris Bike record

Almost 50,000 Londoners took to ‘Boris bikes’ yesterday to dodge the Tube strike – setting a new record for the scheme.

With 49,025 hires, the total exceeds the previous record set during the 2012 Olympics. The figure was similar on Tuesday, the first day of the strike.

The increased demand led to uneven distribution at docking stations, with many commuters unable to find a bike at their nearest station – or, conversely, trying to return them at the end of the journey only to find that the dock was full. The usage was 60% up over normal hire rates. Ollie O’Brien’s Bike Share Map chronicled the extreme demand during the day.

Check out our guide to using Boris bikes to get around town.