No mans land

Summer''s gone.

Brilliant, cos  Autumn is nearly here.

Three quarter length   bibs,

Night lights ,

Waterproof boots,

Hip flasks,

Gone is green bring on yellow, orange and brown with purple grey skies and deep pink sunsets.

Riding with moon.

Clear trails.

Cafe stops

Full length gloves.

September

Almost Autumn.

 

Staffordshire Cycling Festival

So as your checking your saddle bag we will be  loading 3 vans with a full work shop ( to fix your bike), spares (for what you forgot) & bikes (for the +1 you want/need)

The Willier performance test rig, double awning and biscuits, 

See you Saturday ;-)

TABS warns of risk to funding for Bikeability training

29/07/2014 Advocacy

The Association of Bikeability Schemes (TABS) has welcomed the recommendation on cycle training put forward by MPs in theTransport Committee’s 3rd report on cycle safety published on 14th July. This said that cycle training should be available to all cyclists: children of primary and secondary age, adults seeking to gain confidence, and those looking to refresh their road skills. It also said local authorities should work with local cycling organisations and retailers to fund and promote this training and ensure that it is best suited to the local environment.

TABS also supports the Committee’s call for stronger monitoring and evaluation data in order to assess the contribution cycle training makes to improving cycling skills and confidence and getting more people cycling more often with less risk.

Michael Frearson, one of the directors of TABS said: “We would like to work with Government to explore how data on road safety and cycle usage could be used alongside other data to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of cycle training in improved safety for cycling.

“We think cycling is for everyone, and with training it becomes a much safer and more enjoyable form of everyday transport than the media sometimes allow. Bikeability gives children and adults the skills and confidence they need to cycle well on today’s roads, increasing their independence, health and wellbeing, and reducing risk for all road users. We give our full support to any research effort demonstrating the effectiveness of Bikeability in achieving these goals.”

However, TABS expressed concerns over the recommendation that that local authorities could fund Bikeability in the future. Under current arrangements, the Department of Transport distribute £24m between April 2013 and March 2015 to local authorities and SGHOs who submit annual grant applications based on the number of training places they can deliver in each local area. This method results in 50 percent of children in England receiving Bikeability before they leave primary school.

TABs warns that removing national funding would herald a return to the piecemeal provision Bikeability was designed to replace, and put at risk the quality and effectiveness of training provision as local authorities struggle to fund another area of discretionary spending.

David Dansky of TABS said: “We urgently seek assurances from the Department for Transport that this recommendation will not be accepted, and that the Government intends national funding for Bikeability to continue through the next Parliament.”

The Association of Bikeability Schemes is a trade association which works with the Department for Transport to ensure the highest quality of delivery of Bikeability cycle training. k

Parents fail kid's cycle MOT test - News - ActSmart

Working in the industry I find the article below interesting with a few headlines but lacks a little substance. And while the numbers are no doubt true it doesnt tell us any thing about the whys or wherefores



We deliver cycle training to over 20,000 children a year and in the Autumn term will be delivering over 50  Dr Bikes in Primary schools in Stoke on Trent alone, along side 26 learn to ride sessions.  They are always well attended and the children love the training but it needs a consitent approach from central goverment and local authorities with long term funding given to actual cycle bodies to fund grass routes comunity cycle projects in all areas not just areas of Depravtion.

And how about putting funding into things like Cannock Chase the busiest trail centre in Europe with the least amount of funds. Surley the health benefits of mountain biking deserve funding to be thrown at it to promtote more people to take up more activity, not just adverts and leafletst. Build more trail facilities and legalise the secret ones  & give a full accesss rights to mountain bikers as they do in Scotland instead of restricting them all time.



There are more people cycling but I feel if there more facilties coupled with DR Bikes Good bike shops and Bikeability there would be a hell of a lot more



Parents fail kid's cycle MOT test - News - ActSmart

Pit Stops Behiund the Scene Set up

A video from one pf our Five Pit Stops taling place across Stoke on Trent During Bike Week. The Bikes our Kona Cargo Bike which is used throught out the year on our Business and Education DR Dike Visits as Part of The Travel Smart Project.

A liitle bit of Bike week

SO after the break in, and during our external QA from the deparment of Transport a planning app from Stafford Borough Council (very helpful bunch, Not)  business has to carry on and if you want to know what else Simon, Tom, Peter and Graham get up to apart from hanging out in a Bike shop check out here and

http://vimeo.com/98481001

to see our pedal power in Action in Newcastle town centra during Bike week.

Tuesday ride

Great Ride into work this morning on the Day one,  before heading off to drop bikes at King Edwards for a level 3 Bikeability. It was then to the hospital for our Two Wheel Dr Bike, I then got to finish the day off on Tuesday night MTb ride from the Velo Store in Stone  the route link is the Strava panel to the side.