Well, here we are....its Thursday again so here is my first weekly blog. Sitting to write this seems a bit odd because I suppose my first blog should be about something that I feel passionate about and therefore there is some pressure associated with what I choose to talk about. I am going to talk about something that I am not passionate about but something that I do care about and something that is very fashionable now....cycling.
Something has happened this summer. Britain has become France. The startling success of our cyclists at the Tour de France and the London 2012 Olympic Games has made cycling cool again We love our cycling...for now.
So we come to last Sunday and the Ipswich Sky Ride. For those of you who don't know this is a four hour time slot in the year where the streets are closed to traffic and a 5km traffic free cycle route is given over to Mums, Dads, Children, and grandparents...and those who just want to cycle zig zag style around the one way system. I love Sky Ride...it is an all encompassing community occasion...and that is what it feels like....it feels like a massive celebration to an uncertain focus..it feels quite British in its pointlessness. I took part in the Sky Ride in 2011 and the explosion in the 2012 event has been awe inspiring. It leaves me with the thought that this is something that we need to capitalise on...be it the government, local council, local community groups or the general masses as a whole.
Cycling in Ipswich is not bad. Its got some reasonable cycle routes but it is always a case of "if we can fit it in" rather than a genuinely target for urban planning...although this may be changing as part of a big project called "Ipswich -Fit for the 21st Century" which I will probably talk about in another blog later in the year. However, I will make a couple of points as to whether Ipswich Borough Council will really embrace cycling...Firstly, when Giles Circus was redeveloped and pedestrianized the cycle parking was removed and not replaced even "like for like" and for a town centre with notoriously poor secure cycling provision this was a bit of a kick in the teeth if not a little short sighted. Secondly, when the Waterfront was redeveloped cycling provision was built in from the very start with shared space but within a year of being laid the borough council had placed a monolith of a street map right in the middle of the dropped curb outside the UCS building which was specifically placed for cyclists...I'm sure this was not intentional...its just ill thought out. Overall, we can embrace cycling and make a more sustainable Ipswich but its going to require some work but I have the belief that we can do it. The thousands who turned out on Sunday are testement to the will of the people and, to the more cynical, the electorate.
Lets make the change. Vive le Ipswich.
Something has happened this summer. Britain has become France. The startling success of our cyclists at the Tour de France and the London 2012 Olympic Games has made cycling cool again We love our cycling...for now.
So we come to last Sunday and the Ipswich Sky Ride. For those of you who don't know this is a four hour time slot in the year where the streets are closed to traffic and a 5km traffic free cycle route is given over to Mums, Dads, Children, and grandparents...and those who just want to cycle zig zag style around the one way system. I love Sky Ride...it is an all encompassing community occasion...and that is what it feels like....it feels like a massive celebration to an uncertain focus..it feels quite British in its pointlessness. I took part in the Sky Ride in 2011 and the explosion in the 2012 event has been awe inspiring. It leaves me with the thought that this is something that we need to capitalise on...be it the government, local council, local community groups or the general masses as a whole.
Cycling in Ipswich is not bad. Its got some reasonable cycle routes but it is always a case of "if we can fit it in" rather than a genuinely target for urban planning...although this may be changing as part of a big project called "Ipswich -Fit for the 21st Century" which I will probably talk about in another blog later in the year. However, I will make a couple of points as to whether Ipswich Borough Council will really embrace cycling...Firstly, when Giles Circus was redeveloped and pedestrianized the cycle parking was removed and not replaced even "like for like" and for a town centre with notoriously poor secure cycling provision this was a bit of a kick in the teeth if not a little short sighted. Secondly, when the Waterfront was redeveloped cycling provision was built in from the very start with shared space but within a year of being laid the borough council had placed a monolith of a street map right in the middle of the dropped curb outside the UCS building which was specifically placed for cyclists...I'm sure this was not intentional...its just ill thought out. Overall, we can embrace cycling and make a more sustainable Ipswich but its going to require some work but I have the belief that we can do it. The thousands who turned out on Sunday are testement to the will of the people and, to the more cynical, the electorate.
Lets make the change. Vive le Ipswich.
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