| Topic: | Re:Re:Rethink Cycles: Lots of different types eg last ni | |
| Posted by: | Raymond Havelock | |
| Date/Time: | 08/01/21 10:54:00 |
Philippa, All very admirable, but it's an idealist dreamworld. I would prefer much of that. Real life for most is just not like this. Many people of different demographics are now struggling to make a living, pay ever increasing bills plus all sorts of stealth charges and working very long hours. A great many work very unsocial hours. Not that we notice them. When the pandemic ends, it will be very much harder for a great many more. The safety nets for many will be gone. It is an urban commercial city, still being overpopulated and it is very obvious that all this idealistic stuff only really works if you are reasonably affluent and in a white collar job or fortunate enough to not have to work full time or travel far. The next generation of pensioners will not enjoy the final salaries and decent pensions, and the generation behind that even less. It seems to have escaped many purveying all this that Ealing is actually quite hilly. Dismissed by the highly politicised LCC as a 'Myth'. As lifelong local cyclist, I have never managed to overcome this. It's no myth. This really is a limiter unless on a very specialised or expensive lightweight bike. Bikes that are generally unsuitable for urban road and day to day use. Just like a Ferrari is to an Estate car. I have always been fit and active but still am not up to cycling up the slow gradients and steep hills locally without arriving covered in sweat and red faced. As I get older, I know that even this will become unsustainable as joints wear. It happens to us all sooner or later. I could never do my occupation by bike or trike. That really is only for a very few. Electric bikes are expensive,I've just tried out a couple. quite nice but found both not very weather friendly (lose charge very quickly below 6c) They are also far too stealable and heavy. Most of the damage you mention is done by large vehicles. Oversized refuse vehicles do most kerb damage and have done for several years. The councils rationale for permitting oversized service vehicles is the operating savings exceed the cost of road repairs - and it's another departments problem. It has though always been easy to cycle safely in much of Ealing and Northfields , potholes and unswept roads with rotted leaf slime being the biggest hazards. I'm afraid to say the biggest hazard now are other cyclists who ride without lights, too fast, ignore all road markings, ride on the wrong side of the road and now e-scooterists who also have no lights, wear dark clothes and use pavements and roads in any fashion. Far more dangerous than with motor vehicles as it's the odd idiot driver but a daily event with poor cyclists and scooterists. There is no excuse for this but where is the enforcement? It should not need enforcing, basic common sense should be instinctive. But clearly we have eliminated that from our DNA. |