Comments on: Cycle Training Courses

By: Toni

Toni — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:42:09 +0000

Having just tried for an hour to find a train company that allows to book cycles online, and failed miserably, I suggest one thing that would help new cyclists is that Train operators are forced to reinstate the free carriage of a large number of cycles.

Time was when in Britain anyone could take a bike, in the guard’s carriage, where the post was transported. If we could persuade the Royal Mai to use Rail again, instead of carbon-intensive road haulage, and let cyclists carry their bikes on it.

By: tejvan

tejvan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:17:15 +0000

Thanks cyclenewbie

Good luck with your new blog

http://www.cyclenewbie.wordpress.com/

By: Cyclenewbie

Cyclenewbie — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 21:37:26 +0000

I’m on a free cycle proficiency course run by the local authority at the moment called Bikeability. They teach all the things that you have suggested for new cyclists plus more. I believe the training to be very comprehensive and thorough. So I think the government are doing something. I also think it’s important to have a proficient test because I see some cyclists doing things not advocated on my course. Only yesterday, I saw two adults cycling on the pavement and I saw another cycle straight across a red light.
Many of the adults on my course have never learnt to cycle before, like myself, and range from thirty-somethings up to 70 years old! The course is as long as one likes, once a week for a morning or afternoon. I have become so ‘in love’ with my new cycling experiences that I have started to blog it! I think my problem is one of confidence amongst loads of inner city London traffic and the lack of daylight hours in the winter. Hopefully I will overcome that one day!

By: GenghisKhan

GenghisKhan — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:21:36 +0000

Interesting thought. I think that dealing with road rage and interacting with other forms of transportation (pedestrians, buses, etc.) is a great idea!

By: WestfieldWanderer

WestfieldWanderer — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:39:25 +0000

Typical British cynical gutter media scaremongering tripe feeding the Brain-Dead Bike-Phobic British Public the stories they want to hear. The CTC totally refuted that article, branding it as scaremongering, stating that: "In London there has been a 91 per cent increase in cycle use on the capital’s main roads since 2000, and a 33 per cent reduction in cycle casualties in roughly the same period." The full story from BikeBiz. And another from Cycling Weekly.