Manchester cycling safety advice - file under Crime, antisocial behaviour and nuisance !

The Cycling Safety advice on the MCC website  contains fairly standard road safety-esque cycling safety advice.

What is a tad disheartening (although arguably also a fairly standard road safety-esque view of cycling) is the category under which the information is held. 

It would appear that Manchester City Council chooses to place "cycling safety" issues under the heading "Crime, antisocial behaviour & nuisance" !  Is this truly how Manchester City Council view cycling?

Could this be the view of the same Manchester City Council which proudly announced in June 2012 that it wanted to become Britain's No1 city for cycling by 2017.

The webpage does have a Was this information helpful? section (see bottom of the page) perhaps people would like to take the opportunity to leave appropriate (polite!) responses.

Happy Solstice !

Update: January 2014. 

Following a little prodding via Twitter and email the Manchester City Council webmeisters have shifted the webpage to the slightly more appropriate heading(s) below.....

• Roads, parking & transport
• Walking & cycling
• Cycling safety

Question time: What would you like to ask Baroness Kramer (the new Transport Minister) ?

Somehow, I find myself invited to the Mainstreaming Smarter Travel event on 3rd / 4th December in Manchester Town Hall. This is described in the publicity as an "annual event where representatives and stakeholders from all Local Sustainable Travel Fund (LSTF) awarded regions come together to share knowledge, good practice and discuss effective implementation of projects."
(Programme details available here)

One of the sessions on Wednesday 4th December, there will be what is describde as "an extended interview and discussion with the new Transport Minister with responsibility for LSTF, Baroness Susan Kramer, Cllr. Andrew Fender, Chair of TfGMC and Mike Blackburn, Chair of Greater Manchester LEP and BT regional director for the North West."

I have received an email asking me what my top questions would be for the three interviewees (see below).  Deadline is 12noon, Friday 22nd November.  So if you have any burning questions you would liked asked - why not send them in to the email address below or leave a comment on this blog.

A message from Lynn Sloman, Director of Transport for Quality of Life, Plenary Chair for Mainstreaming Smarter Travel Day 2

On the second day of the Mainstreaming Smarter Travel conference, there will be an extended interview and discussion with the new Transport Minister with responsibility for LSTF, Baroness Susan Kramer, Cllr. Andrew Fender, Chair of TfGMC and Mike Blackburn, Chair of Greater Manchester LEP and BT regional director for the North West.

I’d like to know your top questions for our three interviewees. We’ll endeavour to cover as many of them as possible – and certainly to address all the most popular topics.

Baroness Kramer was famed for her indefatigable pavement-pounding when she was the Lib Dem candidate for the London mayoral election in 2000, pledging to walk every high street in the capital city. So you might want to ask her what options she sees from her Ministerial hot seat to boost active travel. Or you might want to know what ideas Mike Blackburn and his fellow LEP Chairs have got for capital investment in sustainable travel post-2015.

Please send your questions by 12pm FRIDAY 22^nd NOVEMBER to rory.mcmullan@landor.co.uk.

Mark your email ‘LSTF Question Time’.

Sustainable travel grants for business / organisations in Greater Manchester

Details available on the Transport for Greater Manchester website (links below):



Travel Choices is offering grants to businesses for schemes which encourage employees to make sustainable travel choices.

Whether you want to build bike storage facilities at your premises so staff can cycle to work, put in an electric vehicle charging point or run an event to promote sustainable travel to staff, you can apply for up to £10,000* to make it happen.

The application process is simple, and our team of expert travel advisors are here to help you through each step. To get the ball rolling this is what you need to do:

• Join our Business Travel Network
• Tick the option for information on grants
• One of the Travel Choices team will come back to you to begin your application

Here’s what a Sustainable Travel Grant could fund for your business:

Capital schemes

• Cycling/walking facilities e.g. showers, changing facilities, drying room
• Pool bikes
• CCTV/improved security for cycle storage
• Electric car charging points
• Car park alterations for designated car sharing spaces
• On site modifications to improve access to walking and cycling routes

Revenue schemes

• Internal communications promoting sustainable travel
• A reward or incentive scheme for sustainable travellers
• Events to raise awareness of sustainable travel choices amongst employees
• Public transport taster tickets
• Seed funding for a shuttle bus service/ contribution towards subsidised bus route
• Corporate car club membership
• Specialist sustainable transport advice

* Eligibility conditions apply

For more information, visit: www.tfgm.com/travelchoices/Pages/business-grants.html  

Transport and Health - Transport Planning Society meeting (26th November 2013)

Overview:  The NHS in England is currently undergoing one of the largest reorganisations since its creation. Changes cover budgetary management, new clinical commissioning groups, greater local authority involvement, and so on.

The changes raise new opportunities for the transport and health sectors to enable achievement of mutually beneficial aims. Stronger links between the two sectors can help us to achieve improved health of the population, reduced levels of obesity, and a reduced resultant strain on NHS budgets through embedding active travel into the population’s daily lives. This event will provide an opportunity to identify the support both health and transport professionals can call on, to assist with development and delivery of complementary programmes now and in the future.

Speakers: 
Eleanor Roaf (Sustrans NW Regional Director)
Colin Cox (Public Health Consultant, Manchester City Council)
Nick Vaughan (Head of Transport Planning and Solutions – TfGM)
Dan Cassell (Transport and Access Manager – GM NHS)
NICE will also be represented

The presentations will be followed by a question and answer session.
 
We look forward to seeing you there – members and non-members welcome.
This event is free to attend for TPS/IHT/ILT/ICE/RTPI members (please bring your membership card with you); a £5 charge will be made for non-members.

TPS require that all attendees register for the event in advance (places are limited). Please reserve your place online or contact cheryl.maund@ice.org.uk if you have any difficulty. 

For all other event enquiries please contact Stacey.Silverman@jmp.co.uk
 
Lunch will be provided.

When: 12pm arrival for a 12:15pm start (duration: 2 hours approx.), Tuesday 26th November.
Location: Red Room One, City Tower, New York St, Piccadilly Plaza, Manchester, M1 4BT

Plant an Idea: PARK(ing) Day

Friday 20th September is International PARK(ing) Day where creative cities look to the future. Manchester Friends of the Earth is inviting people to join with citizens in cities around the world who will be transforming metered parking spaces into public parks and other social spaces, as part of international “PARK(ing) Day”.

Once again, Manchester Friends of the Earth members will be redesigning car parking spaces in Manchester city centre into picnic parks complete with “grass”, plants, deckchairs, tea, cupcakes and sparkling conversation.

This year we’re going to be making connections with Manchester Friends of the Earth’s recent campaigning to highlight the importance of biodiversity in cities. We’ll be in the Northern Quarter again and hopefully near the famous bee hotel. We will be offering hot drinks and lovely cupcakes.

Over the last fifty years our cities have been developed to make more and more space for the car. Supermarkets and malls, with massive car parks, have often overpowered local businesses in city locations. At the same time our streets have become noisy, polluted and unpleasant.  These policies have high costs in terms of air pollution, congestion and health.  PARK(ing) Day highlights the need to make our streets more attractive for residents and visitors, and improve the environment for businesses

Imagine if our cities had fewer spaces for cars and more room for people. We are inviting people to help us make parking spaces more sociable, fun and colourful. Join us on the day for coffee, cake and a chat or send us a photo of how people can help make cities greener.

PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global worldwide event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing) spaces: temporary public places.

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!

If you would like to help out on the day please contact: pete@manchesterfoe.org.uk

When: Friday 20th September, 9am till 5pm
Where: Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester City Centre

Friday 20th September is International PARK(ing) Day where creative cities look to the future. Manchester Friends of the Earth is inviting people to join with citizens in cities around the world who will be transforming metered parking spaces into public parks and other social spaces, as part of international “PARK(ing) Day”.

Once again, Manchester Friends of the Earth members will be redesigning car parking spaces in Manchester city centre into picnic parks complete with “grass”, plants, deckchairs, tea, cupcakes and sparkling conversation.
This year we’re going to be making connections with Manchester Friends of the Earth’s recent campaigning to highlight the importance of biodiversity in cities. We’ll be in the Northern Quarter again and hopefully near the famous bee hotel. We will be offering hot drinks and lovely cupcakes.

Over the last fifty years our cities have been developed to make more and more space for the car. Supermarkets and malls, with massive car parks, have often overpowered local businesses in city locations. At the same time our streets have become noisy, polluted and unpleasant.  These policies have high costs in terms of air pollution, congestion and health.  PARK(ing) Day highlights the need to make our streets more attractive for residents and visitors, and improve the environment for businesses

Imagine if our cities had fewer spaces for cars and more room for people. We are inviting people to help us make parking spaces more sociable, fun and colourful. Join us on the day for coffee, cake and a chat or send us a photo of how people can help make cities greener.

PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global worldwide event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing) spaces: temporary public places.

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!
If you would like to help out on the day please contact: pete@manchesterfoe.org.uk
When: Friday 20th September, 9am till 5pm
Where: Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester City Centre.
- See more at: http://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk/events/event/plant-an-idea-parking-day/#sthash.Bbdfsq4x.dpuf

Friday 20th September is International PARK(ing) Day where creative cities look to the future. Manchester Friends of the Earth is inviting people to join with citizens in cities around the world who will be transforming metered parking spaces into public parks and other social spaces, as part of international “PARK(ing) Day”.

Once again, Manchester Friends of the Earth members will be redesigning car parking spaces in Manchester city centre into picnic parks complete with “grass”, plants, deckchairs, tea, cupcakes and sparkling conversation.
This year we’re going to be making connections with Manchester Friends of the Earth’s recent campaigning to highlight the importance of biodiversity in cities. We’ll be in the Northern Quarter again and hopefully near the famous bee hotel. We will be offering hot drinks and lovely cupcakes.

Over the last fifty years our cities have been developed to make more and more space for the car. Supermarkets and malls, with massive car parks, have often overpowered local businesses in city locations. At the same time our streets have become noisy, polluted and unpleasant.  These policies have high costs in terms of air pollution, congestion and health.  PARK(ing) Day highlights the need to make our streets more attractive for residents and visitors, and improve the environment for businesses

Imagine if our cities had fewer spaces for cars and more room for people. We are inviting people to help us make parking spaces more sociable, fun and colourful. Join us on the day for coffee, cake and a chat or send us a photo of how people can help make cities greener.

PARK(ing) Day is an annual open-source global worldwide event where citizens, artists and activists collaborate to temporarily transform metered parking spots into “PARK(ing) spaces: temporary public places.

The mission of PARK(ing) Day is to call attention to the need for more urban open space, to generate critical debate around how public space is created and allocated, and to improve the quality of urban human habitat … at least until the meter runs out!
If you would like to help out on the day please contact: pete@manchesterfoe.org.uk
When: Friday 20th September, 9am till 5pm
Where: Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester City Centre.
- See more at: http://www.manchesterfoe.org.uk/events/event/plant-an-idea-parking-day/#sthash.Bbdfsq4x.dpuf

Join Freedom from Torture on a Cycle ride from Chorlton to Lymm

Join us on this scenic, 95% traffic-free ride to support

Freedom from Torture, dedicated to working with torture survivors to help them to re-build their lives.

Find out more details here.

Starting Point - Chorlton Water Park, 10.30am 

End Point – Jackson’s Boat, 3.30pm

Distance - 27.28 miles roundtrip (out and back) 
Qualified Bike Leaders will lead the ride 
Surfaces - Gravel, dirt, shale and tarmac

Not recommended for narrow tyres. Hybrid bikes ideal.

Contact: Alice Nicolay, Tel: 0161 236 5744, anicolay@freedomfromtorture.org

Greater Manchester Road Safety Summit (17th September 2013)

Dr Jon Lamonte, Chief Executive of Transport for Greater Manchester, personally invites you to the first Greater Manchester Road Safety Summit - Drive for Momentum.

The summit will provide key decision makers with information about initiatives and progress to date; an overview of future opportunities; and hold a workshop on a future local road safety strategy.

Your influence will be vital in shaping the future direction of road safety and casualty reduction interventions in Greater Manchester.

The programme will include:

• National policy, local progress and initiatives
• Future measures
• Partnership working and overcoming funding challenges
• Protecting Vulnerable Road Users (Pedestrians, Cyclists, Motorcyclists and Young Drivers)
• The role of the emergency services
• GM Road Safety Strategy Workshop
• Mini-exhibition

Register via roadsafety@tfgm.com or phone 0161 244 1721

(PS.  Perhaps someone would like to suggest a better title than "Drive for Momentum")

Simply Cycling: Job Opportunity - Cycle Club Coach/Assistant

Simply Cycling: Cycle Club Coach/Assistant – Job Description

*Minimum 24 hours per week
*Could be split into two posts: a) minimum 9 hours weekend and one evening, b)15 hours minimum weekday hours (and occasional weekend cover)


To assist/lead club sessions which are open to the public in both Wythenshawe and Longford Parks as well as public venues such as schools, colleges, local parks, trails and youth clubs.  This will involve:

- Dealing directly with children, vulnerable adults and their parents, carers and siblings as well as members of the general public.
- Assisting with the setting up and clearing up involved in each session.
- Assisting in the safe delivery of sessions
- Proactive involvement in all the activities of the club (see website for information on the activities we are currently involved in)
- Recording,  Monitoring and evaluation of attendance and participation figures and feedback.
- Involvement in forward planning of further activities to extend the impact of the club within our local communities.
- Some administrative involvement such as publicity flyers, press releases, website/twitter/facebook updates, filing reports, accounts etc. depending on skills and abilities.
- Commitment to relevant training
- Commitment to providing all activities to a high standard and with due diligence and regard for Health and Safety, Equal Opportunities and with attention to our very positive ‘can do’ approach.

The Person appointed will
- Be interested in Cycling
- Be able to drive
- Be capable of the physical demands  involved in the moving and storing of our fleet of bikes
- Be available for some weekend work and occasional evening activities, as well as weekday times
- Have some understanding/experience of,  or commitment to develop, working with people of all abilities.
- Have a degree of flexibility in working arrangements including supporting some of our two day cycling holidays
- Undertake an enhanced CRB (DBS) Disclosure
- Be aware that most of our work is undertaken outdoors and all year round.
- Be able to provide two references, one being from the most recent employer.
- Be aware that this is a 20 month fixed term contract.

The application process is by letter referencing your interest and suitability for the post and stating the hours you are interested in as well as the names and contact information of your two referees.  An attached CV would be advantageous.  Please send to: Simply Cycling, 37 Cherington Close, Manchester M23 0FE or by e.mail to: Sueblaylock2708@aol.com before 31^st August 2013

Amsterdam Rewards Safe Car Drivers With Money For The Neighborhood

Courtesy of the Pop-up City website comes this lovely idea to encourage drivers to drive below the 30kmh (20mph) speed limit...

"Spotted in Spaarndammerstraat in Amsterdam: A speedometer that indicates your speed and additionally gives you a money counter. 

What’s the deal? Each car that passes and stays below the speed limit of 30 kilometers per hour raises €0,03 for the neighborhood.


The money is paid out by the city of Amsterdam and is meant to be used in local community projects. 

The city’s slogan: “Max 30 — Save for the Neighborhood”. An interesting take on conditioning local residents to bring forth good citizenship instead of punishing car drivers for breaking minor traffic laws when being slightly over the speed limit."

Now wouldn't that be nice in Manchester......


 

When the going gets tough, the tough go...on holiday?

It seems to have been a bad August so far for the Metrolink service - leading to a public apology from Peter Cushing, the new Metrolink Director and a furious response from the NewsManc editor.

See below for some of the headline stories:

1st August: Ashes fans fury after Bury Metrolink trams suspended due to overhead cable fault. No trams are running between Bury and Manchester city centre - after a cable was seen dangling low above the track at Crumpsall station.

1st August: Pensioner killed in Metrolink accident on Rochdale-Manchester line.

3rd August: Metrolink tram derails blocking the line to Bury from Manchester Victoria. The tram with no passengers on was on its way into the Queens Road depot when it derailed near Woodlands Road and Victoria Station on Saturday afternoon.

5th August: An apology from Metrolink director, Peter Cushing.

7th August: Manchester's Metrolink tram service slammed in open letter after derailment leads to Ashes travel chaos.

13th August: ‘Triple whammy’ has put Wythenshawe residents on the road to chaos

As acknowledged by Peter Cushing, "It has been an incredibly challenging period and, at times, we failed to rise to that challenge."

This coming Friday (16th August) should have seen a Transport for Greater Manchester Committee meeting where perhaps the latest travails of Metrolink (and other Greater Manchester public transport services) could have been considered and strategies to improve services discussed.

Oh well, they will have to wait till September....

A 'cycling Tsar' for Greater Manchester? Not quite yet... but it's a start!

In a fairly sparse agenda, one interesting item has popped up for discussion at the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Committee meeting (Friday 12th July).  

The 33 committee members (assuming that all the Councillors turn up) will be deciding who to appoint from their midst to take on the responsibilities of becoming the very first TfGMC Cycling Champion.

According to the  Report for Resolution the TfGMC Cycling Champion will undertake to:

2.1 To assist the Committee in undertaking its responsibilities in relation to Active Travel, the TfGMC member nominated by the Committee to serve as Cycling Champion will undertake:

• To work to promote the long-term aim, as set out in LTP 3, to make cycling a genuine, attractive choice for journeys to work, for leisure and for fitness, and to oversee an increase the number of people cycling to work and education; 
• To ensure the Committee consider cycling as a key mode within an overall, integrated transport system; 
• To promote the Committee’s Active Travel Policy Priority in relation to cycling to key partners including, for example, district and public health authorities, transport operators, the business community and the voluntary and community sector, and; 
• To act as the Committee’s key contact in relation to the further development of cycling policy and GM-wide cycling initiatives and measures.

We wait with hushed expectancy to see which of the TfGM committee members will be stepping up to the plate.   You can check out the likely (or unlikely) candidates here.

It will be interesting to see what progress the newly appointed Cycling Champion will make with their Committee colleagues on cycling related issues, given that they have been more used to discussing the finer points of bus, tram and train provision.

Anyone expecting Greater Manchester to follow in London's footsteps (or wheel tracks) and create a funded cycling advocacy post may be dissapointed.  Andrew Gilligan, London's recently appointed 'Cycling Tsar' is reported to be paid £38,000 for the two-days a week post, whilst the TfGM Cycling Champion position "will not attract a Special Responsibility Allowance." [2.2]




Update

The TfGM Committee agreed to select Councillor Chris Paul (Withington) as the TfGMC Cycling Champion.  Details of how to contact Chris Paul are available on the Manchester City Council website.

United Kingdom a little short sighted on drivers eyesight !

How many times have you heard the refrain "sorry mate, I didn't see you" (See Stop SMIDSY) from a driver who has just performed a manouvre which has caused inconvenience, concern or white-knuckle braking and avoidance tactics when you have been out cycling.

Oftentimes we think it is down  to lack of awareness of how much space to give to people who are cycling,  poor concentration or sometimes irresponsible or aggressive drivers.

However, it may literally be that UK drivers' eyesight is so poor that they are a hazard to any other road users. A 2011 report on Driver Vision Screening in Europe highlights how the eyesight testing regime for drivers in the United Kingdom is substandard when compared to most of the other EU and non-EU countries in Europe.

Whilst, some people will argue that an association of optometrists, opticians, contact lenses and glasses manufacturers (*) has a vested interest in promoting eye tests, the report highlights how poor the United Kingdom is in terms of testing eyesight both before and after a driving license is issued when compared to most other European countries.  In some cases, it would appear that the UK is not meeting the requirements cntained in the EC directives.

The EC Directives on Driving Licences should be implemented in all the EU Member States. The goal is to harmonise the underlying standards and systems of driver licensing across the EU. The 2006 Directive set a deadline of January 2011 for Member States to report their plan for implementation to the European Commission. The 2009 Directive updated the minimum visual requirements that drivers should meet in order to drive safely, and set a deadline of August 2010 for implementation.  The test categories highlighted in the report included:

Initial Eyesight Assessment

Directive 2009/113/EC specifies that Group 1 applicants for a first driving licence should have an ‘appropriate investigation of vision to ensure they have adequate visual acuity for driving’ and ‘where there is reason to doubt an applicant’s vision is adequate, he or she will be examined by a competent medical authority’.

 

Initial Eyesight Assessment for Group 1

Five European countries rely on the Licence Plate Test as their sole  assessment of vision. ECOO,EUROM and EUROMCONTACT believe this practice is unacceptable as the Licence Plate Test is not performed under  controlled conditions, and the results are not directly comparable with the underlying European standards which  specify an assessment of visual acuity.

Who Performs the Initial Eyesight Assessment?

The EC Directive states that the assessment of visual acuity (Group 1)should be performed by a competent authority.

Who Performs the Initial Eyesight Assessment (Group 1)

Five countries reported that the assessment of vision is performed by a driving test centre employee, who performs the Licence Plate Test.

Reassessment of Drivers’ Vision

Vision regularly changes with age. Many drivers do not notice a gradual change in their visual status and can therefore be unaware that they fall below the required standard. The erport highlights concerns that there is no requirement in the EC Directives for ongoing assessment of Group 1 drivers' vision on renewal. This is in contrast with Group 2 licence holders who require an assessment to be performed every five years when renewing their licence.  

But the distinction between Group 1 and Group 2 drivers has blurred in the modern economy. Couriers, taxi drivers, and many sales people all effectively drive for a living, and  there has been a significant rise in long-distance commuting.  These are all classified as Group 1 drivers, yet many spend at least as much time driving as those classified as Group 2 (or traditionally vocational drivers), and should therefore be subject to similar assessments of vision.   A majority of Member States already require a further assessment of vision by a competent  professional.

Reassessments of Vision Later in Driving Career

(Group 1)

However, there is no requirement for a further assessment of vision for Group 1in Austria, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK. In the UK drivers are expected to self-assess that their vision meets the standards, and to state that they meet the standards at three-year intervals from the age of 70.

.

It is not very encouraging that the United Kingdom is in the bottom league in each of the eyesight test tables. 

Perhaps it is time that the Department for Transport had their eyes tested so that they can read the small print of the EC Directives and introduce policies to make sure British drivers can actually see where they are going!

 

(*) The European Council of Optometry and Optics (ECOO) represents the 75,000 optometrists, opticians and optical retail outlets.
 

EUROM I represents the national associations of manufacturers of corrective lenses, frames, and instruments for opticians (700 companies).

EUROMCONTACT represents the national associations and the international manufacturers

of contact lenses and contact lens care products.

The Ticket to Kyoto Annual Conference - Mobilising to reduce CO2 emissions in public transport

The Ticket to Kyoto project is working towards its paramount destination: reducing CO2 emissions in European public transport.

On behalf of all T2K partners, TfGM will be hosting the 2013 Annual Conference in Manchester which will include a speech by Professor Colin Hughes, Associate Vice President for Sustainability at the University of Manchester. There will also be presentations from partners, interactive workshops, and group discussions. 

The Conference will highlight  where we're up to and you can help shape sustainable transport in the future.

	Programme
	09.30 - 10.00 Welcome and introductions 10.00 - 10.45 Professor Colin Hughes, Associate Vice President for Sustainability 10.45 - 11.00 Coffee & tea break 11.00 - 13.00 Ticket to Kyoto project, on the path to develop and deliver a Carbon Strategy 13.00 - 14.00 Lunch and Networking 14.00 - 17.00 Workshops. Discover the workshops 17.00 - 18.00 Networking

Register here.


When: Thursday June 20th from 9am till 5pm
Where: Manchester Conference Centre, Weston Building, Sackville St, Manchester M1 3BB

Workshop 1 | Energy Production and Energy Efficiency
How should the transport sector manage energy? What opportunities are there for energy production and energy efficiency? Join the discussion on this topic. We’ll talk about the most effective measures for energy production and energy efficiency, but also about funding opportunities, maximizing the return on investment and obtaining institutional support.
Facilitator: Kevin Leather, Regional Manager - North of England, Mott MacDonald

Workshop 2 | Collaborating to Achieve Carbon Reduction
How can transport organisations work together across different geographical areas and themes to reduce carbon? How can we develop delivery models that include multiple organisations and stakeholders? We will use the Greater Manchester Low Carbon Hub as an example. Come and learn how to deliver carbon reductions across different geographical areas and environmental themes, and how we have developed links with government departments.
Facilitator: Mark Atherton, Director General, Environment, Greater Manchester Low Carbon Hub

Workshop 3 | Reducing Carbon by Encouraging More Sustainable Transport Choices
Learn how to encourage populations to switch to walking, cycling and public transport to reduce carbon footprint and improve health. This discussion will tackle several related topics such as increasing the appeal of public transport and how to translate environmental awareness into behaviour change.
Facilitator: Lee Parker, Director, Parose Projects, London

Workshop 4 | Achieving Economic Benefits through more Sustainable Public Transport
How can we identify the overall economic benefits of a better and more sustainable transport system? We’ll discuss job creation and training, housing accessibility and proximity to employment and how we can engage the private sector and stimulate inward investment.
Facilitator: Simon Warburton, Head of Policy and Research, TfGM

Public service announcement #6: Carlton Reid calling all bicycle shops

An interesting blog from Carlton Reid in BikeBiz is asking bike shops their on store car parking. "A necessary evil? A vital business tool? Or surplus to requirements?"

The blog recounts his experience at a recent roundtable discussion in Birmingham, organised by the Surveyor magazine, with a of integrated transport experts.

Carlton Reid comments that "reducing road space for cars, and increasing it for pedestrians and cyclists, could create more cyclists (and more pedestrians) yet bike shops are not shouting for this from the rooftops. And I don't tend to hear about bike shops calling for a reduction in car parking spaces. I can imagine Rutland Cycling would not be in favour of reduced car parking but city centre bike shops don't seem to be in favour of it either. Most (correct me if I'm wrong) want to have ample parking outside their shops because it's believed customers, in the main, arrive by car."

He asks the question:  "But how many bike shops have conducted travel surveys to find out how customers actually get to their stores? Customers who arrive by car are noticeable, cars are big. Customers who arrive on foot or by bike are less visually arresting. I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on store car parking and how vital it is to your business. I'd also like to hear from you if you've, say, partnered with your local authority to get rid of a parking space and replaced it with a bike parking stand."

Will be fascinating to hear from Greater Manchester bike stores. You can leave your comments on the BikeBiz article or @ me on Twitter and add @bikebizonline to the conversation.

And the winners are..... Top 20 Most Bicycle-Friendly Cities (Copenhagenize Index 2013)

The Copenhagenize Design Co (*) has released the 2013 Copenhagenize Index - the Top 20 most bicycle-friendly cities.

The Index has been compiled by researching 150 cities around the world and awarding 0 to 4 points across 13 categories, including facilities (e.g. bike racks), infrastructure, sharing schemes, the balance of male to female cyclists, and increase in "modal share" since 2006. It then gives bonus points for "particularly impressive efforts or results," and converts the results to give a score out of 100. 


The Top 20 Most Bicycle-Friendly Cities Index for 2013 (with their 2011 ranking in brackets) are listed below:

1. Amsterdam (1)
2. Copenhagen (2)
3. Utrecht (new)
4. Seville (new)
4. Bordeaux (new)
5. Nantes (new)
5. Antwerp (new)
6. Eindhoven (new)
7. Malmö (new)
8. Berlin (5)
9. Dublin (9)
10. Tokyo (4)
11. Munich (6)
11. Montreal (8)
11. Nagoya (new)
12. Rio de Janeiro
13. Barcelona (3)
13. Budapest (10)
13. Paris (7)
14. Hamburg (13)

Not a single British city is placed in the Top 20.  I wonder what ranking Manchester would have. 

Using the point system below, what score would you give Manchester?  Answers on a postcard or comment on this blog.... 

Cities were given between 0 and 4 points in 13 different index categories, with a potential for 12 bonus points awarded for particularly impressive efforts or results. In short, a maximum of 64 points could be awarded. The final score is then altered to be out of 100.   The 13 Parameters that each city is ranked by are:

Advocacy: How is the city’s (or region/country) advocacy NGO regarded and what level of
influence does it have?

Bicycle Culture: Has the bicycle reestablished itself as transport among regular citizens or only sub-cultures?
Bicycle Facilities: Are there readily accessible bike racks, ramps on stairs, space allocated on trains and buses and well-designed wayfinding, etc?
Bicycle Infrastructure: How does the city’s bicycle infrastructure rate?
Bike Share Programme: Does the city have a comprehensive and well-used bike-sharing programme?
 
Gender Split: What percentage of the city’s cyclists are male and female?
 
Modal Share For Bicycles: What percentage of modal share is made up by cyclists?
Modal Share Increase Since 2006: What has the increase in modal share been since 2006 - the year that urban cycling started to kick off?
 
Perception of Safety: Is the perception of safety of the cyclists in the city, reflected in helmet-wearing rates, positive or are cyclists riding scared due to helmet promotion and scare campaigns?
Politics: What is the political climate regarding urban cycling?
 
Social Acceptance: How do drivers and the community at large regard urban cyclists?
 
Urban Planning: How much emphasis do the city’s planners place on bicycle infrastructure - and are they well-informed about international best practice?
 
Traffic Calming: What efforts have been made to lower speed limits in and generally calm traffic in order to provide greater safety to pedestrians and cyclists?


* Copenhagenize Design Co. is an urban planning consultancy specialising in bicycle planning, infrastructure and communications. We consider the bicycle to be the most effective tool in our urban toolbox for rebuilding our liveable cities for the new century.