Southampton Cycling Campaign

Re-Cycled Cycles is a community project delivered by the Neighbourhood Warden Service in conjunction with the SCC Cycling Development Officer and Sustrans- National Cycling Charity

The Re-Cycled Cycle project targets directly
• Resident on Low income.
• Residents wishing to return to full or part time employment
• Residents whose health or disabilities could be improved with regular exercise
• Providing Education, Skills & Training
• Improving the environment
• Reduction of crime and ASB
.
Aims
1. Community Involvement
2. Re-cycling old, abandoned and unused bicycles back into regular use.
3. Work with disadvantaged families, to improve their life and life skills.
4. To encourage more people to participate in a healthy lifestyle

The scheme is doing a great job of getting old bikes back into road-worthy condition (250 this summer alone), and encouraging young people to cycle. It is however struggling to sustain funding into next year. We understand that the scheme will be attending an event at Mansel Park this Sunday 19 September (10:00-16:00) and several more events this year. Contact details for the coordinator are available on request from info@southamptoncyclingcampaign.org.uk

Martin Harley, one of the UK’s most exciting and innovative blues/roots musicians, has taken off on his next adventure. From August 20 until September 19 2010, Martin will embark on a solo tour of Britain, utilising only his bicycle and as much equipment as he can carry. 27 shows, 1200 miles, 31 days.

For this tour, Martin will be following Sustrans (Sustainable Transport Network) bike routes, helping raise awareness of their ongoing mission to reduce car journeys in the UK and to promote cycling as a healthy and green way to get around. He has booked shows, as in the past, with Villages in Action and the Rural Touring Circuit, to take music to community spaces across the land, while also playing larger venues on his usual touring route.

In celebration of Sustrans’ 15th Anniversary, the tour will be a totally emission-free, environmentally friendly way to take his unique music to all corners of the country. As well as a fresh, fun alternative to the standard idiom of touring, it will highlight the enjoyment to be found in green options for other artists and the British public.

Starting in Newcastle, Martin will be cycling down the country on a Surly “Big Dummy” Cargo Bike, to his final destination, the Eden Project in Cornwall. Along the way he will be playing venues of all shapes and sizes, from concert halls to village halls, as well as playing the Isle of Wight’s phenomenal Bestival and TV’s River Cottage Canteen. Given the timescale of the month-long tour, Martin is hoping to cover roughly 50 miles per day between shows. His fans will easily be able to keep track of his progress, as he will be recording his experiences on his blog and through a video diary.

No stranger to adventure, Martin’s music has already taken him to some strange places, via unusual routes. In 2005, in the Himalayas, he broke the record for the worlds highest ever gig above Mount Everest base camp, at a staggering 5545m above sea level. In 2007, in search of the roots of blues music, he motorcycled across Mali in Africa, meeting traditional musicians to improvise music with. This admirably restless spirit has led him to navigate Australia, India and Nepal.

With his latest jaunt, it is no surprise to see Martin breaking musical boundaries yet again. So, stand by to see Martin Harley saddled up and rolling into Hanger Farm!

Full details of the Totton show here.

A NEW firm in Winchester aims to encourage people back into the saddle to see the best of the British countryside.

Cycle Tours UK has started running trips in Hampshire, Dorset, Devon and the Isle of Wight, with more routes to follow.

The firm caters for all abilities and provides all the equipment, so even those who have not ridden since school can have a go.

[Read more at the Hampshire Chronicle web site]

Title: SCC BBQ
Location: 17 Whitworth Road
Description: Lindsi has very kindly offered to host a BBQ as a summer social for Cycle Campaign members, friends and family. Menu will be simple – veggy/meat sausages and burgers and kebabs plus LOTS of home grown tomatoes, cucumbers etc

This will take place on Monday 23rd August, starting at 6.30 pm (early as it’s dark by 9 pm).

Hope some of you can make it.

Start Time: 18:30
Date: 2010-08-23

Hampshire County Council is currently consulting on a proposed long-term Local Transport Plan Strategy for the period 2011-2031, as part of development of a third round of a Local Transport Plan for the County (known as LTP3). The 12-week public consultation is primarily web-based. To view the consultation material, and how to respond, please visit HCC’s dedicated website. The consultation period runs until Wednesday 29th September 2010.

The consultation material has been structured in six parts. These include the County Council’s proposed county-wide transport vision, priorities and the policy background, set out in Parts A, B and C, and three area strategies.

The area strategies cover North Hampshire (Part D), Central Hampshire and the New Forest (Part E) and South Hampshire (Part F).

This consultation on the six documents will run for 12 weeks from Thursday 8 July to Wednesday 29 September 2010.

HCC has created an online response form so that members of the public, employers, organisations, and other interested parties can provide it with their views on the emerging strategy and policies that will guide development of transport in Hampshire in the future.

Tomorrow (27 July) on BBC Four at 21:00. Author Rob Penn travels around the world collecting handbuilt parts for his dream bicycle and charts the social history of one of mankind’s greatest inventions.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t6ylx

The same evening also features:
Death on the Mountain: The Story of Tom Simpson
A look at the 1967 Tour de France, when British cyclist Tom Simpson died trying to climb Mont Ventoux.

Thoroughly Modern… The Bicycle
How the Edwardians promoted the bicycle as a truly democratised means of transport.

Have you been riding for a while and feel you should really know how to adjust your gears?

Book yourself on to the next course delivered by rideride Cycle Workshop

* Tuesday 27th July 7:30 – 9:30pm
* Saturday 31st July 10 – 12am

The main focus for the course is

* gear set up and indexing
* brake set up and alignment
* puncture repair

We will also be covering

* bike safety check (M check)
* oiling routines
* how to use your gears

Aprons, gloves and tools will be provided. We recommend bringing your own bike to work on although other bikes will be available.
The course is £20 and lasts for 2hrs, it is held at the Solent Business Centre on Millbrook Road West, Southampton.

Recycle The Island

Title: Recycle The Island
Location: Tesco, Ryde, Isle of Wight
Link out: Click here
Description: In conjunction with Bag-It-Up, the company behind the recyling scheme supporting the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, we are once again running the best event for all you cycling enthusiasts. Starting at Tesco in Ryde, you can choose a 15 mile course or a 50 mile course which circles the whole Isle of Wight.

In addition to what will be a fun filled day, you will also have the chance to see the Air Ambulance, meet it’s fantastic crew & volunteers and find out more about this life-saving service.
Start Time: 09:00
Date: 2010-09-25
End Time: 17:00

Plans to extend a controversial seafront cycle lane at Southsea in Portsmouth have been put on hold.

The Portsmouth News reports that city council leaders say the route will not now be completed for at least two years.

The Portsmouth cycling fraternity has reacted to the news with disappointment. John Holland, chairman of PompeyBUG, a local cycling forum, wrote, “This is a very disappointing announcement from an organisation which is supposedly committed to encouraging healthy and sustainable travel. The phase 2 costs pall into insignificance when compared with the £6 million or so being spent on the Trafalgar Link Road at Mile End.

“Cyclists will have to endure the awful conditions on Clarence Esplanade where the out-dated and dangerous echelon parking will continue for some time to come.”

Read more…

This is reminder that the Southampton Sky Ride – a free, family, mass participation cycle ride – takes place on Sunday 25th July.

Southampton Cycling Campaign has the opportunity for a stall to promote the Campaign and the work we do. Volunteers are urgently needed  to staff the stall; to hand out leaflets and promote campaign membership and cycling in general. If someone is able to help, they should email clare.blay [AT] southampton.gov.uk

Secondly, the Sky Ride itself is looking for volunteer helpers:

Volunteer at the Southampton Sky Ride – we need you!
As you can imagine the personnel needed on the day of this free mass participation event is huge.
We need assistance with site management, route signage, managing entertainment on the day and of course marshals along the whole of the route.
It doesn’t matter if you have not had any event experience before and you don’t have to be able to ride a bike, you will only be allocated tasks that you know you can do. Volunteers usually work in teams and have fun whilst still giving something back to the community; you will not be on your own and may even meet new friends. We give full briefings to all volunteers and provide hi-vis vests and refreshments. Whether you just have a couple of hours to spare or the whole day, we would welcome your help.
If you would like to volunteer at Southampton Sky Ride please contact Eleanor Wilde on 023 8083 2694 or email eleanor.wilde@southampton.gov.uk