We will meet at 9.50 am at the Mansel Park pavillion on Evenlode Road, Millbrook, leaving at 10 am. The coffee stop will be at Chilworth Manor, which is also an interesting experience if you have not stopped here for refreshments before.

The ride is suitable for all abilities and is mainly flat; there is one steep hill (Toothill) which can be walked up if necessary.

Dear Sustrans friends and volunteers,

I would like to celebrate the end of a great year for walking and cycling with you on Saturday 17th December, 12-2pm, at Ropewalk Community Garden, 53 Derby Road, Southampton, SO17 1EG.

Ropewalk is one of Southampton’s secret open spaces where, in addition to growing food, we have organised a number of cycling events such as cycle training for children and bike maintenance workshops. We are also looking into setting up a bike loan scheme and a led walk in the area.

The Sustrans/Transition Southampton initiative Bike2Basics will be at Ropewalk on the 17th to provide training and tools for people to learn to fix their own bike. There’ll be food and refreshments, and an opportunity to meet new people and find out about other initiatives happening in the inner city of Southampton.

Please let me know if you can make it – I hope to see some of you there!!

For those of you who can’t make it: thank you for your support throughout this past year and I look forward to continue to promote cycling and walking with you in 2012!

Best wishes,

Thea

1. Black Apollo Tremore. No saddle, back wheel loose (nuts missing)
2. Yellow Apollo reckless – 15 speed shimano – tatty but usable saddle, cables need sorting
3. Orange & black Apollo Slammer – 18 speed and telescopic spring front forks – needs gears sorting

All 3 need cleaning and oiling, none seriously. All free to whoever collects. You can have 1,2 or 3 as you please.

10 am Boardwalk entrance, Horseshoe Bridge

10.30 am Woolston Station

11.30 am Coffee stop at Bursledon Windmill

1.00 – 1.30 pm Return to Boardwalk

Royal Pier Southampton by Lindsi Bluemel

Lindsi’s friend Ann MacGillivray writes: “Lindsi specialises in illustrations of historic buildings, and studied illustration at Solent University. She’s often been seen with her sketch pad and watercolours in various locations around Bitterne Park and often has spent time travelling further afield on her bicycle to capture ‘the essence of historic buildings’ around Southampton.

Lindsi’s delicate colour work demonstrates the ‘patina’ of these wonderful monuments of time.

In the past Lindsi has spent some time producing, promoting and selling her paintings and cards that depict her exquisite art with watercolours. Now for the first time she’s produced for sale a calendar of her illustrations. These are prints of original watercolours by Lindsi Bluemel. They are presented in a spiral bound calendar entitled ‘Historic Southampton 2012 Calendar’.”

Months and illustrations:

• January – Cobden Bridge
• February – The Bargate – North Front
• March – The Tudor Merchants Hall
• April – The Titanic Engineers’ Memorial
• May – The Old Wool House
• June – Terminus Station, Terminus Terrace
• July – The Medieval Merchant’s House
• August – The Royal Pier Gatehouse
• September – South Western House
• October – Former Royal Southern Yacht Club House
• November – The Dolphin Hotel
• December – The Bargate – South Front

Calendars are priced at £10 each plus £1.95 postage. You may also find them available through some local outlets, including Cobbett Road Library.

All proceeds from the calendars will go to Lindsi. Please note that sales are being managed by her family and not bitternepark.info and that orders are being taken via this method to be sent within the UK only.

It’s a common misconception that a cyclist with a five or ten-mile commute must arrive at the office more tired than her car-driving colleague; according to a study of more than 21,000 adults: workers who travel by car or public transport suffer higher levels of stress and tiredness than those who cycle or walk.

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden found that car and public transport users felt that they struggled with their health compared to active commuters. Among the problems experienced were perceived poor sleep quality, everyday stress, low vitality, mental health, self-reported health, and absence from work due to sickness during the past 12 months. British workers each take an average of 6.5 sick day per year.

The report found that the car drivers with a journey of between 30 minutes and an hour suffered the most stress and the detrimental effect on health from using public transport increased with journey time.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: ‘People commute for long distances for higher salaries or better housing, but this study suggests they may be paying for this with their health.’

You can sign the petition here.

Lindsi has been the linchpin of our campaign for many years. As Dilys Gartside said: “Lindsi is a great champion for cyclists. She cycles more miles in a year than many people drive and she is personally responsible for many cycle facilities that have been installed over the past two or three decades. We all hold her in enormous admiration.”

I’m sure all members will join in sending Lindsi our love and best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.

Unnecessary Whitehall bureaucracy will be tackled and costs for councils reduced following the biggest review into Britain’s traffic signing system for 40 years, announced today by Transport Minister Norman Baker.

The new framework  includes measures to update and improve traffic signs to make sure that they reflect the way we travel now, as well as providing clear information on prohibitions on the road network.  Changes will include:

• Measures to improve cycle journeys by allowing journey times as well as distances to be added to signs on cycle routes and making it easier for councils to use Trixi mirrors to improve visibility of cyclists at junctions and ‘no entry except cycles’ signs to allow contra-flow cycling;

Full details here.