Southampton Cycling Campaign

Welcome to the website for Southampton Cycling Campaign. Here you will find information about us and our strategy as well as information about cycling in Southampton. Members of the campaign range enormously from occasional cyclists to daily cycle-commuters and their views can vary accordingly. However, all are committed to ensuring that cycling is a viable option for transport and leisure throughout the city. If you are interested in finding out more about these campaigns or can offer some support, please contact us. We meet on the second Monday of every month (except August) upstairs at the Friends Meeting House, Ordnance Road (map). Enter through the side door. Meet at 19:30 for tea and biscuits, with business from 20:00. Everyone is welcome.

The Mayor and Transport for London are committed to making London a cycling friendly city.

The Mayor has outlined ten objectives for a cyclised London, which have been endorsed by a number of partner organisations. These objectives introduce a document called “Cycling Revolution: London” that brings together in one place the details of how London’s cycling revolution will be delivered.

The Mayor has also recently launched specific proposals for reducing cyclist casualties in the Capital

Title: British Cycling Ride Leader training course
Location: Holiday Inn Eastleigh, Leigh Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9PG
Link out: Click here

Are you a champion of cycling in Southampton?

Would you like to become a qualified Ride Leader?

We’re looking for enthusiastic people to get involved in a programme of led-rides this summer, and other recreational cycling opportunities.

You can train as a British Cycling Ride Leader and inspire cyclists to get more out of their riding, have fun and get a recognised qualification. Qualified leaders and planners are paid and receive a cycling jacket and bib, free membership of British Cycling and ongoing support.

8th May Ride Leader Course Holiday Inn Eastleigh, Leigh Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9PG (9-5pm)
9th May Ride Leader Course Holiday Inn Eastleigh, Leigh Road, Eastleigh, SO50 9PG (9-5pm)

For an application form: see ‘vacancies’ section on the British Cycling website

http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/membership/article/bcst-Vacancies

Start Date: 2010-05-08
Start Time: 09:00
End Date: 2010-05-09
End Time: 17:00

It’s now less than three weeks to election day, so if you haven’t written to your parliamentary candidates, now’s the time to join the 1600 cyclists who have. It’s really easy – enter your postcode and the website comes up with a pre-written message to your local candidates (which you can customise), seeking their support for CTC’s Vote Bike Manifesto, or thanking them if they have already offered it. You can also check out what parties are saying about cycling in their responses to Vote Bike, and see which candidates have signed up. You’ll also be helping CTC identify potential new parliamentary allies, as about half of the elected MPs are likely to be new faces.

Title: Bournemouth CTC Cycle Jumble
Location: Burley Village Hall
Link out: Click here
Description: Light Refreshments Available

To book a table ring Jim Hatton
01425 280 889
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2010-04-24
End Time: 14:00

Does the NHS help and encourage nurses to be healthy? A major review of health and wellbeing in the NHS was published at the end of last year. It recommended a raft of measures to help NHS staff be healthier, including making it easier to cycle. Six months on, Nursing Times would like to know whether your Trust supports nurses in living a healthy lifestyle. Please help Nursing Times investigate this important issue by sparing a few moments to complete their survey.

CTC would like to find out more about your commute to work, in order to help encourage cycle commuting by addressing barriers and improving conditions. The survey is designed for all commuters – not just those who currently cycle to work – so please invite commuting friends and family to take part. The survey only takes a few minutes to fill in and responses are anonymous. Click here to launch the survey.

Recent information from Royal Mail’s outgoing chief executive, Adam Crozier, confirms that Royal Mail plans to replace almost all of its bikes with electric trolleys that will be shipped out to neighbourhoods by van.  Adam Crozier has given several reasons for this move, all of which CTC finds spurious.

CTC believes Crozier’s assertion that posties on bikes violate health and safety regulations is untrue. Mr Crozier’s comment that the increasing weights of postal deliveries necessitates new delivery technologies ignores the potential to use cargo bicycles and tricycles, already used in other European countries and by courier companies in Britain – for instance DHL and FedEx.

CTC opposes any moves by Royal Mail to stop cycle deliveries, and instead would like to see cargo bikes and tricycles used to deliver larger weights of post.

Please take action by writing to Royal Mail’s future chief executive (as yet unnamed).  Please fill out our form, which will automatically generate a letter.  Then you can edit, print and send it to CTC’s national office.  We will collect the letters and deliver them in one load by cargo bike to Royal Mail’s headquarters on the new chief executive’s first day of work.

Please personalise your letter by mentioning at least one of the following reasons for reversing Royal Mail’s plan to phase out cycles:

•    Road safety: this plan would have dire implications for road safety by replacing cycles with vans.  As the number of vehicles increases, our roads become less safe for cyclists.  Royal Mail is legally obligated to protect the health and safety not just of its workers, but of the general public.  It appears that they have failed to recognise this when citing health and safety as the reason behind this decision.
•    Environmental: in order for the government to meet its commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, it must take concrete steps to address the emissions from road transport.  As an organisation owned largely by the government, Royal Mail should be committed to working towards that goal, and replacing bicycles with vans will not help.
•    The government’s Active Travel Strategy: increasing cycling safety is a goal of the government’s new Active Travel Strategy, which government bodies such as Royal Mail should uphold.  It is possible that the government may change, but the commitments of these policies are so important to our nation’s future that they will likely stay.

Take action!

Title: Big Bike Celebration 2010
Location: Riverside Park, Southampton (off Woodmill Lane and Manor Farm Road)
Description: A day of bike-related fun for all the family. Lots of free activities and prizes to be won.
Start Time: 10:00
Date: 2010-06-13
End Time: 17:00

• Prepare to be amazed by the mountain bike stunt displays
• Experience National Cycle Network Route 23
• Visit the bike shop stand for a free cycle check-up, advice and adjustments
• Take a turn on the bicycle powered smoothie maker
• Bring your bike – why not cycle to Riverside Park?
• Challenge your friends to a roller-race!
  Wierd and wonderful bikes at the try-a-bike-arena
• Join one of our friendly bike rides (click image for full details)

The latest newsletter (April 2010) is available for download in [pdf] or [MS Word] formats. Highlights of this issue include:

• Forthcoming events
• Fill that hole – with some flowers
• CTC/Cyclenation conference
• City Centre bike parking
• Proposed road traffic orders: Ruby Rd & Lyon St
• Bitterne Road West/Bullar Rd junction
• Cycling campaigning in Chile
• StreetTread – Sustrans active travel project
• Vote bike in the General Election
• IPayRoadTax.com
• Discount in bike shops

Road tax was abolished 74 years ago
Road tax doesn’t exist. It’s VED, or ‘car tax’. Motorists do not pay for the roads, we all do, via general taxation. In 1926, Winston Churchill started the process to abolish road tax. He didn’t want motorists to think a token payment gave them ownership of the road. Road tax finally died in 1937, says DVLA. Paying Vehicle Excise Duty gives no “right to the road” for motorists (or car-owning cyclists). iPayRoadTax.com products help spread news about what has become a movement.