tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post7884329823910645070..comments2024-03-19T10:54:26.547+00:00Comments on Real cycling: London Skyride: Marshalling argumentsRob Ainsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15545429147297468874noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-46734570393764599772009-11-18T11:29:04.390+00:002009-11-18T11:29:04.390+00:00I suppose the purpose of the cycling ban on grass ...I suppose the purpose of the cycling ban on grass is a carpet ban to everyone just to stop a few the weekend mountain bikers going mad. I ride my bike to work through a royal park and was told off for cycling on the grass by a police woman who was driving her land rover all over the grass and churning it up. Also I've seen police on horses churning the grass up. A bit of common sense I think is needed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-23189719328044994632009-09-22T11:28:13.100+01:002009-09-22T11:28:13.100+01:00@Rob...I'm glad you covered it and on rereadin...@Rob...I'm glad you covered it and on rereading your post I think it's fine that you weren't so gushing about the whole thing as I was. That's cool. <br />I cycle to work everyday and cover about 140 miles a week doing so: so to be honest when it came to Sunday morning the last thing I fancied was riding into London again. However, I'm really glad I did. It made people cycle (outside of the Skyride) just to get there which is great; it was tremendous for children and if you look at some of the videos it was heartwarming (must be going soft in my old age) to see people of all ages and shapes and sizes on their bikes clearly having a good time.<br />If the event encouraged a few more commuters to cycle to work or as in my case children to cycle to school then job done. Thanks again for covering it.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-38611204760848774242009-09-22T09:05:09.702+01:002009-09-22T09:05:09.702+01:00@Tim... and at every wedding ceremony, when they g...@Tim... and at every wedding ceremony, when they get to the vows, a baby starts bawling and is rushed out by its mum. I must ask my wedding planner friend Steph if this is standard, programmed practice nowadays.Rob Ainsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15545429147297468874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-35168634417905912362009-09-22T08:52:37.349+01:002009-09-22T08:52:37.349+01:00I thought crying children were a key feature of co...I thought crying children were a key feature of community events... one reason I avoid them.Timnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-91086613546026530432009-09-21T18:09:21.852+01:002009-09-21T18:09:21.852+01:00@Anonymous.. thanks very much for your comments. I...@Anonymous.. thanks very much for your comments. I'm feeling a bit of an old curmudgeon now and wish I'd been a bit more positive when I hurriedly typed up my impressions on Sunday afternoon! Glad you had such a good experience.Rob Ainsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15545429147297468874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-33254147434603453442009-09-21T17:40:44.277+01:002009-09-21T17:40:44.277+01:00Yesterday, I volunteered to marshall the London Sk...Yesterday, I volunteered to marshall the London Skyride at a busy intersection. Although I'm a keen cyclist and might otherwise have participated, I thought I'd get involved in helping with a community event. Not a thankless task, but hardly a very fun one - please remember that! <br /><br />Gratifyingly, despite your relatively negative comments, I found that everyone was extremely friendly, thankful, positive and open-minded about the whole event.<br /><br />Yes, occasionally, we prevented people stopping in the middle of the road because they wanted to cross over and see what was going on elsewhere. <br /><br />Regarding the autocratic nature of us Marhsalls' behaviour, the system was in place for public safety - pure and simple. Everyone I spoke to about this fully understood once the reasons had been explained to them. Sadly, on two occasions, people blocking the road caused accidents. I personally don't like seeing crying children on a day when it's supposed to be a community event.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-60657953215533361272009-09-21T13:53:22.855+01:002009-09-21T13:53:22.855+01:00I would've liked to take my helmet off during ...I would've liked to take my helmet off during the ride, but it wouldn't fit in my bag!<br />Pretty good fun - wasn't expecting so many people!<br /><br />JamesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-67928970452954135162009-09-21T11:19:49.872+01:002009-09-21T11:19:49.872+01:00@Anonymous 1 - "fined £200.00 for riding on t...@Anonymous 1 - "fined £200.00 for riding on the precious grass in green park"? Please tell us more. <br /><br />This figure is far higher than the £50 fixed penalty proposed earlier this year for breaking the cycling regulations in the Royal Parks.<br /><br />NigelNigelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14228972852570724347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-70349755052888100532009-09-21T08:39:38.555+01:002009-09-21T08:39:38.555+01:00@josh - and, oddly, I always take my glasses off t...@josh - and, oddly, I always take my glasses off to eat. I don't know what that says about me, though Freud probably had a view.Rob Ainsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15545429147297468874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-75403547209848113262009-09-21T08:34:46.241+01:002009-09-21T08:34:46.241+01:00@Rob - Jesus. I've got to re-evaluate my worl...@Rob - Jesus. I've got to re-evaluate my worldview. This is big.joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01381576092663945393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-50366519176093587832009-09-21T08:19:14.760+01:002009-09-21T08:19:14.760+01:00Thanks, all - a few quick responses:
@josh - In f...Thanks, all - a few quick responses:<br /><br />@josh - In fact, I *do* take my shoes off to picnic. Hope this revelation doesn't spur criticism from people saying that someone they know had their toes run over by a pushchair, but they were saved by their shoes, and it'll serve me right if I get crushed feet from a passing cyclist.<br /><br />@Andrew - pleased you enjoyed the event. Sorry if it came across as negative - I was delighted to see 50,000 people enjoying themselves, and our little group of mum, toddlers, and stand-in dad had a very pleasant time. The organisation was good (though they ran out of water later on) and I hope it's as successful next year. <br /><br />@Anonymous 1 - £200 for riding on grass? Clearly bonkers. My views on hereditary monarchies (with exceptions for cycling royalty in Denmark or the Netherlands) are probably similar to yours. <br /><br />@Anonymous 3 - Sorry, your argument doesn't work. Presumably you're quite fond of your heart-lung system, so why don't you wear a stabproof jacket? If *you* collapsed under a melee of ten cyclists, your chest wall would inevitably suffer massive damage without such protection under all those protruding bits of metal. So clearly you're stupid, and don't care for your own safety, etc etc... <br />The reason most people wear helmets is because they see others wearing them and it feels normal. The reason people don't wear stabproof jackets to cycle is because noone else wears them and it would feel silly. Logic plays little part - otherwise people would wear both.Rob Ainsleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15545429147297468874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-8152562206488474722009-09-20T23:45:48.015+01:002009-09-20T23:45:48.015+01:00I didn't go for the reasons that you mentioned...I didn't go for the reasons that you mentioned not liking it-- I went last year, and I loved being able to ride on major roads (traffic free) but to me much of the enjoyment of urban biking is (a) having somewhere to go, and (b) negotiating traffic. Without both of those things, this even is just... a bit pointless for me. If I had a family with young kids, or something, it would be great (especially on a weekly basis) but for me, I don't need it. <br /><br />Anywho-- about the helmets. Assuming that you recognise that helmets <i>can</i> be useful (I know there are lots of militantly anti-helmet people who deny this) I think you should look at people wearing helmets in these situations differently: they're treating the helmet as just another item of clothing. If a helmet fits well, it's no more annoying than a pair of shoes (did you take your shoes off when sitting down to picnic? Even though you didn't need foot protection?) and it helps emphasise that biking is just part of the day-- rather than a distinct 'activity' that requires a complete change of clothes, or a set of protective equipment.joshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01381576092663945393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-71448152669776087042009-09-20T21:28:15.953+01:002009-09-20T21:28:15.953+01:00I usually like your blog but I'm quite disappo...I usually like your blog but I'm quite disappointed by some of the negativity about this event. My children cycled with me 20km through major roads to get to the Skyride and loved it. We were grateful for the marshals who encouraged them from a few kms outside and never felt hassled or policed once. Yes, we wore hats and even the dodgy green bibs being handed out and it was no big deal. We smiled lots and it was a joy to see so many thousands doing the same. I don't see a helmet doing an 8 year old any harm - just great to be on a bike and getting the chance to ride round some landmarks on roads usually choked with buses and taxis.Andrewnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-17652568520507774612009-09-20T20:09:02.753+01:002009-09-20T20:09:02.753+01:00I must say a post like this doesnt supprise me tha...I must say a post like this doesnt supprise me that you have no reason to want to protect you head. Even at 8 mph if you hit the tarmac head firat and 10 or so cycles land on you a helmet isnt a bad idea. Sky Ride was great fun not a social revolution but a good day out.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-54911860635850568502009-09-20T19:42:42.140+01:002009-09-20T19:42:42.140+01:00Good post Rob. Always helpful to highlight the dan...Good post Rob. Always helpful to highlight the dangers of Scotch eggs (and skewer the weird special treatment for bikes that the Skyride seems to bring out).<br /><br />And there's some horrible irony that it took place on the same day that Mrs Bradley Wiggins has her bike taken out by a 'sorry I didn't see you' driver: http://twitter.com/cathwiggins<br /><br />MJSAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8570734860219292199.post-49723123339200647432009-09-20T19:34:34.999+01:002009-09-20T19:34:34.999+01:00It is so obvious that cyclists are picked on in lo...It is so obvious that cyclists are picked on in london. I was fined £200.00 for riding on the precious grass in green park. The policeman who booked me said the queen hates bikes. Funny that, she sits in her palace as the workers face hefty fines. The enforcement amazed me also, hundreds of police on bike patrol in the parks, also on the streets.Have they not got anything else to do. What a backward society!!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com