LCAG

The main event at the 2011 Open Evening, held on Wednesday 26 October at 7.30 pm, was a talk by transport expert Dr Miles Tight on the future of transportation within cities.

As always there was lively discussion as well as short but exciting films and of course the raffle of cycling gear. Other than the organisers and speakers nearly 100 people attended (approx. two thirds LCAG members).

Photos – Leeds problems!

To welcome people to the evening a slideshow of funny but worrying pictures of cycling problems in Leeds was on display. The person washing his car in the cycle lane of the A64 shows what we have to endure.

Thanks to Allan for putting this together.

Film – Inspirational Copenhagen

Copenhagen is great for cycling. This film of around five minutes showed crowds cycling everywhere, using good facilities – wide cycle lanes, good racks on every street etc.
After becoming clogged up and dirty due to the car culture, the city took action. Now, as an interviewee said on the film, “It is simply normal life” to use a bicycle. Not many there are enviro, health or saving money obsessives, “it is simply the best choice”. Could Copenhagenisation happen in Leeds? View it here…

Film – Beauty and the Bike

Bremen and Darlington are very different places to cycle in. One is superb, the other is not. Watch the film to find out which is which. Two groups of young women show what it is like to be a cyclist in their city and explore the reasons for this. They travel to each other’s cities to see how things could be different. View it here…

Main Event – Talk by Dr Miles Tight

‘Visioning a Future Role for Cycling and Walking’

At present just 1% of trip stages on average in British urban areas are by cycle, 59% by car, 12% by public transport, and 28% walking. However there are exceptions where cycling is much more important, e.g. Cambridge. Dr Miles Tight (Senior Lecturer, Institute of Transport Studies, University of Leeds) has been commissioned by the EPSRC (Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council) to study options for future transport policy (www.visions2030.org.uk). Miles was interesting despite his talk being in quite an academic style.

Scenarios

Miles outlined three alternative futures or visions that a typical British town or city could try and aim for, or simply be forced to implement one day. All involved more cycling, walking and public transport. The need for this was discussed, in summary currently many urban areas are more unpleasant than they could be – reliance on the car has serious effects on safety, pollution (both noise and air), health negatively affected by a sedentary lifestyle and the sociability and society of streets and neighbourhoods. Also mentioned were relevant issues of continued economic stagnation and rising fuel prices, as well as one or two more dramatic situations like economic or environmental collapse.

Click a slide to see that a future cycle friendly and a car-reduced world would involve many interesting features such as cycle racks in most streets, delivery by cycle courier, and rather different buses.

Questions and Discussion

Miles answered several interesting questions in including whether the law re cycling in Copenhagen had helped to make it so bike friendly compared to Leeds – Miles replied that this was an important issue but they had not looked into it yet.

Stalls

Tim Parry (Transport Planner, Leeds City Council) was available to answer questions. He brought the new large map of Leeds with cycling facilities marked and asked for comments.

There was good information about cycle routes, LCAG’s new short rides and how to join LCAG.
Also the raffle prizes were on display (see below).

Allan’s Inspirational LCAG Talk

Allan Luxton (LCAG membership secretary) was very energetic in showing what LCAG does. If this evangelisation doesn’t motivate people, nothing will!!!
He expounded LCAG’s raison d’etre, campaigns and new initiatives such as the short rides on Saturday mornings – these aim to be welcoming to people new to or returning to cycling. With a friendly approach ‘nobody gets left behind’ these have proved very popular.

Thanks to Angela in particular for helping organise this.

Raffle

Many thanks to Woodrup Cycles of Kirkstall, The Edinburgh Cycle Co-operative in Chapel Allerton, The Bike Shop at Cross Gates, first direct and member Robert Ibberson for prizes. These included two cycle computers, a CO2 pump (for inflating tyres), a helmet and thermal cycle clothing. Unfortunately the traditional jam wasn’t in the raffle this year.

Film – Leeds Cycling in Snow

With his on-handlebars camera Ian Oliver filmed his ride through the snow and ice, threading in between cars and lorries. What an adventure! The music on the film was “Yakety Sax”, aka the Benny Hill theme.

Thanks

Thanks to Dave Holt (Chair of LCAG) for managing the evening in his usual very efficient way, and for much organisation behind the scenes.
Thanks to Steve Jones excellent photographer and LCAG member, for taking photos.
Thanks to John Farley and Dave Holt for preparing the films and the IT.
Thanks to Michael Ousby, manager of Cycle Point for free cycle storage.
Thanks to Allan for preparation of films, slideshow and much else.
Thanks to Sue for organising the register and raffle.

2012

The LCAG 2012 Open Evening will be even better, attend it!

Previous guest speakers at our Open Evening have included Tori James (who cycled the length of New Zealand) in 2010 and Jack Thurston (presenter of ‘The Bike Show’ on a London radio station) in 2009.

This year it was decided to choose a more serious speaker to speak about cycling in transport planning and policy. If you have any suggestions for a guest speaker, or indeed what else we could do at our Open Evening, please get in touch!