South by train – with a non-folding bicycle

Posted on 10th Sep 2025 by insightndes

First time traveling in a long while with a non-folding bike. The chief difference is that I had to book the bike on most of the trains, including the far north line and the sleeper.

A stunning train ride to Inverness.

The bike went into a room on a carriage for bikes and large luggage. Not sure about the way the bike is hung up.

Interesting ride, an impressive number of cyclists on route to work, some with no road sense. One, who was on my right, turned left across my path without looking or signalling.

Nice to be the fastest for a change. Faster than the bikes and the cars 🙂.

Some jeopardy getting onto the SWR train, as they don’t do bookings for bikes. Will I get a space?

It only required three trains to get from the north coast of Scotland to the south coast of England. Weather good all the way,

Environment, Safety, Travel

Skewed

Posted on 15th Jun 2025 by insightndes

It is Bike Week 2025. https://www.cyclinguk.org/bikeweek.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there. This bike week I addressed a few of them. This is my last blog post on the subject, for now.

In many western countries society is skewed in the favour of cars. In the UK we have allowed cars to dominate city and town centres. This has led to many negative effects, high levels of pollution, particulate, noise and visual. Plus there is the ever present danger of injury from vehicles. We are now afraid to allow children to travel on foot or by bicycle on their own. Even parked cars take precedence over children playing. God forbid a car is accidentally damaged.

In the US, it’s worse. Who came up with the idea of jaywalking as an offence? Too many lawsuits against errant drivers? So criminalise the victims. In the UK pedestrians take responsibility for their safety and decide when to cross. In Germany the onus is on the driver. In Budapest often the drivers ignore the red lights at pedestrian crossings. In busy cities it is frustrating crossing the roads, you have to wait for the green man and watch for cyclists jumping the red lights.

The UK has made an effort to rebalance. The Highway Code has introduced the idea of the more dangerous you are the more responsibility you have. When turning left cars have to give way to cyclists and pedestrian, cyclists have to give way pedestrians. This is the opposite of might is right. Low emission zones and traffic free areas have helped improve safety and reduce pollution.

Low speed limits in built up areas, 20 mph in the UK makes life far more pleasant for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists. Reduced noise and pollution, increased safety, what’s not to like. There is still a large minority of drivers who don’t think the rules apply to them. Enforcement is an issue, but when I am driving in a 20 mph zone, all the vehicles behind me obey the speed limit 🙂.

But even in higher speed limit areas, what could be round the corner? Drive so that you can avoid mowing down the mother with pram forced to walk on the road with no pavement, who could be round the blind bend.

There seems to be a lot of overly noisy people including some politicians who object. What’s not to like about increased safety and health? Unfortunately there is a sense of entitlement amongst some drivers, nothing must impede their speed. News for you, you are not that important.

Some politicians try to create a phoney argument with phrases like “war on motorists “, a typical populist approach to gain traction with an over simplified statement with no substance or merit. There is no war on motorists in this sense, just a push to make life better for people.

There is a kind of war on motorists in the UK, and all other road users. You can see the craters everywhere on the roads. Lack of maintenance a false economy. Today I hit a pot hole on my bike and ended up with a puncture.

Could things get more skewed across the world as driverless cars come into use? The offence of jaywalking makes it far easier to have poorly performing driverless cars on the road. Policy makers in all countries, protect people first, not car makers.

The UK has improved, you can see that in driver behaviour, but has more to do. Don’t allow repeat offenders to stay on the road. Speeding, reckless driving should be treated more seriously. Change the attitude of drivers so driving too close to cyclists and pedestrians and other vulnerable road users such as horse riders is absolutely frowned upon. Make towns and cities safe for people, especially children.

Environment, Travel

No one pays road tax!

Posted on 14th Jun 2025 by insightndes

One of the common moans about cyclists, is that they don’t pay road tax. This is true, but no road users pay road tax. But owners of motorised vehicles do need to pay a vehicle tax https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-tax-rate-tables. There is no requirement to pay a vehicle tax for a bicycle. This makes sense as for newer vehicles the vehicle tax is related to how polluting a vehicle is. Bicycles produce next to no pollution. Even electric cars pollute, the brakes and tyres produce particulates.

I am going to look at the tax situation from a different angle.

Most adult cyclists do pay tax which contributes to the upkeep of roads, it’s called income tax. Given the extreme low levels of damage to roads from cyclists and the extremely low level of pollution from cyclists, it seems unfair that cyclists pay as much income tax as drivers. People who do not own motorised vehicles are subsidising the owners of motorised vehicles. Cyclists who reduce their motorised vehicle usage due to cycling should be thanked for reducing their contribution to causing pot holes.

There is of course taxation on petrol and diesel. But given the damage to people’s health and to the environment from vehicle emissions , I suspect that this is not enough.

Thank you cyclists, a group who are actually reduce the tax burden.

Environment, Travel

Bikes hold up traffic❌Cars hold up traffic✅

Posted on 10th Jun 2025 by insightndes

You are driving along and there’s a bike in front of you going at a slower speed. Impatience builds, you can‘t get past. Bl**dy cyclist🤬.

In reality you may have a perceived delay of a few tens of seconds. But as you speed on to the next queue of vehicles , where you lose minutes, the bike made no difference. And why can’t you overtake the bike? Because of the oncoming traffic. The problem is the excessive number cars not the bike.

But it’s worse! In 2024 the average UK driver lost 62 hours due to traffic congestion. That’s more than two and a half days. In London that’s 101 hours. That’s a lot of time spent staring at someone‘s rear bumper. Look for INREX 2024. This is due to excessive number of motorised vehicles.

Traffic also delays pedestrians, you can’t get across the road due to the traffic wizzing past. Cars also delay cyclists, sometimes it’s impossible to get out of junction due to the traffic. The congestion also gets in the way of emergency vehicles.

I have had cars overtake me while I was cycling, stopping just in front of me, to turn right, which they can’t due to the oncoming traffic. Its then tricky to get past the immobile blockage on the road. Waste of my time and very rude.

There is another cost of congestion. Pollution! Shortens the lives of the drivers and the non drivers.☠️

The way to reduce that wasted 62 hours or 101 hours in London is to get on your bike. Reduced delays for you riding the bike, reduced traffic because you are riding your bicycle instead of driving. Less congestion, reduced delays for those in the cars. Everyone is happy.

It is Bike Week 2025. https://www.cyclinguk.org/bikeweek.

There are a lot of misconceptions out there. This bike week I thought that I would address a few of them.

Insight