http://www.gmcc.org.uk/2013/09/space-for-cycling-petition/

Roll call. Im in.

Might head over and get involved.

Yep, work just around the corner from the start point so will be dragging a few colleagues along.

unfortunately finish at 5 so will have to kill an hour in the pub 🙁

Just a critical mass ride on a Monday night to deliver the petition isn’t it?

Not really although I did wonder myself at first.

Critical mass as I understand it is a bunch of waster hippies twatting around a busy city centre on a Friday night pissing off other road users for no reason what so ever.

Space for cycling is a protest of sorts, calling for improvements to the cycling infrastructure on our roads.

The route is on mostly closed roads (due to con party conf) and has been arranged with support from gmp.

^ I think you’ll find Monday night is mostly made up of the Manchester Critical Mass crowd.

I’m under no illusions on that front 😉

I bet there’ll be some hairy’ minge types

It’ll just be the usual critical mass bell ends! Has it taken them about 15 years to work out that they can make everyone think what a bunch of ****s they are on days other than a Friday? They’re a bright bunch. You’ll fit right in 🙄

So best stay away then? Just because some people who don’t want to work pretend its because they are new-age and hijacking a valid event you think we should let them/leave them to it?

No and if its also hijacked by the Socialist worker-crowd I’ll say something bloody strong and then peel off/head off home.

Its about commuter (people who work for a living) safety getting to and from work for me. Keeping our gob-shut and letting the feckless dishwater crowd shout ‘me me’! shouldn’t be allowed.

I’ll say something bloody strong and then peel off run for it

ftfy 🙂

No, I’m like a Freddy Mercury-version of Techno-Viking 8)

Oh ok. You keep thinking that. I think that when you actually get there, to fit in, you’ll be needing one of these

i’m going. so’s the bird.
and we don’t do CM.
i think this could/should be more useful than that.

Friends and co-workers have voiced similarly negative views.

Its a shame that the (well deserved imo) reputation of cm is putting folks off from joining in what could be a really positive event.

Wasn’t aware of the CM influence, I’ll still be going down.

I went on a ride in That Lunnjon on a similar subject. It was on a Thursday Eve (6pm) a few weeks agao and setup by a Group who have a seat on the Council. It started at W’loo and rode around P’Sq, Em’mnt and back to W’loo. Set up that way to get the masses who use W’loo for commuting in/out of Town. We had about 1000 folks on all sorts of bikes, it was well organised, no hippes nor Red Army attendees and was a joyfull hour spent riding in a mass Group in rush hour(s). I went to the pub afterwards with a couple of ‘Mewters who live over my way and a jolly nice bunch they all were.

Its worth hacking a Group ride to bring attention to your needs, better if you can get the TV crowd involved too (like ours was)

Can only be a good thing IMO.

Come on, lets blow the doors off of this thing!

I’m no expert but that back door looks more kicked in than blown off

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8g_GeQR8fJo[/video]

Only just found out about this. Round the corner from work so I’ll be there. Don’t really understand the CM comments. Seems like the usual reactionary hippy-hating nonsense. I used to do CM a while back and never saw many hippies, just people who liked to ride bikes and were concerned about road safety.

I’ll be riding a Scott CR1 SL with white bar tape if anyone wants to say hello.

Can’t make it unfortunately as I’m out of town, but I’ve signed up to the initiative as it can only be a good thing. The more pressure that is brought to bear on politicians (and the more they think that our votes will at least be influenced by their actions), the more likely it is that something will be done. After all it seems to be working in London…

I’ll be there, white road bike, exposure joystick/redeye on my Catlike leaf and my ex girlfriend with my daughter on the back of her Felt MTB.

Shes going to be out past her bedtime tonight!

I was under the impression that there was a fairly concerted effort in place to develop cycling within Greater Manchester bound together by Transport for Greater Manchester (here.

I had been unaware of the Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign – until now. Is there any link between the 2 groups and if not, would it not be better to have one united front?

I also had no idea what Critical Mass was – but i do now!

Pretty sure TFGM and GMCC talk to each other. TFGM are paid professionals considering all forms of transport, GMCC are community volunteers considering cycling.

GMCC are Cycle campaigners – there’s a forum every couple of months and regular meetings with the council/TFGM.

Cycling is pretty low down the council/TFGM agenda, the changes to Oxford Road though, although likely to be great for cyclists were sold to the council as good for busses.

So if TFGM have plans in place, what exactly are GMCC protesting for?

The plans in place aren’t of a sufficient level?

Because the original plans for oxford road included some pretty horrific bus stops till GMCC got involved!

Plus, you know – the rest of Manchester is virtually devoid of cycle paths.

I’m still annoyed that they didn’t put a cycle path down the side of the new Metro extension, missed opportunity

Cycling needs movement from central government, e.g. fix the stupid DfT guidelines, before most of what local government does will be of any use to anyone other than leisure riders.
Currently the government is doing nothing more than paying lip service and the money recently announced is a drop in the ocean compared to what is required to make a difference nor is it even the crumbs off the table compared to the billions being spent on transport as a whole.
If you don’t take any action then don’t moan about the state of cycling in this country and other people’s attitudes to it.
For this reason I’m in.

I may or may not be there depending on whether or not my wife goes into labour. Mini Aazlad/ladette was due 6 days ago and is keeping us waiting! I’ll be on a Green Cotic >X< with an Exposure on the lid.

Just attempting to get a balanced view of what the aims of a protest are today.

My personal take is that yes, improvements are required to make road cycling safer in the Greater Manchester area and i would support and welcome any such improvements.

I’m also trying to be fairly realistic and understand that when all is said and done we are in a period of great austerity and funding is going to be limited.

I just haven’t really got to grips with what the point of today actually is, given that the TfGM (appear to) have an ongoing plan under development.

Plus, you know – the rest of Manchester is virtually devoid of cycle paths.

But is it?

I live in north Bolton and can ride into city centre Manchester and can do it 95% off road. This includes a very long length of national cycleway between Drinkwater Park and Radcliffe that now has a largely tarmac surface for cyclists. I can only comment on my own experiences and it may be that I am in a priveledged minority!

Again though I am all for further improvements!

My experience is there are large cycle lanes for 200m’s that suddenly end after traffic lights.

My experience is there are large cycle lanes that cut into two lanes but still give drivers the impression that they can drive in both lanes (even though this means overlap into the cycle lane. Very very dangerous.

Recently I pointed out to non-cyclist mrshora the madness of the lanes on our side of the City centre. She agreed they didn’t make sense at all.

Classics like this?

A bike lane you can’t even PAINT a bike in let alone ride it (Timperley)

http://goo.gl/maps/6J66H

Or on the other side of the road, a bit of door zone action?

This 3 way give way (on a dual carriage way) is a highlight for me though (I actually got hit here about a year ago, try and work it out!)

http://goo.gl/maps/xUIAy

When you’ve got infrastructure like this, who needs cycle campaigners eh?

Oh and the cycle paths like these where you have one – until there’s a traffic island, or a junction REALLY useful http://goo.gl/maps/Imk9y

I think that’s the problem. Its all so hit and miss. I live in East Lancs (still greater Manchester) and all the roads on my commute have decent wide, marked cycle lanes. When I used to cycle into Manchester city centre though, they’re a nightmare. The problem is that with the city streets as they are – with all the buses, cars and trams fighting for space, how do you significantly improve on the present system? Obviously starting from scratch again isn’t an option

I hope I’m wrong about tonight, and it isn’t hijacked by CM. As their monumental bell-endery would further set back cycling in their usual mindlessly counter-productive, myopic way.

my own experience (riding the 8 mile or so round trip from chorlton to the city centre and back every work day for the past year) is that i’ve been clipped by cars 3 times, had numerous very near misses (cars, buses and lorries) and been deliberately run off the road and threatened by a bloke in an audi a3 once.
so, you may be able to do the majority of the ride from bolton to manchester off road but once you get here then you’re chancing it in traffic that can be ridiculously bad during rush hour.

and GMP are currently more bothered about bragging about the number of cyclists they’ve ticketed for RLJing, riding on the pavement and riding without lights on oxford road than looking at ways to make the city safer for all road users…

This 3 way give way (on a dual carriage way) is a highlight for me though (I actually got hit here about a year ago, try and work it out!)

http://goo.gl/maps/xUIAy

I ride that section (on the road) every day and have seen two cyclists wiped out there in the last 6 months. I don’t think either the cyclists or the car drivers have any idea who has right of way, hence why I ride on the road.

My main concern as a cyclist in Manchester and beyond is the behaviour of a minority of other road users. I’d support a campaign to address that. No amount of space4cycling (or Go Dutch as it was called last time) campaigning will change driver/rider/pedestrian behaviour when they already have others tagged as an out group that they ‘hate’.

This 3 way give way (on a dual carriage way) is a highlight for me though (I actually got hit here about a year ago, try and work it out!)
http://goo.gl/maps/xUIAy

I ride that section (on the road) every day and have seen two cyclists wiped out there in the last 6 months. I don’t think either the cyclists or the car drivers have any idea who has right of way, hence why I ride on the road.

And this is why central government need to fix the DfT guidelines before money is spent on what will be more bad cycle lanes.