Families Worry About Road Safety For Their Kids.

Potholes, broken pavements, volume of traffic a concern.

A survey from road safety charity Brake revealed 38% of respondents have felt scared by traffic while out walking or cycling in their neighbourhood.

Potholes, broken pavements and the sheer volume of traffic also weighs heavily on a families mind.

It also found 65% of people believe more should be done to make routes to schools safer for children on foot and bike.

(CLICK HERE report local issues here in real time)

The majority of those who took part in the survey (67%) said they would like there to be more paths, cycle paths and crossings in their neighbourhood.

In 2014, 53 children under 16 were killed and 2,029 were seriously injured on British roads. The majority (80%) were on foot or bicycle at the time.

In another study, Brake discovered 44% of drivers admit they have broken a 20mph speed limit by at least 5mph in the last year, with one in five (20%) confessing they do it every week.  

Brake is organising an event, Giant Walk, to encourage people to walk or cycle.

Gary Rae, director of communications and campaigns, said: ‘Brake’s Giant Walk is a great way for schools to highlight the need for safer roads in their communities to enable children to be able to walk or cycle to school without fear or threat from traffic.

‘Every year as part of this fantastic event, schools use resources and support from Brake to run lessons across a variety of subjects around the theme of road safety and active travel.’

To report road defects, potholes and other road related issues CLICK HERE

Edinburgh Courier Says "More Potholes Here Than On The Moon"

An Edinburgh courier who has racked up a million miles claims there are more potholes on the city's roads than there are craters on the moon.

June Dyer, 58, has averaged 700 miles a week for the last 32 years - meaning she has driven around 1.04 million miles in and around the capital's roads for Eagle Couriers.

And she has plenty of stories to tell from her days travelling on some of the most congested streets outside of London.

She once sparked a flurry of calls to the emergency services when she parked up on one of the city's busiest roads to attend to a dodgy SatNav - which caused members of the public to think she was suffering a heart attack.

The former Miss Lothian 1976, who has covered more miles in the city than anyone else, said: "The biggest change as a courier is the sheer amount of traffic on the roads. It would be quite amazing to go back and see how it has all changed since day one - there was certainly less time spent waiting at traffic lights.

"One of the main problems is when they shut off the road and there is no-one working there for days. And when the work is finally finished, the next thing is they are digging it all up again.

"The pothole situation is getting worse. I have never been to the moon but I wouldn't be surprised if there are more potholes and craters on the city's roads." (( Report potholes here ))

Deliveries June has carried out include picking up queen of pop Madonna's wedding dress from Edinburgh Airport and returning a lost cat to its owner.

Samson the cat vanished from his home in Penicuik, Midlothian, in 2008, only to turn up more than a year later 500 miles away in Plymouth, Devon.

June delivered the flighty feline back to his delighted owner in Scotland - free of charge.

Fiona Deas, co-director of Eagle Couriers, said: "June has been here since the start of Eagle Couriers when we were just a small operation based in Edinburgh.

"She is a huge character and a pleasure to work with. It is quite staggering to think of the sheer number of miles she has clocked up, especially when you consider it is predominantly on Edinburgh's difficult pothole riddled streets, not motorway cruising."

Cyclist Dies Whilst Trying To Avoid Potholes

An Inquest told that Stephen Lewis died after hitting an on-coming car as a result of swerving to avoid potholes in the road while cycling in Devon.

Police community support officer Stephen Lewis died after swerving into the path of an on-coming car as he attempted to avoid potholes in the road, an inquest into his death was told.

The 41-year-old Swansea man was riding with his friend Stephen Howell while on holiday in Combe Martin, Devon, on July 2015.

The pair were navigating a bend on a downhill section at around 26mph when Lewis apparently swerved to avoid the poor road surface.

Lewis rode into the path of an on-coming car, and died of multiple injuries. PC Michelle Innes reported to the inquest in Exeter that the road surface at the point of the incident was ‘poorly conditioned’ but that it could not be ascertained whether Lewis has ridden through the potholes or swerved to avoid them.

Howell was riding around ten feet behind Lewis, and said “He drifted, I am not sure why, to avoid potholes or the road was a bit slippery.”

Devon County Council reported that the road has a ‘worn, degraded surface’. A verdict of accidental death was returned by the inquest, with coroner Dr Elizabeth Earland saying: “Speed was a factor and the condition of the road may have been a factor but I am not certain beyond the balance of probabilities,”

To report potholes click here 

 

 

 

source cycling weekly

 

Potholes, The EU and One Mans Voice.

Brian Pearce explains why he has supported Brexit for more than 20 years. He writes:

People often say to me, as a district councillor you are only involved with local matters, so how are they affected by the EU?

Well, I believe that the tentacles of the EU, apart from stretching across the Channel, come all the way up High Wycombe’s High Street, right up to our front doors.

One of the arguments for staying in the EU is that it will affect trade. Let me state that I don’t think for one minute that the bosses of Mercedes, BMW or Volkswagen are going to stop selling their cars to us.

By the same token, I am quite convinced that people will still want to buy the Mini, which is made in Oxford.

One of the main disadvantages of remaining in the EU is the cost – we pay in £12 billion a year, and we receive back in grants £4 billion.

With the saving of £8 billion, I am quite convinced that infrastructure, would be greatly improved, with money available to not only fill potholes but to resurface our roads.

People in favour of the EU always say that we export a tremendous amount to Europe, but it is my understanding that, whilst many of our exported loaded containers do initially go to Rotterdam to be sorted, they are then placed on larger container ships with other containers and sent around the world.

And don’t get me started on the problems our small businesses face with red tape and regulation that percolate down from the EU.

Of course, probably the biggest disadvantage of the EU is the loss of sovereignty – we cannot control our borders as they are subject to ridiculous regulations because of the undemocratic set-up with the EU.

It is my belief that we would be far, far better off outside of the EU, trading with the whole world. The resultant £8 billion saving will go a long way to solving the roads, housing and NHS crisis.

Halfords Boss " More could be done to improve roads for cyclists"

Halfords' boss Jill McDonald insists "more could be done" to improve cycle lanes and encourage take-up as the retailer revealed that profits had been punctured by disappointing bicycle sales. This might be attributed to the state of the UK road network which may discourage cyclists from using pothole ridden roads.

"Cycle participation is quite low compared with the rest of Europe, particularly with female cyclists," she said. "We'd like to see more investment in cycling and infrastructure, there’s more that could be done."

Halfords has partnered with Street Repairs to encourage road users to report road isues in real time.

Rising demand for car and bike repairs failed to bolster profits at the retailer, Halfords revealed today. Its pre-tax profits fell 1.2pc to £80m in the year to April. The retailer is facing an uphill struggle to shore up sales in its bicycle division, where like-for-like revenues dipped 0.9pc over the year.

Ms McDonald said sales would ramp up in the coming year as Government plans to improve roads and encourage more people to get behind the handlebars start to take effect.

Last March, the Government said it would double the number of cyclists on our roads by 2025 by providing "safe and attractive infrastructure". It pledged to invest £300m over the next five years to boost journeys by bike and foot.

“If you walk around London, you can already see the investment the Government is making," said Ms McDonald, who joined last May from McDonald's. "This gives us confidence in the long-term outlook."

Halfords, which also sells car parts and camping equipment, saw biggest growth in its maintenance division, which fits cars with bulbs and batteries. Street Repairs also struck a deal with Halfords to offer to anyone who has hit a pothole a free streering,tyre, and suspension check. 

“I am pleased with our progress,” Ms McDonald said. “This was a solid performance and we gained market share in both our motoring and cycling divisions. We also saw strong growth in our service-led offerings.”