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I hadn’t come across that one.
RAL has double speed bumps on the way in and out past security now. You can pass them on the left, but then you have to right-angle across the road to swipe in and out of site. I’ve raised the RAL ones with Health and Safety and with Estates, asking for a gap on the right or a site pass reader on the left. They are plastic and not fixed to the road and I don’t trust them to cycle over, not on a tourer.
As a medium height woman, I’ve had trouble with the top tier of the Didcot station storage. I’ve managed to get my bike up there when it’s been fairly empty, but then been really stuck retrieving it later when taller bikes are parked either side and I can’t get the handlebars clear. I always use the bottom now. I would much prefer to see plenty of sheffield stands.
From the point of view of cyclists, if it’s not a through road to motor traffic it should be quite a bit better, even if part of it is open. I take it that it is still open to cyclists?
I did add this to a Cycling UK suggestions site recently, remembering than when the A34 junction at Chilton was expanded making this traffic free to protect cyclists from increased traffic was considered, though ultimately rejected.
I realise that cycling has worse safety stats per mile than driving a car, but it has overall lower mortality due to the health benefits, which is what I had in mind in comparing the two (but perhaps not what the Safety, Health and Environment code had in mind when drawn up). It’s also safer per mile than being a pedestrian. I do think the idea of risk assessing walking as part of each business trip highlights a certain absurdity in this new approach.
And it’s going to work against UKRI’s new sustainability policy – supposedly ambitious, and coming in early 2020. There’s a talk in the lecture theatre at RAL on this on 24th October, 1pm. Link for STFC staff: https://staff.stfc.ac.uk/pages/event.aspx?event=3160 .
I do use a bike for work travel for STFC sometimes, mainly to Didcot Parkway. I wasn’t aware of this update though and have never done a risk assessment. I see the code now says “Motorcycle and bicycle use for business travel is not recommended and may only be permitted for short journeys. A specific risk assessment must be carried out and approved by the line manager before using a motorcycle or bicycle for any business travel.”
I’m minded to challenge this. I don’t think it is significantly riskier for me to cycle to the station rather than drive, which is what colleagues do instead.
Are you at RAL? If so, there is a system for tagging bikes and removing them if no-one has used them and shown that they have by removing the tag after a period of some weeks. It was used to some effect last summer, but may not happen again without a request being made to suggest that it’s needed. It is either Estates or Security who initiate it.
They do have a security camera that looks from the security box to that junction. However that might too have a side on view.
Hi Victoria,
Cycling to and from Oxford I usually stay on the roads and go via Kennington, Radley, Abingdon, Drayton and Steventon.
Abingdon is nicer if you go through the arch by the Guildhall in the centre and via East St Helens Street, along the road by the Thames and then along Preston Road to join the road to Drayton.
Sarah
There have been a few replies in favour of a maintenance course, mainly expressing interest in slightly more advanced aspects. I’d like to add to that a comment in favour of some training in the absolute basics, aimed really at people who are unlikely to be HarBUG members (yet).
Many years ago I went on a course on basic bike maintenance. The main thing covered was fixing a puncture, but it also covered changing brake blocks and simple adjusting of gears and brakes.
I think learning how to fix a puncture and replace my brake blocks was vital to my adopting cycling as a regular means of transport.
Puncture repair we could probably demonstrate to people ourselves, without setting up a formal training course.