Cycling in and around Birmingham England

Will the UK get left behind by the US for cycling?

An interesting article about the new mayor of Chicago, who has promised 100 miles of protected bike lanes in his first term. This video shows the first one, finished before his first 30 days in office were over.

Puts Boris Johnson's 'cycle superhighways' to shame.

So, with more major US cities promoting serious cycle infrastructure, will the UK's transport culture look increasingly isolated?

I guess there is hope that if the US turns to bikes, then UK political parties will ape it.

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Permalink Reply by CKS on January 6, 2012 at 18:18

They'd need to learn how to use gears first - unless they've got bikes with automatic transmission.

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Permalink Reply by John KIRK on January 6, 2012 at 20:18

Nice wide streets to start with.Built for the commuting car,not a Victorian street grid.We could start with similar roads in Birmingham like the A45 and more importantly to me the A 453 from Sutton Coldfield down to Perry Barr.Ideal for this kind of treatment.

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Permalink Reply by Chris on January 6, 2012 at 20:30

The A453 could be a prime candidate for this treatment.

Actually, as I watched it, I started thinking about the ringroad - might be a bit too ambitious at the moment though.....

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Permalink Reply by Dave Cox on January 6, 2012 at 20:50

I've ridden a lot in the States (a bit in Canada) and they do have a capacity for getting something done when they put a mind to it. Previous cycle booms have left a rich legacy of mostly leisure routes on West and East coasts as well as bike lanes in many city streets. You can nearly circumnavigate Manhattan on bike paths.To get to University of British Columbia in Vancouver you had a signed choice of scenic coastal route (on a typical biking jogging path) or a direct commuting route marked out on quiet suburban roads. We are already behind in some ways, I've done 75 and 40 mile round trips entirely on converted railway lines. Will post a picture of the buffer in a minute. Joining up can be a problem, in Flagstaff Arizona a delightful wooded track complete with little road runner chipmunky things ended up with a Freeway and a short hard shoulder ride to pick up Route 66 back to town - dont try that at home folks!

But I've rarely found the gorgeous lanes just beyond the green belt that make cycling such a joy in the Midlands.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Holland on January 7, 2012 at 13:08

Great scheme in New York with various grades of cycle lanes/shared highways: http://www.universalsubtitles.org/en/videos/QbiOo9tMC3mc/

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Permalink Reply by Richard Smith on January 7, 2012 at 13:21

Something I noticed in LA a few weeks ago - buses carry bikes on a front fender.

Unlike in this country, where it's a no-no.

Also, I never understood why the trams weren't built to take bikes.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Holland on January 7, 2012 at 13:33

....and why generally it so difficult to take a bike on the train....

Richard Smith said:

Something I noticed in LA a few weeks ago - buses carry bikes on a front fender.

Unlike in this country, where it's a no-no.

Also, I never understood why the trams weren't built to take bikes.

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Permalink Reply by Simon Baddeley on January 8, 2012 at 23:12

One of my favourite websites is Joel Crawford's 'Carfree Cities'. He's American, lives in Amsterdam. Here's his latest contribution on converting cities to 'carfree'

http://www.carfree.com/conv_home.html

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Permalink Reply by Simon Baddeley on January 8, 2012 at 23:17

Was a time when this and nearby thoroughfares spidered out from Birmingham and carried trams down the centre

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sibadd/5119212152/

Of course you're right

John KIRK said:

Nice wide streets to start with.Built for the commuting car,not a Victorian street grid.We could start with similar roads in Birmingham like the A45 and more importantly to me the A 453 from Sutton Coldfield down to Perry Barr.Ideal for this kind of treatment.