Ken and Boris

[simonbarnett]

Before we got so uptight about who was delivering bikes and when, we used to have some good debate about mad politicians promising the world for votes, eg bike lanes and Paris hire schemes. That includes Ken's adopt a cycle highway scheme (alongside bendybuses) and sundry old etonians pretending to be green on bikes.'

So what future capital cycling now and why did Ken fail? I'll kick off by admitting to voting for him twice, but not again because I think he overcooked his class envy bit on the £25 a day gas guzzler thing. Seems the other policies are pretty indistinguishable but maybe not.

Anyway why and where to now for bikes in the capital?

 

[musicbooks]

Before we got so uptight about who was delivering bikes and when, we used to have some good debate about mad politicians promising the world for votes, eg bike lanes and Paris hire schemes. That includes Ken's adopt a cycle highway scheme (alongside bendybuses) and sundry old etonians pretending to be green on bikes.'

So what future capital cycling now and why did Ken fail? I'll kick off by admitting to voting for him twice, but not again because I think he overcooked his class envy bit on the £25 a day gas guzzler thing. Seems the other policies are pretty indistinguishable but maybe not.

Anyway why and where to now for bikes in the capital?

Did you spot my rant on another thread?

see below...

OK .. here's the deal.. First you had The Thatch 'blowing up' public infrastructrure.. Now we have Bike (booze?) loving Boris running the country whilre our PM sleep walks.. What is going on??

The question is.. will he support bike (and e-bike) transportation in London.. His great leader, also an avid .....( law breaking .. Etonian.....sounds like the two words should go together.. cyclist.. regularly furrows a path from his limo, security surrounded entourage, mounts said cycle, 13 metres from houses of parliament, careful to ignore the tabloid gutterites following closely behind in their mopeds and 4x4's.. steady Dave, slow down .. now go through a red light to indicate rebellious, green credential youth.. watch that hairdo.. ahh back in parliament.. top hat intact..what a releif to be free of the prols.....) supporter of pedal power.. Interesting to see what happens....Cycle lanes? congestion charge for pedelec member rants? 50cycles in the Tower..

Blondes have more fun!

God help you (us) all..

bw
musicbooks

 

[flecc]

I'm still with Ken and voted for him again, since Boris' stand was just opportunism. Ken was voted out by the suburban fringe who had always hated him in the same way as the phobic Evening Standard, so it didn't take much of a shift to lose Ken the election.

I think we are now going to stand still on cycling. Boris is a cyclist himself so he wont harm our interests, but since his stand is one of cutting expenditure, all the expansion plans for cycling routes and the strategic plans for cycle commuter "motorway" style through routes will be abandoned.

On general issues I see Boris as a man with no ideas, just an old style "law and order" obsessed conservative from the past, and his opening move to ban alcoholic drink from the tube and buses fits that pattern. I happen to agree with that move, but if it had been better thought through, the opportunity could have been taken to ban eating meals on public transport as well, something long asked for by many.
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[simonbarnett]

Stand still is possibly a bit pessimitic though I think neither party really has cycling at the centre of their thoughts. The ES were always rabidly anti-Ken so he did well to survive that and the general swing. I gave Boris a 2nd preference but boy did it hurt

So where does Boris go on bikes (assuming Tom's wrong on congestion charging them ) - didn't he trot out hire scheme and are Ken's cycle-highways dead?

 

[HarryB]

Perhaps one for the charging post. I am at a loss as to see what Ken ever did for the cyclists. He is a bus man through and through. Instead of traffic jams of cars, we have traffic jams of buses. Maybe somebody could explain the difference between a bendy bus with 5-10 passengers on board and a car with a sole driver - and I am talking about rush hour, not off peak which I could understand. I counted 5 bendy buses in a mile and a half, all number 29 and around Wood Green. I overtook them all so they weren't going anywhere. Bus subsidy up from £57 million to £625, the man was obsessed.

He did propose 12 cycle super highways but they were frankly unbelievable and I didn't believe he could implement them. But in the end what really did it for me was the suppression of information about the dangers of bendy buses. Peter Hendy putting pressure on the police to keep quiet about the dangers to pedestrians and cyclists.

 

[flecc]

I'm sure Ken's cycleways scheme is dead, since it was expensive and Boris is pre-committed to cut costs, that was his manifesto promise. I'm also very sure it will be standstill elsewhere on cycling issues.

Boris' idea on cycle hire is like his crackpot routemaster buses idea, both touted without the faintest idea of the true costs. He wanted a large scheme like Paris, I think from memory with 20,000 bikes, but the costs of that would be astronomic. Also, it's highly unlikely such a scheme will work in London , probably why Ken chose to run a very limited trial first.

London is very unlike Paris. It's vastly bigger in area, and the bike redistribution due to uneven journey usage which is causing headaches in Paris would be near impossible in London. The smaller size of Paris means much more intensive police presence and the population so used to state ownership tends to be more cooperative with public schemes than London is. Here the running costs would dwarf the immense setup cost, and with the Olympics costs still to run away as they will, it will never happen.

The Routemaster idea is just as stillborn. It would take more than the mayor's term of office just to develop the new design, and health and safety laws prevent the open platform design, so it would have no benefits over any other conventional bus. Add the bribery pay that would have to be given to anyone to volunteer as conductors on today's lawless knife and thug ridden buses and the costs go even more crazy.

I am at a loss as to see what Ken ever did for the cyclists.

He did lots, but it was the outer areas, particularly in the South that mainly benefited since we had the space for the schemes. Inner and Central London are too confined to do much unless there's very large expenditure, hence the cycleways proposals.
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[HarryB]

on today's lawless knife and thug ridden buses ...

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As usual I agree with much of what you say, but Ken would never admit to this problem. At least Boris is committed to tackle this one issue - it may be beyond his powers but he is having a go.

Ken was of course very keen to say how cycling has increased under his tenure. The truth is that lots of us are on bikes since 7/7 and since being priced off the unreliable public transport (£9.40 a day for a return 10 mile journey).

I did notice that when Trafalgar Square was revamped with a new road layout, there was no provision for cyclists except the widely ignored ASLs.

 

[HarryB]

and with the Olympics costs still to run away as they will, it will never happen.

...and finally. This is Ken's achievement of which he is proud. I do not know of any Londoner who wants them here. You are right that the costs will run away (they already have) but that is the only way it won't be an unmitigated disaster. As I said before this thread is one for the charging post.

 

[flecc]

No disagreement there Hal.
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[StrangeFish]

...lke I said mb, yer "shot away"-har,har