Category: General

Social Bike Rides Start Up Again

Posted on by Secretary

Our programme of social bike rides for 2020 was knocked for six when the COVID lockdown was announced. However, as restrictions are starting to be relaxed, we are finally able to start our social rides again, albeit with some restrictions in place.

British Cycling has announced that in line with government guidance, HSBC UK Ride Social activities can start from 4 July. However, all rides must comply with the relevant Government guidelines on social distancing and group size.

For now, we have to keep to a maximum of six in a group (one ride leader to five participants), and maintain social distancing of at least two metres at all times (except between members of the same household).

In line with government guidelines, masks or face coverings are not required if social distancing is
maintained; the use of face masks or coverings is a personal choice, but they should not restrict breathing.

If you are within the ‘clinically vulnerable’ group, then the advice remains that you should stay at home as much as possible and avoid contact with others outside your household.

Further information for participants can be found in Section 2 of British Cycling’s COVID-19 guidance, ‘The Way Forward‘. We would ask all ride participants to read this before booking on a ride.

We have planned rides on the first and third Saturday of each month starting on 18 July and running through to 17 October.

In previous years, we have planned rides with the option of a cake stop at a local café. However, this introduces an unnecessary risk and unless we can be certain of sitting outside, we will need to skip the cakes until the COVID risk is reduced.

As ever, all our rides are published on LetsRide, which is a free to use website run by British Cycling and we ask riders to book a place on each ride you want to attend. This lets us know to expect you and ensures that we have a manageable number of cyclists. This is even more critical now, since rides are limited to 6 people.

Please note that our rides are not aimed at complete beginners. Rides are typically 25-35 miles and while we try and go at the pace of the slowest rider and are happy to wait at the top of a hill for slower riders to catch up, we do recommend that you get a few miles under your belt before coming on your first ride so you are confident that you can do the distance and take on a hill or two.

If you have any queries or concerns, then please do contact us.

Annual General Meeting 2020

Posted on by Secretary

In accordance with our constitution, the annual general meeting (AGM) of West Berkshire Spokes will take place at 7pm on Sunday 14 June 2020. Given the current restrictions due to the Covid-19 outbreak, this will be a virtual meeting hosted on Zoom. 

All SPOKES members are very welcome to attend the AGM. If you would like to take part, then please email secretary@westberkshirespokes.org before 12pm on 14 June and you will be sent details of how to join the meeting. 

Below are links to the AGM papers:

If you have any items that you wish to add to the agenda, then please notify the SPOKES Secretary by emailing secretary@westberkshirespokes.org by midnight on Wednesday 10 June. The final agenda will be provided at the AGM itself.

All committee posts are up for re-election. We will have at least one vacancy this time, so if you have any nominations for any of the posts, then please notify the SPOKES Secretary by emailing secretary@westberkshirespokes.org by midnight on Wednesday 10 June.

If anyone wants an informal chat in advance of the AGM, then feel free to get in touch with any of the committee. E-mail contacts can be found at https://www.westberkshirespokes.org/about-us/committee/

Top Tips for New Cyclists / Families During Covid-19

Posted on by Secretary

The recent good weather has encouraged many people to get out on their bikes as part of their daily exercise during the Covid-19 pandemic. In particular, there has been a noticeable rise in novice cyclists and family groups, which is great to see.

We have put together some top tips to help novices stay safe and get the most from your cycling:

1. Observe Social Distancing – Providing you are not required to self-isolate because you or a member of your household is displaying symptoms of Covid-19, and providing you are not in one of the vulnerable groups who are being encouraged to stay at home, then there is no reason to stop cycling, providing you follow government guidance on social distancing and keep at least 2m away from other people.

2. Stick to Roads and Designated Cycle Routes – Novice cyclists are often tempted to ride on the pavement, but this only permitted when it has been converted to a cycleway and is clearly signed for use by cyclists as well as pedestrians. Riding on narrow pavements is not only illegal, but it also makes it difficult to maintain social distancing from other users.

The good news is that there are lots of dedicated cycle routes across West Berkshire, and with so many people staying at home, there is much less traffic about and so conditions are much better for cycling on the road. With a bit of planning, cyclists are often able to avoid busy main roads.

West Berkshire Council’s website includes details of local cycle network maps, while online journey planners such as Cycle Streets allow you to select a quiet option for your cycling journey, avoiding busy main roads where possible.

3. Avoid Busy Areas and Narrow Routes – Although tempting because they are traffic-free, the canal towpaths and public rights of way may be busier than usual during lock-down, due to increased numbers of people walking, running or cycling for their daily exercise.

This is particularly true for routes in and around the main urban areas. These routes are often narrow, making it difficult to pass others while maintaining social distancing.  Where possible, try to avoid narrower paths that are likely to be busy, or time your ride when these routes are likely to be quieter.

4. Think About Your Positioning on the Road – When cycling on the road, try not to hug the kerb. There are often bits of debris towards the edge of the carriageway, while sunken drain covers represent a particular hazard for cyclists.

This also helps to make you visible to other road users and encourages safe overtaking. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s not as scary as it sounds!

5. Keep Your Kids in Front of You – When cycling with children, it is always best to ride with them in front of you. That way you can see what they are doing and issue instructions as necessary.  Position yourself so you are slightly further from the kerb than they are – this forces drivers out wider when overtaking your group.

6. Be Aware of What’s Around You – Be aware of the traffic around you. Don’t cycle with headphones – it is important to be able to hear approaching vehicles.

Look out for other road users who may not have noticed you – pedestrians about to cross the road, children playing, dogs not on leads / on long leads, drivers on the phone, etc. Also, check ahead for potholes, puddles, parked cars, junctions and other hazards.  

Being alert to potential problems helps you avoid having to swerve, brake sharply or make sudden manoeuvres.

7. Make Your Intentions Clear – Always give other road users a clear idea of what you plan to do. Check behind, then signal, giving plenty of notice before making your manoeuvre. Only make the manoeuvre when it is safe to do so.

If you’re nervous about checking behind and/or taking one hand off the handlebars to signal, it’s a good idea to practise this in a safe, traffic-free environment.

8. Make Eye Contact – Try to make eye contact with other road users, particularly at junctions, side roads and on roundabouts.

Making eye contact can help you work out if the driver has seen you or not. If you don’t see any reaction, then assume they haven’t seen you and be ready to brake or steer as necessary.

9. Don’t Undertake a Lorry or a Bus – Many larger vehicles have large blind-spots on their passenger side, which means if you are cycling on their left, the driver may not have seen you in their mirrors and may make a manoeuvre that puts you at serious risk.

If you have a large vehicle on your right, or if you are approaching one from the rear, always assess the situation carefully.  Never assume that the driver has seen you. If in doubt, then hang back and remain behind the vehicle.

10. Keep Out of the Door Zone – When approaching a parked vehicle, check behind to make sure it’s safe to move out before passing it, keeping at least a door’s width away in case someone opens a door unexpectedly.

Advice for Cycling in Covid-19

Posted on by Secretary

Although we are all being told to stay at home during the Covid-19 pandemic, the current regulations state that going outside for one form of exercise per day is permitted. Walking, running and cycling are all allowed, either alone or with members of the same household.

Walking and cycling are also permitted as means of travel when making essential journeys, and are great alternatives to making local journeys by public transport, particularly with the reduced number of vehicles on our roads.

Providing you are not required to self-isolate because you or a member of your household is displaying symptoms of Covid-19, and providing you are not in one of the vulnerable groups who are being encouraged to stay at home, then there is no reason to stop cycling, providing you follow government guidance on social distancing and keep at least 2m away from other people.

There are currently no rules in England about how long or where you can cycle. However, cyclists are encouraged to use common sense when planning their rides. Official Police guidance suggests that driving somewhere for the purpose of taking exercise is permitted, providing the period of exercise is longer than the time spent driving. But people are being encouraged to stay local wherever possible and to avoid visitor hotspots. Some popular places have taken steps to discourage visitors. For example, the main car parks serving Greenham Common remain closed until further notice.

We would also recommend that cyclists should try to avoid busier areas or narrower routes where it would be difficult to maintain social distancing. Remember that the canal towpaths and public rights of way may be busier than usual, particularly in and around our towns and villages.

Wherever you choose to cycle, always ride within your limits and do not take unnecessary risks. The last thing you want to do is to place additional unnecessary demands on the emergency services, so practising your jumps when riding on the trails is maybe not the best idea right now.

It is also a good idea to take the time to learn some basic bike maintenance skills. Check your bike before each ride, and always remember to take spares and tools so you can fix a problem at the roadside and avoid unnecessarily calling someone to rescue you. We recommend Made Good, which has lots of useful videos.

Kennet & Avon Towpath Repairs

Posted on by Secretary

The SPOKES Committee has been working hard over the last few years to highlight the deterioration of the Kennet and Avon Towpath throughout West Berkshire, much of which forms part of National Cycle Network Route 4.

Constructed in the late 1990s by Sustrans, NCN4 was originally built as a 2m wide crushed aggregate surface with grass verges either side. Unfortunately, the path has received very little maintenance since. In many places the grass has encroached narrowing the path considerably, while in others the top surface has worn away exposing larger stones beneath and making it uncomfortable to ride on. Also, the banks of the canal have been subject to erosion over the years, with boat mooting pegs tearing holes out of the bank in various places, and dogs widening the holes as they enter and leave the water, creating a hazard for unwary cyclists.

The Canal and River Trust (C&RT) is the charity with responsibility for the upkeep of the towpath. They are making use of developer contributions from the Newbury Racecourse development to fund improvements on the section of towpath between the A339 flyover at Victoria Park and Hambridge Road in Newbury. They will widen this 1.7km stretch of towpath to around 1.8m and will apply a tar spray and chip material to create a sealed, all-weather surface. They are also constructing 20m of sheet piling back-filled with canal dredgings and planting, and 8m of bank protection with timber stakes and coir rolls where the banks have been eroded.

However, a lack of funding means that C&RT are unable to carry out all of the outstanding maintenance tasks on their network. SPOKES has therefore sought to raise funds to tackle some of the worst affected locations, starting with the section between Colthrop and Brimpton Road. Here, the grass has encroached to the extent that the path is now less than a foot wide in places with a high lip on either side, which makes it almost impassable for cyclists.

Providing a 2m bound surface for this 1km section has been estimated to cost around £219,000 using C&RT’s term contractor. We had some early success, managing to secure up to £50k of match funding from Greenham Common Trust, plus some small grants from Thatcham Town Council and Englefield Charitable Trust. We submitted other bids to the Veolia Environmental Trust and British Cycling, but these were unsuccessful. However, West Berkshire Council has agreed to contribute £42,000 and SPOKES is putting in £10,000, which is the majority of our reserves. When matched against the Greenham Common Trust funds, we have close to half of our original total.

However, we believe that this will be sufficient to construct a crushed aggregate path to a width of 1.6m, which is actually C&RT’s preferred specification and would be similar to the original Sustrans construction. C&RT has indicated that they may be willing for us to use suppliers other than their term contractor to undertake the work. This means we would be able to go out to the market and take advantage of cheaper rates to stretch our money still further. We aim to go out to tender shortly and if all goes according to plan, we hope to start work later this year.

We hope once we have demonstrated the impacts of these improvements, that this will create some momentum to tackle the remaining stretches of NCN4 in West Berkshire, which Sustrans ranked amongst the top-10 priorities for the network across the South of England.