Manchester Commute Challenge [16 September 2008]

[wolfman]

I have now had another 2 replies from people in the GMCC making 3 in total. here are the 2 latest.

with respect to your query on why the gmcc didn't include a 
motorcycle in the commute challenge, I organised the commute 
challenge, having been in the gmcc since 1994. I'm a keen cyclist and 
see the bike as being able to play a realistic - although maybe small 
- role in helping to alleviate our transport problems. I am also a 
motorcyclist, having an old k100 to get about on. Other bikes I've 
had have included a couple of moto guzzis and a r90s. I had actually 
organised a motorcyclist to follow the cyclist to observe that he 
kept to the rules of the road - as I had also arranged for a 
passenger in the car to perform the same task with the car driver.

As I understand it, the motorcycle unfortunately broke down! However, 
I still think that if I was on my motorbike I'd have a job on in 
beating the time of the cyclist. When I'm on the bike I can get down 
lines of queuing traffic I can't manage on the motorbike. It also 
takes me ages to get all the clobber on for the motorbike - which has 
to be removed at the other end. I would also have to spend more time 
finding a parking place for the motorbike than the bicycle.

However - as my comment in the MEN stated - "two wheels best"! I'm 
totally on the side of motorcyclists. I think that motorbikes should 
be encouraged far more than they are - in particular smaller capacity 
machines for city commuting. The motorbike should also have a 
significant part to play in helping to alleviate congestion.

safe biking

doug briggs
gmcc

Thanks for the e-mail.

There is no underhand reason for why we did not include a motorcycle. I would summarise the reasons why we did not as follows:


1. It is a fairly 'minority' method of transport, in terms of commuting to work. Dare I say that I probably see fewer motorcycles whilst commuting in and out of Manchester than bicycles.

2. As our resources for the event were limited, we chose the 4 principal types of transport people use (bus, train, car, bike).


I would have no objection to including a motorcycle in future, which, of course, would need to obey all traffic laws as other participants did.

For information, on a previous occasion when such a commute took place in Manchester, a motorcycle did win, but only by a couple of minutes, with the bicycle coming second. For me, this would have been an equally good result for the bicycle, given that the latter is significantly cheaper, less polluting and, in fact, safer.

Best wishes,

Olly Glover, GMCC Secretary.

[nbt]

Most of thse kind of things are, what did you expect? if it worries you that much, organise your own version

[wolfman]

I think that the reply shows exactly what this "challenge" was, Propaganda.

[wolfman]

So now we have it, a motor cycle was irrelevant. Motorcycles have less emmisions than cars & buses.

[wolfman]

Thanks for your email - A motorcycle would no doubt have achieved the quickest time, though I doubt it would have challenged the bike in terms of emissions and cost. The challenge was run to demonstrate the effectiveness of the bicycle in relation to the three other dominant urban transport modes. If the challenge was organised by a pro motorcycling organisation, then I'm sure that a motorbike would have been more relevant.
 
Cheers
 
Eddie
 
Eddie Allen
Web Content Manager
Everyday Cycling
T:  0161 274 2084
M:  07940 738293
E:  eddieallen@everydaycycling.com
W:  www.everydaycycling.com

reply from everyday cycling why a motorcycle was not used.

[wolfman]

Helmet hair and perspiration prevent women getting in the saddle
Despite the gold medal winning success of British female cyclists in Beijing, research commissioned by Cycling England reveals that many women are missing out on the benefits of regular cycling due to concerns about post-cycling appearance.



 

Men are still three times more likely to cycle than women.  Today’s poll suggests that the perceived effect of cycling on appearance, together with a lack of confidence in cycling on the road, is behind this gender imbalance. Two thirds (64%) of women say they never cycle and just 2% cycle every day.

 

Women are three times more likely to cycle indoors on an exercise bike (14%) than to work (4%).  When it comes to cycling to work, it seems that fear of being anything less than well groomed in front of colleagues is an off-putting factor.  Among 18-34 year old women: 

 

·         58% wouldn’t want to arrive at work sweaty

·         50% would be worried about getting wet in the rain

·         38% wouldn’t want to have to carry a change of clothes

·         38% say there is nowhere to shower at work

·         27% would be concerned about ‘helmet hair’

·         19% wouldn’t want colleagues to see them without make-up or stepping out of the office shower

 

Although concerns about appearance are most prevalent in the 18-34 age group, they are replicated across women of all ages. 

 

Safety concerns are also a factor: 53% of women say that safety is an issue and 42% say they lack the confidence and skills to cycle on the road. When asked what would make them feel more reassured about cycling on the roads, a quarter (26%) would consider cycling if there were shower facilities to freshen up at work and 16% would be more likely to cycle if they had received proper cycle training to equip them with skills and confidence.

Phillip Darnton, Chairman of Cycling England, said:  “It’s very worrying that we have such a gender imbalance when it comes to cycling in this country.  Women, and in particular mums, have a key role to play in encouraging greater take up of cycling in general – so it’s vital we get more women on their bikes. This research highlights some of the perceived barriers that prevent more women cycling, such as showers in the workplace.  Our 17 cycling towns and cycling city, Bristol, will be working hard to make cycling more appealing to everyone.

 

“Concern about safety is understandable but we need to remember that on-road accidents are in long term decline.  Cycle training is key to getting more people cycling more safely, more often.  Bikeability - the new cycling proficiency scheme for the 21st century - is predominantly marketed to children but I would urge anyone keen to develop their cycling proficiency to take up this training.” 

 

When it comes to female cycling, the UK is behind mainland Europe where male and female cycling rates are broadly equal. A number of initiatives are now in place to inspire and encourage more women and girls to take up cycling. Exeter-based Emma Osborne, a Sustrans Bike It Officer, has run a successful project called Beauty and the Bike to show teenage girls that cycling has a key role to play in looking and feeling good.

 

Emma Osborne said: “Cycling from A to B doesn’t have to mean you arrive dishevelled at your destination.  In fact cycling is one of the best things you can do to promote health and wellbeing.  Cycling doesn’t have to be a race – you can take it at your own pace without having to work up a sweat or don Lycra cycling wear.

 

“Women who cycle regularly look and feel great, and with increasing numbers of celebrity female cyclists looking chic on a bike, we hope more women will feel inspired to take to their bike and feel the benefits of choosing to travel in an active way.”

 

To find out more about Bikeability visit www.bikeability.org.uk

-Ends-

 

 For further information contact:

Jo Dyson / Sophie Stringer/ Gill Corish

Tel: 020 7260 2700 Email: cycling@bluerubicon.com

 

About the Research

The research was conducted for Cycling England by YouGov, who interviewed 1,099 women, online between 11th and 13th August 2008. The men cycling three times as much as women statistic is taken from the Department for Transport National Travel Survey, 2005.

from the cycling England website author unknown

[nbt]

The cyclist would need a shower...

That may be the case, but if you can persuade my boss to get some installed I'd be grateful. I've been asking for 7 years but we haven't got any yet....

[Rudolph Hucker]

As you say Wolfman, a motorcycle would have won this completely legally with time to get a coffee and get changed on arrival. The cyclist would need a shower... (No trust me cyclist, you would!)

[wolfman]

"I get really annoyed when idiots breeze past me at red lights. " So do I!.

[nbt]

What do a car,bus and a train all have in common?
 Answer:- They all have to stop at a red light.


So do bikes, and as a cycle commuter I get really annoyed when idiots breeze past me at red lights.

However in this case you should note that the competitors were observed to ensure that laws were not broken and red lights etc were all observed, and the cyclists still won

[wolfman]

Why wasn't a motorcycle in the equation?

[wolfman]

What do a car,bus and a train all have in common?
 Answer:- They all have to stop at a red light.

[alison]

I think the train traveller must have stopped off for coffee! I travel from Davenport to town every day and including a one mile walk at either end it takes me under an hour.

Of course that doesn't account for cancelled trains, leaves on the line, broken down trains etc etc

[wolfman]

Dean Kirby
16/ 9/2008
TWO wheels proved better than more when cycling campaigners pitted the humble bike in a rush hour race against the car, the bus and the train.

Four commuters headed from Heaton Chapel, Stockport, to Manchester city centre to test which mode of transport was the cheapest, the easiest and the fastest.

The cyclist finished first, followed by the train passenger. The motorist was third and the bus passenger rolled up last.

The contest, organised by the pro-congestion charge Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign, was designed to prove that the bike can beat all comers.

Doug Briggs, from the campaign, said: "Today has shown that two wheels are good, four wheels are dubious.

"We need to regard using the car for short journeys as socially unacceptable."

Towns and cities from Manchester to Munich are promoting sustainable transport this week as part of European Mobility Week.

Each commuter who took part in the challenge followed the quickest legal route to the city centre which, at a distance of five miles from Heaton Chapel, is said to be the average distance people travel to work.

The cyclist and the motorist were followed by "official observers" to make sure they did not flout the rules of the road.

The cyclist completed the journey to the town hall in 20 minutes and the train user arrived in 35 minutes. The motorist took 43 minutes and the bus passenger 52 minutes.

Urban designer Charlie Baker, 44, the cyclist who won the race, said: "It wasn't that bad. The traffic was at a stand-still."

Olly Glover, 23, the campaign's secretary, who travelled by train, said: "It wasn't as fast as the bike, but it's better than travelling by car. The bike is my first choice when I travel, followed by the train."

The campaign says the cost of making that journey by bike is 38.5p day, the bus 90p with a travel card, the train £1.70 and the car from £2.32 plus parking.

Highways engineer David Mason, 58, who travelled by car, said: "It was slow, but uneventful. Parking was difficult and expensive."

Environmental consultant Richard Venes, 58, who arrived last on the 192 bus from Heaton Chapel, said: "There were lots of bus lanes, but the main problem was stopping to let people on and off."
from the MEN online by the above author

[wolfman]

Chris Osuh
12/ 9/2008

A ROAD race will challenge cars, buses, bikes and trains to beat the rush hour traffic.

The event, known as the Manchester Commute Challenge, aims to find the cheapest, easiest, fastest and healthiest way to travel over a typical route.

Setting out from Heaton Chapel, each commuter will take the quickest legal route available over the five-mile distance.

The event, organised by Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign, starts at Broomfield Road at 8.15am, next Tuesday, with commuters expected to cross the finish line at Albert Square between 8.45am and 9.30am.

Observers will follow the motorist and the cyclist to make sure they follow the Highway Code and road safety regulations.

Olly Glover, secretary of Greater Manchester Cycling Campaign, said: "It is often claimed that the car is superior to other forms of transport in terms of cost, convenience and speed. The Commute Challenge will put these claims to the test using a typical commuting distance. I look forward to seeing how the bicycle performs, as bikes are too often dismissed as an outmoded and impractical means of travel - but we'll see."

The challenge commuters will be greeted at the finish line by the council's environment spokesman , Coun Richard Cowell. The race coincides with the launch of European Mobility Week, which gives towns and cities the chance to promote sustainable ways of travelling, as congestion, emissions and rising fuel prices put the spotlight on the issue.

Last year the race was won by the motorcycle, which took 32 minutes to make it past the finishing line and cost £3. In second place was the cyclist taking 45 minutes and costing just 27p.

The train user arrived in third place, taking 50 minutes and costing £2.25 a day.

The bus took 1 hour and 4 minutes and cost 82 pence per day.

The car eventually crossed the line is last place with a time of 1 hour and 11 minutes and with a cost of £5.04 per day. In terms of environmental pollution the cyclist proved most efficient with no emissions.
from MEN website autor as above.