h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Bicycle User Groups - A990425
Author: Ravenbait - U220650

My second submission for the edited guide - an article about BUGs. A surpisingly little known topic, and I think they are the future of integrated commuter transport. But I'm biased

What a damned good idea, now it's just a matter of convincing people of the benefits and getting them of their fat arses Hmm, just thought, wouldn't be too attractive a possibility where I live, graet for cycling in to work but the 100m climb up the hill in the evening...

Where do you live?

I live on the second highest point in Devon. It's 2 miles of uphill slog at the end of an 18 mile commute. Hills are something you get used to

Sheffield, good view across the city when you get to the top

Hi, a good entry - but i don't see a link to Sustrans. Here it ishttp://www.sustrans.org.uk/webcode/home.asp?ID=1

*bookmarks* for later reading.

Why do I want a link to Sustrans?

Sustrans routes are for leisure riders and family pootlers. In the majority of cases their surfaces are too poor, their lines of sight too limited and they are too likely to be shared by pedestrians and people with dogs to be of much use to the serious cycle commuter. I am a Sustrans supporter, but I'm afraid that I wouldn't even consider riding on most Sustrans paths. Every time I have done so I have been disappointed by the quality and by how hard it is to make a reasonable speed and reasonable progress .

If I were writing a piece about the National Cycle Network, about safe routes to schools, about family leisure riding or shared use paths, then I would include a link to Sustrans. As it is, I have written a piece about Bicycle User Groups which are usually started for cycle commuters, most of whom want to ride at more than 10mph, and I don't think that Sustrans are terribly relevant, although they may feel free to disagree.

True. Commuting in London I often end up using the main roads, which are far less safe, rather than the signed cycle routes - a lot quieter and safer, but they often entail large numbers of junctions and dog-legs that don't half slow you down.

Currently I try and mix the two...

I think it would be good to link to the Sustrans site, too!

Things like lack of shower facilities can be difficult to overcome. I made enquiries about our building (converting one of the toilets) and was told that it wasn't the cost of conversion that was the stopper, it was the cleaning cost per year for the shower! About five years ago, I was told this would be c£5000/pa! We never did get the shower. We also didn't get bike racks, as the building was owned by a landlord, who wouldn't play ball, despite us having money to put them it, so it's not all plain sailing.

Sorry, should have been a bit more specific as to why you may wish to link to Sustrans - try this link:
http://www.sustrans.org.uk/webcode/content.asp?ID=430&
which has a couple of useful leaflets for anyone trying to set up a BUG.

I thought they had a leaflet about BUGs for employees too, but I can't find it now.

Sorry, I don't agree that Sustrans has very much to do with this. The advice on being a cycle friendly employer is covered in other links I have provided. I'd be quite happy to do a further article on shared use paths and the perception of the roads as dangerous, but I don't think that Sustrans itself has anything very much to add to this particular article, especially as there are rarely coherent and useful Sustrans routes for people to take between their individual places of work and home.

Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've therefore moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Well done (again), Ravenbait

Number Six