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Hello Gary and Nick,
Little bit of eveidence here to support the 7/7 theory. In June 2005 the London Cycle Network website had just over 600,000 hits, whilst in June 2005 we had 1.4million. You would have to speak to the bike shops to support the rubbish bike theory though. And as for infrastructure, we spent quite a lot in Hackney and the good quality infrastructure remark made me feel good for while so I am sticking with it.
Brian Deegan
LCN+ Project Development Manager
-----Original Message-----
From: Cycling and Society Research Group discussion list on behalf of gary cummins
Sent: Mon 26/07/2010 20:14
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Melbourne developments
Nick said:
There was one other major factor behind the increase in cycling in London along with congestion charge and the massive increase in good quality cycle infrastructure: the 7/7 bombings. There are few proper data on this but evidence of a spike in cycling afterwards, and loads of stories of bike shops being swamped as people avoided public transport. Not something to replicate elsewhere...
People do cite the bombings as an effect, and yes a lot of bikes were sold on the day of the bombings, but they were frequently the cheapest and worst bikes in the shops. Many of these were so bad or wrongly sized they are as likely to have ended up in sheds never to be used again. I suspect the July bombings were not the paradigm shifting factor they are often claimed to be.
And we have had regular bombings in London shutting down public transport for the past 30 years, the late 1990's saw a dreadful bus explosion in Aldwych for example.
Regarding infrastructure, Hackney has the highest modal share of cyclists in London but no traditional bicycle infrastructure in the form of segregation, just lots of permeability and modal filtering, no other borough comes near their 8% modal share.
Rarely cited as an effect in London, and very difficult to quantify is the sheer fashionableness of cycling in London now, it is simply the thing to do. The growth of cycling 'tribes' is one example of this fashion with the London fixed gear and single speed group being one of these groups.
Gary Cummins
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