Safety in Numbers

The CTC have launched a new campaign called Safety in Numbers. They need your help to get a motion through parliament which acknowledges that the biggest factor affecting the safety of cyclists on the roads is the "safety in numbers" effect. The more cyclists are on the road, the more drivers will expect to encounter cyclists and will adjust their behaviour accordingly. I can't wait to see the day when the majority of school children cycle to school. Sustrans is doing great work through its Bike It! project helping schools across the country adopt travel plans, introduce safer routes to schools and bike parking. It seems that some drivers have little compassion or consideration for young male cyclists, but as soon as we get the majority of children cycling to school, we expect driver attitudes and behaviour will improve dramatically. Sustrans aren't forcing them to cycle either, when surveyed over 60% of pupils wanted to be able to ride to school, yet only 2% actually did.


The important bit - please do this!!

Anyway, at the moment the MP for riverside, Louse Ellman has not yet signed the motion. It only takes 2 minutes to send a message asking for her to sign it. Please do the following;

• Go to the CTC website here http://www.ctc.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabID=5236
  
• Have a look through the early day motion proposed (optional)
• Enter your postcode on the bottom of the page, it will then come up with your local MP
• Enter your details below and hit send
  
• Sit back and feel contented that you have let the person who represents the Riverside voting minority, know of your wishes!
  

This motion asks that we look at all the factors detering cyclists from the roads, including driver behaviour, and also get more cycle training for younger people. This last one is especially important. The next generation of drivers will have had a much better level of cycle training and know the issues that cyclists face. The majority of drivers on the roads now either had no cycle training, or received it back in the day when they were taught to ride in the gutter and keep out of everyone else's way!! These twisted attitudes all come from somewhere...........

CM Button Badges

You can get these small button badges from the little shop at the back of the foyer in FACT. They'll only be there for a little while as they are part of FACT's Climate for Change exhibition which gives a great space for local community and activist groups to use and showcase their work.

Skill Share this Weekend @ FACT

Hey people. This weekend, both Saturday and Sunday, Transition Towns Liverpool and Liverpool skill sharers are in FACT Gallery 1, helping people get together to learn something new. There will be some Bike cleaning workshops on Sunday, and also bike maintenance on Saturday and Sunday.

So bring down yer dirty bikes on Sunday, and get 'em gleaming for the summer. If you wanna come down and show people how to fix a puncture, or change brakepads, then get down, offer your knowledgeable services and get involved!!

May Ride

We had great fun out on the may ride. Nice to see the same faces again and get more names. I had great time. We had a guy with a camera following us by bike, filming the whole thing. Should appear on youtube sometime soon. As we went round the Albert Dock, a security guard told us that we weren't able to film on private property. I wonder if this also applies to tourists with Digicams?

The river mersey was beautiful as we wound our way round the echo arena. After, a good number found their way over the the Cain's Brewery Tap. There's great parking there and isn't that full. The Brewery tours seem to keep it propped up. Graham told tales of when he first came to Liverpool that you could so the brewery tour for less than £3, and it included two pints and a finger buffet when you finished!!

IBikeMcr Festival

Manchester's month long annual cycling festival is kicking off this friday with Critical Mass (in Manchester of course) with an opening party after including bands and Rollapaluza roller racing.



Fot the next month there is almost an event on every day, including races, fares, day rides, night rides and then more rides, until the next Critical Mass and the closing party.

See here for the full schedule http://www.ibikemcr.org.uk/?q=annual-festival-2009

Highlights are hard to pick from a packed schedule of great events, but a couple of events stand out. The Moonlight Ride to Edale (staying over in a camping barn), and week later, a showing of the legendary film, A Sunday in Hell which follows the 1976 Paris-Roubaix race.


If any of it appeals then get on the facebook group for Liverpool Critical Mass and we can get a few people from liverpool meeting up and going on the events.

20kg of Flyers

We've just taken hold of a LARGE number of flyers for liverpool critical mass. Designing them and ordereing them was definitely the easy part. If you can help with some flyering, then give us a shout and we can get some to you before the next Critical Mass, or alternatively come along to our hopefully sundrenched next edition on the 10th April and take some with you then.

February Ride Report and Upcomming Events

Great to see so many new faces at the February Mass. As soon as the weather gets better, numbers will be huge. We had to take a different route from the Chinese arch, due to the roadworks, but this opened up a view of the cobbled back streets, before we got onto our usual jaunts.
Numbers were good this month, and the mass had real presence. The pub was also great as well. Next month I think we're going to try the Cain's Brewery Tap. It's got ample bike parking, lots of outdoor seating and of course, we'll be supporting our local brewery.


Film Night - Friday 13th March
After March Critical Mass there's a film showing of the Flying Scotsman. A great film following the career of Scottish Amateur Track cyclist Graeme Obree, from being broke and losing his bike shop, to building a bike of his own design, using low-tech materials to break cycling's greatest record. Obree's DIY methods make him unfavourable with cycling's governing body and he has to fight the officials on and off the track, whilst dealing with his own personal problems and coping with his incredible rise in popularity.




It will be on at the Liverpool Social Centre, 96 Bold Street (underneath News from Nowhere book shop) from 7:30pm. Hot Food and Drinks will be available as well, perhaps some popcorn if we're lucky.