Reading Station Bike Rack Warning
We have had a report of bike thefts from the two-tier cycle racks on the north side of Reading Station. It seems that thieves are able to remove the whole sliding rail from the upper tier, including the bike and the lock. Reading Borough Council own and maintain the racks and we have made the […]
Continue readingEvents: Reading Town Meal
As usual, RCC will be holding a stall at the Reading Town Meal on Saturday 28 September, 11am to 3pm at Forbury Gardens. This community based event, held since 2011, celebrates the produce growing power of Reading through a huge meal of fruit and vegetables, all donated by Reading’s allotment growers. You are welcome to […]
Continue readingChairman’s Letter, September 2019
Dear RCC members, I have been coerced into doing a challenging bike ride in September, so in preparation I have to do the time honoured thing, and get some miles in. I have to admit that in recent years I all but gave up long rides out into the surrounding countryside. So it is with […]
Continue readingHow To Design Cycle Lanes Correctly
It is not possible to argue in favour of safe, segregated cycle lanes without detailing how they should be installed correctly. Because only when lanes are installed correctly will they be used by ordinary citizens. Only then will a cycling culture develop. You will use the same amount of space whether you design a street […]
Continue readingGetting Reading on Two Wheels
I open with a confession: I am not a cyclist, or at least I don’t think I am. In Dutch terms I am definitely a fietster, not a wielrenner. I cycle for transport, not sport. In fact, until about four years ago, I hadn’t been on a bicycle for nearly two decades. It’s clear that […]
Continue readingStopping and Starting Cycling
After recently acquiring an electric bicycle (which I’ve sort of fallen in love with), I’ve started cycling frequently on my own in Reading. My previous cycling experience is either rather more previous (in Cambridge as a student more years ago than seems reasonable) or rather less on my own (on the back of a tandem […]
Continue readingPuttenham Camping Barn
Surrey offers some beautiful cycling routes on quiet lanes and tracks with great pubs and tea stops, and with a train network this means you don’t need to take your car. The Surrey Hills are deservedly an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with the North Downs Way offering a long distance walking path, much of […]
Continue readingMy experience of Vastern Road Roundabout
I have the deep joy of using this roundabout several times a week, so I was very interested to see the Council remarking the faded lines as a first step in improving the shocking accident figures on the worst blackspot for cyclists in the town. However it simply does nothing for the problem of drivers […]
Continue readingCritical Mass
After a long absence from Reading the spontaneous mass bike ride around the town has returned. The ride starts from the Forbury Lion shortly after 7pm on the first Friday of every month. The route is decided by all those present before setting off, and everyone rides in a large and sociable bunch for an […]
Continue readingCargo Bikes
There has, over the last few years, been a resurgence in using cargo bikes. I have been using one for well over ten years, but it wasn’t a new idea back then. In the mid 1950s (and probably earlier, I wasn’t around before then) we had several people using cargo bikes of various types. The […]
Continue reading