2020 Vision
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Academics invent a mathematical equation for why people procrastinate
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Uncategorized
source: urmee khan, the telegraph
Prof Piers Steel, a Canadian academic who has spent more than 10 years studying why people put off until tomorrow what they could do today, believes that the notion that procrastinators are either perfectionists or just lazy is wrong.
Prof Steel, who admits to becoming distracted by computer games himself, argues in a new book that those prone to putting things off suffer from a vice of their own - impulsiveness. Read the rest of this entry »
Men under threat from ‘gender bending’ chemicals
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Uncategorized
source: urmee khan, the telegraph
Scientists are warning that manmade pollutants which have escaped into the environment mimic the female sex hormone oestrogen.
The males of species including fish, amphibians, birds, and reptiles have been feminised by exposure to sex hormone disrupting chemicals and have been found to be abnormally making egg yolk protein, normally made by females, according to the report by Chem Trust, environmental group. Read the rest of this entry »
Are transport priorities the right way up?
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cycling, Cycling infrastructure
It has long been the stated aim of many places to have a road user hierarchy in which pedestrians come top, cyclists follow soon after, public transport fits in next and in which private cars come in at the bottom.
However, very few places actually behave like this. Typically there is very little obvious link between what literature states about priorities and what is done on the street. David Hembrow’s excellent blog ‘A view from the cyclepath…’ looks into this topic in more detail.
read about it
What makes a motorist use a bicycle? IAM report
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cars, Cycling
In the recent edition of the Institute of Advanced Motorists’ magazine ‘Advanced Driving’ winter 2008, the IAM reported on a survey they commissioned on ‘what makes a motorist use a bicycle rather than a car?’
When and why do they cycle? The IAM Trust survey of cycling motorists and their reasons and concerns revealed that of the 90 per cent of motorists who had ridden a bike at some time, half still own one, and of those, only one-third are cycling motorists. Read the rest of this entry »
Copenhagenize Cambridge
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Bicycle, Campaigns, Cycling, Cycling infrastructure
Some of us have experienced other European cycling cultures, and through comment and debate on my (and other) blogs I found an informative comparison between Cambridge and Copenhagen. The posts and debates centre around Health & Safety culture in the UK, Cambridge highway engineering through risk averse design, and British cycling chic - the lack of it. Yes I wear yellow Lycra too. All these elements are linked to two key factors: educated hazard perception and a common sense approach to risk. Something our UK H&S culture is rapidly eroding, and I’ll come back to this point.
One of these blogs is ‘copenhagenize.com’ . The aim of this blog is to bring Copenhagen Bicycle Culture to the world. In a few city councils around the globe they speak of ‘Copenhagenizing’ their streets to accommodate bikes. In the Danish capital it’s just a way of life. Copenhagen is already regarded as the best cycling city in the world and Denmark is the second safest place to cycle (after Netherlands), and those of you out there who need inspiration for cycle advocacy in your towns and cities can find a wealth of info at copenhagenize.com.
Read the rest of this entry »
Alpine Motorcycle trip
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Motorcycles
As some of you know, I’m also a keen motorcyclist and I am planning a mini-tour of Europe, hopefully with some fellow biking friends. In a recent IAM magazine, there was a motorcycling section which contained report on five friends, five countries, and seven days, through famous Alpine passes taking in Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland and Lichtenstein almost in a loop.
I thought this would be a good starting point for planning a European route.
Cycling: UK H&S hysteria versus Copenhagen chic
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Bicycle, Cycling, Cycling infrastructure
I am a driver, motorcyclist, cyclist and of course pedestrian. I have raced bicycles on road and off road, driven on a race track, and motocrossed on a motorbike. I’ve done 70kmh on a bicycle down French mountains and cycled through London traffic. I am pretty good at judging risk and hazards.
However, in the UK we have a real deep-seated problem with pervasive and socially corrosive Health & Safety culture tipping into the insane. Born out of the good intentions of hazard awareness, now we have US-style liability vultures wrecking the social glue of common sense and personal responsibility. Read the rest of this entry »
A worthwhile Cambridge street sign
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cycling, Cycling infrastructure
There’s a behavioural campaign at the moment with car doors placed around town of Copenhagen and the message “Catch the cyclist with your eyes, not your door” printed on the door.
Pretty straightforward campaign. No real fear-mongering at play. Just a good reminder for both motorists and cyclists alike. Never mind the fact that I have never heard of anybody getting smacked by a car door in Copenhagen. Most of the bike lanes are wide enough to avoid this. But hey. At least the campaign helps motorists [most of whom are cyclists, too] remember the bicycles. Read the rest of this entry »
Why cyclists make good hypermilers
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cars, Cycling
I was reading some notes about hypermiling and realised that sport cyclists are natural hypermilers, as they drive like they ride a bike. Well, not on the pavements or through cyclelanes, but you know what I mean.
Sport cyclists know that they have finite energy. Indeed running out - ‘bonking’ - is like hitting a brick wall. Each pedal stroke is like turning a water mill with lead boots. So we try to maximise output with minimum energy input. As we think about spending energy as wisely in our car as we do when we ride, we automatically become aware of several major hypermiling techniques: Read the rest of this entry »
Cyclist loses leg in road rage attack
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Bicycle, Cycling, Cycling infrastructure
credit: bikeradar
I think the attitudes towards cyclists are really taking a bad turn…
A cyclist in Toronto has had to have his leg amputated after a row with a cab driver turned nasty. Police yesterday said the cyclist lost his leg after a cab reversed and pinned him to a utility pole.
It’s understood people heard arguing before the sound of a loud collision and then someone screaming for help as a vehicle sped off. Police who rushed to the scene at 2.30am found the man lying in a pool of blood, with his right leg barely attached. His $5,000 cycle was lying nearby in pieces (library picture above, not actual bike). Read the rest of this entry »
TRL research on UK cycle safety issues
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Bicycle, Cycling, Cycling infrastructure
credit: keith bingham, cycling weekly
Can we spare the time for another study? The Department for Transport has commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory ITRL) to carry out a study into
“road user safety issues in relation to cycling”.
Notwithstanding the TRL’s reputation for getting to the nitty gritty, safety organisations have for decades been telling the government precisely about the dangers facing cycLists. Here they are: speeding drivers; ‘blind’ drivers — those who claim they didn’t see the cyclist; tired drivers; couldn’t care less drivers. Read the rest of this entry »
Hypermiling - a growing phenomenon
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cars, Smart
This is all about the fight against excessive consumption. I’ve been against the whole insane US car manufacturing mindset for years, and now the Big Three are in collapse - like it wasn’t obvious this was coming.
In 2008, the word hypermiling was selected as the word of the year by New Oxford American Dictionary.
I recently bought a Smart ForTwo CDI out of desperation. I wanted to convert our seven seater Mercedes 300TD to run on 100% SVO, B100 and fossil diesel. To do it properly would have cost around £1,500. But the costs of obtaining B100 in the UK is so punitive, thanks to no tax breaks, it’s hardly worth all the effort. B100 in Germany, for example, is zero rated for tax. UK politics just doesn’t get it.
Smart book
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Matthew's wishlist, Smart
Smart: Small Car, Big Deal by Willi Diez & Jurgen Zolter from Amazon.
The smart story is one of entrepreneurial vision and daring. It is a story of innovation and proof that to be successful, even the best ideas must be appropriate for their time. At Mercedes-Benz, the roots of an automotive concept designed specifically for urban use reach back to the 1970s. The growing problems of inner-city individual transportation, a parking situation which was becoming ever more critical even then, and increasing environmental awareness spurred by the crises of the early 1970s and 1980s, helped position the smart to breakthrough in the early 1990s. Read the rest of this entry »
Motor bike trip - making it happen
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Motorcycles
WARNING - THE FOLLOWING TEXT COULD SERIOUSLY APPEAL TO YOUR MID-LIFE CRISIS
Thanks to Paddy for emailing me his day-to-day diary and photos, like the one on the left. Little does he know he is driving me insane with jealousy. I expect those I’ve emailled this suggestion to (now put on this blog) have thought about a really great long motorbike trip some day. You know the type - across European mountains, famous cities, mountain passes off another planet. But it only happens to other people right? One of us (Paddy) is doing just that right now. There are lots of reasons ‘why’ it is worth doing, but there always seems even more reasons to not sort a trip out. Mainly; Money, Time, Family - ‘MTF’. Read the rest of this entry »
Smart ForTwo CDI - an amazing little car
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Smart
Yeah so I am biased. But we have a 1997 Mercedes 300 TD which could be said to be at the other end of the motoring scale. Now I can tell you that turning over a 3 litre inline 6 cylinder diesel engine in -27C will require a heated battery jacket! (Although on our Mercedes it is under the rear seat). Still, -27C? Puny diesel Smart car stands no chance…
I found this following video on YouTube, where a guy with a Smart ForTwo CDI is obviously sceptical about starting his Smart Fortwo CDI at such low temperatures. Watch to see what happens…
Although Mercedes (who build the Smart) do have a record for cars that will start - even after 5 years!
There are also some modifications to a Smart Car that should stay off the road…because Ferrari drivers might get upset!
I keep a rolling record of my Smart’s fuel consumption, mainly to see how my hypermiling techniques are improving. I’m currently hitting an average 
Achieved 2.85L/100km this week
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Smart
After enjoying the buzz of driving a four wheeled motorbike with the handling of a moped, I settled down to trying out my hypermiling techniques to see what is possible.
After 314 miles I filled up with 14.4 litres of ULSD. This works out to be 2.85L/100km or 99 miles to the imperial gallon, well inside the ‘3 litre’ club criteria. It costs about £24.20 to fill the Smart car full from an empty tank, but a whopping £77 to fill our Mercedes 300TD. That gets us 492 miles at best, not bad for a seven seater - when we use all seven seats, and that’s the whole point. How often do we us more than two seats?
GM, Ford, Chrysler - you really really got it wrong, and you will see the US car market collapse from decades of selling inappropriate vehicles. Next time, don’t kill the electric car.
VW, please produce this car.
I have a left hand drive car now. Time to have some fun…
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cars, Smart
There is a Smart ForTwo steering wheel just like the one in my Smart on eBay for £10. Should I buy it for my passengers?
I keep a rolling record of the Smart’s fuel consumption, mainly to see how my hypermiling techniques are improving. I’m currently hitting an average
David Hembrow
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Blogroll
The Netherlands (Holland) is the world’s most cycle friendly country. We are based in Assen, the capital of Drenthe - the “Cycling Province” of the Netherlands. This is the ideal location for a cycling holiday, and is where many Dutch cyclists take their holidays.
Drenthe is an uncrowded province with vast areas of heath and forest. Riding through this landscape you will also see evidence of the effect of human hands on the many farms and the beautiful villages and cities.
Our routes make use of the thousands of kilometres of cycle paths in Drenthe to provide interesting tours for young and old, fast and slow, experienced and less experienced cyclists.
We will ride along bike paths through woods and heath. Along dikes by canals and across bridges. To farms and windmills, cafes and restaurants, museums and monuments, flower fields and hunebedden.
We are an English family who relocated to what we consider to be the most beautiful area in the Netherlands. Let us show you around.
‘The Ride’ DVD
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Matthew's wishlist
Well I can’t afford The Ride from Alaska to Patagonia, so I’ll have to settle for the DVD instead.
Owner of a Smart ForTwo CDI
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cars, Smart, Transport
As winter 2008 approaches and Xanthe is now at her secondary school, and I have started to get a bit irritated with changing in and out of my motorcycle gear up to six times a day, I had to question the one car family rule again.
Then a Smart Fortwo CDI came up on Autotrader. Now I have always been a fan of the Smart Fortwo, but the CDI has never been sold in the UK. Crazy marketing people - they have no idea. Read the rest of this entry »
Stolen - Trice Q recumbent trike
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Bicycle, Cycling infrastructure
Cambridgeshire Constabulary requires your help to find a very rare Trice Q tricycle, pictured left, that was stolen in Cambridge in May 2008.
The cycle has recently been seen for sale on a website and is believed to still be in the Cambridge area. Anybody with information can contact Sergeant Gordon Morgenthaler or Detective Constable David Savill on 08454 564 564.
Interview with Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cycling
credit: john naish, the times
Victoria Pendleton has a sharp warning for drivers who tear past cyclists at close quarters - watch out, you might kill a British Olympic medallist. Pendleton, who won gold at Beijing in the women’s sprint, is campaigning to get more of us cycling on the street. But driver awareness is key, she says. Read the rest of this entry »
1400km in 120hrs Endurance Cycling Event
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cycling, Events
The Event
On the 26th July 2009 I will be taking part in the UK’s toughest cycling long distance event (open to the public), the LEL 2009.
LEL stands for ‘London to Edinburgh to London’ and is the premier Audax UK Event, held every four years. The aim is to cycle the 1,400km within 120 hours.
This will require 280Km of cycling everyday, for five days, including through the night and with minimal support. For those supporting me, you can view my training calendar.
You can also see how much cycling I am doing compared to driving in the graphic link below, but I have to update this manually every few months:
Secret Scalpel Unveiled for Olympic Games
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cycling
I must be where it’s at!
Not only are the 2012 Olympics’ Cyclocross events being held in Suffolk, just a short hop away from where I work, but the latest version of the bike I use is being used by one of the Olympic Cross Country Teams.
Roel Paulissen, Jakob Fuglsang and Kashi Leuchs of the Cannondale-Vredestein Mountain Bike Racing Team will all line up for the Olympic Cross Country event aboard this special superlight Olympic Edition Scalpel.
Cannondale’s engineers and those of their technical parners worked in conjunction with the Cannondale-Vredestein racers to deliver these highly optimized bicycles in support of their Olympic dreams.
My ‘old’ 2002 model weighs in at 10.8kg and was the lightest XC full suspension bike available at the time. This model however comes in at 8.8kg! Read more.
34Km of Pain - BT supporting The Real Man Cycling Challenge
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cycling, Cycling infrastructure
EVENT POSTPONED!
For new sponsors please view 2009 event sponsorship page.
The Real Man Cycling Challenge will be one of very few sports charity events completed mainly by men, for men, but is also open to women. The event will be held on Sunday 14th September around Canary Wharf in London with the aim of raising vital funds for The Prostate Cancer Charity, with BT as one of the major supporters. BT has two major cyclists as part of the BT Ambassadors for London 2012 programme with Chris Hoy and Shanaze Reade. Read the rest of this entry »
Protected: Two 40th birthdays Garden Fete
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Events
Childhood cycling in steep decline
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cycling
credit: bikeradar.com
At the start of Britain’s Bike to School Week (May 6 – 9) Cycling England has highlighted what it calls a ‘lost generation’ of cyclists as worried parents prevent their offspring from riding on the nation’s roads. The government-backed agency claims this parental fear about the dangers of traffic has given rise to what have been labelled ‘cul-de-sac kids’ – youngsters who never ride their bikes much further than the end of the road. Read the rest of this entry »
Humour: Leg shaving advice for cyclists
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Cycling
credit: Elden ‘The Fat Cyclist’ Nelson
As a cycling aficionado, I am in no doubt anxious to demonstrate my commitment to the sport, even when I am not on the bike. For those of you reading this who are not cyclists in the pure sense, this may become a bit wierd. For other fellow cycling aficionados, read on… Read the rest of this entry »
Odds of Dying in a Bicycle Crash
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Bicycle, Cars, Cycling, Cycling infrastructure, Motorcycles
credit: cozy beehive, edited by vision2020
Over the course of your life, it may be safer to ride a bicycle than to be a pedestrian! However, this is due to exposure to the risk. We walk more than cycle.
But the chances of dying in a bicycling accident is apparently more than that of going down in an airplane.
This interesting graphic interpretation from risk of death showed up on the Pixdaus blog. Any H&S official should take note of this, as I often come across so-called ‘risk assessments’ that are very poorly determined. Read the rest of this entry »
Film Map
Published by Matt Polaine | Filed under Uncategorized
I picked up info on this website the other day. If you ever had a film scene on the tip of your tongue, or wanted to see all the films with your favourite actor/actress in, then this is for you: