• Straightening a (bent) wheel
• Chain maintenance
• Brake maintenance

The idea of turning abandoned railway lines into walking and cycling routes, called greenways, is catching on. Indeed, Taoiseach Enda Kenny knows all about the success of the longest greenway in Ireland, running from Westport to Achill, in his Mayo constituency.

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This is the first time that the ECF target has been formally adopted in an EU action plan and is a major milestone in ECF’s campaign to release billions of euros for cycling in the next EU budget.

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Citizens from countries that use bicycles in disproportionate numbers tend to be the most tolerant and free-spirited.

The letters page of The Irish Times has recently been entertaining a debate about the menace that careering cyclists pose to poor wee drivers and their delicate metal carriages. One correspondent, annoyed by poor behaviour from the cycling community, has suggested that number plates be mandatory for all users of the two-wheeled engines of death (my facetious words, not hers). Read article

The accumulated wisdom of two generations of road engineers grappling with traffic in towns has been turned on its head by the Design Manual for Urban Roads issued jointly by the Departments of Transport and Environment.

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Professor Julia Verne, Director of the South West Public Health Observatory, said:

“While we realise there are some people who cannot engage fully in physical activity, the tool is useful in highlighting the scale of the impact of physical activity on health. Small increases in activity, even for those who can’t be fully active would still deliver big health benefits.

“Local authorities can use the tool to raise awareness about the importance of physical activity and to think of ways to get people active in their area.

“There are many ways to do this. While improving sporting facilities is important, the key for most people is to build physical activity into their daily lives, rather than thinking of it as something extra to fit in to already hectic lifestyles. One way to do this is to leave cars at home, walk and cycle more often to school, work and for leisure.”

Damien Ó Tuama finds it difficult to believe the Dublin Cycling Campaign has been going for almost 20 years. Back in 1993 he and a few like-minded friends set it up more as a protest than anything else. Read article

Plastic shells keep our heads from coming open, but they also deter us from riding bicycles. And riding bicycles is good for people and Earth.

Admonishing a teenager for smoking is commonplace. Reprimanding people for taking antibiotics when they don’t really need them is the next big thing. And giving people a hard time about biking without a helmet is still entirely in vogue. It’s because we care. But as we learned from the original food pyramid, sometimes good intentions pave the road to adult-onset diabetes. Read more

Make no mistake, this is significant.

No sooner do I lament the lack of political vision over cycling in Britain, as seen at the inquiry set up by the all-party parliamentary cycling group, when someone else altogether steps in with something truly bold.

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