Tuesday, 14 May 2013

'Promote cycling by implementing the recommendations in the 'Get Britain Cycling' report.'

The e-petition 'Promote cycling by implementing the recommendations in the 'Get Britain Cycling' report.' recently reached 57,759 signatures and a response has been made to it.

Good news with pragmatic results... or more lexically empty rhetoric. Time will tell!

As this e-petition has received more than 10 000 signatures, the relevant Government department have provided the following response:

The Government welcomes the All Party Parliamentary Cycling Group (APPCG) inquiry and report.

We will look at the recommendations carefully and respond in due course.

The Coalition Government takes cycling very seriously and is committed to leading the country in getting more people cycling, more safely, more often.

Many of the recommendations in the report mirror those shared with Government by the Cycling Stakeholder Forum members.

 In the last 12 months we have allocated £107m of new money to support safety and community links that encourage more cycling.

This is over and above the £600m Local Sustainable Transport Fund where 94 out of the 96 projects contain a cycling element.

We have also introduced measures to make cycling safer, including flexibility for Local Authorities to introduce 20mph speed limits in residential areas and a process for applications for further rural 40mph zones.

Furthermore, we have made it easier to install Trixi mirrors to improve the visibility of cyclists at junctions.

The Department for Transport has been co-ordinating a cross-departmental effort to promote cycling, in particular with Defra and the Department of Health. For example Transport and Health Ministers shared a platform at the Leicester Active Travel Conference in November to promote better working between public health and transport planners. We now plan to take this further by establishing a project team involving more departments and stakeholders.

We are working on making our towns and cities more cycle friendly.

In January we announced the Cycle City Ambition Grants and have invited cities outside London to bid for a share of a £42m grant. The guidance requires cities to demonstrate local leadership and set out a 10 year ambition for more cycling. Successful bids will receive a cycling budget equivalent to £10 per head, which is the level of support the APPCG inquiry report recommends.

The £42m grant will also benefit National Parks who have been asked to develop schemes to improve cycling facilities to help support cycling as a fun leisure activity as well as a healthy way of getting around. We will announce the successful bids in the summer.

his e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100 000 signature threshold.

View the response to the e-petition

Thanks,

HM Government e-petitions http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/

Sunday, 12 May 2013

The VELORAMA National Bicycle Museum

A simply wonderful, nay magical, museum. Let the photographs tell the story ...


My friend Leslie opening the door to three stories of wonder.

Het Nationaal Fietsmuseum VELORAMA ..

 "...is a treasure-house of information, and its collection of 250 authentic veteran cycles will delight bicycle-lovers of all ages. Countless visitors from Holland and from all over the world all agree that the bicycle is a wonderful invention - so why not take the time to find out more about its fascinating history?"


"Housed in an attractive old building on the Waalkade, Nijmegen's busy waterfront, VELORAMA first opened to the public in 1981. The museum is based on a private collection of veteran and modern bicycles and cycle accessories belonging to the founder, Mr. Gertjan Moed.

In spring 1998 extensive alterations were carried out to create more room for the collection. This includes bicycles, tricycles and quadricycles, starting with the very first "hobbyhorse" which was invented in 1817. At VELORAMA you can follow the development of the bicycle from its earliest beginnings right up to the present day, and on into the future. The story of cycle design and manufacture is brought to life before your eyes."











































































































VELORAMA National Bicycle Museum
Waalkade 107
6511 XR NIJMEGEN
telephoon: +31 (0)24-3225851
fax: +31 (0)24-3607177
E- mail:info@velorama.nl 

Opening times
Weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Sundays and holidays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.Closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day

Admission fees
Children
Adults
Pensioners
Disabled
Family ticket
      Euro
Euro
Euro
Euro
Euro
 
3,00
5,00
4,00
4,00
12,00


Special reductions for groups
The museum offer special reductions and a free guided tour on request for groups of more than 20 people. To ensure that your visit is everything you would like it to be, please book in good time. With the exception of the third floor, VELORAMA is accessible to people in wheelchairs and other disabled visitors.

How to get to VELORAMA? 

From Arnhem (A15, A325):
black route
After crossing the bridge over the River Waal, keep right and follow the signs for the Waalkade. The best place to leave your car is the Kelfkensbos underground car park. Walk down the road to the waterfront (Waalkade) and you will see VELORAMA on your left, opposite the marina.

From Venlo or 's-Hertogenbosch (A50, A73):: 
red route
As you enter Nijmegen, follow the signs for the city centre ("Centrum"). At the large roundabout (Keizer Karelplein) take the exit for Arnhem. The road you are now on is called Oranjesingel. At the third set of lights turn left for the Waalkade. At the end of this street (Hertogstraat) you will find the Kelfkensbos underground car park, where you can leave your car. Walk down the road to the waterfront (Waalkade) and you will see VELORAMA on your left, opposite the marina. 

From Kleve (N52):: 
blue route
When you reach the Keizer Trajanusplein intersection, follow the signs for the Waalkade. The best place to leave your car is the Kelfkensbos underground car park. Walk down the road to the waterfront (Waalkade) and you will see VELORAMA on your left, opposite the marina.

Public transport::
From Nijmegen's main railway station you can catch any bus which goes through the city centre ("Centrum"). Get off at theBurchtstraat stop. From here it is just five minutes' walk down the hill to VELORAMA. If you decide to walk all the way from the station, follow the signs for the city centre ("Centrum") and the waterfront ("Waalkade"). This will take you about fifteen minutes. 

Click here for a map showing where VELORAMA is located.