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Think twICE

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3 Approved minute of 21 November 2016 meeting between PWSCG and cycling organisations

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Weather and Cycling Workshop Notes

Tuesday 21st November, BEIS London

 

Attendees:

PWSCG

PWSCG Secretariat

Met Office

Cycling UK

Sustrans

Cycle Scheme

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  1. Introductions from each organisation

A leading UK charity which aims to enable people to travel by foot, bike or public transport for more of the journeys they make every day.

 

The UK’s leading provider of tax free bikes for work with 650k people having used the buy scheme

Have 500,000 cyclists on their database. 70% of these are new cyclists.

Aiming to change the perception that cycle can be a mode of transport as well as a pastime.

 

Formally CTC. Champions the cause of cycling and integrating cycling into everyday life. 67,000 members. 3,000 leisure groups that meet.

Current campaigns- space for cycling; road justice; right of way access for off road cycling, wheels for wellbeing. They run around 500 events per year.

 

  1. The impact of all hazards on cycling

 

 

Hazard

Detail

Mitigating Action

1

Traffic

 

Volume of traffic.

Behaviour of other road users.

Lorries.

Cars driving too close to cyclists.

Positioning on the road.

 

Build cycle routes, road planning.

2

Road conditions

Road defects including potholes

Road surface

Oil spills

Metal work

Report potholes to local authorities.

 

3

Infrastructure

Safe cycle routes.

Navigation.

 

4

Not being seen

Visibility.

Light – e.g. early winter sun, late afternoon sun, cycling at night.

Headlights at night.

 

 

High visibility and reflective clothing, lights and reflectors.

 

5

Weather

See detail below

Equipment and clothing.

 

6

Hills

Steep down hills.

Up hills and slow speeds.

 

7

Air quality

A barrier in the short term but a hazard in the long term?

 

Masks

 

These are ordered to give an indication of the scale / severity of each of the hazards.

 

  1. Perceived Barriers to cycling – what would stop people from cycling?

  • Perceptions of danger

  • Time to change at work

  • Facilities at the destination

  • Lack of adequate road networks

  • Family commitments

  • Time and distance to travel

  • Mechanical failure

  • Cost of equipment

  • Secure cycle parking

  • Hills

  • Air pollution

  • Timing of the cycle- e.g. at rush hour

  • Too busy, need to take the car

 

  1. Variables – these impact on all of the hazards identified

  • Seasonality

  • Experience of cyclists

  • Gender

  • Weather conditions – this was seen as a multiplier to all the other hazards

  • Equipment

  • Regional / geographic / urban vs rural differences

  • Timing

 

  1. The impact of weather on cycling

 

 

Weather type

Detail

Mitigating actions

1

Ice

This would make you consider not cycling.

Black ice, patchy ice, hard to see.

 

Ice is extremely localised due to topography and therefore incredibly difficult to forecast, e.g. ice patches will form on certain areas of a route due to surface type/ exposure / sun light etc.

 

Experienced cyclists if they know there is a rick of ice, can make their own sensible decisions about when/ where / if to cycle if there is a risk of ice. They can do this using their local knowledge, awareness of their ability and the suitability of their equipment.

 

An issue below 4oC air temperature (like the warning that comes up in a car)

 

To raise awareness of the risk of ice is very important.

 

 

 

Change bike / tyres. Studded tyres.

 

Share information  about road gritting.

 

Would be great to have information about ice on route in route planning apps, but accept that this would be very difficult to achieve.

2

Fog & mist

This would make you consider not cycling.

How dense is it?

How far can you see- end of the road / 4 car lengths / distance to hazard.

 

 

 

3

Strong winds

Blow you off course, potentially into path of vehicles.

Variations near buildings.

Tiring for long journeys.

Leaf fall.

Change route

4

Snow

After day one this is usually associated with ice.

 

 

5

Heavy rain

Brakes

Grit

Mud from trucks

Positioning on the road

 

 

These are ranked in order of perceived risk / severity.

You need to adapt your speed to the conditions you are in.

 

  1. Gaps in weather information for cyclists

  • Not a gap in what’s available but more of a gap in terms of how this is communicated

  • Use a campaign approach, such as the approach with drink driving What the weather means, e.g. take gloves, bag for wet clothes,

  • Beyond severe weather

  • Focus on the positive – ‘a good day for cycling’, how cycling is possible in this type of weather rather than the hazards (Sustrans)

 

  1. Communication, messaging, education

How is it best to get information to cyclists?

  • Social media campaigns

  • Partnering – with other road users

  • Newsletters – use cycling organisations who already have large mailing lists

 

  1. Summary and conclusions

  • The weather does have a significant impact on cycling, however this is of lesser importance than other hazards (such as traffic and road conditions).

  • Ice and fog are the types of weather that create the biggest hazards, however the cycling organisations felt that experienced cyclists can use the current information to make their own decisions about when and where to cycle.

  • There was a gap in awareness of all the current services that the Met Office provide that could be of use to cyclists, and it was felt that there is more that can be done to better communicate joined up messaging about the different hazards caused due to weather and what cyclists can do to protect themselves.

  • With regards to the issue of ice, it was noted that due to the very localised nature of ice it would be extremely difficult to forecasting ice with location specific accuracy. It was generally agreed that cyclists need to know that there is a risk of ice in their location, and then they can make their own decisions (based on local knowledge, experience etc) to decide if/when/where to cycle.

  • The weather hazards that affect cyclists also affect other road users and potentially increase the risk to cyclists from traffic. An approach which addresses all road users rather than just cyclists would therefore be prefereable.

  • Weather can heighten or compound some of the other risk factors and so can have a broader underlying influence but isn’t the strongest risk factor on its own

  • Weather is something cyclists can make a conscious decision about to limit or reduce the impact on them by being properly prepared for the conditions

 

 

  1. Next steps

 

  1. Continue meetings for the Active Travel consultation -

  • Driving organisations – AA, RAC

  • Devolved – Cycling Scotland

  • Pedestrians – who represents them?

 

  1. Continue work on weather and cycling communications campaigns

  • Continue using current vines and content over the winter periods. Circulate these to the attendees

  • Maintain the relationships with cycling organisations.

  • Discuss with Sustrans how they can share NSWWS information

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A summary was provided at the PWSCG meeting in January 2017:

 

'DH spoke about the engagement that has taken place with cycling organisations to better understand their needs and identify if there is any additional information the Met Office could usefully and affordably provide within the scope of the PWS. The outcome was that while weather does have a significant impact on cycling, this is of lesser importance than other hazards such as traffic and road conditions. Additional evidence gathering will be conducted as part of a review of ‘active travel’ which will be presented at a future PWSCG 

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