Cycling Cultures: Hull

Bob’s Bikes is a friendly bike shop in Hull and owner Stu, also a Sustrans officer, has been organising some fantastic bike rides for charity. This year an adventurous group managed to cycle the Transpennine Trail both ways – a total of 430miles. Congratulations to Stu and the many volunteers who made it possible. They raised £3000 for charity. More about the 2010 ride here.

Stu has just announced details for the 2011 event:

Hi all!
The time has come to launch my charity ride for next year. It will take place on the weekend of the 26th August and will finish 450 miles later on Monday 8th september!

We will be departing Tobermory on the Island of Mull, West Scotland on Sunday 28th August and travel through Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Dumfries, Gretna, Carlilse, Penrith, Bowness on Windermere, Skipton, Harrogate, York,Sselby and finishing in Hull in East Yorkshire on Monday 8th September.

The route is road biased this year, to accomodate for more riders and a gentle ride. But it is routed so we can have challenges through the mountains.

This is not a race! This will be marshalled and supported. I am in talks with hotels and production companies as we speak, so I can post more info when things are signed and sealed.

The monies raised will go to a charity of your choice.

There will be costs involved, but I am begging and pleading for freebies to make it as cheap as possible for all. Any interested peeps, give me a shout!

This year we completed the Transpennine trail both ways! 430 miles mainly off road, so this should be a doddle! LOL

I received this press release from the Humberside Police:

Multi-Agency Approach Attempting to make Cycle Theft a Thing of the Past

A NEW multi-agency strategy to tackle the problem of cycle thefts in Hull is being launched by Humberside Police and its partners.

In a joint initiative with Hull City Council, Citysafe, Hull BID and other partner agencies, the strategy will be unveiled at the ‘One Hull Market Place’ Event on Thursday 22 July 2010.

Whilst the agencies in Hull want to encourage more people to use pedal cycles to get to work and for leisure purposes in the city, it is important balance this against the fact that each year more than 8,000 cycles are stolen.

The strategy was developed by the multi-agency Cycle Theft Strategy Group established by Humberside Police in Hull. The aim of the strategy is to set out ways the partner agencies can minimise the theft of cycles and subsequently reduce crime in general in the city. It utilises the expertise and resources of a wide range of partners and is delivered through three main strands:

· Education and Prevention
· Intelligence
· Enforcement

The education strand refers to the things that can be done by the public to protect their cycles through simple crime prevention techniques. These include: how a cycle is locked, what locks should be used and where the bike is left locked.

In order to present this information the Neighbourhood Policing Teams (NPTs) and partner agencies across Hull will be holding regular cycle marking events. Multi-agency staff will be available to discuss how the public can protect their cycles from would be thieves.

At these events members of the public will be offered the opportunity to have their cycles marked with postcodes free of charge and in addition have their cycles registered on www.immobilise.com. The details of the cycle marking and registration will be given to participants on a re-designed cycle passport.

By marking the cycle and registering it on-line police will be able to identify a recovered stolen cycle more effectively. This will ensure it can be returned to its owner and assist in the prosecution of those responsible for thefts or handling stolen goods.

Signage to direct members of the public to Hull City Centre Cycle Storage areas has also been improved, directing members of the public to the safest places to store their cycles. In addition the other existing cycle racks where bikes can be locked are being reviewed and analysed to make them more secure for cyclists to use.

Advice has also been added to the Humberside Police website in the Crime Reduction section and on the Citysafe website. Furthermore local multi-agency publications are being used to provide further details on protecting cycles from thieves.

Colouring competitions and leaflets are also being used to develop a greater awareness of cycle security.

The next strand of the strategy – intelligence – focuses on how the public can assist authorities bring those people to justice for stealing cycles.

This involves liaising with the public, businesses and the media to ensure that anyone who has information about cycle thieves contacts the authorities so perpetrators can be caught

To assist in this process the local partners will be distributing Crimestoppers ‘Bag a bike thief’ leaflets in targeted areas to identify offenders and urging members of the public to call either Humberside Police on 0845 60 60 222 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The final strand of the strategy – enforcement – focuses on arresting those involved in the theft or trade of stolen cycles.

Police will take all measures possible to target those linked with the crime by utilising local community intelligence and the resources of Hull Police.

Cycle thieves will be dealt with by the Criminal Justice System and where appropriate officers will apply for Crime Related Anti Social Behaviour Orders which will allow police to impose prohibitions reducing the chance of further offending.

Inspector Bill Grieves, who headed up the Cycle Theft Strategy Group said: “In the inter-war years Hull was described as the UK’s Cycling City. I would like to see this in the future as it would result in a better environment and a healthier populous.

“I feel that in order to achieve this people must feel they can use their cycles with out fear of them being taken by thieves and as a result of this strategy I hope we can go some way to achieving this. It is important that the public assist us in this goal by protecting their cycles by utilising crime prevention advice, but also by informing authorities about cycle thieves living in their communities who think nothing of taking other peoples property. Together with our partners and help from the public we can make Hull a true cycle city again and a great place to live, work and visit.”

——-

The launch will take place at the Citysafe Trailer on Queen Victoria Square at 1000hrs. Inspector Bill Grieves, Allan Davidson (Hull City Council Sustainable Travel Officer) and Phil Overfield (Hull BID) will be available for pictures and interview. In addition seven of the specially trained Police cyclists will be in attendance.

The One Hull Market Place event will include some of the organisations working together from across the public, private, voluntary and community sectors tackling key issues around crime, health, jobs and learning. There will be stalls in the Hull City Hall and in Queen Victoria Square. On the day, local people will be able to get:

- Support to quit smoking or in making healthier lifestyle choices;
- Support on diabetes and breast screening
- Sign up for potential work placements and careers and skills advice
- Receive information on summer time sport and leisure activities for young people
- Receive advice from family support services and on good parenting
- Receive crime prevention support and how to tackle anti-social behaviour; and
- Receive fire safety advice.

———

Cycle Crime Prevention advice

Basic security rules

Do not leave cycles in isolated places.
- Make sure you secure your bikes to proper cycle stands or robust street furniture (do observe any requests not to use certain items of street furniture and be sure not to cause any damage).

Always lock your cycle up when leaving it unattended – even if it is only for a few minutes
- Lock cycles through the frame, and secure or remove wheels. Also remove smaller parts and accessories that can’t be secured, especially lights, pumps and quick release saddles
- Purchase a quality lock
- Lock strength can vary enormously and you generally get what you pay for. Essentially any lock can be broken, but having a lock will definitely deter opportunistic thieves and using more than one type of lock will make stealing your bike even harder.
- Sold Secure (a non-profit making company which assesses security products) have developed a security grading system which is used by many insurance companies. Gold rated locking devices give you maximum security but may be too heavy or expensive for the average user. The Silver and Bronze levels may be lighter and cheaper but should still deter the thief. When purchasing a lock for your cycle you need to think about how much your cycle is worth, where you will be leaving it, and how often and for how long it will be left unattended. For a range of locks assessed by Sold Secure see www.soldsecure.com
- A large number of bike thefts take place from the owners property, so please make sure your sheds and garages are well secured and never leave your bike unattended outside your home.

Register your cycle
- Keeping a record of your cycle frame number could help the police identify and return your bike back to you if it is stolen. You can register your cycle frame number on the Immobilise website

Insurance for your cycle
- We recommend that you take out insurance for your cycle. You may be able to add your cycle to your home contents insurance, but you must ensure that you will be covered for a theft which occurs away from your home. If your cycle is particularly valuable you need to get separate insurance.

Towards the end of my time in Hull, I was lucky to go on a long leisurely cycle with the Larks and Owls cycle group. Initiated by Gisèle, the group is largely an unorganisation of cyclists who occasionally meet for random rides around Hull. She describes them as:

“Cycling around Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. About 30 miles every few weeks. Not hectic but not slow. Goldilocks rides.”

On Saturday (26.6.10) we cycled over the Humber Bridge, had a beer and some dubious crisps (Shrimp Fries suitable for vegetarians!) in a local pub, and then cycled back again. It was a lovely way to end my month in Hull.

I’ve just had this paper accepted for the 2010 Cycling and Society Symposium in Oxford in September.

“Natterings” and “silly little things”: Informal encounters, everyday connections and local characters in cycle campaigning in Hull

This paper will draw on ethnographic and interview data on cycle campaigners in Hull (2010). It focuses on campaigners in both official and volunteer contexts, taking particular interest in the myriad of places, times and methods in and through which individuals do important work. While some of these practices take place in conventional meetings, many others occur in informal settings and at unusual times. Campaigners talk to people in the street. They stop to help strangers with punctures. They volunteer with different cycle groups in their spare time. They introduce people. They share news and tell of events. They make lists, keep records and write letters. This paper examines how “natterings” and “silly little things” serve to generate and reinforce critical connections between people, ideas and things. It reflects upon the role of cycle campaigners as “local characters” with deeply embedded knowledge of people, places and things that together make and sustain these networks. Emerson (2009) draws attention to ‘ordinary troubles’ to highlight the routine, boring and often trivialised interactions that help to explain more dramatic events. In this case, a focus on “natterings” and “silly little things” brings to light not only the mundane activities that underpin successful cycling campaigning but also the persistence, patience and relentless pressure necessary to make change happen.

A few weekend’s ago (13.6.10), I cycled from Hull to Hornsea along the Trans Pennine trail with volunteer Sustrans Rangers. It was threatening to rain in the morning but it held out for the duration of the ride. We shared the trail with walkers (some with dogs), cyclists, an occasional runner, a few horses (with riders) and a mobility scooter. Everyone was riding a mountain or hybrid bike, except me. I was on my skinny tyred road bike. I coped pretty well as the trail is well surfaced for the most of the way. There was only a short length of gravel where I had to slow down and really concentrate to stop from wiping out.

We stopped along the way at an Open Farm to eat cakes and admire the vegie garden and free range chooks. We stopped at other times for rangers to kindly fix a cyclist’s loose seat and to clear debris from the path. We arrived at Hornsea in time for lunch and collectively consumed a mix of sandwiches, tea, chips, pasties and Tunnock’s snowballs at the cafe on the edge of the Mere. Ok, I was the only one to eat a Snowball.

Hull to Hornsea with Sustrans Rangers from Kat Jungnickel on Vimeo.

Muisc is “Computer” by State Shirt and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License.

Yesterday I cycled from Princes Quay to Bransholme and used the Foredyke Route, a quiet leafy and relatively smooth off road cycle path, for most of my journey. I have been on this track many times over the last few weeks, but usually I jump in and out of it as I criss-cross the city for interviews, rides and meetings. It is used by cyclists and walkers, many with dogs and in my experience, everyone is fairly considerate of other track users. Cyclists approach walkers slowly and walkers, if they are in the way, swiftly move to one side. Likewise, dog walkers rein in their pooches or direct them out of the way of danger. Much like a country town, people on the track tend to say hello to one another or wave.

I attached a handlebar camera and took a photo every five seconds. The blurry shots are the result of the camera bumping on the handlebars when the bike hit uneven ground. They represent the texture of the track. The images also provide glimpses of my wayfinding tools. Not knowing exactly where to exit via sight alone, I regularly checked my map and, at points, cycled with it in my right hand. When I was sure I had overshot my exit I referenced my location by GPS on my phone. Those very familiar with the track might also notice a few backtracks when I missed a point.

Music is Cool Aberrations by General Fuzz – licensed under a Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Princes Quay to Bransholme from Kat Jungnickel on Vimeo.

Yesterday I rode with the Hull and East Riding CTC club from Cottingham Green to York for the annual York Cycle Rally. Although it was initially overcast when we set off at 9am, the skies cleared and it turned into a gorgeous blue sky summery day. We arrived at the show at around lunchtime. I attached my GoPro camera to my handlebars and set it to take photos every 30seconds. I’ve collated the images in a time-lapse short film:

Cottingham Green to York Cycle Rally from katjung on Vimeo.

Given that we have such a mix of visual data (videos and photos) it’s going to be interesting to think more about how we interpret these and what use they are for sociological research. Kat and I have a paper accepted that I will be presenting at the Vital Signs conference in Manchester in September – here’s a link to the abstract and we will be putting the slides and audio up on the “outputs” page after the conference.

I took this time lapse video on the morning of Wednesday 16th June – it was recording pictures while I was cycling and walking to Ferensway/Freetown Way junction, and from around 0:34 there’s an extract showing the camera recording traffic movement at the junction. The time lapse makes the traffic movements look like a stately ballet, and the other sensory experiences (noise and smell, principally) are stripped out. (Even using video, the camera’s ability to record noise is still limited). It looks quite different to how it felt, standing by the side of the road trying to make sure I recorded all the cyclists passing (in half an hour, I counted 121 cyclists), although the wide angle lens captures the size of the junction well.

Today we managed (slightly spuriously!) to get into a photo celebrating the 21st anniversary of the Transpennine Trail. Events are being held as part of a Baton Relay – see here for more details.

Other things we did today:

- spoke to people aged between 8 and 78 about their bikes
- went on the Hull Healthy Lifestyles ride in East Park
- found out about the Humber Cycle Sports Partnership
- visited Cycle Speedway again

Lord Mayor of Hull Cllr David Gemmell OBE and Mayoress Moira Gemmell with, from left, Rachel Aldred, Katrina Jungnickel, Allan Davidson and Mick Woodmansey at Queen Victoria Square, Hull to sign the baton during a ride by volunteer rangers to commemorate the 21st anniversary of the Trans Pennine Trail. Picture: Peter Harbour.

I was lucky to spend nearly four hours with an interviewee today. We cycled for nearly two hours. We talked for over an hour and a half. I then took a portrait of him and his bike. All of it was incredibly valuable for the project. The guided tour was eclectic and fascinating. We cycled the historic edge of the city via the docks, along busy industrial roads to quiet green cycle tracks. We looped East Park. We crossed through the city. We looped Pearson Park. We finished at a cafe on Newland Avenue. Phew. And the rain mostly stayed away. It was good.

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