The last few days I’ve been cycling around Norwich, my home town. Despite Noel Coward’s view, ‘Very flat, Norfolk’, Norwich is a very hilly place. With the River Wensum flowing through the middle you can’t go anywhere without hills. As a cyclist there are easier and harder routes to get to places and as I struggled up St Andrews Hill I started thinking about this. In it’s wisdom the city council has built up a network of cycle only roads, shared pathways, cycle routes, cycle racks, and cycle crossings. All of them routinely, and the city council staff, come in for criticism from cycling organisations, drivers and the general public. Even taking into account the general malaise of complaining about everything regardless this seems unfair.
The cycling facilities might not always be joined up or convenient but they exist for us all to take advantage of. The issue isn’t cyclist, car drivers, taxis, buses, lorries or anything else other than us as individuals. The others are lumps of metal we use. It’s our thoughts and behaviours that turn them into dangerous objects. If we were all more tolerant, thoughtful, and proactive cycling and the world in general would be a better place.
But to get back to Norwich. Much of the centre is shared pathways, making it convenient for considerate cyclists and pedestrians both. I find slowly freewheeling with plenty of audible ‘Excuse me’s’ and ‘Thank you’s’ make life pleasant all round, as does acknowledging drivers as we wait for each other to pass. There are green pedalways to the outskirts and beyond and a number of proactive cycling organisations all doing their bit. We have several very good bike shops anf pubs par excellence.
The only blot on the scene is the Northern Distributor Road, our northern bypass. Ironically it wasn’t built by the city council. It has a cycle path along it. I have ridden it several times and it isn’t for the faint hearted. Snaking from one side of the NDR to the other, varying surfaces, uncontrolled crossings of busy main roads, diversions away from the bypass and sneaky dead ends for the unknowing it is a challenge. Why not give it a try if you want your hair to turn white.
Norwich is a great place to cycle, let’s all enjoy it together.
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