In 10 days time I'll be celebrating 2 years since I stepped into my instructor training and started the best work I've ever done. That said I'm finding little things niggle at me and I just want to rant about them so why not.
It can feel very autonomous and at times you aren't sure if that's good or bad. For the most part instructors are left to get on with it which sounds great but as the years go on it's not very reassuring. It's a very trusting situation, as an instructor you get made responsible for a handful of people during each session and how they experience cycle training/bikeability/cycle skills/safer urban driving/whatever is all down to you and the one colleague you will be paired with on the day. If you aren't passionate about it and driven to deliver good training the temptation to let your standards slide must be huge, if you are driven it's often hard to get regular feedback of how you are doing and where you could improve.
Chasing statistics is a thing and it's extremely rare but can clash with what a trainee wants/needs. An overwhelming amount of the time for the 99%+ of people I'll teach progressing all the way up into high level 3 outcomes makes perfect sense and they have no issues with that. Most will be nervous about it but gradually build up and with the safety net of an instructor with them each step of the way it all goes well. Having then cycled some big gnarly roads with them it's not unusual to then hear "well I won't ever cycle that way down x road again but I'm glad I did it, I've proved to myself I can". I'm totally fine with that, it's been a positive cycling experience and the skills learned will go to good use in other riding they do, I'll have delivered statistics and a great session win win all around. You then have situations where a rider despite all your best efforts using dozens of ways of teaching will gain little more from doing the same activity than a negative experience of cycling. Sometimes it's the timescale you have been asked/planned to achive the outcomes in not fitting the pace the trainee progresses at, sometimes it's linked to a past experience you have no knowledge of, it can be all sorts of things. I personally would take lower statistics any day, be more thorough where the trainee is happy and have them better engaged with the hope they can progress later or as is the ultimate goal they just leave my session and cycle more.
The absolute peril and fear some colleagues have had around SEN trainees to the detriment of the training they recived. Now to be totally open and honest and fair this is across the board in all walks of life. A reasonably large percentage of people, upon encountering someone who they identify as having extra needs, just freaks out. For cycle training where we are so drilled into doing risk assessment for everything the prospect of a new or added risk they don't understand can cause some to recoil in fear, rather than analyse a bit more and work out what's going on so the trainee can still get the most out of the session it's lockdown. Where I can I've corrected this on the spot by doing the extra leg work but it bugs me to no end thinking that it's going on all the time.
Working for the money. I've already started to see instructors come and go, the high hour rate brings them in and the reality that you aren't going to be booked around the clock if your heart isn't in it hits them hard. It's a physically demanding job cycling and on your feet x hours a day and doing that while hitting the right notes teaching is something you really need to be behind.
Being a new instructor. To make it worse starting out you are always going to have a period of earning your stripes, you take the crap jobs nobody wants, the odd hours in odd places, you just need experience under your belt and really you need it fast. I like to think I'm long gone from that stage but the way new instructors are treated often sucks, I got lucky and made friends who took time to explain more, I now make a point of helping when I meet new instructors as it sucks to be in that position with no help. It's often just simple stuff but for whatever reason it's missed them, you see them struggle so why not help.
I'm sure other stuff drives me mad too but that's on my mind today.
Tuesday 8 August 2017
Friday 30 June 2017
anxiety of a young healthy cyclist
I'm no athlete nor do I have any asparations to be an athlete but my level of physical fitness does play a large part in my life. I cycle 30+ miles a day all year around for work and transport, it's both the most enjoyable thing ever and the most functional thing ever. My average day involves getting up and making a 10-15 mile cycle commute to work, cycling another 10 miles during work and then cycling the 10-15 miles back home. It's a physically demanding routine and my understanding of that is a great source of apprehension.
For work my entire livelihood depends on my ability to ride, the pedals stop turning the money stops coming in for me, it's that simple. I teach cycling which given cycling is something I do so much of and something I enjoy sharing and promoting it comes to me very naturally.
But what do I when my knees give out or the pollution of the city wrecks my lungs? And that's not just from a money point of view but also a lifestyle point of view. Will I be able to get past that huge transition gracefully, how linked will my physical and mental health be during that period.
It's scary stuff.
For work my entire livelihood depends on my ability to ride, the pedals stop turning the money stops coming in for me, it's that simple. I teach cycling which given cycling is something I do so much of and something I enjoy sharing and promoting it comes to me very naturally.
But what do I when my knees give out or the pollution of the city wrecks my lungs? And that's not just from a money point of view but also a lifestyle point of view. Will I be able to get past that huge transition gracefully, how linked will my physical and mental health be during that period.
It's scary stuff.
Monday 23 May 2016
Please, don't discuss my death with me
As someone that identifies as a cyclist and more often than not is in situation where I introduce myself as a cyclist the decision by those I meet to turn the conversation towards death is never far away. It can come from just about anyone, it's not usually as faux pas as shouting "YOU ARE GOING TO DIE!!!" and often is very socially accepted and sometimes even expected.
With another rider down comes a wave of "glad you aren't dead, I worry you will die in a horrific way like that one day" or "don't you worry sometimes that could be you?" or any other number of ways to get onto the subject. At times I'm guilty of it too, it's become that ingrained and normalised of a discussion to have around cyclists I can't even stop myself as much as I wish I would. But then if I know someone who goes base jumping or free climbing which logically seem more dangerous we just never talk about it in the same way. It's also both my death and not my death, it's hardly ever specified who dies but the description will be one size fits all so you can try and shrug it off or accept it's as much you as them.
Statistically the chances are if I'm involved in a crash it will be that I'm hit from behind. I can almost entirely reduce the risk of other types of crash. I can even lessen the chances I'm hit from behind by positioning myself correctly but for the overwhelming majority it's in the hands of the driver behind.
I'd also like to say that for many the attitude towards driving is wrong. Some cling to the word "accident" when really most are having crashes as a result of years of taking chances. If you drive in London daily and are a driver making close passes on cyclists a couple a of times a day is easily 500 in a year and it just takes 1 misjudgement to result in a crash. Other things like dodgy parking around schools and speeding past them again done by many a couple of times a day each day for years resulting one day in a crash or contributing too a crash.
It brings me on to the discussion of what are you going to do about it? That really is the only context that I want my death discussed in, one where we are acknowledging a risk and working together to change it.
With another rider down comes a wave of "glad you aren't dead, I worry you will die in a horrific way like that one day" or "don't you worry sometimes that could be you?" or any other number of ways to get onto the subject. At times I'm guilty of it too, it's become that ingrained and normalised of a discussion to have around cyclists I can't even stop myself as much as I wish I would. But then if I know someone who goes base jumping or free climbing which logically seem more dangerous we just never talk about it in the same way. It's also both my death and not my death, it's hardly ever specified who dies but the description will be one size fits all so you can try and shrug it off or accept it's as much you as them.
Statistically the chances are if I'm involved in a crash it will be that I'm hit from behind. I can almost entirely reduce the risk of other types of crash. I can even lessen the chances I'm hit from behind by positioning myself correctly but for the overwhelming majority it's in the hands of the driver behind.
I'd also like to say that for many the attitude towards driving is wrong. Some cling to the word "accident" when really most are having crashes as a result of years of taking chances. If you drive in London daily and are a driver making close passes on cyclists a couple a of times a day is easily 500 in a year and it just takes 1 misjudgement to result in a crash. Other things like dodgy parking around schools and speeding past them again done by many a couple of times a day each day for years resulting one day in a crash or contributing too a crash.
It brings me on to the discussion of what are you going to do about it? That really is the only context that I want my death discussed in, one where we are acknowledging a risk and working together to change it.
Sunday 10 April 2016
Route Interruption and New Cyclists
With work one of the things I find myself doing is selecting suitable routes for trainees. It should be boring but it's got me looking at areas outside my usual riding habits with a level of detail and considerations I wouldn't normally have. It's also got me thinking much more about how new cyclists or those considering cycling will see the journeys they could make and with that the huge blow an interruption within a route can make. Obviously interruptions come in different types and some will only feel a few of them are an issue but essentially they can all make or break an ideal journey.
fences/gates
Something I think every cyclist has come to and been frustrated by at one point or another. For those with modified bicycles, trailers or cargo bikes they can make it impossible to continue on that route which makes not only that point but the routes either side of it useless too.
As an example here is a route from google maps that goes across a park then along an old canal path(no longer a canal but a nice green space).
By no means the most extreme but at the crossing from the park onto the canal path are these railings and gates, you would really struggle with a trailer here.
The crossing is a toucan crossing so there is a clear expectation for cycling across. Yes google did give other options but with a busy dual carriageway involved and thinking as a new cyclist the idea didn't look good.
the random dismount
This is something that happens for a variety of reasons all of which are based on very strange assumptions. The first is that your average cyclist is dangerous and has become a danger to themselves and all those around them. The next is that the minority who are cycling dangerously that the sign intends to stop are going to take any consideration to the sign.
So here is another route, a decent mile across a common on a shared use path, another alternative along a busy road.
So by the crossing of tooting bec rd you have this.
A number of shared use signs, a toucan crossing and a cyclists dismount sign. For some who are taking the idea of starting cycling seriously and want to do everything right this will either make for an unplesant walking section or just make the entire route unviable.
I'll add some more to this later, will need to go out and take some better pics.
fences/gates
Something I think every cyclist has come to and been frustrated by at one point or another. For those with modified bicycles, trailers or cargo bikes they can make it impossible to continue on that route which makes not only that point but the routes either side of it useless too.
As an example here is a route from google maps that goes across a park then along an old canal path(no longer a canal but a nice green space).
By no means the most extreme but at the crossing from the park onto the canal path are these railings and gates, you would really struggle with a trailer here.
The crossing is a toucan crossing so there is a clear expectation for cycling across. Yes google did give other options but with a busy dual carriageway involved and thinking as a new cyclist the idea didn't look good.
the random dismount
This is something that happens for a variety of reasons all of which are based on very strange assumptions. The first is that your average cyclist is dangerous and has become a danger to themselves and all those around them. The next is that the minority who are cycling dangerously that the sign intends to stop are going to take any consideration to the sign.
So here is another route, a decent mile across a common on a shared use path, another alternative along a busy road.
So by the crossing of tooting bec rd you have this.
A number of shared use signs, a toucan crossing and a cyclists dismount sign. For some who are taking the idea of starting cycling seriously and want to do everything right this will either make for an unplesant walking section or just make the entire route unviable.
I'll add some more to this later, will need to go out and take some better pics.
Wednesday 2 December 2015
Update
Not had time to write for a while, lots going on having now become a cycle instructor and joining loads of cycling groups and networking everywhere. Been to a walk in clinic after taking ill on the weekend and told by a doctor "don't cycle for more than 15min at a time and take it easy" essentially grounding me, not sure they would agree with the 5 or so miles walking I did instead of riding but the worst of this chest/throat/whatever infection has hopefully passed and I can be back on the bike next week.
Friday 31 July 2015
Kennington Park Road/Kenninton Road Jnt badly positioned lamposts?
I did warn potentially boring posts would follow...
These are stills taken from video of me just cycling by using the new section of CS7. As you approach the traffic light for cyclists turning left goes in and out of view obscured by the lamp posts. No council in it's right mind would do this to traffic signals for drivers so why allow it with cyclists?
With many cyclists using this cycle super highway route each day it won't be too long before a pedestrian is waiting for a green man to cross at the same time as a cyclist is approaching and is unlucky enough to have the lights change just as they vanish behind the lamp post. Pedestrian steps forward, cyclist hits them in the back/side and both are sure the light was green for them the whole time they could see it.
To add to the mix while the left lights are obscured from view the right lights that change independently are visible.
One possible solution would be to place both left and right lights in the middle. They then will both be visible for the entire approach and hopefully be more intuitive for cyclists to read. I have quickly mocked up an image, it's not that hard to picture.
 |
| 50 yards or so = obscured by lamp post |
 |
| 30 yards or so = visible again |
 |
| 15-20 yards = visible |
 |
| 15-10 yards obscured |
 |
| Less than 5 yards from stop line = visible again |
 | |||||
| At the stop line = lower lights visible |
 |
| Possible solution? |
Wednesday 29 July 2015
Welcome
I have decided to give blogging a go. A few times recently I really wanted to write down something longer and more detailed than twitter or youtube would allow and while I could vlog on youtube talking as I ride it seems easier to bash on keys for a while. Some of the posts I'm not going to lie will be boring for many readers but feel free to skip posts.
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