the best and worst cities... ...For getting around without a car.

[John the Monkey]

I wonder if they scored Stoke? I was looking at getting from Hanley to Longton yesterday, and even a "quiet" route looked tooth grindingly horrible.

And then I realised the public transport I wanted to use partway didn't start running (on Sundays at least, which was the day I wanted to travel) until 10 ish.

EDIT: No, it seems they didn't.

 

[iAmiAdam]

Errrr ................ since when was Nottingham beside the seaside? I don't recall seeing signs to the beach on the ring road ............

I wouldn't like to cycle in Nottingham as one would too much at risk of receiving a puncture ie being shot as it is the gun capital of the UK AFAIK. It's bad enough driving around the place let alone cycling. It's full of loons and ganstas.

As for Brighton and Hove LoL!!! Cycling is good if you want to cycle along the sea front although I am sure there are restrictions prohibiting cycling at any time, but if you want to cycle around the town go further afield there are some pretty serious hills to cycle up for instance up to the station from the Old Steyne or up to Seven Dials. Somehow I can't see the average lardy Southerner taking this option.

Peterborough is pretty good for getting around by bike certainly much better than Cambridge.

Who compiled this report as it appears to be cack ................... ?

Erm yeah, http://www.crimeforums.co.uk/showthread.php?528-How-Nottingham-shook-off-gun-capital-of-the-UK-title

I challenge you to find any city in the UK that hasn't got either a gun problem or a problem with gangs.

 

[2Loose]

Errrr ................ since when was Nottingham beside the seaside? I don't recall seeing signs to the beach on the ring road ............

I wouldn't like to cycle in Nottingham as one would too much at risk of receiving a puncture ie being shot as it is the gun capital of the UK AFAIK. It's bad enough driving around the place let alone cycling. It's full of loons and ganstas.
Peterborough is pretty good for getting around by bike certainly much better than Cambridge.

Crankarm, you seem to attract loons and gangstas wherever you go, even in the fens iirc!
Notts is ok to cycle around to be honest, all the buses keep the traffic running at a reasonably slow speed!

 

[GilesM]

Well is missed out the best city in Britain to live in, so it can't be seen as a representative sample...

Exactly, but it would be even better if there were only half the buses clogging up the streets

 

[Piemaster]

And where is my fair city on the list? Flat, though there are bridges to be negotiated and I'd estimate the highest ones summiting at as much as 15 metres. Not many places more than 3 miles from the city centre with, for the most part decent bus services. Cross town would take 2 buses via the bus/train interchange but it would surprise me if many cross town routes in cities wouldn't involve a similar change.
Existing high cycle usage, lots of minor side roads with 20mph limits with a fair few also blocked as through roads to motor vehicles. And good number of decent lbs.
Whats not to like?

 

[taxing]

And where is my fair city on the list? Flat, though there are bridges to be negotiated and I'd estimate the highest ones summiting at as much as 15 metres. Not many places more than 3 miles from the city centre with, for the most part decent bus services. Cross town would take 2 buses via the bus/train interchange but it would surprise me if many cross town routes in cities wouldn't involve a similar change.
Existing high cycle usage, lots of minor side roads with 20mph limits with a fair few also blocked as through roads to motor vehicles. And good number of decent lbs.
Whats not to like?

We've also got the 5th highest cycle to work rate in the country. I think the survey should have taken that into account when choosing which cities are most cycle friendly, but it seems they only looked at the two most populated cities in each county (for us, Leeds and Sheffield) and then did their research on each city.

Personally, I think the only cycling provision fail in Hull is the B&Q roundabout and the roads around it. It's bloody terrifying and the only time I've ever been near it on my bike was by accident, and I hopped off and walked.

 

[Globalti]

Why is the bloke in the pictured looking perplexedly out over the sea? Has he lost his family? His bike? Or is he wondering why Nottingham has so much water?

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Well is missed out the best city in Britain to live in, so it can't be seen as a representative sample...

That link's broken. Oxford didn't come up, just some heathen outpost.

 

[magnatom]

Well is missed out the best city in Britain to live in, so it can't be seen as a representative sample...

You're absolutely right. I'd be interested to see where Glasgow would be in the list....

 

[asterix]

IMO Arch and Marinyork are both right wrt to York! I'm not copping out though.

As Arch says, it is easy to travel around the older parts of York without a car, in fact a car is a real hindrance a lot of the time. However the new consumer zones of Clifton Moor, Monks Cross and the Designer Centre are completely unfriendly to the car-less despite the occasional cycle rack or the peripheral track around the Monk's cross Square.

Must they design these places with Loas Angeles in mind?

Have to agree about Manchester as being pretty good, I used to enjoy cycling there. Its massive student population is probably a big incentive for providing car-less mobility. Southampton OTOH I found remarkable for its aggressive, unfriendly drivers.