CEoGB Blog

When I was planning this trip, I had intended to spend as much of my time as possible in New York on a bike. Then everything else I still wanted to do and the cost of hiring a bike as opposed to gadding about on the subway got in the way. Renting a bike in NY is not cheap – this is a city that will benefit massively from its proposed bike share scheme.

When I last came here, in the dark final days of George Dubya, the Rough Guide of the time advised that “given the traffic, few visitors will actually want to brave the DC streets on a bicycle.” Since then, like much of the partly-civilised world, the city has started to respond to the wishes of those who want to get around without spending half their days in metal boxes. In fact the Capital Bikeshare website proudly proclaims the city as one of the US’s most bike-friendly.

This was the week of the Flash ride on Westminster and the MPs debate - and I'll get to that inabit - but first we must mark the passing of a really great blog, A View from the Cycle Path. David Hembrow has inspired a whole generation of cycle campaigners in the UK, and provided an absolute gold mine of facts, photos, analysis, comment and video over the years. He formed part of the inspiration behind the Embassy and his presence shall be missed.

Let's start with the good news, shall we? It will make a change...