This is a brilliant, in-depth analysis of the pros and cons of the notorious Beeching report; a report commissioned by a corrupt politician who ran a motorway-construction business.

https://twitter.com/garethdennis/status/1640770989582589959

Transport minister Ernest Marples founded (and majority owned) Marples, Ridgway and Partners, a Westminster-based roads builder. Marples was transport minister from 1959 to 1964. He was also a touring cyclist.

My drone photo of Six Hills interchange in Stevenage, taken yesterday before my history talk in the town later. The middle bit is part of the cycleway network. Roadswerenotbuiltforcars.com/Stevenage Sure, Stevenage has some duff bits of infra but also some excellent stuff. Motorists above; cyclists at ground level.

This dystopian future for Leicester is from the city's Traffic Plan of 1964. Sixteen-lane motorways would funnel cars into the centre. The plan — groundbreaking for the time — was the work of Konrad Smigielski, Leicester's chief planning officer between 1962 and 1972. (That's him on the left).

Imperial measures are bonkers. However, with my road historian’s hat on it’s interesting to note that many new roads in 17th and 18th centuries were laid out with help of cricket pitches. 1 Gunter’s chain = 66 feet = 1 cricket pitch. Salt Lake City roads were made 132-ft-wide in 1847, two chains wide.

I don’t ride with a camera so asked @NewcastleCC for CCTV of a dangerous manoeuvre from this refuse lorry driver. His manager took my complaint seriously and driver has received ticking off and will get some retraining. Good that Newcastle’s bin lorries have full-vision windscreens and see-through panels but drivers also required to use that extra information not to intimidate.

Travelling by train to an East Yorkshire port city today, returning this evening. Tonight, the likelihood of me not tweeting “I’ve just been to Hull and back” is zero. Off to do some 1930s cycle track research in the fab-looking @Hullhistorynews archives building, and then shoot detailed ride-along video of one of the period tracks. Bikeboom.info/1930s

Bloke doing work at our house is currently arguing with my hospital doctor wife (a diabetes specialist) about food. “My family tell me to talk to doctors but I know more about diet than any doctors because I have time to watch YouTube, they don’t.” Earlier I had a similar conversation with him about Newcastle’s Low Traffic Neighbourhood plans to get people out of cars. Dare not raise the subject of Brexit.

Today’s Tour de France ends in Villard-de-Lans. This ski resort hosted the first ever mountain bike world championships, in 1987. Here’s the first British MTB team. I created it with Peter Darke (holding bike). I was a cub journalist on Bicycle Times and as nobody had created a national team (this was years before @BritishCycling got interested in MTBing) I pulled in sponsorship and formed it for the World Champs. Winner, though, was American Ned Overend.

Registered vehicles on UK roads:

1991: 20 million
2007: 27 million
2016: 37 million
2020: 38.3 million
(2022: 40 million)

Congestion is caused — and air pollution is made worse — not by cycleways, but by too many motor vehicles. Here, in graph form, is the point I was making earlier about the actual cause of congestion: it’s an excess of motor vehicles, not a few cycleways. Source: @DfTstats issued today. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/upl…

Four old, narrow bridges in Jesmond were closed to motor traffic today using emergency traffic orders. In effect, this is opening them for people on foot and on bicycles and in wheelchairs. ⁦Kudos to @NewcastleCC⁩ Great to see the bollards going in. As with similar schemes over the years, once people experience how these “modal filters” improve lives there will be no calls for reintroducing motor traffic.

We’ll Build Thousands Of Miles Of Protected Cycleways, Pledges Boris Johnson — forbes.com/sites/carltonr…

Plus: the cycleways will have to meet high standards as Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/20 is published simultaneously. Active Travel England, ATE? After the closure of Cycling England in 2010's "bonfire of the quangos" there was a UKGOV plan to create the £1bn Office of Active Travel, OAT. It was stopped before creation.

I’m just off the TGV from Geneva and now chilling on Paris Plages, the river route that used to be open to cars but is now somewhere to play, ride a bike, wait for a while. Getting the Eurostar to London and then @LNER up north. Verbier to Newcastle in about 16 hours. Working all the way.

First press trip of the year. Rode to the Grand St Bernard pass. This is Christian. He had COVID in March. Me and Christian ascending the climb to the St. Bernard monastery, Switzerland.

Walked from Gare du Nord to Gare du Lyon. Yes, saw lots of Parisians on bikes. And plenty of Rue du Rivoli, too. Great to see the transformation by @Anne_Hidalgo

I cycled out with my drone to the coast to photograph the pop-up cycleway installed by @NTCouncilTeam between Tynemouth and Whitley Bay. Here's the start at Tynemouth Priory and Castle. 1/7 Cones have been replaced with more substantial barriers in some sections. 2/7

Back from a hot 5-hour gravel bike ride with my son, Josh. This is the Spetchells, a chalk heap next to the Tyne left over by a WWII ‘Dig for victory’ fertiliser factory. Had a play in Slaley forest, before heading back for home.

Happy birthday to the Pickwick Bicycle Club, founded today in 1870. Plaque on the former Downs Hotel in Hackney claims it’s world’s oldest extant bicycle club. Those present today got a celebratory placemat featuring original six members of the club.

From Brexit to Churchill statues it’s apparent that many Brits fetishise WWI and WWII. This won’t last. Let me tell you about a battle you may not have heard of even though more Englishmen perished at it than at any other. 1/15 The memorialisation — or fetishisation, if you like — of the two world wars is presumed to be something that will be always with us. We *know* about the Battle of Waterloo but we don’t obsess over it (much). Why? 2/15

Is there really a bike boom right now? Gloriously, there are many many more people riding bicycles than this time last year. This is due to dearth of cars on lockdown roads, and the sunniest Spring since records began. But has there been a sales boom? 1/12 We don't know yet. Official sales stats are not in (I've asked for them to be sent when available) although, anecdotally, bike shops are reporting a roaring trade. However ... 2/12

Parking has today been suspended on road outside Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary. Pop-up cycleway barriers to be installed Friday. Cyclists currently don’t know lane is for them. “England’s finest street” won’t be getting a pop-up cycleway in phase 1. forbes.com/sites/carltonr…

Transport secretary @grantshapps to give the daily coronavirus briefing again in a mo. More good stuff on cycling and walking? @grantshapps Cycling and walking is "at heart" of the recovery, says @grantshapps in today's gov't briefing.