Ben (BicycleBenUK)

@ben

Introverted advocate/blogger on UK active travel. Self-employed podcast editor. Also sustainable public transport, nature, environment, Holland. Sometimes spins vinyl, dabbles in ham radio, badly plays piano. 📍 Nuneaton, Warwickshire 🌎 fiets.uk/links

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Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· 6d

Isn't it a damning indictment of scientific illiteracy that a statement was issued to say a relatively tiny object impacting the moon "poses no danger to Earth"? Are there people thinking it's a Space: 1999 situation, or the moon will crack open like in Dr Who? www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Extract from The Guardian article: 'The Nasa spokesperson Jimi Russell said on Tuesday: "The impact poses no danger to Earth and Nasa scientists are planning to collect lunar data from the event and refine techniques for tracking objects in space."'

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· 7d

Took the ring road for the first time since roadworks started a little while back yesterday - works that have caused the (temporary) loss of a shared-use cycle path with no signed diversion. This is a key link between the two sides of town, busy at peak time. @warwickshirecc.bsky.social

Approaching roadworks on Nuneaton's ring road, just passing green traffic lights controlling a pedestrian-only crossing. A sign places on the pedestrian side of a shared-use path to the left announces "Footpath Ahead Closed", another directs pedestrians to the crossing. The cycle side of the shared-use path is clear with no other indication that it's about to disappear and no signed diversion for cycling.

The entire shared-use path to the left of the road (Nuneaton's ring-road, Vicarage Street, A444) comes to an abrupt end. Three traffic cones and a "Footpath Closed" sign initially block the way, followed by two large works information signs announcing the scheme, contractor, and completion date of Winter 2026. Then fencing further blocks the route, beyond which it has been dug up. There is no diversion sign at this point and no easy connection from the shared-use path to the main carriageway, where there is a kerb separating the two.

Moving along the ring-road (Vicarage Street, A444), the Justice Centre looms large on the right. To the left, the shared-use path has been completely removed and a trench dug. This is secured by fencing and cones. A newly installed small traffic island is just ahead creating a pinch point. A solid white line tells road users in this direction that they must not overtake, but no signs are present saying "no overtaking cyclists" or similar.

Continuing along Vicarage Street, the now closed junction with Wheat Street is visible to the right (the opposite side to the main shared-use path which has been removed and is the subject of this post). It is coned off but pedestrian access across the junction has been maintained with temporary tarmac blobs providing a drop-kerb of sorts. The path on the right is also shared-use but there has been no indication of how to join it as a diverted route. The signalled crossing in Image 1 is a pedestrian-only crossing, not for cycling, and could be awkward to use with tight turning angles.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Jun 27

Nice walk today with a much more reasonable temperature and a welcome breeze - but as I was in shorts, I'm not quite sure how I managed to get through this bridleway without my legs being stung or scratched to pieces on all the nettles and thorny things!

Overgrown bridleway, the path obscured by all the foliage

Overgrown bridleway, the path partly obscured by foliage and grasses. A metal fence secures a neighbouring field which prevents a small diversion

Overgrown bridleway, the path is visible but partly obscured by foliage

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Jun 24

Looks like we have a resident in the garden - I've been watching this Robin for a while, doing its circuit, getting material for its nest, often hopping back to this chair before flying into the hedge. #birds #wildlife #garden

A robin with its beak full of old grass on its way to build its nest. It's standing on the back of an old wooden garden chair. Behind it is green ivy.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Jun 24

On days like this, a lack of trees is really evident. I find my self looking at every green verge between pavement and road - "a tree could go there, two trees could go there, another one there, three or four there" It'd make a world of difference (and stop people dumping cars on green spaces).

A comparison of an urban street with no trees, with another that is tightly lined with mature trees. The former shows temperatures ranging from 36 to 50 degrees Celsius; the latter shows 18-26 degrees Celsius.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Jun 15

Also, "DRIVER" not "CAR" - will journalists, editors, headline writers, police etc please do your jobs and sort your writing out.

Screenshot of BBC News article thumbnail: "Boy, 2, seriously hurt as car crashes into nursery..."

BBC News article extract: "A car drove through a fence at the Partou Sunny Days Nursery and Pre-School on Vale Road in the Whitby area of Ellesmere Port in Cheshire at just before 09:55 BST, police said."

Manchester Evening News: "Ellesmere Port nursery incident LIVE as boy, 2, seriously hurt after car ploughs into playground."

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Jun 10

#Warwickshire's abhorrent transphobic #ReformUK administration is coming for books, according to this statement from leader George Finch (also leads Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council) - a statement which is full of contradiction as it attempts to embolden his own nasty political ideology. 😡

ReformUK Warwickshire statement:

"Safeguarding Children and Ensuring the Neutrality of Warwickshire's Libraries

"In the last week, a number of Warwickshire residents have pointed out to me that libraries in our county have been promoting contested gender ideology. I thank the residents who've brought these cases to me and share their concern. As taxpayer-funded institutions, Warwickshire County Council's libraries should be politically neutral, family-friendly, and not seek to embolden political ideologies. These are highly-charged and polarising issues and should not be taught to children as pure fact. These are fundamental principles for the Reform UK administration in Warwickshire.

"To combat this trend, my administration will begin work on a comprehensive policy to strengthen neutrality, increase safeguarding, and provide parents with peace of mind that their children are not being told to believe one set of political ideas over any other. This policy will cover not just o...

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Jun 10

A snapshot into train ticket price increases since 2004 - I found an old Chelmsford to London Off-Peak Travelcard dated Sat 05 Sep 2004. I looked up the same today using Sat 20 Jun 2026. Then: £12.60 (Inflation adjusted: £23.35) Now: £34.20 (exc. booking fee) Real terms increase: +£10.29 or 46.47%

Scanned copy of a train ticket:

One Day Travelcard, standard class, off-peak. Issued and valid on 05 Sep 2004. Between Chelmsford Essex & London Zones 1-6. Price £12.60.

Screenshot of a train ticket summary at thetrainline.com

Off-Peak Day Travelcard for Sat 20 Jun 2026. Chelmsford to London Liverpool Street plus bus, tube, tram, and DLR around London. Price £34.20 + £1.39 booking fee (£35.59 total)

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 28

Enjoyed watching last night's storm at about 3am - maybe the biggest I've seen for about 20yrs; at one point lightning flashes every 1-2s, going on for the best part of 90mins. Feeling the lack of sleep now though, and it's another hot one forecast - but I really should do some work. #UKWeather

Still extracted from a video of an overnight thunderstorm, showing a fork of lighting stretching down from the sky to behind a line of trees. The picture has a blue hue where the lightning lights up the sky. It is shot through a window with visible raindrops.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 26

It's just gone 5:50pm. I've been waiting all day for a parcel that's supposedly out for delivery today. What do we reckon the likelihood is now, given this tracking history? Is "DX" even worse than Evri? No time slot given. Just "please be aware that [delivery] is likely to be attempted today."

Tracking History (all Tuesday 26 May 2026):

10:50 Scanned into storage in our Nuneaton Service Centre

05:58 Outfor delivery today

16:50 Item received by DX and awaiting route scan (Due for delivery by Tuesday 26 May 2026)

DX delivery status screen:

Out for delivery today.

Expected Date: Today (Tuesday 26 May 2026)
Time Window: Standard All Day
Tracking Number: Blanked out
To Postcode: Blanked out

Not going to be in? You may like to choose another day or tell us where to leave your item.

As the item is already with the courier, please be aware that it is likely to be attempted today.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 26

Did they "crash" or did they land? Headline and video page sounds dramatic, but the proper article quotes a spokesperson as saying they "enacted failsafe landing procedures" and "89 drones [landed] in the water", which paints a somewhat different story. Rather sensationalist clickbait from #BBCNews?

BBC News homepage thumbnail: "Watch: Dozens of light drones crash into harbour in Sydney"

BBC News headline: "Dozens of drones crash into Sydney harbour after light show glitch"

Extract of BBC News report on the light-drone incident:

'A Skymagic spokesperson said: "During the performance on the evening of 25
May, Skymagic experienced a technical issue that resulted in 89 drones landing in the water around Cockle Bay," referring to the wharf area in Darling Harbour.
'The main cause was "an unforeseen change in the radio frequency environment occurring after take-off," Skymagic said, triggering some drones
"to enact failsafe landing procedures in response to compromised positional accuracy".
'A Vivid Sydney spokesperson apologised for the "disappointment and inconvenience caused to attendees" and said the drone operators cancelled the show "in line with standard safety protocols".'

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 20

This is *utter stupidity*. Prices are rising due to supply concerns. You don't mitigate it by playing with price; that can make it worse. Instead you must reduce demand. Provide alternative transport choices that allow saving money by lowering mileage. Also "road tax" doesn't exist. @JodieGoslingMP

Extract from The Guardian Live Blog:

"Starmer says planned fuel duty rise for September to be scrapped, and hauliers to get 12-month road tax holiday.

"Kirsteen Sullivan (Lab) asks about the cost of living. Starmer says he can today announce a 12-month holiday for hauliers on road tax. And he says the government will not go ahead with the planned increase in fuel duty."

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/may/20/keir-starmer-wes-streeting-labour-leadership-kemi-badenoch-pmqs-conservatives-reform-uk-politics-latest-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-6a0d949e8f085b51400a567a#block-6a0d949e8f085b51400a567a

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 16

Tad busy... #Eurovision

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Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 15

Man "run over by a van"; "the van failed to stop" - it's not just the journalists at fault for this human-removing language; the police do it too. That van did not do this attack by itself. Also, don't ever tell me the flag-flying was not a fascist act of hate and division.

Extract from The Guardian article:

Police are investigating an incident where a man was run over by a van after a group of people were taking down union flags put up by Raise the Colours campaigners in Birmingham.

A man, in his 30s, suffered a broken leg that required surgery. He remains in hospital after the incident on Thursday evening in the Birmingham suburb of Stirchley, police said.

"The van failed to stop at the scene but was recovered on nearby Prince Road and is now being examined," a statement from West Midlands police said.

"We are viewing CCTV and social media footage as we work to identify the full circumstances of what happened."
The Guardian has spoken to three witnesses and residents in Birmingham who said they were at the incident on Thursday evening - two of whom have given statements to the police.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 11

Just written to my MP on the extremely urgent subject of electoral reform. The two-party system is dead and FPTP is not fit for purpose. If Labour doesn't bring in PR now, it is putting the country at genuine risk in the next election. fiets.uk/2026-05-11/l... @jodiegoslingmp.bsky.social #UKLabour

Letter to Jodie Gosling. Full text available here: https://fiets.uk/2026-05-11/letter-to-mp-the-uks-electoral-system/

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 10

I'd strongly suggest reading articles before commenting (the link was included only a minute after the OP). For the avoidance of doubt, that link again is here, and this screenshot is particularly relevant. It very much connects the argument to an intentional incident. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'Det Ch Insp Ruby Burrow said there was no indication at this stage of any ongoing threat to the wider public and asked for witnesses to come forward.

"This was a serious incident which will have caused concern in the community," she said.

"We believe an argument has taken place in Arnold town centre and this has resulted in a car being driven at a group of people.
"We know five people were injured but we'd still like to hear from anyone else involved.

"Any witnesses who were in Arnold Market Place, or the wider town centre area around this time, should also get in touch."'

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 10

This is assault at best, if not attempted murder, using the car as a weapon. Yet the driver is not mentioned until the third paragraph. Nobody would frame an incident as "a knife stabbed people", so why remove the offender in motor violence? This type of incident is also getting far too common.

Screenshot of a BBC News article:

Man critically injured after car hits pedestrians

One person has suffered life-threatening injuries after a car crashed into five pedestrians in a town centre in Nottinghamshire.

Nottinghamshire Police said an "argument" was believed to have taken place before a red Vauxhall Astra struck a group in Market Place, Arnold, at about 01:10 BST on Saturday.

The driver, believed to be a white man, abandoned the car and left the scene. Police added counter terrorism officers were not involved in its investigations and there was "no indication" of "any ongoing threat to the wider public".

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 8

Sounds about right! (Image from #RoveloCreative @tomflood.bsky.social)

come on kids,
get off screens
and go outside!

-Get off the road it's for cars
-Don't ride your bike on the sidewalk you'll hurt someone
-Take your headphones off it's dangerous
-Stop being so loud you're disturbing people
-Don't just loiter around
-Go to the park but calm down there's little ones
-Don't walk in large groups it's kind of scary
-Are you on the bus alone - where are your parents

ROVÉLO CREATIVE

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 8

Seats won vs popular vote paints a different picture in Nuneaton and Bedworth. While Reform won 78.9% of 19 seats, its vote share was "only" 43.3%. On this metric, Conservatives take 2nd place. Green and Labour are almost tied for 3rd, with Lab just edging ahead by about 0.73%. #LocalElections2026

Pie chart showing the share of the 19 seats up for grabs in the local election for Nuneaton and Bedworth:

Reform: 78.9% (15)
Green: 10.5% (2)
Labour: 10.5% (2)
Conservative: 0%
Lib Dem: 0%

Pie chart showing the vote share in the local election for Nuneaton and Bedworth:

Reform: 43.29%
Conservative: 20.62%
Labour: 17.76%
Green: 17.03%
Lib Dem: 0.86%
TUSC: 0.44%

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 8

Expected but disappointing. My area's results are a complete wipeout for Conservatives, Lib Dem; Labour severely diminished; a small Green gain (but not for me - boo). Otherwise, Reform dominate. Low turnout; only one ward hit 50%, two were close, under 38% average. #LocalElections2026 #UKPolitics

Column chart for Nuneaton and Bedworth local election results comparing parties before and after the poll:

Conservative: 0 (-7)
Green: 2 (+1)
Labour: 2 (-8)
Lib Dem: 0 (-1)
Reform: 15 (+15)

Line chart showing turnout for each of the 19 wards, with an average line at 37.9%. St Nicolas just exceeded 50%, with Milby and Whitestone the only other two to exceed 48%. The lowest turnout was in Camp Hill with 28.79%.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· May 8

Starmer says Labour won a "landslide" in the '24 General Election. That's extremely simplistic, looking at seats in isolation. While they did win a big majority, it was *only* on 33% of the vote - a third of those who turned out - despite the exhaustion after 14 years of chaotic Tory governments.

Extract from The Guardian live blog, headlined "Starmer says he intends to lead Labour into the next election".

A line in a quote from Keir Starmer is highlighted, "...we won a landslide victory in July 2024. I led our party to that victory. That is a five year mandate to change the country."

He continues: "Yes, there are difficult conditions. The inheritance was terrible. The international context is very, very difficult. But we need to inject that hope and convince people that things can and will get better. And that's why in coming days, I'll set out the further steps that we will take."

Asked if he would stand as PM at the next election, Starmer replied: "Yes. There's a five-year term I was elected to do. I intend to see that through."

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2026/may/07/elections-2026-local-scotland-wales-reform-green-labour-conservatives-live-news-updates?CMP=share_btn_url&page=with%3Ablock-69fd9b5a8f08beea73b772be#block-69fd9b5a8f08beea73b772be

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 30

Who pulled out the plug? #BBCSnooker #WorldSnookerChampionship

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 30

Spotted on Mastodon...

An image of the globe against a back background, a butterfly perched on the left. Accompanying the image is the text: '"I'm only one person. What can I do?" said 8 billion people..'

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 26

Just occasionally, FB comments show the best of people. A complainer makes a veiled issue about a group of kids+cycles in the town centre; a load of commenters come to the defence of the teenagers who are just harmlessly hanging out with friends. Young people are too often demonised, so good to see.

Facebook post with the author's name, source group, and timestamp redacted. Post reads (sic) "Has the town centre officially been transformed into a play ground at the he weekend?" Accompanying is a photo of the road by Nuneaton town hall, a quiet street open to cycles and other traffic. It's a nice day and about 10 teenagers are there with their bicycles, hanging out and causing no problems.

A handful of Facebook comments defending the young people hanging out in town. All posts have their authors redacted. These are not the only posts in support of the teenagers, but are representative of the consensus response.

"personally love to see groups of lads or girls out riding bikes physically being with their friends and out meeting others than through headsets or phones
Leave them be for god sake moaning for the sake of moaning If I could wheelie a bike as good as some of them can I would still be doing it at 44 pmsl"

"I'd rather cyclists be there than the ranting racists pretending they're out to to protect all women"

"Give them a break can't do wrong from right these days"

"One of these lads is mine and hes been out with his mates since 12 oclock. They were out all day yesterday until the sun went down and they will do exactly the same everytime the weather allows. They aren't causing mischief, they don't ride around with balaclavas on or out nicking peds so l also am failing to see what the problem is. I'd rather him be out making memories with the lads than sat on his xbox all weekend. The pigeon you managed to capture is probably causing more trouble shitting on people"

"This is great to see. People out enjoying the great weather and socialising."

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 20

How many crashes will it take before #NationalHighways finally get this junction reworked? They've said they'll look at it, but nothing has happened yet. 40 incidents have occurred between 2015-2024, and more since that are not yet shown on CrashMap. www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/local-n...

Screenshot from CrashMap focused on the A5 with the Drayton Lane junction to the north west, and Woodford Lane junction centred. The latter shows 40 orange and red markers indicating that number of slight and serious collisions at the junction (no fatalities in this period fortunately). The Drayton Lane junction shows four slight and severe incidents. There are two further slight collisions on the A5 east of the Woodford Lane junction. All incidents involve motor traffic; no cyclists or pedestrians.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 19

Take a look at @gailmyerscough.co.uk's shop - I got given one of her prints for my birthday this year and it looks great, sitting with my record player.

One of Gail's prints in an A4 frame standing on a window sill behind a record player, with vases of tulips either side.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 18

Labour Party leaflet through my door this morning - is it a game of "fill in the blank" for who they're supposedly working for? A simple oversight like that doesn't inspire confidence.

A local Labour Party door leaflet focusing on the bottom panel which reads "LABOUR: WORKING HARD FOR" - the sentence is not completed.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 15

Such considerate drivers(!) A private access road this may be, but it doesn't mean you can just dump your cars on the pavement, blocking a pedestrian route.

A white Toyota parked entirely on a footpath, with the offside two wheels on the edge of a playing field. The road is marked with double yellow lines and traffic can be seen queuing on that road.

A black Ford parked entirely on a footpath, with the nearside two wheels on the edge of a field. The road is marked with double yellow lines.

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 15

A rare exception to my self-imposed ban on clicking Daily Mail links. "Yes" is now at 71%.

Screenshot of a poll on the Daily Mail website.

"Should Britain rejoin the European Union?"

"Yes - better for the economy": 71% (11188 votes)
"No - stick with Brexit": 21% (3340 votes)
"Closer ties, not full membership ": 6% (959 votes)
"Not now": 2% (236 votes)

Ben (BicycleBenUK)@ben· Apr 8

Didn't realise that these photos from the outside of the Orion are actually taken using a GoPro of all things - Not a new one though; a GoPro Hero4. I wonder why they choose such an old model? Modified and certified for space resilience would be a complete guess. #Artemis #Space