I ought to plan the Friday blog better. It’s a full working day for me – I work as a carer for the elder at home – and when I’m at work I’m at work. There is no scope to write a sneaky blog in a snatched 20mins like I might have done when I worked in an office.
However a perk of my working life now is cycling to work. I don’t do it everyday – some days the clients want me and my car so I drive those days but Friday is a busy appointment day and a cycling day.
What does this have to do with Porty Town Hall? Not a huge amount but my head is going in the direction of cycling infrastructure. It’s not always easy to find somewhere to lock up your bike but I’m usually elsewhere in town when that problem arises for me.
I know the doctors’ surgery on Porty High St has sheltered bike racks. I see that Tribe Porty’s absolutely aspirational, beautiful bike racks are generally busy and well used. I know the Wash House put in new bike and scooter racks a month or so back so things are changing. Action Porty haven’t got their bike racks at Bellfield yet and part of that is because Bellfield is a listed building so planning permission will be needed there. If/when Porty Town Hall gets some cycling infrastructure we’ll have that to consider too as The Town Hall is also B listed.
I’ve really become a cyclist in the pandemic and since changing job – the two more or less coincided. I’m still a driver but I am so thankful to be able to ride my bike too – it makes me happy and I never, ever have to think about fitting the gym or exercise classes into my weekly routine. I know not everyone can ride for various reasons so I consider it my duty to get on my bike as often as I can. It has made me more cyclist aware and I look with different eyes at transport now.
I’ll certainly be looking to have infrastructure at Porty Town Hall to support active travel when Porty Central have access to such decisions! Where are your favourite bike racks?
Jennifer’s blog #44
Love the photo of Geoffs Dad. I wish I could ride a bike. Like swimming, its more natural to learn as a child. For some reason this important piece of childhood learning escaped me. My brother got a bike ( which I was not allowed to even look at) but my last bike in childhood had three wheels. My next foray into the world of bike rides was in Italy. I hired a bike and cycled in a very wobbly wobbley way outside town to the beach. Spend the afternoon there. We then attempted to go back to our digs and realised that siesta time was over and the traffic was scarey. I had to walk the whole way home with the bike then pay extra hire because I was overdue. On a more serious note I think the town hall is an ideal place to have bike stands and I hope we will be allowed to do that.
As for my next attempt at bike riding! Well that was almost 10 years later when I first arrived in Porty. But thats another story for another time.
Morag.