One for the trainers - isnt it sweet

Posted by Andy

Had a lovely day at the CTC show in York on Saturday. The weather was just about perfect - light breeze and wandering white clouds in a blue sky. When I saw this tiny bike without pedals on the Islabike stand I couldn't help imagining the very young person using it. The lack of pedals and crankset is because its for learning to balance while scooting along - the natural way to learn it seems.

Shame the scale is not visible in the picture but its really the size for a typical 2 or 3 year-old. Not to promote a company here but Islabikes also had a wide range of sizes in children's bike's, all of them in this dark aluminium frame style. About time. When my children were of learning to ride and riding age (they gave up in teenage) there was little in the way of decent bikes on the market for children - most of what was available being heavy, badly equipped and of poor quality. This is nice to see.

Support Sunday opening for the Robin Hood Line

Nottinghamshire County Council is encouraging local people to support a
campaign asking the Government to fund a Sunday service on the "Robin
Hood Line" that links Worksop and Mansfield Woodhouse to Nottingham.

The contract for the Robin Hood Line expires in November 2007 and
Stagecoach will take over a new contract for the region's train service.
The County Council has already negotiated a new later evening weekday
service to be included in the new contract and is now lobbying the
Department for Transport to fund a Sunday service.

The new franchise holder will take over the service from November but
will not provide a Sunday service unless it receives the necessary
funding, which should be well under £1 million. The County Council is
proposing a Sunday service which will run from approximately 10.00am
to 7.30pm and has published eight reasons why the Government should
support it:

a. Mansfield is the largest town and Ashfield is the largest district
in the UK not to have a Sunday rail service
b. Over a million people use the existing service every year - there
is no reason why a Sunday service should not be as successful and popular
c. Everyone wants it including our MPs and Councillors
d. Mansfield is getting a great new bus station linking directly to
the train station. The town centre is undergoing massive regeneration
that will attract more visitors and jobs. A Sunday service will support
this regeneration programme
e. It would be great for local businesses by bringing in customers
f. Not having a Sunday service stops people getting to or taking up
work unless they have a car or are able to use a bus
g. It gives better access to the countryside - people will be able to
easily visit places like Newstead Abbey
h. It will give direct links to bus services in Mansfield, Worksop
and Nottingham.
i. It will provide much-needed transport for cyclists, with connections back to Sheffield
at both Worksop and Nottingham, with the line running parallel with the National Cycle Network and offering extensive access to on and off-road cycle routes.
j. It would provide a further incentive to run connecting Sunday morning trains to Worksop & Lincoln.

If you are inclined to support this bid, the web page
http://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/home/traffic_and_travel/trains/robinhoodline/rhlsundayservice.htm indicates several ways in which you can express your opinion.