Planning Inspectorate Newsletter - Issue 4
Inspectors by Bicycle
You’ve booked the taxi, arranged to be picked up at the hotel with plenty of time to spare, packed up all the paperwork… you wait five minutes, ten, fifteen, you finally give them a ring to see what’s up. The answer: sorry sir, the taxis don’t run in snowy weather. This is what happened to me at an inquiry in rural Staffordshire, but luckily a solution was near at hand: my bike. I quickly notified the parties that I would be a bit late, hopped on my bike and a few miles later was at the venue, where otherwise, short of hijacking a passing tractor, I would not have made it.
The idea of cycling to an inquiry probably conjures up a picture of arriving out of breath, splattered with mud and still with fluorescent accessories dangling from various parts of you. Well, this doesn’t have to be the case, and, with the Inspectorate encouraging cycling as a practical alternative to driving (one incentive being loans to purchase a bicycle and a tax free purchase scheme to follow shortly), I would like to explain my own experiences of combining cycling with work.
I travel to hearings and inquiries by car or train, taking my bike with me and using it once I arrive to find the appeal site and council offices. In cities, this can often be faster than travelling by car, especially as they are becoming more bike-friendly, with cycle lanes and secure parking facilities. For urban or rural areas cycling is an ideal way of getting a feel for the character of the area as a whole, stopping and starting at your leisure, which can be difficult or even dangerous when behind the wheel.
When it comes to the actual appeal or inquiry, if the venue is a long way from the hotel I travel by car or taxi, but if it is merely a matter of two or three miles, I can use the bike without risking arriving in a dishevelled state. Avoiding the unpredictability of rush-hour traffic which, particularly in cities, leads to a stressful journey, I can be fairly sure of my timing and have no last-minute panic trying to find a parking space.
There is one minor, though rather important detail, which I have so far omitted to mention: the particular species of velocipede I use is a Brompton folding bicycle. While at first this afforded me incessant mockery on the part of my wife and children, it is invaluable at a time when taking a standard bike on the train is still problematic. A folding bike can be carried on the train like any other luggage and fits neatly into the car without the need for a bike rack. It can be taken into the appeal or inquiry venue, solving any security worries. I also have a trailer which is very effective for carrying heavy files.
Having explained all the practicalities of using a bike in our job I could of course fill several pages detailing the well-known benefits of cycling to health and environment. It certainly is a great way of combining exercise with work, and as most sites aren’t too spaced out, you don’t need to be Lance Armstrong to do it. One of the great advantages of the job is getting out and seeing so many different areas of the country; I find a bicycle is the perfect way of spending an evening exploring, especially at appeals which run over several days.
Graham Dudley BA(Hons) RIBA FRICS
I have been the fortunate owner of a Brompton folding bicycle for several years, and it accompanies me in the car wherever I go. I find it comes in handy for a variety of purposes during the course of my work as a Rights of Way Inspector, and provides an excellent antidote to hours of sitting in public inquiries.
It is frequently impossible to park safely in narrow country lanes, and on occasions I have had to leave the car a mile or more from the path or paths I need to inspect. Out comes my trusty steed and off I pedal, armed with a suitable bike lock so that I can fold the Brompton up and secrete or secure it somewhere whilst I walk the path. It is not usually possible or appropriate to actually cycle the route (I never cycle on public footpaths of course!!) but I have sometimes been able to do so. And I always make a point of claiming my mileage allowance. It often surprises me when I find out how far I have been.
It is also useful when a town-centre venue is difficult to find or inaccessible by car. I recall cycling to the venue in Harlow because the Civic Centre is right in the middle of the pedestrian area, but is well served by cycle tracks.
On one occasion, I closed an inquiry and arranged the subsequent formal site inspection knowing full well that parking was tricky where I wanted to meet. Most of the participants were from the local village, so I guessed there would not be many cars. Nevertheless, I parked some distance away where I could get off the road and cycled off to the assembly point. To my amusement and that of everyone else it was like a convention of folding bikes! Of the ten or so people on the site visit, half of us had arrived on them!! Much mutual appreciation and swapping of stories. The pile of bikes reminded me of pictures I have seen of China where heaps of bicycles used to be left in the street in the morning by arriving workers, who simply picked up the first available bike in the evening and cycled home. I made quite sure that I collected the right one after the site visit!
I have spent many sunny summer evenings escaping from hotels by exploring cycle tracks, quiet lanes and canal towpaths. The bicycle means that you get so much further than walking, and consequently see much more of the surrounding area. Infinitely preferable to working out in a gym, and I definitely feel as though I have earned my dinner. I might even be entitled to that nice (but very naughty) dessert!
Helen Slade
