Zebras in the wild!
A rare sighting
I was in Cardiff this week pointing at bike lanes and photographing my running shoe next to the Millennium Stadium. Safe to say it was a great couple of days.
I have a soft spot for Wales, and Cardiff in particular. I lived there as a student until I realised I was heading in the wrong direction in life (not Cardiff’s fault) and dropped out of uni to work on the Sainsbury’s deli counter in Taunton for a year, before moving to London and resuming my studies. Welsh people are often kind and friendly, the accent is one of the loveliest, and there’s a gentleness there, that I find appealing.
My admiration for the country has only grown over time. Did you know, for example, Wales was the first nation in the world to enact legislation to mandate cycling and walking networks? I went to Cardiff nearly a decade ago to point at a bike lane and ask questions about the Active Travel Act. It may not have achieved all it was intended too - not by any means - but it was certainly a step in the right direction. Wales was also the world’s first nation to bring about anything like the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, requiring that decisions made today protect those still to come. Only this week Wales’ legislators introduced a framework to recognise British Sign Language as the nation’s third language - a huge step forward for inclusion.
Back to active transport, Wales has gone where England dare not tread (literally). My guide of Cardiff’s growing network of cycle lanes was the excellent Hamish Belding, who runs FRideDays Bike Bus around the UK. He did a nice video of some of our adventures, on the only sunny day in weeks, apparently.
