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Travel Awareness Newsletter Issue 20
Travel Awareness Newsletter Issue 20
Issue 20 January - February 08
Cycling Instructor Vacancies
Kingston Council is looking for more people to join its pool of supply Cyclist Instructors.
Interested? It is essential that you are able to cycle competently and confidently and have regular experience of a variety of traffic conditions. You should also understand the principles of safe cycling and be familiar with current theory of safe cycling, and / or express willingness to learn. It’s desirable that you have experience in a teaching, training or instructing role or experience of cyclist training as an assistant or volunteer.
You must also have a love of cycling, a fun and enthusiastic personality and a real desire to help adults and children of all ages to cycle more!
If selected, you will be trained on a 4-day programme that provides a comprehensive grounding in how to run a safe and effective cyclist training course. On completion of this course, you will be accredited to National Standard and able to deliver cyclist training at Levels 1, 2 and 3 as a freelancer.
Rate of pay: £9.50 per hour.
For more details and an application form, contact Eric Chasseray on 020 8547 5826.
Eco Driving Top Ten Tips
- Check your revs - change up before 2,500rpm (petrol) and 2,000rpm (diesel)
- Anticipate road conditions and drive smoothly, avoiding sharp acceleration and heavy braking. This saves fuel and reduces accident rates
- Use air conditioning sparingly as it significantly increases fuel consumption
- The most efficient speed depends upon the car in question but is typically around 45 - 50mph. Faster speed will greatly increase your fuel consumption
- Drive away immediately when starting from cold - idling to heat the engine wastes fuel and causes rapid engine wear
- Accessories such as roof racks, bike carriers, and roof boxes significantly affect your car's aerodynamics and reduce fuel efficiency, so remember to remove them when not in use
- Avoid short journeys - a cold engine uses almost twice as much fuel and catalytic converters can take five miles to become effective
- Plan your journeys to avoid congestion, road works and getting lost
- Check your tyre pressure regularly - under-inflated tyres are dangerous and can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%
- If you're stuck in a jam, switch the engine off if you expect to be there for more than a minute or two. Cutting the engine will save fuel and reduce emissions.
For more information on Eco Driving, take a look at the Energy Saving Trust website, linked below.
Kingston Association for the Blind (KAB)...
would like to hear from experienced and confident cyclists to be a front rider on a tandem. They have a number of partially sighted or blind people who would like to keep fit with an occasional or regular ride, but there aren’t enough volunteers to help out at the moment. Volunteers need to go through a Police Criminal Records Bureau check. Ride distances and times are arranged between the ‘captains’ and ‘stokers’ to suit. Training on how to ride a tandem and how to assist visually impaired people is given. If you’d like to volunteer, please call Kerry Edgington at KAB on
020 8605 0060.
Drink, drink, THINK.
Drink drivers in Kingston have been on the increase, especially in the under 25 age group.
That one extra drink at the bar that you weren’t sure you even wanted could see you lose your licence for a year, land a £5,000 fine… or worse.
Police have been given greater powers in recent years to crack down on drink drivers. There were over 1,000 random breath tests administered last year by Kingston police and there are set to be more this year. Winter time is when traffic police are at their busiest, randomly stopping drivers and breathalysing them. No longer do you have to be driving erratically or speeding; police can pull over drivers at their discretion. You could realistically end up with a 12-month driving ban or fine running into thousands of pounds after just one drink too many.
How can I get alcohol out of my system?
Alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream very quickly. In just ten minutes, your body will absorb 50% of any booze you've drunk, but it might take an hour for all the alcohol to take effect. You might feel okay starting up your car, but the effects could still be increasing in your system while you drive.
No amount of hot coffee or cold showers will miraculously ‘sober you up’.
I’m driving but I’m okay to have one, right?
Well, that depends! It is impossible to state categorically how many units you can consume before exceeding the legal limit.
Everything from the strength of your drink and how quickly you’re drinking it to your body size, your sex and what you’ve eaten that day will affect how quickly your body metabolises alcohol. While one pint might push you over the limit, a mate could drink the same and stay under. What’s definite though is that it doesn’t take much; a pint of strong beer or a large glass of wine could be enough to put you over.
If you've enjoyed a drink, not driving at all is the smartest move. As for sobering up, give yourself at least an hour for every half pint you've had — but even then the best thing is to stay out of the driving seat.
THINK! Plan your journey home
Don't leave it to chance – if you’re going out, think about how you're going to get home and who with, before you go out. Decide on a designated driver and share the cost of their soft drinks. Make arrangements before you start drinking, and make sure you don't get left to walk home alone.
Other alternatives: you can text 'HOME' to 60835 to get 1 taxi and 2 local, licensed minicab numbers. There are also various 24hr / night buses travelling to and from Kingston. Plan your journey at the Transport for London website or visit the Council's list of timetables below.
One to One Cyclist Training
If you don’t feel confident cycling on the road, then book in for a one to one cycle training session — call 020 8547 5865 or email travel.awareness@rbk.kingston.gov.uk