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  • Potholes and Pavements

  • A Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network
  • By: Laura Laker
  • Narrated by: Laura Laker
  • Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (11 ratings)

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Potholes and Pavements

By: Laura Laker
Narrated by: Laura Laker
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Summary

'Just wonderful – two wheels good, Laura Laker brilliant. Part travel diary, part love poem to Britain's cycle network ... it's difficult not to be inspired by this fabulous book.' Jeremy Vine

'With a passion for both cycling and words, there are few more qualified to paint a picture of the NCN's potential than Laura Laker.' Chris Boardman

A unique journey around the UK’s National Cycle Network and one journalist’s quest to investigate the state of our country’s cycling.

What if we were less reliant on our cars? What if there were safe cycling paths to take us places instead? What if those paths led to the next town, the next village and the countryside beyond?

This was the dream of a group of Bristolian idealists in the 1970s when they founded Britain’s National Cycle Network, which now runs to nearly 13,000 miles across the country. Journalist Laura Laker sets off on an odyssey around the UK to see where the NCN began, and where it is now.

What has gone right – and wrong – with this piece of national infrastructure? Why is it run by a charity whose CEO once admitted ‘we’ve had enough of it being crap, we need to fix it’? Laura lifts the lid on this maddening, patchy, and at times dangerous network, and the similarly precarious politics and financing that make it what it is.

She discovers beauty, friendship and adventure along the way, from the Cairngorms to Cornwall, from the Pennines to the South Wales coast. On her mission to pin down what the NCN is and what it means to those who use it, she also meets up with high-profile travelling companions, including Chris Boardman and Ned Boulting.

In a country where 71% of trips are less than five miles, two-thirds of Britons say they want to cycle more and doing so could help our climate, health and wellbeing. Laura is on a mission to see if we can make that dream a reality.

©2024 Laura Laker (P)2024 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
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Critic reviews

'Laker lays a finger on the nation's cycling pulse, and finds, despite it all, there is a lot of life. A beautiful homage to a wonky network.' (Ned Boulting)

'Part travelogue, part history and part love story for cycling, Laura’s exploration of the National Cycle Network on her pink e-bike is an engaging tour of Britain’s erratic relationship with cycling. She beautifully illustrates why sustained funding and governmental leadership is urgently needed to transform these often-ignored routes into the national treasure we deserve.' (Will Norman, London’s Walking & Cycling Commissioner)

What listeners say about Potholes and Pavements

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Essential listening

Essential listening for anyone involved in making cycling better, or for those who want to make it better.

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A must for every politician

A stark review of the lack of investment in safe walking and cycling infrastructure, particularly in England, and an inspiring insight into the work of the many people who have devoted their time to improving this situation in a myriad of ways. Great book.

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An enlightening read

Now I understand why our cycle infrastructure is the way it is.
I admit that I'd never given it much thought before. I'd hop on my bike, savour the good bits, curse the bad and avoid the downright ludicrous.
To learn the the stories behind our traffic-free routes is a revelation.
Thank you for an enlightening read Laura and thank you for championing our active travel advocates.

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Fantastic and inspiring listen

Really enjoyed hearing Laura’s journey and reporting on the state of the cycle network. Very interesting and informative, with great ideas how to support. Well read by the author too!

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