Chris Gritty is here to save bikes and protect the NHS.
As England’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Advisor to the UK government, Professor Chris Whitty has been doing invaluable work during the pandemic to help explain the science and assist with decision-making. And now, as a cycleway gritter for TfL, his namesake ‘Chris Gritty’ will be helping keep London’s cycle routes clear of snow and getting cyclists safely through their journeys. [Featured image: Will Norman, via Twitter]
❄️Snow is forecast this weekend.⛄️ @MayorofLondon‘s cycle network has grown so much that we’ve had to get another gritter. Please welcome the wonderfully named ‘Chris Gritty’ to the @tfl fleet. Chris & other gritters will help people exercise & make essential journeys in the cold pic.twitter.com/i7KMdtWHAh
— Will Norman (@willnorman) February 5, 2021
Yep, the whole Boaty McBoatface joke is alive and well… As Will Norman – the Mayor of London’s Walking & Cycling Commissioner – revealed, the swift expansion of London’s cycle routes coupled to this weekend’s forecast snow has led TfL to call in the cavalry. And not content with just adding a new gritter to the lineup, they’ve also seen fit to dub it with a witty nickname. (It’s also orange, in what I can only assume is a tribute to our undisputed Lord Gritty.)
Chris Gritty will now be patrolling the cycleways for the first sign of flakes, and is admittedly a pretty important addition when you consider London’s cycling boom, which led to Santander Cycles’ record year in 2020, and the likes of Regent Street getting new cycle lanes. No more scanning the weather app, London – you can lay your head gently down to sleep, safe in the knowledge that fearless Chris Gritty is on the case!