Cycle Funding at Railways - £27 million of schemes approved

[wiggydiggy]

Came accross this in the news, lots and lots of schemes have been approved. I don't know how much of these are 'new' or are simply delayed schemes being implemented.

Good news though

Link to Yorkshire/Humber schemes (where I found it): http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detai...aseID=423590&SubjectId=16&AdvancedSearch=true
Details of all schemes: http://www.dft.gov.uk/publications/linking-places-fund

There's a spreadsheet, my highlight would be:

"This scheme will surface 2km of National Cycle Network 66 towpath into the city centre. A significant length of this route has already been delivered by Sustrans and very positively received with just one section remaining."

Now that may not sound like much but anyone familiar with that (towpath) section will know its very muddy in the wet, and quite thin at times as well. Its the main reason I started commuting on road rather than canal! A better surface will be welcomed

 

[Leodis]

I use one newish cycle route in Leeds (Alwoodley - Town) well part of it any how the part that runs through Meanwood valley urban farm (to look at these odd things covered in wool and are white). I really like the fact I am only risking been attacked by dog walkers and pervs on the unlite parts.



Leeds council +1. Building a cycle path infront of a bus stop -1 = 0

 

[wiggydiggy]

I use one newish cycle route in Leeds (Alwoodley - Town) well part of it any how the part that runs through Meanwood valley urban farm (to look at these odd things covered in wool and are white). I really like the fact I am only risking been attacked by dog walkers and pervs on the unlite parts.



Leeds council +1. Building a cycle path infront of a bus stop -1 = 0

I know the (secret)routes you talk about and yes they are pants, every day I leave the train station thinking maybe today I'll try the 'mapped and recommended' route and everyday I think 'nope its rubbish' haha! They are good for a pootle though to be fair.

On the plus side, these schemes arn't being done by LCC so hopefully some good will come of it?

 

[Leodis]

Yeah they read really well and hopefully it will work out.

The LCC route takes be past the Hilton on the three lane traffic with having to get in the inside lane to turn up Park Row... Tried it once and find Brigate far easier dodging peds than half asleep drivers.

I do like the secret part of my route and it really has made commuting far easier, I hardly use a main road once I get on it on Buzzlingthorp lane and can enjoy the farm. They do a Bike bus, it sounds too sexual for my likes.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Yeah they read really well and hopefully it will work out.

The LCC route takes be past the Hilton on the three lane traffic with having to get in the inside lane to turn up Park Row... Tried it once and find Brigate far easier dodging peds than half asleep drivers.

I do like the secret part of my route and it really has made commuting far easier, I hardly use a main road once I get on it on Buzzlingthorp lane and can enjoy the farm. They do a Bike bus, it sounds too sexual for my likes.

That us a pretty knarly section TBH I know where you have to turn (its my old commute route) and its either be brave and filter to front or stick to the slow moving traffic until at the front, its all about getting into that right hand lane early. Which means doing it past the dark arches in low visibility (Honestly sometimes I think LCC wants to kill cyclists lol)

 

[ferret fur]

I really like the fact I am only risking been attacked by dog walkers and pervs on the unlite parts.

Well, if you light yer parts the pervs will leave you alone..

 

[gaz]

ARGGGGHHH YOU HAVE TO BE JOKING!!!

Croydon council are in the middle of spending a large proportion of money given to the council to improve cycling in the borough by boris, on cycle parking at one train station!

*sigh*

 

[DCLane]

If you're in North Leeds you've an advantage; there's cycle lanes all over the place.

South of the city you've two; one that runs through Beeston's unlit and overgrown back alleys up into Middleton Park or a solo lane through Belle Isle.

I use the Belle Isle one occasionally since at least there's space to run. The Beeston one's just pure ambush points.

Otherwise there isn't one to Dewsbury. Riders just have to mix it with the 70 mph ring road traffic. We're clearly not important. Or tougher than the softies in Adel/Horsforth.

 

[wiggydiggy]

For some reason all I can imagine Beeston as is the 'The Shades' from AnkhMorpork, probably a but nicer lol

 

[Primal Scream]

Commander Vimes as a traffic cop

 

[growingvegetables]

£27million? Sounds like an awful lot of money ... for not very much?

- A bridge in Bradford - yup, just one. Not a big one.
- a cycle lane across the bridge in Tadcaster - or (no, please say it's not true!) a cycle route from nowhere to nowhere across the disused railway bridge in the distance here
- 2 km of proper surfacing along the Leeds-Liverpool canal

- and a hire scheme at 25 stations?

Huh? Is it uncharitably cynical of me to suspect that a huge portion of the £27m is going to a private sector buddy, in the form of grotesque subsidies, to provide a service nobody has ever asked for and probably will never need?

Mr Baker - simple question. How often have you got off a train and thought "What I really need is to hire a bike, that I can drop off at the next station"? Ummmm - if I want to go to the next station, that's what trains are for?

What I DO want is to be able to take MY bike (not yours, Mr Baker's, nor any belonging to your private sector subsidy farmers) on a train, any train - so that I have a simple integrated transport solution, from home to work and back again, or into the hinterland of Leeds to spend my money in local businesses in rural communities.

I think I saw Redlight recently praising the private sector for "moving fast" - yup, the private sector subsidy vultures are hitching a ride on the current cycling agenda.

 

[srw]

One very important note at the bottom

 

[DCLane]

The Cycle Hub scheme I can understand; the one at Leeds is very popular with commuters who don't want to leave their bike at an unsecure place. Also, they've helped out on a couple of occasions without charge.

The other stuff? Unsure. Better management of the routes we've already got would help, since most I won't even touch for safety reasons.

 

[wiggydiggy]

<SNIP>

See this is the veiw I neeed/was wondering about, on paper I read the Tadcaster Bridge as its described as "This scheme will fulfil a long term ambition of the town council to provide a safe, traffic free, weatherproof route over the river Wharfe. The route will provide a much needed alternative to the busy A659 highway." But look on a map and like you say it appears to go nowhere and only looks like a kind of roundabout way of avoiding the city centre, and certainly not avoiding the A656 altogether.

<SNIP>

Cyclehub is good The staff are all Evans guys and all pretty friendly, its good to say hello to them as well as they'll recognise if its not you taking your bike hopefully (they've not had a bike nicked yet BTW)

Routes in general do need to be looked at for sure and much better co-ordination is needed between groups. Sticking with Leeds (sorry non leedites!) the route that Sustrans has designated as 'NCN66' takes you through some not great areas of Leeds (Seacroft) and accross some pretty gnarly ground, yet as an alternative there is 'Wyke Beck Way' designated by Leeds County Council and a much better commuter route. To add to the confusion if you get the 'WBW' leaflet from the council it lists the Sustrans route as 'temporary'