Thumbs up for Sustrans volunteers...

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Grouchfungus

New Member
Location
Herts
We were following NCN61 yesterday. A section of river path near Hertford was 'no cycling'. So we were a bit confused about where to go.
A chap cycles up behind us, stops, asks if we're lost. A bit we reply.
He then introduces himself as the local 'sustrans ranger'. An impressive title.
He then proceeds to guide us through the town pointing out the NCN signs as we go. At our turn off he left us with a cheery wave. What a nice chap!
 
Thats great :-)
 

Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
BUT, what's the point of a route if its so badly signed that you need a guide?



I am not a fan of Sustrans.
 

c2c

redredrobin
Location
east bristol
Bollo said:
BUT, what's the point of a route if its so badly signed that you need a guide?



I am not a fan of Sustrans.

my missus and i did a 20 mile there and back sustrans route. from yatton train station to axbridge. was a really nice route for a potter and a pint.. why not a fan of sustrans then..........??
 

Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
c2c said:
my missus and i did a 20 mile there and back sustrans route. from yatton train station to axbridge. was a really nice route for a potter and a pint.. why not a fan of sustrans then..........??
This is a good place to start, then follow the links.......
 

c2c

redredrobin
Location
east bristol
Bollo said:
This is a good place to start, then follow the links.......


yeah ok fair enough, i was probably being naive in thinking as we rode along, thank goodness for the body of people that are dedicated to opening up these otherwise abandoned pathways, that enable us to enjoy a sunny sunday afternoon ride. still, better a sustrans than no sustrans.???
 

Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
c2c said:
yeah ok fair enough, i was probably being naive in thinking as we rode along, thank goodness for the body of people that are dedicated to opening up these otherwise abandoned pathways, that enable us to enjoy a sunny sunday afternoon ride. still, better a sustrans than no sustrans.???

I'm glad you enjoyed your ride and I wouldn't want to come across as some cynical cycling insider, because I'm not. I know I've made a statement that you might find annoying, so I'll try and explain why I feel the way I do about sustrans.

I came across much of the info in my first link after trying to contact sustrans over some sections of my commute that form part of the NCN23. I felt that some of the facilities encouraged close overtaking, some junction designs increased the danger to cyclists and were there purely to 'get cyclists out of the way' and other sections of the route were in poor repair. I'd not even read Cyclecraft at that time, it was just down to my experience using these facilities.

I tried contacting sustrans but got exactly nowhere. Not a reply. So while hunting for a better contact, I started to come across others who were dissatisfied with sustrans and, by and large, they had the same complaints and the same experiences.

On a day-to-day level, the facilities sponsored by sustrans do very little to help, and a good deal to hinder my commute to and from work. At best they're a costly irrelivence.

For a wider view, I don't know Ron Strutt but his article conclusions nail it for me...


  • [*]Sustrans paths tend to go miles out of the way, are poorly signed, and often badly surfaced.

    [*]The attempt to make the same cycle paths meet the needs of schoolchildren, local commuters, shoppers, day-out riders, and long-distance tourers is not sustainable.

    [*] Sustrans should cease to be self-appointing and accountable only to itself.

    [*] With the exception of the popular railway paths, towpaths, etc, the rural sections of the NCN are little used and are probably not justified.

    [*] The emphasis should be on local networks of road-based cycling routes plus improved cycle parking facilities.

    [*] Sustrans needs to ensure that real environmental benefits are obtained from the facilities it builds. It should not claim the benefits from pre-existing walking and cycling flows, nor should it encourage facilities which are primarily accessed by car.

    [*] Sustrans needs to ensure that its usage monitoring studies provide better information on the use of the NCN.
 
OP
OP
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Grouchfungus

New Member
Location
Herts
Well, after reading through , I must agree that in the main, the NCN routes SEEM (including my own limited experience) to be useful in a leisure capacity. Anyone to contradict this? I really do hope so.
 

Bollo

Failed Tech Bro
Location
Winch
Grouchfungus said:
Well, after reading through , I must agree that in the main, the NCN routes SEEM (including my own limited experience) to be useful in a leisure capacity. Anyone to contradict this? I really do hope so.
The NCN can be a useful leisure facility for sure. It could be an even better one with improved signing and surface maintenance. But this assumes cycling is purely a leisure activity, a view that is fundamentally flawed.

Cycling matters most when it is a means of transport. The oft-quoted increase in cycling in London is not due to either increased provision of cycle facilities or a renewed interest in leisure. Its about people trying to get to work as quickly, cheaply (and fashionably - I'll admit that) as possible. Sustrans serves these people poorly, yet attracts a large amount of money by claiming to help them. Its disingenous.
 

dodgy

Guest
I get the feeling Sustrans care more about selling maps than of actually making their routes available to all. Fortunately, the open mapping movement seems to be making their pointless maps even more pointless - http://www.opencyclemap.org/
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Bollo said:
The NCN can be a useful leisure facility for sure. It could be an even better one with improved signing and surface maintenance. But this assumes cycling is purely a leisure activity, a view that is fundamentally flawed.

Cycling matters most when it is a means of transport. The oft-quoted increase in cycling in London is not due to either increased provision of cycle facilities or a renewed interest in leisure. Its about people trying to get to work as quickly, cheaply (and fashionably - I'll admit that) as possible. Sustrans serves these people poorly, yet attracts a large amount of money by claiming to help them. Its disingenous.

I agree 100%. Of the few Sustrans routes I have been on the they are often poorly selected, poorly signed and the surface is of poor quality. Their cycling maps are equally poor. You only have to cycle the C2C to realise this. An OS map is just as good if not better. It urks me the amount of money they get. Though they're not as bad as local authorites at making provision for cyclists we have all seen the laughable cycle lanes taking cyclists into trees and lasting all of 6 feet.
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
Interesting links Bollo - although following the sublinks there is almost too many to read so I will bookmark to read later. I'll still renew my membership as I think they do somethings such as the Safer Routes to School work and Bike It Officers which are good. But perhaps I should also join CTC and Bristol Cycle Campaign too (though they never seem that approachable from their website).
 
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