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The Welsh Government has announced over £5m of spending on new cycle paths – including several crucial gaps in popular routes.
The paths include the North Wales coast route, where £100,000 is to be spent building a new coastal path from Talacre to Ffynnongroyw, avoiding the current inland detour; £295,000 for the missing link in the popular and scenic route via Blaenavon in the Valleys; and £840,000 to finish the prolonged works at Pont Briwet in Snowdonia, where cyclists tackling Lon Las Cymru are currently faced with a long detour on busy roads.
The money comes from Wales’s Local Transport Fund. Transport Minister Edwina Hart said the schemes were designed to “support jobs and economic growth, reduce economic inactivity and encourage healthier and sustainable travel. There was also a requirement for their schemes to improve the quality of life particularly those living in disadvantaged communities”.
Swansea is getting £300,000 for its city cycle network, and Cardiff, Aberystwyth, Newport and Merthyr Tydfil also get funding for urban cycling improvements. Sustrans advised the Welsh Government on the selection of walking and cycling schemes.
Not all the schemes are related to cycling: many are for major road improvements or bus networks, totalling around £10m. Nonetheless, the list includes an impressive haul of cycling projects, and this is the second such announcement this spring: a further £5m was announced in April for the ‘Safe Routes in Communities’ programme. Those living in England can only look on in envy at a country where one-third of the transport budget is spent on cycling.
Separately, the Welsh Government has published a design guide for cycling and walking schemes – making it the fourth such in the last month, after publications from CTC, Sustrans and Cyclenation. John Griffiths, Culture & Sport Minister, said it was “developed by a consortium of experts in their field, and reflects the latest thinking on walking and cycling infrastructure design, with a clear focus on equality and accessibility”.
Rather than plumping for one type of cycle route design, the document sets out pros and cons for each type – saying “designers are encouraged to think through their decisions rather than start from a default position of implementing any particular feature”. It points out that the only way to assess a cycling scheme is to actually ride it, and encourages engineers to do so
It does, however, strongly recommend ‘segregated’ cycle paths for commuter routes:
“In general, separate provision for cycling will tend to provide a route where people are able to maintain their desired speed. This will be important on key active travel routes which are designed to provide for utility trips and to provide a realistic alternative to the car over short distances.”
The documents are out for consultation until 4th August.
Llandaff residents have launched a campaign to build a new bridge for walkers and cyclists across the River Taff. The proposed Llandaff Bridge would bypass Bridge Road, which they say is “incredibly congested with traffic, particularly during rush hour and the school run”. The bridge would link the Taff Trail (NCN route 8) with the footpath on the south side of the river, connecting Llandaff High Street to Llandaff North.
Bike awareness training looks set to become compulsory for City of Edinburgh Council’s lorry and van drivers.
In the first course of its kind in Scotland, employees swapped six wheels for two in an effort to understand the perceptions of cyclists using the city’s roads. The pilot initiative consists of theory and practical sessions, created to encourage drivers to “empathise” with vulnerable road users and the safety issues they experience.
Edinburgh Council says that, by placing drivers in the same position as cyclists, they will gain a better appreciation of the dangers they face on a day-to-day basis.
The training targeted employees in the Council’s transport department who drive vans and lorries and perform tasks like roads maintenance and repairs. Participants returned to the classroom to learn about vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, motorcyclists and scooter riders as well as cyclists, and how best to share the space with them. Drivers were also given tips on how to prepare for journeys, and on the safety devices fitted to their vehicles.
Then after that, the lorry drivers were taken out onto the road to develop their own cycling skills. By learning basic on-road cycling skills, carrying out bicycle safety checks and negotiating road junctions and traffic, drivers will develop a better understanding of road use from a cyclist’s point of view. Transport Convener Lesley Hinds said:
“The Council is committed to promoting cycling as a primary mode of transport, and as such we have pledged to invest 7% of our transport budget into developing cycling infrastructure throughout the city. But if we are to encourage cycling among our citizens we must ensure that they are given a safe and accessible environment in which to do it. By raising awareness of this with our drivers we are leading the way to creating an equal relationship between drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and other road users alike.”
The course is now being proposed to form a core part of City of Edinburgh Council’s driver training. It could also be offered to private sector lorry drivers.
Cycle safety campaigner Ian McNicoll, who has worked with his wife Lynne to raise awareness of the vulnerability of cyclists on the road since losing his son Andrew in a cycling incident with a HGV, welcomed the pilot:
“This is incredibly important. It’s essential that HGV drivers are given appropriate training and know the risks that cyclists take on the roads. While the majority of HGV drivers are good drivers, the number of incidents involving HGVs and cyclists continues to be very high. We’re pleased that the Council is taking this into account with the initiative, and look forward to seeing how the course progresses.”
Police in Cambridge are on the alert for a “bike-riding pervert sporting a tan”, according to the Cambridge News. The flasher has been sighted seven times in Arbury, Abbey and the city centre. The hoodie-wearing flasher was riding bike in most of the incidents.
Sustrans’ National Cycle Network routes often have artistic rest places – check out the benches on the Phoenix Trail, for example. But this must be a first: a bench in the Scottish Highlands made from old skis. The bench has a view of the Drumochter hills, famous among cyclists for the high pass. Volunteer ranger Keith Grant, from Perth, called it “a good project for the man cave (shed) in my garden”.
Made in the Cotswolds. Published by Éditions Système D Ltd.
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