Aberdeen Near Bottom of the Scottish Cycle Spending League
In a week where Scottish world champion cyclist Chris Hoy is at the top of his sport,
Aberdeen is sadly near the bottom. A recent survey on council spending revealed Aberdeen
26th out of 27 councils in Scotland
The Annual Spokes Survey shows that Aberdeen spent less than
Try Cycling is Back for 2008
After the success of “Try Cycling” in earlier years it’s back! Beginning on 1st April and running every Sunday rides start at 10am from Duthie Park by the pond (just off Riverside Drive).
Aimed at beginners, or those who haven?t been in the saddle for a while, trained cycle leaders from the
Cyclists? Touring Club and Aberdeen Cycle Forum will lead short rides (of upto 3 hours) at a slow pace.
If you need some practice or are seeking to regain road confidence this is the ideal way to keep fit, to gain a healthy heart and make cycling part of a healthy lifestyle
Just turn up on the day or for more information phone Gerard on 01224 734 799. or drop us an email trycycling@aberdeencycleforum.org.uk It is necessary to phone in advance if children under 18 will be coming on the ride
If you want to publicise Try Cycling in you workplace or school there we have some posters and you can download and print out (these are PDF files if it is not already installed on your computer you may need the free Acrobat Reader software to view them
Would you like to receive email alerts when news stories are posted? then visit our email update page
Changes to National Cycle Route 1
National cycle Route 1 stretches from Unst in Shetland down to Dover, passing through Aberdeen en route.
Within the city the current route is predominantly on-road and runs from Cove Bay,
along Greyhope Road, Market Street, Broad Street, Old Aberdeen, Persley
Den, Mugiemoss Road, Stoneywood Road and onto the Formartine & Buchan
Way.
Aberdeen City Council is proposing a new route which will result in
over 25km of off-road pedestrian and cycle routes through Aberdeen, and
a new cycle/ pedestrian bridge across the River Don.
These proposals are now open for public consultation, maps, routes
background, and requests for feedback can be found on Aberdeen
City Council’s website
A exhibition of the plans open to all will be held at the Townhouse on 30th January 19:30-20:30hrs. The closing date for feedback is 16th February 2007
Continued Implementation of “Pinch Points”
Despite ACF’s reservations and discussions with Aberdeen City Council
more and more traffic islands are planned for Aberdeen streets
in the coming months, these are being implemented for a number of reasons including
“traffic calming”.
From a cyclists perspective these islands reduce the width of the road and
create a “pinch point” there is frequently not room for both a car and a cycle
to pass. At this point the motorist should wait for the cyclist to go
through the crossing before overtaking. Of course we all know some
motorists are not the best at judging the available space so the cyclist
may find themselves “pinched”.
You can read our concerns in the latest correspondence with the council over this, having
exhaused dialouge with the council we are left with no option but to lodge a formal objection
to the Environment and Infrastructure committee over the next batch.
If you would like to read and have your say on “Pinch Points” then visit our e-consultation pages.
New Cycle Stands at Aberdeen Railway Station
The first results of ACF’s project “Take a stand” are now visible.
After discussions with First-Scotrail, Aberdeen railway station now
has 8 Sheffield stands outside the station. Not quite as many as we
wanted, nor at our ideal prefered location but it is a step in the
right direction.
The stands are to the right of the steps that lead down to the station
forecourt from the Pelican crossing. Feel free to send feedback on them to:
takeastand@aberdeencycleforum.org.uk
We are continuing discussions with First-Scotrail over more, and hopeully geting a cover in place, these will of course be easier if the original batch are used!
In addition, we are in communication with a number of the locations identified
during the survey, this is a long process but we are
hopeful of encuraging the owners at some of the other “worst loctions in Aberdeen” to install stands.
Launched in June this year , “Take a Stand” is designed to identify
privately owned locations (e.g. shops, retail parks etc.) where
abscent or poor cycle parking facilities were detering people from
travelling by bike within the city. To learn more and to nominate
your own sites Visit our main Take a Stand page .
<img src="include/ht/023_1.jpg" width="338" height="242" border="0"
New Cycle Stands at Aberdeen Railway Station
The stands are to the right of the steps that lead down to the station
forecourt from the Pelican crossing.
Consultation on Cycle Route from Westhill
Westhill is one of the major commuter suburbs of Aberdeen, unfortunately routes to the city also have one of the least developed cycling infrastructures in Aberdeen.
Aberdeen City Council have commissioned a feasibility study into a cycle route between Weshill and Aberdeen. ACF have submitted our input into the proposal. You can read our input below
ACF Response of Consultation on Westhill-Aberdeen Cycle route
Commuter Challenge 2006 Winner Announced
ACF’s second commuter challenge was a great success. Cycle commuters
managed to cover over 3,000 miles in the week with distances ranging between
1 mile and 19.5 miles. Many of the people entering were commuting by bike for the
first time
50% of Journeys were less than 5 miles, an ideal commute distance. At a time when congestion is a growing issue in Aberdeen, the results of the challenge clearly show how encouraging cycling can make a large difference to Aberdeen’s traffic issues
Many who indicated it was quicker to cycle to work than to take that car. One cyclist echoed the feelings of many when they said arrived at work “alive and ready to face the day”.
Of course no commute is perfect, things that could be improved included removal of potholes,
more cycle lanes on some routes and of course the weather. ACF will be using the detailed feedback over the coming months as we continue to work with the council and your councillors, although we even we can’t control the weather!
The randomly selected winner was Alison Hutcheson, who is shown receiving her prize of
Summer 2006 ACF Bulletin Published
The summer 2006 Edition of the ACF Bulletin has been published. You can download it using the links below. In this edition we look at Bike Week 2006 and the ACF Commuter Challenge, how to get pot holes fixed, Berryden Junction (again!), recent press coverage of cycle lanes and much much more…
If you you would like an email when the next edition is published why not register for updates with the ACF email service.
June 06 Low Res. (650Kb) for dial up users
June 06 High Res (2.2Mb) for broadband users
If it is not already installed on your computer you may need the free Acrobat Reader software to read these files.
Submission to NESTRANS on Quality Cycle Corridors
ACF has responded to a request by Nestrans
the North East’s regional transport partnership on the development of “Quality Cycle Corridors” into the city.
Those who follow local news will recognise these as the corridors
recently featured in the Evening Express
You can read
the submission here. The submission is a PDF file, if it is not already installed on your computer you may need the free
Acrobat Reader
software to view them
ACF hopes to continue to work with Nestrans in the future on the development of the
North East’s new transport strategy
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Oldmachar Academy Encourages Pupils to Cycle to School
Oldmachar Academy is making it easier for pupils to cycling to school
with the construction of a new secure cycle storage facility.
Funded by Aberdeen city council and a NESTRANS Sustainable Travel Grant
the “bike cage” was officially opened by the Lord Provost on Wednesday 10th May.
To mark the event the school staged a series of events including; BMX demonstrations and presentations
on the new Transition Extreme centre under construction at Aberdeen Beach. Several pupils participated in
a bike trail and repair workshop lead by the Local CTC Grampian “Wobly Wheelers” Group
Deputy head Shelagh Bain added that statistics show that 27% of boys
and 40% of girls in Scotland are not active enough to protect their health
now and in the future.
Children are walking and cycling to school less every year and at the
same time levels of childhood obesity, heart disease and diabetes are increasing.
A little exercise every day has enormous benefits – a healthier heart, stronger
muscles, increased stamina and mobility, far less risk of life-threatening
diseases and enhanced mental health and self-esteem. Cycling to school is a great
way to get the exercise they need – and it’s fun.”
Nationally studies have shown that the fear of cycle theft during school hours
prevents many pupils cycling, the construction of the new facility means there is now
one less excuse for not cycling to school.
<img src="include/ht/011_1.jpg" width="338" height="253" border="0"
The Lord Provost, Oldmachar Cyclists and the New Cage
Aberdeen Cycle Forum 