Max about to embark on his cycle ride to Banchory

Cycling in Aberdeen: a tourist’s perspective

by Rachel M, posted in Uncategorized

It has been a pleasure to visit my daughter and family who live in the beautiful city of Aberdeen. Following an energetic 2 month bike-riding / sight-seeing tour of France, Sweden and Norway, it felt good to relax with family. 

Being a keen e-bike rider and due the generosity of a friend, I was able cycle many of the streets and paths of Aberdeen. In this letter, I wish to share some thoughts about bike access in your city.

As background, I am from Brisbane Australia and still young at age 76. I took up e-bike riding 2.5 years ago, encouraged by Brisbane’s extensive network of cycleways and shared pathways. It is such a fun way to get around and is now my preferred mode of travel to destinations such as shops, parks, cafes, train stations, and University. One-third of people in Brisbane live within 300 metres of a cycleway and almost two thirds live within one kilometre.

Segregated cyclepath in Brisbane beside a pedestrian pathway.

Brisbane City Council has plans to extend and develop cycleways even further. From their perspective, the network not only improves access to local destinations and the CBD, but also helps to minimise traffic congestion. There has been a huge positive response by our citizens, young and old, and especially recently retired senior citizens who have taken up cycling with great enthusiasm. What better way to enjoy the outdoors with friends, enjoy a healthier lifestyle, than getting outside for a bike ride?

As people get older some may find it easier to cycle an e-bike than to walk as our hips and knees start to object to the more jarring of physical activity. In this way a bicycle acts as a mobility aid, offering transportation and therefore independence to people of all ages and abilities.

The extensive network of separate cycleways ensures that we can cycle safely away from fast-moving motorised traffic. Many of the most used cycleways also separate cyclists from pedestrians. It makes it safe for families taking young children to kindy or for family outings on weekends. There are no downsides.

Here is a selection of photos of Brisbane cycleways.

Brisbane cycleway with the city buildings in the background
Cycleway in Brisbane next to a road with traffic.
Cycleway in Brisbane at a junction.
Cycleway in Brisbane going over a bridge.

A woman cycling along a segregated path in Brisbane

As mentioned, my stay here in Aberdeen has been greatly enhanced by having access to an e-bike. I have cycled through the city, along the eastern beach esplanade path, around Seaton Park and the River Don, and along the south coast road. However, at times I have felt a little threatened by traffic, especially accessing the city centre, as you have few cycleways that separate cyclists from motorised traffic. Cycling on pavements is not ideal for pedestrians.

As a visitor, I am sure that future investment by the council to improve this situation  would be welcomed by locals as well as tourists. Experience tells us that building new motorways attracts more traffic; likewise, building cycleways attracts bicycle traffic, the more desirable outcome.

This week I rode to Banchory and back on the Deeside rail trail. A delightful experience. However, it could be improved by management of the track surface and encroaching vegetation, as well as restricting on-road travel sections to a minimum; and maybe better signage for novice riders. This could be a wonderful attraction for tourists, with local castles along the way, an added attraction. My original plan was to ride all the way to Ballater but I was discouraged by lack of a dedicated cycleway between Banchory and  Aboyne.

I will continue to be a regular visitor to your wonderful city and look forward to enjoying any cycleway upgrades that you construct.

Yours sincerely,

Max Shelton

17 June 2023

Joanna smiling on her handcycle at Duthie Park.

“A whole new sense of freedom”

by Rachel M, posted in Uncategorized

I had the great pleasure of meeting the delightful Joanna Robertson today. She was training on her handcycle at Duthie Park.

Joanna is a local athlete who uses her handcycle to compete in sporting events like the London marathon. She’s currently training for the Edinburgh and Manchester 10k marathons. Normally she gets around by wheelchair because of a spinal injury but having a handcycle as a mobility aid has given her “A whole new sense of freedom”.

I asked Joanna what the biggest issues are for her cycling in Aberdeen? Without hesitation she replied with potholes. Potholes are especially problematic for people with disabilities as it’s not easy to stand up when going over the bump, making it even more jarring. Another issue is tree roots.

Joanna sticks mostly to off-road paths like Deeside Way and the beach because being so low to the ground, as is often the case for people using handcycles, she’s particularly vulnerable to much larger vehicles who are less likely to see her. This is another very good reason why Aberdeen needs a network of segregated cycle paths.

If you’d like to learn more about Joanna and follow her sporting journey then visit her Facebook page – Joanna Robertson T54 WC.

Hasta la Vista, Union St

by gavnhev, posted in campaign

The debate over whether Union St should be pedestrianised or not has rumbled on for decades so it’s not surprising that it continues to be a bone of contention.  The Covid-related ‘Spaces for People’ measures saw the central section, from Bridge St to Market St, closed to traffic and the Council seemed keen to keep that in place.  We’d taken part in various discussions with designers working on behalf of the Council who were coming up with ‘streetscape’ designs for how it could look. We’d even got as far as discussing some of the finer details as to how, for example, cycle lanes could be routed around bus stops.

But then back in May we had a local government election resulting in a new Administration: out went the old Lab-Con alliance and in came a new SNP-LibDem one instead.  Soon followed a decision to re-admit buses to the closed central section of Union St, and suddenly all the streetscape designs were back to square one, and astonishingly the new designs had no cycle lane infrastructure at all.

The Council ran a short consultation in October seeking public views on the new designs, and by far the greatest number of comments fed back were in relation to the lack of active travel provision.  There were two worrying trends:  firstly, a false narrative that because buses were back on Union St, there wasn’t room for a proper segregated cycle lane.  Secondly, because they were designing-out a cycle lane for the central section, it seemed to follow that they thought they didn’t need one on the east and west sections of Union St either.  Despite the consultation responses, the recommendations put before Councillors for a decision on 14 December were to approve these new designs which would effectively leave cyclists mixing with buses on the central section, and mixing with all traffic on the remainder.

Whatever had happened to the City Centre Masterplan, passed unanimously by Council in 2015, and which promised to deliver “a cycling city”.  What about the Sustainable Travel Hierarchy, enshrined in national and local transport policy, which is very clear that designs should cater for pedestrians first, and then cyclists, before considering public transport and other vehicles?

In the run up to the Council meeting we’d run a campaign to bombard co-leader of the Council Ian Yuill with postcards highlighting the need for proper segregated cycle lanes on Union St.  We’d also managed to meet with Cllrs Yuill and Miranda Radley, from the respective parties forming the administration, and also Cllr Kate Blake to make our point. 

At the Council meeting itself, both Rachel Martin on behalf of ACF, and Jon Barron on behalf of Grampian Cycle Partnership had requested a ‘deputation’ in other words the opportunity to speak to the meeting.  Both did an excellent job of putting the case for segregated cycle lanes and highlighting just how much at odds the recommendations before Councillors were with current policies and the desire to create an active travel network in the city.

In her presentation, Rachel described cycling amongst buses on Union St currently as being reminiscent of a scene from The Terminator.   The press picked up on that and had great fun with the analogy in items which appeared in the P&J and Evening Express in the following days.

Segregated cycle lanes for Union Street to be considered (pressandjournal.co.uk)

Truck-chase scene from Terminator 2

The decisions taken at the meeting now mean that central Union St will remain much as it is at the moment in terms of traffic access and so bikes will still have to mix with buses and service vehicles.  However speed limits for buses (similar to Broad St) will be looked at again.  And in a critical change from what had been recommended, officers have now been instructed that designs being developed for east and west Union St, and some other city centre streets being redeveloped, should include options for segregated cycle lane infrastructure.  It will be several months before we see those designs, so this isn’t the end of the discussion and no doubt there will be more battles along the way to ensure that cycling is properly provided for.  We’ve also taken the novel step of submitting a formal “participation request” under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act, to try and improve the process and ensure that cyclists’ voices are listened to.

Our thanks to Rachel and Jon who put their arguments so eloquently, and to those Councillors who listened and voted to amend the plans.

Visualisation of Union Street with a cycle path

Bike path for Union Street

by Rachel M, posted in campaign

We’ve started a petition for a segregated cycle path on Union Street in Aberdeen. Please follow the link below to sign it. Note: you will need to confirm your email address on the site to have your signature confirmed.

https://www.change.org/p/build-a-cycle-track-on-union-street-in-aberdeen/dashboard

We initially tried to create this petition on the Aberdeen City Council website. On September 21st 2022 we submitted exactly the same wording to the council’s ePetition form. After more than a month and many followup emails which received no reply we contacted someone else at the council who informed us the petition had been rejected. When we looked online this morning it didn’t say rejected but “Requested”. I pointed this out to the person who eventually responded and shortly after the word got changed.

I asked why the petition was rejected and was given this reason:

“The Council of 29 June 2022 considered various options for Union Street Central within the City Centre Masterplan Update report RES/22/137. These options included for segregated cycle routes. The Council chose an alternative option.”

If the council had already decided what they were going to do on Union Street in June then why have a consultation and gather feedback from the public in October?

Spotlight on a cyclist: Laurie Rominger

by Rachel M, posted in spotlight
  1. What is your name, where are you from and how long have you been in Aberdeen (if not local)?

Hello! I’m Laurie, and Aberdeen has been my home since 2016. I’m originally from a rural area outside of a small town in the US. To say it was a car dependent place would be an understatement. We didn’t even consider it possible to go out the front door for a jog. We didn’t have public buses. The private car was our interface necessary for living life.

  1. How did you get into cycling?

Going to university was my first time cycling in a city, and I was immediately hooked. My university was covered in safe streets, effective traffic calming measures, pedestrian areas, bike paths, and green spaces.

Leaving campus, things got a bit less cycle-friendly. Actually, it’s still a running joke between my friends about the time we were once away from campus and I realised a bike lane ended and I screamed “WHERE’S THE BIKE LANE GONE?!”

American university campuses are a work of perfection. I once overheard a uni student telling her friend how happy she was walking and using the bus, but that she was away to buy a car because she would need it when she had a job. We get four years living in a beautiful place, being active, bumping into friends in our shared (walkable and accessible) outdoor spaces, then the rest of your life in a car.

  1. What kind of cycling do you do?

Aberdeen is the perfect size for cycling. I can get to a lot of places in 5 minutes, and anywhere else in 15, so that’s most of the cycling I do. I find so much joy in the simple act of cycling somewhere I need to go. I’ve never found excitement in opening my car door and sitting down to drive. So I consider myself pretty lucky to get to live in a city where I can quickly get anywhere on a bike.

  1. What type of cycle do you use?

I used a Halfords bike (shout out to all the Apollo Virtue users out there!) for over five years. It gave me loads of new opportunities, for both work and leisure. Taking jobs in different locations, seeing all of the parks, new communities, exploring the Deeside. That bike opened up my world.

Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever, and that’s particularly  true of a cheap Halfords bike. After I got my permanent residency last year, I bought myself a present – a proper commuter bicycle. I used to walk, car share, and take the bus all the time, but since I’ve had a reliable bike, I just don’t have interest in those other things anymore. Not that they’re not great options!! I just can’t tear myself off of my bike.

  1. Where do you cycle usually/any favourite routes? How often?

I dawdle up and down King Street several times a week. I love that it’s quite flat, super direct, and always filled with loads of people walking and cycling. And at least there’s a bike lane. #stopparkinginthebikelane

  1. What would you like to see to improve your cycling experience?

Ok, hear me out. Bus/cycle lanes help keep traffic away from cyclists. Presumably, the highest volume of car traffic happens at peak hours, so in non-peak hours the need for cars to have two lanes of travel in one direction is not significant. It doesn’t seem to me like there are many advantages of giving drivers two lanes in off-peak hours. If we had a city-wide ban on cars in bus lanes 24/7, we could potentially make cyclists safer. 

It’s a small, easy fix, but at a deeper level, it would be nice if we could question the default that cars get as much space as we can possibly afford to them.

  1. Any top tips for someone considering cycling in the area?

Cycle with a friend! Find someone with a bike and cycle to the supermarket together. Cycle to Duthie park together and race each other down the slides. Cycle to the beach then jump in the water. (Ok, I might pass on that last one!)

That’s what I wish I could have had when I first started cycling in Aberdeen. There are lots of friendly cyclists here, but when you’re surrounded by cars, it can feel quite lonely out there. 

By the way, if you don’t already have friends keen to cycle with you, you can come find some new ones at Aberdeen’s critical mass bike ride on the last Friday of the month!

Art for Deeside Way

by Rachel M, posted in Uncategorized

The Aberdeen Cycle Forum applied for funding from Sustrans through their ArtRoots fund to commission art work for Deeside Way. Our application was successful and after many months of searching for an artist and getting everyone to agree on a design the work was completed this week and it’s terrific.

The design and painting was done by KMG. It features two leopard cyclists as a nod to Aberdeen’s mascot along with a wheelchair fox, a sausage dog pedestrian and dog and a gull and blackbird.

We’re really thrilled with how it has turned out and we hope it will encourage people to be more physically active whether it be through cycling, running, walking, wheeling, rollerblading, or scootering. You can find it on the south wall that forms part of the road bridge for Great Southern Road which is near the Duthie Park end of Deeside Way.

Spotlight on a cyclist: Fiona McDonald

by Rachel M, posted in spotlight
  1. What is your name, where are you from and how long have you been in Aberdeen (if not local)?

My name is Fiona, I grew up in Scarborough in North Yorkshire which was a great place to cycle. Small enough to get around easily on a bike and with lovely countryside. I’ve been in Aberdeen for nearly 17 years now.

  1. How did you get into cycling?

My Dad was very enthusiastic about early mountain biking and took us on some adventurous family holidays exploring off-road routes across Scotland. I loved the fact that my bike gave me independence for getting about and I was already cycling regularly as a teenager although not to school as I lived so close it was easier to walk. When I left to go to Nottingham University I used my bike a lot and was introduced to busy city centre cycling by a good friend who had grown up in inner London and had absolutely no fear of the 3 lane traffic jams!

  1. What kind of cycling do you do?

Most of my cycling is short trips, my work commute, going to local shops and accompanying my daughters to activities. I also occasionally enjoy mountain biking, longer road trips and family cycle trips.

  1. What type of cycle do you use?

I have a hybrid bike which I use almost every day. I’ve also got a road bike and an old Stuntjumper full suspension mountain bike which I still treasure as I rode it when I competed in the Transalp multi-stage mountain bike race many years ago which was an amazing experience.

  1. Where do you cycle usually/any favourite routes? How often?

My work commute to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is my regular route – only about 20 minutes passing through some busier and quieter streets of the west end. We’re lucky to live close to the Deeside line which I’ve really appreciated for family cycle rides as my girls have grown up. In the summer of 2020 my girls and I cycled back from Ballater to our house over 2 days which was a great little adventure. I also enjoy cycling through Hazlehead and up to Countesswells Woods.

  1. What would you like to see to improve your cycling experience?

I’ve been cycling for a long time so I’m quite happy navigating Aberdeen streets but it’s not so appealing for new cyclists or younger riders. I’d like to see safe cycle routes that everyone can use to connect the city centre to the suburbs so that many more people can leave their car at home for short journeys and enjoy cycling around the town. I’d like to feel that I can encourage my daughters to cycle into town but at present Union Street and surrounding streets are really not well designed for safe cycling.

  1. Any top tips for someone considering cycling in the area?

Try out the Deeside line if you live in the west end. It can be busy at times and you need to be careful around dogs and children but you will soon reach the leafier suburbs and get some lovely views along Deeside. Look for quieter streets when you’re planning your route and ask friends who cycle for their tips on how best to get from A to B.

Spotlight on a cyclist: Martin Sharman

by Rachel M, posted in campaign, spotlight
  1. What is your name, where are you from and how long have you been in Aberdeen (if not local)?

My name is Martin, I grew up in Aberdeen and the Shire and left when I was 18 years old to go explore the world. I ended up finding myself coming back to the city through an unexpected turn of events a couple years back.

  1. How did you get into cycling?

I have always had a bike of sorts in my life, mainly for getting from A-B. I would not class myself as an avid cyclist enthusiast in terms of it being a regular hobby nor me striving for personal stats and Strava titles, but I do enjoy it when I am on a bike.

I had not cycled for quite a while but the Covid-19 situation got me back into it again more recently, and led to the purchase of an eCargo bike for the family.

  1. What kind of cycling do you do?

I mainly use the bike for commuting to work; dropping off, and collecting the children from nursery, and doing everyday journeys to supermarket and town etc. I have two young boys which has given me an opportunity to re-explore the city from a kid’s perspective and cycling them about seemed an obvious option for that… parks and the beach front are always only a 10-20 minute bike ride away!

  1. What type of cycle do you use?

I mainly use the family longtail eCargo bike but do have a small folding bike for when I need a bit of solace.

  1. Where do you cycle usually/any favourite routes? How often?

I love cycling with the kids; the conversations are great, and adventures are many. Our favourite route is anywhere on the paths along the banks of the Don between Seaton park up to Dyce village.

I use the eCargo bike as much as I can, some weeks I am out on it every day and even doing multiple trips; others I just cycle once or twice , on the odd day or two… I do try avoiding car journeys where possible; it’s not always easy… but an ebike does make it easier.

  1. What would you like to see to improve your cycling experience?

Aberdeen is pretty straightforward to navigate when you know how but there are some trouble areas and routes; most can be avoided with a bit of research (Komoot and google maps). Improvements I would like to see just now are just small things like the odd dropped kerb and removal of a bollard/chicane blocking the way on certain routes. Additionally, well thought out joined-up cycle infrastructure would be a huge boost to the city.

  1. Any top tips for someone considering cycling in the area?

Just gets out there! Pick park or coffeeshop or some other local business to support and plan your trip taking quiet, wide roads or routes with dedicated cycle paths; from my experience you’ll be surprised on the number of courteous car drivers there are when you do have to join the carriage way.

Who to vote for in the upcoming local government elections

by Rachel M, posted in Uncategorized

Local government elections are only two weeks away and The Aberdeen Cycle Forum took the opportunity to contact all political parties to get their views on cycling-related issues.

We sent each party the same 6 questions and here are the responses so far.

Conservative response
Greens
Liberal Democrats
Scottish Labour
SNP

ACF is apolitical and thus neutral, but please have a read and make your own decisions.  Even better take 5 minutes to contact candidates standing for election in your own ward and let them know your views. We’ll post any additional responses we get as they come in.

Spotlight on a cyclist: Torcuill Torrance

by Rachel M, posted in spotlight

Torc is our super cyclist of the month for April. He’s an avid and experienced cyclist and a long-time supporter of the Aberdeen Cycle Forum. If you haven’t seen him out cycling you might have seen him online challenging car-centric ideas.

1) What is your name, where are you from and how long have you been in Aberdeen (if not local)?

Torcuill Torrance, came to Aberdeen to study in 1989 before moving to Newtonhill.

2) How did you get into cycling?

Being brought up in the Scottish Borders I enjoyed exploring, and before I knew it caught the bug and joined the CTC (now CyclingUK) and AUK to go longer distances.

3) What kind of cycling do you do?

Steady and with a café stop. I really enjoy the conviviality of Audax events, so a nice 200k randonnee around some scenic hand curated café stops is what I love.

4) What type of cycle do you use?

One with a wheel at each corner. Maybe you mean something different? Road, winter (with proper guards, flaps and dynohub), audax and mountainbike.

5) Where do you cycle usually/any favourite routes? How often?

Usually ride around Aberdeenshire, with occasional forays into the Cairngorms, Ochils, Lothian and Borders too. My local favourite is a loop from Newtonhill to Clatterin Brig, over the Cairn O’Mount to check on the Saltire I commissioned on the viewpoint, before zooming to Banchory for soup and a sandwich and home.

6) What would you like to see to improve your cycling experience?

All conurbations of 3000+ should be part of a fully segregated cycle network spanning the Scottish Nation…and beyond.

Failing that an e-Bike for everyone.

7) Any top tips for someone considering cycling in the area?

Find a local group – whether that’s CTC/CUK or a “club” that will help you with roadcraft and show you how to look after yourself. And if you can’t find one start one. I did that in Newtonhill and there’s over a hundred members now.

Don’t be afraid to get off your bike for a wee breather to take in a lovely view, or at night admire the northern lights. With a bike the journey is the destination.