Tag: Aberdeen

Celebrating 20 years of Aberdeen Cycle Forum

by gavnhev, posted in event

On 3rd October we met to celebrate 20 years of Aberdeen Cycle Forum (ACF).  Without being too pernickety about the exact date, ACF was formed around this time of year in 2003.  

The meeting was introduced by current Chair, Gavin Clark, who gave a resume of some of the activities ACF has been involved in.  Gavin also read a few paragraphs from Derek Williamson who was one of the founders and a long-standing former Chairperson.  Derek and others recapped that ACF arose partly as a result of a spate of cycle fatalities around Aberdeen and the sense that “something need to be done” to improve matters.  Of course we recognised too that although there has been some progress, there is much much more to be done and in some ways Aberdeen has fallen behind by not sufficiently recognising the benefits from cycling and providing the infrastructure to facilitate it.  Despite our lack of high quality infrastructure, we also noted that cycling is in a good place with high levels of uptake of recreational cycling, and some “game-changers” like e-bikes on the cusp of bringing real transformation.

We had two guest speakers, firstly Emma Roberts of Aberdeenshire Bike Bothy, who told us a bit about the outreach and development work they do.  It is mainly based around selected ‘travel towns’ in Aberdeenshire and doesn’t operate in the city, which is purely down to funding availability.  We hope that might change.

Our second speaker was Alistair Gilmore who is Administrator and a volunteer ‘pilot’ with Cycling Without Age (Scotland).  It was uplifting to hear about this project and something we look forward to seeing more of in the future.

Welcome to Cycling Without Age Scotland

The second half of our meeting was a Question & Answer with Councillors Ian Yuill and Miranda Radley of Aberdeen City Council.  We had a good discussion and lots of interesting questions.  Both Councillors were fairly candid in recognising that we aren’t starting from the best place in terms of delivery of cycle infrastructure.  Both also seemed genuinely committed to get the current Administration working to change things, whilst also recognising that it won’t necessarily happen overnight.  The recent decision to install a segregated cycle lane on central Union St (and hopefully the rest of Union St in due course) was acknowledged as a good ‘win’ and a signal of their intent.

Of course we couldn’t have a 20th Anniversary meeting without a birthday cake and ACF Secretary Fiona McDonald excelled with a tasty and appropriately decorated cake which was enjoyed by all.  Cutting the cake we had Louise Napier of Aberdeen City Council and Sheila Rusbridge of CTC Grampian, who were the two individuals present who had been involved in the set-up and early meetings of ACF 20 years ago.

Cutting the cake!
Gavin speaking to the crowd

Aberdeen Cycle Forum celebrates 20 years!

by Rachel M, posted in Uncategorized

Twenty years ago on Tuesday 30th September 2003, Aberdeen Cycle Forum had its inaugural meeting. You can read the minutes of that meeting, which outline the attendees, what they discussed, and why the forum was created. Aberdeen Cycle Forum has held monthly meetings in the 20 years since with all the minutes publicly available on our website.

We’re still run entirely on volunteer steam. Over the years we’ve responded to countless consultations, organised protests, run competitions and campaigns, provided cycling lessons to locals, commissioned street art for the cycle network, provided feedback to the council on cycling-related issues and even organised a litter pick.

To celebrate our 20 years we’re having a special event on the 3rd October 2023 at 7pm in the Arts Centre on King Street. To mark the special occasion we’ve got three guest speakers: one from Cycling without Age Scotland, one from Aberdeenshire Bike Bothy, and Aberdeen’s very own para-athlete, Joanna Robertson. There’ll also be a Q&A with Aberdeen City Council co-leader Ian Yuill and Councillor Miranda Radley. A café and bar will be available so come and celebrate 20 years with us!

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.

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!

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.

Farewell to Liz Lindsey

by Rachel M, posted in Uncategorized

Aberdeen Cycle Forum members gathered at the café in Duthie Park today to wish long-standing member, Liz Lindsey, goodbye as she embarks on a new life down south in Durham.

Liz has been associated with the forum since almost the start. She has been one of our most faithful and consistent members, regularly attending meetings and always willing to help at events or contribute when we are responding to consultations. Her husband, David Lindsey, was one of the founding members back in 2003. You can read minutes from those early meetings and all our meetings since then on our website at Aberdeen Cycle Forum meeting minutes.

I snapped this photo of some of us afterwards. Liz is in the purple jacket second from the left.

Liz brought along an old newspaper clipping of a letter David wrote to the paper way back in 1993. This is from the Evening Express 24/11/1993 about the controversy of putting some painted lines on North Deeside Road. Not much has changed in 30 years, it seems.

We wish Liz all the very best and big thanks to her for all her contributions to the forum over the past two decades.

On elite vs everyday cycling & approaching deadline for the ‘Make Aberdeen Accessible’ campaign

by Nico S, posted in campaign

The Tour of Britain will be coming to Aberdeen this Sunday. We are glad to see bigger events being allowed to happen again, and for the Tour to highlight the beauty of the North East of Scotland. We are sure the general public will share this feeling and a lot of our members will also be out and about to have a peek at the race.

In fact, there is no denying that plenty of Aberdeen Cycle Forum members see and enjoy cycling as a sport only; but many others see, or would like to see, cycling promoted as an everyday activity and a valid mode of transport. We believe that cycling should be accessible to everyone and not just to elite athletes. 

The beach esplanade recently got a new layer of tarmac as part of the preparations for the Tour and the lack of potholes will benefit all road users. However, much more work is required elsewhere in the city for Aberdeen to become a place where cycling is for everyone; the focus should be on high-quality, permanent cycling-specific infrastructure. 

The little infrastructure we currently have would also be much better utilised if it were designed properly. To address this latter point and identify existing infrastructure barriers to cycling, earlier this summer we launched the ‘Make Aberdeen Accessible’ campaign. We’ve had lots of submissions (see the map below), which we are going to report to the relevant parties while suggesting how they could be addressed. There are still a few days left to submit more entries, with the deadline for the campaign set for Monday 13 September.

Both the lack of robust cycling infrastructure and the poor design of existing cycling infrastructure could be addressed thanks to the recently announced Scottish Government plans to dedicate 10% of the total transport budget to active travel (walking, wheeling and cycling) by 2024-25, up from the current 3.5% share.

If you have experienced issues with barriers to active travel such as locked gates, chicanes, bollards and missing dropped kerbs, please let us know by submitting entries at this link. Or if you’d prefer to email us then you can get in touch at info@aberdeencycleforum.org.uk.