Historically, cyclists have had to fight for their rightful stake in road planning. And it seems that the County Council still finds it easier to rhapsodise about the joys of being a cyclist in Lancashire than to actually talk to them when designing the roads they ride on. Aware of changes afoot for the A6 between Lancaster city centre and the University / Galgate, Dynamo requested to be both informed and included, only to learn that the Council had already been working with consultants (Jacobs), who had already made recommendations to exclude, for example, a dedicated cycle route along the A6.

Knowing that Jacobs’ conclusions would have been heavily influenced by the remit given them by the County Council, Dynamo pursued the matter by asking for a copy of the Council’s brief to the consultants. This to date has not been forthcoming. All that Dynamo has received is Jacobs’ suggested plan, which is almost certain to have been constrained by (unknown) restrictions imposed by the County Council at the outset. So the process has ground onward and money been spent – all managing to exclude a key road-user constituency.

Dynamo is not content to pick up the crumbs from under the table of this exclusive planning process. It does not accept consultants’ recommendations guided by an unknown remit and excluding a main stakeholder. On Monday 16th January 2012, therefore, Dynamo wrote to the County Council setting out its case for a dedicated, fully protected cycle route the whole length of the A6 from Lancaster City Centre to the University and Galgate, deriving solid and consistent support from the County Council’s Local Transport Plan of 2011 and from central UK government policy. Here is the letter, to which on 24th January no reply had yet been received:

Link to a full copy of the letter.

Extracts from the letter and supporting documents:

Mr Tim Munday
Jacobs Engineering Ltd

Dear Mr Munday

Cycle provision along A6 corridor between Galgate and Lancaster

As the Lancaster & District Cycle Campaign, Dynamo represents the views of its members and those of other cyclists in the district. We have 15 years’
experience of cycle campaigning, which has in the recent past involved
collaborating with Lancashire County Council and consultants Mayer Brown in
how best to maximise the six years of Cycle Demonstration Town investment.
Thus as legitimate and appropriate stakeholders in the development of the A6
corridor from Lancaster city centre to Junction 33, we feel justified in submitting our proposals on behalf of the many cyclists in the district.

Moreover, cycling, which clearly has a major role to play in delivering
LTP3 objectives of meeting major national, transport and health policies, as well as observing Lancashire County Council’s own road user hierarchy, is not
represented in your list of named stakeholders.

Waiting to input at the public consultation stage has, in our experience, always proved futile. For this reason, we attach below for your consideration, at an early stage, our proposals for the A6 corridor with the necessary supporting evidence.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely

Richard Follows
For Dynamo
cc: County Councillor Tim Ashton; Jo Turton, Environment Directorate; County Councillor Chris Coates; County Councillor Joan Jackson

From the supporting documents:

Dynamo’s specific case is as follows:
a. The University – City Centre route links a major educational institution and
employer (LU) with a major health facility and employer (RLI), and with
multiple businesses in the centre.
b. A safe and attractive cycling route along the A6 would reduce transport, and
thereby social, inequalities by making the cheapest, healthiest, fastest and
most reliable urban transport modality available to all residents and visitors,
regardless of social milieu.
c. [Car parking] use of space does not meet any of the transport or
health goals stated in the relevant national or local policies, and interferes with the priority use of this corridor for transport.
d. As well as specific advantages for the A6 route, prioritisation of cycling
‘supports the district’s achievements in encouraging a culture of cycling and
walking’ …
e. Prioritisation of cycling … would reduce noise and pollution for people living near the route, the improvement in living conditions contributing to wider social policy aims.
f. Even more urgently from an ethical standpoint, there would be road safety
improvements for residents along the route, with less road space devoted to
fast and/or heavy vehicles, making the corridor a much safer place for users
of all ages, needs and abilities.
g. Prioritisation of cycling along the A6 would … demonstrate, in a highly visible way at the gateway to the city, leadership in the transition to low-carbon
planning.

The minutes are detailed in full on our minutes page.

Along with ongoing activity such as the A6 corridor, an exciting idea to tie in cycling in the area with the passing through of the Olympic torch was muted. Further details are below and on the minutes page.

Topics discussed were:

1    Minutes of previous meeting
a.    Chapel Street
b.    Lancashire Cycling Strategy
c.    Social media

2.    Lancashire Cycle Forum
3.    Towpath
4.    Next Lancaster cycle forum
5.    Cyclenation questionnaire
6.    Treasurer stuff
7.    20′s plenty domain name
8.    A cycle event

At the previous meeting we had discussed the idea of a “cycling day” at the Friends’ Meeting House to get a consensus on lobbying for cycling in the district.  A couple of possible dates were proposed, but after some discussion we agreed that we this would be uphill work (given the end of the CDT and the disappearance of dedicated employees to focus on cycling matters) and risked not being a success.  If we wish to engineer a major cycling event, a better option might be to go with the flow and link it to the passage through the district of the Olympic torch around 23-24 June. 
We agreed to email relevant Cabinet members before Tuesday to propose to them that there is a major cycling (and other) festival in the centre of Lancaster that weekend which involves closing the one-way system, organising a cycle race and then offering an opportunity for everyone to cycle/roller-blade/walk round the city on closed roads, seeing it as they’ve never seen it before.  It ticks the Olympic boxes of sport and encouraging everyone to become more active.  Have attractions and displays in Dalton Square.  Other events, too – for the Council to decide.  No matter what our individual thoughts on the wastefulness of the Olympics, this torch passage is going to happen and the money will be spent, so we should present it as an opportunity for a major spectacle along our kind of lines.

9.    A6 corridor south
10.    Residential cycle parking
11.    Date and time of next meeting

Please contact us if you have any comments to make on the topics. Items discussed were:

1.    Pointer roundabout and Dynamo’s approach to cycle campaigning

2.    Next cycling forum and proposal for the Lancaster Spring event

3.    Chapel Street

4.    Lancashire Cycling Strategy consultation event

5.    Social media

FREE Cycle Commuting to Work courses tailored to your needs.
Improve your confidence and practical on-road cycling skills.
Your friendly trainer will deliver sessions one-to-one or in small groups of friends and colleagues.

Our approved trainers are experts in helping people cycle safely and confidently. To find out more and book your FREE 2 hour session contact the cycle training provider in the area that you live or work:

Lancaster:Damian at CTC Tel 07825 883572 damian.bonsall@bikeclub.org.uk
Chorley, Preston, South Ribble: Donna Parkinson at Cycling Projects Tel 07971 476721 donna.parkinson@cycling.org.uk
West Lancs: Brian or Val at Sefton Council Tel 0151 934 4638 brian.nener@sefton.gov.uk Tel 0151 934 4234
Burnley,Ribble Valley:: Ian at I Cycles Training Tel 07976 757684 gibbs.ian@btinternet.com
Hyndburn: Kirsti at Go Velo Tel 07725 135554 grayson.kirsti@googlemail.com
Pendle: Wayne at Pendle Leisure Trust Tel 01282 661315 wayne.bowman@pendleleisuretrust.co.uk
Rossendale: Seamus at CTC Tel 07786 550658 seamus.kelly@ctc.org.uk
Blackpool, Fylde, Wyre: Carol at Blackpool Council Tel 01253 476182 cycling@blackpool.gov.uk
Blackburn: Nick at Tel 07739 779690 Blackburn with Darwen Council nick.burton@blackburn.gov.uk

The free cycle training on offer has a value of up to £40
www.lancashire.gov.uk/cycling
cycling@lancashire.gov.uk

The main topics at the meeting will be

a) The A6 corridor from Lancaster to the motorway junction south of Galgate
b) Pointer Roundabout

The previous minutes, agenda, and a cycle audit of the A6, are linked to here.

“If Dynamo’s key aim was to transform this Steering Group, that was well on its way to powering a sports led, elite group, determined to judge cycling success by ‘the number of potential podium place cyclists’, into a Support Group that puts utility cycling and education at the centre, then it may have been a successful day.

That is to judge from input from the floor, from where not a single voice was heard arguing that the project should be sport or even leisure led. The directorate claimed to be listening and noting in their role as a conduit for the participants’ suggestions.

Anyway, we shall see in January, when the redrafted strategy is published, whether it really was listening.”

Link to the document

Representatives from Dynamo will be attending the above meeting next Monday, but you may have your own comments to make or wish to see the documents that all this is based on. Details are on the email below this blog posting.

The main direction of Dynamo’s response to the draft document will be that we have a real problem with the lack of orientation to everyday, utility cycling in the draft strategy, and the ways in which it seems to be thinking about cycling solely as a leisure/sporting/tourist practice. Dynamo’s chief concern is in getting local people riding local journeys by bike, and we’ll respond to that effect. It’s notable – for example – that, at present, the Highways Authority is not seen as a partner to this strategy!

If you have further comments then please let Dynamo know, or perhaps even attend yourself (details again in the email below).

—

Invite letter:

Dear PartnerOn behalf of the Lancashire Cycling Steering Group,

I would like to invite you to the Lancashire Cycling Strategy Consultation Workshop, which is being held on Monday 21 November 1.00pm – 4.00pm at Preston Town Hall
The Lancashire Cycling Steering Group was reformed in October 2010 and includes representatives from a broad selection of agencies who share common objectives about cycling. The Steering Group is governed by Terms of Reference, a copy of which is attached to this e-mail for your reference.
The core purpose of the group is to offer leadership and direction to the coordinated development of cycling across Lancashire. This has the overall aim to grow and sustain participation in cycling whether this is in cycling sport, utility cycling, active recreation, active living or cycle tourism.

Over the past 12months the group has led the development of a Lancashire Cycling Strategy and the associated Action Plan. The purpose of the strategy is to add value to the already extensive cycling work that is delivered across Lancashire in order to help create a measurable change in the number of people cycling in Lancashire.

The Cycling Steering Group are now undertaking an extensive consultation on the Lancashire Cycling Strategy and would like to invite you to offer your thoughts and ideas about the strategy content and the Steering Groups direction of travel. In preparation for the the workshop please find attached a copy of the DRAFT Lancashire Cycling Strategy and Action Plan.
To register to attend the workshop please click on the link and complete the short register form.
We very much hope that you are able to attend the consultation workshop. However, if you are unable to attend we would still welcome your feedback by e-mailing your thoughts, ideas and comments to me at jmoss@lancashiresport.org.uk
Please feel free to forward this e-mail to other local organisations or groups, such as Cycling Development Groups, which you feel would welcome the opportunity to be part of the consultation process.
We look forward to seeing you on Monday 21 November 2011, 1pm at Preston Town Hall
Many Thanks
Joanne Moss
Partnership Director
Lancashire Sport Partnership

]]> http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/lancashire-cycling-strategy-consultation-workshop-21-november-2011/feed/ 0 lancasterdynamo http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/thought-for-the-day-found-on-a-facebook-page/ http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/thought-for-the-day-found-on-a-facebook-page/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:39:11 +0000 lancasterdynamo http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/?p=260 Continue reading →]]> Quick, make Bowerham Road a 20mph zone! Boy racers repressed by speed restrictions elsewhere seem to think it’s motorway where cyclists must be knocked off their bikes (my friend, tuesday) or forced off the road entirely (me, today). I thought it was the official bike route through a cycling demonstration city!

]]> http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/2011/11/17/thought-for-the-day-found-on-a-facebook-page/feed/ 0 lancasterdynamo http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/minutes-dynamo-meeting-10-november-2011/ http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/minutes-dynamo-meeting-10-november-2011/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:47:45 +0000 lancasterdynamo http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/?p=256 Continue reading →]]> The minutes of the last Dynamo committee meeting are now available here.

Items discussed were:

1.    Treasurer matters

2.    20mph speed limits

3.    Pointer roundabout

4.    Chapel Street contra-flow

5.    Secure home bike parking

6.    Lancashire County Council draft cycling strategy – consultation workshop on 21 November in Preston

7.    Lancaster Cycle Forum

8.    New cycling person at City Council

9.    Newsletter

10.    Bailrigg Science [Industrial] Park

11.    Membership

12.    “Except cycles” signs

13.    Cycle bridges

14.    Station parking

15.    Date and time of next meeting

 

]]> http://lancasterdynamo.wordpress.com/2011/11/16/minutes-dynamo-meeting-10-november-2011/feed/ 0 lancasterdynamo