To celebrate 125 years of Raleigh and innovation The University of Nottingham will be organising a series of free events.

Beginning with a series of talks, discussions and films the Bike! season will also include the touring of a new play around the city, and will culminate in an activity packed finale event at The University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus – the site of what was once the most modern bicycle company in the world.

The talks will include a series of open presentations and lectures by former Raleigh workers, bike historians and current Raleigh management.

The films, which are to be shown at Broadway Cinema will include a number of cycle related activities and displays.

Hanby and Barrett will be working with members of the community to create an original theatre show, that will be performed in a variety of venues around the city.

More details on the upcoming events here with the first event being a talk about Brompton on the 21st Feb.

A new version of the newsletter has just been published and can be seen here.

Fit for Cycling Campaign

The Times newspaper is running a campaign to make cities more safe for cycling which the DCG supports.

You can find more details on the campaign and ways to join in at this link

A few places remain for the planned British Cycling Ride Leader Training on Saturday 10th March. Training takes place at the new Wellington Street Cycle Training Hub (Former Central lending Library on Wellington St) in Leicester.

An opportunity to join the British Cycling team in the 2012 Olympic Year – Paid and Voluntary work is available for people successful in completing this training and committed to supporting at least 4 rides over the summer.

Contact Janet Hudson - janethudson@britishcycling.org.uk – Talk to Janet for additional information – 07860404833.

Derby City Council are bidding for £5 million of funding from the Department for Transport for developments in sustainable travel.

To help secure the funding, the project needs letters of support from the people of Derby and from businesses which operate there.

Please write today to Rachel Harvey at the address below to express your support for the project:

Rachel Harvey
Transport Planning Group Manager
Neighbourhood Directorate,
Derby City Council,
Saxon House,
Friary Street,
Derby,
DE1 1AN

The bid covers several themes, engaging with local employers large and small to develop better integrated walking, cycling and public transport initiatives.

This project will see many improvements to the cycle network in the south east of the city, including the lighting of the Riverside Path between Alvaston Park, and the new Raynesway Park Industrial Estate and will create better access from Spondon with Raynesway, and help develop cycle routes with the forthcoming West Chellaston and Raynesway Park Business Parks. It will also allow Cycle Derby to continue to expand and improve their promotion of cycling through training, information and events, which have been so influential in getting cyclist numbers rising so fast in the past few years. Their successful strategy which has got so many thousands of children cycling regularly to school every day will be expanded to promote cycling to work in a similar way.

Even if the project is not in an area you think affects you directly, it will ensure that Derby City Council continues to employ those committed people who deliver the many cycle facilities which have been built in Derby in the past. Over the last decade there has been a continual improvement in the overall quality of the cycle routes developed by the Sustainable Travel team, and they have slowly been expanding the network as meagre funding allows. Some routes are by common agreement not satisfactory, but the strategy is to create routes which will enable less confident cyclists to start to ride; in the fullness of time, as cyclist numbers rise, it will create the justification for more funding to improve the routes.

If this LSTF funding is not secured, many of the council team may not have a job and all of us will see much less cycle route development in the future.

Please support the council bid in writing.

Deadline: Wed 8^th February 2012

The new Derby Multi Sports Arena will be next to Pride Park Stadium and will include a 250m indoor Velodrome and a 1.5km closed road circuit; it is absolutely stunning, inside and out and will be a great local and national attraction. see the inside and the outside

These facilities will enable Cycle Derby to take cycling to many, many more people than before. The closed road circuit will enable off-road cycle training at all standards, as well as offering a sporting challenge to experienced riders.

Children in Derby have flocked in huge numbers to the BMX track, the Cyclo-cross race series and the Basses Rec’ wheeled sports park (BMX tricks and skateboards), and the children have been the bedrock of the growth in cycling in the city; over 7% of our children now cycle to school regularly. The Velodrome and the closed road circuit will add hugely to that growth of a cycling culture.

It is however essential to show explicit support for the Velodrome and closed road circuit. We know that some local politicians would rather spend the money elsewhere. We need to give the planning committee no excuse for not passing the plans in full.

Please, will all members do two things before Wed 8^th February 2012:

1. Support the planning application for the new multi sports arena, including the velodorme and closed road circuit using the internet comment form or by letter.
2. Write to or e-mail all three of your local councillors and tell them that you support the planning application, why these cycle facilities will increase cycling in the city, and why that is important (for health, congestion, pollution and personal economy). Derby City Councillors

Individually written, individually worded responses carry much more weight than pre-defined text or petitions, but it does not have to be lengthy

Follow the instructions here to make a comment on the planning application.

Open the planning application using the link here:

http://eplanning.derby.gov.uk/acolnet/planningpages02/acolnetcgi.gov?ACTION=UNWRAP&RIPNAME=Root.PgeDocs&TheSystemkey=92471

Written comments can be sent to:

Sara Booty
Development Management,
Neighbourhoods Directorate,
Saxon House,
Friary Street,
Derby DE1 1AN

Canvas Support From Your Local Councillors:

Write to your city councillors and/or the party leaders and tell them of your support and how you think the Velodrome and the Closed Road Circuit will benefit Derby and its citizens. Many councillors are not cyclists and they do not realise how much is going on in the city regarding cycling either within cycling clubs, on the streets with everyday cycling, and not even from Cycle Derby its self. Some parties would like to use the money for other things; they don’t think cycling is useful or has support. You all need to show them that they are wrong.

If you are from outside the city, but would use these facilities, let the party leaders know about it. Find your councillors from this link: Derby City Councillors

The leaders of the three main political parties are:

• Conservatives:             Philip Hickson (Allestree)
• Labour:                        Paul Bayliss (Alvaston)
• Lib Dems:                   Hilary Jones (Mickleover)

There is a campaign based in Bristol by LifeCycle to raise awareness of the issues of cycling in icy weather. The aim of the campaign is to highlight the hazards of cycling in icy conditions and to offer information and resources to help cyclists make informed decisions. There are different solutions for the different situations cyclists come up against.

More details (and a request for feedback) can be found here

On Wednesday evening I saw plans for the new Derby Multi Sports Arena, which incorporates a Velodrome, a sports hall big enough for 12 badminton courts, a 125 item gym, and outside a 1.5km closed cycle road circuit. It is absolutely fantastic. The sports hall is below the velodrome, but the velodrome is open in the middle. So while you are playing badders or basketball or five a side footie down below, the bikes are whizzing round above your head. I expect the effect will be absolutely stunning. The arena will be next to Pride Park Stadium, the road circuit will go round the outside of the nature reserve next door. There will be a direct cycle and walking link with the Riverside Path. All we need now is for our esteemed council planning committee to approve the plans.

Since you can now buy a new inner tube in the Pound Shop for (guess what?) ……… £1, is it worth repairing punctured inner tubes any longer?

Minutes of meeting Derby Cycling Group Tuesday 3^rd January 2012 Brunswick

Present:

Tony Roelich, Dave Clasby, Les Sims, Martin Aldred, Ian Alexander, Nigel Aspdin, John Palmer (Chair). Ian Dent,

Apologies

Lucy Care, Ian Care, Vijaya Ramisetti

Minutes of  meeting

Minutes of the December meeting were not sent out by errant minute secretary and agreed, except that Martin Quarton was not at the October meeting.

Actions Arising

4. Campaigns

Meeting Jan 18^th Jan for new sports centre and velodrome, TR been invited, DC going with Sustrans.

Notification of closure from Steve Gaskin of Riverside path from Raynesway to turning to Elvaston Castle, diversion been proposed.

Queensway and University who now claim that 106 money has been spent on improving other links especially buses.

Meeting with Matt Holmes. Positive as he does get it. Not willing to change priorities re LTP but acknowledged the role of cycling, he is a cyclist. Asset management top priority.  Cycle Derby now been mainstreamed into core funding.

West Chellaston development, keen to link the paths.

Cathedral Quarter issues raised.

Station forecourt, unaware of issues that might delay. TR to contact Andy Smart, Tony Gascoigne  and Matt Holmes about the confusion over time lines and to clarify.

One way streets and 20 mph zones broadly in favour.

London Road new bridge funding approved. Rip out replace, foot and cycle bridge in place during construction. Looking to include cycle provision in new bridge. The old footbridge can be reused but where?

Gritting discussion took place on desireability of gritting and putting pressure on council

Newsletter

Mailshot news letter with renewal notice. VJ newsletter, TR to create members letter via mail merge, Printing newsletter getting quotes and it done ID to coordinate, membership cards, MA to do overall coordination, then we need meeting for us all to meet March 20^th to do the stuffing here at Brunswick 7:30pm.

January newsletter 2012 need 50 copies printed and putting in envelopes, DC to print, Les to hand write the addresses on the envelopes.

Events

Simon Geller coming to next meeting to speak about Cyclenation or to attend at the next EMCF.

AOB

Website: Put info up about EMCF meeting on Feb 11^th 2012

EMCF: publicity to be done by all.

Date of next meeting: Feb 7^th Tuesday 2012.  The Brunswick.

Chair: Tony Roelich