I am a regular cyclist and long term member of the DCG, although only active in the last 3 years. I've always enjoyed leisure cycling and have also commuted by cycle when my job has allowed. I am now a regular commuter by bike and bus. Previously undertook membership secretary and newsletter editor roles for the DCG and am now webmaster and treasurer.
Dan Robertson (the local volunteer co-ordinator) would be happy to explain more about the roles. Contact him on Volunteers-MidsEast@sustrans.org.uk or 07785 27 37 40. Whilst the leaflet gives some ideas for the roles available, there is a wide set of requirements and it is worth speaking with Dan to explain your particular interests and to see how they can best be accommodated.
The recently opened Infinity Park link road includes some very good provisions for cycling and the contractors / Derby City Council should be congratulated on their work. Each side of the road has a wide cycling / pedestrian path and the crossings over the road for
Infinity Way – excellent wide cycle routes on both sides of the road.
existing cycle routes (e.g. Sinfin Moor Lane and Route 6 – Derby Canal path) are well constructed and controlled by traffic lights.
No doubt there are small improvements that could be made but if all the roads in Derby had this level of cycling provision (and were properly linked) we’d be in a much better situation.
We’re not slow to criticise when inadequate facilities are put in place so it’s only fair to give praise when praise is due.
Well done to the contractors and the City Council.
Cyclists who have visited the Cloud Trail (near Breedon on the Hill) over the last few years are always impressed at the view of the quarry and how small the workers and their massive earth moving machines seem. However, recently the growth of the foliage behind the protective fence (i.e. on the edge of the quarry) has got out of hand and the view had totally disappeared.
View restored
After we got in touch with the Breedon Quarry Group, their Operations Manager (Carl Ashurst) has been instrumental in getting the foliage cut back (a major job when at the edge of the massive cliff) and the excellent view has been reinstated.
It is now, once again, worth the trip to the Cloud Trail (incidentally, a completely traffic route of about 15 miles from Derby).
Our thanks for the Breedon Quarry Group and, in particular, Carl for their very helpful and “can-do” attitude.
If you are (or know of) an organisation in Derby that could make use of free bike stands then get your application in quickly as a few are available. The stands and delivery are free but the organisation needs to pay for installation.
See the this site for full details. The offer is open to small businesses, charities, housing associations, community groups or other not for profit organisations.
A “club” for Derby Cycling Group has been set up on Strava. Any Derby Cycling Group members who are also Strava users are welcome to join the club by visiting www.strava.com/clubs/derbycyclinggroup
This could be a useful way of capturing data on the most popular cycling routes in Derby although I am aware that most cyclists don’t use Strava so the data could be unrepresentative of the average cyclist. It might also be a way for individuals to find routes that they hadn’t thought about in the local area.
As part of the ongoing work for the new flood defences (Our City, Our River), a small stretch of new cyclepath has been laid in Darley Fields and looks very good quality. It is still fenced off at the moment but seems to be an excellent tarmac surface.
The new route (only 50-100m) runs from the existing cycle route through Darley Fields to the route alongside the river next to Parker’s Piece (next to where the bowling green used to be).
Hopefully, this is an indication of the quality of the facilities we can expect as the flood defence project progresses.
Whilst there has been a lot of local coverage in the press about the closure of the Park Bikeworks cafe and shop, it is perhaps not realised that the free bike parking and showers are still open for all.
The Department for Transport have published a new study examining the various different benefits that cycling can provide.
The review found that existing methods of appraisal do not incorporate the full extent of economic benefits associated with cycling. The review found these potential benefits:
economic growth can result from high density, cycle friendly urban design
reduced infrastructure maintenance costs
cycle parking allows 5 times more retail spend than the same space for car parking
cycle friendly neighbourhoods can have greater retail spend
One source of data for “which routes do cyclists use” is the Strava data collected for all the users of Strava. Whilst the data cannot be taken as typical of all cycle users in Derby, the results are interesting in showing some of the most popular routes. Note that the data is only up to May 2015.
For example, the Riverside Path is very well used as is Duffield Road and the A6 north of Derby.
You can see the Strava heat map data at this link The more heavily used routes are shown in red, the lesser used ones in yellow or green.
