Stirling Cycle Training

Autumn Cycle Training Opportunities

2011-10-03T08:05:00.000-07:00

Cycle training for children
Stirling Cycle Training summer holiday courses for children were very popular and the feedback has been excellent.

The dates for the October holiday week courses are:

Course 9:
Monday 10 October 2011 to Thursday 13 October 2011 10am -12 noon

Suitable for those aged 9 - 13 who can ride in control but have not done any previous cycle proficiency training or those who feel they need more practice to enable them to cycle safely on the road and manage real road conditions.

Course 10:
Monday 10 October 2011 to Thursday 13 October 2.00pm -3.30pm

Suitable for those aged 7 - 8 who can ride in control but have not done any previous cycle proficiency training. This will be similar to the course for 9 -13 year olds but we expect to spend more time on bike control exercises and we will not progress onto mini roundabouts

Details at: http://www.stirlingcycletraining.com/

Free adult bike skills training

As part of the Going Carbon Neutral Stirling "Cycle Stirling" events, free cycle training is available in October & November.
• On road cycling for beginners
• Advanced on road cycling for experienced cyclists
• Commuting bike skills
     Stage 1: A one hour introduction session delivered in groups of 10 (max)
     Stage 2: 1 to 3 hours of bespoke individual on road cycle training with a qualified cycle instructor

Places are limited so register your interest by e mailing your details to: gcns@ksbscotland.org.uk This training is for those aged 17 and over.   http://www.cyclestirling.org.uk/

Childrens Cycle Proficiency (Bikeability) courses 10 -13 October 2011

2011-09-14T02:29:00.000-07:00

Stirling Cycle Training summer courses were very popular during the school holidays and the feedback has been excellent.
We are now taking bookings for the October holiday on road cycling for beginners courses:

Course 9:Details at: http://www.stirlingcycletraining.com/

Monday 10 October 2011
to
Thursday 13 October 2011
10am -12 noon

Suitable for those aged 9 - 13 who can ride in control but have not done any previous cycle proficiency training or those who feel they need more practice to enable them to cycle safely on the road and manage real road conditions.

For younger children we will be running a slightly shorter course.

Course 10. Monday 10 October 2011 to Thursday 13 October 2.00 pm -3.30 pm

Suitable for those aged 7 - 8 who can ride in control but have not done any previous cycle proficiency training. This will be similar to the course for 9 -13 year olds but we expect to spend more time on bike control exercises and we will not progress onto mini roundabouts.

Happy Cycling

Bike, buses & trains

2011-09-08T04:38:00.000-07:00

Way back in 1984 I used to commute 13 hilly miles between Bath to Trowbridge. On good weather days I would cycle the whole journey but most days I would cycle to the Bath Spa station and put my bike in the guards van and then cycle from Trowbridge station to the office.

Guards vans and their vast space for luggage are long gone. Now if I am going from Stirling to Edinburgh or Glasgow I have to gamble that one of the 4 spaces for bikes will be available, or I need to buy a folding bike - for which there are no restrictions.

If you do not have your own folding bike this Brompton folding bike hire scheme run by South West Trains at Waterloo Station in London solves the problem of the cycle commuter on trains. It has been tried and tested, could work in Scotland and would be far less expensive than building lots of extra carriages. see http://www.southwesttrains.co.uk/bromptonbikes.aspx

It has been so successful that South West Trains have now extended the scheme to include hiring Brompton folding bikes from an unmanned "Bike Dock" at Guilford Station

see http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/guildford-station-sees-uks-first-e...

and http://pilot.bromptondock.co.uk/thebromptondock.php

It would be great if this were available from Sctorail....

However cyclists will be allowed to put their bikes on buses in some Scottish bus routes in a pioneering trial from transport operator First Group.

Cyclists will be able to board First Group bus services with their bikes in Glasgow, Aberdeen and services that connect eastern Scotland. The trial for the bike on bus scheme is due to start in the autumn 2011.

Bikes will be parked in the space occupied by baby buggies or wheelchairs if the space is not occupied by those items and only after 7pm when passenger traffic on the buses are less busy. Only one bike will be carried per bus.

Mark Savelli, First Group’s regional managing director for Scotland, told the Scotsman newspaper that cycles would be carried for free initially, though a charge of £1 could be considered if the trial is successful.

“We should be seeing cyclists as a friend not a foe – buses and bikes often just try to avoid each other. We could help encourage people to cycle, knowing they would not have to go back home in the dark and wet.”

First Group’s move follows a campaign in the Scottish Parliament to get Scottish bus companies to carry bikes on their vehicles, whether inside or strapped to buses. Earlier this year, Green Lothians MSP Alison Johnstone put forward a motion in the Scottish Parliament calling on bus firms to provide bike racks for both leisure and everyday journeys.
see http://bit.ly/phpVoZ

Spaces still availble - book now to avoid disappointment

2011-08-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Stirling Cycle Training summer courses have been very popular during the school holidays and the feedback has been excellent.

There are still some spaces on:

Course 5: Monday 8 August 2011 to Thursday 11 August 2011 10am -12 noon

Course 6: Monday 15 August 2011 to Thursday 18 August 2011 10am -12 noon

Suitable for those aged 9 - 13 who can ride in control but have not done any previous cycle proficiency training or those who feel they need more practice to enable them to cycle safely on the road and manage real road conditions.

Details at: http://www.stirlingcycletraining.com/

Happy Cycling

Big Bike Fun Day at Stirling University on Sunday 31 July

2011-07-29T04:10:00.000-07:00

Going Carbon Neutral Stirling are organising an afternoon of cycling fun at the University of Stirling campus this Sunday 31st July from 12.00 -16.00.

Stirling Cycle Training will be there providing Free cycle training taster sessions on:

how to ditch the stabalisers;
introduction to riding on road
for experienced cyclists "how to manage traffic calming pinch points"

Cycling Scotland will also be offering free basic bike skills training sessions.

In addition there will be:

a short traffic free loop for cycling - ideal for children & less confident cyclists
2 x guided longer road routes out and back from the uni on for more confident cyclists-
guided mountain bike trail - must have own bike & helmet
Free bike maintenance & bike security coding
have a go sessions with electric bikes & cargo bikes
Cycling stuff jumble sale
Free face painting, unicycling & MUCH MORE!

Details at: http://www.cyclestirling.org.uk/events/the-big-bike-fun-day

see you there ?

Family friendly cycle routes

2011-06-03T04:16:00.000-07:00

Family cycle rides can be great fun. The following are either off road, or quiet roads in and around the local area.

Dunblane to Doune on the old railway cycle path. See full write up on earlier post
Callander to Lochearnhead via Strathyre on the Sustrans off road route
Clackmannan to Dunfermline on the old railway path
Bridge of Allan to Dunblane via old Glen Road (hilly)
Stirling to Fallin to visit the bings on the old railway cycle path
Forth & Clyde Canal Path. Glasgow to Edinburgh via Kirkintilloch, Falkirk wheel, Polmont, Linlithgow
Strathkelvin Railway Path (Strathblane – Lenzie)
Round Loch Katrine (bike hire available at the start)
Gargunnock to Balfron (see below for more detail)

Gargunnock to Balfron on quiet roads and tracks, this is a beautiful route. You do need a good map for the bit out of Gargunnock- it can be confusing which path you need to take and it can get boggy on the farm tracks after rain.... see a map of the route here (it’s the quiet/balanced route option not the fast route option)

The Forestry Commission have a network of family friendly cycle routes around the Trossachs National Park by Aberfoyle. The Trossachs.co.uk web site have details & maps

Over at Families online Ian Park has recommended some family friendy routes around Falkirk (Callendar estates, Callendar Park, Muiravonside country park)
http://www.familiesonline.co.uk/LOCATIONS/Central-Scotland/Articles/Family-friendly-cycle-routes-suitable-for-children-of-all-ages-in-and-around-Stirling-Falkirk-and-Clacks-areas

Cycling Maps for Stirling, Dunblane, Falkirk & East Dunbarton are free to download from the Stirling Cycle Training

Sustrans web site has maps of off road & on road routes. Enter your post code to find local routes

There is a good cycle route planner at the cyclestreets web site

Note:
This blog entry is a work in progress – At this time of year I am very busy with cycle training lessons, so when it gets quieter I will tidy this up. Having done a quick list for a friend I thought I would share it with everybody.

Dunblane to Doune family cycling route. Gap completed

2011-03-29T14:07:00.000-07:00

The A820 Dunblane - Doune road is not suitable for family cycling (well not with my 9 & 11 year olds) so from Dunblane we cycle up the Old Doune Rd, past Dunblane High School, across the "foot" bridge over the A9 and then on back roads / farm tracks to the start of the excellent cycle path (by Mill of Argaty, Grid Reference 753018) which goes to Doune.

This involves using 300m of path (Stirling Council core paths ref: 9078Du/15) from GR 756013 to GR 756016 which was an old cart track but until recently it has been an overgrown flooded footpath, barely passable on foot (see picture).

However the good folk at Stirling Council, with some financial assistance from the good folk at Sustrans, have just finished upgrading that path, laying some nice tarmac and improving the sight lines for crossing the A820 Dunblane to Doune Road. Just in time for Spring and the Easter holidays - so get the kids out to Doune for a picnic at Doune ponds or to reinact Monty Python and the Holy Grail at Doune castle

This will also make a nice "safer route to school" for any children living in Doune who attend Dunblane High School

You can see the route using the Cycle Streets cycling route planner. Cycle Streets is a cycle specific route planning web site based on open source mapping (think Wikipedia for maps), so it is under constant development and much of the mapping has been done by cyclists.

What works

2011-02-07T14:45:00.000-08:00

Stirling cycle

View more presentations from stirlingcycletraining.

Speaking notes for What works well power point presentation

View more documents from stirlingcycletraining.

Children’s bike buying guide

2010-11-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

It’s coming up to Christmas…..

Having done bike safety checks on hundreds of kids bikes I recommend you ask the following questions before buying that new children’s bike.

1. How heavy is the bike?
A bike that is so heavy that the child struggles to pick it up when it is laid down or to lift the front wheel over a kerb will be very hard work to ride. As a result cycling is not fun and the bike will hardly get used – eventually you will find it at the back of the shed still looking brand new and your children will have outgrown it. A bike that hardly gets used is not a bargain.

2. Does the bike fit the child?
Can your child get a foot on the ground when sitting on the saddle (both feet if they are learners)? Can they stand in front of the saddle with both feet on the floor and straddle the top tube? If they can’t do both of these the bike is too big so get a smaller one which does fit.

3. Are the brake handles scaled for children’s hands?
Many cheap bikes for children aged over 10 use adult size components but children often can’t get more than the ends of their finger tips onto the brake handles. This means they are not able to put enough pressure on the brakes to stop the bike in an emergency. Mum or dad might be able to put the brakes on but it’s the child who will be riding it. It is best if the child who is going to be riding the bike does a brake check before purchase, or have an adult try the brakes only using their little finger – that is the equivalent of a child’s grip strength.

4. How many gears do you need?
Few children at primary school will properly manage bikes with gears on the rear wheel and on the chain rings by the pedals. Get a bike with a wide range rear block of about 8 gears and single chain ring at the front. They will more quickly understand how to use gears and have fewer mechanical problems.

5. Do you need really need suspension?
All your mates have a bike with suspension and full suspension “must” be better. But it is fashion and peer pressure that is driving the move to have suspension on most kids bikes. Be suspicious of suspension on cheap bikes, especially rear suspension. Cheap suspension is often of such poor quality that the only thing it does is add weight to the bike. You do not need a suspension to ride around town, on off road Sustrans type paths or forestry tracks. Look at what cycle cross riders do on a suspension free cyclo cross bike.

I went for Isla bikes for my kids. They were not cheap but are excellent quality and good value; I have a waiting list of people wanting to buy them second-hand when my kids have grown out of them. Most importantly the kids love them, and when their mates who have cheap, heavy, suspension laden bikes have a go their eyes light up and they shout “this is great, it’s so fast, it’s so light….”

You will find lots of detailed advice about buying bikes for children and cycling with children in the CTC Guide to family cycling ISBN 978 0 954817640

Bropax award for outstanding achievement in cycle promotion 2010

2010-11-09T08:42:00.000-08:00

St Ninian's Primary School entered the Cycling Scotland awards for innovation in cycling in November 2010. The school received a 'Highly Commended' award from the judges.

Detailed below is the award submission which describes the approach adopted and the benefits delivered. The submission includes the following sections:

summary
innovation
funding
impact
parntership
good practice

Summary
St Ninians Primary School is an urban school with 340 pupils. Developing and Implementing our School Travel Plan (STP) has succeeded in increasing the number of children cycling to school from 1% to over 18%.

As part of the consultation for the plan the major barriers to children cycling were identified by parents & children. The major barriers were:
• fear of traffic volume
• fear of traffic speed
• parents not letting children cycle if they had not received any training.

We have addressed these barriers.
The fear of traffic speed and volume has been addressed by lobbying Stirling Council to implement extensive 20 mph speed limits in roads and housing estates near the school.
To remove the barrier of parents not allowing untrained children to cycle we have delivered cycle proficiency training at National Standards in Cycle Training level 1, level 2 and toward level 3 under the supervision of a qualified cycle trainer. Level 1 training was delivered in the playground, Level 2 and above has been delivered on road.

In 2009 we trained
   • 60 P6 children at level 1 & 2
   • 60 P7 children at level 1& 2
In 2010 we trained
   • 40 P3-P5 children at level 1
   • 31 P6 children at level 1 & 2
   • 25 P5/6 children at level 1& 2
   • 19 P7 children (who had level 1& 2 training in 2009) toward level 3

As can be seen in the following sections
   • we have been successful
   • others believe we have been innovative and an example of good practice

This project has been a successful partnership of: teachers, parents, other schools, Stirling Council, Torbrex community council, Active Stirling, Cycling Scotland, Recyke a bike and, most importantly, hundreds of children who have taken the opportunity offered and cycled to school.

Innovation
In 2006 parent volunteers from St Ninians Primary School with assistance from school staff, advice from Stirling Council school travel coordinator and in coordination with staff from Stirling High School (which was about to relocate to a site adjacent to the primary school), produced a School Travel Plan (STP). The travel survey completed by parents and children as part of the STP identified that fear of traffic volume and fear of traffic speed was a barrier to people cycling (and walking) to school and that the vast majority parents were not going to allow their children to cycle to school unless they had received some training.

Having looked at best practice throughout Europe we decided that we needed to have widespread 20 mph speed limits introduced in the catchment area and we needed to deliver cycle training to the children.
The cycle training had to deliver the skills children would need to cycle on the roads between home and school and would therefore need to include handling traffic calming pinch points and mini roundabouts as these are common forms of traffic calming used by Stirling Council. The Road Safety Scotland Scottish Cycle Training Scheme would therefore not be sufficient as it does not include instruction on managing traffic calming pinch points, mini roundabouts or keeping pedestrians safe on shared use paths. We had a volunteer train as a Cycling Scotland cycle trainer so that we could deliver National Standards Cycle Training towards level 3 to include handling these additional hazards which the children would have to deal with in order to safety cycle to school on their own. This was described as “innovative and best practice in Scotland” by Christopher Johnson of Cycling Scotland in our Cycling Friendly School Award letter (19 May 2010)

In lobbying for the extensive 20 mph speed limits we:-
   • set up meetings with officers from the Stirling Council roads, transport and open space department
   • attended public consultation meetings
   • attended community council meetings
   • wrote to, phoned and e mailed officers
   • attended councillors surgeries
   • wrote to, phoned and e mailed local councillors, portfolio holders and council leader
   • made formal objections to proposals when we felt that they were cycling unfriendly or did not cover a large enough area
   • attended the Regulatory Function Panel meetings where councillors gave the formal approval to the 20 mph speed limit schemes and at one RFP meeting were invited to make representations to the councillors.
   • Wrote letters to the local newspaper campaigning for the 20 mph speed limits
   • Wrote letters to the local newspaper rebutting the arguments of people who had written letters of complaint about the 20 mph scheme to the paper

We were successful in
   • making officers & councillors aware of the demand for 20 mph speed limits.
   • making some of the traffic calming more cycle friendly (removal of some speed bumps, sinusoidal profile for other speed bumps, and more cycle friendly positioning of some speed cushions).
   • increasing the area of the 20 mph speed limits – especially on Torbrex Road (red section on the map below) adjacent to the High School playing fields which initially the council officers would not include as a 20 mph speed limit.
Funding
This scheme has only cost the school £60 (to have recyke a bike provide a “Dr Bike” service during the summer fete, although we are grateful for other bike servicing they provided during cycle training sessions for free). Active Stirling provided free training to parent volunteers to deliver cycle training as did Cycling Scotland. Cycling Scotland and Active Stirling also provided free of charge training resources such as hi viz tabards, certificates and booklets for children. The vast majority of the cost of the 20 mph schemes implemented in the housing estates near the school came from section 75 planning gain money from the developer of the new housing on the old school sites.

Impact
Our vision, aims and objectives were developed as part of the development of the School Travel Plan. As described above this was a consultative process involving many school stakeholders.

In summary
We have a vision of:Healthier children travelling in a better environment

Our Aim:
To increase the number of children cycling to school

Our Objectives:
   • 20 mph speed limits in all the residential streets in the catchment area of the Stirling High School (The high School is adjacent to St Ninians PS)
   • To deliver cycle proficiency training of sufficient quality that children develop the skills they need to be able to ride to school

What have we achieved:

Before the STP was implemented:
   2006 2 or 3 children cycling, (1% - in line with national average)
After the STP was implemented:
   2010 spring & summer terms
    regularly having 35 (10%) cycling
    up to 65 (over 18%) when cycle training was taking place
2010 autumn term
    regularly still have 17 children cycling (5%)
    bear in mind we have lost a trained P7 cohort of 60 children to high school at the start of term and have not yet started the on road cycle training for the new P6 cohort

We have achieved our aim of increasing cycling levels. Furthermore we have we have almost doubled the CAP target of 10% of journeys by bike by 2020 and are half way there even on cold wet days.

We are continuing to monitor cycling levels as
   • further 20 mph speed limits are introduced
   • More children receive training
   • Following the installation of rain covers for the cycle parking (A Sustrans grant was awarded October 2010, shelters due by March 2011)

The Deputy Head has reported that
   • Cycling now embedded in Curriculum for Excellence Health and Well Being Programme.
   • A child with Additional Support Needs learnt to ride a bike during P6 lessons, this has given him a huge boost in confidence and a new found sense of independence
   • Interest has been shown by Stirling High School PE department about using cycling as a possible transition project for P7 children moving to high school.
   • The increased feeling of cycle community within the school from P3- P7 is snowballing to the younger community. Children attending the school nursery are now arriving on balance bikes

Partnership
This is a bottom up project. St Ninians PS was the target audience, we were the relevant community.
We worked collaboratively with other local stakeholders (the High School next door and the local community council) to lobby the local authority to deliver reduced traffic speeds we needed. We received training from Active Stirling and Cycling Scotland so that we could deliver the cycle proficiency training the children needed.

We have worked with mechanics from recyke a bike our local community enterprise cycle business to ensure childrens bikes are safe – both during training and at other school events (eg summer fair). Having activities taking place outside the cycle training has encouraged cycling to become viewed as a normal part of school life.

Many joint decisions have been made by teachers and parents. The school senior management team have been very supportive. They have linked cycle training as part of Curriculum for Excellence and have timetabled cycle proficiency training in school time for P6 for an hour a week over 16 weeks. Teaching staff have helped with the level 1 & level 2 training in school time and after school. Parents have been heavily involved: attending training courses, delivering training, allowing bikes to be shared during training, lending bikes and helping adjusting gears, brakes and fixing punctures.

We have been invited to visit other excellent schemes in operation and having seen the fantastic achievements of Mark Kiehlmann and ED's Cycle Co-op in Bishopbriggs we are now looking at introducing level 1 training to the P1 – P2 classes, if we can recruit the volunteers to do so.

We have shared our experiences with the School Council of Cambusbarron primary school near us in Stirling and with the Cornton community group Step in Stones.

Good practice
We acted on the feedback we received in the STP questionnaires when deciding our priorities were implementation of extensive 20 mph speed limits and delivery of quality cycle training.
We have delivered cycle training to National Standards in cycle training, overseen by a cycle instructor qualified by Cycling Scotland.
We researched for relevant research, policies and legislation (from Scotland and wider) to enable the best environment to deliver our objectives including:
We lobbied the council for 20 mph speed limits using DfT and Scottish Executive guidance. Eg. The DfT and the Scottish Executive have both stated that they expect roads around schools to have a 20 mph speed limit, even when that road has a normal speed limit of 60 mph (See Scottish Executive ETLLD Circular No. 1 /2004 & DfT Traffic Advisory leaflet 9/99).
We also quoted international research. Eg. A survey of European best practice by the Commission for Integrated Transport found that extensive 20mph limits have benefits beyond road safety. It found that towns and cities with extensive 20mph or 30kmh zones (typically covering 65-85% of the road network) were strongly linked with higher levels of walking and cycling (with all their associated health, environmental and social benefits) and with economic vitality. See Commission for Integrated Transport. European Best Practice Key Findings, 2001. See also WS Atkins plc, European Best Practice in the Delivery of Integrated Transport, Report on Stage 2: Case Studies. London 2001

We were invited by Rebecca Maxwell, Deputy Chief Executive of Stirling Council, to present our achievements at the “Working Together for a Sustainable Stirling” summit on 9th September 2010
Going Carbon Neutral Stirling asked us to attend the cycling and walking task force of the Active Living sub group of the Stirling Community Planning Partnership and following that Stirling Council Transport Planning department have asked us to be involved in the first meeting to discuss the Stirling cycling strategy.
We have been sharing the details of our project with the parent council of Cambusbarron PS & Cornton community group Step in Stones, both of whom are keen to replicate our success.

Green Champion Award

2010-10-18T02:29:00.000-07:00

This article was originally published in the Stirling Observer in September 2010:

The September 2010 Green Champion has been named by Going Carbon Neutral Stirling (GCNS) as Andrew Abbess.

Andrew, of Dalmorglen Park, Stirling, was nominated by GCNS manager Rachel Nunn who said he has demonstrated remarkable persistence, tenacity and knowledge over the years in trying to make Stirling's streets safer places and inviting places to walk and cycle.

He runs Abbess Teaching and Instruction Ltd, providing cycle training to adults and children.

He has experience in providing cycle proficiency training at National Standards level 1-3. In addition to his Cycling Scotland Instructor qualification, Andrew is a qualified PE teacher with many years' teaching experience.

Rachel added that, in his own time, Andrew has sought out, read and reported back on leading case studies, and governments' policy proposals, from all over the world, in order to support Stirling Council with the best evidence in a vision which improves our overall well-being.

"If GCNS wants to know anything about best practice that will help more of us get around Stirling safely by foot or bike, we ask Andrew," added Rachel. "If he wasn't there, I think I'd have to admit I'd have a problem.

"Andrew is a gem of a volunteer, the sort that Scotland says it is crying out for. Everything he knows stems from the fact he has taken the trouble to find it out himself.

"Where there is action that he can take himself such as starting up the volunteer supported bike training for school kids in Stirling, he does it.

"Where the support and participation of Stirling Council is needed, he asks for it - time and time again.

"He has written hundreds of emails, letters, attended dozens of meetings - often reiterating the same points - making improvements to ensure the safety and well-being of all road users.

"In this way, he is helping to create streets that will support kids and adults to make the leap from getting around by car to walking and cycling.

"I know lots of people are doing lots of great things - but Andrew deserves to be named as our Green Champion for his unshakeable enthusiasm and determination to cajole, encourage, inform and support our council to do the right things."

Traffic calming wanted

2010-09-02T14:04:00.000-07:00

Letter written to The Stirling Observer in December 2009. An edited version was published.

Dear Editor

Who wants more traffic calming? – Parents & children do

You have published letters on 9th December & 16 December 2009 from people unhappy about the new traffic calming in Torbrex, and complaining about the lack of consultation. There were three public meetings; I phoned & e mailed council employees & local councillors about the plans; I downloaded copies of plans from the council web site; I saw letters taped to lamp posts inviting objections and I was allowed to speak at the Council Regulatory Functions Panel meeting where the decision was made to implement the plans. As a result of the consultation: speed bumps in Laburnum Grove were removed from the plan; the area the scheme covered was extended and a mini roundabout was added. I was trying to get all the speed bumps replaced with cycle friendly speed cushions and was trying to further increase the area covered by the 20 mph zone – I was not successful, but that was not down to lack of consultation opportunities.

Mr Robertson also queries how representative the views are at consultations and whether traffic calming plans are supported by all the people who are affected. It is not just those who live in a road who are affected by the 20 mph speed limit. Many pupils at St Ninians Primary & Stirling High School don’t live in Torbrex but walk or cycle through it to get to school. The St Ninians Primary & Stirling High School travel plan was produced by parents & teachers in 2006. While producing the plan it became clear that some parents don’t let their children walk or cycle to school due to fear of the speed of traffic. There might not have been many/any accidents in Torbrex but the fear of traffic speed is a barrier to increasing walking & cycling levels. Having a short 20 mph zone out side the school front door provides only a safer school arrival zone, not a safer route to school, so the plan recommended extensive 20 mph zones in the residential streets that make the catchment area of Stirling High School. In an ideal world the council would only need to put up 20 mph signs and then everybody would travel at 20mph or below, but as can been seen in East Dunbartonshire, just putting up 20 mph signs does not result in compliance. The council thus have to put in traffic calming, so that it is almost impossible to drive over 20 mph.

A survey of European best practice by the Commission for Integrated Transport found that towns and cities with extensive 20mph or 30kmh zones were strongly linked with higher levels of walking and cycling, and improved road safety.

In the late 1960’s and 1970’s when I was walking or cycling to school there was far less traffic on the roads. There were Morris Minors or Minis with 850cc engines, low top speeds and sluggish acceleration. The local athletic club could run faster than the electric milk floats. Heavy goods vehicles were not very heavy and on urban roads not much faster than a cyclist. Today parents see their children walking and cycling beside enormous HGV’s (quarry lorries, cement mixers, tankers, and huge logging lorries) and hot hatches with lightening acceleration, in comparison with a Citroen 2CV. Is it any wonder some parents want to wrap their children in the protective cocoon of a car? We need to give today’s children more protection from modern traffic while they are walking and cycling by increasing the length of the 20 mph zones. Then in addition to helping protect those who are already walking and cycling we might get more parents willing to let their children walk or cycle.

Both previous letter writers expect the traffic calming in Torbrex will cause more car accidents. The council have put in some traffic calming and a 20 mph speed limit – they have not removed anybody's steering wheel or brakes: if drivers slow down to 20 mph or less, and control their vehicle, everything will be fine. However if people try to drive through Torbrex at 30 mph, then they will probably crash into something and only have themselves to blame.

Finally I do have an issue with the traffic calming pinch points put in place in 30 mph speed limits, such as Torbrex Road and Polmaise Road. These narrowings in a 30 mph speed limit are a particular concern to cyclists when motor vehicles overtake them where the traffic island narrows the width of the road. The Department for Transport recognises the hazard that this type of traffic calming causes and recommends that if there is not room for a cycle bypass that the speed limit is reduced to 20 mph in order to reduce the hazard to cyclists. I therefore look forward to more 20 mph limits to mitigate this hazard to cyclists. Any inconvenience to motorists (and I do drive) is minor when compared to increased pedestrian and cyclist safety, reduced pedestrian and cyclist fear, increased walking and cycling rates, reduced pollution & carbon emissions and reduced levels of obesity & heart disease.

Yours sincerely

The primary position

2010-08-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

Commuting Tip or How are you at the primary position?

I have been delivering cycle proficiency training to adults and children for 2 years and have noticed that very few people, before they start training, are familiar or comfortable with riding in the “primary position”. The “primary position” is not something from the karma sutra it is the cycle training jargon for taking the lane or riding in the middle of your lane.

This was not the advice I was given 35 years ago when I did my cycle proficiency. Back then we were told - keep to the left. I first came across the primary position as a teenager reading “Richards bicycle book” where he advised “if you can keep up with the traffic then ride with the traffic.”

These days the set text for the modern cycle proficiency training is Cyclecraft by John Franklin. I do recommend it to everybody who rides on road – be they novice or expert. As a cyclist it’s the best £10 you can spend on road safety.

Cyclecraft has pages of text and diagrams describing how and when to use the 'Primary Position' but the summary is as follows.

The primary riding position should be your normal riding position when you:

can keep up with the traffic
need to emphasise your presence to traffic ahead
need to prevent following drivers from passing you unsafely.

Franklin also makes the point

“It is important when sharing the road not to impede others but you are justified in impeding others if it is to protect yourself.”

When you do move to the left to help other road users (that is the secondary position) don’t get closer than ½ metre (1½ feet) to the edge of the road.

So, why am I describing the primary position in a newsletter for a bunch of very skilled and experienced cyclists? In the last five years many councils, including Stirling, have increased the amount of traffic calming on 30 mph roads. Their motivation is to reduce accidents and encourage people to walk and cycle more. Often the traffic calming consists of adding traffic islands (traffic splitters in the highway engineer jargon) along a length of road. In Stirling this has been done on Torbrex Road, Polmaise Road and recently on Pike Road. I know of several very experienced adult cyclists who have experienced problems since they have been introduced.

Franklin describes centre islands as:

"some of the most potentially hazardous places on the roads today."

Here too you should adopt the primary riding position at the approach, but be ready for the driver who overtakes regardless and then pulls in sharply to the left to pass the island. Signalling right can sometimes assert your right of way, but you must always be prepared to move left quickly and hold on.

The Department for Transport guidance is for traffic islands to have a cycle bypass or to be used where there is 20 mph speed limit to mitigate the hazard. Stirling council have been made aware of the hazard these islands are causing. On Torbrex road a mixture of full time and part time 20 mph speed limits are to be introduced near the Primary and High Schools, which will help mitigate the hazard there. On Polmaise Road and Pike Road the council are “monitoring the situation.” Meanwhile they advise that cyclists should use the primary position or “position themselves in such a manner that discourages unsafe manoeuvres from being performed by drivers”.

If you have read this and your reaction is to say “Yes, that’s all very well but what about……..” then I do strongly recommend you get hold of a copy of Cyclecraft, because it is almost certain that Franklin will have something useful to say.

Alternatively ask a Cycle Instructor.

An edited version of this article was originally published in Stirling Bike Club newsletter in June 2010.

Cycle friendly award for St Ninians Primary School

2010-08-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

24th May 2010

Cycling Scotland present St Ninians Primary with “Cycling Friendly School Award”

St Ninians Primary School is the first school in Stirling to receive the Cycling Scotland "Cycling Friendly School Award". The award is the result of much work by a big team of people over several years.

Parent volunteers produced the school travel plan and from this we realised that to encourage more children to walk and cycle to school, both the volume and speed of traffic on the routes to the school needed to be reduced.

Stirling council highways department are to be thanked for all their efforts in:

implementing 20 mph speed limits in some of the residential areas around the school;
slowing the traffic on Torbrex Road and Polmaise Road
agreeing to implement 20 mph speed limits on Coxithill Road and Torbrex Road outside the school
agreeing to consult on a part time 20 mph speed limit on Torbrex Road by the High School playing fields.

The school travel plan also flagged up the need for children to receive cycle proficiency training so they could develop the skills to cycle to school safely. Active Stirling and Cycling Scotland provided free instructor training for a massive team of 14 volunteers to deliver on-road cycle proficiency training to all P6 and P7 students over the last 2 years.

The children have responded fantastically. Given the combination slower traffic speed and training we have gone from less than 2% of children cycling to school to more than 10%. On days when there is training taking place almost 20% of children cycle.

Note:

The award was made to St Ninians Primary by Cycling Scotland on Friday 4th June 2010 at 1.15pm during a school assembly. Those children who completed their cycle proficiency this year will also received their certificates.

Invited guests included:

Parent volunteer cycle trainers.
Colin Sinclair. Parent. St Ninians School Travel Plan coordinator
Trudi Togneri. Stirling High School. School Travel Plan & Eco Schools coordinator
Rachel Nunn. Going Carbon Neutral Stirling
Dougie Porteous. School sport & physical activity manager. Active Stirling
Brian Roberts. Road Improvement Manager. Stirling Council
Jonathan Padmore. Transport Planning team leader. Stirling Council
Jim Thomson. Councillor. Portfolio Holder for Environment and Sustainability
Local councillors: Andrew Simpson, Neil Benny, Scott Farmer

More information about Cycling Scotland Cycle Friendly School Awards

Gearing up for bike week

2010-08-05T05:29:00.000-07:00

This article was originally reported in the Stirling Observer in June 2010.

PEOPLE in Stirling and beyond are being encouraged to try using pedal power as national Bike Week gets underway on Saturday.

Team Green Britain Bike Week, which runs until June 27, is an annual event to promote cycling and show just how easily the activity can be integrated into everyday life.

It especially focuses on promoting “everyday cycling for everyone” and inspiring people to give it a try, even just on short journeys, such as to the shops or even to school.

In the run up to Bike Week, Andrew Abbess, chief instructor for Stirling Cycle Training, said that the positives of cycling really are plentiful, from health and fitness elements, through to being a more environmentally friendly way to travel.

He said: “There are many benefits to the individual and you can do all of the fitness stuff just getting from one place to another. I also find that going out on the bike really clears my head too.

“There’s also the fact that over five miles in urban areas, most of the time, it’s actually quicker on your bike. Cycling is also better for the environment and it can save you money as well. It just ticks all of the boxes.”

There will be a number of events taking place across the country throughout Bike Week. See http://www.bikeweek.org.uk/ for further information.