It’s not time to hibernate yet! As well as updating you on cycling/active travel news, we’ve got several opportunities for you to get involved in campaigns and activities. Read on…
Kidical Mass ride 2022: even bigger and better than last year!
The ride on 25 September was a massive success. Over 100 participants of all ages (from a few weeks/months upwards) joined us for a super cycle ride from York Minster to St Nick’s Autumn Fair. We went through the Groves low traffic neighbourhood to join the orbital traffic-free route taking us on to St. Nicks. The ride was 4km (2.5 mi) in total. There was music, banners and all kinds of cycles.
42 ways to transform York
YCC’s manifesto is on the way! We’re really proud of it and hope to launch it in November at our AGM. In the meantime, here is an exclusive preview of the cover to whet your appetite…
Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan
York’s long awaited Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan is finally underway, and York Cycle Campaign have been invited to provide stakeholder input. We’ll be sending a YCC representative to a meeting on 12th Oct to find out more about how YCC can get involved and we hope to help shape the plan by sharing some of our resources such as the ‘rate our routes’ map of York.
NRM Central Hall: disappointing news
In the last newsletter we shared news of a legal challenge to the decision to grant the National Railway Museum planning permission to build a new hall across Leeman Road. Sadly the legal challenge has been dropped because it didn’t look like it was going to be possible to raise sufficient funds within the required timeframe. The team behind the challenge want to thank everyone for their support and generous donations, and to reassure backers that the information they gained from initiating the legal process has been hugely valuable, and they will continue to challenge this decision using other avenues.
Glaciers, brains and growth spurts: High points of September social ride
Thanks to Andrew Jamieson for planning and leading a wonderful ride. A merry band of 15 or so cyclists was taken on a tour back in time – following the course of a glacial moraine and imagining the vast ice sheet and huge Lake Humber that covered the region 15,000 years ago. And then fast forwarding to 2600 years ago, to visit the site where the Heslington ‘brain’ was found, and hear more about this unfortunate person’s life. Finally, a visit to York’s highest point – which lies at the heady height of some 37m above sea level – and discovering it has grown by some 4m since 2010. The satisfied troupe then retired to the newly opened Brew York tap room in Osbaldwick to ponder over why York’s highest hill has grown taller.
Opportunities for action:
Consultation on Tang Hall Lane cycling
City of York Council are proposing the installation of an alternative cycle connection between Tang Hall Lane and the Foss Islands Path. They want your views on the proposed design options. The current junction for cyclists travelling along route 66 of the National Cyclist Network is considered dangerous, as it abruptly joins the road just beyond the brow of a hump-back bridge, with no warning for cyclists or vehicles respectively. The Council is running a survey to ask about current conditions and the proposed new designs.
Help reverse the Blue Badge ban
A reminder that we’re supporting the ‘Reverse the Ban’ campaign, to reinstate access to the city centre for Blue Badge holders. We have a bundle of postcards for people to sign to show their support and we’ll bring them along to forthcoming events and recruitment stalls.
Get snapping!
Dorinda Gear has asked if members can send in good quality photos of the good, bad and ugly cycle infrastructure in their ward. She’d like to have a bank of examples from across the city to highlight on social media. If you’ve got some you can share with us please upload them using this form.
Events to look forward to:
Active Travel England speaker at AGM
Save the date! York Cycle Campaign AGM is on Monday 21st November, 7pm. And our guest speaker is Brian Deegan, Head of Inspections at Active Travel England. He’ll be inspiring us with what Active Travel England hopes to achieve and what their ambitions are here in York. We’ll send out details of how to book your tickets soon.
YCC social
We’re having a social on Wednesday 19th October at 7.30 pm at the lovely Angel on the Green, Bishopthorpe Road. Please come and join us for a drink and chat about cycling and cycle campaigning. It will also be an opportunity (with no obligation) to find out about the committee posts that will be up for grabs at the AGM and other non-committee positions that we are looking to fill. Whatever your interests and skills, and whatever time you can commit, there’s a role that will suit.
Bike Belles
York Bike Belles is a friendly locally-based community that encourages walking and cycling. They offer various events and activities, including a Nature Ride out to Moorlands nature reserve on Sunday 30th October – but book soon, places are going fast! Thanks to National Lottery funding, they have launched the Car-Lite Living scheme with the aim of switching a regular driving journey for walking, cycling or public transport. They offer free advice, personal route plans, and 1:1 friendly support on walks, rides or bus trips.
Free Bike Doctors and Adult guided rides
Everybody’s Cycling is running a series of drop-in Bike Doctors for free safety checks on four dates in October. On the same dates, they are also running small group guided rides, ideal for new and novice cyclists, to help regain confidence. These must be pre-booked, and bikes can be borrowed for free if you don’t have your own.
This month we have also …
… given feedback on plans to upgrade the junction between Malton Road and New Lane, making the case for segregation for cyclists, a tightening of the junction to slow vehicles down and dropped kerbs to allow easy access to the cycle path.
… joined a roundtable discussion between transport representatives from York and our twin city of Muenster in Germany, to hear from the intrepid team of cyclists who cycled all the way from York to Muenster, and to think about how the two cities can support each other with their active travel ambitions.
… run a YCC recruitment stall St Nick’s Autumn Fair. We set up a cargo cycle at the fair and had many stimulating conversations about cycling, and generated lots of interest in the campaign. Thanks to everyone who volunteered to help with the stall.
Join Us
If things like this matter to you then please join us. Every member of the Campaign helps raise our profile and there’s plenty of way you can get involved from raising issues with infrastructure, helping to organise events, and representing the campaign.
York Cycle Campaign 