Dates for Your Diary

YCC AGM with special guest- Adam Tranter; West Midlands Cycling and Walking Commissioner

Monday, 27 November 2023 19:00 – 21:00, Cycle Heaven, 31 Hospital Fields Road.
Come and join your Campain’s AGM. 

We are delighted to be welcoming Adam Tranter, the West Midlands cycling and walking commissioner and vocal advocate for cycling, to talk to us.

Adam volunteered as Bicycle Mayor for Coventry before taking up the new role. As commissioner he is working with Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), local council partners and the Department for Transport to steer the region’s cycling and walking policies and plans. Adam continues to stand up in the media for the vital role that cycling can play in creating better cities and towns, and is one of the brains behind the brilliant Bike is Best campaign.. 

As part of our AGM, we’ll also be receiving a brief review on the Campaign’s year from our Chair. 

We are keen to welcome new members to the YCC committee – please see the AGM-related emails for details of how to put yourself forward. YOUR CAMPAIGN NEEDS YOU! 

Kidical mass festive ride

Sunday 3rd December, 2pm, Start & end at Cycle Heaven, 31 Hospital Fields Road
Decorated bikes and children’s costumes will be judged on fun and originality (prizes for the best). The ride will start at 2:30pm and last about 30 minutes with refreshments available afterwards and prizewinners announced at 3:30pm.

Local Transport Plan consultation

YCC submitted a written statement to the 12 October meeting of the Council Executive broadly welcoming the proposed Local Transport Plan, in particular the ambition to ‘improve walking, wheeling and cycling’. Several of our members spoke at the meeting. We also made oral and written submissions to the 24 October meeting of the Scrutiny Committee, outlining in more detail our responses to specific areas of the Plan. The public will be invited to respond via the Council’s Big Transport Conversation, due to go live on 20^th November and stay open for several weeks.

Recruitment team update

The YCC’s recruitment team has been busy – read about their recent progress and what plans they have for the near future. And if you have any contacts with organisations or companies that could be potential partners or even sponsor us, please contact Leah Bennett. 

Members wanted for new YCC group!

We want to set up a new group that will focus on York’s cycling space (cycle routes, barriers, parking etc.) and help YCC engage with Council consultations and key planning proposals. We also want to look at the 42 Ways outlined in the YCC manifesto and use progress on these to feed into our campaigning strategy in 2024.

No expertise needed, just experience of cycling in York. Interested in joining? Email our policy group or head over to the Policy and Infrastructure area of the Forum.

Your newsletter needs you!

Got an idea for a feature in the newsletter? Relevant information to share? Happy to provide a Member Profile (when you started cycling, why you use a bike, what you think are important YCC campaign areas, etc.)? Then let us know.

Wanted: Volunteer with a child seat on their bike

One of our members is on a mission to improve cycle access on trains. She is looking for someone who rides a bike with a child seat attached. They would attend a meeting with train bosses, to show how difficult it is to get normal bicycles into their on-board cycle storage (i.e. the narrow cupboards which require bikes to be raised onto their back wheels and the front wheel hung from the hook). We don’t have a date yet, but it’s likely to be during the daytime, and last about an hour. We can work around your availability! Please get in touch if you think you can help.

Cycling for health event

YCC recently hosted two speakers to discuss the health benefits of cycling: Rumina Onac (GP) and Clare Nattress (artist and researcher). Read more about the event and find out how you could be involved in Clare’s next Citizen Science project.

Cycle repair stations

Some of you will remember the cycle repair station (pump, Allen keys etc.) by the main cycle stands at York station a few years ago. Unfortunately, it fell into disuse because of vandalism. Now another has been spotted – in the grounds of the former prep school by the Minster. If you’ve seen any others around York, let us know.

Recycling bike tyres

Wondering what to do with those worn-out tyres and exhausted inner tubes? For a small fee, you can drop them at many of York’s cycling shops and keep them out of landfill. CycleStreet and Decathlon take inner tubes for free, with Cycle Heaven charging 20p and Cycleworks 50p. Tyres cost 95p at CycleStreet, £1 at Cycleworks and Cycle Heaven, and £1:50 at Twisted Cogs. Recycle York is currently in negotiation to set up a system whereas other local cycle shops don’t offer the service to the public (eg. Halfords, Giant, Get Cycling, Electric Transport Shop). [Information provided by shop staff].

Imagine there’s no motor cars… 

Fancy seeing how your street, or any other you’d like to de-car and green-up, might look in an alternative reality? Try this transformative AI tool. This AI is still learning so bear that in mind!

Cycling with children?

Cycle Sprog is a website specifically aimed at families, with information about bikes and accessories, including independent reviews (although some have affiliate links).

New corporate member

Our newest corporate member is Circus Skills, a York-based organisation that aims to inspire and educate through fun circus skills workshops. Unicycle anyone?