For nervous women cyclists...

Some inspiration from Afghanistan. http://vimeo.com/79696482

STACC on the airwaves

STACC's John Metcalf and Rona Wightman were interviewed on The Environment Show on Radio Verulam Thursday 5 December. If you missed the programme, you can catch it on the listen again service The interview is in the later part of the show, about 45 minutes in.

STACC Winter meeting - 12 December, 7.30pm

Venue is the Council Offices (Civic Centre, near Alban Arena)  We will be reviewing the Green Ring proposals, come along and give your views.  This is an open meeting, bring your friends and family.  The Green Ring is for walking as well as cycling.  Mulled wine and mince pies! 
http://www.stalbans.gov.uk/planning/Planningpolicy/greenring/

UPDATE 11 DECEMBER: Green Ring exhibition announced, consultation period extended.

Bike Week Report: City Station Bike Coding, Tuesday

A concerted effort on Tuesday evening at St Albans City Station resulted in somewhere between 110 & 120 bikes being post coded (to help them to be returned to owners if recovered after theft).
We manned the bike parking areas on each side of the line, working in teams of two.
Many commuters complained of cycles being stolen - one chap had had 8 bikes stolen in the course of 20 years commuting.
We also gave away a number of cycle alarms which had been purchased at a generously discounted price by a group of local councils - one of which was St Albans. We understand that the station staff are required to respond when a cycle alarm sounds.
The operator First Capital Connect has recently also given out these alarms to season ticket holders.
Both FCC and British Transport Police are keen to reduce cycle theft, but according to some commuters we spoke to the operation of CCTV remains very unsatisfactory.
Another point of commuter complaint was the shortage of cycle parking places. FCC do attend the St Albans Cycling Forum and always indicate their keenness to attract passengers to cycle to the station. They have a rolling programme of cycle parking provision which is gradually being actioned with delivery believed to be on schedule. Let's see if they keep to it.
Be sure to tell STACC of any problems you encounter.

Verulamium Park Lottery Funding Bid - ACT to SUPPORT CYCLING

Read about Verulamium Park & its future at http://www.verpark.stalbans.gov.uk/

Part of the funding bid process is public consultation. Deadline 15th October.

You should give your views on-line at http://www.smart-survey.co.uk/v.asp?i=2798todqy
It is important to give a little write-up of the reasons you support cycling, in the text box at section 8 of the survey form.
(See below for STACC's view from which you can pick & mix.)

You can also vote to indicate your preference for cycling at...
http://www.verpark.stalbans.gov.uk/polls/shopping_list
The rate of voting is low (at the time of writing 65 votes cast in all categories)
Leading categories are :-
"More of the buried Roman remains" 49% of the vote
"The opportunity to cycle" 34% of the vote
so it would not take much to put cycling into the lead.

STACC's view in support of cycling in the park:-
Cycling Though Verulamium Park (E/W & N/S Pathways)

Background

The question of cycling through the Park has now been debated for some years.

• 7 December 2000 Community Services Committee was told of the public consultation in which 73% of respondents had favoured cycling through the Park.
• 28 February 2001 Council refused funding for cycle route through Park – the proposed scheme was expensive and over engineered.
• 18 January 2005 Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed that work should be done to draw up further proposals for cycling through the Park.

Why is Cycling through the Park necessary?
School children, commuters, shoppers and tourists, as well as motorists would benefit if cycling were permitted through the Park.

• The Park is a quiet and beautiful place, and any scheme should be simple and both sympathetically and economically engineered. Cycling would only be permitted on the N/S and E/W pathways and not at all around the lakeside. (The 2 proposed routes are from The Fighting Cocks to King Harry Lane and from Holywell Hill to St Michael’s carpark).
• There are seven schools on the boundaries of the Park. Cycling through the Park would give children safety and independence, and would improve fitness and reduce obesity. One headmaster wrote, “We remain firmly convinced that cycling should be permitted through the Park.” The Government requires Local Authorities to provide Safer Routes to Schools and opening these pathways to cyclists would considerably advance this target as well as easing school-run congestion. Alternative routes such as St Stephen’s Hill, Holywell Hill and Bluehouse Hill are congested and hazardous for cyclists, especially children.
• The Park provides a safe commuting, shopping and leisure route from the Verulam estate and South St Albans to the centre of the city, Westminster Lodge and the Abbey Station and gives easy access to the Alban Way for commuters to and from Hatfield and Welwyn. It is also a destination in its own right - to meet friends, visit the museum, the café etc.

• Cyclists co-exist with pedestrians in many rural parks in the UK.
• Cycling is positively encouraged in London’s Royal Parks. At least five Royal Parks provide paths shared by pedestrians. (Initial fears proved groundless and plans to permit cycling in Kensington Gardens were made permanent after a successful trial period of one year.)
• STACC strongly requests a trial period of 1 year, as proposed and agreed by the Community Services Committee in Dec 2000.

Liz Rutherford and STACC committee March 2006

STACC at HSBC Open Day - Bricket Wood

For the second year we had a Recruitment & Information stall at HSBC's Training Centre Open Day - which celebrates World Environment Day (5 June 2007) with a sustainability theme.
Weather was brilliant, the event attracted a good crowd (mainly Bricket Wood families) and the amount of interest shown in cycling was extremely good - with all but a few maps and Bike-Week information sheets being snapped up, as well as my campaigning chatter being well received.
Many membership application forms were pressed into willing hands. Though we can't expect most of them to result in new members, it was most heartening right at the end of the day to have a gentleman I had spoken to earlier rush back and join up on the spot! So a most positive conclusion.

The event was smaller than last year, without the stalls of companies producing sustainability products (which I had found interesting). There was a more local theme - stallholders included Earthworks, St Albans Friends of the Earth, Butterfly Trust - manned by STACC member Malcolm on the next stall to STACC. (I learnt from eavesdropping that Malcolm is a veritable expert on butterflies.)
Another STACC member - Mike - stopped by for a word.

It was a relief not to have to carry so much weight back to St Albans afterwards - the display takes up one pannier position, the other pannier & a rucksack - stuffed to bursting with maps & info when going to the show - were nearly empty on return.

Remember that the cycle-portable display & info is always available for use, if you see a local event where it might do some 'trade' please let us know. (Just add a comment to this Post or phone or email). Next outing is on St Albans Farmers' Market next Sunday 10th June - please try to stop by.

Cycle Usage - Herts Advertiser Letters

In the Herts Advertiser last week there were two letters complaining of difficulties driving in St Albans, which seemed to need a reply, here is what I sent....
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Sir,

Two correspondents on last week’s letters page (Herts Advertiser, April 26th) Jo Tatlock and Barrie Mort made me realise that we in St Albans Cycle Campaign (STACC) have much to do in addressing our principle aim which is “To encourage cycle usage in the St Albans District”.

Both writers complain about problems of driving and finding parking space in St Albans - both mention periods of 20 minutes of queuing or hunting for parking spaces. All they have done is stayed with the car habit so I do not seek to criticise them at all, just to encourage them and other readers who have similar difficulties - to consider if there is a better way.

I note that Jo lives in Harlesden Road and Barrie in Westfields. Both these roads are within easy cycling distance of the city centre. Readers may regard the prospect of cycling with some apprehension; so I thought a practical demonstration of the bike’s speed and convenience would be a gentle, timed round trip between the city centre and each of their homes. I did this on Tuesday May 1st, between 12 noon and 1 p.m.

From Harlesden Road to the Old Town Hall via the quiet route of York Road, Manor Road etc took 11 minutes (including time to lock my bike to the convenient rack - right where the shops are). Return journey by the faster, more direct Hatfield Road - just over 8 minutes.

From the Town Hall to Barrie’s in Westfields via Holywell and St Stephen’s Hills and Watford Road (perhaps too daunting for some) took 15 minutes. Return via (shock horror!!) Verulamium Park and George Street, 13 minutes.

In case readers think that they are too old to cycle, I will add - purely in the interests of scientific research - that I am 72 years old and overweight. (These facts may not be used for any other purpose!!)

An experienced car driver can adapt readily to cycling, because he/she already has all the road sense skills, it’s just a matter of extending these skills a little. Adult cycling courses are available - notably soon - ‘Women On Wheels’ FREE Cycling skills training for women at Luton 4-8 June incl M-F 12:00 - 14:00. Bike supplied or take your own. Details Tel: 01582 547153

STACC can give you lots more advice on cycling - get in touch.

No doubt there will be protests about me riding in Verulamium Park - but if readers can see something more than that from this letter I will count it as a modest step in the right direction.

And for those few who couldn’t ever cycle, don’t forget the buses.

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I didn't give the writers a hard time by saying they - and by implication all similar readers - were foolish for using a car, as I feel that being prescriptive is the wrong way to go. By giving encouragement and setting an example, we can hope that they will suddenly realise, all by themselves, that cycling is a quite reasonable way of getting about.

It's good to keep a topic going, so some supportive responses in next week's HA would nudge the message along a bit more. Over to you.