#sustrans

[richs-pics]

The Great Northern Railway Trail

[oliveryuchan]

View from Camden Square, London, 2023, acrylic on canvas paper, 508x405mm, available

#view #camdensquare #london #irishcommunitycentre #sustrans #oliveryuchanart

[squiggelsquirrel]

Went out for a walk

People organizing an event for UK cycle network

Maybe I'm too internet poisoned

But seeing a bunch of people wearing t-shirts labelled

"Sustrans"

Affected me.

Had to look it up.

Still have no answers.

Assuming it's short for "sustainable transport"

[ardent-ace]

I'm looking after a kid today who wears a hi Vis outside and the brand of it is - I shit you not -

SUStrans

[tillzzy]

ISTD

Cycling

I love cycling as it is the perfect way to destress. Cycling on roads, in parks, in the forest, on the beach, just anywhere is such a nice way to spend time. I love how therapeutic it is as I am focusing on just my surroundings and my own thoughts whilst exercising in a gentle way. I personally don't use cycling as a 'workout', to me it is more of a way to travel or just as an activity.

cycling and mental health

cycling lowers the levels of your body's stress hormone, cortisol. This can also relieve tension well

those who cycle regularly have a significantly lower risk of feeling stressed

It reduces endorphins which helps you relax and feel happier

Getting active can also help with sleeping better - this can be an issue for some people who are struggling with depression or anxiety

in the UK there is a National Cycle Network that goes around the UK with cycle paths

gives your brain something else to focus on which can help you feel calmer and manage intrusive thoughts

cycling gets you out in the open

easy to fit into daily life - can be your commute instead of taking the bus or driving

Cycling and Uni students

only 6% of 2042 students surveyed cycle to uni

1 in 3 respondents have access to a bike even if they don't use it

82% of cyclists say that they feel vulnerable using the roads

64% of respondents said traffic makes them afraid to cycle

having a safe place to leave bikes, increasing cycle lanes and offering a bike rental scheme can also encourage more cycling.

One thing I will say is that for international students, having access to a bike of their own is probably unattainable as they live overseas and having a bike in the UK could be something they aren't willing to invest in. A lot of international students tend to move back to their home countries after graduating. Ideas from this issue could be a bike rental service on university campuses where you can loan out a bike for the academic year.

Sos-uk.org. (2023). Students, bicycles and cycling - Research | SOS-UK. [online] Available at: https://www.sos-uk.org/research/students-and-cycling [Accessed 12 Oct. 2023].

‌

Sustrans. (2020). Why cycling and walking are great for your mental health. [online] Available at: https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/get-active/2020/everyday-walking-and-cycling/why-cycling-and-walking-are-great-for-your-mental-health#:~:text=Cycling%20and%20walking%20both%20release,lower%20risk%20of%20feeling%20stressed. [Accessed 12 Oct. 2023].

‌

[northeastjobs]

Project Delivery Officer

Sustrans are looking to employ a Project Delivery Officer Contract Type: Fixed Term | Working Pattern: Full time | Salary: £28,211 per annum (pro rata for part time hours) | Advert End Date: 29/10/2023 23:59 |  http://dlvr.it/Sx06nn

[halifaxcentralinitiative]

Surface improvements in Sowerby Bridge

Work is taking place in Sowerby Bridge to improve the area around the entrance to Hollins Mill Lane and the junction with Town Hall Street. Hollins Mill Lane is located in the centre of Sowerby Bridge and is a popular route with cyclists as it links the town with Sustrans cycle routes 66 and 68. Part of the road is closed to traffic to support connections to these routes. To further enhance the…

[pedaleuse]

Cargobikepacking with a Dog

Although spending a lot of time on bicycles I also have a dog. It's lovely going for walks with him but I've always had to leave him with my brother when I'm away bikepacking. Obviously cycling with a dog that doesn't want to run all day isn't possible but the camping bit is fun for dogs and I always regretted not being able to have him with me. Until now!

Recently I got an Omnium MiniMax WiFi V3 cargo bike which is Omnium's middle-sized bike but still with a great cargo space. They also do a Cargo version which is longer and a Mini version which is a lot shorter with a small cargo area but because I have a boat the MiniMax works perfectly for me. I can carry a huge amount of food shopping, a large speaker...

...or indeed camping gear plus my dog!

So that's exactly what we did! I looked around for campsites reasonably near London but that also had a more rural, wild feel and found Chilterns Rural Retreat campsite which is a really lovely woodland campsite just at the edge of the Chilterns, near Marlow and not too far away from Henley on Thames really. However I knew I didn't want to be on roads that much so I planned a route which would take us off-road from Brentford to near Marlow mostly off-road using gravel paths, cycleways, and canal towpaths.

The route was on-road until we joined the River Brent at Brentford and there it followed the towpath up the river until it meets the Grand Union Canal. From there it was a climb up the Hanwell Lock Flight.

We continued to follow the Grand Union Canal out to West Drayton and then we turned left along the Slough Arm canal which took us out over the Colne Valley Regional Park which is a surprisingly large area of green so close to London!

From there we used the cycle route through Upton Court Park to continue. This is a lovely Sustrans route but the barriers on the edges of the park were really hard to navigate with a cargo bike. It really needed two of us, one to hold the bike and turn the handlebars so they could get through the barrier and the other to lift the front of the laden bike through. It would have been a struggle if I was by myself!

We then dropped down onto the cycling and walking paths along the Jubilee River, south of Slough, which was really primo gravel! It was really dry so very dusty but the paths are all smooth gravel and the views are nice along the river. Although by this point it was getting quite hot so we stopped so we could all cool down.

This route took us all the way to Maidenhead although here we had to ride about 1km with vehicles. At this point I realised how wonderful motor traffic-free routes were because it was noisy and so aggressive with drivers forcing their way past you without the ability just to pause for a second or two. It's a shame that driving rewards aggression and impatience especially because an alternative like cycling is just so different to this.

After stopping at the Co-Op garage in Maidenhead for some food and cold drinks we continued on another traffic-free path over Cookham Dean, climbing the ridge through Bisham Woods. The climb was pretty steep although not as steep as from the other side which we'd find out the next day on the return! Although descending towards Marlow it really looked more like low Alpine terrain than South England!

We headed into Marlow for a supermarket pit stop for dinner and I grabbed as much vegan stuff as I could carry back to my bike...plus a 6-pack of beers; I'd earned it from that hot ride! My dog had also done really well and I'd ensured he was well hydrated but he could do with a snooze in some woodland by this point so we pressed on.

Often a ride has a cruel sting in the tail and this was definitely one of those! Google Maps claimed the route was "mostly flat" but in fact it was quite a climb up to the campsite. By the time we got there and the combination of the heat, the weight of the bike, and the climb, I was ready to call it a day and get my tent up! We checked in and were shown to our lovely pitch and given a crate of logs for a fire!

Although at this point we were thinking more about food so we ate, had showers, then lit the fire while enjoying the rest of the beers.

As it was getting a little late my dog seemed to be wondering where he was going to sleep for the night and, as it was after his bedtime, we went to bed for an early night, only disturbed by a snuffling during the night...

The next morning we realised that the snuffling must have been one of the local badgers. We realise this because my friend's grapes had been opened and eaten and the culprit had left behind some white and black hairs...

We had some breakfast of porridge with apple and blackcurrant and some Aeropress coffee and got packed up again, ready to head back the way we came back to London.

It was a really lovely 24 hour adventure and so great to be able to share it with my dog who was absolutely amazing all of the way. When we got back home we both got out of the heat and went for a lovely long nap though. Tough work this cargobikepacking!

[worldbicycleday]

Help city leaders meet the urgent need to build more innovative, connected, and expansive cycling infrastructure that serves as many residents as possible.

A guide for inclusive cycling in cities and tows.

Free cycle training for all people » Training should be provided to all children in the UK, ensuring accessibility, for example where children might need adapted cycles. » Cycle training, including Bikeability, should also be offered to all adults too. » Work, through existing community organisations, with groups that culturally may be less inclined to cycle and ensure community organisations and increase long-term financial support for third sector projects that bring cycling to new audiences. » Support community training provision by offering access to adapted cycles and in assisted cycling, for example, rickshaw sides which allow people to experience the feeling of cycling without actually cycling. » Take cycling to people through mobile hubs – do not assume people will come to you. » Better link to the health sector. People listen to messages from professional and trusted people like doctors, for example the use of social prescribing.

66% of people from ethnic minority groups, 63% of people more likely to be at risk of deprivation, 57% of women, and 55% of disabled people would find cycle training helpful to start cycling or cycle more. Bike Life, 2019

Build confidence, and make cycling fun » Deliver social guided cycle rides » Create spaces for people to cycle and socialise with others, for example by having a café and social activities ran alongside cycle training. » Workplaces should do more to promote inclusive cycling amongst their employees, for example setting up a cycle club, and reimbursing staff who cycle for work at a competitive rate compared to using public transport.

Cycling can help people access the things they need: work, education, food, health services and recreation. Cycling can benefit physical and mental wellbeing and help reduce social and economic inequity. However, many people are currently excluded from cycling. Despite a large appetite from different demographic groups to start cycling, large percentages of people aged over 65, disabled people, women, people at risk of deprivation and people from ethnic minority groups, never cycle. 

To change this, cycling must become more inclusive. Together with Sustrans, Arup make a number of recommendations in this guidance for local and national governments to follow.

[paulbeal]

PILLARS PAST The sculpture ‘Pillars Past’ is just a couple of minutes walk from Pateley Bridge town centre. It can be found by following the Six Dales Trail towards Glasshouses alongside the River Nidd. Commissioned by Sustrans, it forms part of the public art trail ‘Passing Places’ which mirrors the long distance Way Of The Roses Cycle Route.

This coast-to-coast route between Morecambe and Bridlington passes through some of the most beautiful landscape in the north of England, and ‘Passing Places’ was developed as a public art project with the aim of adding a cultural and historic experience to enrich the travellers’ journey. Pateley Bridge, sited half way along the route, was selected as the location for one of the pieces of public art.

Created by Joseph Hayton, the sculpture ‘Pillars Past’ comprises three figures, in a circular formation, representing the lead mining, agricultural and monastic past that has shaped the landscape in and around Pateley Bridge. Emerging from the monumental blocks of Yorkshire sandstone, the figures engage with both the present, and the viewer who stands in the centre of the circle.

THE LEAD MINER Lead mining dates to Roman times in the dale and had a major impact on the local economy until around the 1890s when lead extraction ceased due to cheap imports. The figure of the lead miner was based on Paul Reinsch who has been helping to restore local mines in Greenhow.

THE MONK Fountains Abbey and Bylands Abbey shaped Nidderdale, having major land holdings from 1200 until the dissolution of the monasteries. The Archbishop of York once owned the township of Pateley Bridge. The figure of the monk was based on John Hayton, Joseph’s father.

THE SHEEP FARMER Sheep farming has been crucial to the economy of Nidderdale from medieval times when Fountains Abbey and Bylands Abbey had substantial granges where sheep farming was predominant. Sheep farming still dominates the land today and the shepherd was based on John Rayner, a sheep farmer, whose farm at Gouthwaite was established in the 1200s and is on record for supplying produce to Fountains Abbey.

[richs-pics]

Great North Railway Trail

[graemepark]

The @sustrans Trans Pennine Trail looking marvellous this morning in the spring sunshine. #mtb #ride — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/S9Mqg3r

[highmarshall-azure]

Sometimes I take my degree seriously and other times the company SUSTRANS is mentioned

[blogpostsofvariablequality]

the fact that the uk has both two counties called sussex and a company called sustrans probably means something

[cllrfrasermacpherson]

Magdalen Green footbridge replacement - public engagement #dundeewestend

Magdalen Green footbridge replacement – public engagement #dundeewestend

Further to our previous updates on the project that, subject to funding support from Sustrans, the walking and cycling charity, would replace the Magdalen Green footbridge across the rail line to Riverside, with a new footbridge, the council is now udertaking public engagement on this. If you use the bridge and/or Magdalen Green on a regular or occasional basis, please give your views about the…