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Archive Section: 2021 Update
Croydecycle promotes walking and cycling and this follows on from a history of campaigning. In 1990 rural areas away from cities were quiet and pleasant places to walk or cycle. There was a chance that cycling could play a significant role in the transport mix. Years before, in the Netherlands they saw the scales tilting towards the car and decided to invest in cycling and in planning policies that minimised travel. In Britain it was not to be. Cars got a lot bigger and roads a lot busier: it seemed a stampede to carmageddon. When Croydecycle started in 2005 the website was intended as a hub for the maps and for promoting cycling and walking and issues related to local tourism. The maps took off and then took over. Campaigning declined and then stopped, with coronavirus the final straw. To fully appreciate a landscape the need is to go slowly, so the focus is now on walking. This section of the website remains as a piece of history.
Autumn 2019
Whilst still on the Parish Council, Mike pulled together a range of ideas about local transport issues. This included maps of possibilities for traffic calming and a state of the art coastal cycle route.
Road Safety in Croyde
Road Safety Possibilities in Moor Lane, Croyde
Cott Lane Corner, Croyde, Small Scale Suggestions
Coastal Cycle Route: North "Big Beach Trail"
Coastal Cycle Route: South "Big Beach Trail"
February 2017
North Devon: resilience of the tourist economy
Sent to Dave Whitton, Head of Highways, Devon County Council with copies to MP, councillors.
Paper based on my involvement with the tourist industry over the last few years. It covers not only aspects of tourism but also observations and suggestions related to the at times stressed local infrastructure.
Mike was CTC (Cyclist's Touring Club) Right To Ride Representative for North Devon.
February 2008
Mike Harrison interviewed about cycling in Barnstaple by Kirk England on 8.00am Radio Devon programme
December 2007
Letter to North Area Highways: Cycling in Barnstaple
Dear Mr Deasy,
Joined up thinking for cycling in Barnstaple? The town is compact, not too hilly and has many excellent possibilities for cycling. However there are grey areas where legitimacy is unclear and some facilities are poor and/or dangerous. Exeter is showing how modal share can change in Devon – what will Barnstaple’s position be peak oil? Exeter is benefiting from ’Demonstration’ status. The Government, via Cycle England, is set to expand this programme. Will Barnstaple be in the mix? The North Devon cycle forum played a role whereby discussion drew attention to issues. Any progress?
Devon County Council aims for a sustainable future and as such should seek to promote walking and cycling for the many who live in or near Barnstaple. Personal Travel Plans have been shown the most cost effective investment – yielding 30:1 in some cases (DfT 2007). Recent improvements for pedestrians are welcome – people are prepared to walk quite far where the routes are pleasant and interesting. The question is: will cyclists see a coherent and convenient network? At present, facilities vary in quality and pinch points occur. Substantial investments in Sticklepath and the Square have left a mixed bag for cyclists.
Before turning to specific suggestions, some comments on policy. Much has been produced recently as guidelines for walking and cycling. Is North Devon up to speed? To encourage people to cycle and to produce a safe, quieter and more pleasant environment the best approach is reducing the speeds of motor vehicles. Government policy indicates that 20mph should be the default speed in residential areas (and town centres). Circular 01/06 sets the objective of ‘local speed limits that better reflect the needs of all road users’. Perhaps the key factor in the high levels of cycling in Germany is their area wide 30kph limits. Barnstaple has an excellent cycle network – it is called streets, though refinements are possible with exemptions or at main roads and crossings. The starting point is with existing roads, as explained in Manual for Streets (03/07: ‘Guidance for new residential streets and modifications to existing ones’ –effectively all streets as change envisaged). Cycle Infrastructure Design has completed its draft stage and may appear early next year. Is DCC in tune with these, using for example LTN 01/04 and LTN 02/04? Taking inspiration from the latest CROW guidelines would raise the bar (REC25). These are the ideas that subsequently feed in to UK government thinking on cycling – DCC could get there first!
Briefly, three suggestions (in addition to more 20mph zones)
- Sticklepath. The path from the station towards Old Sticklepath Hill is at variance with the guidelines. High flows of students and people with shopping and pushchairs overflow the existing space (MfS suggests a minimum of 2m for a footway). The cycle section is too narrow for two way use on an incline – it is discontinuous and unsafe (see, for example, MfS page 71 for comments on cycle paths). An effective answer would be to widen the south side of the bus lane by at least 1.5m so cyclists can share the space (as they do elsewhere in the town and do here in any case).
- Strand. Clarify the use of the street. People cycle along it but this is in contradiction to the signs (TRO information not known). To encourage cycling, many places allow exemptions to street closures and one way streets. The suggestion would be to put ‘Except Cyclists’ or replace the ‘No Entry’ with ‘No Motor Vehicles’ sign and tidy up the TRO if necessary.
- Square. A handsome looking area but miserly for cycles: three racks to cover a major tourist information centre, a museum and a riverside location – for visitors and employees (?). Add another six racks?
Cycling is on the increase. People realise the significant cost, health and time advantages as well as reducing their carbon count. Surely North Devon could be more proactive. It wouldn’t take much investment (booming Barnstaple’s development gain?) to bring noticeable results.
(No answer received from DCC though the MP and the local county councillor responded positively).
May 2007
Opening of Barnstaple Western Bypass
Barnstaple Western By-pass radically changes traffic in the area and brings many benefits, including new cycle routes. It seems a shame to carp but really it could deliver even more. Weaknesses of the scheme were pointed out two years ago but although other changes were made to the design the pedestrian and cycle remained 1980 style.
Email sent to Highways hours after opening:
23rd May. Splendid occasion, splendid bridge, excellent workmanship. Pity about Sticklepath debacle for pedestrians and cyclists. A footway where someone with shopping cannot easily pass a child buggy, a two way cycle facility where bikes can’t pass without leaning out of the lane. This, on the busiest path in North Devon outside the town centre. People are Pythagoreans yet these wind unnecessarily and are stop start. What happened to the County’s duty of care? Pedestrians use the cycle section and cyclists the bus route and corners are cut. Meanwhile wide verges are abundant. Site and gradient not taken account of and guidelines not followed. A great opportunity squandered! Mitigation please. Mike Harrison CTC North DevonTown centre changes in the Square and the Strand are part of the scheme. Earlier I had sought assurances that cyclists would not be missing from the plans. When the new bridge opened, No Entry signs and all vehicle
restrictions appeared for the Strand. Clarification is awaited. What cyclist would ignore a wide empty road?Email sent For Joe Deasy:
On 2nd Feb you wrote: "We have made provision for cyclists to be permitted with the pedestrianised order for the strand/square". (In response to my question about cycling in the Strand). A No Entry sign is placed by the
beginning of Cross Street. Clarification please. Mike
October 2006
"Railways on a roll!" - letter to North Devon Journal
Good to see significant improvements in our rail services. Friday 13th would not be everyone’s choice of travel date but my journey round the county nearly redefined probability. Meetings in Plymouth, Newton Abbot, Exeter and south of Crediton required five trains but the total platform waiting time was only three minutes, with two trains already at the platform! A day return to Plymouth is £9.50, a fraction of the cost of petrol let alone parking problems and expense. Simple links to the destinations were by bike.
Concerns about climate change and increasing congestion should bring action. More roads mean more traffic but the way forward with investment in public
transport, walking and cycling causes less carbon and improved well-being. How about a coastal electric railway from Barnstaple to Ilfracombe that carries surfboards, push chairs and cycles? Few people would have to use a car and with such stunning views the visitors would be queuing up.Mike Harrison
March 2006
Trains letter: Tarka Line proposed timetable for Dec 2006 (.doc 26Kb)
Barnstaple Letter – Traffic in the Square (.doc 21Kb)
Barnstaple Letter – Cycling: comments for forum (.doc 29Kb)
November 2005
Barnstaple's Old Sticklepath Hill is the main route for pedestrians and cyclists to get to North Devon College from the main part of town. Part of it has just been made a one-way street, leaving cyclists confused and faced with detour on main road. Letter to County Hall is a response and request for information.
Letter "Cyclists and Old Sticklepath Hill one-way street" (.doc, 28Kb)
Why don't all cyclists use the Tarka Trail? Letter to North Devon Journal in response, pointing out who has rights to the highway and the advantages of cycling for speed, health and economy.
Letter "Why don’t all cyclists use the Tarka Trail?" (.doc, 21Kb)
October 2005
Suggestion for National Cycle Network cycle path from Braunton to Croyde.
The Local Transport Plan is the county’s bid for Transport funding for the next five years. The document is almost ready for its final submission in March 2006. Mostly good, there are some thinner areas – see the following letter to County Environment Director October 2005.
Letter: Response to Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 (.doc, 29Kb)
June 2005
Bikes on Trains - now successfully resolved
May 2005
Devon County Council for some obscure reason wants to change our lanes, however steep or narrow, to Byways Open to All Traffic i.e. allow access for 4x4s and Trail Bikes. This will bring noise and damage deep into the countryside.
March 2005
Barnstaple Western Bypass – sub-standard for pedestrians & cyclists.
December 2004
Local facilities – quality of Tarka Trail; outcome for cyclists at road improvements.