Sustrans

[Debian]

There didn't seem to be an obvious place to put this so I put it here.

I was wondering how many CCers are involved in some way with Sustrans? I'm a volunteer ranger. Just interested to discuss our involvement, share experiences, info etc.

 

[summerdays]

Does giving them money on a regular basis count?

I'd be interested to hear what work you do anyway. I vaguely know a couple of sustrans employee's - though I must admit we haven't passed on the road recently.

 

[marinyork]

Probably unsuitable for the cafe on such a controverial topic if you don't mind me saying but leaving it here might make it a more pleasant thread.

It depends what you mean by "help" and "involved", I know several volunteer rangers and have no problems helping out a bit on the basis that we're all cyclists and will do so in future but I make it very clear I don't subscribe to Sustrans's philosophy.

 

[Debian]

Does giving them money on a regular basis count?

I'd be interested to hear what work you do anyway. I vaguely know a couple of sustrans employee's - though I must admit we haven't passed on the road recently.

It certainly counts as far as helping the work they do but to be honest I'm looking for employees / volunteers.

I only started with them late last year and have a couple of sections of local cycle route to keep an eye on. Apart from one local meet that's all I've done so far so I'm looking to broaden my Sustrans horizons.

 

[marinyork]

Horizons - do you know about the connect 2 stuff http://www.sustransconnect2.org.uk/?

 

[Debian]

Probably unsuitable for the cafe on such a controverial topic if you don't mind me saying but leaving it here might make it a more pleasant thread.

It depends what you mean by "help" and "involved", I know several volunteer rangers and have no problems helping out a bit on the basis that we're all cyclists and will do so in future but I make it very clear I don't subscribe to Sustrans's philosophy.

I'd be interested to read your views. I'm not interested in an argument either way but simply in getting other points of view as I have some opinions myself.

 

[snorri]

I'm a volunteer ranger.

I was a volunteer ranger and over a period of some 5 years submitted reports of defects on the NCN to my local authority(LA), but little or no action was taken to sort the defects. Missing signage on the on-road routes was the most common problem, lack of consideration for the NCN when new developments affected the route came a close second.. The LA never acknowledged receipt of reports, and were generally obstructive by changing contact details etc. . I appealed to Sustrans for help to get action from the LA, but would have to say, got very little practical support so in the end just gave up.

 

[marinyork]

I'd be interested to read your views. I'm not interested in an argument either way but simply in getting other points of view as I have some opinions myself.

Locally sustrans routes have quite a hard time - that's because they are pretty crap and badly signposted where it matters. There was a long closure on a section approaching town for about a year and the council have decided to steal a bit of wide share use pavement. There was also the problem of cabling being stolen off bridges leading to long closures on at least one (but I think actually three). They aren't really integrated with anything else and this has been brought up the last year but in 2010 this will change. At the moment there is no decent signing at the start of the route there is even confusingly enough a "no cycling sign" that presents itself at the start of the route so for those that didn't know better would think otherwise.

If you have a look at connect2 you'll see they are all over the country. A scheme near me that is about sustainable transport, well ish. From a value for money point of view, it's probably a total waste of time depending on what the total budget comes into at the end. I've no idea whether it'll work or not, looks all right on paper, but to me that's sustrans taking a look at their network and saying ah, I see that area is underutilised because we designed it so crap, let's think up some local justification to get people using this useless route. One of the other shortlisted schemes that didn't make it sustrans were thinking about doing not because it'd be good for sustainable transport and the set of local problems there but because it'd make the route I talked about earlier look good. Sustrans did a lot of good work in the autumn over yonder in collaboration with the council and drafted in people from all over the country to do it that should get finished this year and might make a passable commuter/leisure route.

 

[Campfire]

I'm a volunteer ranger on the Transpennine Trail. I haven't been out for about 3 months as I had my Mum ill, the snow & ice and then Mum not well again, then Mr Campfire in bed most of last week, but am hoping to get back out again.

What I do is just cycle along the route, armed with carrier bags, collecting litter and getting rid of it at a suitable refuse point. One day I went along by the Manchester Ship Canal, where the bank drops down right to the canal and has a wooden fence in front. Most other parts of the path are more gradual drops. This time someone had vandalized two fence posts and there was a yawning gap right down to the canal. I got hold of local authority as I was afraid of anyone/dogs, kids falling in.

Mostly signing is quite good on this stretch. When it gets a little bit further on I think it is a bit ambiguous.

 

[Over The Hill]

I generally try to avoid them as whenever I have tried to use one it took a really useless route or the signs run out at a key point leaving me high and dry.

If you try to ride the route from Basingstoke to Reading you cover about 32 miles (well I did but the signs ran out at one point) and you are taken through a really muddy rutted track which is not suitable for a road bike.
On my own route (which is also back lanes and a nice ride) it is 19 miles with no muddy track. As one point I go the other way along the Sustrans route as it swings around and about so wildly.

Similar bad experience with the route from Padstow.

Someone needs to sort out if the routes are a sensible a to b cycle route or a Sunday jaunt in the countryside and present them as such. Until then I am sticking to my own map and route.

Sorry to be so negative!

 

[Crankarm]

My impression of Sustrans and their routes is so-so. They have little impact on any of my rides. A section of the Greenwheel around Peterborough takes you over a rough farm track easily capable of giving your bike a puncture or knackered rim, so I am not altogether convinced by their choices and strategy for locations of cycling routes. I did the C2C years ago and the Sustrans signs wanted to route us through Consett town centre, through the actual shopping mall, bugger that ........

 

[marinyork]

If anyone's interested Sustrans's budget is about £25 million per year alone.

 

[snorri]

I did the C2C years ago and the Sustrans signs wanted to route us through Consett town centre, through the actual shopping mall, bugger that ........

Which just goes to prove you cannot please everyone.
I complained about a signed route which directed cycled along a tortuous town centre bypass route when the obvious and direct route was along the High Street, which would give cyclists the option of availing themselves of local services, cafes, bike shops etc.

PS
Are you sure this was a Sustrans route and not a NCN route designed and signed by the local authority? Sustrans routes are usually off road.

 

[jonesy]

Which just goes to prove you cannot please everyone.
I complained about a signed route which directed cycled along a tortuous town centre bypass route when the obvious and direct route was along the High Street, which would give cyclists the option of availing themselves of local services, cafes, bike shops etc.

PS
Are you sure this was a Sustrans route and not a NCN route designed and signed by the local authority? Sustrans routes are usually off road.

No, most of the NCN is on-road, and the whole NCN is planned, coordinated, co-funded and promoted by Sustrans. Certainly highway authorities are involved in the actual implementation of all on-road sections, because only they have the necessary powers, but Sustrans will have played a signficicant role in the choice of route, how it is mapped and, through the Rangers, in maintaining the signposting.

 

[snorri]

but Sustrans will have played a signficicant role in the choice of route, how it is mapped and, through the Rangers, in maintaining the signposting.

I'm not so sure that Sustrans play a significant role, they have an input, but inputs can be ignored or substantially modified. They certainly have no control of maintenance standards, including maintenance of signposting, once the route is completed.
The point I was trying to make is that in some cyclists eyes, Sustrans are the whipping boys for all that is wrong with all of our cycle routes when in fact the local authorities are responsible for a lot of the poor quality. Sustrans had no input whatsoever to the bypass route I mentioned earlier.