CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 15years old!
Well done to ALL posters
It soon became useful and entertaining. There are regular posters, people who add useful info occasionally and plenty more who drop by to watch. That's fine. If you want to add news/comments it's easy to register and become a member.
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
Hunter's Hall Park Cycling Hub Consultation Poster with survey monkey address: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/cyclinghuntershall. Please complete the survey and encourage as many people as possible to do likewise.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/cyclinghuntershall
Thanks for the backend help Chdot!
The Council are looking for large response to the survey.
"opportunities for adults and young people to develop their cycling ability and help to improve their confidence on the road"
I'm all for promoting cycling as a sport - I've never done it but bmx looked great at the Olympics. Speedway and racing cool too.
But how's that going to "give confidence" to anyone cycling? My confidence aint the problem on The Wisp, for example.
A curious mixup of sport and active travel?
Is the F1, or car racing at Knockhill, used to promote safe driving?
"A curious mixup of sport and active travel?"
Sadly I'd say disingenuous.
"Is the F1, or car racing at Knockhill, used to promote safe driving?"
I think race circuits are used for 'improving driving skills' - whether that works or encourages people to go faster 'because they've done a safety course' is another issue.
Have your say on the planned new facilities at Hunters Hall Park
In the days of 24 hr 7 days a week opening it can be surprisingly hard to find a suitable expanse of clear tarmac on which unconfident/novice cyclists can hone their skills.
Even the offroad network such as NEPN can be intimidating for a wobbly rider (plenty of examples as to why in the "bad cycling" thread).
If you are confident in your bike handling skills then all of your focus can be on the other issues that you need to deal with on the road. If you can instinctively control your bike and maintain balance at extremely low speed whilst looking all around you for example then safely negotiating a give way at junctions and roundabouts becomes much easier. Even making your way safely under a bridge on the canal! All branches of "sport" cycling coach this skill afaik.
So if this facility enables lots of kids to take part in regular training then there should actually be some crossover into active travel.
I would see the place as being not too unlike Millbrook Proving Ground: a place for testing cars bikes and being interesting enough for a bit of light lots of different types of racing.
But I would also want to see the road circuit being more interesting than simply a bunch of hairpins connected by straights. I've suggested to CEC that it encompass the velodrome and the speedway track (to give it variety in corners/straights), and provide access via a tunnel (to make the road circuit three-dimensional) and a shallow ramp (to make it easier to get into the velodrome). I also put in a plug for the British Human Power Club, as Scotland has no decent cycling circuit for racing unconventional bikes at high speed.
I also want CEC to think about what we're trying to achieve. Is it all in the name of 'fun' for 'young people', or are we creating something 'serious' that will work for adults too?
Quite a clever design used for a circuit opened recently in Colne, Lancs by Cycle Sport Pendle. Allows for a variety of different layouts and even for more than one group to be working at once on different shorter loops.
Here's a graphic design layout map:
And here's the actual planning map where you can see how it has effectively been built on the 'spare' land around 3 sports pitches.
Shows how you can build a more interesting and versatile road circuit without needing a huge amount of space.
It does help that Hope Components are based in the area and the owner has been a big benefactor to this and related projects. Some of you may have seen the news this week that the company is planning to build their own full sized velodrome for "product testing" and expect to also make it available to community groups and the public.
Of course that will be a cut to revenue funding, and the "cycling hub" is capital.
Once again it highlights that there are 'two sorts of money'...
Presumably there are no plans to maintain the new facilities, and certainly none for coaching staff etc. to encourage people to use them.
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Carrick Knowe golf course is just one of the locations under threat
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Golf is over-provided for in Edinburgh. CK has been under threat for a while - but no-one has dared to upset the golfers (allegedly.)
That would make a great "cycling hub". A bit more central than Hunters Hall. Readymade club house. On useful cycle routes. No football pitches to displace. Three primary schools very close. Own tram stop.
No doubt the council hopes to sell it for housing.
HH and CK at same zoom level.
Would be good for cyclo-cross and mountain bike training too.
Consultation ends on the 16th of November.
And the Hunter's Hall cycling options survey results are...
http://www.portobellocc.org/pccpn/2014/11/20/results-of-the-hunters-hall-park-survey/
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ONE of the world’s top young cyclists has warned that a failure by city chiefs to consider an indoor cycle track risks making the same mistake that has ruined the Meadowbank velodrome.
Public response to the proposals for the £1.2 million cycling hub at Hunters Hall Park in Niddrie has been “overwhelmingly” positive, with 91.2 per cent in favour.
Options due to be considered include track cycling, and BMX and cycle speedway tracks and an open-air velodrome like the crumbling track at Meadowbank. But Callum Skinner, who recently clinched his first gold medal at world cup level in the team sprint event, wants to see an indoor facility which could be used all year round.
The 22-year-old former James Gillespie’s high school student criticised the council for “lack of ambition”.
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I have often been asked for my thoughts on the current proposals for a new Velodrome in Edinburgh to replace what the City of Edinburgh Council sign states as 'Meadowbank Veledrome'. To me, this obvious mis-spelling sums up the councils attitude to a facility they would rather not have, with a cycling community they choose to ignore. This is in stark contrast to other councils in the UK such as Newport City Council and Manchester City Council, both of which strongly support their Velodromes and have a thriving cycling community as a result.
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Pete Jacques (@psj288)
01/12/2014 10:37
@CallumSkinner @Edinburgh_CC @EdinburghRC @ScottishCycling @CoERC_ @The__Racers yet no one ask the only Scottish track builder one question
about the actual cost or a replacement
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Does anyone know when the final decision will be made whether to go ahead or not with this proposed development?
If it was to go ahead what's the likey timescale?
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A report and recommendations is due to go to the culture and sport committee on December 16 when they will recommend one of four options should be taken forward.
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“We have £1.215m of funding set aside for this project so we must be realistic in our vision. We need to find an affordable solution that supports the majority of cyclists and learners.
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So said "Councillor Richard Lewis, the city’s culture and sport chief", who knows a lot about culture but relies on officials for advice about sport...
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Pete Jacques (@psj288)
02/12/2014 14:40
@CallumSkinner @edinburghsport @RichardLewisSNP the plywood 200m trying facility I spoke about, Multi purpose centre
http://pic.twitter.com/vu25Hn5qZv
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EN comment -
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02/12/2014 2:25 PM GST
Callum Skinner
Firstly an indoor 200m velodrome with no seating does not cost £100m. There is currently a feasibility study taking place in Inverness where an indoor velodrome with seating will cost £3m so it could be done for even less than this. If a velodrome is built in Edinburgh i see it as a question of value for money. The council option is an outdoor track that can't be used over winter or if it rains over the rest of the seasons. With more investment you could have a facility running the whole year round with far higher participation. Its a bit like setting out to build a tram line to Newhaven but settling for York Place.
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Road circuit dropped, outdoor velodrome in...
I take it the final plans were approved?
If so does anyone have any idea when work would likely start? To the nearest year anyway.
Road circuit dropped? So Ingliston with its potholes, kerbs and sand-strewn corners - a circuit so dangerous ERC once switched to East Fortune for crit racing and training - will remain the only local closed road circuit. And that only available to rent. The Lothians need a closed circuit more than a velodrome.
Here is the wording from the approved Council report:
3.12 If Committee approves the recommendations in this report, the next steps in the
project would be to submit the funding bid to sportscotland, and prepare the
procurement of the project, including the required consultants and professional
expertise to design and build the facilities. Planning permission will require to be
sought, and intrusive ground surveys may also be required due to the known
undermining of the area. The estimate for timescale to completion is 18 to 24
months.
Thanks
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3.7 The trip provided valuable insights into the operation and design of cycling facilities. As a result of the trip, the design team will consider the following amendments for the cycling hub at Hunter’s Hall Park:
3.7.1 whether it would be practical and affordable to place the speedway track in the centre of the velodrome, with appropriate tunnel or bridge access;
3.7.2 an enclosure around the velodrome, BMX track and possibly the speedway track;
3.7.3 an additional pump track, to be unenclosed and accessible at any time to local children and young people;
3.7.4 use of the high quality tarmac which provides good grip, dries out more quickly than a wooden track after wet weather, and is easier and cheaper to maintain than a wooden track.
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3.13 Two of these sites, both in west Edinburgh, have been chosen for more detailed investigation. Their limited size means that they could be suitable for junior riders but not for adult riders. A closed road loop is of most importance to juniors, as under-16s cannot be coached on public roads. Further work is needed to determine whether a loop could be created at one of these sites either permanently, or closed off at evenings and weekends, and whether either site would meet the logistical demands of coaches and riders. If the sites pass those tests, and internal discussions confirm in principle that the relevant permissions would be likely, the next stage would involve costing the minimal works required to close a loop, and consulting with the public and the cycling community on a draft proposal.
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So - a "Hub" in two places.
Hope CEC is also working on suitable access by bike.
HH could have great cycle routes with high quality links to City Centre & Porty (via the Innocent) and Royal Infirmary (and onwards up the Burdiehouse Burn) plus into Mid & East Lothian if suitable connections are ever built.
York velodrome is tarmac - @arellcat & a few other riders of bikes which would never be allowed on a wooden track were even allowed to have a hurl. I was shamed by a guy riding a bog-standard Brompton Hire bike which he'd only hired for the weekend to get to York.
Note also the facilities at Stratford, where the viewing gallery level has access to outdoor terrace that overlooks the road circuit (variable lengths).
Coming late to this I favour Carrick Knowe, with the Saughton BMX facility nearby. Rail and tram and cycle path connections, and close to city centre. Aware of UK-wide reputation for Unit 23, which sees guys coming to Dumbarton East by train in large numbers.
For example:
Notice the pensioner hanging on there in 3rd place!
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