CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Cycling News
“Over £294,000 for cycling facilities across Scottish schools and campuses“
(8 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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Incredible quote from the press release:
"More than 261,000 people will benefit from the funding which will provide new or improved cycling facilities."
So, £294,000 will benefit 261,000 people - or £1.13 per person!
If you assume all of this will be spent on new Sheffield stands, and that an installed stand costs £150, then you would have to lock 133 bikes to each stand for 261,000 people to benefit.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I’m sure you could get more than one advice leaflet for £1.13.
Posted 5 years ago # -
To be fair any cycle journey benefits many people through reduced emissions, healthcare and congestion.
To be unfair that is total male cow poop.
Posted 5 years ago # -
£294,000 would have bought you 340cm of M74 extension. It is roughly 0.01% of the cost of dualling the A9. Why announce this? Why make such an outrageous claim for the effect it will have?
I'm all for improving cycling facilities at schools, colleges and universities. It is a good thing - especially where it is part of a coherent, long-term investment plan to develop a comprehensive network of high quality segregated cycle routes, safer streets, filtered permeability and associated traffic demand reduction.
Who reckons that is what this is?
Posted 5 years ago # -
“Who reckons that is what this is?”
Is that a trick question?
Possible answers -
1) the minister
2) nobody
Posted 5 years ago # -
I think a "DestinationBikePark" study is needed, rather like the work I did with Hackney & Cambridge (& slightly linked to the 1995 work with Glasgow - which delivered a monitored increase of 30+% year on year growth in parked bike counts* for the installation of standard on street cycle parking - at the rate of 200-400 units per year.(* a 'local' increase in cycle use of 30+% albeit diluted in the wider area of the city)
Best performing project of public cycle parking is Glasgow Conservatoire (RSAMD in old money) from 1 bike locked on a bollard in 1995 there is now a shelter with 48 spaces, often filled to capacity
One serious caveat, which I've discussed in part with @arellcat re parking at her workplace. This must be purchased against a specification NOT solely selected on price. We set this up in 1995 for the basic U hoops that Glasgow orders.
1) the tube material, wall thickness, bending (proper mandrel bends with recognised (4xD) minimum radius & no 'flattening'), made from single length of tube (no stitched together off-cuts - 1 x 6.3m standard length makes 2 hoops to Sheffield City Engineers spec - no welded bends) NB of you make the hoops 'short' & claim that 70 cm is enough to support a bike you can 'squeeze' 3 hoops from a standard length of 48.3mm tube or BS 1.5" 'Heavy' gauge gas pipe.
2) tube finishes - specified minimum thickness if hot dip galvanised inside & outside & or coatings (best is fully coloured polyeurathane -'Ferrocast' as used on oil rigs - up to 10mm thick - can have embedded reflectives - 'soft' finish does not scratch bikes - self colour never needs painting) or stainless steel (NOT polished, & MUST have means to make it visible to VI pedesrians as it reflects the colours of its surroundings).
3) tapping rail/panel a) to be detectable with a cane/ stop guide dog going underneath b) to stop locked bike/bike lock sliding down vertical c) to make stands 'visible' with parking sign, or sponsor advertising
4) defined options for fixing down (& contractor specs)Not also that 2-tier units are
- much more expensive per bike,
- need ceiling soffit of 2.6-2.8 metres (min)
- need substantial foundations - cantilever loads - heavy frames - windage forces
- loads of wearing parts to maintain (cheap ones sieze up)
- can be noisy in use (Chelmsford Station bans use of upper trays 23.00-07.00)
- cheap units cut corners - poor quality bearings - no latching detents (upper trays have fallen on heads of those using lower trays) - barely galvanised - inadequate structural competence (tack welds where proper full-run penetration required) - units bend under load - joints badly assembled (bolts carry all stresses rather than faces clamped together)Most notorious product - Allpark - installed and removed from Sevenoaks, but also Milton Keynes, Horsham, & Glasgow Caledonian University.
I can advise - based on designing & specifying this for around 30 years
Posted 5 years ago # -
£294,000 does not sound like that much
Posted 5 years ago #
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