CityCyclingEdinburgh was launched on the 27th of October 2009 as "an experiment".
IT’S TRUE!
CCE is 16years 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.
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New name. Familiar focus.
As part of the rebrand, the organisation makes it clear that it remains focused on “Making it possible for every one of us to roll, ride, amble, gambol, stroll, stride, trek and tread. And today, we’re gearing up to do more than ever.
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https://bikebiz.com/sustrans-rebrands-as-walk-wheel-cycle-trust/amp/
Forced into it by negative connotations from yoof slang? Some of the infrastructure they're most identified with is well sus.
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We will be talking more about this over the coming weeks, and saying more about our three goals through which we, by working with others, will realise our purpose of making it possible for everyone to walk, wheel and cycle:
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Perhaps should have had all that ready, already.
At the moment it’s a questionable rebrand with grand ambitions.
I’ve had all sorts of dealings with Sustrans, since the very beginning.
I tend to be more supportive/understanding than many people.
Though I’m well aware that after the significant period around the Millennium Bid (won due to public support), it might have lost its way.
A rebrand won’t change that. Whether changes in political climates (and consequently money) occur remain to be seen!
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Connect-2 project which recently won £50 million Big Lottery Funding to further extend the NCN over rivers, roads and other barriers which presently divide communities.
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Following a National Lottery Grant of £42.5m from the Millennium Commission in 1995, a National Cycle Network (NCN) of some 16 575 miles was established and officially opened June 2000
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https://threepointsofthecompass.com/2020/12/23/trail-talk-sustrans-millennium-mileposts/
All seems so long ago…
Historical note:
Sustrans, Spokes and EBC all began in 1977.
Has S been WWCT since June or is it (retro) modifying its website?
New boss too -
Fiona MacLeod, Walk Wheel Cycle Trust Director for Scotland, Cymru and Northern Ireland,
Curious behaviour
Original version
A lovely illustration of the absurdity of these transport awards. Sustrans wins an "accessibility award" for removing some of the barriers to accessing the National Cycle Network that they originally installed.
“A lovely illustration of the absurdity of these transport awards“
And many award processes - some of which have had more scrutiny in recent years, not least some transparency of ‘who can vote’.
Suntrans has a long history of being both bold and challenging but also cautious (they may say pragmatic).
They have overcome many obstacles with objections from locals, landowners and councils.
In some areas it was ‘barriers or no path’. Whether some were (or still are on some walking routes) illegal is a different matter.
In places there was excess paranoia about motor bikes (in a few places concerns were justified) and all sorts of barriers were devised that included metal boxes with gates (for prams and wheelchairs!) and also gaps with a special bar at pedal height.
Locally these were mostly done by LRC rather than Sustrans.
Probably the most comical was (planned but never constructed) on the landing halfway down the set of steps from Ferry Road to Goldenacre Path.
Most obstructions have been removed in Edinburgh, however the array of bollards around Five Ways shows that there are still ‘problems’ (cars rather than bikes the reason here).
Another real problem for Sustrans is that (not unreasonably) some people assume that anywhere there is a blue sign there is ownership and responsibility. One or both may not be the case.
Perhaps ‘Sustrans’ should have been/be split into two (perhaps completely separate) organisations. One in charge of maintaining and expanding ‘The Network’ and another doing advocacy and lobbying.
How the latter would ‘mesh’ with Cycling UK, Cycling Scotland, transform
scotland, Living Streets, Ramblers, etc is perhaps more of a problem than an opportunity…
It might be good to have a standalone (independent?!) version in Scotland.
But…
Seems it’s an unwise site-wide ‘search and replace’.
Apparently -
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Later in the day, we held a more formal celebration event at the Avon Valley Railway in Bitton, where we were joined by John Grimshaw – one of the founders of Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, who was instrumental in bringing the path into being.
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Sustrans is another example of how the actions of a few the right dedication and support, develop an organisa effects change.
In the 1970s Bristol, like the rest of the UK, was in the t sis. The unprecedented move by the oil-producing count East left the developed world in shock, as people were shortages of what seemed like a never-ending supply of cl In July 1977 Bristol Friends of the Earth decided to o response to the oil embargo. The oil crisis also coincic concern about resource consumption stimulated by Schumacher, the Club of Rome and others. At the rally, the Earth were encouraging local authorities to create m cyclists in the city as they were sidelined by the domi Furthermore, the bicycle provided cheap, reliable tran not dependent on fuel.
John Grimshaw MBE, a local civil engineer, was kn enthusiast and so was asked to be a speaker at this rally thought that "the most sensible thing [was] to say dur the speech; 'let's set up a campaign group.'"4 A group ested people met in the Nova Scotia pub. As there was s for cyclists in the city it was decided that a campaign gro needed. The group was initially called Cyclebag.
They began with a demonstration outside the counci groups visited cycling-friendly UK and EU towns. Altho on advocacy and lobbying, Cyclebag's work was orig development, it carried out practical work. Researching of cycling provision became important and James Brug tect and urban planner, conducted their first study in 19 at building cycle paths along disused railways.
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Looking back on Sustrans' success, John Grimshaw says that he feels the most obvious achievement was the National Network, which is over 10,000 miles of signed routes, but that the real achievement was "a bit more subtle than that, because our whole purpose of a National Cycle Network was to be a catalyst for change... by creating something that was national gave the notion or the idea to the general public that cycling was important."
When Cyclebag started 34 years ago, it was in response to the threat of fuel scarcity and the growing domination of the car, which left little or no space for the cyclist and the pedestrian. These concerns are no less relevant today, but Sustrans has provided the nation with an example
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https://schumacherinstitute.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Bristols-Green-Roots.pdf
Photo caption in above
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In 2007 the founding fathers of Sustrans revisit the Nova Scotia as Sustrans celebrates its 30th birthday (the inaugural meeting of 'Cyclebag' was at the same pub, The Nova Scotia, Ashton, Bristol on the 7/7/1977. Left to right: John Grimshaw, Alastair Sawday, George Ferguson and David Sproxton
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Will NotSustrans mark the anniversary of 7/7/1977?
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Yes, there are other things to be worrying about in the world but, as a historian, I find this editing of history to be deeply flawed. John Grimshaw was not one of the founders of Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, he was one of the founders of Sustrans!
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“Sustrans in Scotland”
https://wa-mainwebsite-backend-uat-uks-001.azurewebsites.net/about-us/our-work-in-scotland/
Probably more than you need to know:
https://www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk/media/0cynqumr/strategy-report-2025.pdf
https://www.walkwheelcycletrust.org.uk/national-cycle-network/
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