Chesterfield Cycle Campaign

With the recent openings of the new Tesco store at Whittington Moor and the Trans Pennine Trail at Staveley, we've now had an opportunity to look at the quality of the cycling provision.

If you've not had chance to see them for yourself, new video and photographs have been added to the Galleries:

Tesco photographs:
http://www.chesterfieldcc.org.uk/image/tid/29

Staveley photographs:
http://www.chesterfieldcc.org.uk/image/tid/31

Staveley video:
http://www.chesterfieldcc.org.uk/node/161

The newest photographs appear at the bottom of the Gallery pages, labelled November 2009.

An independent report for Lord Adonis the Secretary of State for Transport called 'Better Rail Stations' was published today (read it here). One of its key recommendations is that stations have 5% of daily passenger numbers as the number of cycle stands. At a conservative estimate Chesterfield would need 100 cycle parking spaces!

There is much to support cycling in the report with cycle hubs recommended at many larger stations - there is one planned for Sheffield already.

One of our members went to Staveley along the canal path yesterday and filed this report;

As the weather forecast yesterday promised strong wind and rain later, four of us from the Spire group decided to follow a low route that was short, and decided to investigate the re-opened part around Staveley.

The fence across the trail before Staveley had its center piece and closure notice removed, confirming our belief.  The first part

The TPT route in the Staveley route is now back open!!
 
Arkwright Line (Staveley to Poolsbrook) this is full open and re-instated in good condition. However there are a few access controls still to go in, which may require brief closures (probably an odd day or half day during the week).
 
Chesterfield Canal Towpath – this is open and for much of the length a good 2.5m wide top-trek surface has been reinstated.

The Peak District in Derbyshire is to receive a £1m grant to improve cycle paths in the area.
The Department for Transport funding will be spent on reopening four 400m tunnels for cyclists, walkers and horse riders on the Monsal Trail.
The tunnels between Buxton and Bakewell were closed when the rail route was axed in the late 1960s.
It would create a linked rail and cycle route from cities in the North West and Midlands into the National Park.
Director of operations for the National Park, Richard Campen, said: "It will create both a spectacular cycling route and a realistic alternative to the car, enabling more people to make healthy choices for themselves and for the environment.
"It will also benefit local tourism businesses with rail and cycle-based travel packages.
"The Peak District is the most accessible place to unwind for millions of people in nearby cities. With the cycle trail they can get fit, save fuel and enjoy some of the best scenery in the country."

The November meeting of the campaign will take place on Tuesday 10th November at 7.30pm. Upstairs in the Market Hall in Room 1. All welcome. Minutes of previous meeting and agenda for the November meeting are available on the 'Meetings' page.

An outline planning application has been submitted to Chesterfield Borough Council for the Waterside development site alongside the A61, to the north of the town centre. The application is the largest ever submitted in Chesterfield and is the result of 5 years of preparation work by the Chesterfield Waterside Partnership, a joint venture between Chesterfield Borough Council and Urbo.

The plans include 1,550 residential dwellings (houses and apartments), 2,200 sq m of retail and leisure space and 30,350 sq m of office accommodation. In addition, the project will provide two hotels, a doctor’s surgery, a crèche, a health and fitness facility, a nursing home and two six-level multi-storey car parks.

The focal point for Chesterfield Waterside will be the recently completed Canal Basin and a large new public square. This sits alongside waterways which will be restored as part of the development, forming a green corridor with extensive public open spaces and an Eco Park which equates to approximately a third of the overall site area.

It is anticipated that the scheme proposals will be considered by the Council over the coming months and a decision is expected before spring 2010. The development delivery period for the scheme is likely to be 10 to 15 years.

Plans and other consultation documents are available to view online, on Chesterfield Borough Council's website:

Planning application reference: CHE/09/00662/OUT
http://www.chesterfield.gov.uk/environment/planning/planningfulldetails.aspx?ref=CHE/09/00662/OUT

Last year, you may recall that Derbyshire County Council resurfaced a 4 Km section of the Trans Pennine Trail between the South Yorkshire border, near Rother Valley Country Park, and Miners' Crossing at Renishaw.

Further work to resurface the remaining section from Miners' Crossing to Lowgates, Staveley, began on 26th October. The work is expected to take around 5 weeks, depending on weather conditions, so should be finished in early December.

At the bottom of our links on the right we have added 'My Bike Lane'. Somewhere for you to report those cars that park in bike lanes. The Secretary has started off with some examples seen when he had his camera handy. Have you got any to add?

The Campaign has launched its 'Bike Buddy' scheme to help new or retuning riders. Several Campaign members have indicated their willingness to accompany less confident riders on their normal cycle journeys or leisure rides. We have a co-ordinator who can be contacted here. He can put you in touch with someone who is local to you.