Get those potholes fixed

Please report any potholes you come across. You never know but it might save a cyclist's life. Please use this link FillThatHole  to report the pothole. The article below was copied form the CTC (Cyclist Touring Club)

 

Bob

 

Potholes mean prizes

With the snow and ice mostly gone for now, potholes are back with a vengeance. A prize will be awarded at CTC's AGM in May for the best reporter of potholes during January, February and March 2011 using CTC's FillThatHole website and iPhone app. CTC hopes the prize will attract new users to the campaign, which helps to make the roads more cycle-friendly. In a new feature for 2011, users will also be able to rate how well their local authority responds to pothole reports by awarding them up to five stars. The ratings data will allow CTC to see which authorities are responding well to your pothole reports and which aren't. CTC Members will hear more about the 'RateThatFix' facility during the New Year.

Test

How do I add myself into the STARs Blog memebers?

ETA Xmas Card

Seasons Greetings

Wishing all Sustrans Tyne Area Rangers a very merry Christmas and a Happy 2011 - more good rangering to come next season...
stay warm
Phil

£1000

a butcher made a bet with a customer of £1000 that he couldn't get some meat from the ceiling....'nah', says the customer...'the stakes are too high'. Boom boom.
 




courtesy of Nigel 'boom boom' Glasper

Going Going Bike - Blog

Going Going Bike - Blog

venison

my butcher is selling 8 legs of venison for £20

is this just too dear........

Icy pavements?

livingstreets Living Streets 

 by Recyketraining

Have you got an icy pavements story to share? Can you spare a few minutes to fill in our survey?http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/icypavements

Pothole? - report it - fill it

Britain’s biggest pothole just around the corner

Britain’s biggest pothole just around the corner

Warning - lorries have large blind spots - watch this

Ride 13 Dec 2010

Newcastle College ranger workdays

Click the link to access the workday list for 2011 - dates to be confirmed -venues not yet finalised


Newcastle college ranger workdays

make shift cycle snow chains

Snow White-Out

The snow in Ashington is causing major havoc not just on major roads (such as the A189 and Morpeth Road) but the minor roads, suchh as the one I live on (Cheviot View) are choc-o-bloc with snow, drifting across the road over a layer of ice and, I suppose, this is a similar situation elsewhere for oother Rangers trying to get out on the Cycle Paths. As these are far less frequented by traffic, I presume that these are deeper in snow oover ice that has formed as a base layer and pprov iding hiddden dangers of skidding and sliding where there is an incline (as in NCR1 approach to Lynemouth). If yoou can manage to get out and about on your bike, take care and not get caught out in a blizzard as we did on the Kirkston Pass coming home from a holliday from Glenridding, Ullswater, Cumbria. The phootos were wonderful but the weather was as expected in Cumbria - wet! Cheers! linuxfanatik/Hugo

GoingGoingBike - Blog

GoingGoingBike - Blog

Happy happy cyclists

ShareThis

Cycling makes you happy, its official. Well we all know this to be a fact as committed cyclophiles, but a Danish study for the Danish Cyclists Federation by local market research organisation Megafon has now found evidence that cyclists are the happiest people in the transport chain.

The happiness that cyclists feel with their mode of transportation is far greater than that of people who travel on buses, trains and people who drive cars, though the responses don’t quite hit the 5 rating of beaming happy.

Cyclists also have the best feeling of well being and feel less anxiety about their mode of transportation than people who travel by bus, train or car, the study finds. The research involved interviews 1,007 with respondents.

More details on the study can be found here (in Danish).

Snow Patrol

Tyne Cycle /Pedestrian Tunnel

PRESS RELEASE

 

 

23 November 2010

 

Lift for Tunnels’ users

 

Cyclists and pedestrians will enjoy a better service from Friday (November 26) when they use the historic Grade II-listed Tyne Pedestrian and Cyclist Tunnels.

 

That is when the lift at the Jarrow end of the Tunnels will return to service following extensive repair and refurbishment.

 

The new lift will be three times quicker than the one it replaces, taking only 16 seconds to cover its 26 metre journey. It will be able to carry up to 13 people. The new lift is at least 50 per cent more energy efficient than the one it replaces.

 

It is also fully compliant with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act and will eventually be able to take motorised scooters once the lift at the Howdon entrance also returns to service.

 

Work on the lift at the Howdon entrance is expected to be completed by Christmas.

 

As the Tunnels are Grade II-listed, the lift refurbishments required Listed Building Consent. Items of original equipment dating back to when the Tunnels opened in 1951 have been catalogued, photographed, crated and stored for future generations.

 

Paul Fenwick, Project Director for the Tyne & Wear Integrated Transport Authority (TWITA), which own the Tunnels, said: “The repair work on the lifts represents an investment of £500,000 and reflects the commitment of the Transport Authority to maintaining this historic link under the River Tyne.

 

“Bringing the lifts back into service will be a great relief to our customers who have had to put up with a greatly reduced service recently as, in addition to both lifts being out of service, only one of the four escalators has been working.

 

“The Transport Authority introduced a free shuttle service to help those who would otherwise have struggled using the tunnels while the lifts were out of service. The shuttle will end once both lifts are working again.

 

“I would like to thank our customers for their patience and forbearance during the past few months.”

 

In July this year TWITA approved a £6 million upgrade of the Tunnels which will include the replacement of two of the original wooden-step escalators with inclined lifts. The two remaining escalators will be conserved and opened up to public view.

 

For more information visit www.tynepedestrianandcyclisttunnels.co.uk

 

Ends

Media contact: Richard Simpson, Bradley O’Mahoney Public Relations, 07821 537106 or Felicity Amer on 0191 281 8833

 

Felicity Amer ACIPR

Account Director

Bradley O'Mahoney Public Relations Limited

56 Jesmond Road West

Newcastle upon Tyne

NE2 4PQ

 

Tel: 0191 281 8833

Fax: 0191 281 4954

www.bradleyomahoney.co.uk

he's at it again.....

http://www.boingboing.net/2010/11/19/amazing-street-frees.html

Adult Cycle training at Recyke y'bike

tell your friends - especially the ones who cant ride a bike

Recyke y'bike provides cycle training - 'learn to ride a bike' and Bikeability sessions can be tailored to your needs
see https://sites.google.com/site/recykeybikecycletraining/

Phil

Fwd: Cycle thefts in gosforth

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Clark, Anne <anne.clark@newcastle.gov.uk>
Date: 10 November 2010 08:57
Subject: Cycle thefts in gosforth
To: "Clark, Anne" <anne.clark@newcastle.gov.uk>

I've been warned by a Cycle Forum member that there seems to be a spate of thefts of bikes in Gosforth at the moment, decent bikes being selectively taken from secure storage.   Please warn the landowners if you use secure storage in an office or business in Gosforth and make sure any CCTV is working so that the police can chase it up.

Anne Clark
Cycling Officer

 

Sinclair launches X-1 electric bubble bicycle

Sinclair launches X-1 electric bubble bicycle

newcastle cycling campaign

check this site - join in

http://newcycling.org.uk/

critical mass ride last Friday of the month 5.30 meet Haymarket

buy/sell a bike

http://www.goinggoingbike.com/

Spotted these flyers put on bikes in Angel. Seems a good idea... on Twitpic

Spotted these flyers put on bikes in Angel. Seems a good idea... on Twitpic

where are all the STARs?

is it me or is there a deathly silence out there from our fellow rangers/STARs ...?
can anyone explain why?


in the meantime check out ranger responsibilities on http://www.sustransvolunteers.org.uk/modules/info_9/index.php?id=9

John Dobson Street junction

From: Clark, Anne <anne.clark@newcastle.gov.uk>

Hello,
For those of you whom I haven't met yet, I'm the new Cycling Officer for Newcastle and I would like your help.

We are looking into redesigning the junction of John Dobson Street and St Mary's Place as part of the improvements we are making to the route from the Tyne Bridge to the north of the city. 

It is a busy area with complaints cylsists about safety and from pedestrians about cyclists on the footpaths. The junction is complicated by the entrance into the Civic Centre.  This is the only entrance to the Civic Centre for HGV vehicles and has to remain open. 

If you know this area, I would be grateful if you would take a few minutes to give me a brief idea of the problems you have as cyclists at this junction to help guide our thinking.  At this stage we just need to know the issues.  We will come to the Cycling Forum with proposals once we have something we can present.

Thank you for your help.
Anne Clark

Anne Clark
Cycling Officer
Strategic Housing, Planning and Transportation
Environment and Regeneration
Newcastle City Council
Civic Centre
Barras Bridge
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 8PD
 
Tel +44 (0)191 277 8907
Fax +44 (0) 191 211 4848
Mobile 07826923660

International Community Day - Oct 27 2010 - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Hello all,

Sorry for the short notice – but we have been asked to have a stall at the International Community Day at Newcastle Civic Centre next Wednesday.

Is anybody free to help run this stall with me?

Set up is from 11am and the event closes at 3.30pm. I will be setting up and packing up so I really only need someone to help me from around 12-2.

It is definitely going ahead!!

Thanks,

Catherine

catherine.smith@sustrans.org.uk

Bicycle lights you wear under your skin

Bicycle lights you wear under your skin

LTP3 consultation

Dear fellow cyclist

CONSULTATION – YOUR VIEWS

We would like to draw your attention to the Local Transport Plan (LTP3) consultation portal now being open - you need to register to access the documents.

http://tyneandwearltp-consult.limehouse.co.uk/portal

What is LTP3?

The LTP3 outlines Tyne and Wear’s Transport vision for the coming 10 years till 2021. The associated Delivery Plan is valid for three years till 2014.

Give the LTP3 team your feedback - tell them what you really think.

·            Have all your cycling bugbears been addressed?

·            Has cycling been given a fair run as a mode of transport?

·            Has Nexus given due priority to include bikes-on-metro? (we think not)

·            Has Newcastle adequately outlined the vision for its city centre?

Haven't got the time? In November the Newcastle Cycling Campaign will publish some generic feedback on our website that you can use on the LTP3 portal.

STARs New Blog

Welcome to STARs blog - post anything here and keep the group updated on rangering in the North East.
bookmark this page - link to it - post on it - tell others about it but please use it