Sustrans appeals for donations to repair flood damaged National Cycle Network

fukawitribe wrote:

Sustrans aren't perfect, far from it, but perhaps they can be improved by the contribution and help from those those that have issues with them ? They're not _that_ monolithic at the local level that they're not amenable to some persausion here and there IME.

In my experience they are utterly focussed on mileage of signed 'cycleways', far too willing to compromise with vested interests, and only really concerned with leisure travel. Consider, for  example,  the recently opened Aviemore to Kincraig  path - poorly surfaced, with gradients sufficient to deter some of my colleagues, and boasting 11 gates in its 5 miles. Fine for a leisurely potter,  but when some hack politico opened it the Sustrans heid yin blethered on about how it would be great for commuting.  After some pressure he admitted he was wrong,  but no plans to do anything about it. 

So 'open to persuasion' means they occasionally admit that they build shite,  not that they will stop building shite.

Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

Every single cycle track near me has huge complicated barriers to make it difficult for cyclists to access those tracks.  They also make it completely impossible for disabled people (in wheelchairs or mobility scooters) to access them.  And even after all that, the surfaces are usually terrible.

So no Sustrans, you'll not be receiving any donations from me.  Spend what funds you have creating decent infrastructure, not rubber stamping risable crap.

Thats very likely local council owned. Sustrans may have been involved in building it possibly but barriers like that are things that the general public request to prevent their stupid kids riding motorbikes on the tracks.  I agree Sustrans should be aiming for higher standards, especially in what their contractors produce, but they are humstrung by how big they have become and the need to pander to council requirements or they will lose contracts and put their (not inconsiderable!) office workforce out of jobs.

Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

Every single cycle track near me has huge complicated barriers to make it difficult for cyclists to access those tracks.  They also make it completely impossible for disabled people (in wheelchairs or mobility scooters) to access them.  And even after all that, the surfaces are usually terrible.

Trouble is without barriers you get motorbikes and quad bikes everywhere. Locally the barriers have been damaged to allow access into the local woods and the paths are now virtually impassable even on foot, never mind cycling.

So yes it is frustrating but on balance the lesser of two evils

bikebot wrote:

I wish I could like Sustrans, but when I've tried the off road sections of the NCN, even during good weather I've abandoned them.  

I agree to a certain extent, but a work colleague was complaining about improvements on canal paths round Manchester. His take was that the smooth surface had removed the fun and made them "less bouncy".

Difference between us I use the canal path (in Leeds) to commute, he is a weekend leisure cyclist on a MTB.

While Sustran try and tick all of the boxes, I get the impression they are more focused on Leisure off road cycling and they do that quite well.