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Sustrans works to make cycle paths more accessible with removal of motorcycle barriers

Barriers prevent tandems and disability bikes from using National Cycle Network routes

The Lord Mayor of Manchester Carl Austin-Behan and his Consort Simon Austin-Behan rode a tandem along Sustrans’ Fallowfield Loop cycle and walking route this week to highlight the new open barriers along one of Greater Manchester’s most popular traffic-free paths.

Tandems, bicycles adapted for disability and family trailers can now access the six-mile linear park, which had regular barriers along its length as well as at access points to roads, to deter use by motorised vehicles. While ordinary bicycles could stop and pass, larger non-motorised bikes were unable to pass through.

Sustrans worked with the Friends of the Fallowfield Loop throughout the summer on a trial removal of barriers along the path, which runs from Chorlton to Gorton. A survey of 300 people by the Friends found that the barrier removal was overwhelmingly positive, with little noticeable difference on motorcycle use.

Sustrans will now increase its lobbying efforts to secure the removal of anti-motorbike barriers from across the National Cycle Network.

The Lord Mayor said: “It’s great that people now have a more flexible and safe way to travel around Manchester on a traffic-free path, without hurdles. Removing the barriers makes it much easier for all types of bicycles, especially family trailers, to use the Loop and it’s put the joy back in to cycling this route as you don’t have to stop all the time. As word gets out that more people can now access the path, it will be a busier and safer place to be.”

The Fallowfield Loop was the former Manchester Central railway line, which was converted to a cycle and walking route in the 1990s. Guidelines at the time stipulated regular barriers to deter motor cycles.

A recent report by the Friends of the Fallowfield Loop surveyed of over 300 people, including face-to-face interviews on the Fallowfield Loop and online feedback. Of the responses, 279 were positive about the lack of barriers along the path, while 41 were negative, and a further 19 were uncertain or positive (but with reservations).

Sustrans and the Friends of the Fallowfield Loop will continue to keep the barriers open and work with the local community to monitor the path.

 

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19 comments

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Reddleman | 7 years ago
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Sustrans do have employees, but they rely heavily on volunteers who freely give up some of their time to help maintain theses routes. I'm glad to see the back of these barriers, they were a pain the backside and I suspect did little to deter antisocial behaviour.

On that note I feel this is the main drawback of the "loop", particularly in winter, the security issue. Certainly my partner wouldn't use it on her own, day or night, and after several well publicised incidents I don't blame her.

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FatBoyW | 7 years ago
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Oooh so critical, but before sustains there was a heck of a lot less cycling infrastructure, admittedly have found hardly any much use to brisk riding. Oh and yes, personally involved in working to establish shared use path and a training facility...

not a fan of the types of path created but better than what we had before

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Mr Agreeable | 7 years ago
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I love the withering disdain road.cc commenters have for Sustrans, an organisation that is still leagues ahead of anyone except the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain when it comes to setting out an inclusive vision of cycling for all.

If anyone needs filling in, their policy on access controls is here: http://www.sustrans.org.uk/about-us/our-position/our-position-use-access...

I wonder how many new cycle routes the commenters have created. Tonnes, I expect.

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davel replied to Mr Agreeable | 7 years ago
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Mr Agreeable wrote:

I love the withering disdain road.cc commenters have for Sustrans, an organisation that is still leagues ahead of anyone except the Cycling Embassy of Great Britain when it comes to setting out an inclusive vision of cycling for all.

If anyone needs filling in, their policy on access controls is here: http://www.sustrans.org.uk/about-us/our-position/our-position-use-access...

I wonder how many new cycle routes the commenters have created. Tonnes, I expect.

Ooh, you cheeky straw man.

I have personally dug a ring-road of shared-use paths with my bare hands, specifically to qualify to criticise sustrans in these circumstances. (I think I measured the paths in miles, not by weight, but I get your drift.)

I trust you have personally built paths with nuisance obstacles, then criticised and removed said obstacles, in order to qualify to criticise people criticising sustrans for the nuisance obstacles.

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DaveE128 | 7 years ago
3 likes

I think people are being unfair to Sustrans here. They don't specify these things in the first place - it's the local councils that do that when implementing the routes.

I don't think it's unreasonable for Sustrans to take credit for routes that would never have come into being without the pressure they applied. Likewise in this case if they are succeeding in persuading councils to take out these barriers (I believe they have been trying for a while), then fair play to them.

And yes, I think Sustrans and their routes are far from perfect. But they have made utility cycling and family a lot less awful in the UK IMHO.

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VeloPeo replied to DaveE128 | 7 years ago
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DaveE128 wrote:

I think people are being unfair to Sustrans here. They don't specify these things in the first place - it's the local councils that do that when implementing the routes.

Yes they do (well it's the council's name on the document but they basically specify what Sustrans tell them to).

And I've had that from both a Sustrans employee and a Council employee responsible for the NCN routes in the borough.

We know there's no-one else doing what Sustrans do - but they could be specifying much better infra. It's right to be critical of an organisation that mostly has a monopoly advising the concils and is helping them deliver mostly sub-standard developments and then washing their hands of any responsibility.

 

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STATO | 7 years ago
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Newcastle city council have been doing this as well, lots of barriers removed from cycle paths and bridleways, its ace.  Of course there was a spate of flytipping immediately, as you would expect, but this was cleared up promptly and doesnt seem to have been a problem since.  Progress!

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Edgeley | 7 years ago
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It isn't Sustrans that have done this, is it?  It is the local authority.

Sustrans agree to every nonsense that local authorities put in, and now they appear to be trying to get the credit when a local authority makes things better.

My favourite down here is a cycle route, lauded by Sustrans, which has a long stretch of loose gravel used to resurface it.  They are hopeless.

 

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burtthebike replied to Edgeley | 7 years ago
2 likes

Edgeley wrote:

It isn't Sustrans that have done this, is it?  It is the local authority.

Sustrans agree to every nonsense that local authorities put in, and now they appear to be trying to get the credit when a local authority makes things better.

But that is Sustrans' modus operandi.  Do little but take the credit for the whole thing.  And blame the local authority for anything wrong.

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VeloPeo | 7 years ago
1 like

Two things

1) About bloody time

2) Lobbying to remove the things they specified in the first place.....

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gmac101 | 7 years ago
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I use some shared paths without motorcycle barriers and as a result the odd scooter and biker is not a rare sight. Where they offer a useful cut through that avoids heavy traffic I suspect they'll appear pretty quickly. 

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brooksby replied to gmac101 | 7 years ago
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gmac101 wrote:

I use some shared paths without motorcycle barriers and as a result the odd scooter and biker is not a rare sight. Where they offer a useful cut through that avoids heavy traffic I suspect they'll appear pretty quickly. 

True.  But I read the headline and thought they were talking about *all* a-frames, not just the ones on a single specific route.

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burtthebike | 7 years ago
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What nonsense is this?  Sustrans listening to cyclists?

Fake news.

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Peowpeowpeowlasers replied to burtthebike | 7 years ago
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burtthebike wrote:

What nonsense is this?  Sustrans listening to cyclists?

Fake news.

Sustrans don't listen to the cyclists who complain about the enormous amount of very slippery and dangerous leaves on the loop line.  Apparently, we're supposed to go down there with a broom and clean it up ourselves.

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. . replied to Peowpeowpeowlasers | 7 years ago
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Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

Sustrans don't listen to the cyclists who complain about the enormous amount of very slippery and dangerous leaves on the loop line.  Apparently, we're supposed to go down there with a broom and clean it up ourselves.

I reported a fallen tree across a cycle path to my local Sustrans office a week ago.  On Saturday I was pleasantly surprised to fine the tree had gone.   They are not all bad

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Milkfloat replied to . . | 7 years ago
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. . wrote:

Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

Sustrans don't listen to the cyclists who complain about the enormous amount of very slippery and dangerous leaves on the loop line.  Apparently, we're supposed to go down there with a broom and clean it up ourselves.

I reported a fallen tree across a cycle path to my local Sustrans office a week ago.  On Saturday I was pleasantly surprised to fine the tree had gone.   They are not all bad

 

Hw do you know it was sustrans who were responsible, it could have quite easily and more likely been another organisation.

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DaveE128 replied to Milkfloat | 7 years ago
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Milkfloat wrote:

. . wrote:

Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

Sustrans don't listen to the cyclists who complain about the enormous amount of very slippery and dangerous leaves on the loop line.  Apparently, we're supposed to go down there with a broom and clean it up ourselves.

I reported a fallen tree across a cycle path to my local Sustrans office a week ago.  On Saturday I was pleasantly surprised to fine the tree had gone.   They are not all bad

 

Hw do you know it was sustrans who were responsible, it could have quite easily and more likely been another organisation.

Well, it's only another anecdote, but I had a similar experience of reporting a fallen tree across a sustrans route, not a public right of way and on forestry commission land, so I suspect it was them that got it sorted. Of course the way that Sustrans works, I don't think they send out their own staff with chainsaws, but they work with others to make things happen.

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Leviathan | 7 years ago
1 like

The barriers have been open since august I think. Unfortunately 'loop' season is over due to leaves everywhere and the dark after 4pm. Great cross city shortcut in the summer.

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davel | 7 years ago
2 likes

They're not even standard. There are several A-frames on a NCN route within a few miles of my house. I have to stop for a couple - too narrow to get the width of my shoulders through without a shimmy. Another couple are so wide I can coast through on a MTB.

Throw boomgates and kissing gates into the mix and it's an inconsistent inconvenience. I have absolutely no idea how many motorbikes they keep out though - I'd probably moan a lot more about being buzzed by scramblers than I do about the gates.

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