Cumbria’s Cycle Network ACase Study M. John Naylor Senior Project Manager Groundwork West Cumbria H I S T O R Y •Cumbria Cycleway •West Cumbria Cycle Network •National Cycle Network •“North West Cycle Study” •“Badged Routes” •Furness Greenways •Town Cycle Routes CUMBRIA CYCLEWAY SOLWAY FIRTH CARLISLE WORKINGTON PENRITH KESWICK WHITEHAVEN KENDAL BARROW MORECAMBE -IN-FURNESS BAY CUMBRIA CYCLEWAY •A signposted route along existing roads •212 miles long •Developed during the 1970’s by local SOLWAY cyclists and Cumbria CC FIRTH CARLISLE •Does not meet current standards- especially in the south of the County WORKINGTON PENRITH KESWICK • Currently being improved and re-aligned WHITEHAVEN to meet modern standards KENDAL BARROW MORECAMBE -IN-FURNESS BAY WEST CUMBRIA CYCLE NETWORK •Started in 1991- a 10 mile disused railway •Partnership between Groundwork, Sustrans and Copeland Borough Council •Now extends to 70km in total, 45km traffic free NATIONAL CYCLE NETWORK •Commenced in 1995 by Sustrans •A £43.5m Lottery grant achieved over £200m spend •2000 miles by 2000, 5000 miles by 2005 •“Safe for the average unaccompanied 12 year old” NORTH WEST CYCLING PROJECT NORTH WEST PHASE 2 Longtown Gretna CYCLE STUDY Brampton CARLISLE Silloth Dalston Wigton Alston •Based on ideals of National Cycle Caldbeck Maryport Workington Cockermouth Network - 358 km in the North PENRITH Keswick WHITEHAVEN Appleby-in Cumbria Westmorland West by 2000 Cleator Moor St Bees Egremont Kirkby Sellafield Ambleside Stephen Seascale Coniston Windermere • Indicated potential for 1033 km Sedbergh KENDAL Garsdale Head Broughton-in-Furness Dent Millom Milnthorpe Kirkby Lonsdale of “blue” routes to complete the Ulverston Carnforth BARROW-IN- FURNESS Ingleton National Network in the North Morecambe KEY Heysham LANCASTER West by 2005 Lancashire NCN 2000 Fleetwood (Millennium Routes) Barnoldswick Clitheroe NCN 2005 (Proposed) Colne BLACKPOOL Whalley Clayton- le-Moors Burnley •Potential for a further 945 km of Proposed Regional Routes PRESTON Accrington Lytham Bacup St Anne's Blackburn Ramsbottom Chorley “yellow” regional routes Southport Rochdale Bolton Ormskirk Bury Oldham Skelmersdale WIGAN Greater Manchester Maghull Tameside Bootle Salford •Information gathering and Merseyside St Helens MANCHESTER Wallasey LIVERPOOL Warrington Birkenhead Stockport Widnes New Mills mapping during 1998/9 by Wilmslow Ellesmere Frodsham Knutsford Port Alderley Helsby Edge Hatchmere Northwich Macclesfield Mouldsworth Groundwork West Cumbria Cheshire Warren Scale: 1 : 650 000 Middlewich CHESTER Winsford Congleton Sandbach Wettenhall Crewe Nantwich Alsager •A regional cycling plan - the Wrenbury Malpas Audlem “Better by Bike” document NORTH WEST CYCLE STUDY - Longtown CUMBRIA Gretna Brampton CARLISLE Silloth •All “Red” routes and Dalston Wigton many blue routes Alston Caldbeck constructed or developed Maryport Workington Cockermouth and open PENRITH Keswick WHITEHAVEN Appleby-in •214km “Red” NCN Cumbria Westmorland Cleator Moor routes St Bees Egremont Kirkby Sellafield Ambleside Stephen Seascale •504km “Blue” NCN Coniston Windermere Sedbergh Routes KENDAL Garsdale Head Broughton-in-Furness Dent Millom Milnthorpe Kirkby Lonsdale •A further 386km regional Ulverston Carnforth routes BARROW-IN- FURNESS Ingleton Morecambe Heysham LANCASTER “BADGED” ROUTES •Spearheaded by the C2C route in 1995 •Reivers Route (Return C2C) •Pennine Cycleway •Hadrian’s Cycleway C2C SOLWAY FIRTH 140 Miles CARLISLE from Whitehaven to Newcastle WORKINGTON •Developed PENRITH KESWICK in the early WHITEHAVEN 90’s •Won BA Global KENDAL Tourism Award in 1996 BARROW MORECAMBE -IN-FURNESS BAY REIVERS CYCLE ROUTE SOLWAY FIRTH CARLISLE •Opened in 1998 WORKINGTON •From Tynemouth to PENRITH KESWICK Whitehaven WHITEHAVEN •A “return C2C” •187 miles along minor roads and tracks KENDAL BARROW MORECAMBE -IN-FURNESS BAY PENNINE CYCLEWAY SOLWAY FIRTH CARLISLE •From Derby to Berwick •Runs up the eastern WORKINGTON side of Cumbria PENRITH with spur into KESWICK WHITEHAVEN Kendal •Runs parallel to the Pennine Bridleway KENDAL •Being actively promoted by local business such as BARROW MORECAMBE Holiday Lakeland -IN-FURNESS BAY HADRIAN’S CYCLEWAY SOLWAY FIRTH CARLISLE •Currently being developed •From Wallsend to WORKINGTON Ravenglass, Cumbria PENRITH KESWICK •Much of route WHITEHAVEN already open and signed •Follows Hadrian’s KENDAL Wall and links to Roman sites BARROW MORECAMBE -IN-FURNESS BAY Furness Greenways •Funded byCountryside Agency and local authorities in 1998 SOLWAY FIRTH CARLISLE •One of seven pilot schemes throughout the country WORKINGTON PENRITH •A detailed study of KESWICK potential routes WHITEHAVEN •Groundwork undertook two of the initial route KENDAL feasibility studies •Pilot routes built or BARROW MORECAMBE -IN-FURNESS BAY being developed in the areas of Barrow and Ulverston National and Regional Routes in Cumbria Longtown Gretna Brampton CARLISLE Silloth Dalston Wigton Alston Caldbeck Maryport Workington Cockermouth PENRITH Keswick WHITEHAVEN Appleby-in Cumbria Westmorland Cleator Moor St Bees Egremont Kirkby Sellafield Ambleside Stephen Seascale Coniston Windermere Sedbergh KENDAL Garsdale Head Broughton-in-Furness Dent Millom Milnthorpe Kirkby Lonsdale Ulverston Carnforth BARROW-IN- FURNESS Ingleton Morecambe Heysham LANCASTER M A N A G E M E N T & M A I N T E N A N C E •Initially consisted of grass cutting & minimal “essential” maintenance, funded by Sustrans •Business plan and funding bids to Local Authorities led to setting up of “The Cyclepath Company” •Undertakes full maintenance using in-house, contractor and volunteer labour M A N A G E M E N T & M A I N T E N A N C E Boundary Repairs Grass cutting & Edging Drainage Litter picking Surface Repairs Reactive Maintenance •Structures Point of contact for public Signage Insurance Scrub Clearance TOURISM & ECONOMY •Local cycle shops report large increases in sales •Cycle-link to West Lakes Science Park due for construction this year •Re-development of large local MOD site will incorporate links to the cycle network •Link to BNFL at Sellafield provides an integral part of the Green Transport Plan for the site •A healthy workforce is a valued asset •Jobs created and safeguarded in construction and maintenance TOURISM & ECONOMY •C2C - 15,000 journeys per year since 1996 •Average spend by cyclist of over £30 per day •Holiday companies set up to transport cyclists and luggage •Rural post office saved from extinction •Annual publication of Guidebook on B&B’s •Reivers route and Hadrian’s route will bring tourists from Scandinavia & Europe via North East Ferry ports •B&B business’s sustained, camping barns established.