CHESTERFIELD CYCLE CAMPAIGN CAMPAIGN NEWSLETTER Published quarterly Number 92 Winter 2020 www.chesterfieldcc.org.uk Affiliated to Cycling UK and Cyclenation Editorial _______________________________________________ This is our first printed newsletter since the ‘lockdown’ in March which produced empty roads and a considerable rise in the number of people cycling. The government then announced lots of initiatives to promote walking and cycling and you will read about the local ones in this newsletter. We are at a time with unprecedented interest in promoting cycling, we can only hope it will produce lasting results! Alastair Meikle, Secretary Email update _______________________________________________ Our secretary sends out an email update roughly every month, if for some reason you don’t receive this into your ‘inbox’ and would like to please contact the secretary at this address secretary@chesterfieldcc.org.uk Other local campaigning groups _______________________________________________ Ride Bolsover www.ridebolsover.org.uk Derwent Valley Cycle Group www.derwentvalleycycleway.org.uk Ride Sheffield www.ridesheffield.org.uk Welcome to New Members _________________________________________________ Joshua Burton Angelina Makaram-Ashby Tim Corby Stephen Prince Andrew Evans Matt & Sue Russ Russel Key Brendan Ryan Gillian Knight Mick Theobold Brian & Jane Lever Ann Walsham Campaign Chat _________________________________________________ After many months of waiting the and one at the visitors entrance. Local transport note 1/20 was published by DfT in July. This may We are also purchasing some sound rather bland but it is the more equipment for other ‘official’ cycle infrastructure design organisations. guide for the UK. Another public bike pump like the one at the Hollingwood Hub which will be installed near the cafe at Pleasley Pit. Also a Sheffield stand which will be placed near the entrance to Spital Cemetery following a request from the ‘Friends’ group. Derbyshire County Council have completed the cycle route from It is full of information and Whittington Moor roundabout to diagrams updating the last guide Peak Resort. Unfortunately not as published in 2008. good as we had expected but at least there is a connection now using shared paths and quiet roads. The alignment we hoped for alongside the A61 proved too difficult and expensive due to land ownership (The Borough Council failing to protect from a previous planning application) and because major utilities would have to have been rerouted. Following discussions at our Work has now started building the monthly meetings and with the shared route between Peak Resort Royal Hospital we have produced and Dronfield. Incidentally what is a roll up banner showing cycling being built doesn’t comply with routes to the hospital. the latest Cycle Infrastructure When the banner arrived it was Design Guide! found to be damaged so the company responsible sent us The big news of 2020 was the another. They are both OK to be governments ‘Gear Change’ displayed so both will be at the announcement and the hospital, one at the main entrance Emergency Active Travel Fund. Emergency Active Travel Fund Crow Lane closure _________________________________________________ Following the government the entrance to the golf club. Our announcement of the EATF our suggestions were just one of a Campaign compiled a document number of documents submitted of suggested potential local by environmental groups to DCC. schemes that Derbyshire County Council could implement and A Derbyshire Times photo call was apply for funding for. arranged with staff from the hospital and local MP Toby One of our ideas was to close Perkins turned up too. Crow Lane to through traffic to allow safer cycling and walking Inevitably the backlash started from the town to the Royal fairly quickly with residents of Hospital. Brimington Common starting Facebook pages with some The idea was backed by the vitriolic comments. hospital and once DCC had been allocated funding they very quickly Their county councillor Stuart closed it to through traffic with Brittain (Labour) came out against these large concrete blocks near the closure and Toby Perkins then sided with him! Both claiming Another action in Chesterfield was there have been very few cyclists the closure of Corporation Street accidents on Crow Lane so it to through traffic. Perhaps less shouldn’t be closed to cars! successful because at times it has just become a taxi (and other Our Campaign started a petition in vehicle) car park. favour of permanent closure but there were some different opinions We then had councillor Keith even amongst local cyclists and Falconer (Lib Dem) quoted in environmental activists which was various press articles saying what disappointing. a waste of time the closure of Corporation Street was. The ex leader of Chesterfield Borough Council John Burrows Perhaps this is political posturing then waded into the fray alleging a against a Conservative led County conspiracy between our Council? Campaign and Derbyshire County Council officers. Whatever peoples views the closures have remained in place As time has gone on the tirade has and as you will read later may be died down as expected! incorporated into future plans. Following various meetings with Those of you that live in Borough Council officers during Chesterfield will probably have ‘lockdown’ we have been assured seen the cycling article in the that there is now a more positive Borough Council’s ‘Your approach to cycling. Chesterfield’ publication. Other ‘lockdown’ scenes _________________________________________________ It took years for Derbyshire County Council to get cars banned from parking in New Square due to several market traders opposing it. As soon as lockdown started the cars came back. The excuse was given that is was to allow social distancing! However Chatsworth Road became a joy to cycle along! West Bars roundabout without a vehicle in sight! Another positive was the opening of the old railway bridge at the southern end of the Avenue site. Probably only temporary because nobody wants responsibility when the line is electrified and potentially the bridge may be demolished. Dr Bike _________________________________________________ Following guidance from Cycling UK the Dr Bike workshop opened again from June and was inundated with people wanting repairs so subsequent workshops have introduced a booking system in a bid to aid social distancing. Every workshop has been fully booked with all 28 slots taken and others have turned up ‘on spec’ keeping all four mechanics extremely busy! Ride leaflets and Campaign newsletters are displayed using an ‘Elephant Type to enter text Bike’ - refurbished ex post office bike by ‘Cycle of Good’. Dr Bike takes old inner tubes and sends them to Cycle of Good. Active Travel bid tranche 2 _________________________________________________ Of the several schemes we The traffic lights will have cycle suggested to DCC one was to phases to allow a safe turn into create a cycle route alongside Linden Avenue and access to the Chatsworth Road from the Storrs existing Hipper Valley Trail. Road junction going west. Eventually (probably needed extra funding) this will be widened and The road is very wide with a large resurfaced to Walton Road. hatched area in the middle so space could be reallocated quite Changes will be made on Walton easily. Road and Bobbin Mill Lane to make cycling safer and once onto We were very pleased to receive a Goyt Side there will be a design from DCC with a request to segregated two way cycle path withhold publication until tranche and partial on road path to 2 funding was announced. Boythorpe Road. However in the meantime The existing path alongside someone in Derbyshire made a Queen’s Park and the station link Freedom of Information request will be used and then see later about what DCC had submitted in article about the railway station their bid and they published the master plan. result on the internet! After the railway station it is Over the next two pages you can intended to use Crow Lane and see the intended route that will then after the Piccadilly turn the hopefully be built. road will only be for access to house and the golf club with Crow The big difference this time is that Lane permanently closed to consultation has to take place through traffic. first, rather challenging with the Covid restrictions. When this goes out to consultation please consider giving it your full If it all goes ahead it will see a support. Toucan crossing built at the Holymoorside turn off Chatsworth We still consider that the extension Road leading into a segregated of the Hipper Valley Trail across two way cycle path on the north the fields to Holymoorside (so side of Chatsworth Road all the called HV3) should also go ahead way to the Storrs Road junction. to create a safe route to schools. We will be publishing these plans on the Campaign website when we get the go ahead from Derbyshire County Council but in the meantime please contact the secretary - secretary@chesterfieldcc.org.uk if you would like to receive a pdf file of the plans. Railway Station Master Plan _________________________________________________ A while ago we learnt that a There will almost certainly be a masterplan had been created by new through road built from Hollis consultants Whittam Cox. When a Lane to Malkin St. video showing a fly through of the We are pushing for a segregated ‘virtual’ scheme was released it cycle path running from the became apparent that virtually no existing station link to the cycling infrastructure was Waterside development. included. The masterplan includes a wide Our Campaign and Transition pedestrian and cycling link from Chesterfield made representations the station up to Corporation to Chesterfield Borough Council Street to create a much better about that and were invited to a entrance to the town. series of meetings so that we could put our point of view Discussions include potentially forward.