Campaigning news in Hertfordshire (North)

CTC North Herts Briefing Sheets

[CTC North Herts Briefing Sheets link to be inserted] We have prepared briefing sheets on a number of problems that we regularly encounter in the highway. Most of these are clearly identified in Local and National guidance, but designers either haven’t read it or just ignore the guidance. Don’t let engineers pull the wool over your councillor’s eyes. These sheets give the relevant guidance, chapter and verse, in black and white.

Sources of Guidance

If you want to know where to find the appropriate guidance. We have summarised the main documents onto one sheet [here link to be added].

The best, most authoritative and most comprehensive guidance currently available in the UK is produced by Cycling England. Visit the Engineering Checklist section of the Cycling England website for guidance on all topics. They also have excellent sections on cycle training, travel planning and other soft measures to encourage cycling. Cycling England is a semi-independent organisation, set up by the Department for Transport, to promote cycling and provide guidance on how this should be achieved.

Hertfordshire Cycling Strategy

You wouldn’t know it from what appears on the ground but Hertfordshire actually has a very GOOD cycling strategy. You can read it here. The challenge is to get Herts Highways to work to it, rather than forever pushing cycling into the margins so as to make ever more room for queues of stationary motor vehicles. We have summarised some of the key recommendations here.

CycleStreets photomap and Fault Reporting

Got a problem on your way to work ? Or maybe there is a fantastic bit of infrastructure that you are burning to share with the world (well we can wish). Don’t keep it to yourself, load a photo, description and location onto the CycleStreets photomap and then let us know about it. Report faults, maintenance issues etc on the HertsDirect website, and make use of FillThatHole for pothole reporting – it is better than using the county reporting system because CTC keep a track of reports.

Cycle Parking

Hertfordshire has a very good The Hertfordshire Cycle Parking Guide. It is rather long though. For a more concise and user friendly guide, try the Cambridge Cycle Parking Guide.

You can park a lot more PEOPLE in any given space if they arrive by bike – 10 to 20 times as many people in fact. On a “standard” layout the ratio is 14:1, on a tight urban site it is even greater than this. See the drawing here.

Sustrans also have a concise guide to cycle parking, and TfL’s workplace cycle parking guide is very good too.

Not sure how to lock your bike up to ensure that it still there with all its wheels on when you return? See our “Keep it safe” information sheet.

Have your say

Don’t keep your grumbles to yourself. If the Council is creating problems for you every time that you get on your bike then contact your MP or local councillor about it and send us a copy. Don’t know who they are? Type your postcode into the HertsDirect “Who is my councillor” page and it will tell you your MP and county councillor (responsible for transport, health and education). Click on the links for contact details. For details of District councillors, go here for North Herts or here for Stevenage.