Tag: BearsWay

We publish below an e-mail from East Dunbartonshire councillor, Manjinder Singh.  If you haven’t been involved already please do try to get to tonight’s public event or the information session this afternoon. Failing that, do write to the Council to voice support.  We need routes like this, please give your support.

From: <Manjinder.Shergill@eastdunbarton.gov.uk>
Date: 6 Sep 2016 17:56
Subject: Public have a say on phase two of Bears Way
To:
Cc:

Hundreds of people attended a public forum on phase two of the A81 Bears Way project last Thursday.
It was standing-room only in Milngavie Town Hall with around 250 people hearing more about the potential future of the cycleway – which offers protected space for people of all ages to cycle in safety and comfort.
After a delay to the start of the meeting due to the numbers attending, a presentation lasting around half an hour was delivered.
Members of the audience were then offered an opportunity to ask questions and give their views directly to the project team – including representatives of the Council and Sustrans – for around an hour and a half.
Earlier on Thursday there had been a well-attended drop-in information event in the Allander Leisure Centre.
A second public forum is being held on Wednesday 7 September, 7pm-9pm, in Milngavie Town Hall.
Meanwhile, further drop-in sessions will be held in Allander Leisure Centre on Saturday 3 September, 11am-3pm, and Wednesday 7 September, noon – 2pm.

Please note these are informal sessions and a chance for the public to access information ahead of the public forum.

There was a fantastic turn-out at the first public forum on phase two of the Bears Way and I want to thank everyone who took the time to listen, ask questions and make their views known.It was, however, disappointing to hear of the lack of courtesy extended to Council employees and partners by a small number of the audience. Such behaviours are not acceptable in any forum. It’s important that all points of view are taken into account and respected, and that everyone has the opportunity to make a contribution, supportive or not. There was a range of views expressed on the night – from people in favour of the cycleway and significant investment in the area to those with concerns about phase one and ways in which they would wish to see it improved – through to others who expressed in-principle disagreement with the model of a dedicated separate cycle way.

Phase 1 of the Bears Way – funded by delivery partners Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Sustrans – runs from Burnbrae roundabout to Hillfoot.

If you have any ideas, comments or want to join the mailing list please e-mail cycling@eastdunbarton.gov.uk. For more information visit www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/cycling and www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/bearsway

·        Phase 1 of the Bears Way was recently recognised for ‘Achievements in Cycling’ at the Scottish Transport Awards.

·        The Council’s Local Transport Strategy and Active Travel Strategy set out a range of actions aimed at encouraging cycling in East Dunbartonshire. Work supports the national vision of getting 10% of everyday journeys to be made by bike by 2020.

Regards
Councillor Manjinder Shergill
Vice Convenor of Education
East Dunbartonshire Council
12 Strathkelvin Place
Kirkintilloch
GLASGOW
G66 1TJ
Tel:  0141 578 8163
e-mail:  manjinder.shergill@eastdunbarton.gov.uk

East Dunbartonshire Council are now busy consulting on both Phase 1 (constructed) and Phase 2 (at the design stage) of the ambitious A81 Bears Way segregated route.  They have written to GoBike, and others, requesting views on 2 questions relating to Phase 1.  Their letter and the GoBike response are on our Consultations page, but we repeat the 2 questions and our response here:

“Question 1: Can you confirm your support for the principle of the Bears Way in line with your strategic priorities?

GoBike response: The principle of the Bears Way is very definitely in line with our strategic priorities. One of our prime aims is to campaign for a cycling network designed and constructed to current best practices. The Bears Way contributes significantly to this. It is in general, well-designed, and it encourages people of all ages and abilities to cycle. It is on a major commuting route and thus of valuable use to people who are travelling to work and college, as well as being of use for tourists and general trips to the shops etc.

Question 2: Has the Bears Way had any positive or negative impacts on your operations?

GoBike response: The Bears Way has had notable positive benefits for us. Our members and supporters are now able to cycle this short length in far greater safety than before, when they had to dodge around parked cars and moving motor traffic. It has encouraged people to get back on bikes that they hadn’t used for years and it has encouraged adults to take children out cycling. The only negative aspects for us are the short length of the route and the connectivity at the ends; we look forward to the route continuing as primarily a segregated route both to the north and the south.”

Phase 2, proposed to run from Hillfoot to Kessington (ie towards the Glasgow boundary) is now out for consultation, full details are given on the East Dunbartonshire Council website:

http://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/bearsway

Already, the proposals have been whittled down to 3 options, as here:

Design Options

Three options have been shortlisted for Bears Way Phase 2 and will be consulted on

• Option 2 – Shared use path on the east side
• Option 4 – Two-way segregated cycleway on the east side
• Option 7 – A combination of shared and segregated on the east side

Two GoBike members will be meeting East Dunbartonshire Council (EDC) staff on Tuesday 23 August and will attend a Consultation Event (invite only) in Milngavie on Thursday 25 August.

Public consultation is now open.  Details are given on the EDC website: https://www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk/bearsway  and EDC have taken out advertising features in the press.  THEY WANT YOUR COMMENTS, so please respond.  Also, please get your comments back to GoBike so that we can put forward your views this week and during the ongoing process.

Lots to do at the Big Bike Fest, starting with the Big Debate on Saturday evening, ie tomorrow, 28 May, at Westerton Hall
82 Maxwell Avenue
G61 1NZ Bearsden, 7pm and then lots of activities during the week.  The Fest is organised and sponsored by the Bike Station, East Dunbartonshire Council and Sustrans.  Get yourself along and support cycling in Bearsden and Milngavie.

Have a look at the poster: BBF Poster

and check out the website: http://www.thebigbikefest.org.uk/

Clarification on the road crash reported in the previous post – here is the article: Bears Way Car Crash  It happened on 21 January, ie almost 2 weeks ago, so it’s curious as to why the report wasn’t in last week’s paper.  Could it be in now in response to the GoBike letter that was published last week?

GoBike’s ride this Sunday includes the Bears Way, A81 Cycle Route.  The route has been the subject of lots of opposition from local motorists and numerous articles in the Milngavie & Bearsden Herald, including one on page 5 of today’s issue, reporting that a car driver drove into another car parked in a parking bay apparently because of the cycle way on the other side of the road! (For some reason the article does not appear on the website.)

Motorists in Bearsden and Milngavie have been vociferous in their opposition to the Bears Way A81 cycle scheme and it was agreed at this month’s GoBike! committee meeting that we would write to the Milngavie & Bearsden Herald in support of the scheme.  It’s not a perfect scheme, but it’s a brave step by East Dunbartonshire Council to put a segregated route down a main road, ie where people cycle, rather than shunt us off to a circuitous side road route.  It’s also imperative that the scheme continues, both northwards to Milngavie Railway Station and south to the Glasgow boundary.

Our letter was in the edition published yesterday, 28 January, but it seems that letters are not regularly included on the paper’s website.  Our letter is here on the News page of the GoBike! website and here is a pdf of both our letter, as published in yesterday’s paper plus an interesting one from a motorist, who now sees that parked vehicles are slowing him down!  Hurray!  MBHerald letters 29th January2016

If you live, work and/or cycle in the area and support the scheme please write to the M&B Herald; this issue is not going away and those who oppose it are sure to be sharpening their quills and filling their inkwells right now to get their views into the editor.

The bears aren’t happy about this one!  The car-using Bearsden populace was out in force at the Consultation event last Thursday:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/14097931.Police_probe_death_threat_as_mystery_Bearsden_resident_threatens_to__execute__council_staff_over_cycle_path/