Dear all,

On the evening of 12 October NHDC are holding their annual community partnership conference. I won’t be able to attend so it would be helpful if we could have some volunteers to represent CTC / cycling interests. If we could put up a display that would be even better.

Jim Brown is involved in the organisation so should be able to help with any queries.

So, do we have any volunteers ?

Some issues that we might like to flag up:

b  Implementing the North Herts Cycle Network – why is it taking so long, why is the quality of detailed design so poor, why is there so little commitment ?

b  Urban planning. First Baldock, then Letchworth. Nice paving but no thought given to improving conditions for cycling. Why not ? It is an awful lot of money invested.

b  Cycle training in North Herts schools – being able to ride a bike safely and confidently in traffic is an essential life skill that all children should be taught. Let’s have cycle training in every school.

b  Cycle parking – it is so cheap and easy to install, why is there so little of it in North Herts ? Every shop should have a cycle rack outside it.

b  North Herts Olympics – Something that I have been pondering but have no time to take further. Perhaps somebody with a sporting background would like to take this on and run (or cycle) with it. Wouldn’t it be great to use the 2012 Olympics as a spur to get people more active, by putting on a series of summer “events” for the next three years. Much of this could be events that local clubs already organise, but with an umbrella organisation to publicise them, and more of an emphasis on public participation eg a fun run on the back of a 5km foot race, a mini-sprint and sprint triathlon (Norton pool is just crying out as a venue), rugby sevens / touch rugby tournament... other people will have far more ideas than I can come up with, a community conference seems like the ideal venue to raise it.

So, volunteers ?

Regards
 
 
 
Alasdair DV Massie CEng MIStructE

CTC Right to Ride Representative, North Herts

CTC is Britain’s largest cycling organisation with 70,000 members. Formed in 1878 we have actively campaigned for better, safer roads, locally and nationally since our inception.

We have a large and active section for North Herts and Stevenage.

wwww.ctc.org.uk            www.northhertsctc.org.uk