Kidical Mass Dundee

Kidical Mass Dundee is taking place again next Saturday - April 29th.

Kidical Mass is a family-friendly bike ride and invites families to join them on a short bike ride to build cycling confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging in our youth.

The ride also highlights a need for more and better cycling infrastructure in our city - space for the next generation.

If you would like to join, come with your bike to the Riverside Pitches on Saturday, April 29th at 1pm - all welcome!

Dundee Pump track survey

A West End resident - along with Dundee Cycle Hub - has set up a survey to gauge the interest in a pump track facility in Dundee. 

This is a facility he has been keen to get in Dundee.     It is basically a looped track and consists of a series of rollers and corners (berms) primarily made with asphalt they can be ridden by many different types of wheeled equipment such as bikes, skateboards, scooters etc. 

They offer a low barrier to entry and can be used by both beginner and experienced users. Whilst this is similar in some ways to a skatepark it is quite a different facility to most skateparks due to the design / flow and the asphalt material that most pump tracks are made with.

A first step is just to demonstrate the demand so the survey is intended to do just that. The link to the survey is at https://forms.gle/xCmaiKsWnCQJR2S77 - all welcome to take part.

Free adult cycle training

Dundee Cyclathon – A fun cycling event for the whole family!

Dundee Cycling Forum

Temporary closure of cycle path Greenmarket to Roseangle

The cycle path across the former rail goods yard, now digital media park, was closed earlier this month as a result of the construction works for the new Seabraes pedestrian bridge.    

The City Council has advised me :

"Signage was erected one week in advance to notify cyclists that the section of cycleway in question would be closed from the 14th October 2014.  Please see ... photo.

The cycleway was closed ... and appropriate diversion signs are in place."

I have made the point to the City Council that, unlike a road closure, there is no advance Traffic Order notice system for cycle path closures.   So the first time one constituent who hadn't used the path for a few weeks knew it was closed was when he walked along it, only to find the access blocked.   I have suggested an informal notice is published for such cycle path closures in future to allow advance publicity wider than at the site itself.

Here's the diversion route during the works :

Cycling - Riverside Drive

At the end of this year's Bike Week, it is perhaps appropriate to highlight a cycling-related issue.    Residents have asked if, as a result of the proposals relative to the road, north footpath and environment of Riverside Drive, a designated cycle path will be created.

I raised this with the City Engineer, who has advised:

"I can confirm that there is not to be a designated cycle path created as the existing path adjacent to the sea wall is a designated part of the National Cycle Route and is of appropriate width for shared use. As such, cyclists will not be prohibited from using this cycle path but cyclists may use the road if they so wish.

Transportation Division also made the following useful comments:

1. Volume of bicycle traffic is just not high enough for segregation.

2. The average width of the Riverside Drive pathway is 2.5 to 4.0m with a few short sections less than 2.5m in width. No know problems have occurred or been reported. When you combine this width with the volume of pedestrian/cycle traffic then is there is adequate space for give and take pedestrian/cycle movements.

3. If a white line were to be incorporated to form segregation then how is this enforced? Police resources are already stretched and this would fall into very low priority for them.

4. The current widths on parts of the cycleway would not permit segregation as design width could not be achieved for the appropriate lanes. 

5. Links throughout the city joining onto this route have no segregation facilities in place. No such pedestrian/conflict has occurred there.

6. There has to be some level of respect for both users of the path. It is the responsibility of the individual to cycle with respect and due care for other road users/pedestrians in accordance with guidelines in the “Highway Code”. The Tay Road Bridge walkway for example is 2.5m wide and constrained with a 1.5m high barrier. It is promoted as a shared use, is part of the NCN and no segregation line is used. This has work fine for many years and pedestrian/cycle traffic is high on this route compared to Riverside Drive. 

7. Our accident records show no reported collisions between pedestrian/cyclists on this section of cycle route or any other part of the route itself."

Planning & Transport Committee - news releases

Three City Council news releases just issued, covering issues to be covered at the Planning & Transport Committee that I will chair next Monday, 9th June :

STREET LIGHTING SUCCESS

Street lights in Dundee have fewer faults that are fixed quicker than in any other Scottish city.

The figures, revealed in a new report to go before councillors next week, also show that the carbon footprint from street lighting in Dundee was the lowest of the four other major population centres in Scotland.

Members of the planning and transport committee, which meets on Monday (June 9), will be told that in 2007/08 the average time taken to repair a street light in Dundee was 1.8 days, and that only 20% of street lights developed a fault.

Convener of the planning and transport committee, Fraser Macpherson said: "Street lighting makes an important contribution to road safety, crime prevention and the safety of groups who might feel vulnerable after dark.

"Recognising that, the council moved to a more proactive way of dealing with the street lighting stock throughout the city.

"Rather than just repairing faults when they are reported, groups of lamps are replaced in an area when they are coming to the end of their natural life. In this way we are being greener and brighter."

The report by director of planning and transportation, Mike Galloway shows that street lights in Dundee are repaired twice as quickly as in Glasgow, the next best performing city; and that in percentage terms Dundee has fewer street lighting faults every year than any other city.

Compared with Dundee, Aberdeen has four times as many lights per 1000 street lights not working as planned on any one evening, while in Glasgow the figure is seven times, and there 11 times as many in Edinburgh.

Dundee City Council has also reduced the energy consumption per street light to 104 watts as a result of the planned replacement regime cutting wasted energy.

This figure compares with 111 watts in Edinburgh, 119 watts in Glasgow and 120 watts in Aberdeen.

GELLATLY STREET

Work on two key elements that will underpin the multi million pound transformation of Dundee's waterfront will go before councillors next week.

Members of Dundee City Council's planning and transport committee will be asked to approve £450,000 of works to Gellatly Street and changes to the area's car park to help patrons of the new hotel at the site.

Planning and transport committee convener, Fraser Macpherson said: "As work on the waterfront goes on and roads are re-aligned and traffic flow changed, Gellatly Street will become much busier.

"With this in mind the road surface needs be improved and carrying out the resurfacing work now will help to avoid the potential of greater disruption in the future."

The resurfacing work will be done in two parts the first going from the south junction of Dock Street and Commercial Street round to the entrance of the multi-storey car park.

As a result Gellatly Street will temporarily change from being one-way northwards from Commercial Street to Seagate to a no-through road.

While work is going on in the first phase Gellatly Street will become two-way from Seagate to the multi-storey car park, which will remain open throughout the contract.

Heavy goods vehicles which will not have space to turn will be required to park on Seagate and transport deliveries from there to businesses in Gellatly Street.

Residents and traders in the street have been notified of the changes to the traffic flow and arrangements for deliveries while work progresses.

Plans to open the new Holiday Inn Express hotel in Dock Street are well advanced and a link between the building and the adjacent Gellatly Street car park has been agreed.

Councillors will be asked to endorse a recommendation to issue paid for permits to hotel patrons allowing them to park in Gellatly Street car park from 2pm until noon the following day.

Cllr Joe Morrow, who chairs the Waterfront Project Board said: "These two elements of activity in Gellatly Street are fundamental to the early part of the revolutionary makeover of Dundee's waterfront.

"With considerable work already completed under ground to prepare the waterfront, these two pieces of activity will be tangible evidence of the forthcoming transformation."

Details of the latest developments in the project and the wider waterfront vision can be found on www.dundeewaterfront.com

The planning and transport committee meets on Monday (June 9).

CYCLING, WALKING AND SAFER STREETS

Almost £250,000 could be spent in Dundee on projects that will improve access to walking and cycling facilities and/or reduce danger to pedestrians and cyclists.

If councillors back the move at a meeting on Monday (June 9), the money will be spent under four broad headings to meet the council's cycling, walking and safer streets policy.

The planning and transport committee is being asked to back lowered kerb/footway improvements, pedestrian access and safety, outdoor access and cycling measures.

Convener of the planning and transport committee, Fraser Macpherson said: "Projects across the city will be funded by this extra money, which has been allocated by the Scottish Government.

"All of the woks will promote cycling, walking and safer streets with the aim of helping to reduce Dundonians' dependence on the car, and in turn further improve air quality in the city."

According to a report to go before the committee, £100,000 has been allocated to lowering kerbs and improving footways to increase accessibility for vulnerable pedestrians including the elderly and children.

Improvements to existing pedestrian crossing facilities and new infrastructure to improve pedestrian access and safety have been given £99,000.

A number of projects to give more access to the outdoors for cyclists and pedestrians have had £30,000 earmarked for them, and £20,000 has been identified to fill in the "missing links" in the city's cycling network.