Sustrans Cycle Route

[Andy Millne]

Construction of the new cycle route from Bedlington to Cramlington is set to start early 2010 with completion due around June 2013. The route will start at Meadowdale School then take in "The Black Path", through into Gallagher Park then head south to Humford Woods where there will be a high level bridge linking up to East cramlington and the cycle network there. I'll post a map of the route shortly

It will also link to the Coast and Castle route to the North

[Andy Millne]

Here's the route...

137_pdf.pdf

[angechica]

Work is well under way I see. The path along the river from Furnace Bank has been improved. I am really looking forward to a new accessible path through Gallagher Park.

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/connect2/schemes/the-north-east/bedlington-and-cramlington-connection

[angechica]

Work is well under way I see. The path along the river from Furnace Bank has been improved. I am really looking forward to a new accessible path through Gallagher Park.

http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/connect2/schemes/the-north-east/bedlington-and-cramlington-connection

[angechica]

That is, I assume it is the Sustrans money being used? If so the route does not match the maps you have posted earlier Fourgee. Anyone know what the outcome will be? I tried emailing Sustrans about it and got no reply.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Bit of a hiccup as I believe they have had some of their funding pulled which has resulted in some of the ancillary stuff not being done now on the major parts of the route. Also bridge link has been scrapped so I don't know what is to happen with the proposed route down past Church Lane.

The maps have had several changes I think!

Sign of the times I suppose?????

[Merlin]

Or in other words, as soon as it hit Bedlington there was no money left

[Monsta®]

waste of money if you ask me!

[Malcolm Robinson]

Or in other words, as soon as it hit Bedlington there was no money left

Merlin,

You might be right if you widened the area a little bit to…..Bedlingtonshire! Cambois had their scheme cut in half BEFORE the election!

[Merlin]

No harm done there then, who in their right mind would want to cycle through Cambois

[Malcolm Robinson]

No harm done there then, who in their right mind would want to cycle through Cambois

Actually Merlin if the whole point was to have a COASTAL cycle track right along the NE coast then Cambois should have played an important part of that shouldn't it, certainly for us?

First they had their bridge to Blyth scrapped then half the cycleway down there was scrapped. (Possibly just to maintain their Fantasy Island status!)

Don't know how supportive I was about the idea to begin with and some of the ancillary ideas left a lot to be desired but I am fuming we have taken the hit on it! Seems we have been so used to being ignored by WDC then NCC, we are now getting ignored Regionally too!

Man the barricades brothers!

[Monsta®]

No harm done there then, who in their right mind would want to cycle through Cambois

someone trying to escape from north blyth!

[Monsta®]

can you legally ride motor bikes on cycle ways?

[Merlin]

No! Just as you can't ride cycles on footpaths

[mercuryg]

waste of money if you ask me!

Did anyone ask you? Is that glass still half empty?

[Pete]

Did anyone ask you? Is that glass still half empty?

One things for sure, Monsta's comments do provoke debate, thats got to be a good thing surely?

Edited October 26, 2010 by Pete

[Monsta®]

Did anyone ask you? Is that glass still half empty?

it's my opinion just like everyone else has there view! thats why it is called a forum so people can share there personal views.

[Malcolm Robinson]

it's my opinion just like everyone else has there view! thats why it is called a forum so people can share there personal views.

And therein lies the case for the defence Me-Lud!

[cally]

hi,

With ref. to "who in their right mind would want to cycle through Cambois" (be careful Merlin and Monsta we still have witchcraft down here). We have many people who cycle through Cambois and North Blyth, especially in the summer months. Our visitors include foreign tourists and people from surrounding areas. Sustrans were involved in a £1.2m plan to re-connect Blyth town centre with Cambois and North Blyth which was part of a package of green transport schemes which secured £50m in Lottery funding following a national TV vote, "The Big Lottery Fund's People's £50m contest". Many local people picked up their phones and voted (which cost them to do so) on the strength that some of the money would be spent in the Cambois, North Blyth, Blyth and Bedlington areas. This money was subsuquently pulled after they thought through the future costs of the DUCK passenger ferry which many local people knew would be an issue. But instead of keeping some of the funding in the Cambois and North Blyth area they pulled it and spent it elsewhere as their revised scheme didnt include us. As usual a scheme which would have made a big difference to locals and the tourists cycling in our area every year, was unfairly axed. Once again the only time you hear anything about the Cambois and N. Blyth area, is when they are telling you what they are NOT going to do. I did hope our local councillors would have lobbied to have them spend at least a little in our area. I live in hope that eventually we will get our cycle path, but I wont hold my breath.

[Malcolm Robinson]

Good post cally.

[Pete]

hi,

With ref. to "who in their right mind would want to cycle through Cambois" (be careful Merlin and Monsta we still have witchcraft down here). We have many people who cycle through Cambois and North Blyth, especially in the summer months. Our visitors include foreign tourists and people from surrounding areas. Sustrans were involved in a £1.2m plan to re-connect Blyth town centre with Cambois and North Blyth which was part of a package of green transport schemes which secured £50m in Lottery funding following a national TV vote, "The Big Lottery Fund's People's £50m contest". Many local people picked up their phones and voted (which cost them to do so) on the strength that some of the money would be spent in the Cambois, North Blyth, Blyth and Bedlington areas. This money was subsuquently pulled after they thought through the future costs of the DUCK passenger ferry which many local people knew would be an issue. But instead of keeping some of the funding in the Cambois and North Blyth area they pulled it and spent it elsewhere as their revised scheme didnt include us. As usual a scheme which would have made a big difference to locals and the tourists cycling in our area every year, was unfairly axed. Once again the only time you hear anything about the Cambois and N. Blyth area, is when they are telling you what they are NOT going to do. I did hope our local councillors would have lobbied to have them spend at least a little in our area. I live in hope that eventually we will get our cycle path, but I wont hold my breath.

Cally, I remember reading somewhere that Jack Charlton had bought the Buccaneer and had big plans for a hotel and shoping complex, has any of this happend yet?

[Merlin]

hi,

With ref. to "who in their right mind would want to cycle through Cambois" (be careful Merlin and Monsta we still have witchcraft down here). We have many people who cycle through Cambois and North Blyth, especially in the summer months. Our visitors include foreign tourists and people from surrounding areas. Sustrans were involved in a £1.2m plan to re-connect Blyth town centre with Cambois and North Blyth which was part of a package of green transport schemes which secured £50m in Lottery funding following a national TV vote, "The Big Lottery Fund's People's £50m contest". Many local people picked up their phones and voted (which cost them to do so) on the strength that some of the money would be spent in the Cambois, North Blyth, Blyth and Bedlington areas. This money was subsuquently pulled after they thought through the future costs of the DUCK passenger ferry which many local people knew would be an issue. But instead of keeping some of the funding in the Cambois and North Blyth area they pulled it and spent it elsewhere as their revised scheme didnt include us. As usual a scheme which would have made a big difference to locals and the tourists cycling in our area every year, was unfairly axed. Once again the only time you hear anything about the Cambois and N. Blyth area, is when they are telling you what they are NOT going to do. I did hope our local councillors would have lobbied to have them spend at least a little in our area. I live in hope that eventually we will get our cycle path, but I wont hold my breath.

Cally we are both on the same side here, the big wigs talk and plan, but when it comes to putting the money where their gobs are well it seems to be unavailable or just ran out when it comes to our communities!

The dig at Cambois, well if we can't laugh at each other then we really are in trouble, Us, Cambois,GuidePost and Stakeford have been the laughing stock of Northumberland for quite a few years now!

[Monsta®]

theres loads of decent paths to cycle along down cambois! you can peddle all the way along the beach from the wanny wear to the seven stars and there's already a cylce path from the station to north blyth. as for the ferry theres not enough people in north blyth to keep it going thats why the last one was scrapped!

infact you can peddle from blyth to north blyth just by using cycle paths!

[Phil]

Hi Everyone

Right, to put all the rumours at rest.

My name is Philippa and I am the Assitant Area Manager for Sustrans and work on this project and so can pretty much tell you what is happening.

RE the Blyth/Cambois route:-

In the original plan, a ferry was proposed to take people and cyclists across from Blyth to Cambois and this is why the long distance cycle route from Newcastle to Edinburgh (NCN 1) was re-routed via Cambois.

It is still perfectly possible to cycle the shorter section via West Sleekburn. The only way a cycle lane will be added to the Link Road between Bedlington Station and the turn-off to West Sleekburn if public pressure on the Council - over to you.

On the new Connect2 Routes in Bedlington. Yes, sadly it is true that the link to Cramlington via a high level Bridge over the River Blyth has had to be removed from project. This is partly due to funding issues and partly due to landownership issues on the south side of the river. I can appreciate people's frustration at the loss of this link, as it would have made cycling for work, pleasure or exercise between Cramlington and Bedlington a lot easier, safer and more pleasurable. With luck, it is something that will happen in the future as a lot of the ground work in planning and mapping the route has already been completed.

However, for the first time, Bedlington will get a good network of cycle and pedestiran routes around the town and linking to all the schools. The majority of these are off-road, including widening of pavements to make multi-user routes.

I have attached the first newsletter for the project to this email which has a map of the routes and you can see for yourself that the majority of the network in Bedlington is remaining.

My contact details are on this newsletter so if you would like to recieve this newsletter directly or would like further information about the project, please do get in touch directly

In the meantime, thanks for your eyes

Philippa

Bedlington Oct 10.pdf

[Monsta®]

thanks for the update!

Portrait Bench noms " tommy the egg man, john birkinshaw( railway engineer) , daniel gooch (railway and cable engineer) and a the dog"