Residents urged to plan ahead for Tour de Yorkshire

The Tour de Yorkshire will once again return to the regions roads from 2-5 May.

The first stage, taking riders on a fast and flat route from Doncaster to Selby passes through several villages on the outskirts of York, including Elvington, Wheldrake and Escrick in the late afternoon on Thursday 2 May.

The A19 near Escrick will be closed to traffic when the race passes through the area.No parking will be permitted on the race route during the race period. Details of the route are available on the Tour de Yorkshire website at https://letour.yorkshire.com/tour-de-yorkshire-2019/

To ensure the safety of spectators and riders alike there will be a rolling road closure for most of the race route, this will be managed by the police. This means that the traffic will be stopped at any given point between 10 and 30 minutes ahead of the first cyclist.

When the race, and all the official and team vehicles, have passed the roads will reopen again. The last vehicle in the race group is a lorry with screens on both sides telling people watching that the roads are open again.

Typically the closure is in place for between 20 and 50 minutes depending on the severity of the stage, how far into the stage the race is and the weather.

It’s expected that the race will reach Elvington at approximately 4.46pm, Wheldrake at 4.53pm and Escrick at 5pm. The route joins the A19 at Escrick and turns off again to Stillingfleet. This will mean that the A19 will be closed whilst the race passes through the area affecting travellers.

Bus routes 18, 36, X36, 42, 45, 46, X46 and 415 will all continue to operate, but will be delayed as a result of the race. It is anticipated that the closures and additional race traffic will cause delays in the area. Motorists are advised to plan their journeys to avoid the route during the race period if possible.

For more information visit www.itravelyork.info/buses/bus-routes-and-journey-times/diversion-information

Pedestrian access will be available to polling stations throughout the period. Voters in the wards affected have been notified of the access restrictions.

Brush up your Urban Cycle Skills

York residents of all ages and levels of ability are being invited to brush up their cycling skills by booking a subsidised training session from as little as £5 for 90 minutes.

Urban Cycle Skills is a programme of bespoke cycling tuition suitable for everyone from experienced cyclists to those who haven’t ridden a bike for more than 30 years.

Tailored to the level of ability and requirements of the individuals taking part in each session, the cycling tuition is provided by instructors trained to a nationally-recognised standard.

Urban Cycle Skills sessions typically cost £32.00 for 60 minutes or £48.00 for 90 minutes, but City of York Council is offering them at the subsidised rate of just £5 for a 90-minute, one-to-one session for a single adult. Family sessions are available from £5 for an adult and up to two children (aged eight years and above), or £10 for two adults and two children (aged eight years and above).

For more information or to book a place, visit www.itravelyork.info/cycling/cycle-training.

Get into gear for the Festival of Cycling – Sunday 2 September

A renowned free event, the York Festival of Cycling will return once again on Sunday 2 September.

The event has something for the whole family with all sorts of pedal powered activities for people to take part in.

There will be bikes and trikes of all shapes and sizes including adapted bikes, balance bikes and tandems for people to test ride on the day.

BMX stunt team ‘Savage Skills’ will be performing throughout the day showing some of the amazing stunts and tricks that can be done on two wheels. There will also be ‘The AirBag’ for BMXers to try out their own airborne tricks without the worry of a hard landing.

North Yorkshire Police will be on hand with their state of the art ‘dot peen’ property marking machine. They will be security marking cycles and other valuable items during the day free of charge.

Re-Cycle York will be providing a Doctor Bike service at the event to give festival attendees a free health check of their bike. Get Cycling, The Cycle Airbag, York Greenways and Bike Belles will also be there on the day with information and advice.

The i-Travel York team will also be available to provide travel advice and information for residents to encourage them to try out sustainable modes of travel, including cycling and walking. For more information visit www.itravelyork.info

Pupils pedal the Yorkshire Tour baton around the city

In the tyre tracks of this year’s Tour de Yorkshire, York school children will be pedalling a relay race as part of the Schools Yorkshire Tour.

A baton is cycled from school to school and between the region’s local authorities by pupils.

This year, Dunnington primary school pupils together with The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of York have the honour of taking the baton for York from East Riding at the border on Stamford Bridge viaduct on Friday 8 June at 2:15pm.

On Monday 11 June, York pupils will cycle the baton around the city. Dunnington Primary school children will start the relay by pedalling the baton over to Badger Hill Primary School. Badger Hill pupils will ride it on to Lord Deramore’s for a handover and so on. The baton will then go to St Lawrence’s, St George’s RC, Knavesmire, Our Lady Queen of Martyrs, Carr Junior School and then St Barnabas primary schools.

The following day, Tuesday 12 June, St Barnabas’ primary school pupils will cycle the baton to nearby York railway station and, with Cllr Keith Myers, pass it on to school representatives from Doncaster on the 10am train, who will carry the relay on to South Yorkshire. (more…)

Big family friendly cycling event tomorrow (Sunday) in York

Travel together

Cyclists and budding-cyclists of all ages and abilities are being invited to the launch of a new initiative to encourage people to cycle together this weekend (Sunday 25 March)

The Travel Together initiative – run in partnership by City of York Council’s iTravel scheme, York Sport and local cycling organisation, Get Cycling – aims to encourage people to cycle in family and friendship groups, particularly children, older people and people with disabilities or those recovering from injuries or illness.

A launch event will be held at York Sports Cycle Village between 1pm and 4pm on Sunday. Regular rides – all free of charge – will be held at the venue’s cycle circuit each Sunday from 15 April until October.

People will be able to try an array of bikes for adults, juniors and cycles to suit any disability or requirement, as well as using the cycle circuit.

The circuit will be open to family groups between 1-2pm, with an inclusive session – particularly for individuals and family/friendship groups with a rider requiring a specialist bike – between 2 and 4pm. British Cycling will then be hosting an inclusive para-racing session for experienced riders with disabilities from 3-4pm, which will include the opportunity for riders to try fast race bikes.

Councillor Nigel Ayre, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Culture, Leisure and Tourism, said: “The Travel Together programme is a fantastic way to encourage people of all ages and abilities to cycle together, for fun, in a safe, purpose-built environment. It’s a great opportunity for families to get out and get some exercise on a Sunday afternoon, with specialist bikes available to support older members or those with disabilities. And all free of charge!”

For further information email events@getcycling.org.uk

Ride to Work Week starts in York on Monday

City of York Council is encouraging people across the city to ‘Ride to Work’ next week (12-18 March) as part of a national campaign to encourage cycling as part of the daily commute.

The campaign aims to get more people incorporating cycling into their lives, helping to keep them fit and healthy, reducing congestion and improving air quality.

By signing up to the national Love to Ride UK initiative, which runs Ride to Work Week, people can enter a monthly prize draw to win great prizes including a £500 city break or bike shop vouchers. Visit www.lovetoride.net/york for more information.
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Idyllic scenes on the Ouse BUT…

Cyclists will be hoping that the York Council’s announcement that £500,000 will be spent upgrading major cycle routs in the City will allow for work to be undertaken on the York – Selby path. In places, the popular leisure route has become very uneven following the ravages of winter.

River Ouse at Naburn today. Well within its banks

Snow melt has caused large ponds to form on low woodland

The cycle track is still scarred by graffiti and dumping. The Council no longer clears graffiti unless it is judged to be obscene.

York praised for pothole filling by independent cycling group

The York Council is the best in Yorkshire when it comes to filling in potholes. It came 19th in a survey of cyclists who rated the performance of 214 local authorities nationwide.

Not only was York in the top 20, but the Council had responded to the largest number of reports (1362) in the area.

It has filled in 89% of the reported potholes

“The Fill that Hole” website – run by Cycling UK – says that “the table ranks highway authorities according to hazards reported through FillThatHole.org.uk, and shows which authorities are best at fixing their road defects and reporting back to us.

We encourage highway authorities and hazard reporters to let us know when a road defect has been fixed. They can do this by replying to the emails we send them, using the contact form, or registering for an account and requesting to be associated with their authority”.

Hazards can be reported “on line” by clicking this link

Best rated with 100% filled in was Islington in London. Worst was Blaenau Gwent which apparently hasn’t managed to fill in any of the 20 potholes reported in their area.

North Yorkshire was ranked at 82 having added 24% of reports. Leeds at 178 had managed to fill in only 12% of potholes.

When the current icy conditions are over, it is likely that several more potholes will open up.

Hopefully residents, local Councillors and MPs will report any problems promptly.

A map of current hazards can be viewed by clicking here

Map of current pothole hazards in York

 

Cyclists urged to light up and be seen in York

 City of York Council is reminding cyclists in York to light up and be seen as the nights draw in ahead of the clocks changing at the end of the month.

The ‘light up be seen’ project will see cyclists at the University of York, York St John University, York College and Askham Bryan College receive free high-vis equipment and lights alongside safety advice from North Yorkshire Police. The high-vis and lights will be distributed on 17 and 19 October, from 4-6pm.

Cyclists will be advised on the importance of being visible and safe when travelling during darker hours, as well the potential legal implications of not having lights and dangerous cycling.

The campaign is now in its fourth year at the University of York and will be rolled out city-wide for the first time this year.

The four universities and college’s are part of the council’s ‘Travel2Campus’ project, which encourages students and staff to be safe and consider all modes of transport when travelling around York.

For more information visit www.itravelyork.info/for-schools/travel2campus-project

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