Rushup edge resurfacing

Things are progressing.
In the meantime let’s not sit back.
PDMTD has a club affiliation form on the website – it was requested by a couple of clubs on FB, if anyone is a member of or knows members of a club who ride the Peak their support would be very welcome:

http://www.peakdistrictmtb.org/index.php/affilitate-with-us

Great news, wiggle are now helping to increase exposure on this issue. This is really gaining some momentum.

linky[/url]

great news Onza 😀

Right, we’re 23 pages in, so a couple of things.

Firstly thank you to PBMTB, ride Sheffield, @keeperofthepeak and everyone else who’s engaged with this.
As PDMTB seem to have the lead on this, what do you want the rest of us to do? As has been said we need a United voice so let’s get that coordinated.

If it’s a question of continuing to post bomb DCC Facebook page so be it, if it’s emails to individuals let’s get a list of who. I know it’s in the thread somewhere but a reminder of the most recent contacts, and who does what would be good.

Do we need to write to both our own MP and the local MP?
I raise this as so much brilliant hard work has been done it would be a shame to undo something with a clumsy contact or a misguided communication.

Good questions MartynS. I’d like to know the answer to those questions as well. Keen to do my bit, and I am enjoying my regular bombs of the DCC facebook page.

Also, this protest ride on the 22nd, what’s the plan? I don’t know how to say this without it sounding critical, I don’t want it to, but how is that protest ride going to differ from, say “a pootle”? I’d hate to protest and not have anyone notice.

I’m always up for a ride but what bit of it is the protest?

Martin, Steve, I can’t commend your enthusiasm enough! There’s a few things I can see going on here that are really helping

1. Membership and recruiting others. The more members Ride Sheffield, Peak MTB and kofthep have the greater the mandate. The progress has come from the deafening ‘roar’ from everyone. We can always get louder though.

2. Get on to your horse riding and walking friends. We need them on board too. The mountain bikers, conservationists, authorities, mountaineering groups and others are in. They’re missing the party!

3. Thought about joining the ramblers association at all…..?

As far as i know, the protest ride is on the 22nd. DCC are on about returning to the track on the 17th

Is it worth asking the Mountain Rescue Teams for their opinions. Do they think the smoother tracks will lead to an increase in speed and therefore an increase in severity/number of injuries?

Do they think it will lead to them getting called out more?

If it goes lead to an increase of inexperienced users, are they concerned that this will again increase the load placed on their services?

They’re on the list

http://ctc-rtr-sheffield-tro.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/use-of-byways-by-motor-vehicles.html?m=1

I have contacted the CTC to ask if this is representative of their views on such work / vandalism or if their Sheffield spokesperson is alone in describing mountainbikers as arrogant and elitist
I’ve also pointed them in the direction of PDMTB and ride Sheffield websites so they can hopefully issue a more researched statement than Mr Geller has

However, their relevant CTC rep has issued a far more reasoned response

Have we approached him to put his / ctc’s name on the group letter of response?

Annoyingly I’m working on the day of the protest ride. However – would it not be more effective to protest on the 22nd outside the DCC offices in Matlock and around the town on a busy Saturday with shouting, placards and clanging of used bike bits? I know the riding isn’t that technical but neither will Rushup Edge be if they’re starting again on the 17th!.

It may get more attention than a protest in the quiet unspoilt (ahem) countryside?

CTC have emailed me this morning, they want to chat and are ok with the approach PDMTB & RS has taken so far – let’s play nicely and we may be able to add them to our letter – I hope to speak to their rep on Monday. Will report back.

I was about to add my comments to Simon’s blog but maybe best to leave him alone to lick his wounds. This could be the chance ctc need to be seen as worthwhile by mountain bikers and we can all move forward as “cyclists” with a single voice.

Hear hear

The council offices in Matlock are at the top of the hill, the town centre at the bottom. Knowing how many shop in Matlock, the protest would me more successful at Rushap Edge

Congestion around the matlock council office on a Monday morning at rush hour would certainly get noticed.

DCC they do consult (if you live in the Hope Valley)

http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/council/news_events/news-updates/2014/november/news_items/hope_valley_residents_invited_to_have_their_say_on_new_cycle_link.asp

Onzadog – absolutely

Woody21- yes, and in the middle of us discussin the first phase they started work and wasted £250k on what you see there now.

Ouch – they’re not very good at consulting or taking advice

I have had a reply fro. Andrew Bingham’s office saying they cannot deal wit my complaint as I am not a constituent but that “quite a number of other people” had been in contact and that he is looking into the matter.
Meanwhile I suspect DCC are fobbing you off by saying complaints should be made through the LAF. That is just an advisory body and in any case has no remit to look into individual problems over access. Nor, as far as I know, would it advise on highway matters as a matter of routine.

Is anyone in a position to press DCC on why they need an emergency notice? There are other types of notice they could have used. We need to know the nature of the emergency which justifies this particular type of notice.

Legally, each local authority has to have someone who acts as a “Traffic Manager” even if that’s not the title the go by. The traffic manager should be able to answer that question.

Hi Neil,

We met with Andrew Bingham today. He was surprisingly well informed (thanks to people like yourselves). He had already written to DCC as he was “very cross” about the matter. He is going to chase their response and speak to Jim Dixon at Peak Park. He was interested to hear what we had to say and we have and are continuing to provide him with further ammunition. I believe he is supportive of our overall aims, an is particularly interested in the amount being spent on the works. He is also aware of the time pressures (i.e. the 17th of November notice).

So thanks for writing, I believe it has certainly helped as he was supportive from the off. We are also contacting other local MPs. Watching this space.

evh22, that does sound promising. Thank you and well done to all who were instrumental in that.

That does sound promising, thanks for speaking to him. Good work.

Good to see Dan’s input at the bottom of that CTC blog.

It’s just a shame that CTC don’t make it a bit more obvious that they are at least aware of what’s going on.

We have been asked by a couple of MTB Clubs and MTB sections of road clubs if they could affiliate to PDMTB to show support, the answers is a very big yes we would love you to. So, the geeks have set up an affiliation form on the website here: http://www.peakdistrictmtb.org/index.php/affilitate-with-us

One of the most frustrating things about this is the amount of badly needed cycling connections that could be built by DCC if they weren’t wasting the funds on stuff like this.

Anyone with a bit of local knowledge can confirm that most of the cycle routes outlined in the 1998 E.Derbyshire greenway strategy remain unbuilt some 16 years later.

The plan can be seen here

http://www.derbyshire.gov.uk/leisure/countryside/access/greenways/strategies/

DCC cite lack of access to dedicated cycle funding as the reason for slow progress. This is quite understandable and unlikely to improve any time soon given the recent department for transport “cycling delivery plan” which failed to guarantee predictable or continuous funding for cycling.

I would like to know how much this work has cost, where the money came from and who prioritised this work above competing requirements.

I can understand the circular routes around ladybower / derwent / howden being resurfaced due to “access for all” but Rushup Edge???

Onzadog – Member

Is it worth asking the Mountain Rescue Teams for their opinions.

Pook – Member

They’re on the list

I raised this at our last team meeting, which sadly I couldn’t attend, so I’m going off 2nd hand info. It was considered that this wasn’t something our team should have an opinion on. Though Rushup Edge isn’t on our “patch”, there was a sense that regardless, what DCC get up to just wasn’t anything to do with MR.

You may have better luck with the PDMRO rather than going to specific teams. They have a meeting on the 12th, so you will need to be quick if you want it discussing soon, otherwise you’ll be waiting a few months!

pdmro@mountain.rescue.org.uk
secretary@pdmro.org.uk

http://pdmro.org.uk/%5B/url%5D

i should be wary of a love in with some horse riding chums.. some local groups are stringently against ALL wheeled access on bridlways and one very powerful well funded highly motivated groups stated aim is to close all green lanes/ bridleways to all but original user groups and have a target of within 10 years. this group and others worked long and hard and took the council to court to close many historic green lanes on the premise of quiet enjoyment of the national park..

In the same way that we wouldn’t wish to be judged alongside everyone who rides a bike in the Peak District, we clearly can’t lump all horse riders together. As in all walks of life, there’s the good and the bad. If we can form alliances with the good, then that should be encouraged.

The current battle is not about access but about what constitutes an acceptable “repair” and the level of consultation with users. Anyone who feels that rushup edge has been over repaired and under consulted is an ally and should be wellcomed with open arms.

CALL TO ACTION: RUSHUP CONSULTATION SURVEY

We’ve prepared a survey to gather data on the DCC consultation and works on Rushup Edge. DCC are due to start work again next Monday so please respond and circulate ASAP to mountain bikers, walkers, horse riders and anyone else who can spare 5 minutes to fill it in.

More info on the website or click directly though to the survey here:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WFRDKK9

Done. Survey glitched about halfway through, though, repeating a couple of the questions, and one of the questions (Q18) about consultation didn’t feel quite right in terms of the answer choices.

Should probably stick it on a separate thread to get more attention.

Done, had the same issue of questions repeating.

Shared on my Facebook timeline for riding buddies to see.

Looks like DCC have had a cabinet re-shuffle.

Counciller Dean Collins in now in charge of highways.

Might be worth an initial contact by PDMTB @KOTP etc.

Remember he’s new, and there is going to be an election in the next 18-24 months!!

Just re-checked the survey and found no duplicate questions. There are 2 similar questions but one relates to how the work will change your use of the track and the other is how it will affect your enjoyment.

They could have been worded more clearly, but they are different questions.

Sorry fella, but it repeated a page for me as well, it was defiantly the same q’s

Done. As above, one page repeats.

Baffled. I have no repeats when I do it. What pages are repeating?