Updated February 2018 Inspirational cycle stories wanted for Wiltshire’s website This spring Wiltshire Council would like to put up some inspirational stories on their website ( http://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk/plan-a-journey/travel-stories/ ) about people who cycle in Wiltshire. They have contacted us to ask if any COGS members might like to write a brief article (and send some photos) about how they get around. In particular they would like to have stories from:
A few examples of stories: https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/utility-cycling-electric-bike-game-changer (this is quite long – it doesn’t need to be this long!) http://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk/plan-a-journey/travel-stories/life-car-salisbury-family-affair/ They’d basically like the articles to cover:
If you think you can help, please contact COGS Chair Hadrian in the first instance – hadrian@salisburywatermeadows.org.uk Do you have an unwanted bike to give away? Rise:61 at St Michael’s Community Centre accepts bikes but may be a 5 week wait to take the bicycles. Wiltshire Councils recycling centre also take unwabted bicycles on behalf of Alabaré which are placed in the storage container. Bike thefts Unfortunately the spate of pre-Christmas bike thefts in Salisbury has continued. Two bikes were stolen from a shed in Berkshire Road in February, and a bike was taken from outside Five Rivers Leisure Centre on the evening of 2/2/18, with the thief cutting through the lock to remove a bike from the bike racks there. Do take care when you leave your bike, whether at home or away, and make sure bikes are locked with a good quality lock National Award for COGS COGS (the Cycling Opportunities Group, Salisbury) were delighted to find out recently that we have been awarded Volunteer Group of the Year for the Sustrans South Region, in recognition of the group’s outstanding contribution to Sustrans and to the local community since 1994. COGS campaign for better walking and cycling infrastructure, and encourage people to use their bicycles for short journeys where possible. The Close was an obvious choice for a photograph of some of the group for publicity purposes - not only does the Cathedral as a backdrop say 'Salisbury', but also there are two Sustrans National Cycle Network (NCN) routes in the Close. NCN Route 24, from Bath to Eastleigh, runs through the Close, and Route 45 starts in the Close and provides a route north to Chester via Swindon and Gloucester.  Cycle routes update October 2017 Many thanks to all who have sent in views on cycle contraflow to the City Council. It seems there will be no decisions or discussions on this matter at the SCC Planning & Transportation meeting on 23/10 (despite what was said in the Journal). However, this will doubtless be aired again and COGS are being kept ‘in the loop’. Meanwhile, we are aware of the following updates regarding the cycle network in and around Salisbury: - COGS submitted comments on WC’s ‘Housing Allocations’ strategy, making the case for better cycle routes, particularly to serve new developments. COGS are working with the Salisbury Area Greenspace Partnership to look at potential ‘green links’ which cyclists would be able to use in the Salisbury area. - The permissive path along the former bed of the A344 is now open for cyclists, and former Cllr Ian West led cyclists along this route for a ride on 1/10. The grassed over surface of the A344 would be rather slippery for cyclists when wet, and unfortunately the crossing of the A303 still presents a major challenge for cyclists from Salisbury, with the ‘approved’ route supported by Wiltshire Council being a considerable detour (see Stonehenge route map on http://www.connectingwiltshire.co.uk/cycle/cycle-maps-and-routes/leisure-cycling/). So still plenty of room for improvement in terms of getting a safe cycling route to Stonehenge and this is an issue COGS will continue to work on. - A recent Community Area Transport Group (CATG) meeting authorised the expenditure of £2,000 to improve signage of the cycle contraflow in Rollestone Street, and authorised further investigations into contraflows on Queen Street and High Street. (Contraflows on Coldharbour Lane, Swaynes Close and Friary Lane on hold for the present, see comments at start of this paragraph). - COGS have been informed at the latest Cycle Liaison Panel (CLP) meeting that work is ongoing into a feasibility study for Churchfields Road, and design work is in the pipeline to improve the route on London Road from St Marks roundabout to the Brambles (to provide better cycle links via Cow Lane). A link to complete the route from new housing at Old Sarum to Green Lane (across the Portway) has been designed and is due for construction early in 2018. All change at the COGS AGM AGM & Committee membership As you will know, Gill and Jimmy have stood down from the committee, we’re so grateful to them for all their work over the past 23 years and wish them a wonderful break away from all this! Hadrian Cook has taken over as Chair, with Richard Bolton as Vice-Chair and Paula Downard as Membership Secretary. Other roles unchanged (Rob Jacobs as Treasurer, Peter Durnan as Sustrans Liaison Ranger, myself as Secretary), plus we’re really grateful to the many other people who help organise and lead rides, count bicycles etc. A reminder that any COGS member is welcome to our monthly committee meetings – the next one will be on 31/10 (last Tuesday in October) at 7:00 pm – if you would like to get copies of minutes and agendas and don’t currently get them please let me know, it is a separate email list.  Jimmy and Gill receive a gift of appreciation from the new COGS chair Hadrian Cook /spatial_planning/sites_dpd/draftwhsap). The COGS response will include points about the failure to implement the promised Salisbury Transport Strategy which was supposed to encourage a modal shift from motor cars, and the lack of a Green Infrastructure Strategy and high quality cycle routes linking new developments and city centre facilities. Further comments welcome – closing date 22/9. Does this sound familiar As of February 2018 recurrent tack attacks are still occurring at Marshmead Close. In February Breeze Leader Gilly Boakes and COGS cyclist Paul Griffiths collected new tacks. Whilst repeatedly reported to the police it appears that due to a lack of resources nothing can actually be done! Do you use this route - have you seen anyone acting suspiciously? Are you able to help identify who has been doing this since July 2014! Read about the problems that also occurred in February 2017. . What is your oldest cycling heirloom? Believe it or not this trailer is over 50 years old. I borrowed it some years ago from Howard Piner. Howard and Elizabeth bought the trailer new on July 4th 1966 from a company called Payne & Boughton of Newark for the sum of £10 10s and fitted mudguards on it for 10 shillings so its now over 50 years old. We used it to carry camping gear behind our tandem on a few occasions, for carrying gear one Easter to the Scillies,moving belongings, when moving into our home when we got married and carrying the cat to my mothers behind the tandem in a converted beer crate. On one occasion we took newly born Allison on it from Holmbury to Milford YH in her pram body strapped to the trailer with bungys. In the 1990s it spent some months in the Scilly Isles kept in the sea air when Allison was living there so it has had a very hard and useful life even before it became the COGS display vehicle. So having used the trailer it had fallen into disrepair and the wood had started to rot - so I have given it a refurbishment it is time it went back to it's original home.  Further to the mention of this at yesterday’s (28/3/17) COGS meeting, Margaret Wilmot came through the Harnham Gate into the Close today and noted that the ‘Except Cycles’ sign is back – see photo. Many thanks to Peter Durnan for chasing this and for making it happen! We're a new company called Skill Shop (skill-shop.com) that's just launched in Dorset, to promote workshops and lessons with skilled local residents, and this course is only available through us. We will provide a 10% discount for COGs members too, if that's something that would interest you? New cycleway joining Bulford and Amesbury A new cycle link is now in place connecting Bulford to the roundabout just north of the A303 (Ratfyn, Porton Rd, Salisbury Rd junction). This traffic free route means that cyclists can now avoid the unpleasant and busy link betwe Solstice Park and Bulford – being both narrow and hilly this is not a pleasant stretch for cyclists. This key link is part of Sustrans route 45 as well as the Wiltshire Cycleway, and a useful link between Amesbury and the growing housing areas around Bulford, much of it associated with army re-basing. Currently however the path is incomplete and there is stepped access with a ramp for cycles to be pushed up/down alongside (see photo) at the northerm end. Proper ramped access will be put in and this is scheduled to be completed this summer.   Car Share Update If you are one of those COGS members who likes to use their bike for most short trips about town and who needs a car only occasionally then maybe Car Share is for you? A number of COGS members [including myself!] are already members, and the long-standing car share club in Salisbury – hOURCARS – has now joined up with Co-Cars, an Exeter based co-operative – to provide access to more vehicles and smart card technology which makes vehicle booking and usage even more straightforward. Joining up is easier too – with no deposit required, and annual individual or household membership fee of £25 giving access to two pay-by-the-hour cars available in Salisbury (York Road and Central Car Park), plus cars at numerous other locations across the South West including Exeter, Weymouth, Dorchester etc. And there’s more to come in 2016 as Co-Cars is expanding later this year to include electric bikes, e.g. at Exeter station, all bookable and usable via the same smart card. More details available in the latest Salisbury Co-Cars newsletter - Click here – and on the Co-Cars website at www.co-cars.co.uk. Previous news letter are available below - please note that these have been replaced by news that is updated via emails which are sent out periodically.
 Newsletter May 2014 downloadAffiliated membership of the CTC through COGS members COGS is affiliated to CTC, Britain's national cycling organisation, and can arrange Individual Affiliated Membership of CTC for COGS members at a cost of £16 per annum. The benefits are
For further information or to join as an Affiliated Member please contact the COGS Membership Secretary,
Latest News Update October 2012 downloadHighways Agency opens new crossing on A36 at Petersfinger Fantastic news for all pedestrians and cyclists - the Highways Agency offiicially opened the new crossing on the A36 at Petersfinger enabling a safe crossing across this very busy road. Oh what joy to be able to press a little button resulting a safe controlled crossing. Members of COGS, SUSTRANS and local walking groups were literally striding (just like that famous Beatles picture) and dancing across the A36 crossing in jubilation. After years of battling and over 1000 signatures on a petition the crossing in now in place. Thanks must go to Alistair Millington (Sustrans), Mike Ginger at the Highways Agency and all those in COGS who have been tenaciously beavering away with Wiltshire Council officers to achieve this outcome. Read the full story in the Salisbury Journal.
 Area Board Meeting 31st March 2011
The Area Board successfully agreed to support providing £7000 towards stage 1 of the Salisbury to Amesbury cycleway. Stage 1 will cover Ford to Hurdcott and will provide a route East of the river and if successful will provide a separate cycling route to the village and deposit you outside the the Black Horse in Hurdcott.
COGS newsletter archive
Pot Holes and Road Defects - Call CLARENCE ON 800 23 23 23 or email: clarence@wiltshire.gov.uk or report faults via the website at |
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