Crap Cycle Paths in Rochdale – An update!
Posted by Alan on September 21, 2012
Access still denied
Was it really over a year ago that I took a very similar photo? Yes it was… way back in May 2011 I wrote about closures on NCN 92, one of Rochdale’s own answer to The Netherlands.
Up in the distance you can see a plethora of blue shared space signs.
It’s a sign
But I have no idea when the path might re-open or even why it is closed. Next time I’m in the area, I think I will lift my bike over the fence and find out why it’s closed – it’s not as if the closure sign had any helpful information.
I did pass a few other bicycle shaped objects along the open sections of the route so there is clearly a bit of demand. However just around the corner on the ‘Ashfield Lane’ loop, there were more anti-cycling gates – two within 200 metres. Given my bike won’t fit through without getting off I probably wouldn’t use this for regular commuting if I still lived in the area, too much faff. (Much easier to drive anyway!)
Anti-cycling gate
Would this encourage you to cycle to work, school or the shops?
And another!
Perhaps I am getting cynical in my old age, but I can’t help wondering if the designer of these paths is a regular user or even a bicycle user.
A Grim North 
chestercycling said
I use that route every time I have business in Milnrow or Shaw and although the barriers are easier on the Brompton, they are still immensely stupid, as is the need to descend at all here when most traffic is heading onto Ashfield Lane and back up the hill again.
velorichard said
Some of the NCN routes round my why have either gates or “fence” chicanes across them which are too narrow to get a kids bike trailer through, or indeed just with panniers on. It’s daft, you would think a group like Sustrans would understand cyclists, but sometimes I wonder.
Alan P said
My own personal theory is that those who design these things are largely sport cyclists – either mountain or racing bike so they don’t get the concept of utility cycling…
Gillian said
If you go on Facebook and then Rochdale Borough Council page and look to the right at “recent posts by others” you will see a picture I’ve just put on there. Someone thought, in an attempt to stop the plague of travellers taking up residence in that area, it would be a really good idea to completely block off the road and cycle path from Lower Lane to Kingsway through the business park. If you want to take your bike that way you have no choice but to lift it over the boulders and concrete slabs or find another route and you think the anti-cycling gates are a problem. Rochdale Council are apparently “looking into the problem”, and I wonder how long that’s going to take.
Peter G said
I’ve have been on the Rochdale council about these for the last year or so, I am a member of a cycling club that provides cycling for non cyclists and people with disabilities. As such we use a lot of Tandems and have a Wheelchair adapted cycle, none of which will go through these “gates”. Which a group that would benefit most from segregated cycle ways, we just end up using the road, how stupid is that. Also as far as I can see they seem to contravene department of transport planning guides for shared cycles routes and are not DDA compliant as they should be at least a meter wide. Rochdale council is still looking into this!