Dumfries Cycle Town campaigners hit out at "microscopically slow" progress on vision
The cyclists want to see increased bike access to the town centre to encourage people to support local businesses
by Sharon Liptrott, https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/authors/sharon-liptrott/Campaigners fear “microscopically slow” progress is putting the brakes on their Dumfries Cycle Town vision.
Cycling Dumfries want to see long and short-term measures put in place to encourage people to cycle into Dumfries town centre and be “key to helping the town’s shops, bars and cafes bounce back after the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Currently, the town’s one way system means there is no safe way to legally pedal from the main cycle route on the Whitesands up to the High Street as bikes aren’t exempt.
And they believe it is a stumbling block in their bid to encourage people to turn to pedal power for shopping trips as well as rides out in the country or through Dock Park.
Cycle Dumfries’ surveys, undertaken in recent months, show Dumfries residents have taken to their bikes in “great numbers” during the pandemic.
However, the group is warning that current barriers to cycling into the town centre mean that local businesses aren’t benefiting as much as they should from this boom.
Cycling Dumfries convener Sally Hinchcliffe said: “We believe that increasing access to the town centre for bikes can be key to the town’s recovery.
“Around 35,000 people live within 15 minutes cycle of the High Street so the potential is there.
“The council just need to implement their own plans to make it easier to reach the town centre by bike from the main cycle network as well as the outlying villages.”
Better access and two-way cycling up Bank Street and Friars Vennel and along the High Street, preventing illegal parking on pedestrianised streets, and more designated safe bike parking racks, are high on the campaigners’ quick fix priority list.
For the longer-term, the wish-list is for safe, well signposted routes for cycling from all corners of the town – including Georgetown and other “under-served areas.”
They say this will make it easier for everyone who wants to leave the car at home and save a parking space for those with disabilities or who are coming from further afield.
Recent studies show people who travel to shops by bike, on foot or on public transport spend 40 per cent more than those who come by car and lessen the space needed for parking places.
Two cycle counts they conducted during the summer found bikes made up 50 per cent of all traffic on one rural route during the height of the lockdown.
And in June, they counted more than one bike a minute on the Whitesands.
However, when they turned their attention to the High Street itself for their latest survey, the results revealed only 53 cyclists were spotted in two-hours on a Saturday lunchtime and were mostly adult men and much less numbers than on Whitesands.
In their survey report they said: “None of this is radical. In fact, most of it is already council policy, it’s just not being implemented or progress is microscopically slow.
“For instance, the council actually had plans in place to open up the town centre for two-way cycling but put them on hold because of concerns about signage and yet another revamp of the High Street.
“Swestrans have agreed a ‘five mile’ plan to make cycling in to all our towns from outlying villages easier – but nothing has yet been done to implement it.
Sally added: “We hope that the soon to be announced Spaces for People measures will include ambitious changes to make walking and cycling the obvious way to get into town.”