FOTPT Appeal

[wildnorthlands]

Hi All, if you're avid readers of the CyclingUK mag you will have already read a piece from me about cycling the Trans-Pennine Trail. What there wasn't room to include in the piece was an appeal for people to join the Friends of the Trans Pennine Trail. We just had room enough to include the link though.

Here's the missing text:

If you’ve cycled, hiked or ridden a horse in Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds, York, Barnsley, Chesterfield and many of the towns in between you’ve probably used the Trans Pennine Trail at some point. The Trail links of all these places and has created a green corridor across the North of England - a sort of Northern Greenhouse rather than a Powerhouse.

The Trail is a fantastic achievement and keeping it open requires a lot of work. There are all sorts of threats from people who want to build on it, from tunnels, railway projects, road schemes, housing and industrial development and so on. The Friends of the Trans Pennine Trail work with the TPT Office in Barnsley to help stave off these threats and help to raise funds to improve it. Just recently we have received major funding from the National Grid and private donations to improve accessibility on sections of the Trail. In times of austerity this work is crucial to maintain the integrity of the Trail and make improvements. We are well aware that Trail surfaces are not all they could be and getting them improved is our top priority. In fact, we've worked out that it will take £23 million to bring the Trail up to standard throughout.

But to demonstrate to the funding authorities the public support there is for the Trail we need members! Every member we have represents a demonstration of public commitment to the Trail. Membership is cheap and we provide a regular newsletter to our supporters. But the most important thing is that you show us your support through a small financial contribution.

And now it's even easier to become a Friend, with the updates we've made to the website. Just go tohttp://www.transpennineTrail.org.uk/friends/ fill in the form, go through to MyDonate and make a small donation and you're done!

Please take a few moments to become a friend and help us continue to make the Trail the best experience it can be for locals and tourists alike.

Simon Geller
Deputy Chair
Friends of the Trans Pennine Trail

...I appreciate that you've already forked out for CyclingUK membership but if you could manage a few more quid to join the Friends we'd really appreciate it.

[bromptonrail]

Simon is right - supporting the Trans Pennine Trail is a worthwhile and rewarding experience. And, if you get involved you will encounter some very enthusiastic and committed people, both the volunteers and the small number of officials tasked with the huge job of keeping the route open, promoting it and enhancing it.

Passing through the major conurbations of Northern England the Trans Pennine Trail goes through scenery that ranges from surprisingly rural and attractive (the route from Aintree to Halewood to the east of Liverpool on the "Loop Line"), to wild open 'mountains' crossing the Pennines at Woodhead, and pleasant quiet country lanes near the banks of the Humber Estuary. And don't forget it starts at the beach at Southport on the Irish Sea and ends on the beach at Hornsea on the North Sea coastline, as well as linking the great sea ports (and ferry termini) of Liverpool and Hull.

So, visit the website, join up and even if, like me (too old and fat!) you don't do much, you will get a warm glow from supporting something really worth while.......and who knows, you could even ride the TPT and perhaps volunteer a bit too.

[Pete Owens]

Give generously.
Constructing lots of obstructions such as this can't be cheap:
https://www.cyclestreets.net/location/83858/

[wildnorthlands]

None of the money raised for Friends of the TPT goes to Access barriers and we encourage Local Authorities to remove them wherever possible. We 've had some successes with barriers in some places and eased elsewhere. We do still have problems with off-road motorcyclists and we need to find innovative ways of keeping them off the Trail without making it difficult for legitimate users to access it. We welcome reports of inaccessible barriers so we can raise them with the local authorities concerned and we also encourage trail users to report them themselves.

[wildnorthlands]

One of the things we've done is get Friends and Rangers to list and measure all the barriers on the trail, for two purposes; (i) We can give accurate information to users as which barriers might be a problem for them (ii) Campaigners can use the data to pressure their local authorities to remove unecessaey and draconian barriers. You can see the results for Sheffield at https://drive.google.com/open?id=1njfSiIOCELFKaVuaxCZ-vvelfX0&usp=sharing The TPT office is collating all the data so it will be available for the whole trail on their site.

[wildnorthlands]

The full story is at http://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/2017/08/travellers-tales-riding-the-trans-pennine-trail/

[Pete Owens]

So one day you are taking credit for the "fantastic achievement" of the TPT in order to try to get us to part with our cash - then when it is pointed out how rubbish the trail is somehow it is nothing to do with you.

[pete75]

So one day you are taking credit for the "fantastic achievement" of the TPT in order to try to get us to part with our cash - then when it is pointed out how rubbish the trail is somehow it is nothing to do with you.

Except it's not rubbish for most of it's length.

[Pete Owens]

Take a look through the 3 pages of photos the cyclestreets photomap for NCN 62:
https://www.cyclestreets.net/photomap/tags/ncn62/
The mass off red circles are rubbish, the few isolated examples of green are good.

[kwackers]

So one day you are taking credit for the "fantastic achievement" of the TPT in order to try to get us to part with our cash - then when it is pointed out how rubbish the trail is somehow it is nothing to do with you.

If they had no money at all, would the trail be better or worse? Surely that's the real question?

[wildnorthlands]

Did you actually read the piece I put in Pete? I said "We are well aware that Trail surfaces are not all they could be and getting them improved is our top priority. In fact, we've worked out that it will take £23 million to bring the Trail up to standard throughout. "Rather than carp from the sidelines I prefer to try to make things better,

[Pete Owens]

So one day you are taking credit for the "fantastic achievement" of the TPT in order to try to get us to part with our cash - then when it is pointed out how rubbish the trail is somehow it is nothing to do with you.

If they had no money at all, would the trail be better or worse? Surely that's the real question?

Well the less money they have the fewer barriers they will be able to afford.

[pete75]

Take a look through the 3 pages of photos the cyclestreets photomap for NCN 62:
https://www.cyclestreets.net/photomap/tags/ncn62/
The mass off red circles are rubbish, the few isolated examples of green are good.

No most of the length where there are neither red nor green circles is decent to ride. Some of the red stuff seems to be photographed and graded by someone a bit wussy to say the least - oh dear a bit of mud or a puddle no big deal and no problem on a normal touring bike. The bits I've ridden from near Stockport to Doncaster and Selby to near Stainforth were enjoyable rides. As I said for most of it's length it's not rubbish.

[reohn2]

Take a look through the 3 pages of photos the cyclestreets photomap for NCN 62:
https://www.cyclestreets.net/photomap/tags/ncn62/
The mass off red circles are rubbish, the few isolated examples of green are good.

No most of the length where there are neither red nor green circles is decent to ride. Some of the red stuff seems to be photographed and graded by someone a bit wussy to say the least - oh dear a bit of mud or a puddle no big deal and no problem on a normal touring bike. The bits I've ridden from near Stockport to Doncaster and Selby to near Stainforth were enjoyable rides. As I said for most of it's length it's not rubbish.

But are such varying levels of infrastructure acceptable in one of the richest countries in the world?
I've ridden the hi lighted bits on a regular basis and after rain they can be bad,really bad.Its not good enough and should be put right out of tax revenue not charity coffers.
Imagine if there were a charity appeal to the motoring public to mend potholes and bad road sections,there'd be a public outcry.
It's only because cycling and walking is only ever considered as an afterthought if at all by the powers that be that infrastructure is in the state it's in.

I don't think being "wussy" should be a problem,if people can't cycle or walk a path such as the TPT in ordinary clothes on ordinary bikes or in everyday footware there's something badly wrong with it and IMHO there is something badly wrong with it in it's current state and the lack of funding made available for it's upkeep.

As for barriers they can be an absolute bind for wheelchair users,mothers with prams and some cyclists,and are put there to in convenience the many due to the actions of the very few.
Errant motor cyclists using such paths should have their vehicles confiscated,but you need a police force to do that which is another area where funding is lacking,and all the time we keep voting in governments that promise lower taxes as we watch the rich become richer and the rest suffer as a result.

[pete75]

I don't think being "wussy" should be a problem,if people can't cycle or walk a path such as the TPT in ordinary clothes on ordinary bikes or in everyday footware there's something badly wrong with it and IMHO there is something badly wrong with it in it's current state and the lack of funding made available for it's upkeep.

Define ordinary clothes and footwear. It means many different things to many different people. What is everyday footwear? For some people it's 4" heeled open toed shoes.
What is an ordinary bike?

This is the advice the TPT website gives for walkers

http://www.transpenninetrail.org.uk/wal ... king-tips/

"Wear stout shoes or boots. Although designed for walkers, some parts of the Trail are rough or muddy and you’ll need appropriate footwear.
Remember your waterproofs and warm clothing. The Trail climbs right over the Pennines and is consequently liable to rapid changes in weather even on warm, sunny days."

Sensible advice in my opinion.