You are strongly encouraged to come to our AGM and public meeting on 7th November at 7:30pm at Marlborough Road Church Hall, AL1 3XG where cycles can be parked inside!  After a very brief AGM element, we will hear from two STACC members on the joys of cycling holidays.

We hope that we have less to do to make St Albans City and District a better place for residents and visitors to cycle in the coming years - but to keep going for the time being we urgently need a more members to get involved with our monthly 'committee' meetings.  At these meetings we review current infrastructure and any relevant proposals and decide what we are going to do about it and then do it.  For various reasons a number of our long-serving stalwarts cannot be as active in the campaign now and so we need to expand our pool of activist members if we are to continue our work on behalf of everyone in our area who 'wants to cycle, but...'  .  Do please consider getting more involved.

Your first committee meeting might seem a bit daunting, as the agenda can be quite long and detailed and there are a lot of acronyms to get to know, but you soon get up to speed.  The agenda is detailed so the meeting flows quickly, and the acronyms are listed on our website for reference - scroll down the home page. It is called the committee, but the meetings are very informal and efficient, there is no fusty-dusty standing on ceremony.  We understand if every month is too big a commitment, but the meetings are on Zoom and we welcome members who come as often as is feasible.  The STACC committee is a supportive and pro-active team - do join!  

The  traffic scheme for Central St Albans funded by the Active-Travel Fund is now almost complete. The contraflow cycle lane in Marlborough Road is now in place, as are the new traffic lights at the junction with London Road, with phases for cyclists, who are automatically detected and a push-button pedestrian crossing phase. What remains to be done are the modifications to the No Entry signs facing cyclists heading south at the junction with Victoria Street, where rectangular Except Cycles signs will be placed. The exception plate is deemed sufficient to give cyclists the go-ahead to go ahead although the traffic lights have only right & left arrows.

When using the contraflow lane, keep a good lookout for pedestrians forced off the footway by the obstructive parking - seen in the photo above - by residents who think it's ok to park a massive vehicle partly in their former garden and partly on the footway.  This parking is especially a problem for people who use mobility aids such as walking sticks, pushchairs, rollators, wheelchairs or mobility scooters.  The small sliver of footway that is left is on a sideways slope and is hazardous for those with mobility aids.

To see a video of the passage south down Marlborough Road, and how a lorry obstructs the mandatory cycle lane and a taxi blocks Keyfield Terrace, click here.

If you haven't been in person yet, our AGM is being held in the church hall on this road on 7th November, so there's an opportunity!

STACC attended a recent update meeting for cycle campaigners across the county hosted by the excellent HCC team that covers all things cycling and also walking and wheeling - for definitions, see this Wheels for Wellbeing explainer.

Updates included:

The Hertfordshire Active Travel Strategy is now a approved document, find it here.  The consultation on this in 2023 generated a huge number of comments and the county officers have done a lot of work in reviewing the comments and developing a strategy that will be effective as a supporting document of the HCC Local Transport Plan.

Being in favour of active travel is not 'anti-car'; the only way to solve congestion is to reduce car use.  Highway changes that only work for cars do not solve congestion, they just move the bottlenecks to somewhere else.  Creating an environment where walking, wheeling or cycling are the mode people choose for short trips will improve driving conditions also and have huge public-wealth and economic benefits.

The Hertfordshire Cycling map is being thoroughly updated; this has taken longer than envisaged as the team have been determined to do it really well, so we are looking forward to spring 2025 when the new edition will be published in an enhanced format.  The new format will enable regular updates. Meanwhile, the 2017 PDF of the map (6MB) is here.

The public workstands are gradually being installed across the county, with 26 of the 45 to be provided are already in place.  The Hertfordshire Cycling Walking and Wheeling team would love to receive your pictures of the stands in use - email them to cycling@hertfordshire.gov.uk.  Sadly, that is also the address to report any vandalism; do report any problems to the team, they are working with the manufacturer to improve damage-resistance of the equipment.

Herts County Council are working with St Albans District Council and residents to transform Victoria Street.  This is a significant route for walking, cycling and buses between the St Albans City station and city centre.  The aim is to create a more sustainable street that enhances the safety and quality of life for the whole community as well as supporting local businesses and tourism. Local communities are invited to interactive drop-in events at:

• Sunday 13th October, 8am – 1pm at St Albans Market

• Wednesday 30th October, 4 - 7pm at Marlborough Road Methodist Church Hall

HCC want to hear what you think would make this street better for everyone. You can submit your ideas - and they do not need to be just about cycling, this is a 'public realm' project - up until 12th November by clicking here. 

Cycling Asset Register

The Cycling Asset Register has been developed alongside the LCWIPs, as a tool to identify existing provision and gaps.  The Herts CC team is very keen to have ongoing input - the register is designed to help everyone understand what infrastructure is available for cycling and what is planned. It also provides the way to suggest missing parts of the network which can be considered for future works.  So do contribute; you can find it under its alternative name of Cycle Facility Register.

Five of the county's ten Districts / Boroughs now have approved Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plans (LCWIPs), one is being reviewed and three are currently being developed.  The odd one out is Broxbourne which is being separately developed. The LCWIPs are iterative rather than fixed; they are intended to be periodically reviewed and updated.  The Stevenage LCWIP was approved in 2019 and is due to be reviewed in 2025/26.

From 1st October the Cafe and Community Centre elements have been managed by Everyone Active, who also manage Westminster Lodge and have already run community outreach sessions at the CC&CC.

A message from Mat, Cycle Hub manager:

The St Albans Cycle Hub will continue to serve the teas, locally roasted coffees, and snacks you’ve grown to love—now through the bike shop. Please feel free to pop in, say hello, and enjoy your favourite refreshments while supporting your local not-for-profit cycle hub. Both card and cash payments are accepted for your convenience. Once again, thank you for your ongoing support. It’s been a privilege to serve this community, and we hope to see you at the Cycle Hub soon!

Every Friday is RideDay for the brand-new  Bike Bus in Batchwood, St Albans. The 'bus' service was launched in September by Damian Gaskin, a former teacher at Townsend School.

The Bike Bus consists of parents and children cycling to school together, en-masse.  This means :- 

• everyone is more visible and therefore safer

• children learn to cycle on the road with their parents

• children arrive at school, on-time happy and energised

• a few more fossil-fuel-burning cars are taken off the road, reducing congestion and pollution

• a few more parking spaces are released

The Bike Bus sets off at 8 am from the Toulmin Drive Playground and follows a route around New Greens arriving at the High Oak Shops at 8.15am.  The Bike Bus even has a phone tracker that can show you when it’s nearing your ‘bike-bus’ stop.  At High Oaks shops, the bike bus splits up High Oaks to Margaret Wix school or down to Garden Fields.

Any parent with a child can join the Bike Bus.  The only requirements are that each cyclist wears a high-viz or bright cycling jacket and a cycle helmet; it's better still to have a flashing light on the front as well.

The Bike Bus would welcome additional adult volunteers to help boost the size of the bus, enhancing the 'safety in numbers'.

For more information and to volunteer, join the Facebook group or phone Damian Gaskin on 07939244554. If you are interested in setting up a bike bus at your school, Sustrans have resources here.

There are two nearby upcoming cycle-jumble sales at the beginning of November, providing you with opportunities of both reducing the amount of cycle junk in your garage, or indeed, of increasing it. They are:

Chalfont Cycle Jumble 

• Date: Saturday, November 2nd, 8:00 am - 1:00 pm

• Location: Epilepsy Society Chesham Lane, Chalfont St Peter, SL9 0RJ (map)

• Public entry: The jumble opens to the public at 8am with the entrance fee of £2

• Stalls: Sellers from 8am, tables £12, outside pitches from £15

• Contact: Simon Ekless 07931 929685,  simon.ekless@icloud.com
   

Tewin Cycle Jumble 

• Date: Saturday, November 9th, 9:30 am  - 12:00 noon

• Location Tewin Village Hall, 11 Lower Green, AL6 0JX (map)

• Public entry: The jumble opens to the public at 09.30 entry £1, before 9.30 £3

• Stalls: inside tables  £10, outside £7

• Contact: Steve Griffith, 07740 923630, griffith531@hotmail.com

• Parking:  parking  available at adjacent bowls club. 

Soroptimist International St Albans and District are inviting you to join this special event on Zoom on Monday 28th October from 7.30-9.00pm when Professor Scarlett McNally, an orthopaedic surgeon & campaigner for more active travel to improve health and reduce pollution, will be speaking on the subject of “Women, Health, Exercise and the Economy – Is Exercise the Miracle Cure?” - The presentation will be chaired by a STACC member, and you can book your place via Eventbrite here.