Meeting documents

Update to be provided by Ms S Wright, Ridgeway National Trail Officer and Mr K Foster, Cycling UK.

Ms S Wright, Ridgeway National Trail Officer and Mr K Foster, Cycling UK attended the meeting. 

Ms S Wright provided a short presentation, appended to the minutes, on the circular rides and walks that were promoted by the Ridgeway National Trail and used part of the Ridgeway.  Ms Wright highlighted the following:

• The Ridgeway Partnership was a group of organisations/people who decided a review of the circular walks/rides was required; also, some of the leaflets were very out of date. 
• The Ridgeway Partnership recognised there was a real demand for cycling these days, and wanted to cater for cyclists, young people and families and provide an ‘easy access’ set of leaflets.
• The draft vision listed the criteria and the attractions to be incorporated to help decide which circular rides/walks should be promoted.  Ms Wright asked the forum members to let her or Mr Clark know if anything was missing from the list.
• Slide 5 showed a list of highlights/landmarks which had been rated as tier 1 or 2. 

During discussion the following key points were raised:

• Members of the forum suggested the monument on Aston Hill as it was used to trial Aston Martins; Whiteleaf Cross, the Kop Hill Climb and Halton Cycling Hub. 
• It was suggested that cafes in towns such as Princes Risborough provide discount vouchers to encourage walkers/cyclists to visit.
• In response to a question on the next steps, Ms Wright stated that once the routes were decided and were in good order, they would be promoted on the website and leaflets would be produced. 
• Ms Wright clarified that it was a way of investing in Buckinghamshire and that she would apply for funding if investment in a circular route was required.

Mr K Foster, National Off-road Cycling Adviser for the UK provided a presentation, appended to the minutes, and highlighted the following:

• The data on how people used the national trails showed that 89% arrived by car; the vast majority walked 0-5 miles or 6-10 miles; 7% of people cycled on the Ridgeway compared to 5% on the South Downs Way and 31% on the Pennine Bridgeway; which was probably due to promotion in the area.
• 90% of Ridgeway users were out for the day and long distance circular walks were important as people did not want to walk back along the same trail. 
• Cyclists were the predominant users for six months of the year and there was clear evidence of demand for National Trail type routes, however, only half of the Ridgeway permitted cycling.
• There had been complaints regarding the lack of connectivity in the National Trail and that cycling was not permitted on the whole route. 
• Gateway locations were important in order to improve the user experience e.g. car parks, railway stations, country parks, Forestry Commission properties etc. 
• Thought needed to be given to how to encourage people to walk from home rather than drive a short distance. 
• There were huge opportunities for the rural economy e.g. rural pubs, cafes, and B&B’s, campsites and bunkhouse options.
• Mr Foster showed possible draft routes with identified interventions which may be of benefit and asked for feedback/comments.  Ms Wright explained that there were parts of the Ridgeway in Buckinghamshire that were footpath and these stretches needed to be looked at to see how to create a route that could be used by cyclists, horse riders and walkers.

The following key points were raised during discussion:

• A member of the forum emphasised the need for parking at any access points.
• In response to a member of the forum asking if there was any data on where people travelled from, Ms Wright offered to find out.

ACTION: Ms Wright

• It was suggested that a survey be carried out on Facebook by the British Horse Society for local riders in the area.
• Mr Foster advised there was potential for a rambler ticket to be provided by the rail networks.
• Walking on the Ridgeway should be promoted at Marylebone Station.
• Ms Wright stated she had met with Chiltern Railways and the Chilterns Conservation Board who were keen to have cycle hire available at Princes Risborough and Wendover railway stations.
• Ms Wright explained she would be surveying the routes which ran parallel to the Ridgeway e.g. the Swans Way which needed a large amount of maintenance (signage and surfacing) and the Icknield Way.  Volunteers would also help survey the options.
• Ms J Taylor, Team Leader, Rights of Way, advised that The Swans Way was a critical route and stated she would treat any surface problems as a priority.  As The Swans Way extended into Oxfordshire it was recommended Ms Taylor contact Mr Harris at Oxfordshire County Council to suggest they also treat it as a priority.

ACTION: Ms Taylor

• A member of the forum stated that the impact of the popularity of cycles with electric engines should be considered as cyclists could travel longer distances.
• Ms Wright asked members of the forum for suggestions on suitable gateways (places were people access the trail) e.g. rural car parks.  Once the gateways were identified, facilities could be improved.

The Chairman thanked Ms Wright and Mr Foster for their presentations.