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Watch A Second Ride Into Town With Cyclist Terry Duckmanton
Published on: 18 Jun, 2018
Updated on: 18 Jun, 2018
By Terry Duckmanton
Those of you who watched the first video in this series were, it seems, a little taken aback that anyone could possibly think that it was a good idea to cycle into town using that particular route.
It is possible, with a little training, for any adult cyclist to achieve the standard of competence required.
What if the idea of mixing it with the traffic sends shivers down your spine, is there still a way to cycle into town to work, the shops or even school?
In this the second video in the series A Ride Into Town, we look at alternative routes into Guildford in an effort to make cycling a valid option for those of us who think one’s handlebars should be adorned with bells and wicker baskets rather than high-tech bells and whistles.
The longest route from my house to Guildford Library is about two and a half miles. Even at sedate speeds the journey will take no more than about 15 minutes. This means you can leave your Lycra at home and cycle into town in whatever you are wearing, within reason of course, and you won’t need a shower when you arrive.
I am aware of the fact that many Guildford residents live somewhere other than next door to me and for them the routes shown may not be immediately of use. If you are one of those residents I urge you to watch the video anyway and try to apply the route selection techniques to your personal requirements.
Click here for Terry’s first cycling video and story.
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Responses to Watch A Second Ride Into Town With Cyclist Terry Duckmanton
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Dave Middleton
June 19, 2018 at 11:00 am
Nice video Terry, that’s the bulk of my route from Stoughton into town.
One point though, contrary to your commentary, there is a ramp at the far end of the Wooden Bridge footbridge, that takes you down on to Midleton Road and you can then join the shared footway past Frankie & Benny’s to the junction with Woodbridge Meadows and the towpath.
C Stevens
June 19, 2018 at 1:21 pm
I’m delighted to see that Terry Duckmanton is very much in favour of bells on the handlebars whether of the old style or high-tech.
It would be great if he could also comment on the advisability of using the bells rather than just having them as ornaments, if at all.
Cyclists often use pavements and footpaths, sometimes going at a fair lick, but don’t bother to let pedestrians know they’re there. It must be far better to ring a bell than to nearly collide with someone who isn’t wearing a protective helmet.
Bernard Parke
June 19, 2018 at 7:33 pm
Excellent presentation!
Jane Hepburn
June 20, 2018 at 5:33 am
Lovely way into town… maybe a little bit of fast-forwarding on the presentation might have enhanced it.
I Agree with the first comment that it’s much easier to continue all the way over the bridge and down on to Midleton Road that way, and straight on to the river.
Have you any good ideas how to go to Woking or to Dorking off-piste?
Maybe you could also do the Christmas Pie route into Farnham which is beautiful and mostly off-piste.
Nigel Burke
June 24, 2018 at 9:16 am
Hi Jane. For routes to Woking and Dorking, take a look at the map of the National Cycle Network on the Sustrans Web site: Route 223 to Woking, Route 22 to Dorking.
Route 223 goes Riverside Park, shared use pavement to Jacobs Well, back road through Sutton Green (can be busy traffic in rush hour) then into Woking via back roads and leisure centre.
Route 22 takes a very pleasant if somewhat circuitous route through the countryside making use of bridleways, including a specially constructed off-road path behind Westcott.
Otherwise, Woking via Wey towpath then Basingstoke Canal towpath (rather a long way round!).
Also, Dorking via the North Downs: Pewley Down, Newlands Corner, North Downs Trackway to Ranmore Common then descend on road to Dorking.
Agree about Christmas Pie: be very careful at the A31/A331 crossing, though! And an alternative to reach Farnham is to follow Route 22 west from Guildford.
John Lomas
June 20, 2018 at 10:03 am
Good little video, showing a lot of the different ways I used to go into town from Stoughton.
Why did they close the footpath alongside the railway, from Wooden Bridge to Walnut Tree Close?
By the way, please walk and not cycle across zebra, pelican, puffin or equine (Pegasus) crossings.
Toucans are all right for cycling across as they are designated for that.
HC 79 and 80.
Bibhas Neogi
June 20, 2018 at 10:35 am
A very scenic route and enjoyable for the occasional rider. However, it cannot be a substitute for a proper and safe cycle route if many cyclists are to use this.
We know it is mostly the towpath along the River Wey and not really wide enough in places. Also as there are no barriers to the path that is right next to the river, it is not safe enough as a regular cycle way.
A similar route has recently been suggested between Guildford and Godalming.
These routes could be made safer with the path being paved together with an attractive parapet alongside.
No doubt there will be supporters and opponents of such a proposal. I wonder whether the councils would explore the possibilities?
Harry Eve
June 20, 2018 at 8:55 pm
Regarding the paving and parapets proposal – no thanks. I’d rather feel the earth beneath my feet.
Bibhas Neogi
June 21, 2018 at 11:13 am
If these routes are to become proper cycle routes, these would have to be safe for all users that includes young riders.
As for feeling the earth beneath your feet, consider giving up wearing shoes and walk barefoot in parks and feel immensely satisfied by giving up your path to cyclists!
Harry Eve
June 22, 2018 at 8:03 am
I have thought about your helpful suggestion and considered the risks from broken glass, dog faeces, etc and come to the conclusion that I’d rather feel the sole beneath my feet. I do feel some degree of satisfaction (not immense but definitely worthwhile) when, having given way to a jogger or cyclist, I receive a thank you in return – often with a smile which goes a long way too.
Ellen Highgrove
June 21, 2018 at 2:33 pm
Quite tight Harry Eve, if Bibhas Neogi wants that, Bibhas should move to an urban area like London.
The Wey has safely operated without concrete and barriers for hundreds of years – let’s not chance that now!
Bibhas Neogi
June 21, 2018 at 11:13 pm
It is not what I like – I do not even ride a bike.
The point you do not seem to appreciate is that a designated cycle route must be safe if the councils are to promote this.
I simply raised the issue of a proper cycle route and whether the councils would explore the possibilities. The councils may decide it is a non-starter or they have already considered it and discarded the idea. I do not know.
As it is, the route seems OK from the video for an occasional rider but not large number of riders going both ways. They also tend to ride in tandem and chat at the same time!
Harry Eve
June 22, 2018 at 8:21 am
One thing the council would need to consider (apart from the adverse reactions to such a proposal by users and, I hope, the National Trust) would be the immense cost of installing the path and parapets and maintaining them. The costs might be used to justify charging users for access. Bibhas Neoghi’s comment (thinking ahead) has rung some unexpected alarm bells.
I must add that I do appreciate these videos from Terry Duckmanton and the discussion around how we share our space in positive ways.
Dave Middleton
June 21, 2018 at 12:41 pm
Tarmac, paving, barriers, etc. No Thank you. It’s a canal towpath, a graded surface as applied to the sections between Stoke Mill and the town is perfectly adequate. Yes, it could be widened, but it does not need to be paved.
As for barriers to stop people falling in the river, I understand that the bulk of the canalised river is shallow enough that anyone over about five feet tall could stand up in it and be head and shoulders above the surface!
Doug Clare
June 20, 2018 at 1:18 pm
Great videos Terry.
We at G-BUG, the Guildford Bike User Group, invite you to join us at one of our meetings. Please sign up on http://www.g-bug.org.
We advocate cyclists using the pavements around town providing they ‘share with care’ and are polite to all pedestrians who obviously have the right of way.
In a similar way we ask that drivers behave the same way on the roads towards cyclists who are the vulnerable road users.
Please give us plenty of room and only overtake when it is safe to do so. In return all cyclists should follow the Highway Code and not jump red lights!
Terry Duckmanton
June 20, 2018 at 4:28 pm
I feel I need to reply to Dave Middleton’s comment regarding steps and ramps on the footbridge.
The steps I was referring to are the ones that bring you out next to Currys, ie the alternative to the ramp which I used.
I am also aware that there is another ramp at the far end of the bridge which comes out next to Frankie & Benny’s. Please remember I was trying to get back onto the A25 having bypassed the Dennis Roundabout section.
I have to agree that if you are aiming for the Wey towpath anyway, then going to the far end of the footbridge is the way to go. I didn’t include that because the video doesn’t develop that way.
C Stevens asks for advice on the use of bells. I have to say that personally I don’t like to upset pedestrians by cycling on ‘their’ bit and I try to avoid doing so where I can.
The problem these days is that short bits of ‘shared use’ pavement are making pavement cycling a normal activity. My advice is to cycle sedately in shared areas and to use a bell with restraint.
Let pedestrians know you are there, but try not to sound impatient. It is also worth remembering that some pedestrians are, like me, hard of hearing, so be prepared to stop if necessary. Most importantly always say thank you as you pass, you never know, you might make some new friends.
Finally, a big thank you to Bernard Parke for my favourite comment so far.
Dave Middleton
June 21, 2018 at 12:42 pm
Sorry Terry, I wasn’t having a dig at you. I misunderstood your commentary. Again, excellent video.
Brian Holt
June 20, 2018 at 9:14 pm
What are people who enjoy walking along the towpath to Shalford or Burpham suppose to do on a very narrow path with all these cyclist who think the towpath is theirs?
The last time I tried to walk to St Catherine’s Lock from Millmead all I heard was cyclists ringing bells or shouting at me to get out of their way.
Surely I am not the only walker who has this problem, but I am very annoyed that we have to give up enjoying this lovely riverside walk for our own safety.
We are all encouraged to take up walking but no one cares about the walker’s safety which includes all ages.
If cyclists need to speed to get to Godalming use the roads and let walkers enjoy using the narrow towpath.
Dave Middleton
June 21, 2018 at 12:56 pm
Brian Holt, I’m sorry you have encountered bad cyclists on the towpath from town to St Catherine’s.
I will always slow down (not that I ride particularly fast anyway) and if necessary, give way to pedestrians, as per the National Trust bylaws that govern the use of the towpath by cyclists.
I always sound my bell well in advance to give warning of my approach and am prepared to move over and stop if required. I also make a point of saying thank you to people who move over for me.
I could complain about the pedestrians who walk along completely oblivious to anyone else with their noses six inches from their smartphones, or with music on their headphones masking the sound of my bell.
Only last week I was on the section between Woodbridge Meadows and the town when a chap with smartphone in hand, gazing at the screen, with headphones on completely failed to register my presence, hear my bell and despite my coming to a complete halt and calling out to him, almost walked straight into me!
Ellen Highgrove
June 21, 2018 at 2:37 pm
Very unsporting of you Brian.
I jog along this exact stretch of towpath you mention and never have had an issue with anyone.
Walkers politely step to one side for us joggers and we step to one side to allow bikes to pass – most people are usually very jolly and friendly as they pass – although I suspect I have not met you on route.
I would much rather allow a bike to pass then them risk cycling on the road with all the traffic – safety for all needs considering.
Brian Holt
June 21, 2018 at 10:03 am
To all cyclists: why do you still cycle at speed on narrow pavements where pedestrian and children are walking when there is a empty cycle lane marked on the road?
I would like to add to Doug Clare’s comment all cyclists should follow the Highway Code and not jump red lights! And include cycling through No Entry signs and the wrong way down one-way roads.
When the High Street is closed and for the markets, surely that includes cyclists as well, especially those cycling the wrong way down a one-way road.
Keith Reeves
June 22, 2018 at 4:46 pm
To all motorists: why do you jump red lights? Why to you fail to pass cyclists leaving adequate space? Why do you pull out in front of cyclists? Why do you park on marked cycle lanes? Why do you encroach into advanced stop line boxes? Why do you overtake cyclists and turn left immediately in front of them?
Switching off my irony mode, I can see that there are faults within all road user groups, with a complete spectrum of behaviour within each group.
It’s a pity that some of the correspondents seem to think the problems are all in one camp and affect all of its members.
C Stevens
June 21, 2018 at 1:05 pm
Very true, Mr Holt.
I don’t see why cyclists on the towpath have to travel in groups or at what seems maximum speed.
If cyclists are the vulnerable group on the road, as Doug Clare of G-BUG says, pedestrians are the far more vulnerable group on the towpath.
In summer it’s annoying to be harrassed out of the way. In winter parts of the towpath liable to standing water become cut into such deep mud by the bikes’ tyres that it’s next to impossible to walk there without falling.
As Mr Holt says, there are roads for those who want to ride in convoy or at speed.
Bibhas Neogi
June 22, 2018 at 10:25 pm
Cyclists are permitted to ride on footways when these are designated by the Highway Authority as shared use by pedestrians and cyclists, but in general riding on pavements is illegal.
Please see the article https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/whats-legal-and-whats-not-your-bike.
Nigel Burke
June 24, 2018 at 9:32 am
Terry, your videos are great for raising the profile of possible cycle routes and encouraging discussion.
One technical point about the towpath: it is not lit and I think the National Trust would be reluctant to see lighting introduced.
Also, strictly I think National Trust bylaws specify the towpath is open to the public only in daylight hours. This limits the use of the towpath on dark winter evenings (though I doubt anyone is going to be arrested!).
I certainly don’t agree with the suggestion that a ‘retaining wall’ be built. Hopefully if the council’s plan to close Walnut Tree Close to through traffic comes to pass, that would provide a safe alternative for utility cyclists.
It is a shame the Council has excluded a step free link from the towpath to the new Walnut Bridge.
Keep up the good work!
Bibhas Neogi
June 26, 2018 at 1:15 pm
No provision for a ramp from the towpath to the proposed Walnut Tree Footbridge replacement was raised by me among other possible changes to road network around the railway station and the gyratory. To see my comments please revisit the following links,-
https://guildford-dragon.com/2015/07/22/walnut-tree-bridge-replacement-will-allow-improved-access-to-the-town-centre/
And also
https://guildford-dragon.com/2016/07/05/trial-closure-walnut-tree-close-public-views-sought/#comments
where I suggested a southbound route to the railway station using the Station View modifications by Jewson’s Yard when Walnut Tree Close (WTC) is made one-way northwards beyond the junction with Station View up to Jewson’s Yard.
A safe cycle route could also be created alongside one lane one-way WTC. Unfortunately, as far as I am aware, the councils have to date shown no interest in these!
Bibhas Neogi
June 24, 2018 at 11:41 pm
There is a lot to consider when designing a cycle route whether segregated or shared. There are guidance available from the Department for Transport and Sustrans for both cycle lanes on our roads and also routes away from vehicular traffic.
Readers here may not be aware of these but I suggest they read this guidance document – https://www.sustrans.org.uk/sites/default/files/file_content_type/sustrans_handbook_for_cycle-friendly_design_11_04_14.pdf
Also, it has been reported on Surrey Advertiser of 22 June that Guildford Local Committee of Surrey County Council has accepted the five-mile river route called Guildford – Godalming Greenway project as campaigned by local cycling groups.
Councillors of this committee are hoping to get funding for sections that are being worked on. No details have been given as to who is doing the design work or what is going to be proposed and to what standards.
.
Nigel Burke
June 25, 2018 at 6:44 pm
Full details of the Guildford to Godalming Greenway can be found on the SCC website: look for the last Guildford Local Committee meeting.
These include the supporting document from Becky Willson, SCC Cycling Officer, the original proposals from Godalming Cycle Campaign and Guildford Bicycle User Group, and an analysis by SCC.
By the way, it is not a ‘river route’: from Guildford town centre it reaches Broadford via the existing Sustrans Route 22, across Shalford Park and Dagley Lane.
Simon Schultz
June 26, 2018 at 6:20 pm
Bibhas, I wish more people involved in the traffic decision process would read and follow that guidance document! (In particular, if more followed “cycle the route yourself”, I think their perspective may change).
Once a week I do the “full” cycle commute from Compton in to my office in South Kensington (53km).
I have on average a little over one near-death experience per trip. (I define this as an overtaking car coming closer than 10 cm to my handlebars, or similar).
They are *almost always* in Guildford, despite it being a very small part of the journey (and at 6.30am).
I have only once got through Guildford yet without having one, in fact.
Due to a combination of poor transport infrastructure, and appalling driver behaviour. (The one last Friday was on Waterden Road, a massive pothole appeared on the road in front of me, and the driver of the car behind me – yes I have you on rear camera and have been contemplating sending in the details to Surrey Police – decided at that moment to squeeze past me).