Caredig I Natur (CIN)

This is terrible. you kindof know it goes on, but ...

2012-04-25T21:55:35.833+01:00

This is terrible. you kindof know it goes on, but to see pictures of whole fields of wasted food is terrible. The world's economies and systems are all wrong.

Who is that stupid and callous to leave 40 bottles...

2012-04-22T04:05:50.671+01:00

Who is that stupid and callous to leave 40 bottles of anything in the woods, especially alcohol? Its just plain anti-social behavior, no other way to describe it. Too bad there the chaps weren't prosecuted.

on the path issue, it's probably getting rarer...

2012-04-21T14:52:53.520+01:00

on the path issue, it's probably getting rarer to find workers who take a pride in tidying up, making the area look nice, and finishing the job off properly. far easier just to bung it all to one side. i use that path too and it looks a right mess.

Thanks for the comment Lucy, and your blog is grea...

2012-04-16T20:02:22.504+01:00

Thanks for the comment Lucy, and your blog is great too! One of the arguments we've always agreed with is that when towns have independent shops they are unique, interesting and worth visiting. Once they are full of chains they are the same as everywhere else, so why go? Glad other people can see this too.

Great Blog here, interesting information! Althoug...

2012-04-16T19:55:48.071+01:00

Great Blog here, interesting information!
Although I'm only a student here in Aberystwyth, I was horrified to read that Tesco, Sainsburys, M&S and Aldi are all trying to wheedle their way into the town. The new Spar shop in the high street is bad enough (why on earth do we need three!?).
I would hate to come back to visit Aberystwyth in a few years and see how it has changed if all these supermarkets do get their way, the town will likely lose much of it's olde worlde appeal.

Yes, positive news for a change! Just from lookin...

2012-03-11T07:09:00.329Z

Yes, positive news for a change! Just from looking at that picture, I can tell that within 10 years you will literally have a new forest existing where none did before. I do find many public projects to be a waste, but this one seems truly worthy.

Thanks Alun. That is certainly good, though it is ...

2012-02-12T18:43:00.543Z

Thanks Alun. That is certainly good, though it is a great shame that there won't be any bushes and so on as ground cover. We've had lots of emails about the loss of the bushes and were going to post some of them tomorrow. Some of the comments might not apply so much now, though in that case it perhaps shows a lack of communication. I think when people don't know what is going on they inevitably feel disempowered and angry - if those decisions go against their wishes then the effect gets multiplied. It would be good if all councils and councillors made the effort that you do to inform people of what is happening in their areas.

For info, I enquired this week about the bus depot...

2012-02-12T18:33:12.561Z

For info, I enquired this week about the bus depot plans re trees and shrubs.

They are intending to plant nine trees as part of the scheme - 3 Ash trees (around the crossing by Morris & Bates), 4 Cherry trees (2 near where the shrubs were previously and 2 on either side of the taxi rank entrance)and 2 Oak trees where the current bus stops are at the Park Ave end.

I don't know if this makes for a net gain or a net loss in terms of greenery but at least its not all bad and an improved bus depot and pedestrian crossing facilties have got to be good.

I agree with this, most of those things would eb a...

2012-01-30T12:18:22.502Z

I agree with this, most of those things would eb a waste of money. The Aber bus depot looks like a mess now, what were the council thinking? What a waste of money. It's as if they're run by idiots.

I studied in London in the late 80s. During a wee...

2012-01-23T17:55:04.550Z

I studied in London in the late 80s. During a weekend, several of us took a trip to Wales. The beauty was just stunning and almost spiritual. It was the highlight of our gap year studying abroad. Do not lose your green spaces, do not let the big bosx stores take over, As a Yank, I can assure you this has destroyed much of the unique regional identity of our country - do not make the same mistake!

My daughter was nearly hit by a car the other day ...

2012-01-11T09:35:25.294Z

My daughter was nearly hit by a car the other day - ON the cycle path. She told me a car coming out of the school carpark (which cuts across the cycle path there) didn't stop and the driver didn't apparently notice her. I've told her to use the path on the other side of the road in future, since it is unbroken by exits. It left me really angry - I couldn't find out who the driver was. There is no way walking on the cycle path is safer.

Oh, someone above said "Walking around the roundabout at the dead end of the avenue. There is no footway on some stretches so children must walk in the roadway used by turning traffic throughout the day." Do they even knwo the area? There has been a path all the way round for ages.

It's clear to any sensible person that pedestr...

2012-01-04T13:19:12.340Z

It's clear to any sensible person that pedestrians should walk on the pavement and cyclists should go on the cycle path. What is this stupid, irrational fear that makes otherwise-sensible adults see it as a huge danger? Even for supervised children?

Sure, if drivers ever go on the pavement then prosecute them, I'll go with that. It's dangerous driving.

I think saying kids can't walk on the pavement is just stupid, it just creates the kind of world where kids are as fearful as their parents, a new century's worth of wimps. It reminds me of some of my favourite links, which no doubt came about because of this kind of irrational fear.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/215560-three-legged-race-is-given-the-sack

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2005491/WIMBLEDON-2011-Elf-n-safety-shuts-Murray-Mount.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13207198

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Outrage-kite-flying-ban-East-Riding-beaches/story-12746471-detail/story.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1384853/Children-banned-playground-health-safety-officials-decide-monkey-bars-dangerous.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-12570062

change the cycle path to the opposite side of the ...

2011-12-31T11:42:14.097Z

change the cycle path to the opposite side of the road .. that way all walkers are 'safe' and as the opposite side has been suggested for walkers it must be safe enough for cyclists also!
Just for the record .. the pictures you posted have not been 'blurred' in any useful way at all .. I recognise ALL the children in them!!

I had walked up to CK's with a (rather unwield...

2011-12-28T15:25:09.829Z

I had walked up to CK's with a (rather unwieldy) bagful of tetrapaks a couple of weeks ago only to be confronted with an empty site where the recycling bins normally stood. I was forced to return with the tetrapaks and wait until I could possibly take them to Machynlleth's Dyfi Eco Park, where I thought the nearest tetrapaks recycling site was. I'm now very glad to learn from your blog that there is one in Mill Street car park - at least until the Big Takeover of course. Is it actually legal to enforce removal of recycling facilities? What is CK's reason for doing this?

Apparently the Council have moved the Mill Street ...

2011-12-19T14:20:01.590Z

Apparently the Council have moved the Mill Street Tetra Pak bank to the far end of the car park, away from the other facilities. If anyone can confirm or deny this it would be appreciated!

Yes, very useful CKs, diolch yn fawr. But thank yo...

2011-12-19T14:09:14.967Z

Yes, very useful CKs, diolch yn fawr. But thank you Caredig i Natur for directing me to the carton bank in Mill Street. And I found your blog in the process. Bonus!

I reckon that the cycle path should be for cyclist...

2011-12-16T14:37:02.758Z

I reckon that the cycle path should be for cyclists only too. People should walk on the pavement opposite. Sensible and tidy.

Didn't the good councillor just confirm this i...

2011-11-29T09:23:40.714Z

Didn't the good councillor just confirm this is a shared use path, occasionally used by cyclists?

And yet you say:

"[the] route has four parallel lanes already (cycle path, pavement, road and cemetary path)".

Of course the cemetary path is not parallel, but actually it has:

Shared use path, road and pavement.

Are you complaining that pedestrians use the shared use path? or are you arguing that the shared use path should be redesignated as for cyclists only?

If you want redesignation, I think we should organise a petition so we can make it clear to the council what the local views on the issue are.

Hi Alun, Thanks for the comments. We respect your...

2011-11-27T16:00:56.611Z

Hi Alun,

Thanks for the comments. We respect your views (hence linking to your excellent blog!) even though inevitably we won't agree on every issue.

You're completely right that people wouldn't want to lose yet more green space on a route that has four parallel lanes already (cycle path, pavement, road and cemetery path).

We completely agree that cyclists and pedestrians can get along. Understanding and respect is important, and we would encourage all cyclists and pedestrians to have this attitude towards each other. Hopefully those that don't are a rude minority. The disagreement here is just that many of us don't think the pavement is 'desperately unsafe'. It is just normal pavement, which in this case is next to a dead end road two junctions removed from a main road. The pavement is easily wide enough for adults to walk two abreast. However we won't agree on that issue (and neither of us will persuade the other!) so we won't argue it any further.

Since you object to children walking on that pavement as it stands maybe there are better ways of making use of the four routes available on that stretch of road.

1: Maybe the pavement could be extended into the road slightly and have some form of bollard or barrier every so often. More probably needs to be done to punish bad driving (and going up on kerbs etc).

2: The path within the cemetery is completely separate from the road and could be used as a route. If necessary a proper crossing could be put in at the exit from the cemetery.

3: From all accounts the times of mass traffic (and therefore danger to anyone) seem to be school run times. Maybe that section of road could be pedestrianised? Then it is safe for everyone. Obviously there can still be deliveries and emergency services (as happens in any town or city that has pedestrianised areas). Or is could just be pedestrianised between certain times e.g. Mon-Fri 8am-4pm.

I can't imagine any of those options being accepted - the uproar from car drivers at option three would never be acceptable to a council. Option two would be easily implementable. However, no-one at CIN expects anything to change in that area. As one of the CIN editors I almost wished we'd chosen a different example from the county for this blog post, since the one here seems to be a sensitive one for many people!

It would be good if schools in the county could do more to encourage cycling (and walking) for the daily school runs. The schools I’ve been connected with never seemed to promote it; rather they seemed to wash their hands of the traffic their business caused locally as if it is not related to them in any way. We would love to promote examples that prove us wrong.

Anyway, thanks for commenting. We'll be adding a link to your latest post on the Day Care Centre later on.

A couple of comments... When the shared use path ...

2011-11-26T20:50:03.251Z

A couple of comments...
When the shared use path in the photo was created it exposed the previous desperate - and unsafe - lack of pavement space for children along that stretch of road. The new path then naturally became the one used by children walking (and cycling) because it's on the school side and because the pavement on the other side is just too narrow for mass use.

The only way to create more path capacity to solve the problem would be to widen the shared use path which would, of course, entail cutting into green space. This would be a shame and would probably be opposed by many readers of this blog, although, if that's really the best solution and what people want, I'd be prepared to lobby for it.

As someone who frequently cycles along this path, the fact is that for most of the day the path is pretty clear. It's only at particular times that schoolchildren use it and, since the old road-width sleeping policemen in the road were replaced (I think at my request) with ones that don't affect cyclists, I'm quite happy at those times to use what, after all, is only a very short stretch of low-speed road because I don't believe that my rights as a cyclist are more important than the safety of primary school children.

I support the rights of people to both cycle and walk safely and I'm not comfortable with playing one off against the other as I'm sure that with a bit of tolerance and understanding we can get along fine.

I just got back from cycling that route and there ...

2011-11-24T11:11:23.161Z

I just got back from cycling that route and there was hardly anyone walking on the cycle path for once! It made it a pleasure to cycle, normally it's easier to go on road. I guess you have to pick your times or be lucky with them.

It strikes me that when there is no alternative then a shared use route is a good idea. An example where this works is Plas Crug itself, since there is lots of space and three lanes. Pedestrians and cyclists (and skateboarders) all have plenty of room. The route in your blog is one where there is an alternative route for pedestrians (two routes if you include the cemetery), so it would be much better if the council kept the two types of traffic separate. The council is unlikely to do anything about it though (what a surprise).

There was a school group using the path at 1.30pm ...

2011-11-23T17:16:49.360Z

There was a school group using the path at 1.30pm today. The path was totally choked. I can't believe they allow this. Someone needs to write to the Cambrian News and get the cycle path enforced.

I've come across this - you round a bend, bush...

2011-11-18T12:14:32.121Z

I've come across this - you round a bend, bushes block the view a bit, slow down - and still nearly hit someone. I've see nthe kids walking there too, had a near miss once. The answer's simple - the schools should walk children on PAVEMENT, that's what it's for, and the council should make it bicycle-only, and make that clear.

Response to comment of 11 November 2011 14:23 To ...

2011-11-11T16:51:29.565Z

Response to comment of 11 November 2011 14:23

To be fair, those 12 hours included overnight!

Re: confusion over 'anonymous' - we set the blog up so people can post anonymously if they wish but it can cause confusion sometimes. Posters - consider choosing Name/URL, then put a random number or word in the 'Name' box (you can leave URL blank), then it will be easier to reply to the correct person whilst still being anonymous.

Re: 2007 article - as we already said above, "I'm sure it could have been worded better so apologies if it is misleading." Different writers have contributed to CIN, no doubt some posts could do with more polish.

We disagree on the safest route and are unlikely to come to an agreement. So be it. In the interests of investigating further one of the Aberystwyth contacts passed that way a few times today. Amongst their comments they said:

"Twice during the day there was no traffic at all (well, one car at one point). Definitely not a main road. Only at one time was there lots of vehicles, and that was at school hoem time. Then it was chocker, with parents blocking each other in and dashing out impatiently when they could. It definitely felt like the children's parents were the real danger."

As such it seems like the safest option would be to block off that whole road to traffic (apart from emergency vehicles). It is unlikely to happen though - imagine the outburst if people had to walk! ;-)

"To avoid this path, a route to Plas Crug leisure centre involves: Walking around the roundabout at the dead end of the avenue. There is no footway on some stretches so children must walk in the roadway used by turning traffic throughout the day."

Our contact said this isn't true. There is a path all the way around. Also, by following that route, children avoid two crossings which are exits/entrances, one of which had a lot of traffic at school run time. Basically if the pavement was unsafe the council would not allow people to walk on it, or would put up barriers. It is easy to amplify dangers in our minds on emotive topics.

"the corner by Ysgol Gymraeg, they reach a point where inconsiderate and illegal parking by some parents at that school causes an obstruction that frequently causes vehicles to mount the pavement on the side the children will now be on."

We are behind you a 100% there, but can't see any way of doing anything about that situation.

"On reaching the end of the avenue the children must now (to avoid the cycle path) cross the road at the car park junction and then cross the feeder road to Ysgol Gymraeg. Even then they find themselves sharing the cycle path with cyclists so they must now either walk on the road in the car park or cross the cycle path and walk on the muddy verge instead."

Our contact said that is wrong. By being on the pavement the pupils would cross the road once, to Ysgol Gymraeg (and thereby avoid two crossings which they encounter if they stayed on the cycle path). The route you have listed would indeed be rather silly, we agree.

"Btw, as a user of this cycle path (I am a cyclist too), I am rather confused where the cycle path goes after the liesure centre. It appears to peter out there, with no legal onward access to Llanbadarn road."

Agreed, it is very strange. Maybe cyclists are just meant to use the Leisure Centre then go home? At least they would be super-fit. Joking aside we agree completely that there needs to be joined up access. Things are heading that way but progress does seem to be very slow, with lots of discrepancies in the existing network.

As stated above, it seems logical to us that the safest route that inconveniences no-one is to use the perfectly adequate pavement provided, or a route through the cemetery with is safest of all (and has not been mentioned much, but seems logical). However we accept your differening viewpoint and have no doubt that it is motivated by genuine concern as well.

Re: comment of 11 November 2011 14:31pm: Best to...

2011-11-11T16:21:31.010Z

Re: comment of 11 November 2011 14:31pm:

Best to contact CCC, they have a useful page her with contact details:
http://www.ceredigion.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=16045