UKC

Stanage long causeway again

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
 robert-hutton 02 Jul 2014
When for a run down Stanage long causeway last night and wow they have set levelling the base rock in a big way with pneumatic hammers.

So is the short term destruction worth the long term gain and are they letting high impact users use it again when it complete to make it a waste of time and effort.
 Offwidth 02 Jul 2014
In reply to robert-hutton:
The poor state of the road made it fun for off road drivers and sometimes kept them belching smoke and noise for hours under the crag so its good news to me if they level it so they pass by quickly and pollute areas away from the crag.
Post edited at 13:44
 blurty 02 Jul 2014
In reply to robert-hutton:

The same strategy has been used around Edale/ Kinder. Tracks have been improved to make them less 'fun' for jeeps and bikes. Bizarely, the improvement work has sometimes been the precursor to shutting the road to motorised traffic altogether.
 Fredt 02 Jul 2014
In reply to robert-hutton:

Nothing to with discouraging 4WDs, - all motorised vehicles are banned from using the Long Causeway anyway. There are barriers at each end.

The only reason I can think of for this is to provide access for wheelchair users.
 Jimbo C 02 Jul 2014
In reply to Fredt:

I would think that the long causeway is a bit steep for all but the fittest wheelchair users or those with top of the range motorised 'all terrain' chairs.
 Fredt 02 Jul 2014
In reply to Jimbo C:

> I would think that the long causeway is a bit steep for all but the fittest wheelchair users or those with top of the range motorised 'all terrain' chairs.

It only occurred to me because I am aware of a project to surface the Green Path at Burbage specifically for to make it accessible to wheelchair users.
 balmybaldwin 02 Jul 2014
In reply to robert-hutton:

Have they ruined the only challenging (on a mtb) bit of the causeway now as well then?
 deepsoup 02 Jul 2014
In reply to balmybaldwin:
> Have they ruined the only challenging (on a mtb) bit of the causeway now as well then?

Not yet. And after representations from various groups it's possible that they might have got the message and do something a bit more sympathetic this time, we'll see.
 Chris the Tall 02 Jul 2014
In reply to robert-hutton:

> When for a run down Stanage long causeway last night and wow they have set levelling the base rock in a big way with pneumatic hammers.

That is pretty upsetting - filling in the gaps is one thing but use of heavy machinery to break up the rocks is totally inappropriate. I'm up in Langdale at the moment and it's much the same here - every bridleway being turned into a 6 foot wide gravel road
 Chris the Tall 02 Jul 2014
In reply to robert-hutton:

Have just received the following newsletter from the Peak MTB group, and it would appear that things aren't as bad as might first appear.




A quick recap of the situation at Stanage and the Long Causeway – the starting position before anyone engaged with Derbyshire County Council (DCC) was that DCC saw the need to resurface the causeway along and up towards Stanage pole, this may have been the result of a Section 56 notice, but we have no confirmation.

Peak District National Park Authority (PDNPA) is keen for works on the Long Causeway to be completed before end of August deadline so that a new (assuming long term) TRO can be placed on the route once the current temporary TRO runs out. When surveying the route there were some issues identified surrounding the revetment wall (the historic stone block wall that holds up part of the trail) regarding its structural integrity. The cost was deemed too high to replace it completely, and the current legislation for the construction of this type of structure would have forced a complete change in design that would not be in keeping with the Peak District and change the entire look of the area. Also, PDNPA was keen for the Long Causeway to remain as it is.
The original plan from DCC was to resurface the entire route with top trek (the same as used on the Monsal Trail) for the full width of the trail, and to totally remove all roughness by altering the levers, removing loose rocks, and flattening bedrock by hydrophilic ramming from below the causeway and along through to Stanage Pole. We made our objections known, on many fronts, and so did PDNPA, Ride Sheffield and others including the landowner, in this instance the PDNPA, all of which has succeeded in convincing DCC to change its plans.
Work started on the Long Causeway at the beginning of July and it should be complete by the end of August. It will involve surfacing the route from where the existing work finishes to just beyond the top of the causeway, with minimal patching of upper sections towards Stanage Pole, leaving the paved sections exposed. The overall width of the new work has been reduce down from the planned full width to 3.5/4 meters, leaving edges the same and working on a section through the middle. The TRO has helped with this as there is no need for the work to be full width as it will not have to accommodate 4WD traffic. Some of the loose surface rocks and boulders will be crushed to fill in some of the holes, but there is an intention to leaving sections of larger bedrocks were possible, which will allow some of the rocks and boulders to break the surface and provide roughness.
The work will also involve the unblocking of existing drains wherever possible using existing drains and culverts, it is likely that there will be only 3 of the rock lined drains required and we will aim to discuss how they may be made in such a way as not to be as problematic as they are on other routes. The surface material to be used will be gritstone to match previous materials used on the route.
As has been said elsewhere, this is not an MTB only route and other users must be taken into consideration. We do, however, feel that through extensive dialogue there has been a reasonable change from the original position of DCC. It is a very positive sign that our opinion is being recognised and hopefully we can do more in the future.

The outcome not ideal but it is much better than we could have expected few months ago.

 balmybaldwin 05 Jul 2014
In reply to Chris the Tall:

Good news
 Bulls Crack 05 Jul 2014
In reply to blurty:
Bizarely, the improvement work has sometimes been the precursor to shutting the road to motorised traffic altogether.

But in so doing it makes it more accessible for other non-motorised users - so there is a logic behind it.

New Topic
This topic has been archived, and won't accept reply postings.
Loading Notifications...