Long time cyclists will remember the Derby Cycling Map – a very popular, fold out printed map of the area showing the various cycle routes. This was originally designed by Derby Cycling Group and was then taken on by Derby City Council (Cycle Derby) who made the map freely available from various locations across the city.
During 2020, Cycle Derby worked on developing a new version of the map and collected input from various sources. Derby Cycling Group provided a lot of local knowledge that was fed into the review process. The new version of the Cycle Derby map is now available – online as PDF files and from the Council House, Tourist Information Centre and other locations as printed maps.
The knowledge collected by Derby Cycling Group and others is being developed by me as an ongoing resource which is displayed on a map which can be found online here. Seeing where the existing facilities for cycling are makes it very clear where new facilities are urgently needed.
Zoom in to see detail of particular areas. The display of various information can be turned on or off using the Key at the top right (icon showing various layers).
The sharp eyed will notice various differences between this online map and the Cycle Derby version. These include:
- A different view on “suggested on road routes”. Which roads should be suggested is a subjective decision and my view differs in a number of cases from that of the City Council. Thus, the online map shows “suggested roads” in light blue and these can be compared to the Cycle Derby yellow routes on the printed map. The suggested roads will be improved over time as more feedback is collected. A version of the online map including the Council “recommended” yellow routes (for comparison purposes) can be found here.
- The addition of “not recommended roads” to the online map in light red. These include the roads where, whilst legal, cycling would be foolhardy (e.g. the A38) plus other areas where confident cyclists do cycle but often only because there is no suitable alternative (e.g. Palm Court Island – A38/A6 junction). Again these are subjective and will be modified over time.
- The online map includes more off road routes than on the Cycle Derby map. Paths where cycling is neither banned nor unsuitable have been included. Users of the map are responsible for checking the legal situation if there is any doubt. These off road routes are shown in green.
- Bridleways and some tracks have been included where cycling is allowed but is sometimes hard (e.g. mud) or may need a specialist bike (e.g. mountain bike). These are shown in brown on the online map. I’m aware some of these need to be updated as some routes are shown as poor quality when I know they have a good surface (or vice versa) – I’ll update these as I discover them.
- On road cycle lanes are often poor quality and provide little protection. These are shown on the online map as thin green lines. Bus lanes allowing cycling are shown in blue.
- Roads where the speed limit is 20mph are shown.
The information on the online map will need to be updated regularly. If you see any errors then please let me know. I’m keen to know your ideas for “suggested” and “not recommended” roads. I expect people’s views to vary and your views may differ from mine. I’ve taken the Sustrans standard of whether you would suggest the road for an unaccompanied 12 year old. The fact that you currently have to use a particular road in the absence of anything better doesn’t mean it should be included as “suggested”. The obvious gaps between suggested sections should help make clear where focus should be placed for future developments.
As well as updating the online map, I am also making modifications to the underlying OpenStreetMap data. This data is used in many cycle routing software applications (e.g. Strava, cycle.travel, cyclestreets, Komoot, …) and improving the base data will lead to better routing by the applications.
The background map is courtesy of Ordnance Survey. The detail of the cycling routes is from OpenStreetMap data. Various people have contributed their local knowledge including me, Martin Aldred, Jean Baird, Lucy Care, Dave Clasby, Peter Ford, Patric Harting, Rob Merchant, Kim Plaskett, Tony Roelich, Les Sims, Ken Timmis, James Thatcher, and Ian Yates. All are thanked for their efforts.