Route Upgrade Update – HarBUG – Harwell Campus Bicycle Users Group

If you have been cycling to work recently from the Didcot or Wantage direction you are probably aware of upgrades happening to some of the routes. These are still ongoing, here is a quick update:

Tank Farm towards Wantage, Sustrans Route 544.

This stretch of the 544 route has been rebuilt, has a ‘Tarmaced’ surface and has been re-opened. It is a huge improvement over the previous badly rutted grass track. It is not completely finished yet, there is a layer of fine grit to be added to the Tarmac surface. This will improve grip for cyclists and will improve the aesthetics of the path i.e. it won’t be a block of black Tarmac stuck in the countryside. The contractors need dry weather to complete this, which is not easy this time of year.

The Winnaway.

The section along the A5185, connecting to the crossing has been completed but is not much use at the moment as the rest of the Winnaway is closed. The Winnaway rebuild is progressing well and is looking good. If the weather holds out it should be finished by Christmas ready – a Happy New Year for cyclists who use that section. Please see the photos below. Please do not try to use the Winnaway until the building works are complete.

The Winnaway looking across the field towards the A4185 – normally underwater this time of year.

The Winnaway looking downhill.

The Winnaway coming into Harwell village.

A34 Bridge to A4185 Hagbourne Hill Section, Sustrans Route 544.

If you have been cycling from Didcot, via Upton and Hagbourne Hill, you will have noticed that the final section from the A34 bridge and especially the final few metres to the A4185, is very badly potholed and is not pleasant to cycle on. We have been told by the County Council that they are pricing up works to upgrade this section. We don’t know any details but they have told us it will not be to the same standard as the Winnaway. Also they have not given us a date yet but the funding runs out in April.

HarBUG wishes all it’s members have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. if Santa is bringing you a new cycle, cycling to work should be easier and more pleasant next year. We will also be running Cycle to Work days again next year.

This topic has 19 replies, 14 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 3 months ago by Anonymous.

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- December 7, 2015 at 9:44 pm #2723
  
  admin
  Member
  
  An update on the upgrades to the cycle routes leading to the Campus.
  
  [See the full post at: Route Upgrade Update]
- December 9, 2015 at 10:31 am #2724
  
  Anonymous
  Inactive
  
  I was sorry to see that the layer of ‘fine grit’ added to the track near the tank farm is actually loose, fine gravel.
  
  I find the surface slippery and unsafe again now, especially in comparison to the lovely tarmac we have been enjoying for a few weeks.
  
  SarahJ
- December 9, 2015 at 10:45 am #2725
  
  Guy W
  Member
  
  Hi
  Apparently the council engineer has just inspected this and agrees the surface is too loose, so they’ve told the contractor to sort it out!
  Guy W
- December 9, 2015 at 10:54 am #2726
  
  Tamas
  Member
  
  That’s good news! I wanted to make the same comment as Sarah; I nearly came off the bike when the track takes a right turn into the Campus. Maybe they could use some of the excess grit to fill up the bottom of the dip just before the track enters the Campus. There is always a large puddle there after a rain.
  
  Tamas
- December 9, 2015 at 10:56 am #2727
  
  Anonymous
  Inactive
  
  That’s great news.
- December 15, 2015 at 3:21 pm #2735
  
  MJCairns
  Member
  
  The fine grit that has been used to surface this track is actually chipped flint. Ideal for punctures. Colleagues who have ridden this section have reported pretty much guaranteed punctures. I took a look at lunchtime and it really is fine shards of sharp flint – whoever specified this as a medium for surfacing a cycle track was having a laugh. Beware!
- December 15, 2015 at 3:29 pm #2736
  
  NP
  Member
  
  I’d echo this regarding the surface – we’ve spent lunch fixing a double puncture from the new section of track. 3-5mm flint shards in both tyres.
  - December 15, 2015 at 4:09 pm #2737
    
    stevewest
    Member
    
    I’ve had three punctures in quick succession since it got its new gravel surface; is anyone going to feed this back to OCC? It probably wasn’t their intention for the contractor to install tyre-rippers.
- December 15, 2015 at 4:27 pm #2738
  
  Guy W
  Member
  
  I’ve just emailed OCC about the grit/flint and the punctures. Awaiting response…!
  Guy W
- December 15, 2015 at 4:44 pm #2739
  
  Anonymous
  Inactive
  
  I had a double puncture in the same tyre just after this section, on my way home last Friday evening. Inspecting the tyres in daylight with a small screwdriver, I picked out a few ‘flaked almond’ pieces of flint. It’s such a dirty track anyway, between Wantage and Harwell Site, I hadn’t suspected the new surface. Andy P.
- December 16, 2015 at 4:58 pm #2740
  
  Anonymous
  Inactive
  
  I can add to the puncture statistics.
  
  One on the way in that I didn’t find till I went to go home. Then on the way home I punctured again on the gravel stretch.
  
  I got out the mountain bike and came on unsurfaced bridleways this morning to avoid the new bit. It’s very muddy though.
  
  Sarah
- December 18, 2015 at 10:52 am #2741
  
  Guy W
  Member
  
  Re ‘puncture alley’ – OCC say they hope to fix surface in the new year.
  Guy W
- December 21, 2015 at 10:02 am #2742
  
  numb-bum
  Member
  
  I’ve had a puncture last night on the front tyre, and last thursday night on the rear tyre. Thin pink flints (like baby shark teeth) cut through my new conti travel contacts like a hot knife through butter.
  
  After the 2nd puncture I went over both tyres and found several flints embedded.
  
  Fixing a puncture in the pitch dark and wind was also great fun, glad it wasn’t freezing
- December 21, 2015 at 10:05 am #2743
  
  numb-bum
  Member
  
  Due to the new surface at ‘tank farm towards Wantage’ I’ve had a puncture last night in the front tyre, and last thursday night inthe rear tyre. Thin pink flints (like baby shark teeth) cut through my new conti travel contacts like a hot knife through butter.
  
  After the 2nd puncture I went over both tyres and found several flints embedded.
  
  Fixing a puncture in the pitch dark and wind was also great fun, glad it wasn’t freezing
- December 21, 2015 at 10:18 am #2744
  
  Anonymous
  Inactive
  
  I’ve also picked up 3 punctures last week. I hope OCC will do something about this soon, as it stands I recon chances are about 30% of a puncture after passing that track once. Like many, I pass 10 times per week.
  
  If it works, you can see a picture of the three culprits I picked out of my tyre last week, on mm paper.
  
  If it does not work, look here:
  
  https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SLHSd478bJKU7X8fccEjuNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
  
  <table style=”width:auto;”><tr><td></td></tr><tr><td style=”font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right”>From 21 December 2015</td></tr></table>
- January 5, 2016 at 1:46 pm #2762
  
  Anonymous
  Inactive
  
  Here’s hoping it is sooner rather than later. Try fixing 2 punctures in the dark whilst having to calm and entertain an 18 month old who just wants to be out of the trailer and at home having her tea. I was apparently so p*ssed off with the state of the (once, fleetingly, tantalisingly smooth and black and usable) track before Christmas that even Santa heard my cries and I got puncture resistant inner tubes from him (and nothing else!)
- January 5, 2016 at 1:59 pm #2763
  
  nsurman
  Member
  
  I also suffered a puncture last night from this stretch. Found two tiny sharp flints stuck in my Schwalbe’s. Such a shame they put this flint shingle down.
- January 5, 2016 at 2:12 pm #2764
  
  Lewy
  Member
  
  I had one this morning, I have emailed OCC with pictures of the 10mm long shard of flint I pulled from my rear tyre. The more of us that contact them the quicker they will do something about it.
  My contacts for OCC are – Edward.Webster@Oxfordshire.gov.uk , Alan.pratley@Oxfordshire.gov.uk , Tim.Belton@Oxfordshire.gov.uk , Maria.Baute@Oxfordshire.gov.uk and Aron.Wisdom@Oxfordshire.gov.uk
  Give it a go!
- January 5, 2016 at 3:23 pm #2765
  
  ezroller
  Member
  
  Unsurprisingly I’ve also had numerous punctures on this stretch. I had resorted to using the MTB and walking my bike along the mud on the side then carrying over the last section where the path ends at RAL but I have still been picking up punctures from flints in the mud stuck to the wheels (and also a few hawthorns since I’ve been doing that!)
  
  I will also send some email to the above addresses.
  
  Here’s to a speedy fix!
  
  Tom
- January 8, 2016 at 8:47 am #2780
  
  Anonymous
  Inactive
  
  What’s the Campus tally for punctures yesterday then? I’ll start the bidding with my one. My fix assisted by someone else who was also in the process of fixing theirs and, on leaving (finally) the nursery, I spotted another bike upside-down outside Atlas that looked like it had been subject to the same curse! For anyone interested, no, slimy innertubes didn’t prevent it (I’ll be having words with Santa) although did make it much easier to find the actual flint in the tyre itself, which I wouldn’t have done if it hadn’t been for the slime evidence.
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