On 25/5/04 1:03 pm, in article , "Peter Clinch"
wrote:


Fife's first try at the Tayport - Tay Bridge was pretty hopeless. To
get onto it you had to go up a steep rise surfaced in loose gravel. My
pal thought he'd have a go and /just/ made it on his Brom, I then had a
go on the Streetmachine. Didn't quite get up, so put on the brakes...
and slid backwards anyway before toppling over! I was Not Impressed.
Later on there was rutted mud and grass and then a slalom round some
farm gates. But seeing they'd been working on it I tried it again a
couple of weeks ago, and now it's very good with a good surface the
whole way and easy to get on and off it. Hopefully Guardbridge will see
similar upgeading, though in that case you could achieve everything
required by just taking out any attempt at cycle paths.

I hadn't tried the first version but was on it on Saturday. It is very close
to being a perfect example. Four minor blemishes (worst first):

1. At one point it uses a lay by as part of the route. There is no signing
to indicate that you are about to share the road with cars so this is a
potential conflict point. It also has dropped kerbs that need to be crossed.

2. There is a farm gate access that has a nasty camber change that could
have been worked around a bit better.

3. There are some narrowish gates. I think they are positioned to slow
traffic down at a particularly steep part, but they could be problematic
with the trailer (not tried)

4. At the very end there is a steep climb to join the roads in Tayport.

The track is mostly as wide as a single track road with good, smooth tarmac
all the way. A very pleasant and rapid ride.

Overall score would be a good A. Not quite an A+.

...d