All photos in & around Falkirk

Falkirk Active Travel Hub

Union Canal towpath, Falkirk

Union Canal towpath, Falkirk

Union Canal towpath, Falkirk

Union Canal towpath.

Union Canal towpath is lit with alternating colours.

Cycle route signage at the Falkirk Wheel.

Elveated section of the canal to join the Falkirk Wheel boat lift.

Workstand, pump and racks at Falkirk Wheel.

Covered toastrack at Falkirk Wheel site.

ForthBike docking station at the Falkirk Wheel.

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ForthBike ebike at the Falkirk Wheel

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Forth and Clyde Canal towpath, Falkirk

Forth and Clyde Canal Towpath, Falkirk.

Shared use cycleway Westburn Avenue, Falkirk.

Shared use cycleway next to the B8080 Westburn Avenue, Falkirk.

Ebikes for hire on Falkirk High Street

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Cycle racks for the nearby Falkirk active travel hub.

A toast rack next to this verbose sign which reads:

John Logie Baird
Among the building demolished to make way for the Howgate Centre was the former Falkirk public baths,
which had in turn replaced shops and houses in the Pleasance. One of these shops was owned by a radio engineer
named John Hart, a close collaborator of John Logie Baird, and much early work on the development of television
was done here. Baird was a regular visitor and arranged many demonstrations of his invetion in the Falkirk area.
In 1926 Baird presented the people of Falkirk with one of his transmitters in grattitude for the help he had received.
John Hart later moved his business to the east end of the High Street, opposite the Bandstand.
The Falkirk transmitter is the earliest surviving authenticated piece of Baird's equipment and is in the care of Falkirk Musuem

Kings Court, an attractive little side street off Falkirk High Street.

Entering Falkirk Pedestrian zone from Cow Wynd, where cycling is banned 11am-4pm.

Comely Place, Falkirk

ForthBike system of ebikes, how it works

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Ebike hire at the Kelpies

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Kelpies

Katrina found that one of the Kelpies appreciated a lump of sugar.

Workstand and pump at the Kelpies site.

Racks at the Kelpies, these ones are:

To comemmorate
Ron McArthur's silver medal in the
Lawn Bowls Para-Sport mixed pairs B2/B3
at Glasgow 2014


LEGACY 2014
XX Commonwealth Games
Scotland

Racks at the Kelpies

Grangemouth oil refinery - one of five in Britain.

Covered racks at Falkirk High station.

Two tier cycle parking at Falkirk High station.

Cycle racks near Falkirk High railway station western entrance.

I'm not sure I'd want to leave my bike here.

Forth & Clyde Canal under the M80 bridge

Location: , Castlecary (Scotland, UK)

Forth & Clyde Canal M80 bridge

Location: , Castlecary (Scotland, UK)

A very dangerous road crossing for cyclists on the tow path. Traffic needs to be slowed down on a blind bend.

The entire length of High Station Road up to and including Cow Wynd is a key route up to Comely Park Primary School and the centre of town. The current roads are very busy (with cars, HGVs, and buses) and do not support safe cycling. Cycling along here with young children is dangerous and frightening. Segregated cycleways are required to support cycling to school and town.

The entire stretch of Majors Loan leading up to and including Cockburn Street, Tanners Road and West Bridge Street is not suitable for safe cycling. Particularly with young children. This is a key cycling route from the train station (and residential areas) into town and requires safe infrastructure in the form of cycleways to support safe cycling.

There needs to be an unbroken cyclepath separate from roads from the Stirling area to Forth Valley Royal Hospital

From Denny to Forth Vally Hospital there is no safe cycle way.

An easy one. Add a dropped kerb at this corner.

The pavement here on the North side of the A9 links existing cycling infrastructure, but it’s too narrow.

Cycle parking on the northbound platform at Larbert station.

Cycle parking next to the entrance to Larbert station.

Intermittent painted cycle lanes on the 40mph A88 Bellsdyke Road, a signed diversion route for the M876 motorway.

Cycle parking and a pump at Larbert Library.

A marker post for the HArTT cycle route.

Signage at the Kelpies, at the last proper bridge across this section of the canal.

Unfinished trenching work at the Kelpies Marina.

Signage at the Kelpies Marina. The destinations across the canal can only be reached by crossing the lock gate in the background, or by going back to the bridge near the Kelpies car park.

Signage at the Kelpies Marina.

A last few twists and turns before the Kelpies.

Molehills in the asphalt?

Four ways, only two signposted, and a desire line becoming apparent.

Art in the woods.

A marker post for the HArTT cycle route's right turn. The path ahead leads to a bridge across the River Carron, so I'd expect a little more signage at this junction.

Another 'End of Cycle Route' followed immediately by the continuation of the same cycle route. Slow for and give way to anyone with keys to the gate.

A HArTT marker post for a right turn.

A HArTT marker post.

A corrugated underpass for the HArTT path beneath New Carron Road, but with poor sightlines at this side.

Slow for a sodding gate post? Surely priority signs like those on the adjacent road would be more appropriate.

Priority over oncoming vehicles for northbound traffic at the bridge over the River Carron, and narrow gaps for drainage and maybe cycling. The road is bypassed by the newer New Carron Road.

A barrier over the HArTT cycle path at Carron Road, and a diagonal crossing over to the next section of path.

The HArTT cycle path runs alongside the River Carron, and under this old railway bridge.

The asphalt surface has ended as the HArTT cycle path nears the River Carron.

The HArTT path gets narrower, and starts twisting and turning.

The Forth & Clyde Canal and towpath looking east. The van at the locks was parked right across the path.

A barrier at the Cumbernauld Road bridge and crossing on the Forth & Clyde Canal towpath, but no asphalt for the bypass gap.

The end of the cycle path from Cumbernauld Road and the Forth & Clyde Canal, but neither a dropped kerb to get onto the carriageway or a shared footway in either direction. Allandale to the left, Castlecary (and the quieter Walton Road to Abronhill) to the right.

Signs in Bainsford. I can't think why Carron and Stenhousemuir are only for pedestrians, or why they didn't name the hospital. Imagine walking three and a quarter miles and it turns out to be the wrong one!

The single-sided HArTT cycle route signs are facing away from those joining the path at the junction.

Although the HArTT cycle path has been given a raised crossing (see #108674) and there is no road access across it, there are also no dropped kerbs to allow convenient access onto the cycle path for anyone living nearby. Some of the signs are also one-sided.

As the road closure between Cotland Drive and Muirhead Avenue has been nicely placed where the HArTT cycle path passes through, it is a bit disappointing to see this 'give way' and lack of continuity on the cycle path.

Pedestrian signage on the HArTT cycle path at Bainsford, although not actually at a junction.

Signage for the HArTT cycle route, in its usual tiny writing.

Cycle parking at the Falkirk Wheel North Car Park. It is hard to imagine why anyone would park a bike here, some distance from the actual Falkirk Wheel and its visitors' centre, unless the canal towpath was extremely busy.

Road access to this location is via the A803/A883 roundabout, and a look at Google Streetview shows the shared-use footway ending at the roundabout rather than continuing anywhere useful. There is also some cycle parking at the Park'n'Ride car park adjacent to the roundabout.

The shared-use path from the canal to the Falkirk Wheel North Car Park and continuing onwards to the Park'n'Ride car park at the A803/A883 roundabout.

An 'End of Cycle Route' sign on the Forth & Clyde Canal towpath near the Falkirk Wheel, but which cycle route is it that ends here? NCN754 continues to Clydebank.

The ramp to the right leads to the Falkirk Wheel North Car Park.

The Forth & Clyde Canal, with the Falkirk Wheel just out of sight off to the right.

The Forth & Clyde Canal towpath and garden at Bonnybridge.

The swingbridge at Bonnybridge on the Forth & Clyde Canal.

An access ramp and a barrier (with a BMX style bypass) on the Forth & Clyde Canal towpath.

No dropped kerb at the start of the path on Garbett Place. No signage either, even though this is part of the HArTT cycle route.

If there was a flight of steps here before, it is now a ramp.

The path from Camelon at Sunnyside Playing Fields. The path to Bainsford and Carronside is visible beyond the rugby pitch.

The path between Sunnyside Street and Sunnyside Playing Fields is a Right of Way.

The path from Sunnyside Playing Fields arrives at Sunnyside Street, although it is a bit hidden from view from the road by the buildings.

An opportunity to create a cycle link between Abercrombie Street and Mansionhouse Road across the A803 Main Street in Camelon by upgrading the existing pedestrian crossing. Mansionhouse Road leads to the Forth & Clyde Canal.

An opportunity to create a cycle link between Mansionhouse Road and Abercrombie Street across the A803 (and with A9 traffic) Main Street in Camelon, by upgrading the existing pedestrian crossing and installing dropped kerbs outside Falkirk Sheriff Court.

No dropped kerb on the path from Carmuirs Park football ground car park to Mansionhouse Road. Mansionhouse Road could be developed as a cycle link between the canal and Camelon.

No properly dropped kerb at the steps and ramp (ramp out of sight to the right) up to the Forth & Clyde Canal towpath at the Carmuirs Park football ground car park.

Anonymous off-ramp from the Forth & Clyde Canal towpath to the Carmuirs Park football ground car park.

The HArTT cycle route goes down this steep slope to the Union Canal (see #101156). A new sensibly graded ramp has been built to the right (see #101153).

The HArTT cycle route goes down this track from Slamannan Road to the Union Canal.

Signage for the HArTT cycle route on a bus stop on Slamannan Road.

Someone must have decided this layout was a good idea!

The path towards Slamannan Road and Falkirk High station, with lighting columns placed so they do not obstruct the path.

A new path for the HArTT cycle route, together with waymarker post.

Tiny route signage for the HArTT cycle route. Easy to miss at a turn.

Barriers at Lionthorn Road crossing.

Once the path gets going, it is fine, until the next road crossing.