On-street Parking in Cambridge City
Issues surrounding the effect on-street car-parking has on road space, pinch points, car-dooring, interruption of cycle lanes etc.
This section lists issues - problems on the street network and related matters.
Issues always relate to some geographical location, whether very local or perhaps city-wide.
You can create a new issue using the button on the right.
Listed issues, most recent first:
Created by Hester Wells // 5 threads
Issues surrounding the effect on-street car-parking has on road space, pinch points, car-dooring, interruption of cycle lanes etc.
New potholes have opened up around the drain covers on the eastbound A1214. They are on the "Straight On Lane" at the roundabout with Ropes Drive.
Created by Alistair // 0 threads
When exiting the cyclepath to join Anson Road you need to see the roundabout clearly (especially to see southbound A14 traffic turning left to join Anson Road. A large tree has overhanging branches which block the view. It's worse when it has leaves.
Created by Kevin Ablitt // 0 threads
To carry on towards Colchester Road or bear right into Belvedere Road is OK but if you are approaching the junction from Belvedere Road and wish to turn into Cemetery Lane northbound you must come right up to a blind corner and make a sharp turn into a narrow kerb edged cycle facility. This is quite a dangerous manouevre to carry out. It would have been better to have a lane entering the wide oad marked with stop lines and no-entry as it is further back from the blind turn. In fact some people may be tempted to do this, but it is both dangerous and illegal. Both the danger and the temptation to carry out an illegal manouevre could have been excluded at the design stage.
Created by MikeH // 0 threads
The contraflow on Museum St is not my favourite bit of cycle route, but given that it xcan be a busy and tricky bit, the white lines where it crosses Westgate St should at least be in good order, but they're not. An easily fixed problem you would think?
Created by Matthew Phillips // 1 thread
The main routes into the Arnison Centre are understandably pretty busy with cars and involve negotiating roundabouts. The quietest route in for bikes is via Abbey Road, the entrance in the middle of the south of the site, as used by the buses. However, the road is currently one-way. It would be good if it could be made an official entrance and exit for bikes. It lands you closest to the large rank of cycle racks outside Sainsbury's. There is sufficient width on Abbey Road to allow for cycle lanes to help connect with Newton Hall and Pity Me.
The County Durham Plan envisages another large supermarket and car-park being built immediately to the north of the Arnison Centre, across the other side of the main road, as part of the large housing development proposed. DBUG has objected to this as part of our response to the plan, as providing more local shops would encourage walking and cycling whereas these proposals will just further entrench shopping by car. The proposals appeared to include cycle access to the new housing site via an upgraded path to the west of the Arnison Centre (shown as a footpath currently) but failed to address access to the shops by bike.
The Arnison Centre could do with more cycle racks dispersed round the site, outside each of the shops. At present there is a very large number of racks, but they are all outside Sainsbury's.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 1 thread
The Durham City Integrated Transport Approach document, part of the proposed new County Durham Plan, states that it is the Council's intention to relocate the bus station in Durham and to remove the A690 roundabout by the railway station, converting it to an ordinary junction with lights.
The document can be viewed at http://durhamccconsult.
limehouse.co.uk/file/2679025 and the relevant sections are 3.49 onwards. The document mentions improving the area for pedestrians but neglects to consider the potential for cycling infrastructure improvements in the area.
The DBUG response to the County Plan (available at http://community.dur.ac.uk/m.e.phillips/cycling/DBUGResponse.pdf ) devotes a section to this matter (see pages 21 to 23).
Opportunities for better cycling infrastructure include:
* restricting vehicle access to North Road and allowing two-way cycling
* linking the station to neighbouring cycle lanes
* better connection to Framwellgate Peth and the north of the city
* remodelling the Milburngate roundabout also
* removing through traffic from the portion of North Road beyond the viaduct
We need to lobby not just for immediate cycling needs to be taken into account in the design for the new road layout, but also for future possibilities by bringing forward design of strategic cycle routes through the city, otherwise we risk losing a very rare opportunity to transform provision at a key city-centre junction.
According to the document, construction will commence in the 2014/15 financial year, with a timescale of 18 months. This means the plans must already be fairly fully developed.
Created by John Shead // 1 thread
When busy, crossing this junction is hazardous when negotiating with northbound vehicles at speeds of up to 40mph.
No indication is provided to motorists that there will be conflict.
A speed table with dragons teeth markings needs to be installed.
Created by Alex Oldman // 1 thread
Disused railway tracks on St Peters Dock provide short section of road surface that is dangerous to traverse from East to West by bike.
If you are avoiding crossing the tracks then you are forced into oncoming traffic.
If you cross the tracks, you are then potentially trapped between parked cars and the railway tracks, which can be dangerous.
The tracks are very slippery when wet or icy, and sections are often hidden underwater because there is poor drainage after heavy rain.
Ideally the tracks are totally removed, or the surface covered with concrete or tarmac.
Created by Andrea Bredel // 1 thread
this is one of many cycle lanes here in Ipswich that go on and off the road several times. This is very awkward for cyclists as they need to be very careful when getting back onto the road and most probably confuses drivers as well.
Created by Ned Harrison // 1 thread
Holywells Park has a section of cycle route 51 running through it, linking South East Ipswich to the centre with a pleasant and safe route down to the waterfront.
During Winter, the park is closed at dusk, sometimes as early as 4, meaning that just when the roads are most dangerous (dark and wet) cyclists are forced onto steep and busy routes either along Cliff Lane or up Bishops Hill.
The closures are largely at the request of the Park Friends group. I've spoken to them, and their concerns seem to be largely about what might go on after dark. It's not clear that there is any evidence for this, nor that the current situation of locking the main gates but leaving others would do anything to deter misbehaviour.
Keeping it open as a cycle route would ensure a legitimate presence in the park, and help provide less confident cyclists in the area with a safe route to and from town.
I'd propose either locking later, or for a trial period leaving the park unlocked.
Created by MJR // 1 thread
Discovered that this junction is "due for upgrade in the 2014/15 financial year. The budget for the traffic signal upgrade programme is essentially aimed at a like for like replacement scheme with new equipment. However we try to accommodate low cost improvements that can be implemented at the same time. ... There is scope to implement an advanced cycle stop line on Hospital Walk, although there would not be sufficient carriageway width for a lead in lane."
This is one possible way to improve westbound connectivity from the Walks and Chase through Millfleet to the town centre and southbound Route 1. The increased distance (compared to Broad Walk) is offset by light traffic, a 20mph zone and a potentially easier crossing - but at the moment, the lights make bikes exiting Hospital Walk wait a long time and then it lets hardly any out before turning red again.
Created by Shaun McDonald // 0 threads
Considering that this is very close to the National Cycle Route 51, I'm wondering why it's basically impossible to get to, on a bicycle without going on a major trunk road roundabout?
Cyclists may not be their target market, however service stations can be useful on longer cycle rides for food supplies. Also hotels can prove useful if a longer journey, touring, or realise your too tired on an overnight ride, such as the nearby Dunwich Dynamo.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 1 thread
Coming out of Durham down Shincliffe Peth on the A167, there is a pedestrian refuge at the foot of the hill, by the turning to the cycle-track which skirts the bottom of Maiden Castle hill-fort. You are expected to negotiate a 180 degree turn to access this track, at the same time as avoiding speeding cars and the pinch-point of a refuge. In the other direction, cyclists have to be cautious of using the refuge as the width of it is not sufficient to accommodate a tandem or a cycle with trailer or child tag-along attachment. Visibility is poor when crossing the road from north to south.
Improvements might include moving the 30mph limit to the foot of the hill, introducing speed cushions or a raised junction table. If the speed were reduced, the central refuge would not be needed and some of the difficulties might be avoided, but that may not be the best solution at this site.
Speed of the traffic is the main issue here, both for cyclists and the pedestrians who use the popular footpaths.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
From the bottom of Shincliffe Peth, past Houghall College, there is a shared use pavement on the south-west side of the A177, as can be seen from the map. However, if you are proceeding south-east towards Shincliffe, it is unclear what you are supposed to do at the point shown in the photograph. It is easy enough for cyclists coming the other way to leave the road as indicated, but going south-east should you cross to the other side of the road, or continue along the increasingly narrow footway, which is not really wide enough for pedestrians and cyclists to share? There is certainly no signage further along the path to suggest that cyclists are supposed to be there.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
On the north-east side of the A177 there is a short stretch of pavement cycle route which ends abruptly as shown in the photograph, with no dropped kerb back onto the road.
The purpose of the sign and the route are unclear. From Google Streetview you can see that there is a path leading into the sports grounds: http://goo.gl/maps/ELHci -- if that is the destination of the cycle path then why does it have an "End of cycle route" sign, if the user is intended to continue into the grounds?
Even if that's the intention, a dropped kerb would be handy as cyclists may have taken to the pavement not realising that the route was going to finish again so soon.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
The picture shows Framwellgate Waterside, part of the national cycle network route through Durham which also connects with a major route to Newton Hall and the riverbank paths. Yet as a car driver you could be completely unaware that this is a major cycle route as there is no obvious cycling provision. Cyclists can be unsure whether they are meant to be on the road or on the footway by the river.
At the far end of the shot, the road disappears under the Gates shopping centre, where are located two car parks with a capacity of over 450 places. Despite this we have on-road car parking all along this stretch of road. Providing a fully-segregated bi-directional cycle path of decent width instead would send a much stronger signal that cycling is being taken seriously as a mode of transport. If the parking really is required, then when the passport office site is redeveloped the road should be shifted across to make more room for dedicated cycle infrastructure.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
In the area round Crossgate, the older section of Durham City to the west of Framwellgate Bridge, there are a number of one-way streets which make cycling inconvenient. In most cases the streets have been made one-way primarily to make it easier to provide car parking on narrow residential streets or to reduce through car traffic.
These streets should be reassessed, and where possible opened up to bicycles in both directions.
Some restrictions are particularly pointless, such as the one in the photograph. In theory, if a cyclist descends South Street, the only lawful option is to turn left and pedal up Crossgate. Just beyond the no-entry sign pictured is a two-way stretch of North Road that leads from Framwellgate Bridge to Milburngate, from which cyclists could access the National Cycle Network routes to Pennyferry Bridge and local routes beyond to Newton Hall.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
This section of NCN 70 from Claypath down to the side of Leazes Bowl roundabout has cyclists and pedestrians on separate halves of the path, rather than shared-use. This has the advantage that cyclists are more likely to be able to freewheel quickly down the hill without upsetting pedestrians. However, the cycle portion of the path is higher than the pedestrian side, with a kerb. As the path is not particularly wide, if you meet a cyclist coming the other way it is quite tricky to pass safely.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
This stretch of footpath / cyclepath by the foot of Maiden Castle hill-fort is narrow and tends to be very muddy. It's an extremely difficult site as the river banks had to be reinforced here recently. Whether any improvement is possible is hard to assess. In the meantime, it offers the full off-road biking experience on your way to work, should you so wish! There is a case for creating a through route on the other side of the river to avoid this stretch. See http://durhamuniversity.cyclescape.org/issues/897-improvong-route-from-university-to-belmont
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
Like the roundabout at the bottom of Potters Bank, the roundabout at Whinney Hill, the approach to Durham City from the south-east, is designed for high speeds and has no provision for cyclists. The new cycle lane up Shincliffe Peth ceases when it reaches the roundabout.
From the photograph, taken in the autumn, you can see from the leaves on the road how little of the width of the roundabout is actually required by cars and lorries. This would seem a great opportunity to try a Dutch-style urban roundabout, with a wide cycle lane all round the outside and cutting the entering traffic down to a single lane. The curves could be tightened to reduce speeds and to give pedestrians more direct crossings of the roads.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
Yes, most of the vehicles in the photograph are parked! Despite appearances they are not blocking a dedicated red-tarmac cycle path: there is in fact no particular cycling provision on Front Street. The width of the road, however, would lend itself to a wide bi-directional route being provided, segregated from the road and pavement and with priority over side-roads, with car parking spaces being retained in most cases. This would give an excellent direct route for cycle commuters from Pity Me and Framwellgate Moor, to the proposed Aykley Heads business park, the railway station, and the city centre. There may be parts of the route, such as by the Front Street shops, where this might not be possible, but on-road lanes could be provided. Currently much of the middle of the road is given over to white hatching and right-turn lanes. Some cycle parking by the Front Street shops would be good: there's plenty of car parking on-road but nowhere to lock up a bike.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
Where the on-pavement cycle lane comes to an end, the road markings which continue the NCN 14 and 70 on-road are worn out and patchy. The design of the lane to take you southbound onto the pavement is poor, because the adjacent parking means that the traffic is usually driving straight over the top of the dedicated cycle lane in the middle of the road.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
The exit from this retail park car park has two lanes. There are no road markings warning drivers to expect cyclists on the shared-use pavement which is part of NCN 14 & 70. This section of pavement was recently rebuilt. Why could we not have a raised table at the exit, giving priority to cyclists and pedestrians here? Why does the through-route for cyclists have to give way to the car park exit? While the shared use pavement is welcome, the lack of priority is what tends to lead to experienced cyclists taking to the road instead, as it can actually be safer as well as quicker. If cycling infrastructure is more dangerous or slower than the road alternative, it is not worth installing.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 0 threads
By the Tesco superstore off Dragon Lane, the road junction was recently rebuilt. On the west side of Dragon Lane is a shared-use pavement which forms part of NCN 14/70. While cars travelling north on Dragon Lane can go straight across on a single phase, cyclists are expected to dismount, and cross with pedestrians at a two-stage crossing. The object is to maximise the flow in and out of the Tesco superstore car park, which is the only purpose of this junction. Designing the junction to give greater priority and convenience to cyclists and pedestrians would help shift the balance back to sustainable living.
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Created by Ms Andrea Vinicombe // 1 thread
Residents of Kemptown are unable to join the Madeira Drive cyclepath approaching it from the north unless they cycle along Marine Parade to the Pier or to the Duke's Mound sliproad. This means they have two options:
1) cycle on Marine Parade which is a busy A road.
2) cycle on the promenade which is unofficially shared with pedestrians.
Neither of these options are safe.
Created by ambrosen // 1 thread
For additional commuter access to the Newton Park campus of Bath Spa uni, does anyone have any ideas about upgrading the footpath over the field from route 4, under the railway to the new path on the A4, linking up with the university.
I realise that for westbound commuters, this duplicates the route which took some effort to get made on the A4, and that it needs a new right of way to be made/purchased/recovered from the historic record, but it looks like a good link.
Created by jpennycook // 1 thread
Area Estates are proposing to build a retail park on the former Smiths Industries site between Winchester Road and Harrow Way, in Basingstoke. This was formerly owned by Tesco, who failed to build a supermarket there.
No cycling access has been proposed, and the provision for cycle parking is inadequate - insufficient for customers, and none for staff.
Please submit feedback to the developer.
No planning application yet, but previous applications for the site are here: https://planning.basingstoke.gov.uk/online-applications/propertyDetails.do?activeTab=relatedCases&keyVal=H44MKACRLI568
Created by Andrew Woodward // 0 threads
Despite the cycle lanes being mandatory along this stretch the road layout is such that vehicles frequently intrude into the cyclelane - as this bus did.
White paint does not work on this stretch and some other segregation method is needed -eg a kerb; vertical posts or similar.
Created by Andrew France // 1 thread
It has an uneven degraded surface in the cycle lanes from the Elizabeth Way roundabout until the bridge.
Created by Eric Booth // 1 thread
Friend of mine uses a wheelchair & hand cycle and is blocked this gate on his way home. Would be great if we could get it opened for him. [Jack Small]
Created by Paul Bearpark // 1 thread
Objections to U&Cs outline planning application need to be submitted by 10 April. There seem to be some interesting ideas for improving cycling infrastructure but a lot that could be improved upon.
Created by Nicola Peck // 1 thread
This well-used trail is in desperate need of resurfacing. During spells of wet weather, it has large puddles at regular intervals and there is a particularly huge "mud bath" at the western end of Walton Dam just by the entrance to the woods. Currently (July 2014) the mud bath is reasonably, but not completely, dry but as recently as June it has been very muddy and was terrible over winter.
This is one of Chesterfield's major cycling routes and these conditions make it unreasonable to use it for transport journeys (ie. commuting and shopping) in normal clothes because the bike gets caked in mud and it splashes over your shoes and trousers, even with mudguards.
Alongside Walton Dam, I believe this path is supposed to be nominally 3 metres wide but vegetation has grown into the gravel surface making it significantly narrower (single file) in places.
The sloped tarmac section at the Walton Road end is suffering encroachment from overgrown vegetation and there is an unnecessary pinch-point part way down (a row of wooden posts) which could be opened up with perhaps only a single post if really necessary, or ideally none at all.
In Somersall Park, immediately to the south of the river bridge, there is a particularly rough patch of surface which, ironically, is the most recently resurfaced section of path. It's so incredibly rough that you have to be extra careful and slow if carrying delicate items like a laptop or fragile shopping (eg. soft fruit or eggs).
The busway cycleway is sometimes flooded in this section.
The County Council need to address this.
Created by Jon_B // 1 thread
The cycle link from Bramley Hill to Haslemere Drive has opened up a route via Lacey Street, Haslemere Drive and Bramley Hill as a much quieter parallel route to Woodbridge Road for cycles.
However, to proceed to North East Ipswich from here means cycling (or indeed walking or driving) via Woodbridge Road at the point where it crosses the railway line. There are no other crossings for a considerable distance to the North or South.
The land fronting Woodbridge Road to the North is currently for sale for residential development.
If this land is developed I believe that this should include an additional cycle and pedestrian bridge over the railway to Belvedere Road to open up access to the residential areas NE of this (as well as Sidegate Lane Primary School) without having to use Woodbridge Road.
Surfacing includes gravel and grit.
Cycle chicanes shown on diagrams.
Created by Robert Asher // 1 thread
Hello, I'm wondering how many other Cambridge cyclists have shared the experience I've had (about once per month now) regarding a particular elderly lady who insists that bikes are not allowed on the "footpath" adjacent to the Trumpington allotments, between Shelford Rd & the new busway in CB2. This path seems clearly demarcated as a shared pedestrian-cycle path on the cycle maps provided at the council link (below). However, it is not clearly labeled as such on the path itself, leading her to become quite angry with any cyclist who gets near her & her dog while they're out walking (and obstructing the path to underscore her point). "It's a footpath" she yells, and storms away.
So my questions are 1) am I correct in interpreting the council map (below) as permitting bikes on this path and 2) how might one go about requesting proper signage, clearly saying bikes & pedestrians are both welcome?
Thanks for any feedback, Robert
https://www.cambridge.gov.uk/sites/www.cambridge.gov.uk/files/documents/cambridge-cycling-map.pdf
Need to check this planning application for access issues. It proposes to make a new car entrance through a high wall across a pavement at the end of Chesterton Road.
The cycleway cut-through here is very poor currently.
Anon // 1 thread
The main HWRC depot which is out of bounds unless you turn up in a car offers a wide range of recycling opportunities. The pedestrian/cycle area directly of Hazel Court offers none of this other than the main recycling types that are available through household waste collections, and tin foil.
Its hardly acceptable to think that just because you're arriving by bike/foot you won't be able bring other items. All that happens is things either get wrongly sorted or left on the floor causing the area to become a state.
Created by Rob Archer // 1 thread
This is one of the most difficult and dangerous sections of the local cycle network. A point where cycle traffic to 2 local schools, a college and a local park all meet.
Fast heavy traffic
Very poor sight-lines
Cars parking over dropped kerbs
Any suggestions as to how it can be improved?
Created by Gregory Williams // 2 threads
This provides a flatter, shorter, and traffic-free alternative to the National Cycle Route 18 alignment via Sole Street.
Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads
College Walk is in a terrible state and the ancient and totally obsolete street lamps no longer turn on at night and off during the day.
Created by Richard Jennings // 1 thread
The Avenues Shambles
Few people who live in the area will be happy with the situation on The Avenues. A couple of years ago the city won a grant to improve cycle routes around the city, called a “Cycle City Ambition Grant”. The first route to be improved was the one that came along the Avenues, known as the “Pink” route. After two years of planning, public meetings and proposals we are left with the dangerous inadequate mess we see today.
Why is The Avenues Special?
Far more bikes use The Avenues than any other road in the city, "nearly 700,000 in 2016 according to the Air Quality Status Report for 2018. Most are students at UEA or workers at the Hospital and Research Parks. It’s also the route hundreds of children should be using to cycle to the City Academy School, so the potential number of cyclists could be even higher if the road were not so dangerous. Logically it should have been the highest priority for providing proper cycle tracks, but it didn’t turn out like that.
Why is it bad?
The road markings only allow enough space for one direction of flow on a two way street, so if it needs to pass traffic has to drive in the cycle lanes and when it gets busy the cycle lane simply disappear. There is basically far too much traffic for this type of design.
Why did we end up with this mess?
That’s a good question but there are clues, take a look on Tombland and the expensive paving around the cathedral gate. All this meant there just wasn’t enough money left to build the proposed cycle tracks and the present botch is the result. The council decided that the cost of doing The Avenues didn’t represent good value for money, yet doing Tombland did. This is a very suspect situation which has left us with an unacceptable, dangerous mess that simply can’t be left as it is.
What can be done?
Created by Dominic Fee // 1 thread
This issue covers Westminster City Council's proposals for a Quietway route from Green Park to Marylebone
Created by Adam Edwards // 2 threads
Shared use cycle path under construction but delayed completion now set for the end of February 2016. The path with extend the route from Hatfield station up to the town centre and then via the not so good on road lanes to the University and Business Park.
Created by mike1727 // 1 thread
Traffic on the redbourn road is often fast and uncomfortable for novice/nervouse riders. The footpath running along Redbourn road sees few walkers and appears suitable for a conversion to a bike route. This is being progresses through the Herts Cycle Forum
Created by FrenchyF // 0 threads
There should be a dropped kerb at the foot of Braidwood Gate, leading to Dumbiedykes
I cycle past this junction a lot, and sometimes the lights are red so I wait and look at the lanes and wonder why they're like this.