Cycle Superhighway 1 consultation (CS1)
Transport for London's public consultation on Cycle Superhighway 1 is open from 16 February to 29 March. The LCC office has set up this thread to facilitate discussion of the proposals.
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 Rosie Downes // 5 threads
Transport for London's public consultation on Cycle Superhighway 1 is open from 16 February to 29 March. The LCC office has set up this thread to facilitate discussion of the proposals.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 1 thread
Cars and buses southbound often cut the corner at the traffic lights (road bends to left), driving over the cycle lane.
The cycle lane leads up to the lights but ends there and restarts some distance along the road.
It is dangerous because drivers think that cyclists are out of the way in their own lane, even larger vehicles overtake here without realising that they easily move into the bike lane. Attached a photo where that happened to me, on 21 October 2014, the bus overtook and cut me off, I had to slam the brakes in order not to be squashed.
The bike lane should be clearly separated here, bypassing the traffic lights completely.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Drivers often cut the corner at the Bank of Scotland, driving over the cycle lane. The current layout encourages drivers to overtake without giving people on bicycles the necessary distance. Parking is also a dangerous problem here.
It would be easy to install plastic highway bollards here along the cycle lane which would encourage drivers not to encroach on the cycle lane.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 1 thread
Very difficult to cross here, coming from Brunstane Burn Walkway to turn right towards Musselburgh.
The timing of the traffic lights seems to be such that there is almost always traffic from one direction, so one often has to wait for very long here.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Lady Rd needs a segregated cycle path uphills. It's very steep uphills with dense&fast traffic, and it is particularly difficult to turn right.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Apparently it is not possible to close the road to through-traffic, but it could be significantly discouraged by making it a less convenient ratrun.
I suggest at the entrance to the carpark of Inch House the road could be changed to create a very tight corner. This would not affect people going to Inch House from either direction, but it would make it less convenient to drive through, and slow down the cars (there is a blind corner behind the house).
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 1 thread
The road through Inch Park has a lot of very high/short speed bumps which are total bone-shakers for people on bicycles - dunno how many eggs I have broken cycling home from the shopping centre.
I realise aggressive speed bumps are there to remind drivers of the 10mph speed limit.
Perhaps they could be changed to have a gap or a shallower ramp in the centre so that they are easier on bicycles. Some actually have pothole repairs which essentially created such a ramp and they are much nicer.
Presumably this would also be better for users of mobility scooters.
Created by edge // 1 thread
When approaching this junction from the East on Widney Lane (and possibly other directions as well), the traffic lights do not detect the presence of waiting cycles.
Since the default priority at this junction is for traffic on the Blossomfield Rd / Marshall Lake Road axis, this means that cycles heading from Widney Lane to Longmore Road have to wait indefinitely to cross the junction.
In busy times this is not a problem, because a waiting car will trigger the traffic lights to change.
However, at quiet times this effectively means cycles cannot cross this junction legally at all. I have experimentally waited more than 5 minutes for the lights to change. Unless a car comes to trigger the change, cyclists are stuck.
This "bike-blindness" built into the road signalling infrastructure is unfortunately not uncommon. As well as being inconvenient for and disrespectful of cyclists, it reinforces the notion that bicycles are second-class road-users - indeed that they do not really belong on the road at all.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
It would be great to have a pedestrian/bicycle entrance in the South East corner of Kings Buildings. This would be of much benefit to everybody coming from the south, as you can avoid the steep, busy Mayfield Road.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
The shared footpath under the bypass ends at the bottom of Loanhead Rd and then there is no suitable connection into the Straiton Retail Park area.
Loanhead Rd is very steep with fast cars. Straiton Rd is fast dual road with unconnected bits of narrow painted cycle lanes. Both are total barriers for other than high-risk extreme sports enthusiasts. No way families could cycle to the shopping centre here.
The connections into Edinburgh (Burdiehouse Burn, or the new Loanhead-Lasswade path) are actually really good, so it's particularly sad that you're dumped in a car hell on the last few hundred metres.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Need considerably more bicycle parking at the shopping centre. The few racks here are often overfull.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Need proper bike parking in front of Summerhall. Bikes chained to the guardrails are a hazard for pedestrians.
Some should be right at the entrance, some more could be at the front of Summerhall Square (please not tugged away somewhere at the back of Summerhall Square where it would be perfect for thieves).
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Contraflow bike lane in Salisbury Rd for easier access from Southside to Commonwealth Pool, Pollock Halls and Holyrood Park.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Contraflow here would make it much easier to get from Pleasance and Geography Dept in Drummond Street to South Bridge and avoid the uphills detour to Hill Place.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Contraflow bike lane to make it easier to get from University to East Crosscauseway (St Leonhards, Innocent etc.) and St Patrick Square.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Make more pedestrian friendly and discourage car use. There has been a fatal collision in 2012 but near hits are common.
Remove the fence around the garden, or add additional entrances on all four corners, to open it up and enable pedestrians to use the garden to cross the square in East-West direction and diagonally. At the moment it doesn't have an exit in the west, making it a dead end and barrier for people moving between Nicolson St and Potterrow.
The pavement on the south (from Mosque kitchen to the libanese restaurant) are far too narrow. Double yellow lines regularly ignored, creating blind corners, making it difficult for pedestrians to cross.
Marshall Street should be narrowed considerably to one lane, as it's really only used for a few bus lines, no need to have two fairly wide lanes here. The southern pavement far too narrow, but it is very busy with pedestrians.
It is used a lot as ratrun between Nicolson Street and Potterrow.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
These racks are too close to the wall so you can't actually lean a bicycle against them in a stable way.
Also why only so few in such a central and busy location?
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Need much more bicycle parking here, also to access Nicolson Street.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
The whole area is a barrier, there are no connections between North Bridge, St Andrews Sq/George St and top of Leith Walk without lot of bus/taxi/confused private car drivers and cyclist-blender junctions.
Created by Stephan Matthiesen // 0 threads
Cobbles, tarmac patches etc almost impossible to cycle on.
These streets are key connections between centre and the Innocent Path.
Created by Dawes Jaguar // 1 thread
A cycle path built here would complete this proposed route segment: http://www.pushbikes.org.uk/location/bournville-3
Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads
This road has been left with a hopelessly outmoded junction geometry, with huge radii and a simply breathtaking width. It's so bad that it's not unknown for oncoming vehicles to pass "continental style", because a perfectly reasonable path turning right into the close will take you way over to the right of anyone making a right turn out of the close (note there are no white lines to provide road positioning guidance). This would in fact make a great cycling link from Cob Lane into the park. There is ample room to create a cycle path and a crossing with a central refuge, and make the junction safer and less bizarre for motorists. Instead the city council has elected to take cyclists on an unlit shared path the same width as a bike, across an informal crossing upon which cyclists are instructed to dismount, and along a footpath.
Created by Dawes Jaguar // 1 thread
This path is supposed to be a shared use path, part of the Merritts Brook Greenway. Unfortunately it is the same width as a bicycle and completely unlit. It emerges at an informal crossing upon which cyclists are instructed to dismount. Cyclists are then expected to pedal along the pavement. It's completely useless and unnecessary, as there is a better route via Charfield Close.
This path has been built recently as part of the Merritts Brook Greenway walking and cycling route. It would be quite useful were it not narrow, twisty, and covered in loose chippings. As it is, it is all but useless for cycling, so it needs to be rebuilt properly.
Created by Dawes Jaguar // 0 threads
There is scope here for creating a short cycle path to complete this proposed route segment: http://www.pushbikes.org.uk/location/bournville-3
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The most popular issues, based on the number of votes:
Created by MJR // 2 threads
There was a Heritage Lottery Fund stage 1 project hoping to progress to stage 2 and work for 5 years from June 2014 to regenerate the "old town" around the Saturday Market Place. The initial draft contains no cycle measures but does mention cycle access policy, so may be persuaded to reinstate lost public cycle parking in places like opposite the old Post Office and might even be a way to fill in the missing link in National Cycle Network Route 1. The consultation papers are online at http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=26919 and open until 16 December.
The key cycling problem in this area is the difficulty of accessing Saturday Market Place without passing through the poor junction at its east end and the lack of signs telling cyclists to use Priory Lane to reach SMP.
Martin Lucas-Smith // 11 threads
Major planning application here - c. 10,000 homes
Created by Simon Redding // 2 threads
The railway path from Sheffield down through Staveley & Poolsbrook stops at Arkwright Town. Since an opencast / landfill was south of this point, there is no trace of the former railway line to join to the trails at Sutton Spring Wood. This is an important local link.
Create an off-road route along the railway line out to the east, which could ultimately form a route out to Collin.
A community consultation 'The Barnes Ponder' in October 2013 has show strong support for making Barnes a 20 mph neighbourhood .
“20mph is plenty enough speed on the roads!”
Created by Shaun McDonald // 1 thread
St Peter's Dock on the National Cycle Route 51 just north of Stoke Bridge has a really poor surface which collects water, also the old rails that are no longer used and no longer connect to the rest of the rail network are a hazard for cyclists and ideally should be removed.
Created by Andrew Woodward // 0 threads
Railway footbridge should have a ramp/trough added to make it easier for cyclists to cross the railway. This would then create a quiet north/south route to Marshgate school as an alternative to Manor Road.
Created by Andrew Woodward // 2 threads
Ham Gate Avenue: As you cycle past parked vehicles which narrow the road by almost half you are trapped in a long tunnel. Impatient motorists who want to enter from the other end do so and simply drive at you forcing you practically into the gutter or off the road completely. Would it be ever possible to ban parking on this avenue and limit the speed to 20mph as it is in the park?
Note - there is a shared use segregated track alongside the road here (part of NCN 4) but it is frequently too narrow to cope with the volumes of cyclists and pedestrians; it is overhung with low tree branches and the surface is poor.
Created by Jack Thurston // 1 thread
There are currently around 6 or 8 cages for cycle parking. One bike per cage. While this is great for anyone lucky manages to find an unused cage, often they're all used. Some additional Sheffield type stands required.
Created by Fraser Stephens // 1 thread
RAISED AT PUBLIC MEETING 10-04-2014
The infamous missing link in the Llanfoist-Brynmawr cycle path (route 46) is a huge barrier to its safe use by children as well as those who find the steep section of the diversion route impossible to climb.
Created by Jamie // 1 thread
At the moment it is possible to cycle from Cambridge Road, near Madingley, to Girton, on a bridleway that crosses over the A428 and then passes under the M11 at the Girton Interchange. You can then cross three roads (A1307) and reach a pavement on the North-East side of the Interchange. Using the pavement you can then reach Washpit Lane and cycle up towards Girton. (The pavement is marked as a shared-use route on the OSM Cycle map, although I am not sure that it really is.)
Apart from having to be careful when crossing the A1307 junction it is a rather pleasant route to ride.
The Girton Interchange is being "improved" to reduce the bottleneck for cars. Does anyone know what plans there are to ensure that the current route through remains open and whether there are plans to improve the bridleway route through? Or will this be another example of roads being developed to the detriment of footpaths/bridleways.
Created by Andrea // 3 threads
In Museum Street and Upper Brook Street/Northgate Street it is very dangerous to cycle. Both roads are very narrow, have lots of buses pass through and there are contraflow cycle paths. On those you are very close to the buses (both directions) even if you wait on the pavements to let them through because you are worried about accidents. Can cyclepaths go through Elm Street, Tower Street or Tower Rampart instead?
Created by Fraser Stephens // 1 thread
RAISED AT PUBLIC MEETING 10-04-2014
If a foot/cycle bridge is not going to happen in the medium term, then how about some traffic calming measures to reduce driver's speed expectations over the bridge? Drivers who have just come of a dual carriage way at 70mph+ or have been zooming along the A40 at 60mph+ are suddenly sharing space with cyclists having had little warning that this is about to happen.
We suggest deploying traffic calming measures, such as marked cycle ways, belisha beacon crossings (much needed anyway!) and signage making it clear that care is required. If the speed limit was clearly lower, many drivers will not be so aggressively trying to overtake cyclists.
Created by Matthew Phillips // 1 thread
The route on the east side of the A167 past Crossgate Moor and Framwellgate Moor crosses a number of roundabouts. The cycle-path leads you across the roads very close to the roundabout, via the central refuge in the middle of the road. Some of these roads have two lane entry to the roundabout. Crossing both lanes at once is tricky as you have to have an eye on whether the traffic is about to move out onto the roundabout. If you have a longer vehicle, such as a bus, waiting, then the route to the refuge is blocked. There are no road markings to warn motorists that cyclists might be expected.
The route is probably going to be improved as part of the Great North Cycleway. If these roundabouts are to be made safe enough for children to use, major alterations will be required. (The route goes past Durham Johnston School so should be available to children.) The route should cross further from the mouth of the roundabout, preferably on a different-coloured surface, maybe raised.
Created by Grahame Cooper // 1 thread
Irlams O'th Height roundabout has been the location of a number of collisions involving cyclists (including myself and my daughter last September).
There was a consultation last year over proposals produced by Sustrans for the improvement of this, and I showed my comments (annotations on proposed plans) at a previous GMCC meeting. You can find this annotated document here: https://copy.com/tAIjQdMSxfcsq4fz (large PDF - need to download to see all pages).
A leaflet on the intended imrovements can be found here: http://www.urbanvision.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Cycling-Leaflet.pdf
I am disappointed with this for the following reasons:
- Extensive use of shared footways in the scheme (Salford Council seems to be in love with these, but they are bad).
- Southbound approach on A666 looks impractical & dangerous: a sharp left turn onto the shared footway right at the busy entrance to the roundabout!
- Whilst carriageway widths have been reduced, kerb radii at the mouth of entrances and exits do not seem to have been reduced, so "drivers looking right whilst accelerating left" will still pose a danger for cyclists who do not want to use the shared footways.
- Limited improvements to the subways (tile removal, lighting and resurfacing) will probably not result in an attractive facility for cyclists. Access to this from Bolton Road (northbound) looks awkward.
- There is no undertaking mentioned to ensure that facilities will be maintained and swept.
- I'm still not confident regarding the social safety of the off-road parts, especially in the dark winter months.
Those are my immediate reactions. Could be more to add.
Created by timlennon // 1 thread
Initial quietway consultation from Richmond. This is a thread to build RCC's response
Created by Sam Saunders // 1 thread
A northern stretch of Bristol's waymarked "Concorde Way" runs along a quiet residential street, Wordsworth Road. On the newest housing development as Bristol gives way to South Gloucestershire there is a barrier between the end of Wordsworth Road and the start of Eighth Avenue to prevent motor vehicles passing through. There is a raised curb, offset railings and large grey concrete bollards and only a narrow passage either side of one bollard for cyclists to ride through. Tricycles, cargo bikes, or trailers might be to be lifted over the raised curb. In dusk or darkness neither the bollards nor the curb are easy to see. There is a light on the traffic sign offering some help, but a less intimidating arrangements or reflective/high-visibility surfaces could be considered.
Hamish F // 0 threads
There are no contraflow signs when entering Devonshire Rd from Adermans Hill. Cyclists have reported hostility towards them as they ride "against the flow". The markings are correct as the cyclist enters Devonshire Rd from A105 but of course the drivers do not see that.
Where the quite good segregated cycle lane joins The Ride, DfT advice was certainly NOT followed. As per DfT advice, when cycle lanes are merged with the carriageway, it should be done via a length of dropped kerb that is flush with the carriageway and the cycle lane shouldn't be joined at a 90 degree angle to the road.
Here, the cycle lane runs parallel to the road for a short distance before it loops around a large boulder specifically placed to force cyclists around and then finally joins the road at a 90 degree angle.
The kerb, though dropped, is far from flush and creates a risk for cyclists joining the track from the road.
This junction between the road and the track should be scrapped and redone according to DfT guidelines.
Created by Paul James // 1 thread
The cycleways along the Thames Path and along Ducks Walk are not connected with the south/east side cycleway across Twickenham Bridge and only to the north/west side cycleway via a long detour through Old Deer Park or along The Avenue.
A ramped way down from the bridge would create a useful route for people into and out of Richmond town center that is currently only possible by using two flights of steps.
Created by Mark A // 1 thread
A dropped kerb at this point would improve the route that people can take to cycle between Bear Flat and the city centre - making it easier to use Calton Gardens to avoid the section of footpath on the alternative via Holloway and St Marks Church.
Created by Andrew Woodward // 1 thread
The path linking Bank Lane to Palewell Fields is currently pedestrian only, with gates across it. Opening this up to cyclists would improve permeability and provide a quiet route to Richmond Park Academy school from Roehampton (east-west); and to Ibstock Place school from Sheen (west-east).
Created by SamGW // 1 thread
The Road between Great Wilbraham and Fulbourn is very well used by Cyclists, runners and walkers throughout the year. It is a single track road with a 60 MPH speed limit. A bicycle path here would encourage more people to cycle to Fulbourn and Cambridge. The path would significantly improve safety for cars, pedestrians and cyclists.
Despite the number of bridges that link Newcastle and Gateshead, there is not a single route across the Tyne that throws bike users in to conflict with either high volumes of motor vehicles at high speeds or that uses shared paths that create potential conflict with pedestrians.
Due to the amount of people who already cycle between Newcastle and Gateshead and the potential for this to grow, there should be at least one high level crossing that gives bike users there own space when crossing the Tyne.
Created by Shaun McDonald // 1 thread
It would be much safer to have cyclist priority on the slip roads here as is done in The Netherlands http://www.flickr.com/photos/smsm1/10046288016/ , or even the following example from Britain: http://www.cycling-embassy.org.uk/photos/good-cycling-facility-of-the-week/good-cycling-facility-of-the-week-14th-november-2013-0
The slip roads also need to be narrowed to slow motor vehicle speeds as does the turning radii of the roundabout.