Exhibition Road
- Thread starter dellzeqq
- Start date
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slowmotion
Quite dreadful
- Location
- lost somewhere
Is there a cycle scheme or is this a poll about dodgy 1960/1970 architecture?
Flying Dodo
It'll soon be summer
I went along it a few weeks before Christmas on a bike, and have been along there a few times on foot during last year whilst they were working on it.
I think it looks quite striking. Anything that slows cars and (hopefully) makes the drivers realise they're not top of the heap is a good thing.
I think it looks quite striking. Anything that slows cars and (hopefully) makes the drivers realise they're not top of the heap is a good thing.
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
A worthwhile constructive experiment at the very least - something will be learnt ;-)
the word experiment is a good one. There are people on the wilder fringes of cycle campaigning (trans. blogging) who despise Exhibition Road. But, then again, one thing is certain. You can't be certain unless you give it a go....
thom
____
- Location
- The Borough
I think London just has to work out it's own solutions - it never will be like Copenhagen. It is nice to see an appetite to try something vaguely radical. Hopefully any criticism will only lead to an even better solution but designing busy junctions are more meaningful for a cyclist.
GrumpyGregry
Here for rides.
One of the most entertaining
Exhibition Road gets a mention today in between all the "it's not fair" why isn't Horsham Groenigen?, why isn't London Copenhagen? posturing.
Richard Mann
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Oxford
I've tried to give him a bit of an understanding of your point-of-view (he seemed to have you down as a supporter of shared surface everywhere). There's probably some common ground on generally taming the traffic.
I like it. My first encounter with it was approaching from the North end on a very wet evening with skinny tyres and heavy panniers, and seeing the unexpected surface ahead I made a quick decision to avoid it and divert via Prince Consort Rd and Queensgate. However on the way back I went North on it with DZ and I thought it looked great and was starting to work - some of the pedestrians using it were clearly still expecting to be casually maimed having the audacity to cross, and looked surprised when we stopped or slowed, but others were getting the hang of the idea that the space belonged to them.
jonesy
Guru
There's been an ongoing debate in Local Transport Today (subscription access) about shared space- have you seen it? Behind some of the criticisms being made of the recent DfT report led by Stuart Reid of MVA (formerly of CTC) seems to be the same implied straw man than advocates of shared space are not also supportive of traffic restraint, speed reduction and re-allocation of roadspace. Which is very frustrating, as I don't know anyone in favour of shared space who doesn't see it as one tool amongst many to be used as appropriate, depending on local circumstances, practicalities, resources available etc.
martint235
Dog on a bike
- Location
- Welling
Ashford put in quite a bit of shared space in 2010. I found it quite confusing on a bike the first time I went through it but then once you get the idea that you're not meant to be going quick across it, it kind of works. If I was commuting, I'd probably find a way around it though.
Richard Mann
Well-Known Member
- Location
- Oxford
Unfortunately, when the designs hit the real world, it's very hard to persist with absolutely-no-cues, whether that be following the car in front, or hints in the geometry. And when you're spending millions on a scheme, the design needs to be robust to the real world.
one thing's for certain - the Exhibition Road scheme is very expensive. It's not happening on Streatham High Road any time soon
I'm not sure that it's shared space though. You can't just park or ride or drive where you want. You can walk where you want, but the arrangements made for vehicles and bicycles imply an arrangement that pedestrians stick to. In essence what you have is pedestrian zones and pedestrian priority outside those zones. If memory serves, Lucien Kroll's schemes back in the 80s were shared space - park where you want, drive where you want, but everybody had to wait for everybody else. The schemes relied on the vehicles being socialised. I say 'if memory serves' because his website, which is getting on a bit, shows parking spaces. The illustrations I saw back in 1989 didn't
I'm not sure that it's shared space though. You can't just park or ride or drive where you want. You can walk where you want, but the arrangements made for vehicles and bicycles imply an arrangement that pedestrians stick to. In essence what you have is pedestrian zones and pedestrian priority outside those zones. If memory serves, Lucien Kroll's schemes back in the 80s were shared space - park where you want, drive where you want, but everybody had to wait for everybody else. The schemes relied on the vehicles being socialised. I say 'if memory serves' because his website, which is getting on a bit, shows parking spaces. The illustrations I saw back in 1989 didn't
