HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
That is so annoying, you know a good cycle route is planned but the council are sitting back waiting for somebody to develop the land but if nobody does :-( and even if they do it can often be of a varying standard :-(
Badly designed cycle lanes.
- Thread starter AuraTodd
- Start date
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Rhythm Thief
Legendary Member
- Location
- Ross on Wye
I have intimate knowledge of this one in Wood Green Road because I tried to persuade the local council officers to do something more sensible.
You might need to click through to see it in its full horror. That stretch of tarmac on the pavement on the left is a cycle track. At the junction of Caxton Road and Mayes Road cyclists turning right are expected to do this across traffic entering and exiting Caxton Road onto a cycle path on the pavement. This will then take them to a Toucan crossing to enable them to join another cycle path which leads them into Coburg Road. Cyclists going in the other direction have to do the same bizarre manoeuvres.
We argued for two mini roundabouts but apparently the council's safety audit thought cyclists would be safer having to make an unusual manoevre that drivers would not be expecting rather than just being a part of the traffic flow.
This is possibly the main reason why I have such a low opinion of traffic planners when it comes to cycle facilities. I must have spent months in meetings with these people arguing that (a) the scheme was dangerous (b) no-one would use it and (c) it would surely be cheaper to put in mini roundabouts, only to see this codswallop installed.
It did give me an interesting insight into the mindset of these people, however, when one of them told me that he was working late one night designing this (or another scheme - I cannot remember now) and had not moved so long the motion sensors had kicked in and the lights had gone off in his office!
Stephen
You might need to click through to see it in its full horror. That stretch of tarmac on the pavement on the left is a cycle track. At the junction of Caxton Road and Mayes Road cyclists turning right are expected to do this across traffic entering and exiting Caxton Road onto a cycle path on the pavement. This will then take them to a Toucan crossing to enable them to join another cycle path which leads them into Coburg Road. Cyclists going in the other direction have to do the same bizarre manoeuvres.
We argued for two mini roundabouts but apparently the council's safety audit thought cyclists would be safer having to make an unusual manoevre that drivers would not be expecting rather than just being a part of the traffic flow.
This is possibly the main reason why I have such a low opinion of traffic planners when it comes to cycle facilities. I must have spent months in meetings with these people arguing that (a) the scheme was dangerous (b) no-one would use it and (c) it would surely be cheaper to put in mini roundabouts, only to see this codswallop installed.
It did give me an interesting insight into the mindset of these people, however, when one of them told me that he was working late one night designing this (or another scheme - I cannot remember now) and had not moved so long the motion sensors had kicked in and the lights had gone off in his office!
Stephen
I have come to realise that facilities like those on Wood Green Road and Mayes Road must be designed for children cycling to school. I realised this after reading an interesting CTC article showing that most bike trips and made by boys of age 11-16!
Or perhaps the cycle planners do not cycle as they treat the cyclist as a pedestrian on wheels which must be seperated from traffic at all costs. I think the fact that the route has a right turn followed by a left in both directions is why they think you are safer off the road (WRONG). Any competent cyclist would join the queue at the junction, signal right and wait in traffic until a gap emerges, the left hand turn then being simple. Perhaps children on bikes have less road sense and would be impatient waiting for a gap. who knows?
I'm sure that designs like these come about because of overcautious safety audits of potential designs. I am of the opinion that segregation is mostly unnecessary in 30mph zones.
Or perhaps the cycle planners do not cycle as they treat the cyclist as a pedestrian on wheels which must be seperated from traffic at all costs. I think the fact that the route has a right turn followed by a left in both directions is why they think you are safer off the road (WRONG). Any competent cyclist would join the queue at the junction, signal right and wait in traffic until a gap emerges, the left hand turn then being simple. Perhaps children on bikes have less road sense and would be impatient waiting for a gap. who knows?
I'm sure that designs like these come about because of overcautious safety audits of potential designs. I am of the opinion that segregation is mostly unnecessary in 30mph zones.
Nigel-YZ1
Guru
- Location
- Somewhere else... maybe soon.
Not sure about badly designed but I quite like these in Rotherham.
Fits in quite well with the Rotherham habit of using cycle lanes as road narrowing schemes. e.g. Meadowbank Road
Klaus
Senior Member
- Location
- High Wycombe
Worse still, the councils will have received extra funding for this and still no one checks them ....
Klaus
Senior Member
- Location
- High Wycombe
There is a very narrow cycle path painted on the road (2 feet ?) outside my employers office compound in Uxbridge, which is in Hillingdon Borough. It stops where the sign says "South Bucks District". In south bucks the pavement is signed for cycles but as usual it's utter crap ....
I think this ones a shocker. Looking at the road approaching the roundabout from the south, you will see it has a red cycle lane. Instead of directing the cyclist to the roundabout, it takes them past and island and directly across traffic that would be entering the roundabout from the West. It's not the busiest of entrances, but it is downhill and cars do tend to roll down there pretty fast.
What is the point of that? Surely negotiating the roundabout would be (considerably) safer!
What is the point of that? Surely negotiating the roundabout would be (considerably) safer!
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Whilst it might serve the straight ahead movement well (depending upon that side road); what if you are turning right!I think this ones a shocker. Looking at the road approaching the roundabout from the south, you will see it has a red cycle lane. Instead of directing the cyclist to the roundabout, it takes them past and island and directly across traffic that would be entering the roundabout from the West. It's not the busiest of entrances, but it is downhill and cars do tend to roll down there pretty fast.
What is the point of that? Surely negotiating the roundabout would be (considerably) safer!
Very true. I do go straight on here, but I'd never dream of using the lane! I've seen cyclists potter along it, they very rarely look for traffic coming towards the roundabout.
HLaB
Marie Attoinette Fan
Very true. I do go straight on here, but I'd never dream of using the lane! I've seen cyclists potter along it, they very rarely look for traffic coming towards the roundabout.
I don't blame you. Queensferry Rd in Edinburgh (The main road from the north) has a similar (but smaller) farcility but at least the designer there modded the entry to give cyclists a choice (albeit not a great one).
laertes
Senior Member
- Location
- Kingston upon Thames
I think a lot of the short and pointless cycle lanes come from councils just sticking a bit of path in where they can, cheaply and uncontroversially, so that they can boast X many metres of bike path installed this year.
