Cycle Super-Highways

[Brains]

The Cable St 'super highway' which is almost up to the standard of a typical local village Dutch cycle path except without the proper rights of way has one major failing.

At the end of the route by the Tower of London the City has closed off the onward route down Crutched Friars.

Therefore you can no get into the West End, or even much of the City without either breaking the law or dicing with death on Lower Thames St, which is not suitable for bikes.

If BoJo is serious about cycle lanes then lets see him supervise, with one other adult cyclist, a group of say 15-20 12 year old on bikes from the Bank of England to the Olympic Park on any workday morning he choses. If it works as it would in Holland or Denmark then I'll support him, if it doesn't then he is simply putting on an act for the sake of appearing to get something done, which will be a real shame and a missed opportunity.

 

[Origamist]

Cycling superhighways
Question No: 1420 / 2009
Jenny Jones

Will you change the speed limit on all the cycling superhighway routes to 20mph?

Answer from the Mayor:
This is not my intention. Although discussions with the boroughs are continuing and should they wish this to happen, speed limits on individual parts of the highway would be reviewed.

 

[Origamist]

*Cycle superhighways*

*Question No: 1879 / 2009*

John Biggs

Once your cycle superhighways come into existence, will motorcyclists be
allowed the freedom to use these?

*Answer from the Mayor*

Cycle Superhighways will not be designed for use by motorcyclists as
well as cyclists. Where routes delivered before July 2010 make use of
any existing bus lanes, then motorcyclists will be able to share those
lanes as part of the ‘motorcycles in bus lanes’ trial. Continued access
for motorcycles in bus lanes beyond July 2010 will be dependant on the
outcomes of the trial.

 

[Origamist]

Cycle Highways must tackle major obstacles to favour cyclists:

http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=1425

 

[CopperBrompton]

Surely the simplest way to achieve cycling superhighways is simply to ban buses (and taxis and motorbikes) from the lanes formerly known as bus-lanes ...

 

[Origamist]

Surely the simplest way to achieve cycling superhighways is simply to ban buses (and taxis and motorbikes) from the lanes formerly known as bus-lanes ...

And when there are not bus lanes...?

 

[CopperBrompton]

Not difficult to plan a route using them

 

[Origamist]

Not difficult to plan a route using them

It depends where you want to go, what time you're travelling and how much of a detour you're prepared to make. The purpose of SuperHs is that they are uninterrupted and direct (unlike the often serpentine character of the LCN).

The "Northern Line" Super Highway will be using bus lanes for part of the route. It will be interesting to see how they deal with the interruptions to the bus lanes (2m+ cycle lanes, US style sharrows etc?) and how they tackle problem junctions (Stockwell, Oval and E&C)...

 

[Origamist]

A few opinions on Super-Highways:

http://thebikeshow.net/cycle-supermyways/

http://hembrow.blogspot.com/2009/09/recent-events-in-london-and.html

 

[Origamist]

TfL urged to fix Tooting gap in south London bike superhighway:

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/..._s_patchy_planning_mean_danger_for_cyclists_/

 

[Origamist]

I tackled the virtual super highway today at the Cycle Show, Earls Court. Funnily enough it is my commuter route...

Quite a crowd watched as I negotiated South London's roads. The only insurmountable problem I faced was the non-adjustable saddle on the TFL bike.

The super highway was a cycle lane in blue - perhaps wider than the min 1.5m we usually get, but not really "super". Hopefully the artist's impression is misleading.

This was me spinning through Tooting:

 

[cannondale boy]

Second picture looks like your going at 31mph...thats quite impressive!

These so called superhighways are not looking very promising. When do reckon the council will start painting the streets blue?

 

[Origamist]

Second picture looks like your going at 31mph...thats quite impressive!

These so called superhighways are not looking very promising. When do reckon the council will start painting the streets blue?

Well as that particular route is supposed to be ready by next spring, I imagine work will start in the next couple of months...

 

[marinyork]

Really good stuff (the exhition not the er non-super superhighway). You got any other photos of stuff at the show?

 

[ufkacbln]

What sort of interventions are meant? If you're serious about it surely it would mean double yellow lining a lot of these routes?

Had an interesting chat at the Cycle Show yesterday about this and pointed out that many cycle lanes are rendered useless by the illegal parking of vehicles.


Apparently the plan is to vigorously enforce parking resrictions on these routes.

However intentions and reality are not always the same.