Cheap Street showing incomplete cycle contra flow
A contra flow for cyclists was begun in Cheap Street and Westgate Street months ago, but the Cheap street section is still not complete. My information is that the job was given to Atkins, the Council’s highways contractor and that they would complete the work when they are in the area! The contractor should agree a time when the job is to be done and do it. If they can’t do the job the Council should give it to someone who can.
All that is needed is painting some yellow lines, burning others off and putting the blue badge parking on the south side of Cheap Street. This doesn’t reflect well on the Council’s organisation.
Hello, I'm Roger Symonds and I have created this blog to highlight local and wider cycling issues. Given the incredible interest and increase in cycling we must not miss this opportunity to provide the the infrastructure that gets even more people out on bikes in a safer environment.
Roger -webblog looking good! ref westgate and contraflows etc current and planned in sawclose -pedestrians need to be well informed about bikes coming in all directions and cyclists need to expect pedestrians some of whom are visiting the city to be in their path on occasions. the street is full sometimes and cyclists must be alert. How do you feel about painting coloured lines(as in london) on roads where bikes need to be given safer space? – it makes car driving easier when you can see the designated painted areas-try seeing the symbols on the ground when driving in westgate st whilst avoiding other hazards.
Hi Tim
Thank you for your comment on the webblog and your ideas on Westgate Street/Cheap Street contraflows and the planned shared space. There is a problem in the centre of the city with painting on the roads. This is from different departments in the Council wishing to have “light touch” signage in the city centre and to reduce the clutter that we have at the moment. I don’t think painted cycle lanes would be acceptable to either highways, planning or the Public Realm people.
In the city centre we must think much more about shared space, particularly with the development of the Casino in Sawclose. Bigger vehicles should take care of other more vulnerable users, so cyclists should be careful to give walkers precedence. I think we have to ask why people drive in Cheap Street and Westgate Street. They just go round in a circle. There are plans to restrict traffic in Westgate Street and Cheap Street between 10am and 6pm, but there is a problem about how people can get to the Mineral Water Hospital.
In other parts of the area I can’t see why we don’t paint cycle lanes on main roads and even have a barrier between the lane and motor vehicles. Actually we don’t have any cycle lanes on main roads yet, so when we do we should seriously consider how they are implemented.
Shared space or mixed use or whatever you want to call it, can work in limited conditions. This is a photo I took recently on a visit to Assen in The Netherlands of a busy shopping street on a Saturday afternoon. It worked. Motor vehicles are allowed but at low speed – 30kph limit. http://www.flickr.com/photos/7493003@N03/9380423724/.
The photo does illustrate shared space pretty well and there are examples in this country. Did you go to the meeting in Radstock last night where there was a councillor from Poynton talking about the shared space there? http://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-services/what-we-do/route-design-and-construction/shared-space-busy-intersection-poynton
There is a UTube video about how this was done and it is very successful. I think the Radstock Action Group is hoping to get some shared space into Radstock as part of the new development. Shared space is often about regeneration, because where areas are not dominated by motor cars retailers are more willing to improve their premises, because it is more conducive to people walking and riding bikes.