Roger on London Road at the cycleway where it is planned to have seven car parking spaces
Cyclists were mobilised by the prospect of the London Road “Gateway” scheme of environmental improvements making conditions for people riding bikes worse. Following a submission by Roger Houghton showing a segregated two way cycle lane on the inward bound carriageway the Council have come up with a scheme that does not entirely meet all the cyclists aims, but goes some way towards improving conditions in London Road for people riding bikes.
The favoured proposal that was put to cyclists earlier this week has the present cycleway retained and improved and an on road unsegregated cycleway from Morrisons to the eastern end of the present segregated path. There will also be an on road cycle lane on part of the northern side of the highway.
At the time of writing the on road cycle lanes will be “advisory”, but they should be enforceable by Traffic Orders. Otherwise there is no incentive for vehicles not to park on them, nor to keep them free, when on the move. I believe that the cycle lanes will have coloured Tarmac – a first for the city.
It is disappointing that Roger Houghton’s scheme cannot be entirely implemented because of Highways Officers insistence on a 6.75 metre carriageway. This is deemed necessary for resurfacing and in case there is an accident, which requires the extra width. I would have thought that this could have been done by having removable bollards separating the cycle lane from the vehicle lane.
However, what is certain is that there would have been no improvement for cyclists without the vigilance of local cycle advocates and without the 1300 person petition that triggered a council debate.
A success for Bike Power!
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.
Who the hell approved building car parking right across the cycle path just before the lights? Why are people allowed to park right before a busy and dangerous junction?
Suggest you contact Cllr Lisa Brett to get an explanation. There was a lot of local consultation on this, but they initially did nothing for cycling. My view is that there should be a bus lane all the way in along London Road, which would mean a lane for people on bikes too. I am pleased to be no longer a councillor.
A bus lane all the way along would make things safer for certain; I hate cycling along that road, right from the point of being filtered in front of traffic accelerating off the Batheaston roundabout to tr ying to access the ASL by the deli. I know of Lisa Brett through a friend who lives along there; she- Lisa Brett- is, I am told, useless and does not listen.
Sadly nobody has listened to my idea of a bus lane all the way in. Buses could be directed along Bathwick street and over North Parade or along Henrietta Street and over Pulteney Bridge. No matter what it says in the new Transport Strategy (people on bikes/on foot and on buses first) cars still take precedence. Your friend is wrong about Lisa Brett, although the description would fit some councillors. There was a load of consultation with local people, but they preferred parking over cycling – a common preference. Lisa is always ready to listen. She may not always agree with people, a quality that shows she is not just focussed on winning votes. Your friend should not be critical unless he/she has personal experience; hearsay is no way to form an opinion. Lisa joined a London Road discussion on Streetlife, where she gained respect through her frank views of how and why the really large amount of money invested in London Road was spent. Lisa must be doing something right as she topped the poll in the recent elections!