PushBikes

Should cyclists wear helmets?

An interesting article on helmets and cycling environments.
Guardian 11/8/08

London gridlock at pre-congestion charge levels

The London congestion charge, the signature policy of the former mayor Ken Livingstone, is losing its battle against gridlock after Transport for London admitted the capital's streets are as congested as they were before the levy was introduced.

Guardian 6/8/08

So Boris is going to solve it by sorting out road works!

An illusion surely? No matter how much road space is increased, the volume of traffic and number of parked cars will rise to overfill it.

Having just seen the high quality facilities for cycling in Vienna & Belgium and the much greater use of cycling, getting 10-20% of journeys made by cycle would be a much better policy?

The cycleway is physically separate from the pedestrian path & crossing and the parked cars don't obstruct the cycleway! Dream on.

Compare with the pathetic farcicality of the Northfield bypass

The three vertical posts reduce the passage to single file! Why not put the bike sign on one of the road sign posts? Better still why not put the road sign on the central reservation?
The cycle way ends at the crossing! What do pedestrians do if a cyclist approaches? Cyclist dismount?
The supermarket guarantees a lot of pedestrian traffic crossing a cyclist's path but there's no clear indication of who has priority or where they should be. Compare to the clarity of Vienna.

There is plenty of room given the wide central reservation for the sign to be moved off the pathway and for physically separate cycleways in both directions.

Why do such a poor job?
Perhaps it was designed by the John Cleese School of Funny Walks?
Or they ran out of jelly beans too soon?

Bristol named UK's 'cycling city'

Why did Birmingham fail even to get shortlisted?

OnLine Petitions: Bikes on trains etc

You might be interested in signing these e-petitions about the need for better provision for bikes, on trains, buses and roads in Britian

Edgbaston Tunnel

The surface in the tunnel has deteriorated again!

The maintenance seems to be a crappy 'fill the holes and smooth the dirt repair' each year.

In contrast, many of the shorter tunnels have brick paving and those near Kings Norton have recently had their brick paving repaired.

The narrowness of the towpath in the tunnel probably makes grading, rolling & compacting difficult. The cost of the ineffective yearly 'repairs' would over 5 years would probably pay for marble paving?

Providing a stable long wearing surface in the Edgbaston tunnel should be a priority & not impossible.

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CTC: Cycle-friendly traffic regulation

The CTC has called for improved traffic regulations for cyclists.

20mph to be the normal speed limit for built-up areas, with signs for 30mph (or higher) speed limits being confined to the wider and busier roads.
More traffic police to enforce the rules of the road .
Many one way streets could be made two-way for cycling ie cyclists allowed to travel both ways in one way streets.
Good cycle training should be available to people of all ages.

(2) is interesting given the rants in red-tops etc about cyclists jumping red lights and cycling on pavements. While the CTC comments that some (not all) of it is a response to dangerous road traffic conditions it is not clear what the effect would be. Perhaps stopping parking in cycle lanes, enforcing correct use af advanced stop lines would help?

Sharing Bus Lanes with Motorbikes and PHVs?

The Council has been allowing PHVs to use the bus lane along the Walsall Rd, A34, bus lane since Nov 2007 as a twelve month experiment. Similarly, motorcycles have had use of the Alcester Road, A435, bus lane.

The Council asked PushBikes to submit our views as part of the consultation process, which we've done: see it here.

PHVs = private hire vehicles, there were 8000 in the West Midlands in 2006. They are less distinguishable from private cars than black cab style taxis. So, motorists might mistakenly think that the bus lane is open; cyclists may not realise a PHV can enter the bus lane and try to pass on the left, within the bus lane, only to get a nasty surprise.

The London Cycling Campaign is organising a petition to stop this happening in London. The arguments are here.

It would be interesting to know what "evidence" the experiment has produced. Probably statistically non-significant numbers like number of accidents, complaints etc.

Overall, a possible small & transient gain to motorised traffic at the cost of discouraging cycling and a possible increase in the risk to cyclists & pedestrians. You have to wonder if the Council is serious about the 'Cycling Strategy' or just responding to the need to tick a box?

In London, cycling levels have risen by 83 per cent since 2000 while in Birmingham it's low and declining. The positive TfL stategy, see below, and resourcing versus inertia might explain it.

Governmernt plans 20 mph limit for urban streets

Times: May 16th 2008

The Government is preparing a road safety strategy for the next decade and will publish proposals in a consultation document this year.
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Parents afraid to allow their children to cycle on roads

Parents are stopping their children cycling to school or using their bikes on roads because of growing concerns about safety, according to a study.

The Guardian, Tuesday May 6 2008

What a surprise?

London Cycling Strategy

The five new programmes are:

A Central London bike hire scheme, similar to the recently launched Paris scheme, with up to 6,000 bikes located across docking stations every 300m so Londoners and visitors have quick and easy access to a bike. This will be supported by a series of easily navigable routes so that people can enjoy London's sights by bike.
Around a dozen radial Cycling Corridors for commuters to provide high-profile, easy to follow cycling streams into central London.
The creation of a series of Bike Zones for shoppers and the school run in Inner and Outer London, with cycle priority streets, 20mph speed limits and quick, clear and simple routes that link key local destinations and open parks and waterways for cyclists.
The expansion of the Legible London signage system to help people make short trips around the capital on foot, rather than driving, or taking the bus and tube.
Working with the London Boroughs on the establishment of 200 Streets of Gold - urban makeovers which link key local destinations like stations, schools and shops in inner and outer London with high quality walking facilities, delivering improved pavements, seating and crossings alongside regeneration measures.

Which raises the question - why not in Birmingham?
Surely London has a more difficult problem with more people & cars but they are going to try and act decisively.

Cycle Training Provision for Half a Million Children by 2012

This ambitious new drive to boost cycling will help to tackle road congestion and improve air quality as well as create more opportunities for exercise. It fulfils a commitment to increase investment in sustainable transport initiatives, outlined in the recent strategy document, 'Towards a Sustainable Transport System'.

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The New Highway Code & Cyclists

John Bennett has been looking through the new highway Code. Below are a few extracts relevant to cycling. Maybe everyone else is fully conversant and what I think is worth highlighting says more about my personal lack of awareness.