Search found 51 matches

by tomb353
30 Aug 2013, 9:25pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: How to find out about cycle path closures ?
Replies: 106
Views: 17478

Re: How to find out about cycle path closures ?

Depends a bit. To be absolutely honest I would rather see money spent in more densely populated areas, but often quick simple projects are what is needed to balance out an infrastructure programme working all over the UK.

If I had to bet I would say you'd be 100% Tarmac within 2-3 years, but you could get it in 12 months if you could convince your local council to contribute financially, but perhaps there's other things you'd want them doing first?
by tomb353
30 Aug 2013, 9:07pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Gateshead cycling provision
Replies: 33
Views: 19010

Re: Gateshead cycling provision

And Oxford Road is the main route into Manchester.....
http://www.tfgm.com/buspriority/pages/w ... -road.html

And Northumberland Street is the main route into Newcastle....

Use of these roads is not fixed, and bypassing a shopping area to turn it into a route for walking and cycling is far more common both in UK and abroad than what you are suggesting.

I'm not saying that I don't want what you want, just suggesting there is more than one way of achieving it.
by tomb353
30 Aug 2013, 8:54pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: If these are the problems........
Replies: 30
Views: 10381

Re: If these are the problems........

Virtually every one of those problems could be solved by constructing a track on the other side of the road so they could ditch two way operation.

Personally I've used the existing one and quite enjoyed it. Although I have lots of misgivings about two way tracks, and its not ideally what I'd like to see built, if that was what was on offer to get my kids to school I'd take it over the their current choice between A-Road or pavement cycling.
by tomb353
30 Aug 2013, 8:43pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Gateshead cycling provision
Replies: 33
Views: 19010

Re: Gateshead cycling provision

Depends whether you think through traffic has any business in a residential / retail area in the first place. Cobbling together a ring route to void low fell is not impossible. There used to be through private traffic on Blackett Street.....
by tomb353
30 Aug 2013, 4:25pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: How to find out about cycle path closures ?
Replies: 106
Views: 17478

Re: How to find out about cycle path closures ?

twisty turny bit, you mean the maze, a work of art..... blooming cyclists philistines the lot.... :-)

At leadgate we have pulled the path back from the limekilns to the highway because of a problem with landslips, its cheaper to move back than to try and solve the slipping through engineering.

Logical next step after Beamish would be to do the bit to Stanley, we've tended to package sections up to match possible funding opportunities and will start preparing that bit as soon as we go out to tender on Beamish.
by tomb353
30 Aug 2013, 4:18pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Gateshead cycling provision
Replies: 33
Views: 19010

Re: Gateshead cycling provision

basic problem with the durham road are the motorway style bits at either end that continue to funnel traffic into it.

Best way of achieving segregated tracks in the long run might be to first have through traffic other than buses removed from Low Fell shopping area, a lot of other opportunities on the road would then stem from that.
by tomb353
30 Aug 2013, 9:57am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: If these are the problems........
Replies: 30
Views: 10381

Re: If these are the problems........

would seem a shame to remove a popular bit of infrastructure, surely if you want to cycle with traffic there is ample opportunity to do so on the Euston Road?
by tomb353
30 Aug 2013, 7:38am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Does this reflect well on cycle campaigners?
Replies: 45
Views: 12556

Re: Does this reflect well on cycle campaigners?

pete, no, the streetview of that street is out f date and before the Islington scheme.

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding of this situation. Officers designed the scheme, including centre line removal and lots of new zebras, with a lot of input from all cycling orgs. Opposition was from local politicians who saw it as undermining the use of the road for motor traffic. Importantly those opposing the scheme cited the fact that the cycle route should "go somewhere else", despite the fact that shops library etc are on this road.

Many might take issue with some points of the scheme, but equally that there is likely to be at least something in there that will appeal. Installing all the zebra's was my favourite and I think was also popular locally.

This I think is one of those situations where cycle lanes might work more as a traffic calming measure than anything else, similar to the way that the dutch use dashed lines on either sides on rural roads to suggest that motor traffic uses a central lane. Coloured bands on either side would maybe do the job better but Newcastle don't like using colour on their roads.
by tomb353
29 Aug 2013, 9:54pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: If these are the problems........
Replies: 30
Views: 10381

Re: If these are the problems........

Solution pretty obvious is to build on the other side of the street and convert to unidirectional tracks.
by tomb353
29 Aug 2013, 9:11pm
Forum: Does anyone know … ?
Topic: How to find out about cycle path closures ?
Replies: 106
Views: 17478

Re: How to find out about cycle path closures ?

Mark, leadgate is my project (although still waiting for Durham CC to do their 30 yard section next to A693). So ask away or give the office a call, you can also tweet @sustransne . Sustrans own the Consett to Sunderland Railway so pretty much all of NCN7 between Consett and Washington tends to be us.

Next one up is around 3km Pelton to Beamish which we'll do this Autumn. Yellow diversion signs will go up where need be, but we warn our contractors that a lot of cyclists being free thinking types tend to charge on through the construction site. In some cases where there is room our contractors will manage to keep the route open or manage a very limited diversion around the area they are actually working on.
by tomb353
29 Aug 2013, 8:13pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Gateshead cycling provision
Replies: 33
Views: 19010

Re: Gateshead cycling provision

Bowes path is a scheduled ancient monument which is why they can't Tarmac it and it keeps getting washed away.

The Durham Road scheme is a funny one. It was designed as a bus scheme, Gateshead then lost the funding, split the scheme into phases. Sustrans DfT Links cash offered to Gateshead for two phases without really realising this. Then basic incompatibility of Sustrans criteria and bus scheme gradually realised by all.

Fumbling series of polite compromises between Sustrans (towards the end of the process led by me) and Gateshead who have worked together too long to want to fall out over a scheme where we should probably never have tried to collaborate in the first place.

End result is to put it mildly not what I am personally looking to achieve in future schemes. However only two of six phases built so difficult to judge overall impact. If you like to cycle with buses then you'll probably love it.

Some local authority officers do struggle with the idea that the DfT use Sustrans to administer grants and we then apply our own standards and criteria. However in general the end result on the ground seems on average better than when some LA's work in isolation. Sustrans have a reputation for getting things done which is difficult to argue with and there is not currently any other body out there to spread knowledge / practice between regions. In general Sustrans tends to work with a limited number of councils where the working relationships have been built up over a long time.
by tomb353
29 Aug 2013, 7:30pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Does this reflect well on cycle campaigners?
Replies: 45
Views: 12556

Re: Does this reflect well on cycle campaigners?

As ever, it's complicated.....

Welbeck Road probably should be declassified, it doesn't go anywhere and functions only as an access road to a large residential area. The comment from Newcycling is not outrageous in this context.

If implemented the scheme would have looked something like the one in islington around the back of arsenal stadium, no centre line, cycle lanes, buffer, parked cars. But a zebra crossing roughly every hundred yards which would have really civilised the street and worked well for bikes - every pedestrian refuge replaced with a zebra!

I'd call this a bit experimental.

Scheme was designed very quickly and ironically did not touch car parking in order allow a quick job and avoid being contentious. Far from perfect but given very low traffic flows not a bad place to experiment with doing this on a bus route.

It is difficult for those living outside the north east to realise how low car ownership is in a place like walker and how low traffic volume is. Anywhere else and you would need a bus gate at the half way point to make the scheme viable.
by tomb353
16 Feb 2013, 10:16pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Question - cyclelanes betwen cars and pavement
Replies: 47
Views: 3899

Re: Question - cyclelanes betwen cars and pavement

Hoping to copy elements of the Camden scheme on a route to school on Teesside.

Out of interest, assuming people won't let their kids ride a bike without some form of separation, what do people prefer the Camden solution with some parked cars, or footway conversions?
by tomb353
16 Feb 2013, 10:01pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Poynton regeneration scheme
Replies: 49
Views: 7292

Re: Poynton regeneration scheme

Not sure why it would get better over time, surely as motorist become more familiar with it speeds may go up?
by tomb353
28 Nov 2012, 11:39pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Sharing the Road - All Lanes are Cycle Lanes
Replies: 28
Views: 5115

Re: Sharing the Road - All Lanes are Cycle Lanes

Ian, you don't say where you are or what sort of area.

I think you are missing a trick. If there is not width on your local roads for cycle provision then what local cyclists and safety campaigners need to ask for is a reduction in the number of roads that are through routes in both directions for motor traffic. That way you either get the width or you remove the need for painting lanes. As the Dutch put it, sustainable safety, separation of traffic by mass & speed.

This is not an easy route to have to go down. But good luck.

If you are in a rural area and are talking about rural A Roads where traffic reduction can't happen then the answer may well be found by looking at agricultural land that adjoins the road. Taking a long term approach and buying or leasing land before building in a project hat takes several years is not seen that often with bike routes but it can be done.