Search found 564 matches

by Wanlock Dod
24 Jan 2021, 9:13pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Levelling up?
Replies: 46
Views: 4880

Re: Levelling up?

drossall wrote:From the point of view of a London commuter before lockdown, the premise is not true. Cycling increased massively, mostly on normal roads.

Would that by any chance be the same London that has seen a fairly significant investment in relatively good quality protected routes for cycling in the past decade?
by Wanlock Dod
24 Jan 2021, 8:13am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Levelling up?
Replies: 46
Views: 4880

Re: Levelling up?

prestavalve wrote:If more people, and I don't mean Dutch numbers, rode on the roads we have today then we wouldn't need cycle lanes. Is it more cost, time and effort effective to change enough minds to reach that point of critical mass, or is it better to ask for handouts from local councillors? I am firmly of the former opinion.

Can you offer any explanation of why decades of encouraging people to ride bikes on the roads amongst the motorised traffic have been so unsuccessful in terms of actually increasing levels of cycling?

prestavalve wrote:Nope, because government encouragement doesn't generally work with anything. You seem to have swallowed the stick a bit in immediately jumping to the assumption that the best way to change minds is by official permission.

You seem to be conveniently overlooking the fact that decades of providing high quality infrastructure at considerable public expense and making the overall experience easy and convenient has encouraged more and more people to choose to use cars for virtually all of their journeys, even quite a few that could easily be walked.
by Wanlock Dod
8 Jan 2021, 10:33pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Levelling up?
Replies: 46
Views: 4880

Re: Levelling up?

grufty wrote:We live in a small town of approximately 29000 people. There have been a couple of initiatives in the last year or two which have resulted in the introduction of the classic sub-standard British cycling facility. In my experience these require people on bikes to have a substantially higher level of awareness and competence than is required of motorists. This was highlighted in a blog from a local cyclist who was knocked off her bike on one of these new routes.

Any chance of a link to the blog that you mentioned?
You don’t seem to have said much about the poor facilities, but perhaps they had the potential to be good but were implemented poorly.
I don’t see any reason why small towns might need completely different approaches to larger cities, unless there are fundamentally different reasons why the people there don’t ride bikes. In a country where over half of the population believes that the roads are too dangerous for cycling that seems fairly unlikely. Plenty of large cities have narrow streets in the older parts, York, Cambridge, Oxford, and Edinburgh would seem like reasonable examples, although I don’t want to suggest that they have many examples of excellent cycling facilities. Perhaps rather than needing a different approach it is more a case of needing to ensure that the examples that are followed are successful ones, and that they are implemented well, rather than shoddily and cutting corners. Alternatively, if there really isn’t enough space perhaps consideration should be given to removing motorised traffic, as this will free up a great deal more space for every person that switches from a car to walking or cycling.
Safe and convenient protected routes for cycling on busy main roads that are the most important routes into, and out from, the centre seem to be a universal requirement for facilitating cycling in this country.
by Wanlock Dod
7 Jan 2021, 8:33pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Benefits of painted cycle lanes?
Replies: 50
Views: 5230

Re: Benefits of painted cycle lanes?

Bmblbzzz wrote:Substandard cycle lanes ... we could usefully discuss whether and in what circumstances they are better than nothing (which is going to vary from road to road and person to person) ...

Given that there is quite a lot of evidence to indicate that they encourage close passing by people driving, and also a recent study suggesting that the risk of injury is actually higher on roads with advisory cycle lanes compared to roads with no cycling facilities, there seems to be quite a compelling case that narrow (i.e. <2m wide) cycle lanes are probably worse than doing nothing, at least for people riding bikes (admittedly perhaps not so for the traffic engineers motivated by higher traffic speeds and flows, and that if you do nothing you can’t claim that you have “done something for cyclists”).

Can anybody give an example of when they might be better than nothing, and provide any evidence to support that?
by Wanlock Dod
5 Jan 2021, 8:23pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Benefits of painted cycle lanes?
Replies: 50
Views: 5230

Re: Benefits of painted cycle lanes?

mjr wrote:..., but vehicularists never want to leave it at that and work on what we agree on. They never seem able to resist suggesting that crap cycle lanes work as intended as part of some conspiracy.

Given that there has been a couple of decades of implementation of painted cycle lanes in some areas it seems to be reasonable to expect that if there were any evidence of benefits from them that it would be apparent, either in terms of direct evidence of large increases in levels of cycling on those routes, or appreciably reduced risks to cyclists, rather than a weight of evidence suggesting closer passing by drivers and evidence of increased risk of injuries.
by Wanlock Dod
4 Jan 2021, 3:52pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Benefits of painted cycle lanes?
Replies: 50
Views: 5230

Re: Benefits of painted cycle lanes?

I’m a bit surprised that so far nobody has suggested that the opportunity for councils to claim that they have done something for cyclists without inconveniencing drivers in any way might be viewed as a benefit, although it is admittedly one that is only available to councillors and council staff. Perhaps that could be best summarised as virtue signalling.

It’s quite telling that the most positive study I am aware of on painted cycle lanes is this one, and all it says is that other factors (drivers, road width, parking, oncoming traffic) may be more important than the painted cycle lanes. Perhaps the lead author wanted to justify painting some useless infrastructure.

So, given that there doesn’t seem to be any evidence of painted cycle lanes providing any discernible benefit (for cyclists at least), despite a couple of decades of implementation, and more recently evidence that they probably make road conditions worse for cyclists, should councils continue to maintain them? Perhaps a better option would actually be to remove them, or at least not repaint them once worn away by drivers using them.
by Wanlock Dod
28 Dec 2020, 7:49pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Benefits of painted cycle lanes?
Replies: 50
Views: 5230

Benefits of painted cycle lanes?

Is anybody aware of any published studies demonstrating the benefits of cycle lanes that are marked by paint only?

I’m aware that there are several studies of passing distances left by overtaking vehicles and that some of them suggest closer passing where painted lanes exist, but there doesn’t seem to be much of a consensus one way or another overall. There are plenty of advisory cycle lanes around the country, some of which have been in place for quite a while, so there has been plenty of opportunities for their benefits to be demonstrated and documented but I seem to be really struggling to find the relevant studies.
by Wanlock Dod
26 Dec 2020, 7:40pm
Forum: Helmets & helmet discussion
Topic: It's not cycle deaths ita brain injury that helmets protect
Replies: 13
Views: 2545

Re: It's not cycle deaths ita brain injury that helmets protect

Boulderman wrote:Having just read two issues cover to cover (including adverts) in under six hours I was dismayed to seeing active shots of cyclists without helmets. At school two friends were in a bike accident....

The author of the original post certainly presented the simple activity of riding a bike as a rather hazardous, and indeed dangerous, pursuit. There are certainly those who would rather that people viewed riding bikes as something that is a perfectly safe and normal thing to do. I am fairly sure that Cycling UK would want that, even to the point that they have a policy of trying to present images of cyclists as ordinary people doing perfectly normal things. Presenting cycling as something that requires special safety equipment does nothing to persuade people who don’t cycle that it is safe enough for it to be something that they might want to do.

I have had a couple of rather nasty falls this year, the worst of which resulted in a rather badly sprained ankle that took three months to recover from, and the other gave me a sore back for a good couple of weeks. I wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time of either of them, but I’m in no doubt that it would probably have helped if I had. I know full well that there is no way that I would ever let any children of mine use stairs without having appropriate protective equipment for the task.
by Wanlock Dod
11 Nov 2020, 8:16pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Gutted by poor covid cycle project
Replies: 20
Views: 1780

Re: Gutted by poor covid cycle project

A possible benefit of the miss use of the Tranche 1 funding is that it has probably made it quite easy to identify those local authorities, be it the councillors or the officers, that have no interest in providing safe routes for active travel and are really only motivated by a kind of virtue signalling to people who never cycle that they have done something for cyclists. The advisory cycle lane in Nottingham is an excellent example of money having been spent without providing any benefit to people riding bikes or causing any limitations on motorised traffic. I’m quite sure that there are quite a few other examples throughout the country.

The Tranche 2 funding for permanent measures was supposed to be available in early September but still no sign of it, it will be interesting to see what happens in the regions that didn’t feel that they needed to follow the requirements of the funding for Tranche 1 as and when Tranche 2 funds materialise.
by Wanlock Dod
3 Nov 2020, 5:38pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Gutted by poor covid cycle project
Replies: 20
Views: 1780

Re: Gutted by poor covid cycle project

Here is an extract out of the letter from the Department for Transport (dated 27th of May) about the indicative allocations of funding for the Emergency Active Travel Fund. Emphasis in the text below is mine, but are the points that I think are probably most relevant to your situation.

Rupert Furness, Deputy Director, Active and Accessible Travel, Department for Transport wrote:The amounts are only indicative. To receive any money under this or future tranches, you will need to show us that you have swift and meaningful plans to reallocate road space to cyclists and pedestrians, including on strategic corridors.
The quickest and cheapest way of achieving this will normally be point closures. These can be of certain main roads (with exceptions for buses, access and disabled people, and with other main roads kept free for through motor traffic); or of parallel side streets, if sufficiently direct to provide alternatives to the main road. Point closures can also be used to create low-traffic filtered neighbourhoods.
Pop-up segregated cycle lanes will also be funded, but are likely to be more difficult to implement quickly. As the guidance states, they must use full or light segregation. We will also fund the swift implementation, using temporary materials, of existing cycle plans that involve the meaningful reallocation of road space.
We expect all these measures to be delivered quickly using temporary materials, such as barriers and planters. Elaborate, costly materials will not be funded at this stage. Anything that does not meaningfully alter the status quo on the road will not be funded. As the guidance makes clear, 20mph zones can form part of a package of measures, but will not be sufficient on their own.
If work has not started within four weeks of receiving your allocation under this tranche of funding, or has not been completed within eight weeks of starting, the Department will reserve the right to claw the funding back by adjusting downwards a future grant payment to your authority. This will have a material impact on your ability to secure any funding in tranche 2.


There was also a webinar provided to local authorities on Wednesday the 17th June covering the Rapid Cycleways Prioritisation Toolkit. The webinar set the policy scene, why the Department commissioned an additional tool and how it could support LA's in their Emergency Active Travel Fund bids. Robert Furness makes a worthwhile point at around about 7 minutes into the webinar during his introductory talk that seems relevant to your situation, and I would recommend you listen to. In my opinion it does seem to support and strengthen your case for challenging your local authority.
by Wanlock Dod
31 Oct 2020, 10:02pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Gutted by poor covid cycle project
Replies: 20
Views: 1780

Re: Gutted by poor covid cycle project

Slowroad wrote:My city put in such a good bid that they got more funding that they asked for..... Hoever, months later, all we have are some more painted lanes and a few with bollards or wands. Several parts of the scheme have been put off to tranche 2. I was so proud of my city, now I feel gutted and let down...

The letter sent out by the DfT inviting local authorities to bid for the funding said something along the lines of cycle lanes installed must be segregated from volume traffic. If your local council have used this funding for painted cycle lanes they might not have used the funding appropriately, it might be worth submitting an FOI enquiring into limitations on the use of the funding, and whether up to date guidance was followed. Was it installed after LTN 1/20 was published?
by Wanlock Dod
16 Jul 2020, 9:08pm
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Less policing ‘causing rise in road deaths in England and Wales’
Replies: 55
Views: 5107

Re: Less policing ‘causing rise in road deaths in England and Wales’

Jdsk wrote:Any proposals for how to design the incentives to encourage the enforcers to behave accordingly?


How about basing targets on reductions in numbers of casualties rather than fines handed out. The casualty reductions could even be targeted at pedestrians and cyclists because they are perhaps a bit less likely to kill them selves, and it would encourage more enforcement in urban areas where there are more people. Imagine how much safer our cities would be if 20 mph speed limits were enforced.
by Wanlock Dod
11 Jul 2020, 3:46pm
Forum: On the road
Topic: Hit from behind while commuting - advice please!
Replies: 82
Views: 5163

Re: Hit from behind while commuting - advice please!

I thought that this kind of situation was the only one where there is a strict liability assumption as far as incidents on roads in this country are concerned, these sources would seem to confirm that.
https://www.injurylawyers4u.co.uk/2014/news/the-rear-end-shunt-is-the-following-driver-always-to-blame/
https://www.slatergordon.co.uk/media-centre/blog/2015/06/driving-into-the-back-of-someone-is-it-always-your-fault/
https://www.digbybrown.co.uk/news/rear-end-shunts-who-is-at-fault
Bicycles count as vehicles so I don’t see why it wouldn’t apply here, or does that only count when people riding bikes are being punished for offences?
by Wanlock Dod
14 Jun 2020, 11:29am
Forum: Campaigning & Public Policy
Topic: Use of cycle lanes / paths
Replies: 36
Views: 1871

Re: Use of cycle lanes / paths

I would have no problem with mandatory use of cycling facilities provided that they meet a set of minimum standards for width, surface quality, directness, convenience, etc... This would mean, for example, priority at side roads amongst other things. I know of no routes in Little Britain that would currently meet such a standard. There is a path in Lanarkshire that is probably the closest that I am aware of, alongside the B7078 South of Lesmahagow, if it wasn’t for the twentyish points where cyclists are expected to give way compared to using the adjacent road it would probably be fine.

It could well be that the forthcoming standard for cycling facilities is a preparation in anticipation of of such a future move. One concern that I do have is councils rushing to install as much woefully substandard infrastructure as possible prior to the standard coming into force. It’s worth remembering that actually relatively few of the routes in The Netherlands are mandatory for cyclists to use, and that they tend to be adjacent to major roads and convenient to use. It wouldn’t seem unreasonable to expect through traffic in towns and cities to be strongly discouraged at the same time, at least where bypasses are available.
by Wanlock Dod
12 Jun 2020, 7:59pm
Forum: Lands End to John O'Groats
Topic: Absolute beginner needing advice
Replies: 41
Views: 5768

Re: Absolute beginner needing advice

1) a comfortable one.
2) you basically need to be fit enough to survive the first few days, after that you will be an experienced cycle tourist and be capable of making it up as you go along.