Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

AndyK
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Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by AndyK »

As the subject been discussed here, I'd like to mention that Cycling UK's campaigns team has produced an online kit that helps you draft letters to your local council, asking it to create more cycling and walking space on the roads during the Covid-19 restrictions.

https://action.cyclinguk.org/page/59646 ... g.id=forum

One advantage of using the kit is that it fills in details of the laws and regulations that enable local authorities to do this, so the council can't claim that it's not allowed to or that it would have to wait months for public consultation.

There's a blog post with some background to the campaign here: https://www.cyclinguk.org/blog/why-we-n ... g-lockdown
Pete Owens
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by Pete Owens »

It appears to be campaigning for the exact opposite. The best way to maintain social distancing is to ride on the roads - these are wide enough to keep a safe distance from pedestrians and oncoming cyclists and to overtake.

CUK appear to be campaigning to cram us all together in narrow spaces. Whatever your views of the merits of segregated farcilities in normal times now is most certainly not the time to be installing them. Indeed we should be riding outside those that do exist to maintain our distance.
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gaz
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by gaz »

AndyK wrote:As the subject been discussed here, I'd like to mention that Cycling UK's campaigns team has produced an online kit that helps you draft letters to your local council, asking it to create more cycling and walking space on the roads during the Covid-19 restrictions.

Completed, sent and shared. Thanks.
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AndyK
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by AndyK »

Pete Owens wrote:It appears to be campaigning for the exact opposite. The best way to maintain social distancing is to ride on the roads - these are wide enough to keep a safe distance from pedestrians and oncoming cyclists and to overtake.

CUK appear to be campaigning to cram us all together in narrow spaces. Whatever your views of the merits of segregated farcilities in normal times now is most certainly not the time to be installing them. Indeed we should be riding outside those that do exist to maintain our distance.


It's certainly a point, and my initial reaction was similar. However having thought about it some more and studied the behaviour of other cyclists recently (especially the less-experienced ones, of which there are a LOT at the moment!) I think there is a lot of merit in it. There's never a good time to install "farcilities", but a simple allocation of more space is not a bad thing.

One issue at the moment is that on a typical city street, if there's a pedestrian on the pavement then a passing cyclist should swing out into the middle of the road to preserve a two-metre gap. Many obviously feel very reluctant to do that, even though the motor traffic is low.

Take the example of my own home town. We (local campaigners) have just spent months trying to influence a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP). amongst other things, we've been pushing to have several quiet one-way streets converted to cyclist contraflow (i.e. cyclists can legally ride both ways). One busy one-way street is dual-lane with very narrow pavements either side, and we've been supporting the idea that it could be made single-lane, with the freed-up space reallocated to allow more room for cyclists and pedestrians, and potentially a much-needed contraflow cycle lane. Now the thing is, to do these permanently is going to take years of debate and consultation and re-engineering of trasffic flows. In a historic city with narrow streets, to give more space for cycling and walking you have to give less space to motoring, and that's controversial to say the least. However right now, for the short term, motoring needs less space so it's the perfect time to try some of these things on a temporary basis. Right now, that two-lane street is quiet all day, so what the heck, try taking a lane away from the cars and lorries and see what you can do with it. They don't need it.

And it's not just segregated lanes. It could be closing streets off to motor vehicles completely; it could also be re-sequencing traffic lights at junctions so that they're not so heavily biased in favour of motor traffic. One junction on my route into the city centre has a toucan crossing where pedestrians and cyclists have to wait a minimum of 90 seconds (that's minimum, not maximum) after triggering it before the lights will change, regardless of motor traffic levels.. Now you could cross against the lights, and that's easier now there are so few vehicles out, but parents spend a lot of time trying to teach their children not to do that, so some end up standing there obediently for a minute and a half waiting for the lights to change. Late at night that timing automatically changes to a maximum of 20 seconds' wait or so. There's no good reason the council couldn't switch to the "night" pattern all day for the time being.

I don't necessarily see this as being of big benefit for us current regular cyclists - it's more about making the street environment less hostile for the people who've just dug their bikes out of the shed after years of neglect and are discovering that yes, you can cycle to the shops, or cycle to your job (if you have to travel), or go for a little family ride near home and enjoy it.

There are many more people cycling and many more people walking, and they all (well, most of them) are trying to keep 2 metres away from each other. That means they need more space. They needed more space anyway, but they especially need it now. They need some encouragement because we want them to carry on doing it after the coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Or at least, I do. When you start to get to these volumes of foot and cycle traffic there is a strong argument for segregated space, so long as it's enough space and not a token effort. For once there's a chance to try that out.
PH
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by PH »

I've filled it in, I'd like to see some round here. My usual cycle route takes me along a filled in canal and then alongside the river, it's busier in the daytime than I've ever seen it, walkers, joggers, cyclists, mostly in ones and twos sometimes larger family groups. At the same time some roads feel more dangerous without the congestion to slow them down, there's some I'd normally use that I'm avoiding. Even if you agreed with the logic that people would be better off using the road, they're not going to be persuaded to do so.
Pete Owens
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by Pete Owens »

AndyK wrote:One issue at the moment is that on a typical city street, if there's a pedestrian on the pavement then a passing cyclist should swing out into the middle of the road to preserve a two-metre gap.

Quite.
So the last thing you should be doing (unless you are actively trying to spread the virus among cyclists in to achieve herd immunity) is to put a line of cones to prevent responsible cyclists riding away from the edge - Yet this is exactly what CUK is promoting:
Image
(Image from the CUK page linked above)

And worse than that - that is actually a TWO-WAY cycle lane {FFE - family-friendly edit }; it wouldn't be wide enough for cyclists to pass each other leaving an adequate gap in normal times and physically impossible to do so leaving a 2m gap during the pandemic. As a response to Covid-19 it is utterly moronic.

Most pavements are not wide enough for pedestrians to pass each other safely so they need to step into the carriageway - and those that are they are required to share with cyclists. So the best way for cyclists to maintain social distancing is to keep out of cycle lanes and leave them for pedestrian use. And a useful campaign during the pandemic would be for cycle lanes to be designated for exclusive pedestrian use for the duration. Cyclists should be asked to ride well out in the carriageway - and if the all-important motorists are held up for a few seconds then so be it.
ChrisButch
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by ChrisButch »

It took me some time to realise that the last rider in that photo didn't have a flowerpot dangling from his left brake hood - it's on the road.
pedals2slowly
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by pedals2slowly »

Traffic density is so low in my home city this initiative is pointless.
What would be useful would be to promote cycling on the road as opposed to on the pavement.
I can't believe the number of adults still riding on pavements when the road is literally empty.
Now is a great time to learn to ride properly on the road.
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by PH »

pedals2slowly wrote:I can't believe the number of adults still riding on pavements when the road is literally empty.
Now is a great time to learn to ride properly on the road.

It's a fantasy that isn't going to happen. Doesn't matter if every established cyclist agreed with you, you're not going to persuade all these new cyclists of it, it would be a complete waste of time.
pedals2slowly
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by pedals2slowly »

PH wrote:it would be a complete waste of time.


It's a good job established cycling campaigners don't take that attitude, we wouldn't get anywhere.
Actually now is a very good time to promote correct cycling practice, it would be far more difficult in 'normal' traffic density times...........IMHO
PH
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by PH »

pedals2slowly wrote: It's a good job established cycling campaigners don't take that attitude, we wouldn't get anywhere.

Maybe you'd like to provide a link to a campaigning group that promotes using the road in preference to cycling facilities, then we can have a look at just where that's got us.
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gaz
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by gaz »

pedals2slowly wrote:I can't believe the number of adults still riding on pavements when the road is literally empty.

All those adults are still sufficiently scared of the behaviour of drivers to view the road as unsafe for cycling. You see it with your own eyes, why can't you believe it?

We've had decade upon decade of encouragement aimed at getting ordinary people to cycle on roads shared with drivers of motor vehicles. It has failed.
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Si
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by Si »

My 2p's worth...

The 'safety in numbers' is an example of a high profile campaign aimed at getting cyclists to use roads, the idea being that drivers become used to cyclists and so behave better, and also the number of cyclists creates a traffic calming effect. It was heavily promoted by CTC (CUK). CUK has since realised that it doesn't work and instead now prefers high quality infra.

It's noticeable that those Northern European cities where cycling is popular have lots of infra and don't rely on chucking the cyclists into the traffic. That's not to say that cyclists don't also use the roads where they feel comfortable.

Speaking as a bikeability instructor who has worked for years in schools and with adults, teaching them to ride safely on roads, my experience is that it comes a very poor second to good infra, and does little to promote cycle use.

There are plenty of cyclists who have no issues with riding on roads of all shapes and sizes, but remember that what we want is everyone on bikes, not just the elite. Look at that busy urban road that you have just ridden down comfortably....would you be happy with a seven year old riding on it by themselves?

As for putting infra in now...very good time to do it as low traffic levels mean that there is less resistance to it, and if it gets lots more people out on their bikes and using it they are more likely to make a fuss about keeping it after lockdown. Plus, although traffic levels are currently lower, in many cases it's faster, and there are a lot of people using bikes for the first time in years.
carpetcleaner
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by carpetcleaner »

A few years ago my council employed a 'cycling officer' who didn't own a bike and never cycled.

Councils are not really interested in cycling. There are no votes in it.
Pete Owens
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Re: Cycling UK campaign - Ask your council for cycle space during lockdown

Post by Pete Owens »

Si wrote:As for putting infra in now...very good time to do it

Whether or not you think that there is any merit in cycle lanes during normal times (and there are 547 other threads devoted to the segregation debate in this forum in which the pros and cons are endlessly repeated - and these really ought to be put into their own sub-form in the way that the endless helmet debate is). What this thread is about is asking for TEMPORARY measures as a response to the pandemic.

The one thing above all others we need to be doing now to keep ourselves safe and control the spread of the virus is to maintain social distancing. This means riding well away from each other and from pedestrians. In order to do this we now need to ride on roads and well away from pavements. Whether you think that segregation makes the roads more dangerous or safer in normal times, at the moment proximity to pedestrians and other cyclists represents a hazard orders of magnitude higher than motors)

Putting in measures to force us to ride close to each other and in close proximity to pedestrians at the time of a highly infectious disease is stupid beyond belief.
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