Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

wjhall
Posts: 265
Joined: 1 Sep 2014, 8:46am

Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by wjhall »

Farm Lane leaves the back road past Spaniorem where Berwick Lane becomes Bowstreet Lane to run west to cross the M5 and so on through the Western Approach industrial estate to Severn Beach. There are only two properties on it, the church, and Church Farm, as short distance from this end, after which it is closed to motor traffic by large concrete blocks.

It was a typical rural Y-junction with a green triangle in the middle, somewhat scruffy. What it really needed, apart from attention to the surface, was a seat on the grass, for passing cyclists and local people taking the air.

What it is getting, as part of walking and cycling improvements which I believe are using moneys related to the new motorway junction is recreation with urban style kerbs, complete tarmacing, and a left filter cycle lane. The filter lane is completely superflous, anyone who has reached the junction over three km of ordinary minor road will be capable of making a left turn at a minor road junction.

There is a similarly superflous left filter lane at the bottom of Hollywood Lane, as part of the same scheme, which is also to be closed to through motor traffic above the house at the bottom.

I had thought that this urban style reconstruction had been dropped in response the consultation, but I assume that I misunderstood the results.

There appear to be only the following possible explanations:

(a) This is part of an NCN so it must have the full cycling provision works to some unknown standard, or possibly just a selection from the notorious big book of cycle facilities.

(b) The aim is to spend the whole cycling budget in an out of the way place where it will not annoy anyone.

(c) Someone influential wishes to improve access for large vehicles to either the church, or Church Farm, or possibly local public opinion thinks the church access should be improved. Adding the left filter lanes allows this to be done using the cycling budget. They could probably just have painted some cycle symbols on the road and saved the taxpayer some of the cost, but presumably this would conflict with (a).

(d) The more cynical could see a long term scheme to reopen the route to the motorway, as a motorway access for light traffic. The embankment ramps at the junction are still there, and there is a new abutment pointing east.

(a), (b), (c) and (d) are not mutually exclusive, all could apply.

Furthermore, as you might expect for council works the actual construction has been going on for about two months, giving us the typical local authority combination of profligacy and inefficiency. Although it is not on the Liverpool scale it does suggest that when the commissioners have finished on Merseyside they could usefully be redeployed to other authorities to examine inefficiency and profligacy.

Farm Lane: as it was
Farm Lane end Compton Greenfield-google earth.jpg


Farm Lane: revised
210327-414  Farm Lane end-new works-view NW.JPG


Farm Lane: revised
210327-413  Farm Lane end-new works-view SE.JPG


Hollywood Lane: works in progress
210227-22 Hollywood Lane cycle works.jpg
Pete Owens
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Joined: 7 Jul 2008, 12:52am

Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by Pete Owens »

It is the obseesion with segregation that dominates planners, Sustrans and some contributers to this forum. As you say, what would be really useful for passing cyclists would be a nice bench to rest for a while. The trouble is that would not be a segregated cycle bench so it wouldn't count (I suppose you could paint a line down the middle with a cycle symbol on one one side).

Presumably the location for the segregated cycle lanes were chosen because the triangles are the only parts of the route where there is sufficient width within the highway boundaries to accomodate them.

That actually used to be the junction of two NCN routes until Sustrans decided that route 410 didn't meet their standards of absurdity. I would imagine they are keen to avoid cyclists accidently straying onto the Avon Cycleway by failing to take the left turns.
wjhall
Posts: 265
Joined: 1 Sep 2014, 8:46am

Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by wjhall »

Actually the Avon Cycleway and its brown signs still exists.

As a minor contribution to public jollity someone ran over one of the new bollards before the white lanes had even been painted. I suspect someone GPS guided backing out after meeting the small circular sign that tells you that whatever your GPS says, Farm Lane is not a through road.

210329-429  Farm lane run down post.JPG
markjohnobrien
Posts: 1037
Joined: 4 Oct 2007, 8:15pm

Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by markjohnobrien »

wjhall wrote: 28 Mar 2021, 7:16pm Farm Lane leaves the back road past Spaniorem where Berwick Lane becomes Bowstreet Lane to run west to cross the M5 and so on through the Western Approach industrial estate to Severn Beach. There are only two properties on it, the church, and Church Farm, as short distance from this end, after which it is closed to motor traffic by large concrete blocks.

It was a typical rural Y-junction with a green triangle in the middle, somewhat scruffy. What it really needed, apart from attention to the surface, was a seat on the grass, for passing cyclists and local people taking the air.

What it is getting, as part of walking and cycling improvements which I believe are using moneys related to the new motorway junction is recreation with urban style kerbs, complete tarmacing, and a left filter cycle lane. The filter lane is completely superflous, anyone who has reached the junction over three km of ordinary minor road will be capable of making a left turn at a minor road junction.

There is a similarly superflous left filter lane at the bottom of Hollywood Lane, as part of the same scheme, which is also to be closed to through motor traffic above the house at the bottom.

I had thought that this urban style reconstruction had been dropped in response the consultation, but I assume that I misunderstood the results.

There appear to be only the following possible explanations:

(a) This is part of an NCN so it must have the full cycling provision works to some unknown standard, or possibly just a selection from the notorious big book of cycle facilities.

(b) The aim is to spend the whole cycling budget in an out of the way place where it will not annoy anyone.

(c) Someone influential wishes to improve access for large vehicles to either the church, or Church Farm, or possibly local public opinion thinks the church access should be improved. Adding the left filter lanes allows this to be done using the cycling budget. They could probably just have painted some cycle symbols on the road and saved the taxpayer some of the cost, but presumably this would conflict with (a).

(d) The more cynical could see a long term scheme to reopen the route to the motorway, as a motorway access for light traffic. The embankment ramps at the junction are still there, and there is a new abutment pointing east.

(a), (b), (c) and (d) are not mutually exclusive, all could apply.

Furthermore, as you might expect for council works the actual construction has been going on for about two months, giving us the typical local authority combination of profligacy and inefficiency. Although it is not on the Liverpool scale it does suggest that when the commissioners have finished on Merseyside they could usefully be redeployed to other authorities to examine inefficiency and profligacy.

Farm Lane: as it was
Farm Lane end Compton Greenfield-google earth.jpg

Farm Lane: revised
210327-414 Farm Lane end-new works-view NW.JPG

Farm Lane: revised
210327-413 Farm Lane end-new works-view SE.JPG

Hollywood Lane: works in progress
210227-22 Hollywood Lane cycle works.jpg
What a compete and utter waste of money on the planning, design, and construction in the middle of nowhere.
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wjhall
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Joined: 1 Sep 2014, 8:46am

Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by wjhall »

The main entertainment at the other end of Farm Lane is completing a new motorway junction without definite arrangements about who was responsible for connecting it to the road network.

A supporting act is provided by the new cycle crossing, which uses two tunnels. an S bend to reach the bridge level on one side and a spiral on the other. I suspect that the curves on the S bend are in the wrong order, the sharper radius should be at the top not where it curves into the E tunnel.

However the details are definitely puzzling. Originally both tunnels started with an array of three bollards in echelon, to which were later added temporary solar powered lamps, probably because the lights in the tunnel were not yet wired up. The coloured bands puzzle me, all red one way and all white the other. I thought these things were generally meant to be near and offside markers. As if the obstruction from the bollards was not enough most of the lamp bases stick out into the track.
200810-4  Junction X Eastern approach - bollards-lamps.jpg
Subsequently some of the bollards were torn off, and left on the ground, aligned with the direction of traffic and protected by cones.
210202-4 M49 Cycle crossing W tunnel E end - recumbent posts - cones lamp base protrusion.jpg
Then some of the posts were removed leaving 30 mm high stubs.
210327-407 Farm Lane cycle track east tunnel-post stubs.JPG
This has been going on at least since last summer. I like to think that the occasional rectifications result from my occasional prods using Fix-My-Street, I suspect they are just pottering about in their own good time.

All this fancy stuff leads out to a temporary rough path and will presumably continue to do so for the foreseeable future, until agreement on who is responsible for connecting the whole thing to the roundabout and Western Approach estate. I have suggested that this should be upgraded on the basis that sorting out the connection will take a long time.
210202-6 M49 Cycle crossing W temporary exit - flooding.jpg
Last edited by wjhall on 17 Apr 2021, 12:58pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Redvee
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Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by Redvee »

That cycle lane at the motorway junction cost £50m :) That was the cost of the motorway junction that isn't connected to the industrial estate. The first time I rode it was in the dark and had good lights so I could see where I was going etc and in preperation for Farm Lane as there is no lighting along it but I nearly turned back as I thought I'd gone round in a big circle.
xerxes
Posts: 142
Joined: 10 May 2013, 7:22pm

Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by xerxes »

I think some of these schemes are devised simply so that someone can tick a box (relating to provision for cyclists, or maybe environmental considerations) on their performance contract.
wjhall
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Joined: 1 Sep 2014, 8:46am

Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by wjhall »

And now they have ticked the midget cycle signs box. At last we have our own place on the road... ... within five hundred millimetres of the edge.
210426-852 Farm Lane end-cycle signs.JPG
The problem with these small cycle signs is that that is exactly the impression they create, that they mark where cyclists may ride. If the intention is to warn drivers of the presence of cyclists then these might have been acceptable had they been in the middle of each side of the road, but as well as sensible placing, cycle road markings should generally be at least a metre wide to avoid appearing to define a narrow cycling zone.
Pete Owens
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Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by Pete Owens »

Again it is the auto-supremacist obsession with segregation. On no account should a cyclist ever ride anywhere that might cause the slightest delay to the important people driving cars. Preferably off the road altogether, or failing that by painting a narrow lane in the gutter. But if the road is so narrow that it cannot accomodate a cycle lane or path then cyclists must stll be instructed to ride brushing the hedge so as not to obstruct the passage of legitimate road users (which as far a sustrans is concerned no longer includes cyclists)
wjhall
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Joined: 1 Sep 2014, 8:46am

Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by wjhall »

The post stumps have now been dealt with by replacing the posts, including the strange all white, all red, orientation of the tops. Probably the least sensible solution. The original design suggests incompetence. If the aim is to keep cars out two posts would be sufficient, the arrangement of three is not close enough to obstruct motorbikes. The solar powered lamp concrete bases protruding into the track remain, although the lamps in the tunnel now appear to be wired up and lit.

It looks as if the sawing off and replacement may have been a deliberate operation to make the posts removable, the flaps and padlocks do not appear on the sawn off photos.
210626-2247 Farm Lane M49 crossing wooden posts repaired.JPG
On Farm Lane itself what appear to be solar powered edge lights have appeared. As I do not use it in the dark it is difficult to judge whether these are the greatest thing since sliced bread, or another way of consuming money. I lean towards the latter, anyone riding there in the dark should be using lamps powerful enough to show both the edge and other users. Being active they will presumably fail fairly soon, and need replacement, which will not be done.
210626-2245 Farm Lane solar lamp edge lights.JPG
210626-2246 Farm Lane solar lamp edge lights.JPG
I suppose compared to constructing a motorway junction without arranging connection to the outside world, a few posts and fancy lamps are small beer.
Xbigman
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Joined: 16 Sep 2019, 6:39pm

Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by Xbigman »

I rode this route twice recently and whilst I agree the junction in the middle of nowhere that was the original thrust of this thread defies explanation, I must say this is a surprisingly pleasant route to ride. Yes the spiral ramp and post layout could be better but the surface is smooth and a decent width, so I have no problem with it. The next section which is between two sets of temporary barriers runs across a piece of waste ground that will someday have something built on it. At that point the route will be finalised. I can wait. Moving through the industrial estate you should cycle on the pavement. This is something that usually annoys me but as its an industrial estate there are no shoppers with kids and dogs walking about. It's a wide smooth surface and I had it to myself. I had no real problem with that either. Moving out of the industrial estate up towards Severn Beach you're riding on a segregated shared path. This has the usual issue of crossing side roads but there are at least some zebra crossings and the side roads aren't that busy. The alternative is to share 40 and 50 mile an hour roads with lorries. Again, despite the obvious minor deficiencies, I can live with it.
I would have done it differently and I believe I would have done it better but this is perfectly acceptable infrastructure given the area it passes through. If a route through a town/city was like this it would be pretty crappy.

Darren
wjhall
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Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by wjhall »

It is undoubtedly a useful route, which is why I have had so many opportunities to photograph it, but the pleasantness of the Farm Lane bit arises from the original road and motorway bridge, and not to any recent work, apart from resurfacing it, or construction of the new motorway crossing, which has just made the route longer and more complicated. The only real improvement that has taken place in the last thirty years is the disappearance of the mud path to the west of the motorway, which I assume has now vanished due to the completion of the industrial estate. The gap that forms part of the main failure to connect the motorway junction is not quite as bad as the mud track, but seems to be a tribute to it.

The concrete blocks that close the lane after the farm are also relatively new but have been there much longer than the current works.

All the faffing about, inappropriate features and fripperies of the latest phase deserve criticism because they are so typical of cycle planning and implementation, and occur on the Farm Lane part where they were not needed or in the motorway crossing where you would have hoped a major project could plan work to be done right first time. They may be a minor part of the grand farce of failing to connect the motorway junction itself, but still deserve criticism, and the layout of the new spiral crossing would probably not survive critical analysis, at the very least the curves on the S should be exchanged so that the tightest is not near the tunnel.

Remember, faffing about consumes cycle budgets that could be used for other cycle infrastructure.

The pavement route through the industrial estate would probably be considered good if if was in a town, but towns are not laid out on that scale. The main doubtful feature is the new parallel crossings of the side roads and entrances, only time will tell if these really work, but I remain to be conviced that the pedestrian zebra concept works at cycle speeds, or that the absence of stripes on the cycle part is necessary or helpful.
Richard Fairhurst
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Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by Richard Fairhurst »

I rode past these odd new filters last week.

The one charitable explanation I could (almost) believe is that they, possibly, reduce the radius of the curve at the junction, hence slowing vehicle speeds. Certainly the area was a bit Audi-infested. But given that Farm Lane isn't exactly a major thoroughfare, that doesn't really stack up in practice. Maybe a traffic engineer just looked up a junction design in their Bumper Book of Cycling Provision and unthinkingly applied it?

I was pleased the Easter Compton stretch on the B4055 appears to have been removed from the NCN - that was not a particularly fun cycling experience. Arguably the junction money would have been better spent on upgrading a path for cycle use from (Pilning) Station Road south to Farm Lane, but there you go.
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Redvee
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Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

Post by Redvee »

I came down the hill from the pub through this cycle lane on Sunday and didn't feel comfortable because of the fallen leaves and wet road surface, my top speed coming down the hill was only 22mph. With road traffic using the road the leaf mulch would be cleared by the tyres.
Xbigman
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Re: Farm Lane Compton Greenfield- Cycle works

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