Highways engineers implementing traffic calming to satisfy local politicians are keen to include pinch points and single-way “gates”. When challenged that cyclists are put at risk by these new features, due to dangerous, careless or simply incompetent drivers, we are told that they are proven cost-effective measures! The implication is that, overall, they reduce injuries to cyclists and pedestrians caused by motor vehicles.
Is there evidence that this claimed benefit derives simply by treating pedestrians and cyclists as a single group – of vulnerable road users? If the reduction in injuries to pedestrians, who are crossing the road, outweighs the conflicts between motorists and cyclists forced into the same width of road, then the problems for cyclists can be conveniently ignored by the planners and politicians.
Maybe each scheme should display the phone number of the local politician who approves the scheme, so that cyclists who have life-threatening experiences at these locations can properly have their near-misses recorded, rather than ignored?
Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
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Chris
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
I like those road humps that are made so that bicycles can avoid them, as can motorcycles, and large lorries can have one wheel over ne side of them, and the other wheel over the other side. But car drivers have to go over them. This cuases all drivers to be forced into a place in the road so that they can go over the hump square on. It also causes bicycles to hav to go inbetween them. That said it "calms the system" causing all road users to be forced to going somewhere they would rather not be (i.e rather be in the centre of the road avoiding hidden driveways and parked cars, or over to one side to avoid children) and causing them to concentrate on the road hump rather than the children playing by the side of the road up ahead. Aren't these traffic calming schemes great? :S
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Pinky
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
At all times as I approach these "pinch points I take up a position in the centre of the lane to avoid being "pushed out". It is the only way that i feel safe and motoists might be frustrated but at least they know what I am doing -- and hopefully way. Otherwise these traffic calming measure are generally v dangerous to cyclists
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Jeremy Parker
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
There's a new research report out, "The effect of road narrowings on cyclists", from TRL Ltd - the Transport Research Lab, as was. It has a fairly comprehensive collection of facts. It's on the web at <www.trl.co.uk/abstracts/trl621.pdf>
Jeremy Parker
Jeremy Parker
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mbadmin
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
. . . on the web at ???
This is of much interest to me. There is a refuge just up the road from CTC HQ. It would be hard to make this road feature any more hostile to cyclists. I'm sure you know what I mean . . . just wide enough to tempt the idiots to try to squeeze through.
Even more extraordinary that it should be built so close to an office full of knowledge about the consequences of building such . . .an affront !!!
Regards
mbadmin
This is of much interest to me. There is a refuge just up the road from CTC HQ. It would be hard to make this road feature any more hostile to cyclists. I'm sure you know what I mean . . . just wide enough to tempt the idiots to try to squeeze through.
Even more extraordinary that it should be built so close to an office full of knowledge about the consequences of building such . . .an affront !!!
Regards
mbadmin
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Manc
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Pedalling Pete
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
Many thanks for info. I note it is some 52 pages of PDF, so patience required both to download, and to analyse.
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gar
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
In the village where I hang out Affpuddle
near Dorchester. the road has become so busy in the last four or five years with very fast speeding cars that nobody can use the village street at all.
I spent some time replacing the hazard warning posts to give at least a little protection to those unwise enough to walk that way. Cyclists also use it at their peril.
HWPs are not liked by motorist or lorry driver.
They would cheerfully damage a human being but not want to hurt their poor dear vehicles.
As soon as I replaced the HWPs the local lorry drivers ripped them out as they are blazing a trail
through the village to make it a faster wider road.
Head ons collisions and motorbike deaths are now familiar facts just here.
It is a one track road. Some cars go 55 round blind corners.
The highways department will not hear of replacing the HWPs nor any other form of
slowing the traffic.
Gar
near Dorchester. the road has become so busy in the last four or five years with very fast speeding cars that nobody can use the village street at all.
I spent some time replacing the hazard warning posts to give at least a little protection to those unwise enough to walk that way. Cyclists also use it at their peril.
HWPs are not liked by motorist or lorry driver.
They would cheerfully damage a human being but not want to hurt their poor dear vehicles.
As soon as I replaced the HWPs the local lorry drivers ripped them out as they are blazing a trail
through the village to make it a faster wider road.
Head ons collisions and motorbike deaths are now familiar facts just here.
It is a one track road. Some cars go 55 round blind corners.
The highways department will not hear of replacing the HWPs nor any other form of
slowing the traffic.
Gar
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Pedalling Pete
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
GAR, You are lucky to still have the Hazard Warning Posts. Near me on an unlit piece of parkland, near a cross roads, the Highways folk have replaced the plastic posts. They were placed at a single-working Gateway. As the gateway was unlit, as were the warning signs, the posts had been hit by vehicles whose drivers had failed to spot the deliberate hazard created by the planners.
Cyclists could avoid the hazard by riding between the posts, if threatened by oncoming vehicles that failed to recognise the priority signs.
In response to the wrecked Hazard Warning Posts the planners have built a raised kerb to force all vehicles, including cyclists, into the unlit killing field of the Gateway.
If a cyclist is subsequently killed, you can be sure that while the Police may pursue a case against the motorist, the planners and councillors who approved these plans will get away scott free.
Wake up, the CTC! We need action - not white papers of best practice!
Cyclists could avoid the hazard by riding between the posts, if threatened by oncoming vehicles that failed to recognise the priority signs.
In response to the wrecked Hazard Warning Posts the planners have built a raised kerb to force all vehicles, including cyclists, into the unlit killing field of the Gateway.
If a cyclist is subsequently killed, you can be sure that while the Police may pursue a case against the motorist, the planners and councillors who approved these plans will get away scott free.
Wake up, the CTC! We need action - not white papers of best practice!
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gar
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
Pedalo Pete,
I am all in favour of direct action like LCC campaign, but it would be difficult to interest local people in action as many of them only live here
for a couple of months of the year at the most.
Rest of time in Hounslow or Kew.
Highways committee manager is a very ignorant man who says he is on the side of the lorry drivers and was one for 20 years.
You may have noticed the Reg which was introduced two/three years ago re mowing the edges of B roads before the 1st July, which is sevrely damaging to the wildlife and habitat
ecological balance of it.
It is certainly so in Dorset and my private campaign was successful.. I did not say that
part of the wildlife included cyclists/ped/horse
who could disappear into the hedgerow when threatened (getting stung perhaps) whereas the
car/lorry drivers don't know what is there under deep growth, so will not do potential damage to
their vehicles by driving through it!!
Useful concept for your County.
Cherish the "B" road hedgerows.
I have my fingers crossed for this year's
wild life stock. The "B" edge rows are looking good.
Do come stay Pete. there is always a spare bed
you buy the beer..
gar
I am all in favour of direct action like LCC campaign, but it would be difficult to interest local people in action as many of them only live here
for a couple of months of the year at the most.
Rest of time in Hounslow or Kew.
Highways committee manager is a very ignorant man who says he is on the side of the lorry drivers and was one for 20 years.
You may have noticed the Reg which was introduced two/three years ago re mowing the edges of B roads before the 1st July, which is sevrely damaging to the wildlife and habitat
ecological balance of it.
It is certainly so in Dorset and my private campaign was successful.. I did not say that
part of the wildlife included cyclists/ped/horse
who could disappear into the hedgerow when threatened (getting stung perhaps) whereas the
car/lorry drivers don't know what is there under deep growth, so will not do potential damage to
their vehicles by driving through it!!
Useful concept for your County.
Cherish the "B" road hedgerows.
I have my fingers crossed for this year's
wild life stock. The "B" edge rows are looking good.
Do come stay Pete. there is always a spare bed
you buy the beer..
gar
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gar
Re:Cyclists v Pedestrians – Facts Please:
Since this post Dorset CC
has drawn white lines on the side of the road which will calm traffic which does not know the road.
Thank you CC and Mike Evans engineer maintenance.
Reducing the speed of traffic to 10mph through the conservation area of the village would be a perfect answer, including these white lines.
If any cyclists goes thru Affpuddle please let me know what you think of the lines.
gar
has drawn white lines on the side of the road which will calm traffic which does not know the road.
Thank you CC and Mike Evans engineer maintenance.
Reducing the speed of traffic to 10mph through the conservation area of the village would be a perfect answer, including these white lines.
If any cyclists goes thru Affpuddle please let me know what you think of the lines.
gar