Issues
This section lists issues - problems on the street network and related matters.
Issues always relate to some geographical location, whether very local or perhaps city-wide.
You can create a new issue using the button on the right.
Listed issues, most recent first, limited to the area of Cyclenation:
-
-
Exeter to Crediton Cyclepath
The primary route between Crediton and Exeter is the narrow and busy A377. It has been the site of at least one cycling fatality near Newton St Cyres.
An alternative route is possible using the lanes north of the A377 through Sweetham. However this route is compromised at both ends - at Exeter in the Cowley Bridge area and in Crediton by the approach along the A3072.
Development of a safe route is belived to be of high priority.
-
Hills Road - roadworks chaos
General chaos in this area due to the roadworks. How can this be better managed to make cycle access as easy as possible?
-
Local area cycling and walking statistics
This is a general issue aiming to collect together details of cycling and walking statistics in Cambridge as the years progress.
-
Addenbrookes Trumpington Cycleway
Surfacing issues for this path.
-
Removal of Jesus Lane traffic lights
There are two sets of traffic lights on Jesus Lane which are not really needed any more and just cause delays.
-
Dangerous Junction
This junction is a problem. It has four exits and no one indicates their intent. We got the billboards removed a couple of years ago, but there are still accidents here.
It's a 20mph zone and most drivers ignore it.
The Magdalene place junction needs to be blocked off. -
Chilmington Green development
The Chilmington Green planning application proposes approximately 5750 dwellings, four primary schools, a secondary school, local shops, community facilities, and a Park & Ride facility.
NCR18 runs through the heart of the proposed development.
-
Folkestone Harbour development
Planning application Y12/0897/SH proposes the redevelopment of a significant portion Folkestone Harbour and surrounding land. The proposals include up to 1000 dwellings and up to 10000sqm of commercial landuse. NCR2 runs through the development area.
-
Cycle parking needed for Faversham town centre
Faversham town centre currently only has a small amount of cycle parking provision of not particularly high quantity. Cycle parking should be provided to enable more people to choose to cycle instead of drive to the town centre.
-
Cycle path needed to The Abbey School
A cycle path is needed to serve The Abbey School in Faversham. The busy A2 at the front of the school currently provides a barrier to pupils and staff choosing to cycle to the school. A cycle path will reduce the number of pupils being dropped off at the school by car and the number of staff that drive in, thus reducing the burden on the highway network.
-
Cycle parking needed for Blean shops
Cycle parking is needed to serve the parade of shops at Tyler Hill Road in Blean. This will encourage people to choose to cycle to these shops instead of driving.
-
Cycle parking needed for parade of shops in Hunter Avenue
Cycle parking is needed to serve the parade of shops in Hunter Avenue to encourage people to choose to cycle to these shops instead of driving.
-
Replace "wheelbender" cycle parking with Sheffield stands
The "wheelbender" cycle parking serving the shop on the corner of The Terrance and Tenterden Drive should be replaced with Sheffield stands to encourage it to be better used and to prevent against damage to cycles.
-
Cycle parking needed for corner shop at Miller Avenue, Canterbury
Cycle parking is needed for the corner shop at the Miller Avenue, Knight Avenue junction to encourage people to choose to cycle to the shop instead of driving.
-
Cycle parking needed for shops on Sussex Avenue, Canterbury
Cycle parking is needed to serve the parade of shops on Sussex Avenue, Canterbury at its junction with Kent Avenue to encourage people to choose to cycle to these shops instead of driving.
-
No Entry at Westgate end of Canterbury High Street
It is unclear whether the No Entry sign at the Westgate end of Canterbury's high street applies to cyclists since there is also a sign nearby detailing the cycle restriction times for the pedestrianised area. If cyclists are legally allowed to ignore the No Entry sign then an "Except Cycles" sign should also be attached beneath the No Entry sign.
-
Beaney cycle parking hidden
The new cycle parking for the Beaney is not visible from the road and is not signposted. Therefore it is hard to find and suffers from poor passive surveillance / security.
-
Cycle parking at Marlowe Theatre hard to find
The cycle parking at the Marlowe Theatre is hard to find. Whilst it is signposted this is not obvious. A more obvious sign towards the cycle parking should be installed.
-
Poor cycle parking at B&Q, Canterbury
Canterbury's B&Q store has poor "wheelbender" style cycle parking which is hidden away from view. High quality cycle parking (e.g. Sheffield stands) needs to be installed in a more visible location, ideally close to the store entrance, in order to encourage more customers to choose to cycle instead of drive to the store.
-
Cycle parking needed at Ten Perch Road retail units
The retail units at the end of Ten Perch Road (Pets at Home and Staples) are well served by cycle routes, but they don't have any cycle parking available for customers. Cycle parking should be provided to encourage people to choose to cycle instead of drive to these shops.
-
Better cycle parking needed at Kingsmead Leisure Centre
The current wheelbender cycle parking at Kingsmead Leisure Centre is poor. It needs to be replaced with higher quality cycle parking (e.g. Sheffield stands) in order to be more widely used.
-
Cycle parking needed at Sainsburys, St. Dunstan's
Cycle parking is needed for customers using the new Sainsbury's store in St. Dunstan's.
-
Cycle parking needed at Sainsburys, Old Dover Road
Cycle parking is needed for customers at the new Sainsburys store at Old Dover Road.
-
Cycle parking needed at Kent County Cricket Club
Cycle parking is needed at Kent County Cricket Club to allow spectators to choose to cycle to the club. This will reduce motor journeys to the club.
This map shows all issues, whether points, routes, or areas:
The most popular issues, based on the number of votes:
-
Cycle path with give ways
The service entrance to the motorway services now has priority over the shared use path which runs parallel to the main road.
I have contacted both Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council about this change in priorities, but neither has responded beyond a cursory "we have received your email".
This is yet another example of through traffic being de-prioritised simply because it is on a cycle (or shared) path, rather than on a road. -
Ham Gate Ave - parking narrows road causing conflict
Ham Gate Avenue: As you cycle past parked vehicles which narrow the road by almost half you are trapped in a long tunnel. Impatient motorists who want to enter from the other end do so and simply drive at you forcing you practically into the gutter or off the road completely. Would it be ever possible to ban parking on this avenue and limit the speed to 20mph as it is in the park?
Note - there is a shared use segregated track alongside the road here (part of NCN 4) but it is frequently too narrow to cope with the volumes of cyclists and pedestrians; it is overhung with low tree branches and the surface is poor.
-
Crossing roundabouts on A167
The route on the east side of the A167 past Crossgate Moor and Framwellgate Moor crosses a number of roundabouts. The cycle-path leads you across the roads very close to the roundabout, via the central refuge in the middle of the road. Some of these roads have two lane entry to the roundabout. Crossing both lanes at once is tricky as you have to have an eye on whether the traffic is about to move out onto the roundabout. If you have a longer vehicle, such as a bus, waiting, then the route to the refuge is blocked. There are no road markings to warn motorists that cyclists might be expected.
The route is probably going to be improved as part of the Great North Cycleway. If these roundabouts are to be made safe enough for children to use, major alterations will be required. (The route goes past Durham Johnston School so should be available to children.) The route should cross further from the mouth of the roundabout, preferably on a different-coloured surface, maybe raised.
-
Upgrade footway on Wherestead Road over A14 to allow cycling and sign
Improving the connectivity from Bourne Hill over the A14 to Wherestead with dropped kerbs, allowing cycling and signing as a cycle route would be a step in the process to improving cycle access south from Ipswich to various places including Jimmy's Farm (a family leisure venue, which should be cycleable to by a family with young children), Shotley Peninsula, and the land route to Harwich International ferry port for cycling to The Netherlands.
-
Various improvements between Ipswich and Harwich International
Many cyclists won't cycle to Harwich International from the Ipswich direction due to the roads. There really should be a high quality cycle route for this to continue the cycle journey from The Netherlands, where you can ride of the ferry and on to quality cycle infrastructure. The fact people choose the train is not a good sign.
This issue is the overall goal, and needs to be broken down into smaller sub issues of smaller more specific projects or improvements that can work towards this goal.
-
Railway Route between Cambridge and Cherry Hinton
The railway line from Cambridge to Newmarket turns out across Coldham's Common and right through the middle of Cherry Hinton, and then carries on passing to the north of Fulbourn.
There are currently (2013) two main routes from the east of Cambridge to Cherry Hinton - the Tins and Snakey Path. However both have long very narrow sections involving pedestrian conflict.
The railway line is single track - but satellite images show the bridges crossing Barnwell Road and Coldham's Lane were both built for dual track. So this means there should easily be enough room to accommodate a cycleway alongside the railway.
This route could then connect up with the Chisholm Trail and provide a direct fast cycle route to and from the city and the Science Park area.
-
Petersham Road
There is a fairly good cycle lanes from Kingston towards Richmond up until you reach the Richmond Council border where Richmond Road (A307) turns into the Upper Ham Road (A307) and eventually Petersham Road (A307). At traffic lights along this route there are reserved areas for cyclists but along the roads there is nothing to remind drivers that cyclists share the road especially when the road narrows after Sandy Lane through Petersham. The road surface here is terrible and the speed bumps are pointless because some driver sprint between the bumps.
The best solution would be to remove the cyclists from this route altogether by upgrading the Thames Path to create a proper cycle path along the River Thames towards Richmond that currently stops at Teddington Lock. If a cycle/foot bridge linking Ham with Twickenham was built over Eel Pie along this route it would create an obvious link for those want to reach Twickenham.
-
Proper cycle provision on Cherry Hinton Road needed
Cherry Hinton Road is currently mainly typical 'blue sign on a pavement' provision, despite having the edge-to-edge width in places for proper cycle provision. A longer-term objective should be to upgrade this.
-
Cycle lane forces cyclists to yield priority
When cycling north-bound along Tavistock Road, there is a cycle lane in places. Once out from under the Crownhill Road bridge the lane turns sharply left, forcing cyclists to yield to traffic joining Tavistock Road from the left.
The Highway Code states you should yield to traffic from the right and this junction is very dangerous to cyclists. It would be far better to simply continue the cycle lane straight ahead and erect yield signs to traffic joining Tavistock Road -
Turn Dock Street entrance into continuous pavement/cycle track
The entrance to Dock Street should be turned into a continuous footway with pedestrian and cyclist priority over turning vehicles akin to this Danish junction: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcnmLU1ClTo
This would improve sight lines for pedestrians too as the dropped kerbs are away from the junction, and it would also go with the pedestrian desire line as many tend to cross closer to the junction than the dropped kerbs. It would also slow down the vehicles entering the narrow street.
-
Manor Circus
West side the cycleway terminates at the Manor Rd zebra crossing.
East side it vanishes 20 meters from the junction at the Lower Richmond Rd zebra crossing.
Path between is not shared use and is very narrow due to excessive road width on roundabout due to dedicated turning lane and large roundabout center.
-
Calton Gardens / Holloway
A dropped kerb at this point would improve the route that people can take to cycle between Bear Flat and the city centre - making it easier to use Calton Gardens to avoid the section of footpath on the alternative via Holloway and St Marks Church.
-
The 'Milton Road Effect'
Vehicles are continually abusing cyclists who use the road here because the bus lane on the other side forces the carriageway to be narrow.
Although there is the cycleway, it has the usual problems of loss of priority at sideroads, bins in the way, people going in and out of driveways, etc.
-
Link Meadlands Drive to Ham Avenues - surfacing
Providing a cycle-friendly surface on the path from Meadlands Drive to the road serving the German School and the Polo Club would improve cycling access to Strathmore and Russell Schools and help provide a better quiet route from Meadlands Drive area towards Richmond - providing more/better options for avoiding the busy Petersham Road.
-
Cycle lane infringement on Pembroke Street and Downing Street
Because of queuing for the Grand Arcade car park, amongst other things, the mandatory cycle lane on Pembroke Street and Downing Street is routinely abused by motor vehicles – one every 66 seconds on a Saturday afternoon http://www.cyclestreets.net/galleries/221/.
The corner at Free School Lane is a particular concern because vehicles traveling east can't see oncoming cycles.
-
Lower Mortlake Road side roads
All the sideroads between Richmond Circus and Manor Circus are a danger to cyclists on the cycleway.
There is no warning to motorists that there will be crossing cyclists and the building angles make it hard to see if anything is coming.
Turning traffic from the A316 can have an obscured view of the cycleway due to foliage.
Decrease corner radii.
Make road hump more pronounced.
Make cycle surface colour continuous across roadway.
Add markings across roadway.
Add warning signage.
Move give way lines back to before cycleway or add additional give way lines. -
Mortlake Station footbridge
Footbridges at Mortlake railway station should be fitted with troughs to enable cyclists to easily wheel bicycles to the other platform. Cyclists frequently carry bicycles over the footbridge, as per the photo - one going in each direction!
-
Bridge across King's Cross station
There is a campaign to get Google (who are currently building their new HQ in the King's Cross development) to provide this much-need bridge for pedestrians and cyclists. See http://googlebridge.kccp.org.uk/ .
-
Poor surface and old rail tracks on NCN51 St Peter's Dock
St Peter's Dock on the National Cycle Route 51 just north of Stoke Bridge has a really poor surface which collects water, also the old rails that are no longer used and no longer connect to the rest of the rail network are a hazard for cyclists and ideally should be removed.
-
Link from SPCC route to Ipswich town centre
The Shotley Peninsula Cycle Campaign have plans for a dedicated cycle path from the edge of Ipswich to Shotley. http://www.spcc.info/News%20and%20Projects.html
Upgrades are needed from Ipswich town centre to the new cycle track.
-
Upper Richmond Rd West / Sheen Rd cycle lanes
Westbound cycle lane is painted about 2m out from the kerb for no reason; child cyclists tend to follow paint rather than the common sense option which is to cycle next to the kerb.
-
Sheendale Rd / St Marys Grove railway bridge
Railway footbridge should have a ramp/trough added to make it easier for cyclists to cross the railway. This would then create a quiet north/south route to Marshgate school as an alternative to Manor Road.
-
Cyclists dismount on NCN route
If you follow NCN 7/14/70 through Durham from west to east, then after crossing Pennyferry bridge and proceeding south towards Fleshergate you find a no entry sign which adds "Cyclists dismount". There ought to be a contraflow cycle lane on this one way street. Round the corner just further on there is a contraflow lane!
Update, 3rd May 2016.
The road layout has been changed in conjunction with the new office blocks at Freeman's Reach. The road was previously wide enough to be two-way, apart from the problem of the bays for coaches to offload tourists. Now the pavement has been extended to enclose the bays, and the main carriageway is much narrower. What had been ordinary footway further along is now a ramp up to the office doors, with the footway now taking the place of part of the previous carriageway. There is a shared-use sign on the pavement, if you are travelling north, but "cyclists give way to pedestrians" has been added, as though they are aware that the space is not really wide enough. On the reverse of the sign is a "cyclists dismount" sign again, so there is still no means of turning south round the corner to join the short contraflow lane.By the end of Pennyferry Bridge there is now a little shared use sign indicating that it is permissible to cycle on the new walkway round the river side of the office blocks. Mixing bikes and pedestrians along this route will probably be unpopular.
-
Missing "except cyclists" sign
When heading west along Leigham Court Road towards Streatham Hill Station, there is a sign saying no right turn into Mount Nod Road. However, there is a "cycle plug" there, so the no right turn sign should have an "except for cyclists" underneath.
-
Sheen Road - Pinch Point
Pinch point outside Courtlands on Sheen Road. Despite resurfacing, pinch point has not been addressed. Because of the poor road layout vehicles frequently encroach into the cycle lane. At off peak times the wide road encourages speeding - vehicles often approach this pinch point at 40mph.