Ring Fort Path
There is a need for a link between the A14 Histon interchange with Ring Fort Path in Orchard Park.
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:
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A14 Histon Interchange is Hostile to Bikes
The A14 Histon Interchange is hostile to bikes as their is no way to safely cross the entrance slip roads onto the A14.
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Cottenham to Histon Cycleway
The Cottenham to Histon cycleway needs improvement.
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North West Cambridge site - planning application
Major planning for 3,000 houses between Madingley Road and Huntingdon Road.
It will also have shops, University laboratories, etc.
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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.
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Northstowe Planning Application
Major planning application here - c. 10,000 homes
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New gate - why can't I cycle *in* here?
The new gate is exit-only but it's obvious that people will want to cycle in.
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Signage
Sign indicates permissive cycleway through Church although additional signage indicates that cyclists must dismount
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Evil posts on busway cycleway
There are some evil short grey posts on the busway cycleway that are really hard to see in the dark. I have heard of a number of people hitting them with disastrous consequences
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Improve signage coming out of underpass on guided busway
Lack of signage to indicate hidden corner and t-junction coming out of underpass on guided busway heading into Cambridge
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Visibility at Perne Road / Cherry Hinton Road junction
It is intimidating to use this roundabout because of the high shrubbery in the middle. It is supposed to slow traffic down but my subjective feeling is that it doesn't
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Unregulated car parking becoming endemic here
Since the private enforcement regime stopped, car parking is becoming endemic here.
This is ruining the feeling of this estate.
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Elmers End junction
This junction can be dangerous for cyclists due to narrow pinch points, and drivers being too eager to jump past them, and are happy to frighten cyclists by honking their horns due to them "being in the way", when they are just taking the primary position so that they don't get knocked off their bike.
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Poor road quality on Newmarket Road
It has an uneven degraded surface in the cycle lanes from the Elizabeth Way roundabout until the bridge.
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Downing College now banning cycling through their grounds
Downing College are cracking down further on people cycling through the area. Gate now moved and is locked.
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Wandle path bypass for Earlsfield
Garratt Lane at Earlsfield station sucks massively for cyclists, and is a jarring interruption to the Wandle Trail (Sustrans route 20). It would be great to extend the riverside path underneath the railway to avoid this dangerous stretch of road.
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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.
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Can't cycle along Hillside Passage
There's a nice cycle route along Mount Nod Road into Hillside Road that's interrupted by a short section of path marked "No Cycling". Adding a cycle path would remove an (unsigned) detour via Faygate Road.
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Regent Terrace
Get rid of the car parking in this street and replace with cycle racks - swapping 10s of customers for 100s for local businesses.
This map shows all issues, whether points, routes, or areas:
The most popular issues, based on the number of votes:
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Twickenham Bridge to Thames Path
The cycleways along the Thames Path and along Ducks Walk are not connected with the south/east side cycleway across Twickenham Bridge and only to the north/west side cycleway via a long detour through Old Deer Park or along The Avenue.
A ramped way down from the bridge would create a useful route for people into and out of Richmond town center that is currently only possible by using two flights of steps.
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Dangerous cycle lanes in Ipswich Town Centre
In Museum Street and Upper Brook Street/Northgate Street it is very dangerous to cycle. Both roads are very narrow, have lots of buses pass through and there are contraflow cycle paths. On those you are very close to the buses (both directions) even if you wait on the pavements to let them through because you are worried about accidents. Can cyclepaths go through Elm Street, Tower Street or Tower Rampart instead?
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Reduce conflict between cycles and pedestrians around Stoke Bridge
There is currently a bit of a conflict between pedestrians and cyclists around Stoke Bridge, between St Peter's Street and Dock Street, where there is the legalised pavement cycling.
To resolve this I would propose removing a lane of traffic (which is only needed for a very short time at peak times, and a small modal shift through improved infrastructure would resolve any congestion issues) and giving that lane to cyclists in a segregated fashion.
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Access to Minster Quarter (Townscape Heritage Initiative)
There was a Heritage Lottery Fund stage 1 project hoping to progress to stage 2 and work for 5 years from June 2014 to regenerate the "old town" around the Saturday Market Place. The initial draft contains no cycle measures but does mention cycle access policy, so may be persuaded to reinstate lost public cycle parking in places like opposite the old Post Office and might even be a way to fill in the missing link in National Cycle Network Route 1. The consultation papers are online at http://www.west-norfolk.gov.uk/default.aspx?page=26919 and open until 16 December.
The key cycling problem in this area is the difficulty of accessing Saturday Market Place without passing through the poor junction at its east end and the lack of signs telling cyclists to use Priory Lane to reach SMP.
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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. -
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.
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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. -
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.
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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.
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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.
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Narrow Approach To Clifton Suspension Bridge With Unsuitable Cycle Lane
On the eastern approach to Clifton Suspension Bridge the narrow road curves past a pedestrian refuge next to a toilet block. The short cycle lane that had started as approximately 1.2 metres wide narrows to approximately 0.9 metres at the refuge. More than half of the cycle lane at that point is paved with uneven cobbles unsuitable for cycling, especially on a bend. The traffic lane (approx 3.2 metres) is too narrow for a car and a bicycle to pass together. The cycle lane, in effect, is encouraging inexperienced cyclists to adopt a vulnerable road position and to cycle on an unsuitable surface.
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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.
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Proposed student accommodation on Peugeot site, Canterbury
Accommodation for 432 students is proposed on land at the rear of the Peugeot Motor Company in Canterbury. This provides an ideal opportunity to link Canterbury Christchurch University's Augustine House Library into Canterbury's cycle network.
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Restrictive Permeability between Bristol and South Gloucestshire on Wordsworth Road
A northern stretch of Bristol's waymarked "Concorde Way" runs along a quiet residential street, Wordsworth Road. On the newest housing development as Bristol gives way to South Gloucestershire there is a barrier between the end of Wordsworth Road and the start of Eighth Avenue to prevent motor vehicles passing through. There is a raised curb, offset railings and large grey concrete bollards and only a narrow passage either side of one bollard for cyclists to ride through. Tricycles, cargo bikes, or trailers might be to be lifted over the raised curb. In dusk or darkness neither the bollards nor the curb are easy to see. There is a light on the traffic sign offering some help, but a less intimidating arrangements or reflective/high-visibility surfaces could be considered.
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Manor Circus - crossing to North Road
Travelling south from North Road to Manor Road; you have to negotiate Manor Circus - the only crossing is a zebra crossing; followed by narrow pavement; which forces a dismount. Could the southern pavement be widened by extending it out over the former gasworks site?
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Emmanuel College 12/0029/FUL
Starting a thread about this application here so we can continue on from the previous planning list discussion.
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Old Market Dutch Style Infrastructure, Bristol
Proposal
Improve the public realm of Old MarketRationale
Old Market functions as the primary eastern entrance and maintains one of the most important historical collections of historic buildings in the city. Its unique character, central location and distinct identity make it an ideal place for regeneration. To encourage investment and regeneration, a scheme is proposed which seeks a reworking of the buses to provide stops at the edge of the street along with wider footpaths, cycle facilities and de-cluttering of signage and lining and a higher quality public realm.Part of the 2013 Bristol City Council LSTF proposals.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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Palewell Fields pedestrian route - obstruction
The path linking Bank Lane to Palewell Fields is currently pedestrian only, with gates across it. Opening this up to cyclists would improve permeability and provide a quiet route to Richmond Park Academy school from Roehampton (east-west); and to Ibstock Place school from Sheen (west-east).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.