CYCLE LANE MADNESS
LIVERPOOL: CYCLE LANE MADNESS BROUGHT TO TWO MAJOR THOROUGHFARES
In sunny Dorset, wealthy homeowners in Sandbanks have been left furious after 43 parking spaces were replaced by a new cycle lane to encourage more people to visit the million- aires’ enclave by bike. The authorities have installed the new bike path on a 700ft stretch of the only road leading into and out of the exclusive peninsula in Poole Harbour, Dorset.
In Manchester, where a widened cycle lane scheme was set up in Altrincham, a pop-up lane lasted just 48 hours before it was removed by Trafford Council following outrage from drivers.
But brace yourselves, Mancunians… there’s more cycle lane madness on the way. The combined authority has received confirmation that its £3.1million bid in the first round of the emergency active travel fund has been successful.
West Derby Road, Liverpool
In Liverpool, on busy arterial route West Derby Road, the aforementioned Mail Online study found that just two cyclists used a pop-up cycle lane during a 15-minute period in rush hour, compared with 300 cars.
Motorists voiced their fury at the delay to their journeys as they sat stationary next to the vacant bike lanes, whilst cyclists complained that the gridlocked traffic was making air pollution worse. Taxi and private hire fares reflected the delays, unavoidably, and drivers commented on the build-up of exhaust fumes in both locations.
DERBY, DORSET, MANCHESTER… CHAOS ALL OVER THE PLACE
Derby City Council used part of the £228,000 granted to the city by the DfT to segregate the cycle lane on Uttoxeter Road, between the city centre and the Royal Derby Hospital, with concrete barriers. But cyclists say some sections are only 3.6ft wide compared to the government’s recommended minimum width of 4.9ft.
Oops…! A local cycling campaigner said that the new barriers had made an already narrow lane even less safe. “We can still cycle along in single file but because it’s concrete [as opposed to painted on], you can’t get out of the lane. Cars now think it’s safer to come closer to the cyclists, which means you’re more at risk if anything happens.”
In a statement, Derby City Council justified their action by saying that to have widened the lane at that point would cre- ate more congestion and hinder emergency vehicles on a main route to the hospital. They got that bit right… A spokesman said; “All the schemes are temporary and will be reviewed after three months for extension or amendment based on feedback.”
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New walking and cycling zones, pedestrian crossings and “filtered neighbourhoods” are also among the scenes expect- ed to be in place by October. The Manchester Evening News reports that a second tranche of government funding will also be made available for more permanent measures to cement walking and cycling habits in the future.
All but two of Greater Manchester’s ten boroughs – Rochdale and Wigan – put forward projects for consideration. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham can’t wait: he’s welcomed the government’s support of the wider plans to create more space for cyclists and pedestrians in the region.
Plans include temporary road closures, dozens of pop-up cycle lanes, reallocation of road space to pedestrians includ- ing a zebra crossing, cycle-only filter points and “quiet streets”. We shall report on the effects of these measures in future editions.
EVEN NORTH OF THE BORDER…
They’re at it up in Scotland as well: “Transport Scotland has announced a £10m fully funded programme to create ‘pop-up’ cycle lanes and walking routes in response to the outbreak. Local authorities will receive guidance on carrying out improvements including road closures, widened pavements and increased pedestrianisation.”
Go tell it to the cabbies in Glasgow and Edinburgh, where in both cities they’ve lost dozens of taxi rank spaces to make way for widened pavements and cycle lanes.
AND THE POINT IS… Actually there are a few points we wanted to make here:
1. Many licence holders have pointed out that cyclists do not contribute a brass farthing to the maintenance or structuring of our road network, and yet all this govern- ment funding has been aimed at their safety and wellbeing. Supposing some sort of road tax or levy were to be imposed on cyclists? Why shouldn’t they pay towards the upkeep of the hundreds of roads that are being turned over to them?
OCTOBER 2020
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