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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
The Tories' economic competitiveness policy group has put forward a
10-point transport plan. According to John Redwood, this would increase road capacity by 10%, while cutting pollution. The proposals include: - rephrasing traffic lights to give priority to main roads - putting cycle lanes on pavements where there is room - letting taxis and motorbikes use bus lanes - providing more pedestrian footbridges and underpasses - "reviewing" speed limits - allowing drivers to turn left through red lights Read more he http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5039326.stm Bob |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
Bob Johnstone wrote:
The Tories' economic competitiveness policy group has put forward a 10-point transport plan. According to John Redwood, this would increase road capacity by 10%, while cutting pollution. The proposals include: - rephrasing traffic lights to give priority to main roads A euphemism for reducing or cutting out pedestrian phases. - putting cycle lanes on pavements where there is room Get those slow cyclists out of our way! - letting taxis and motorbikes use bus lanes Taxis already do. In general bus lanes are good for cycling because they contain little other traffic. Many are too narrow for even a motorcycle to overtake a correctly-positioned cyclist, within the lane, with sufficient clearance. - providing more pedestrian footbridges and underpasses See first idea. Would further discourage walking by increasing distance. - "reviewing" speed limits I don't think this means more 20mph limits - despite road capacity being maximised at about 17mph. - allowing drivers to turn left through red lights This has all sorts of practical problems, and would further deter walking. The main problems arise from most British traffic lights having only two lanes per stopline. If it worked at all, it would work better if drivers had to give way to pedestrians when turning on a green light as well. I'm not sure if it's worth making a fuss about this. It may be, if Tory-run councils start trying to follow it (insofar as the law will let them). Colin McKenzie -- On average in Britain, you're more likely to get a head injury walking a mile than cycling it. So why aren't we all exhorted to wear walking helmets? |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
"Bob Johnstone" wrote in message ... - putting cycle lanes on pavements where there is room Ah well, yet another reason not to vote Tory. |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
Bob Johnstone wrote:
The Tories' economic competitiveness policy group has put forward a 10-point transport plan. According to John Redwood, this would increase road capacity by 10%, while cutting pollution. Once upon a time, the current lot had shiny soundbites, too. This one appears to be Redwood, the arch-enemy of nasty European ideas about travelling by means other than a car. The proposals include: - rephrasing traffic lights to give priority to main roads Yeah, right. And they haven't been trying that kind of thing for upwards of 30 years now, have they? - putting cycle lanes on pavements where there is room So the corollary is to do something about the majority of current "shared use" pavements where there isn't room? - letting taxis and motorbikes use bus lanes Erm, where are the bus lanes that taxis (at least) can't use? - providing more pedestrian footbridges and underpasses Yep. Don't you love walking a ten-minute detour to avoid a ten-metre road crossing? Repeat until .. erm .. done for. - "reviewing" speed limits That could actually make sense, if it's clear that they are going to move both ways (as appropriate to different roads) and above all stop being so bloody halfhearted and apologetic about enforcing them. I expect they do mean at least the first part of that. - allowing drivers to turn left through red lights The corollary being prosecution of those who go straight ahead through red lights? -- not me guv |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
Bob Johnstone wrote:
The Tories' economic competitiveness policy group has put forward a 10-point transport plan. According to John Redwood, this would increase road capacity by 10%, while cutting pollution. The proposals include: - rephrasing traffic lights to give priority to main roads - putting cycle lanes on pavements where there is room - letting taxis and motorbikes use bus lanes - providing more pedestrian footbridges and underpasses - "reviewing" speed limits - allowing drivers to turn left through red lights Read more he http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5039326.stm Bob I feel a letter to my MP, the shadow Secretary for Health, coming on one the speech is made. -- Tony "Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory." - Leonardo da Vinci |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
I feel a letter to my MP, the shadow Secretary for Health, coming on one the speech is made. -- Tony One has already sent a missive to the Con Party HQ telling them what I think of the Vulcan's moronic proposals... |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
Colin McKenzie wrote: Bob Johnstone wrote: - providing more pedestrian footbridges and underpasses Would further discourage walking by increasing distance. And also (particularly in the case of underpasses) provide more places for "unsavoury" characters to congregate, leading to more people being scared to use them. PhilD -- |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
Jim Ley wrote:
On Fri, 02 Jun 2006 09:11:07 +0100, Colin McKenzie wrote: - letting taxis and motorbikes use bus lanes Taxis already do. What an incredibly London centric view. ??? AFAIK this is the norm throughout the country. It's just there are more taxis in London. Anyway, what does it matter? I could have said they all already do. Would you have called that a Bristol and certain London streets-centric view? In general bus lanes are good for cycling because they contain little other traffic. Many are too narrow for even a motorcycle to overtake a correctly-positioned cyclist, within the lane, with sufficient clearance. Then you're not cycling in the correct place, as there's plenty of room to ride two abreast in a bus lane. If you can't see the difference in clearance required between two light vehicles going at the same speed, and a light vehicle being passed by something far heavier at a closing speed of 20mph+, you may wish to try cycling on one of the many roads in London with free-flowing traffic and 3 metre-wide lanes. You will find that the experience is best when you do not allow drivers to try to squeeze past within the lane - and that you can't prevent motorcycles doing this. If it worked at all, it would work better if drivers had to give way to pedestrians when turning on a green light as well. Drivers do have to give way in that situation. Only to avoid a collision. The green light takes away the pedestrian's normal priority over turning traffic. Colin McKenzie -- On average in Britain, you're more likely to get a head injury walking a mile than cycling it. So why aren't we all exhorted to wear walking helmets? |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
Bob Johnstone wrote:
Read more he http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5039326.stm ¦ "We are saying that cyclists and pedestrians are very important and we want them ¦ to have better provision than they have at the moment," he said. Oh, oh! I did hear him on the radio this morning when the interviewer was suggesting that their plan was too car-centric say that they were also going to do things to encourage cycling and make it safer. More crappy farcilities then. :-( -- Dave... |
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Greener, cleaner and safer roads
"Colin McKenzie" wrote in message
... Bob Johnstone wrote: The Tories' economic competitiveness policy group has put forward a 10-point transport plan. According to John Redwood, this would increase road capacity by 10%, while cutting pollution. The proposals include: - rephrasing traffic lights to give priority to main roads A euphemism for reducing or cutting out pedestrian phases. - putting cycle lanes on pavements where there is room Get those slow cyclists out of our way! I prefer off road cycle lanes as we are "expected" to use an on-road lane, wheras an offroad lane is generally more aimed at families & kids than "serious" cyclists. |
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