Putting cyclists at risk

From the pages of the Scotsman

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=304402004

==============

Cyclists put at risk from road safety schemes, claims group

ALASTAIR DALTON
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT

ROAD-SAFETY measures designed to protect cyclists are putting them at
greater risk from other traffic, according to a new Scotland-wide body.

Cycling Scotland said the shortcomings of some traffic-calming and road
"improvements" had increased the danger of cyclists being hit by
vehicles or colliding with pedestrians.

The group said, despite such schemes being funded by Scottish Executive
grants to make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians,
local-authority officials had failed to follow design guidelines.

Cycling Scotland said they include slippery rubber "speed cushions" in
Ayrshire, cycle lanes being introduced against the flow of traffic in
Glasgow city centre, and awkwardly positioned cycle lanes near
roundabouts elsewhere. "Pinch points" that narrow crossings for
pedestrians also funnelled cyclists into traffic, it said.

Michael Addiscott, a spokesman for the group, said: "There are many
places where cyclists get squeezed into the traffic flow, are directed
into pedestrian crossings or are faced with pedestrians walking off
pavements on to contraflow cycle lanes. Unfortunately, the engineers who
are responsible for installing these treatments do not often understand
the needs of the intended user. They are discouraging those they are
meant to be helping, and in many instances putting them at real risk."

For example, Mr Addiscott said cycle lanes on the left side of roads
approaching roundabouts forced cyclists turning right or going straight
ahead to cut across traffic turning left.

He claimed the problem lay with local-authority roads officials failing
to consult relevant design manuals when constructing such schemes.

However, he said he hoped the official launch of Cycling Scotland as the
country’s first national umbrella body would improve the co-ordination
and planning of future projects.

The organisation, which is funded by the Executive, aims to help
ministers meet their target of quadrupling cycling between 1996 and 2012.

Mr Addiscott said cycling could help tackle child obesity, with the
pursuit more popular among youngsters than football. However, while
surveys have shown 46 per cent of children would like to cycle to
school, just 2 per cent do so.

Cycling Scotland said 80 per cent of households had access to a bike,
and twice as many bikes as cars were sold in Scotland every year.



--
Wallace Shackleton,

Kinross,
Scotland.

Cycling in Kinross-shire www.cyclekinross.org.uk

Perth & Kinross Cycle Campaign www.bycycle.org.uk

"Wallace Shackleton" wrote in message
...
From the pages of the Scotsman

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=304402004

==============

Cyclists put at risk from road safety schemes, claims group

ALASTAIR DALTON
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT

ROAD-SAFETY measures designed to protect cyclists are putting them at
greater risk from other traffic, according to a new Scotland-wide body.

Cycling Scotland said the shortcomings of some traffic-calming and road
"improvements" had increased the danger of cyclists being hit by
vehicles or colliding with pedestrians.

The group said, despite such schemes being funded by Scottish Executive
grants to make streets safer for cyclists and pedestrians,
local-authority officials had failed to follow design guidelines.

Big snip

Could apply to almost all local authorities in England as well, so this is a
UK-wide problem, and has been for years. LA has funds to "do something for
cyclists" and the usual response is to do something which looks good, but is
highly impractical, and can be dangerous.

In England, the ERCDT (English Regions Cycling Development Team) was
supposed to be sorting this out, but in the SW at least, they didn't
actually talk to anyone except the LAs themselves, and certainly not
cyclists, which has resulted in their reports being highly biased, and of
questionable use.

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 07:11:17 +0000 someone who may be Wallace
Shackleton wrote this:-

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=304402004

ALASTAIR DALTON
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT

"Pinch points" that narrow crossings for
pedestrians also funnelled cyclists into traffic, it said.

I do hope it didn't say that and The Scotsman has got it wrong.



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 08:13:30 +0000, David Hansen
wrote (more or less):

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 07:11:17 +0000 someone who may be Wallace
Shackleton wrote this:-

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=304402004

ALASTAIR DALTON
TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT

"Pinch points" that narrow crossings for
pedestrians also funnelled cyclists into traffic, it said.

I do hope it didn't say that and The Scotsman has got it wrong.

IMO any pinch point that pinches from the pavement to the centre does
funnel cyclists into the vehicular traffic.

Especially if there is a cycle lane preceding the pinch point, and
following the pinch point, which the pinch point is effectively built
over.

And, again IMO, pinch points created by using traffic islands are a
different matter.


Cheers,
Euan
Gawnsoft: http://www.gawnsoft.co.sr
Symbian/Epoc wiki: http://html.dnsalias.net:1122
Smalltalk links (harvested from comp.lang.smalltalk) http://html.dnsalias.net/gawnsoft/smalltalk

Wallace Shackle wrote:
From the pages of the Scotsman
Cyclists put at risk from road safety schemes, claims group
ALASTAIR DALTON TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT
ROAD-SAFETY measures designed to protect cyclists are putting them
at greater risk from other traffic, according to a new Scotland-
wide body...


I worked as a Town Planner for 5 years and if there is one thing tha
was made abundantly clear during that time it is that Local Authorit
Highway Engineers know sweet fanny adams about designing for cyclists

The vast majority of highway engineers always believe in the primacy o
the motor car above all other considerations, and go into collectiv
fits of apoplexy if you dare to suggest that perhaps the car should tak
second stage to other concerns

Until you can edify the engineers, you are going to continue to ge
absolutely crap "traffic calming" that introduces greater potentia
for accidents, more marginalisation of cyclists, and god-awfu
residential layouts

It isn't just Scotland that is suffering, it's the whole of Britain :


-

Gawnsoft wrote in
:

IMO any pinch point that pinches from the pavement to the centre does
funnel cyclists into the vehicular traffic.


I think that's what David was commenting about. Cyclists can't be funnelled
into traffic as they *are* traffic. Funnelled into *other* traffic or cars
maybe, but we are valid vehicular traffic. Talking about cyclists as if
they were some sort of separate entity helps reinforce opinions along the
lines of "It's our road, we paid road tax for it[1], get on the cycle
path!" type nonsense.


Graeme

[1] A statement which is itself complete rubbish.

In article ,
Gawnsoft writes:
I do hope it didn't say that and The Scotsman has got it wrong.

IMO any pinch point that pinches from the pavement to the centre does
funnel cyclists into the vehicular traffic.

I rather suspect David was being pedantic about the definition of
traffic. Correct, but probably not helpful.

--
Nick Kew

Wallace Shackleton wrote in message .. .
From the pages of the Scotsman

http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=304402004

This is news? Almost all of the cycle "facilities" I know make cycling
slower, more difficult, more inconvenient and more dangerous.

--
Dave...

On Tue, 16 Mar 2004 10:11:06 +0000 someone who may be
(Nick Kew) wrote this:-

I rather suspect David was being pedantic about the definition of
traffic.

I was being accurate.

Correct, but probably not helpful.

The idea that cycles are not part of the traffic is one of the most
dangerous ideas that road builders have. It encourages the "let's
get these dammed cyclists out of the way" approach that has led to
apartheid "facilities".


--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me using the RIP Act 2000.

In article ,
David Hansen writes:

Correct, but probably not helpful.

The idea that cycles are not part of the traffic is one of the most
dangerous ideas that road builders have. It encourages the "let's

In this forum, you're preaching to the choir.

In any forum where correcting that misapprehension is necessary,
a mere pedantic point is not sufficient. You'd have to explain.

--
Nick Kew