John Redwood's Transport Plan- cyclists share pavements.

Details he

On Friday in Barnet John Redwood revealed the interim thinking on the
immediate things a government - and local government - can do to help
ease the tensions and reduce pollution. The 10 point plan beneath
would tackle some of the obvious shortcomings that we currently
experience:

(1) Rephase traffic lights, abolishing all red sequences, giving
priority to main roads, and using traffic sensors for traffic from
side roads otherwise showing red.

(2) Allow turning left on a red light, using the red light as a "Stop"
sign.
(3) Remove dangerous chicanes, lane removals and cycle lanes where
they are sandwiched between heavier traffic lanes.
(4) Place cycle lanes on pavements where there is sufficient room for
pedestrians as well.
(5) Allow taxis, motorcycles, milk floats and electrically powered
vehicles into bus lanes, and remove bus lane restrictions at non peak
times.

(6) Encourage Councils to widen junctions, separating traffic going in
different directions. Encourage large companies to sponsor such works
where it can help their business.

(7) Widen car lanes around large roundabouts, creating two lanes where
possible instead of a very large central area.
(8) Provide safer crossings for pedestrians by footbridge or underpass
where appropriate.
(9) Build elevated carriageways or underpasses at main busy city
junctions to improve flows at peak times and rush hours.

(10) Review speed limits, using modern technology to have the right
speed limit at the right time - e.g. 20mph outside schools only when
children are entering or leaving school, higher speed limits the rest
of the time.



http://www.epolitix.com/EN/MPWebsite...3e7c9dfc40.htm


And on a lighter note:

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=RIwBvjoLyZc

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:C...sion_risks.jpg

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 05:02:19 -0700, spindrift wrote:

Details he

On Friday in Barnet John Redwood revealed the interim thinking on the
immediate things a government - and local government - can do to help
ease the tensions and reduce pollution. The 10 point plan beneath would
tackle some of the obvious shortcomings that we currently experience:


You cite the parts from the motoring section on actions to reduce traffic
hold ups. The part about cycling you missed out is:

"There is clearly a substantial opportunity, in urban environments, to
encourage people to travel short distances using public transport, as
well as to rediscover the lost habit of walking or cycling (which
would improve public health as well as the environment). As well as its
environmental benefits, increased use of public transport and of non-
motorized movement can significantly reduce the crowding on urban roads,
which otherwise does so much to diminish the appeal of our major cities to
investors and international businesses."

--
Tony

" I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong."
Bertrand Russell

I saw Clive Anderson interview Redwood and the smug Tory git came
across very badly so my dislike of the man probably coloured my view
of his proposals.

On Friday in Barnet John Redwood revealed the interim thinking on the
immediate things a government - and local government - can do to help
ease the tensions and reduce pollution. The 10 point plan beneath
would tackle some of the obvious shortcomings that we currently
experience:

Why don't they leave guidance to the Department for Transport. Whilst the
DfT get some things wrong they are getting better (see their consultation
on Cycling Infrastructure Design).

My impressions of this are that it's an amateur job drawn up after a 5
minute brain storm by a bunch of car-centric amateurs. It reads like
something from the '60s, or the populist nonsense put out by UKIP or the
BNP.

--
Mark T

You cite the parts from the motoring section on actions to reduce
traffic hold ups. The part about cycling you missed out is:

"There is clearly a substantial opportunity, in urban environments, to
encourage people to travel short distances using public transport, as
well as to rediscover the lost habit of walking or cycling (which
would improve public health as well as the environment). As well as
its environmental benefits, increased use of public transport and of
non- motorized movement can significantly reduce the crowding on urban
roads, which otherwise does so much to diminish the appeal of our
major cities to investors and international businesses."

Great. Concrete actions to make life more dangerous for cyclists and peds,
balanced by a paragraph of fluff.

--
Mark T

"spindrift" wrote in message
ups.com...
I saw Clive Anderson interview Redwood and the smug Tory git came
across very badly so my dislike of the man probably coloured my view
of his proposals.


I honestly cannot fathom why anyone would actually vote for John Redwood.
The man is an obnoxious smug, santimonious turd. Every time I've seen him on
the box I've seen nothing to change that view, no matter how hard I try to
see some redeeming feature in him. I just can't see *anything* about the man
that I could describe as pleasant, meaningful or intelligent. It's not just
that I disagree with him - you can disagree with someone and still have
respect for them and their point of view, but I can't fathom any single
positive attribute to him.

On Mon, 20 Aug 2007 07:18:41 -0500 someone who may be Tony Raven
wrote this:-

"There is clearly a substantial opportunity, in urban environments, to
encourage people to travel short distances using public transport, as
well as to rediscover the lost habit of walking or cycling (which
would improve public health as well as the environment). As well as its
environmental benefits, increased use of public transport and of non-
motorized movement can significantly reduce the crowding on urban roads,
which otherwise does so much to diminish the appeal of our major cities to
investors and international businesses."

That waffle on cycling is at odds with at least the following parts
of his plan:

"(4) Place cycle lanes on pavements where there is sufficient room
for pedestrians as well."

"(6) Encourage Councils to widen junctions, separating traffic going
in different directions. Encourage large companies to sponsor such
works where it can help their business."

"(9) Build elevated carriageways or underpasses at main busy city
junctions to improve flows at peak times and rush hours."

"(10) Review speed limits, using modern technology to have the right
speed limit at the right time - e.g. 20mph outside schools only when
children are entering or leaving school, higher speed limits the
rest of the time."




--
David Hansen, Edinburgh
I will *always* explain revoked encryption keys, unless RIP prevents me
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2000/00023--e.htm#54

Mark T wrote:
Great. Concrete actions to make life more dangerous for cyclists and peds,
balanced by a paragraph of fluff.

For any concrete action to result, they would first have to get elected,
and then to not accidentally forget they'd said it. Probably not worth
getting wound up about it yet.


-dan

in message .com,
spindrift ') wrote:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:C...sion_risks.jpg

That, and the article to which it belongs, is an excellent and very clear
statement of the problem.

Full text he
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segrega...cle_facilities

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
; gif ye hes forget our auld plane Scottis quhilk your mother lerit you,
; in tymes cuming I sall wryte to you my mind in Latin, for I am nocht
; acquyntit with your Southeron
;; Letter frae Ninian Winyet tae John Knox datit 27t October 1563