"Form two lanes when cycle lane is not in use" - you cannot be serious!

Earlier this year, Manchester City Council's Highway Services published a consultation entitled "Hyde Road Cycle Casualty Reduction Scheme - Improving Cycling Facilities in Your Area".

The consultation leaflet highlighted that "over the past five years, thirteen collisions involving cyclists have been reported along Hyde Road. Locations where collisions have been reported breakdown into the following clusters:  Hyde Rd/Belle Vue Street, Hyde Road/Hengist Street and Hyde Road/Tan Yard Brow."

As part of these "improvements" an advisory cycle lane was installed on both side of the A57 in the vicinity of Tan Yard Brow (see google map) in late March / early April. It was reported that local residents and some bus operators had complained to Manchester City Council that these cycle lanes were causing peak time congestion. One local councillor Simon Ashley (who was not re-elected in May's local elections) claimed that these cycle lanes had “caused mayhem, queues and average delays of half an hour, with long tailbacks at the junction with Reddish Lane.” and welcomed "the Council's decision to remove cycle lanes on Hyde Rd”.  (Press release dated 6th April 2011).  However, it would seem that Manchester City Council had decided not to remove the cycles lanes but instead opted to install signs that read "Form two lanes when cycle lane not in use". 

Those nice people at Love You Bike were a little puzzled by these signs as it would appear that Manchester City Council Highways Service is encouraging drivers to break the Highway Code. Rule 140 of which states: 

“Cycle lanes. These are shown by road markings and signs. You MUST NOT drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a solid white line during its times of operation. Do not drive or park in a cycle lane marked by a broken white line unless it is unavoidable. You MUST NOT park in any cycle lane whilst waiting restrictions apply". (Emphasis added]. The phrase “unless it is unavoidable” would mean something like swerving out of the way to avoid danger – not forming a second lane of motor traffic when the road is busy.

It is unclear how car/bus/lorry drivers are supposed to know whether there is a bicycle ahead of them on the cycle lane or when traffic is stationary, as is often the case in rush hour periods, whether a bicycle is attempting to filter along the cycle lane. When traffic has blocked the cycle lanes, people attempting to use the cycle lanes are either prevented from doing so or (understandably but illegally) choose to cycle on the pavement. As shown in the photograph on the left. Love Your Bike asked CTC, the national cycling organisation, whether they had seen any other local authority in England using these signs or whether they conformed with any Department for Transport guidance. Their response was: "I’ve not heard of any similar sign elsewhere in England (or anywhere else in the UK for that matter).  Nor do I know of any guidance endorsing this approach."

 

Roger Geffen, CTC's Campaigns & Policy Director also highlighted that “Cycle lanes are there to encourage more people to switch from car driving to cycling, for the good of our health and that of our streets, our communities, our atmosphere and our wallets.  Bicycle are extremely efficient users of road-space: a typical-width traffic lane can accommodate 2,000 motor vehicles an hour, or 14,000 bicycles.  Asking drivers to block up cycle lanes completely defeats one of the key reasons for providing them in the first place, namely to reduce congestion on Manchester’s streets.”

These signs are not an appropriate solution as they encourage motorised traffic to drive over cycle lanes and send a very poor message to both the motoring and cycling communities.MCC Highways Service have been asked what they are planning to do to improve this situation..... updates to follow...

Update: Step away from the Trans-Pennine Trail !

Readers of this blog will remember that earlier this year, Metrolink, in its infinite wisdom, decided that the best solution for the Trans-Pennine Trail (TPT) near the Metrolink extension at Sandhurst Road, Didsbury was to propose installing six sets of steps into the TPT. See "We will remove barriers to cycling by installing steps".  

Those lovely people at Love Your Bike thought that building steps into a popular walking and cycling route was not the most sensible option and so organised an email lobbying action to get Metrolink to think again.

Pressure pays off.  Over 550 people sent emails lobbying their GM Integrated Transport Authority members and as a result a lively GMITA committee meeting on Friday 25th March saw a succession of councillors from all political parties lining up to question the steps proposal.  The Committee unanimously voted NO to the steps proposal.

Deluded fantasy. One councillor when questioning Metrolink's cost projections for the steps and the other solutuions referred to the costs as being a "deluded fantasy". Hard not to agree.

Next steps (sorry!) GMPTE/Metrolink officers were instructed to go away and come back with a more suitable  proposal. Anyone who sent an email should have received a letter from Keith Whitmore, the current chair of Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) - the successor to GM Integrated Transport Authority. [Ed - please do pay attention at the back]

For all those that have not had the pleasure of receiving this missive, the letter outlines that the options being examined were:

"1. Steps plus cycle groove at Sandhurst Road (current design).

2. Lengthening of the Sandhurst Road bridge to allow the Trans Pennine Trail to pass beneath (instead of up and over).

3. “Tunnelling” through the embankment next to the Sandhurst Road bridge, again, to maintain the Trail within the cutting rather than crossing up and over Sandhurst Road itself.

4. Re-routing the Trans Pennine Trail alongside the River Mersey whereby it would not occupy the Metrolink corridor – as suggested by residents and the Love Your Bike Campaign at the meeting on 25 March and which is being discussed with the City Council."

and goes on to state that the "option of providing ramps to cross up and over Sandhurst Road is not being considered further on the basis that our preliminary investigations concluded that Options 2 and 3 above would be the more cost-effective means of providing a steps-free Trail at Sandhurst Road and would be considerably less visually intrusive than ramps (which was a concern for residents). Therefore, these options have been preferred for further consideration."

It is understood that Metrolink have requested a meeting with Sustrans and Trans-Pennine Trail in the next few weeks..... hopefully to discuss a more sensible plan.  More news as we get it....

"Cycle to Chernobyl" - 25 hour cycle-athon

‘Cycle to Chernobyl’ is a 25 hour cycle-athon starting at 12 (noon) on May 12th and running (or should that be cycling) through till 12 noon on May 13th.  People are invited to cycle the 1737 miles to Chernobyl on 6 stationary bikes and aim to complete the task in 25 hours! There will be a group of us pedalling on stationary bikes all day and night until we reach Chernobyl (figuratively)!

Emma Henly is helping organise the event and is keen to have people help out as bucket shakers and with riding."We have a long way to go and need all the help (and legs we can get!) and we would really like to raise as much money as possible for charity - we want to raise £1737 to match the miles!"

The static bicycles will be outside the University of Manchester Student’s Union – in the heart of the campus on Oxford Road. 

Anyone who would like to help pedal a few miles can turn up or book a slot by contacting Emma emma_henly(at)hotmail.com.

Also see the facebook page for more details. People can make donations at the Justgiving site.

The event is fundraising for Chernobyl Children's Project UK  (More details below).

 

On April 26th it was 25 years since the devastating accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in Ukraine. The repercussions of the radioactive fallout are still being felt today by the people of Belarus, which was left dangerously contaminated. In the years after the accident, there were huge increases in children being born with disabilities and serious health problems. Sadly, society in Belarus still places stigma on having a disabled child, and many parents were advised to give their child away as they were told he or she would ‘not survive long anyway’. Chernobyl Children’s Project UK works to change the lives of the children who are affected by disability and serious illness through providing medical care and resources, nursing and expert doctor care, respite homes for terminally ill children, orphanages for abandoned children, recuperative holidays to the UK and summer camps in cleaner areas of Belarus.