please empty your brain below
I completely agree that TfL need to get the details right, balancing (finally) some safe space for people on bikes with other road users' needs. But in this context I think it's worth noting that every other road going E/W and N/S will remain dangerous for bikes and available for traffic. It's also worth remembering the phenomena of 'induced demand' and 'traffic evaporation' - restriction of space (and providing space for bikes) will ultimately lead more people to choose not to drive - this TED talk is an interesting example of this effect. So the long-run effect should be to reduce the exhaust fumes... https://www.ted.com/talks/jonas_eliasson_how_to_solve_traffic_jams?language=en
dg writes: Yup. Replaced, thanks.
The reduction in motor lane width will help disabled walkers too, by making roads easy to cross, especially for people who can't make it across wide roads under the mayor's current regime of short green-man times.
I saw lots of new and relocated disabled parking bays in the plans (they are moving some away from nasty junctions). I wonder if the net effect will be close to zero for parking.
There are big parts of that stretch of embankment that are effectively 2 lane already.
Through Hyde Park, eh? So it won't be shut at night and more paths will allow cyclists?
Even switching from the east-west route to the north-south route at Blackfriars station looks tricky. And as for using the Westway elevated road - have you seen the ramp up to it? And what use will it be to cyclists wanting to get to the ladbroke Grove area?
Indeed, I expect there will be a small but noticeable increase in traffic on the other roads in the area, making them more dangerous for cyclists, and motorists will feel even more justified in shouting at cyclists for not using the cycle facilites - I frequently get bawled at for straying out of the existing cycle lane on Blackfriars, despite the fact that I am clearly signalling my intention to turn right, and the cycle lane only goes straight ahead.
Hyde Park - no new paths for cyclists, notice how it takes a dogleg round the south and west sides rather than the direct route alongside the Serpentine.
The other point here is the policy contradiction. These plans create all sorts of junction pinchpoints and remove bus lanes. The N-S consultation states specifically that bus services will be slowed down. However another aspect of TfL's plans for buses are to add more bus priority and to remove pinch points on the traffic network. All these cycle lanes do the opposite. How on earth can you have two policies from the same organisation pulling in opposite directions? It's nuts.
At least with two lanes each way along the Embankment, there's some chance to filter along the middle.
But with three lanes?
Good to hear someone is actually putting thought into the positioning of cycle lanes etc in London. Some of the ones we have here in Portsmouth . . .
Are you sure about that? I can't find any indication of coach parking on the detailed maps - it looks like both lanes will be for [moving] traffic.
All things considered, I will be shunning both of these developments as rigorously as I've shunned the other Superhighways after a short trial. Because there's the additional problem of bad cyclists' incompetence/aggression against all other cyclists. There's not a day goes past when I don't see this - so far the worst this week has been two cyclists took each other out on Pall Mall on Tuesday and both were riding like utter dicks before they ate tarmac. I am not counting the yesterday's fakenger who decided he could wheel-suck me up to Old Street, disregarding advice that (A) this was rude and (B) my disc brakes were gonna out-brake his rim brakes - until, that is, he nearly crashed into me at the lights.
I'm not claiming to be SuperVictoria, or supervirtuous, just a regular commuter and campaigner for 20+ years, who's got utterly P-d off by other cyclists apparently doing their damnedest to take me out. The best defence, I've sadly concluded, is avoiding other cyclists.
So it pains me to say that I'll be shunning the lovely Embankment when this happens because those highways are just awful to ride on, partly because of the design (early flaws picked up higher up the thread) and also because of other cyclists.
It will be difficult to find a way across the river - walking the wobbly seems the best bet so far given the sh1tfest that is now Southwark Bridge - but worth it.
https://consultations.tfl.gov.uk/buses/100-ludgate-circus
Don't believe it's about improving reliability - Queen Vic Street is no better than Ludgate Hill in that regard. The plan to ban right turns at Ludgate Circus is at the bottom of this
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