please empty your brain below
"I don't cycle, not least because nobody's yet built a cycle route in east London I'd feel safe using. "
And then you review proposals to do just that, then end sarkily saying it'll be good for cyclists, implying it's not addressing your needs, so categorising people by the mode they choose to use. Don't "other" cyclists. They are people like you looking for a change to massive car dominance.
The really difficult change is yet to be consulted on, the westferry Circus roundabout (western side of Canary Wharf) is horrific for cyclists and pedestrians in current configuration.
And, isn't it a good thing if the extra safety enables more people to walk and cycle some of their journeys, instead of driving? And if some businesses switch their operations from vans to cargo bikes?
You mention some bus journeys might take a minute or two longer at peak times (like the 15 and the 115), but not the 277 and D6, which are expected to be up to three minutes faster. Across all journeys for all modes of transport, this scheme is astonishingly neutral on journey times even for the minority of people who drive. Even though they currently rocket through our neighbourhoods way too fast for safety. Some car journeys will get slower, but others will get faster. I think that's more than a fair price to pay for making east London a bit safer and more pleasant to live in.
It's [quite well established that making driving harder can lead to 'traffic evaporation' (the opposite phenomenon to induced demand, where building new roads encourages more people to drive).
I live alongside CS2, so observe its users every day cycling along the segregated sections and negotiating junctions. For safety's sake I won't be joining them any time soon.
The new Cycleway will no doubt be excellent for cyclists but, as I said in the post, I can't offer a cyclist's view. I'd love to read some in-depth posts from those who can.
This links back to Extinction Rebellion thing, they only inflicted limited disruption to the rail network (DLR at Canary Wharf) because its something that they use, whereas the huge disruption to the bus network didn't matter to them because they're not the type of people to use it.
Road space is limited, is it proportionate to permanently disrupt the most efficient users of that space for the benefit of cyclists, for example bendibuses were demonised - but they were loved by mothers with prams - and still had space for wheelchair users, but Boris wasn't a mother with a pram - or a wheelchair user.
But more seriously, looking at the proposals:
- section 1 is probably a couple of badly placed road signs
- due to the one way nature of Victoria Park Road and no major turns off it between the A12 and Cambridge Heath Road, I don't think Grove Road will really inconvenience anyone apart from local drivers
- section 3 is on hold
- section 4 looks problematic, but again, how many longer distance journeys would not use the A12 instead anyway? So again, mostly local traffic
- sections 5-9 I can't really judge on most of this impact, so I'm going with DG on this as he's the local
- section 10, that banned right turn , how many people actually go that way instead of via Aspen Way and Cotton Street?
- section 11, West India Dock Road is absolutely huge, it'll easily fit a cycleway (especially considering most traffic will be coming in and out of the Limehouse Link)
Again, can't really deliver a real judgement because I'm not a local, but it looks OK and doesn't have much effect on buses (actually making the 277 faster, which is a real win!), so why not?
I'm much more interested in the southern section, as if I'm cycling out of London I'm almost certain to be using CS3 - although using this as a CS3/CS2 link could work, meaning one can avoid Aldgate and the whole Minories nightmare...
Yeah, but a mile feels like a kilometre unless you're out there walking it, and if they can say 7.5km instead of 4.7 miles it sounds a lot more impressive...
Road space is limited, is it proportionate to permanently disrupt the most efficient users of that space (bus, walk, cycle) for the benefit of motor vehicles?
Can I suggest you rent a Boris bike and try some of CS3 along the Embankment. That's done really well and much safer. I hope experiencing that would transform your view
2,019 road deaths in the UK in 2016.
Guess what number of these are attributed to cyclists.
Hint: You can count them on your fingers.
I completely understand why many look at the current infrastructure and think it's still too unsafe. We remain in a trap in which it's mainly the bold who go out on bikes, so it's like a peloton race in rush hour and the segregated lanes are pretty deserted the rest of the time, and frankly a waste of space.
In certain other cities, they have tipped past a point at which the infrastructure is used by a wider diversity of people (families, business people between meetings, everyday shopping and leisure trips) that results in going by bike being normalised and something of a no-brainer. It has an overall calming effect when other cyclists and road users know there will be children and the not-so-bold about. The nearest thing we have to this is Quietway 1. I recommend any of the unconvinced to walk it (not at rush hour) from Southwark to Greenwich, and then see if you think it would have been quite safe more enjoyable on a bike.
dg writes: I've walked Quietway 1.
As for these proposals, I have a real problem with 2-way segregated lanes where there is a contraflow effect with less than a metre or so of separation between the bike lane and oncoming traffic – cycling against the oncoming traffic on one side and oncoming cyclists on the other is not family friendly, and then there is always a big ‘switcheroo’ when the contraflow crosses the road to be a more sensible segregated lane on each side. It adds to unnecessary traffic light and junction ‘faff’, with some cyclists not bothering to use the lane and keeping going with the car traffic instead. Any route with segregated lanes should choose whether to be a very well separated contraflow, OR with the flow on each side, and stick to it all the way. These routes need consistency and less faff to make them more widely acceptable.
On a positive note, over the years, my current commute has developed from mostly on-road to mostly within bus lanes, signposted Quietways and segregated paths. The latter in particular have made for great improvements. At the moment, a couple of junctions are being remodelled to exclude car traffic from the Quietways, which will make it better still. I encourage TfL and councils to plug away at doing this so that we hit the point where the un-bold come to find that going by bike is really ok and a normal thing to do. The Westferry bridge proposal would be a massive game changer.
(more seriously, the point of these projects is to tempt non-cyclists into making journeys by bike. If they're not doing the job that's a topic for a post right there)
I'm very much a local driver and the Victoria Park proposal would have a significant impact on my commuting time, plus would add congestion and emissions on whichever alternative route I went for. ( I live just north of Victoria Park).
If Grove Road is only for buses and cycles, other vehicles will divert either via Mare Street/ Cambridge Heath Road (both already clogged most of the day), or via Cadogan Terrace (has only one passing lane most of the road and thus clogs up because of the traffic lights at Wick Road). Diverted drivers won't use the 'East Cross Route' for lack of suitable junctions, while Chapman Road is indirect. The road network around the Park is Victorian and narrow and can't cope now - when the East Cross Route became the M11 extension, Hackney Wick stood-still every evening from 3.30pm to gone 7pm.
I accept the environmental arguments but the disadvantage to those who can't get on bikes (you try carrying a 'big shop' on one) is unreasonable and unfair. Something better is necessary.
Not great when it comes to reducing emissions, is it?
"The Isle of Dogs section has now been descoped from the main project as traffic and cycle flows are too low to justify a fully segregated layout. Improvements in the Isle of Dogs will be progressed as part of the Cycleway network development with Tower Hamlets Council."
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