An Appraisal of Lower Way Cycling Facilities

In December 2003 Spokes surveyed the, then recently completed, cycle track running for most of the length of Lower Way. Here we report our findings.

Introduction

Construction Standards

Appraising the Route

Give Way – again and again and again…

Descending the gradient down the shared-use footway from London Rd one crosses three entrances, at which the surface is poor and priority not clearly indicated, and then onto the cycle track proper.  There is no indication to pedestrians to leave the footway where it becomes a dedicated cycle track – and most pedestrians choose to use the cycle track for their convenience. This is poor provision.
The first real obstacle for users to overcome is the requirement for cyclists to give-way at the entrance to Newbury Leisure Park. As can be seen from the photograph the cycle track alignment is good, but it is often blocked by car drivers waiting to exit the park meaning a lengthy wait for cyclists on the cycle track – a cyclist choosing to remain on the road would have no such impediment to progress.  This “priority inversion” is an excellent example where a facility intended to improve a journey for a cyclist actually making it more difficult in practice.

How much better this could have been if the local authority had followed advice on best practice.

Like this...

Continuing eastwards, opposite Clerewater Place one comes across a bus stop placed on the cycle track. One has to question how bus users are meant to get to the bus stop except by walking on the cycle track, causing unnecessary conflict. Continuing, in quick succession there are two junctions, the first for Prince Hold Rd, the second for access to Thames Water buildings. Then, within 100m there’s a third for junction giving access to Thames Water Treatment site.  At each of these junctions the user of the cyclist is required exercise increased caution and to give-way to traffic joining and leaving the main carriageway.  This is a significant problem for a cyclist because it requires checking both in front, to the left and right and over the shoulder to see if any vehicles are turning before proceeding at each junction. Of course, any cyclist using the main carriageway would not have this concern.

Moving on, there is a further entrance which is usually closed by gate which gives assess to land between the water treatment works and the nature reserve.  Cycleway users are obliged to give way here too. Involving yet more neck-craning manoeuvres to determine whether it is safe to proceed.  Worryingly, and disappointingly, this entrance is often used by drivers as a lay-by (perhaps so they can speak on their mobile ‘phones).  This blocks the cycleway causing not just an inconvenience, but a safety issue since it forces cycle track users to divert to pass.

The next contorted arrangement for the cycle track user to negotiate is at the entrance to Thatcham nature reserve. At this junction the cycle track follows the entrance into the nature reserve before turning sharply to a give way point where it joins the side-road.  This requires cyclists to perform “stupefying” feats of balance as they slow to a standstill and look way over their shoulder to determine whether the route is clear.  Of  course, the safest course of action, and the best advice for the cycle track user at this point is to dismount to cross the carriageway remaining aware that traffic could appear at any time at the mouth of the junction (s)he is crossing – yet another inconvenience which a cyclist remaining on the main carriageway does not have to suffer.

How much better the Nature Reserve crossing could have been constructed.

The remainder of the cycle track up to its eastern end is remarkably hazard-free except for the unhelpful addition of a post sited in the centre of the track (on which is mounted safety camera) opposite the junction with Paynesdown Road – where dog walkers often stray across the cycle track.

At its eastern-most point the cycle track ends abruptly, unhelpfully guiding eastbound users directly into the path of oncoming traffic on the carriageway.  Quite how this feature passed a safety audit is beyond Spokes’ understanding.  The addition to the white markings there is a dismount sign – yet again this is a kop-out – the engineer could not think of a good way to merge the cycle track with the carriageway, so decided the best option is to stop the cyclist in their tracks.  Needless to say, a cyclist remaining on the carriageway does not bear this inconvenience.

Joining the cycle track from Side-roads

Cycle Track or Parking Bay?

In addition to blockages at junctions discussed above, the cycle track is often used as a parking bay by workmen who park their vehicles blocking the cycle track, but keeping the carriageway clear(!), thus a cyclist using the cycle track is inconvenienced, whereas a cyclist using the carriageway is not. Not only that the cycle track seems a prime positioning site for temporary street furniture like workmen’s signage – yet another hazard for the beleaguered cycle track user to negotiate

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Keep it Safe and Clear

Last autumn saw a very wet spell throughout November at a time when leaves were freshly fallen.  Since the cycle track is not swept it became very slippery, and completely covered by leaves in places.
Compounding the lack of cycle track sweeping is the lack of gritting.  During recent frosty weather the cycle track has resembled a skating rink. The local authority surely can’t expect cyclists to use such a dangerous facility, nor believe that providing such poor service will result in increased levels of cycling?  One might question whether the local authority is, in fact, legally obliged to ensure the safety of these cycle tracks.

Dodge the Pedestrian

A game that cycle track users might enjoy playing, but not for long, is “dodge the pedestrian".  The cycle track is constructed to appear as a wide footway with some paint on it.  With the addition of bus stops along its length, how can a pedestrian reasonably be expected to know, or bother to respect it as a cycle facility where it looks like a perfectly usable footway?  If only the cycle track had been constructed at grade i.e. at the same level as the carriageway, and simply separated by intermittent kerbing it could have been so much more obvious, and removed the need for twenty seven sets of dropped kerbs at junctions and driveways. This approach might also have led to a design pattern where the cycle track enjoys equal priority over the side-road junctions as does the main carriageway.

Where’s the Edge of the Cycle track?

In Conclusion