A blog I picked up from the CEoGB blog round-up - someone who has more reason than most to not like tactiles but also more sympathy than perhaps some with people not liking their environment changed:
https://cantstandupforfallingdown.com/2016/11/12/crossing-cycle-tracks/
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Infrastructure
Tactiles
(32 posts)-
Posted 8 years ago #
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Indeed!
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That doesn’t only hold for a filtered Judd Street, it will also apply to a bus stop bypass. I hear through the grapevine that a working group of stakeholders have found that evidence gathered to date from monitoring bus stop bypasses shows that they are not inherently dangerous. That’s good news, however, if blind people are avoiding these bus stops because they don’t consider them to be safe, they are effectively excluded from the evidence base being considered. It’s essentially the same argument cycling advocates use to explain the lack of underrepresented groups cycling in a hostile environment – a lack of subjective safety leads to self exclusion and no amount of stats proving how safe it is for the people who do cycle, or training in how they do it, significantly alters that.
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I'm sure many of 'us' don't consider other potential infrastructure users enough.
It's only relatively recently that 'cycle campaigners' have given much consideration to able-bodies pedestrians.
Whether tactiles are used where there are (often) visually impaired people is unknown (to me).
Whether tactiles have encouraged vips to encounter cycle lanes more often/with more confidence is also unknown (to me).
This thread is mostly about tactiles making bike riders FEEL (and in extreme cases, BE) unsafe.
Consequently a 'barrier to cycling' - a reason for people to not cycle (perhaps when wet) or go a different route - just like tram lines.
Specifically on MMW the tactiles would seem to be being used as a 'beware pedestrians' tool - more than 'info for vips'.
I don't know if this is necessary/desirable/optimal.
There is a (potential/real) problem of cycle/ped conflict. Cycle speed down a significant slope is an issue.
Much as I hate them, bumps on the downhill might be justified.
These tactiles slow people down through fear (or don't for the confident/fearless).
No idea if the tactiles have improved pedestrian safety - I hope CEC has done some monitoring(?)
It as though people with disabilities are being used as a convenient excuse - and they might not even be benefiting to any noticeable degree.
I hope Gavin Corbett can see this through to some sort of better solution.
Posted 8 years ago #
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